San Francisco Bay Area-based metal/heavy rock outfit DRESS THE DEAD has released two more songs, “There Goes The Sun” and “Promises & Kisses”. Both tracks are available on every streaming platform through Blood Blast, a digital subsidiary of Nuclear Blast Records.
DRESS THE DEAD first announced the signing in December, along with a plan to release one new track per month for the first eight months of 2021. After the eight tracks are all released, they will become available in full album format as well.
“Promises & Kisses” is the fifth song released so far this year.
DRESS THE DEAD just spent a few days at Sharkbite Studios in Oakland with producer Zack Ohren tracking drums for eight of its newest songs and completely finishing three of them.
DRESS THE DEAD was formed in 2016 and has been playing live since the end of that year — first with vocalist Peter Dolving (THE HAUNTED), and then with Kayla Dixon fronting the band since 2018.
DRESS THE DEAD features Craig Locicero (FORBIDDEN, MANMADE GOD, SPIRALARMS) on guitar, alongside Mark Hernandez (FORBIDDEN, VIO-LENCE, RE:IGNITION) on drums, Mikey Rowan (INSOLENCE) on guitar, and James Walker (MANMADE GOD) on bass — all seasoned musicians with independent and major label experiences.
Locicero described DRESS THE DEAD‘s most recent studio experience as “pretty fucking awesome. While most people were staying away from one another during lockdown, we managed to put our collective noses to the grindstone and wrote some of our strongest material yet,” he said. “We did it safely, of course, masked up and sending demos back and forth to Kayla, who lives in Portland.
“The time in studio turned out to be very productive. The songs absolutely CRUSH and everyone delivered! I couldn’t be more proud of the growth that DRESS THE DEAD has shown over this last most trying year. Recorded in these sessions, the song ‘Red Handed’, will be our next release. That will come out in early June.
“In the meantime, check out our new remixed and partially re-recorded version of ‘Promises & Kisses’. This was one of the first songs we wrote when the band started. It is also the last one that features Peter Dolving‘s amazing contribution to lyrics and melodies. ‘Promises & Kisses’ is very raw and emotional song that Kayla re-imagines with depth, tenderness and authority. All in equal measure.”
Dixon is not only an enigmatic frontwoman with a powerful presence, she’s an accomplished theatrical singer and actor. Her vocal qualities help give DRESS THE DEAD a unique sound that no other band possesses. Together they all complete the musical unit that cannot fall under any one category or genre.
Dixon started working professionally in her junior year and finished high school via home study. She then decided to immerse herself in theater and was soon working professionally. During her freshman year in college, she emerged to front a death metal band. Just as she mulled moving back to the East Coast to pursue more theater work, she heard the doom band WITCH MOUNTAIN was looking for a new vocalist. She nailed the audition and moved to Portland. Having relocated to the West Coast, Dixon was recommended to Locicero through a mutual friend. She initially worried that she was so different from Dolving she might face backlash from fans who wanted a certain thing. “In my mind, I thought I was going to be trolled, and I didn’t know if I was ready to face that,” she said. “But surprisingly there has only been positivity from the first song.”
“I want to be continually creating,” Dixon added. “When I heard ‘1969’, I thought it was great. When Craig sent me the other songs, like ‘Promises & Kisses’, I was really in. I wanted it to be in a band that was heavy emotionally and sonically.”
