Article By: Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker ‡ Edited By: Leanne Ridgeway
RED DRAGON CARTEL, the band led by former Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Jake E. Lee, has announced its sophomore album is on the way.
‘Pantina‘ will arrive on November 9th via Frontiers Music Srl. and we are revealing the album artwork and tracklist at this time. The recording will mark the group’s first release with drummer Phil Varone (Saigon Kick, Skid Row) and bassist Anthony Esposito (Lynch Mob, Ace Frehley). The band’s current lineup is rounded out by singer Darren James Smith.
‘Pantina‘ was recorded at Esposito’s Obscenic Arts studio in Dillsburg, Pennsylvania, and was reportedly mixed by legendary producer Max Norman, who has previously worked with Ozzy Osbourne, Savatage, Megadeth, and most recently, The Watchers.
Jake recently commented:
“I’ve said this in interviews before and I really look like an asshole. [Laughs] But my end goal isn’t to please people. And I suppose that is what an entertainer is supposed to do — give people what they want. That’s not why I do it, that’s not why I’ve ever done it. I do it for me. And it sounds selfish, but I think that’s… You have to be true to yourself.
“I make music that I wanna hear,” he continued. “I just hope other people like it also. If they don’t… [sighs] Oh, well. [Laughs] If they don’t, they don’t; they don’t have to buy it. But I do think that they should give it a listen. ‘Cause it’s interesting. We’re trying to stir things up a little bit. We’re not playing it safe and just doing exactly what people expect.“
Tracklist:
01. Speedbag
02. Havana
03. Crooked Man
04. The Luxury Of Breathing
05. Bitter
06. Chasing Ghosts
07. A Painted Heart
08. Punchclown (Bonus Track)
09. My Beautiful Mess
10. Ink & Water
