Music Industry News

New Zealand’s most rocking exports Black Smoke Trigger release their explosive new single ‘Proof Of Life’, accompanied by a high-voltage music video that captures the band’s raw performance energy.

The Hawkes Bay 4-piece heavy-rock outfit continue to ride the high of their powerhouse dynamic rock, anchored by the distinctive guitar work of Charlie Wallace and the commanding vocals of lead singer Baldrick, and driven by a pummelling rhythm section courtesy of bassist Dan Fulton, and drummer Josh Te Maro.

‘Proof Of Life’ follows hot on the heels of previous singles ‘Perfect Torture’ and ‘The Way Down’ as the band prepares for the upcoming release of their new album due out in May.

Speaking on the inspiration behind ‘Proof Of Life’, guitarist and band leader Wallace shares: “This track came together really fast. I was playing around with an alternate tuning I had never written in before and the main riff just arrived in my hands almost instantly. I took it into the jam room with the guys and soon after, the first demo was done. In the studio with producer Nick Raskulinecz, we played around with lots of guitars to find the right tone, and I think we nailed it.

‘Proof Of Life’ is about how we often hold ourselves ransom in our own mind, and the inner battles a lot of us face on a daily basis without realising we are in control the whole time. It’s about pushing through and breaking yourself free from things that are holding you back, whatever they may be.”

Renowned for delivering epic visuals to accompany their killer tunes, the music video for ‘Proof Of Life’ continues in that vein even as the band strips back the frills to showcase what Black Smoke Trigger does best – deliver a fervent and energetic rock performance.

“For the music video, we wanted it to be a raw and energetic performance of the song. It was a lot of fun to film as all we did was get in the weird room, we created to set the vibe and go hard” Wallace continues, emphasising the pure adrenaline rush the video conveys.

Fast becoming known for not only churning out certified 10/10 arena ready rock bangers, Black Smoke Trigger are also quickly garnering a reputation for creating incendiary and often death-defying music videos.

The ‘Proof Of Life’ video adds another fine visual to their repertoire, sitting firmly alongside ‘Perfect Torture’ and ‘The Way Down’, the video for which saw the band perform at night, atop the tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere with Wallace jumping off the edge, shredding a guitar solo whilst plummeting 630ft and has now clocked up over 1.3 million views on YouTube.

Prior to that, the band put out the track ‘Caught In The Undertow’, the video for which was also a feat of extreme conditions. Filmed at Muriwai Beach in Auckland, New Zealand and at a helicopter crash testing facility in a 3.6M deep pool, the whole band performed much of the song underwater, creating a stunning visual that has clocked up 3.2 million YouTube views, highlighting the band’s dedication to creating unforgettable visual accompaniments for their hard-hitting rock anthems.

As Black Smoke Trigger prepares to hit the road touring Australasia with Filter this April, followed by a run of shows in the UK, France, and Holland with Bruce Dickinson The Mandrake Project in May, ‘Proof Of Life’ sets the perfect tone for what fans can expect from their live shows – an unbridled celebration of rock that’s both cathartic and liberating. Full dates and tickets can be found on their website www.blacksmoketrigger.com

With their debut, full length album set for release this May, the horizon shines bright for these Kiwi rock trailblazers. Stay tuned for much more to come.

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Photo credit: Christine Solomon

Black Smoke Trigger are led by Wallace (creator of the hugely successful online teaching academy Guitar Mastery Method) whose insane talent provides everything from delicate melodic motifs to face-melting shred solos and stadium-conquering riffs. They are fronted by incendiary vocalist Baldrick, whose impressive vocal abilities provide that indefinable, timeless rock n roll soul to the Black Smoke Trigger sound. Bassist Dan Fulton, and drummer Josh Te Maro round out the line-up, joining forces to create a powerhouse rhythmic backbone and one of the most bombastic and inventive rhythm sections of recent years.

With a rapidly growing fanbase, millions of streams, a reputation for raucous live shows and irrepressibly fearless approach to their craft, Black Smoke Trigger are poised to be the biggest and most thrilling entity to come from New Zealand since the Lord of The Rings movies. Just with more rock n roll and less hobbits.