SEVENDUST's MORGAN ROSE Explains How He Ended Up Making Solo EP

SEVENDUST drummer Morgan Rose released his debut solo EP, "Controlled Chaos", on November 27 via Rise Records. Morgan co-wrote the EP with SEVENDUST bandmate Clint Lowery. With Clint on guitar and Jason Christopher (COREY TAYLOR, PRONG) on bass, Morgan tracked six songs in less than ten days at The Lair in Culver City, California.

Rose discussed how the idea for the EP came about during a recent interview with Alicia Atout. He said (see video below): "I came to California in the very beginning of March, and I was supposed to be here for, like, two or three days. I had just started dating a girl, and she lived out here. So I was, like, 'Okay, cool. We'll take that step and we'll spend some time in somebody's house.' So I was supposed to be here three days and go into New York on the 9th [of March] to do interviews and get ready for the SEVENDUST world. So then this [pandemic] hit. And all my interviews were, like, 'Well, maybe you should hold on for a few days and let's see what's going on, 'cause something's getting ready to happen here.' So that two or three days turned into two months. So I basically just moved into my girlfriend's house. It's, like, 'Oh, we just started dating. Oh, we live together.' It was wild."

He continued: "The funny thing is that she's an engineer that works on records, so she had access to this studio, and I was, like, I wanna do something. So I called Clint, and he said, 'I'm gonna send you some guitar riffs, and [you] play drums and sing on it, and see what happens.' So I ended up doing a solo record, like it was a joke. I was just, like, 'I'll just go in and record a little bit. I'm not a singer; I'm a screamer.' So I ended up doing this solo record, and Rise picked it up. And I was, like, 'Oh my God. I have a record deal as a solo artist now all of a sudden.' It was a trip."

Fans of Morgan's main gig will be pleasantly surprised at the different shades presented on "Controlled Chaos", as the EP presents a varied musical blueprint on the legendary drummer. Morgan sounds equally at home singing with a keyboard and orchestral accompaniment as he does belting out his trademark primal screams in a full band setting. The EP's first single, "The Answer", which can be heard below, is a bombastic introduction to the EP, taking a page from SEVENDUST's penchant for thick guitars, up-tempo rhythms, and gritty yet melodious vocals.

"Controlled Chaos" track listing:

01. Intro
02. The Answer
03. Faster Man
04. Clarity
05. Come Alive
06. Exhale

Rose began his career over 25 years ago as a founding member of the Atlanta-based metal band SEVENDUST. Morgan's stickwork with the band has been nationally recognized, being named the number one metal drummer by Modern Drummer magazine, as well as one of the top 100 drummers of all time by Drum magazine, Hit Parader and Drummerworld. Rose, in addition to his work with SEVENDUST, is known for his contributions to projects CALL ME NO ONE with Clint Lowery of SEVENDUST and METHODS OF MAYHEM with Tommy Lee of MÖTLEY CRÜE. With an impressive three million albums sold, Rose has proved a powerhouse alongside SEVENDUST, helping the band earn four RIAA gold-certified albums.

SEVENDUST's 13th studio album, "Blood & Stone", was released on October 23 via Rise Records. The follow-up to 2018's "All I See Is War" was once again tracked at Studio Barbarosa in Gotha, Florida with producer Michael "Elvis" Baskette, who has previously worked with ALTER BRIDGE and SLASH, among others.

Photo credit: Travis Shinn