New Music: Michael Monroe, Lovebites, Poison The Well, Sun Dont Shine & Exodus

Michael Monroe: Shinola

‘Shinola’ was obviously originally written about a certain jerk but unfortunately most of us can relate as we know a lot of them,” comments Monroe. “There’s a lot of negative, ignorant idiots in the world and sometimes it’s good to vent frustrations by singing about it. And karma always gets us in the end anyway!”

The former Hanoi Rocks frontman released his twelfth studio album, “Outerstellar,” on February 20th.

Monroe. who co-founded Hanoi Rocks in the late 1970s, is backed by former Hanoi Rocks and New York Dolls bassist Dam Yaffa, who has played with Monroe since the ’80s. Guitarists Rich Jones and Steve Conte (New York Dolls) and drummer Karl Rockfist complete the line-up.

Monroe’s most recent album, “I Live Too Fast To Die Young,” arrived in 2022.

Lovebites: The Castaway

“The Castaway” is the opening track of the band’s forthcoming album “Outstanding Power,” which will drop May 8th. It will be their debut on the Napalm Record’s imprint.

“We are very excited to announce that we have signed a worldwide deal with Napalm Records, excluding Asia ,” offers the band. “Their roster is filled with metal bands ranging from rising stars to globally successful acts, and even legendary icons respected by all. We are proud to become part of this illustrious history. Together with Napalm Records, whose passion for heavy metal matches our own, we will ensure the success of our upcoming album, ‘Outstanding Power’.”

“We created a truly one‑of‑a‑kind album — something only we could bring into the world. We hope Metalheads everywhere will draw strength from the songs contained in ‘Outstanding Power’.”

Poison The Well: Everything Hurts

The track is from “Peace In Place,“ the band’s first new album since 2009, on March 20th. 

“‘Peace In Place’ is probably the most pissed record we’ve ever made. After stepping away from Poison The Well, it felt like all the emotion from that time — frustration, heartache, disappointment — compressed into something heavy and unavoidable,” states vocalist Jeffrey Moreira. “But anger isn’t what drives us. Connection is. Sometimes that connection starts in darker places, and having an outlet for those emotions is how we find our way forward. This record lives across that entire spectrum. It’s about turning something negative into something honest, putting it into the world, and realizing that even in anger, we’re still capable of moving forward, relating to each other, and finding some form of peace — if not happiness, then at least a place to stand.”

Moreira. concludes saying, “I’m grateful to do this again with my friends.”

Sun Dont Shine: Power To Live 

“The track is a challenge to the times we’re living in,” Sun Dont Shine explains, “an insistence on survival and consciousness in the face of cycles that refuse to break.”

“Power To Live” was written by guitarist/vocalist Kenny Hickey and guitarist/vocalist Kirk Windstein and recorded last year with producer Duane Simoneaux and co-producer Vinnie LaBella.

In addition to Hickey and Windstein, Sun Dont Shine (formerly Eye Am) has bassist Todd Strange and drummer Johnny Kelly.

The track is on the band’s upcoming debut album “Birth To Death”: which will drop April 1st.

Sun Dont Shine’s Hickey and Kelly were in Type O Negative, Strange was an original Crowbar member and Windstein, who also plays in Down, has issued two solo albums.

“We’ve always been friends and we’ve always crossed paths and hung out,” Kelly notes.

Exodus: Goliath

It’s the title track of the band’s twelfth studio album, set for release March 20th.

The ominous string work is from violinist Katie Jacoby, who “laid down 18 tracks of strings in the middle harmony section, making the song go from just pure horror to a thing of beauty.” That was coupled with intricate guitars by the band’s Gary Holt.

“‘Goliath’ may quite possibly be the heaviest thing we have ever done, and certainly the slowest song in our catalog,” explains Exodus.

As for the album, the band adds: “We put everything we had into this record and it’s one of our proudest accomplishments. Wildly collaborative, the most band centric album to date with four songs written by Lee (Altus – guitar), lyrics by Gary, Lee, Rob (Dukes – vocals) and Tom (Hunting – drums), and just killer all the way around.”