The name Chuck Billy most often gets one of two responses; one being the plain obvious “Who?” while the other gets horns up and people screaming “Practice What You Preach”! As 2014 gets well under way, the legendary Thrash Metal vocalist and songwriter’s name now brings attention to the newly formed powerhouse Music Promotion Company and brand under the moniker Breaking Bands. The name is not just what the company’s founders do, it’s who they are.
Breaking Bands, LLC was born from more than just a desire to promote music; the company is the natural evolution of talents that have been on the forefront of delivering cornerstones in the metal music industry for decades – quite literally! Founded on the principals that have led millions of kids in to record stores with fists full of dollars, stomping their boots across rickety club floors to vent their teen angst and garnering countless views on the old boob-tube to witness the latest trends in real metal music on the former visual giants of the video world, MTV. However you viewed your metal, it was undoubtedly due to the vision of the people who now comprise Breaking Bands, LLC.
As metal took its hold on the youth of America and spread like wildfire around the globe in the very early 1980’s; key elements in producing and promoting the sounds of Metal and Thrash were developed. MegaForce Records, the label that since it’s inception has brought out legendary acts including Anthrax, Testament, the solo works of Kiss legend Ace Frehley and world renowned Metallica to name a few is where Breaking Bands co-founders Jon and Marsha Zazula did more than cut their teeth – they created the rules that countless upstart labels would follow for years to come. Working hand in hand with the original MegaForce PR genius Maria Ferrero, who also founded the New York based Public Relations agency AdrenalinePR and Testament front man and one of the world’s first ever Thrash Metal singers, Chuck Billy – Breaking Bands is more than just a new branding and music company, it’s what happens when the people who started it all come together to bring bands to the music world.
As the new company is currently working with three acts, one being the legends of aggression Exodus, the focus on each of the specific bands is very personal and exactly what bands that are ready to “break” are in need of. This opportunity is paying off for the extreme heavy metal band Shattered Sun. Born in 2010 in the band’s hometown of Corpus Christi, Texas; it wasn’t long before the members hit the studio and produced some ear catching material to offer the Metal marketplace. Within their first year together, the band penned and recorded an EP’s worth of material titled “Confessions” and began to showcase live performances of the music. The band’s freshman release, a seven track CD, offers six full length tunes, (with the addition of the first track being an Intro,) and is available immediately through iTunes.
Now, three years later, the band is putting the trimmings on a new full length CD titled “Hope Within Hatred” and have been showcasing on stages with major artists on National Tours as well as headlining their own shows on select dates. On May 17th, Shattered Sun warmed the stage for Skid Row at the Whisky A G-Go in West Hollywood, CA. What attendees experienced was so much more than they had expected, and the response was extremely positive.
From the opening riffs, heads were banging and fists were pumping. Shattered Sun wasted no time getting to the meat of their sound, blasting out full force from the opening song in the set. Front man Marcos Leal created an immediate relationship with the audience, both captivating viewers with his high-energy stage presence as well as developing an immediate rapport sharing quips about the songs and urging the audience to get active. It didn’t take more than a single song to do just that. In front of the stage, new fans showed their approval of the band by slam dancing and creating a wide mosh pit in the audience. Unlike some bands that play to a demographic, the crowd at the Whisky ran the gambit of age groups and celebrated a unified and positive response from everyone in the venue. This was both a rare occurrence for a virtually unknown band performing in Los Angeles, as well as for a band that seems so young in age. Shattered Sun arrived polished, well rehearsed and ready to show that they have something to prove. Thrash and Metal are still alive and well in the young, and Breaking Bands has made a good decision in taking on the band for future endeavors.
You can discover the band Shattered Sun by visiting the Breaking Bands website at www.breakingbandsllc.com and following links to the band’s social network pages. The 7-song EP titled “Confessions” is available for purchase on iTunes and the new full length CD is due out on 2014. For news updates and tour and details on Shattered Sun, join the band on Facebook.
As metal took its hold on the youth of America and spread like wildfire around the globe in the very early 1980’s; key elements in producing and promoting the sounds of Metal and Thrash were developed. MegaForce Records, the label that since it’s inception has brought out legendary acts including Anthrax, Testament, the solo works of Kiss legend Ace Frehley and world renowned Metallica to name a few is where Breaking Bands co-founders Jon and Marsha Zazula did more than cut their teeth – they created the rules that countless upstart labels would follow for years to come. Working hand in hand with the original MegaForce PR genius Maria Ferrero, who also founded the New York based Public Relations agency AdrenalinePR and Testament front man and one of the world’s first ever Thrash Metal singers, Chuck Billy – Breaking Bands is more than just a new branding and music company, it’s what happens when the people who started it all come together to bring bands to the music world.
As the new company is currently working with three acts, one being the legends of aggression Exodus, the focus on each of the specific bands is very personal and exactly what bands that are ready to “break” are in need of. This opportunity is paying off for the extreme heavy metal band Shattered Sun. Born in 2010 in the band’s hometown of Corpus Christi, Texas; it wasn’t long before the members hit the studio and produced some ear catching material to offer the Metal marketplace. Within their first year together, the band penned and recorded an EP’s worth of material titled “Confessions” and began to showcase live performances of the music. The band’s freshman release, a seven track CD, offers six full length tunes, (with the addition of the first track being an Intro,) and is available immediately through iTunes.
Now, three years later, the band is putting the trimmings on a new full length CD titled “Hope Within Hatred” and have been showcasing on stages with major artists on National Tours as well as headlining their own shows on select dates. On May 17th, Shattered Sun warmed the stage for Skid Row at the Whisky A G-Go in West Hollywood, CA. What attendees experienced was so much more than they had expected, and the response was extremely positive.
From the opening riffs, heads were banging and fists were pumping. Shattered Sun wasted no time getting to the meat of their sound, blasting out full force from the opening song in the set. Front man Marcos Leal created an immediate relationship with the audience, both captivating viewers with his high-energy stage presence as well as developing an immediate rapport sharing quips about the songs and urging the audience to get active. It didn’t take more than a single song to do just that. In front of the stage, new fans showed their approval of the band by slam dancing and creating a wide mosh pit in the audience. Unlike some bands that play to a demographic, the crowd at the Whisky ran the gambit of age groups and celebrated a unified and positive response from everyone in the venue. This was both a rare occurrence for a virtually unknown band performing in Los Angeles, as well as for a band that seems so young in age. Shattered Sun arrived polished, well rehearsed and ready to show that they have something to prove. Thrash and Metal are still alive and well in the young, and Breaking Bands has made a good decision in taking on the band for future endeavors.
You can discover the band Shattered Sun by visiting the Breaking Bands website at www.breakingbandsllc.com and following links to the band’s social network pages. The 7-song EP titled “Confessions” is available for purchase on iTunes and the new full length CD is due out on 2014. For news updates and tour and details on Shattered Sun, join the band on Facebook.
