It\’s a great day to be a Lions At The Gate fan! The Los Angeles-based hard-rock quintet has today announced their debut album \’The Excuses We Cannot Make\’, set for release on Friday, August 25, and was produced and mixed by Kile Odell (Nita Strauss, Fozzy, Motionless In White). In celebration of the news, the band has released a new music video for their track \”Drain\” off the forthcoming full-length (directed by Vicente Cordero/Industrialism Films (Black Veil Brides, Cradle of Filth). When asked about the themes of this album as well as the subsequent writing and recording process, vocalist Cristian Machado shared:
\”The topics on this record were deeply personal to me and spoke a lot about the personal struggle that I was going through at the time with the separation from my [now previous] band, a divorce, a custody dispute, and being slandered publicly with lies, but overall wanting a message of persistence and forgiveness… The instrumental [of the album] was already great. We tracked 1 to 2 songs a day, and [never once did I think] to go back to re-record anything. Everyone in the band has a chance to express themselves creatively, writing individually, but then we all come together to record the album as a unit. In this kind of environment, everyone in the band gets some solitary creativity and then has a chance to speak their mind about all the ideas occurring throughout the entire recording process.\”
Speaking about the inspiration behind \”Drain\”, Machado commented:
\”\’Drain\’ is a song about regret and time. There was a time in my life when I wished I could turn back the clock and take all the lessons I’ve learned with me. Many times I wondered if I’d made the right decisions in my own life. Years ago, I lost a family member whom I loved dearly with all my heart. We held her until the very last breath that she took. That was such a life-changing experience, it truly made me see things a lot differently. Sadly, so many years I wasted leading up to that moment, thinking that time would never run out. The regret I felt was so intense, it opened my eyes wider than ever before and led my heart to change. I carry the memory daily, still. Thank God I am now, finally, realizing that perhaps I am not defined by the mistakes I’ve made, I am defined by the lessons I’ve learned in-house. I can apply them to my life now. In the end, it was worth it all.\”
Pre-order packages are also available including options such as a limited number of vinyl and CDs, as well as shirts and hoodies that can be purchased at the link here. Pre-save \’The Excuses We Cannot Make\’ here, watch the music video for \”Drain\” in the thumbnail below and stream the track here.
THE EXCUSES WE CANNOT MAKE Track Listing:
2. The Climb
3. Find My Way (featuring Tatiana Shmayluk)
4. Drain
5. Bed of Nails
6. Scapegoat
7. Vultures
8. The Ledge
9. Losing Hope
10. Digital Sea
11. My Apology