Officer X conjure up a heavy storm on debut album ‘Hell Is Coming’
The unapologetic Boston band unleashes its debut record September 30
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Record release party set for September 24 at O’Brien’s Pub in Allston
Watch the ‘Moon Man’ music video on YouTubePhoto Credit: Lauren Mangini
BOSTON, MA [September 30, 2022] – Hell is coming. Look busy.
Because the sound rising up from the fiery gates below comes from Officer X, as the Boston heavy rock brigade unleashes debut album Hell Is Coming on Friday, September 30. A steady storm of hard rock fury and traditional heavy metal brimstone, the quartet’s inaugural record burns through the speakers via a trio of formats – compact disc, cassette, and digital.
The release of Hell Is Coming is a pivotal moment for the band, one unbothered by current musical trends and indifferent to what others think a convergence of hard and heavy music should sound like in 2022. Inspired by the new wave of traditional heavy metal that combines the majesty of Maiden, the dreamworld of Dio, and the power of Priest, Officer X formed a few short years back by a pair of longtime conspirators in vocalist and guitarist Rodrigo van Stoli (Bang Camaro, Gymnasium) and bassist and vocalist Peet Golan (Spring Heeled Jack), rounded out just recently as a proper quartet alongside guitarist Robbie Davis and drummer Dave Barresi.
The timeline leading up to the LP’s release was marked by lineup changes, a pandemic pause, and a series of events and releases that quickly proved Officer X was out on their own shit entirely: A coming out appearance at the 2019 Rock and Roll Rumble; the release of the explosive “Lady Soledad” in Fall 2021, and this spring’s blistering “Moon Man” crashing down to Earth in April. Now, a mad dash to the album is under way: A performance video for “Hellfire” on September 14, a record release party at O’Brien’s in Allston on September 24, and finally, almighty, the unleashing of Hell Is Coming on September 30.
With the album, Officer X is finally, truly, awakened.
“We are listening to these recordings again after a long break, and it’s good stuff,” admits van Stoli. “There’s a side of the band that people haven’t heard yet, and it will be great to get that feedback. One of the best things about it is that it sets us up to finalize a new batch of tunes. We have progressed as musicians and songwriters in the last few years, and I am excited about where we are going.”
Adds Golan: “I feel like we have been holding on to this for so long. It's been our little secret from Covid times. We were waiting for things to get back to somewhat normal so we can go out and support the record. So it's time.”
Across the album’s eight powerful tracks, Officer X take influences from the crackle and hiss of the records and tapes we grew up with, the late nights spent worshiping the metal gods on Headbanger’s Ball, and glossy magazine pages that made titans of the genre appear larger than life. But while they never set out to be a quote-unquote metal band, the sound conjured up by von Stoli and Golan just gravitated to what they shared a love for.
“I know we use the word ‘metal’ a lot, and I am a metalhead for sure, but that was never really the idea behind the band,” van Stoli confesses. “It was more about writing songs, and because of our common influences they turned out to be heavy tunes. My favorite ‘metal’ bands never set out to be metal bands, they just played loud rock with tons of riffs, and the metal label was applied to them later. I see us more as heavy rock n roll, and we definitely achieved that.”
Though this is the debut Officer X album, Golan admits the band has already evolved quite a bit since inception. That’s on grand display throughout Hell Is Coming, from the mountainous chants and magnetic pull of “The Red Prince” to the anti-war sentiment and unrelenting riff brigade of “Incandescent” to the groove lightning and bassline gallop of “Hellfire,” the chorus of which is where the LP’s moniker is derived.
“We were initially going to have the album be self-titled,” Golan says. “We had been making edits to the ‘Hellfire’ video and the hook of that song is ‘hell is coming’... it got in my head from watching it so many times. I hit up Rod and asked what he thought, and he was all for it! I mean, we are not lying. Hell is coming, it could already be here depending on what your situation is.”
Another highlight off the record is “The City and the Stars,” an epic medieval ballad that was inspired by Boston musician and Officer X friend Chad Raleigh (The Rationales, Lonely Leesa & The Lost Cowboys, Ringtail), who posted an acoustic composition on the internet during the pandemic. van Stoli envisioned a melody over it, and Raleigh was gracious to allow the band to expand upon it. Golan wrote a fretless bassline, van Stoli added melody and keys, and soon an Officer X anthem, sure to inspire many a lit Bic lighter to be thrust into the air, was born. “We gave it the Officer X treatment,” van Stoli says, “and I think it’s one of the best things we have done.”
It’s got competition. The new tracks on the record are a kinetic complement to the LP’s two prior singles, the galactic “Moon Man” and soaring “Lady Soledad,” which the band were sure to use as an introductory salute.
