TROUBLE: 'The Distortion Field' First-Week Sales Revealed

July 24, 2013

"The Distortion Field", the first studio album in six years from Chicago doom-metal legends TROUBLE, sold around 760 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 25 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.

Comments TROUBLE guitarist Rick Wartell: "It's an honor to receive the positive feedback, reviews and recognition. We're extremely grateful to our fans and everyone who supported us during the making of 'The Distortion Field'."

Due in Europe on August 23 via FRW Records, the 12-song follow-up to 2007's "Simple Mind Condition" was helmed by veteran producer Bill Metoyer (SLAYER, W.A.S.P., ARMORED SAINT, DARK ANGEL, SACRED REICH, CRYPTIC SLAUGHTER, D.R.I.) and marks the recording debut with TROUBLE of lead singer Kyle Thomas following the departure of the group's frontman of four years, Kory Clarke (of WARRIOR SOUL fame).

"The Distortion Field" track listing:

01. Sink Or Swim
02. Paranoid Conspiracy
03. Glass Of Lies
04. The Grey Chill Of Autumn
05. When The Sky Comes Down
06. Butterflies
07. Your Reflections
08. Have I Told You
09. The Apple From The Snake
10. Hunters Of Doom
11. Sucker
12. The Broken Have Spoken

Decibel magazine is streaming three songs from the album: "When The Sky Comes Down", "Butterflies" and "Sucker". Check them out using the SoundCloud widget below.

Says TROUBLE founder and guitarist Rick Wartell: "Kyle is one of the most impressive singers I've ever heard, and by far the most extraodinary singer I've ever had the pleasure of working with. He's got incredible range, incredible power, and an incredible knowledge of TROUBLE, as he's been a fan for 20-something years. We've known him forever, and he innately understands what TROUBLE is about. He's like the perfect guy to come in and do this job. It's awesome."

He adds: "Musically, I think this album is a true TROUBLE record.

"In the early days, we used to just write what we felt and didn't really care about what anyone said. We just wrote heavy riffs and played our music our way. But outside influences can kind of get a hold of you and start telling you what to do.

"When we were writing this album, the thinking was, we don't care what anybody thinks. We're going to write what we write. So this is basically a return to our roots, while combining some reflections of our band's long history as well.

"With the two different music writers, Bruce [Franklin, guitar] and myself, we have a slight variation in our writing; Bruce has more of a '70s groove to his writing, and I'm more the old-school doomy metal thing. And when you put it together, you get TROUBLE."

Thomas, former lead vocalist for EXHORDER, FLOODGATE and ALABAMA THUNDERPUSSY, was no stranger to TROUBLE as he previously fronted the band for four live shows between 1997 and 1999, including Stoner Hands Of Doom festival in Maryland and Expo Of The Extreme in Chicago. Thomas has also collaborated on projects with members of SLIPKNOT, DOWN, OBITUARY and DEICIDE.

In an interview with Metal Kaoz, Bruce Franklin stated about Kyle's addition to TROUBLE, "We didn't need to change any of the [new] music [to suit Kyle's vocals]. He really knows how to sing to TROUBLE stuff because he was a fan from way back."

Added Kyle: "They had given me four songs to work on when I was jamming with them in anticipation of possibly doing the album that came to be 'Simple Mind Condition'. I did demo one song, but nothing I did ever made it to the album. Things turned out the way that they have between then and now, and here I am."

He continued, "Bruce and Rick [Wartell, guitar] have always been great to me as people and business partners. I was made to feel an equal back then, and the same goes for now. That is monumental for me — I grew up listening to these guys and now I am a member of one of my favorite bands. You can't beat that."

TROUBLE 2013 is:

Kyle Thomas: Vocals
Bruce Franklin: Guitar
Rick Wartell: Guitar
Mark Lira: Drums

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