February 26th will see the release of Sci-Fi Or Die, the 4th full length offering from Droids Attack. The journey towards the completion of this masterpiece reads a tad like science fiction... The new song “Mashenomak” is streaming below. Sci-Fi Or Die is available for pre-order physically here and digitally here.

Madison impresario and retro arcade game fanatic Brad Van started Droids Attack back in 2000 and has been its driving force ever since. Obsessed with tone, great riffs and a cohesive vision, Van created the music that is Sci-Fi Or Die after being courted by an independent label on the heels of their 2011 release, Must Destroy. After a few tours and some amazing opportunities, Van was determined to continue the band's forward momentum into the next release, and began the writing process in earnest. In a little over a year's time, a body of work was amassed. It was 2013.

Sci-Fi Or Die was demoed shortly thereafter with the expertise of Jon Terrones (The Suit, The Book-Burners) at his Internet chat room-famous basement studio, Chez Woo. As fate would have it, this would be Droid’s last session with beloved long time bassist Nate Bush (Bongzilla, The Garza). Not to be deterred, the band acquired their old friend, Dennis Ponozzo (Below The Sound, Sinking Suns) to fill in, and the bass tracks were re-demoed with great success. However, after a short national tour, and a slew of regional shows Dennis could no longer make time for Droids, and the search for a replacement was on once again. Van, at a crossroads, needed someone solid to handle bass duties, so he set his sights on another good friend. Local legend, Darwin Sampson, owner of one of Madison's most well known and much respected music venues, The Frequency.

Mark Whitcomb (Things Fall Apart, Last Crack) was chosen to engineer and record Sci-Fi Or Die, and in February of 2014 Droids Attack laid down the majority of the disc's foundation at DNA Studios in Madison, Wisconsin. Immediately following the sessions, the guitars were re-recorded, vocals done and redone, heaping layers of percussion, keyboards, and obligatory sax solos added. Songs were mixed, new studio gear was purchased, and new sonic avenues were discovered. Songs were re-evaluated and more guitars were re-recorded before being remixed. It was all scrutinized down to the last note before being sent off to Masterdisk to be mastered by Roger Lian (Slayer, Pantera), who mastered and remastered it a couple of times before everything... felt... right.

Brad Van's uncompromising vision has borne a rich landscape of titanic riffs and an apocalyptic alien landscape. At long last, the CD is no longer science fiction. Droids Attack have plans to tour and support Sci-Fi Or Die in 2016.

Sci-Fi Or Die tracklisting:

“Die Glocke”
“New Plague”
“Clawhammer Suicide”
“Brahma Astra”
“Mashenomak”
“Mashenomak Strikes Again”
“The Maze”
“Rebirth”
“The Annunaki”
“Enoch”

“Mashenomak”:

“Brahma Astra”:

(Photo - David Reiling)