Andi Deris and the Bad Bankers – Million Dollar Haircuts On Ten Cent Heads

Andi Deris - Album ArtworkHis first solo album in more than 14 years, this opus from Helloween frontman Andi Deris certainly will take many fans by surprise, as it is about as far from the power metal ethos for which he is best known as it is possible to imagine…

Inspired by the ongoing banking crisis which has dominated the global economic scene for the guts of the past half decade, the ironically titled ‘Million Dollar…’ is an angry, reactionary album, very much fuelled by Deris’ own personal and deeply-held hatred for the corporate greed machine – and he doesn’t hold back, with venom-filled lyrics such as “I ain’t your mother / Stick your cock into another”.

Stylistically, it’s a varied album, from the Manson-esque industrialism of ‘Cock’ (from which the above lyrics are lifted) through the the angst-filled punk fury of ‘Banker’s Delight’ to the faux-AOR classic rock anthemic that is ‘Don’t Listen To The Radio’, the sweeping post-rock progression of the stunning ‘Who Am I’ to classic hard rock of ‘Must Be Dreaming’ and ‘The Last Days Of Rain’ (which sonically will be the most recognizable to Helloween fans)

Fortunately, Deris does not make the mistake of letting his fury get the better of him, as this is a well-constructed collection of songs, covering a distinct range of genres and delivered with an emotional intelligence which artists who seek to ‘rage against the machine’ (if you’ll pardon the pun) so often lack.

It’s a fierce, vitriolic album – at times quite possibly hard to listen to for diehard Helloween fans – which is also deeply personal and relevant, both to the artist and to the times which have produced it.

Track list:

Cock / Will We Ever Change / Banker’s Delight (Dead Or Alive) / Blind / Don’t Listen To The Radio (TWOTW 1938) / Who Am I / Must Be Dreaming / The Last Days Of Rain / EnAmoria / This Could Go On Forever / I Sing Myself Away

‘Million Dollar Haircuts On Ten Cent Heads’ will be released on December 9th through earMUSIC.  It will be available as a standard CD and a limited edition double CD digipak (the latter containing demo versions of three tracks from the album – ‘Don’t Listen To The Radio’, ‘Must Be Dreaming’ and ‘EnAmoria’ –  as well as demos of two unreleased tracks, ‘Behind Dead Eyes’ and ‘Little Lies’), and on vinyl.

Pre-orders are available by clicking on the Amazon link at the top of the page.

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About Mark Ashby

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