Smackbound is the new hard rock/metal band from the robust and acclaimed Finnish music scene, who released their debut album, 20/20, via Frontiers Music Srl. Due on June 12th. Coninciding with the album release, an official video for "Close To Sober can be viewed below.

On what to expect from their debut album, singer Netta Laurenne says, ”It is a versatile album with music for all moods. The songs are melodic and have a great drive. We are trying to clear out the clutter from our hearts and heads and hope that the same process will happen to everyone listening to the album. It is all about energy in this world and we are trying to keep that energy alive and moving so that it would reach the listener and have a true impact and a connection with them. More on the musical side, everyone invested their own talent to the album. Teemu played great riffs and solos, Rolf banged the drums like no tomorrow and Vili and Tuomas played some pretty awesome stuff as well. I poured my heart into the lyrics and tried to sing the songs with grace."

Continuing on about the making of "The Game" music video, Laurenne says, ”I had this vision for years about using clay and making these human statues. I once saw a picture with a person with clay on their face and basically took the idea from there. It never really fit anywhere before this song though. Once I had sung the song and was listening to it, I realized that this is where the idea was meant to be used. It is honest, brutal, ugly, and beautiful at the same time. It shows us, in a way, without any status or ego. And in this song, that is very important because it is a song about every human beings' longing to be loved. It tells about the hide and seek, fear of getting hurt, and the bravery of trusting love. There is also a side to the story which probably all of us have experienced: the letdown, the heartbreak. Opening up to someone only to be brutally broken. Love can be like a Trojan horse, but can we really ever afford not to let it in? The video was shot in Helsinki by director Owe Lingvall and basically we were just laughing our asses off rubbing clay on each other. It was also kind of humbling for us to be half-naked with one another, back to back, listening to this song about vulnerability. I hope we managed to make something good."

Smackbound's story started back in 2015 when singer and actress Netta Laurenne founded the group. You may have heard her before on guest spots with Amorphis, Lordi, Black Sun, and Elvenking. She is a classically trained singer who has also studied pop/jazz and folk singing. And yes, she is also an actress. Guitarist Teemu Mäntysaari was the first to join the line-up and soon followed Rolf Pilve on drums, Vili Itäpelto on keyboards and Tuomas Yli-Jaskari on bass. Collectively, they have experience in well respected metal bands like Wintersun, Stratovarius, The Dark Element, and Tracedawn. The band immediately started writing their own songs, but to get their live chemistry flowing, founded a cover band Run For Cover, to be able to play gigs right away and turn Smackbound into a well-oiled live machine.

The band launched with a string of successful singles and videos including the debut “Drive It Like You Stole It,” the energetic “Wall of Silence,” and "Run”. All the singles will be included on the band’s debut, 20/20.

The album was recorded at Sonic Pump Studios, produced by Tuomas Yli-Jaskari mixed and mastered by Jesse Vainio (Sunrise Avenue, Apocalyptica, Poets Of The Fall).

Tracklisting:

"Wall Of Silence"
"Drive It Like You Stole It"
"Close To Sober"
"Run"
"The Game"
"Those Who Burn"
"Hey Motherfuckers"
"Troublemaker"
"Date With The Devil"
"Wind And Water"

"Those Who Burn" lyric video:

"Drive It Like You Stole It" video:

"The Game" video:

Lineup:

Netta Laurenne - Vocals
Teemu Mäntysaari - Guitars
Rolf Pilve - Drums
Vili Itäpelto - Keyboards
Tuomas Yli-Jaskari - Bass