Rockshots Records is proud to announce their signing of Finnish rockers Highway Queen for their debut full-length album “Bitter Soul”, a collection of rock and metal songs with beautiful melodies, strong riffs with heavy drums and bass. Each song shows the listener the stylistic versatility of the band.
The album is due out on December 16th, 2022, and follows their 2021 singles “Walls are Burned”, “You Better Run” and “Hellfire” released via Inverse Records.
Songs on “Bitter Soul” are all about scenarios in one’s life. The lyrics tell stories about the gnawing burden of shame, anger, and bitterness. They also talk about the burden that carries through generations. They are about people’s weaknesses too. The stories are also about overcoming these challenges.
“From our first self-releases and singles with Inverse Records to this album, our sound is definitely going from a lighter to heavier direction. Every song has its own mood so feeling vary throughout the album. There are parts in the album with bluesy vibes to parts that have strong doom or even thrash vibes. It all blends together with a touch of 80’s style. Every song on the record has its own mood”, adds the band.
Today, the band presents their first single and album title track with a music video, which can be viewed below.
The band explains the song in further detail:
“We wanted to compose a very simple and blues-like song. We tossed around ideas and played and played until we got verse and chorus ready. Still, we weren’t pleased with the chorus. We had a session with the producer and we introduced the song to him. He also thought that it wasn’t ready yet. So we played the song and tried to think out of the box and the chorus came out. The guitar has a gloomy riff to give the song a darker shade. The bass came out to be strong together with simple and tight drums still giving some spice on its own. Bitter Soul tells about a woman who has lost her loved ones. Her soul has died. She regrets and mourns but she doesn’t know how she can change the things she has done”.
Highway Queen is a band that plays melodic hard rock with some metal influences. The band was founded at the end of 2019 by vocalist Virpi Kääriäinen, guitarist Teemu, Kääriäinen and drummer Henri Backman. All members have played in cover band projects in the past and decided it was time to start making their own creations.
In 2020, the band self-released four singles on digital platforms. Also in 2020, the band acquired bassist Petri Orava and they recorded more songs to be released. In 2021, the band signed with Finnish record label Inverse Records for releasing three singles and a music video. The songs had a great reception, and the band continued moving forward to start working on their first album. All Highway Queen songs are recorded with Aleksanteri Kuosa, so he was a natural choice to be the producer for the full-length. He has also worked with bands like Waltari and Before The Dawn.
Highway Queen is recommended for fans of melodic hard rock, heavy rock, and NWOTHM.
Pre-order “Bitter Soul” here.
Tracklist:
1. Hey!
2. Get On Your Knees
3. I Lean On You
4. Here I Am
5. I Dim the Lights
6. Bitter Soul
7. In Vain
8. Own Will
All songs written by Virpi Kääriänen, Teemu Kääriäinen & Henri Backman
Album Credits:
• Bass tracks played for the album by Jykke Tikka
• Produced, engineered & mixed by Aleksanteri Kuosa
• Cover and photos: Henri Backman
• Mastered by Jukka Yliaho/Masterlab
• Recorded at Inka Studio
Line-up:
Virpi Kääriäinen – Vocals
Teemu Kääriäinen – Guitar
Henri Backman – Drums
Weblinks:
www.highwayqueenband.com
www.facebook.com/highwayqueenband
