Late last year, drummer Johnny Kelly ( Type O Negative/Danzig/Quiet Riot ) and guitarist/songwriter Dan Lorenzo (Hades/Non-Fiction/Cassius King) announced the formation of Patriarchs In Black. Last month the duo released their first single “Demon Of Regret” and announced they had signed with Germany's MDD Records.
Multiple singers and bassists would be utilized including Karl Agell (COC/Lie Heavy) and Dave Neabore who played on the first single. Patriarchs In Black's debut album will be titled Reach For The Scars. Check out a video snippet below:
Brooklyn native Johnny Kelly and New Jersey-based guitarist Dan Lorenzo have both played in more than a handful of bands. Lorenzo was the founding member of both Hades and Non-Fiction and most recently Vessel Of Light and Cassius King. He even wrote the music with Bobby Blitz' first foray outside of Overkill in 2007 with The Cursed.
Kelly first came into prominence with Type O Negative and has also sat behind the kit for Danzig for nearly two decades. Kelly has also performed with Black Label Society, A Pale Horse Name Death, and currently Quiet Riot and Silvertomb. Before now the two have never recorded anything together.
"I honestly don't remember how I first got in contact with Johnny," Lorenzo stated. "I know we've had some email contact together for a while, and I remember originally being flattered that Johnny even know who I was."
Kelly stated, "I liked the riffs that Dan sent me and it's a great opportunity to get to play with different people." When Kelly was asked what he brings to the table for Patriarch In Black he came back with, "I'm not really sure. I consider myself to be an average drummer at best. It must be my charming personality!"
The duo have named this project Patriarchs In Black. Lorenzo wrote the music and plays guitar, Kelly is behind the kit.
Patriarchs In Black will have multiple vocalists. Karl Agell (ex-COC), Dewey Bragg (Kill Devil Hill), Rob Dukes (ex-Exodus), Rob Traynor (Black Water Rising), and John Kosco (Dropbox) have each already agreed to sing at least one song.
When pressed for a description of how the music sounds, Kelly said, "All roads lead to Black Sabbath!"
The first single, "Demon Of Regret", features Kelly, Lorenzo, Karl Agell on vocals and Dave Neabore (Dog Eat Dog) on bass.
"Demon Of Regret" is the very first song Lorenzo and Agell ever wrote together. Lorenzo wrote the music. Lyrically, Agell said the track is, "About choices made and paths not taken, and our inability to go back no matter how much we wish we could. Consequences. Guilt. Anguish."
Get the single here, and listen below.
Patriarchs In Black will release a full album on Germany's MDD Records. Stay tuned.