“They are two sides of the band that I believe should be represented upfront,” van Stoli confirms. “‘Lady Soledad’ is more NWOBHM metal, with some Queensryche thrown in. Epic, operatic, cinematic. ‘Moon Man’ is more of a straight-forward rocker. I am not sure it’s even metal, it’s just a rock and roll song. We do both, and these singles make sure we don’t get pigeon-holed as either. I am proud of how varied it is. I hope the next album will be even more diverse.”
By then, we’ll all know Officer X by name.
Media Contact: Please direct all press inquiries to Michael Marotta at michael@publisist.co or Officer X at officerxbooking@gmail.com.
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Officer X is:
Rodrigo van Stoli: Vocals and guitar
Peet Golan: Bass and vocals
Robbie Davis: Guitar
Dave Barresi: Drums
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‘Hell Is Coming’ production credits:
Written by Rodrigo van Stoli and Peet Golan
Recorded at Q Division
Produced by Officer X and Matthew Alexander
Mastered by Mike Kalajian at Rogue Planet Mastering
Mixed by Matthew Alexander
Music videos by Punchdance Studios, RC Media/Spliced Iris, and Red 13 Media
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‘Hell Is Coming’ album artwork:
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Officer X bio:
Epic. Unapologetic. Unbothered by trends. Officer X is a band not of this time.
The Boston quartet is a spirited throwback back to the glory days of hard rock and metal, where soaring eagles fly high and swords cut deep. Inspired by the new wave of traditional heavy metal that combines the majesty of Maiden, the dreamworld of Dio, and the power of Priest, Officer X harnesses the anthemic music that shaped us from the very beginning as a means to blast an exciting new path forward.
The result of a years-long collaboration between vocalist and guitarist Rodrigo van Stoli (Bang Camaro, Gymnasium) and bassist and vocalist Peet Golan (Spring Heeled Jack), Officer X is galvanized by the riffage born from the smoke and fire of the metal gods that came before, crafting a timeless sound buoyed by the crackle of vinyl and the hiss of a cassette.
If all roads lead back to metal, this was a long and winding journey for the pair. After various other projects over the years steered van Stoli and Golan away from their passion, the two vowed to raise a fist to their shared love of heavy, melodic music rarely heard in today’s mainstream landscape. Their combined gallop rides deep, with van Stoli’s four-octave operatic vocal style echoing through the heavens while Golan’s low-end galvanizes a rock-solid foundation that moves mountains. The Officer X cauldron is a powerful concoction – classic metal influences including the aforementioned alongside The Scorpions, Helloween and Queensryche, simmering with classic rock and pop rock idols such as Bowie, Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, Thin Lizzy, and others.
Joined in the studio by Mike Martino (drums) and Jared Egan (lead guitars), Officer X recorded eight songs at Q Division under the masterful recording and mixing hand of Matthew Alexander, who went on to join the band as lead guitarist for live dates.
Ready to have a presence felt far beyond its New England confines, Officer X released debut single and video “Lady Soledad” in October 2021, produced and directed by Punchdance Studios in Waltham, with a Purple-inspired follow-up “Moon Man” crashing YouTube and the streams in May 2022. “Moon Man” embraces even greater power and ambition, with a visually-stunning animated music video by RC Media/Spliced Iris that bolsters the band across the galaxy to alien lands, while the streaming release is sonically augmented by a b-side cover of Thin Lizzy’s barnstorming ‘80s rager “Thunder And Lightning.” The band’s debut album, Hell Is Coming, 10 tracks of heavy metal fury, is unleashed this September.
This is music made by madmen, untethered to stale ideas of what a band should sound like, unleashed for the shared glory of all. They don’t write songs, they write anthems.
Rise up with Officer X, and prepare for liftoff.
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Early media praise for Officer X:
“Maybe it's just that singer Rodrigo van Stoli (who was also in Bang Camaro, which makes perfect sense) sounds a lot like Joey Belladonna, but 'Moon Man' reminds me a lot of classic ‘80s Anthrax. It has that epic sound but is a little more fun than trying to be badass.” _If It’s Too Loud
Officer X can be heard on Metal Temple, V13, Boston Emissions with Anngelle Wood, Rising With Skybar on WMFO, Bay State Rock, On The Town With Mikey Dee on WMFO, UncertainFM, If It’s Too Loud, and other fine outlets and platforms.
Officer X vertical press photo:
Photo Credit: Lauren Mangini
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Media Contact: Please direct all press inquiries to Michael Marotta at michael@publisist.co or Officer X at officerxbooking@gmail.com.
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