THE DAMNED THINGS: 'Ironiclast' Cover Artwork Unveiled

THE DAMNED THINGS — the new band featuring members of FALL OUT BOY (Joe Trohman, Andy Hurley),ANTHRAX (Scott Ian, Rob Caggiano) and EVERY TIME I DIE (Keith Buckley, Josh Newton) — will release its debut album, "Ironiclast", in North America on December 14 (one day earlier internationally) via Island/Def Jam.

Commented Trohman: "This art is meant to represent a example of an 'ironiclast.' The $1 bill is one of the most iconoclastic images we, as a band, could think of. Every time we kept musing on other widely recognized bits of imagery, we always came back to this bank note for some reason. It felt relevant, regardless of the meaning one decides to attach. It can that represent everything from the American dream and total independence, to capitalism and a loss in sight of what's really important in this world. It could be representative of not just the current American economy, but also of the world economy and its piss-poor state of being. This could also conjure up the old 'money-is-the-root-of-all-evil' adage. Maybe you just hate George Washington and you feel like this is really sticking it to him...FINALLY! Or maybe you love George Washington and have been dying to give him a cool makeover. This is all left up to you. Many meanings can be attached to this imagery. It's all in how you choose to interpret it."

A song from the CD, "We've Got a Situation Here" is available for streaming on the group's MySpace page.

Commented Scott Ian: "I just wanted to let you know how proud we are of this song and this whole record. It really feels special to us and I think we've written something that DESERVES to be heard. From top to bottom, every song rocks. Sick riffs, killer grooves, ripping leads, HUGE hooks aka ROCK. "

THE DAMNED THINGS made its live debut on June 1, 2010 at the Knitting Factory in Brooklyn, New York.

While each individual in the band has experienced their own successes, THE DAMNED THINGS' debut CD, which combines their love of classic rock anthems and powerful melodies with a heavy metal intensity, turns out to be much more than the sum of the separate parts.

"This is an amalgam of three very different bands," explained FALL OUT BOY guitarist Joe Trohman, who was first introduced to ANTHRAX's Scott Ian three years ago, when the two became fast friends and immediately began writing together. "It seemed unlikely, but it turned out we were on the same page musically. We were both interested in putting together a heavy/classic-rock, blues-oriented, riff-based band while trying to stay away from what makes that sound generic and overplayed."

"We're trying not to over-think it," chimed in Ian. "Nobody's arm is being twisted to be here. We're just doing it as we go along, and this is the natural progression. We're able to do things exactly how we want to do them by keeping it simple and comfortable for everyone."

With Trohman and Caggiano handling the production duties, the group began writing and recording songs mostly in Brooklyn, Chicago, and Buffalo (where Buckley resides). The template began to take shape, combining those elements of classic rock with the heavier aspects of ANTHRAX and EVERY TIME I DIE, and the hook-laden choruses of FALL OUT BOY.

THE DAMNED THINGS is:

Keith Buckley: Lead Vocals
Scott Ian: Rhythm Guitar, Vocals
Rob Caggiano: Rhythm, Lead Guitar, Vocals
Joe Trohman: Rhythm, Lead Guitar, Vocals
Andy Hurley: Drums, Percussion
Josh Newton: Bass