Red Dragon Cartel...The return of Jake E Lee

From SleezeRoxx...

"Former Ozzy Osbourne and Badlands guitarist Jake E. Lee is set to return with Red Dragon Cartel. The band will release their self-titled debut album on January 26th via Frontiers Records, followed by a world tour, and samples of the entire album can be previewed at Amazon.com.

'Red Dragon Cartel' represents Jake E. Lee's first band and real album in 20 years. In collaboration with writer and producer Ronnie Mancuso (Beggars & Thieves guitarist), a project was started with successful producer Kevin Churko that developed into the Red Dragon Cartel. Initially recording with various well known vocalists such as Cheap Trick's Robin Zander, In This Moment's Maria Brink, and Iron Maiden's Paul Di'Anno, Lee and Mancuso eventually decided that they wanted a permeant band. The new band members were culled from over a thousand submissions from a 'Jake E. Lee needs a lead singer and drummer FaceBook page', resulting in the perfect combination of English born vocalist D.J Smith and Vancouver based drummer/vocalist Jonas Fairley.

The album also features such guests as former Pantera bassist Rex Brown. Slash's Todd Kearns and Brent Fitz, Five Finger Death Punch's Jeremy Spencer and Kyuss' Scott Reeder. With the majority of tracks recorded with the new permanent members, Jake E Lee's Red Dragon Cartel is about to blast off. This amazing virtuoso guitarist with his new band will once again grace the rock world with the lights shining even brighter.

With the passing of his friend and Badlands bandmate Ray Gillen, as well as his wife, along with a general disillusionment with the music industry, Jake E. Lee withdrew and disappeared from the scene causing much speculation and mystery as to if he were to ever return. As Jake says, "There were all sorts of crazy rumors flying around the internet and although I certainly wasn't an angel and admit to spending time on the dark side, I was never homeless, never arrested and as I may have put down the guitar for a while, I never stopped writing music. I just didn't want to join some '80s super-group. I have to keep moving forward musically. Not to say that I hate or don't want money, but I'll never compromise at the expense of my musical integrity."

During this period of reflection, Lee was occasionally called out of retirement by good friend and Shrapnel Records owner Mike Varney. As well as being invited to play on many albums, he held fast to the belief that he would only seriously return if he could find a situation that would allow him to compete on the highest level and grow creatively. Only then would he decide to re-launch his career. In steps old friend Ronnie Mancuso, noted session guitarist/bassist, composer and producer, who was sharing a studio space at The Hideout in Las Vegas working with super hot producer, engineer and mixer Kevin Churko.

Mancuso and Churko started talking with Lee -- and slowly, with the help of Churko's son Kane (co-writer of Five Finger Death Punch's "Remember Everything" and In This Moment's "Blood"), started writing songs under Churko's supervision based on literally hundreds of great riffs Lee had stored up from his years in seclusion.

More details on Jake E. Lee and Red Dragon Cartel can be found at reddragoncartel.com and www.facebook.com/reddragoncartel."

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00GC2KIK2/sleazeroxx-20

Eddie Trunk is reportedly sporting a six foot erection with a cheeseburger on the end of it as he awaits this release.

The samples on amazon sound really good. This is a must for me...Looking forward to January...

Sounds good....that's Harem Scarem drummer Darren Smith on vocals.

More mdern then I expected. Not bad, just different.

Those samples sound better than I expected. Not sure why, but I was skeptical while I was reading the first post.

Fat Freddy wrote:

Eddie Trunk is reportedly sporting a six foot erection with a cheeseburger on the end of it as he awaits this release.

can't .. breathe...must....breathe....  

Im skeptical because there are people on the album that I don't care for.

the samples sound good. I'm interested.

I'm more excited about Adrian Vandenburg's new band.

Honestly, the short clips didn't do much for me. I'm a big Jake fan, but I dunno. Too modern maybe? Perhaps I was expecting something bluesier. Eh, whatever. Here's a full song with Robin Zander providing vocals and it's not bad. Enjoy.

Frankly, those samples are underwhelming and so is "Feeder." I was hoping for something better, or at least interesting. Maybe the full album will change my mind.

The comments regarding " musical integrity" and "money" hold little merit to me after his guest of TMS awhile back.... He was pretty lame and did nothing to show his talent or ability.   Hope the best for him, but this something I call the opposite of "moving forward".    I mean look at the stuff in Badlands....nothing new there, almost 20 years late (kinda/sorta)  So why place emphasis on such terms ?  By the way, I dig both Badlands cds as much as the Ozzy product he was a part of.

double post:headbanger:

I listened to the samples on Amazon and was not impressed. 

Jake E. Lee is my favorite of the 80s metal guitarists...but based on Feeder and the other samples this is not anything I need to own. I'll pull out Voodoo Highway or Bark At The Moon when I get in the mood to hear Jake.

S.D. wrote:

Jake E. Lee is my favorite of the 80s metal guitarists...but based on Feeder and the other samples this is not anything I need to own.  I'll pull out Voodoo Highway or Bark At The Moon when I get in the mood to hear Jake.  

100% agreed

The Daisley songwriting on those Ozzy albums is the lion's share of the appeal. It was sorely missing in Badlands.

I find myself listening to Badlands more these days than his albums with Ozzy. Bark and Ultimate Sin haven't aged well with me. And possibly over-played burn-out from my youth.

Fat Freddy wrote:

Eddie Trunk is reportedly sporting a six foot erection with a cheeseburger on the end of it as he awaits this release.

 

MetalGuy71 wrote:

I find myself listening to Badlands more these days than his albums with Ozzy. Bark and Ultimate Sin haven't aged well with me. And possibly over-played burn-out from my youth.

Agree.. I always liked his work with Badlands more anyway..

 

This album will be released Tuesday on sale for $9.99 at Best Buy with an exclusive bonus track for those interested. Not sure that I am.

Anyone else liking this album? I wasn't all that interested in it after hearing a few tunes. With that in mind, I threw out a bid on ebay anyway because I clearly have a problem. I won a copy and you know what? I'm liking it more and more with every spin. It's not mind-blowing or anything, but a darn fine rock record. Welcome back, Jake E.

MetalGuy71 wrote:

Anyone else liking this album? I wasn't all that interested in it after hearing a few tunes. With that in mind, I threw out a bid on ebay anyway because I clearly have a problem. I won a copy and you know what? I'm liking it more and more with every spin. It's not mind-blowing or anything, but a darn fine rock record. Welcome back, Jake E.

i like it but it doesnt have a lot of staying power. It is good but i dont find myself reaching for it all that much.

I've only heard a few tracks. I was simultaneously interested and turned off by all of the "controversy" surrounding their first few shows. Their vocalist is not great by any means, but the response to his live performance was a little overblown.