PROJECTED, the band featuring SEVENDUST members John Connolly (guitar) and Vince Hornsby (bass) alongside ALTER BRIDGE/CREED drummer Scott Phillips and guitarist/vocalist Eric Friedman (a.k.a. E-Rock; TREMONTI), has finished recording its third album. The follow-up to 2017’s “Ignite My Insanity” was tracked at Studio Barbarosa in Gotha, Florida with producer Michael “Elvis” Baskette, who has previously worked with SEVENDUST, ALTER BRIDGE and SLASH, among others. A late 2020 release via Rat Pak Records is expected.
Connolly offered an update on the new PROJECTED record in an Instagram post on Friday (July 17). He wrote: “And thats a wrap!! Spent quite a bit of time in this booth, writing and tracking vocals and now, “the hay is in the barn”……. Another PROJECTED record is tracked! Time to mix. Can’t thank @elvisliberace @1f_jef @joshuasaldate @thevinniehornsby @flip_drums @ericcfriedman @timothysonoftimothy and @chuckbrueckmann for all the hard work getting this thing recorded. Its been an awesome experience and couldn’t have done it without such an amazing team. I’m grateful for all you guys have done and look forward to hearing it all together in the very near future. Be on the lookout for info about the release on @projected1119 and @ratpakrecords”
“Ignite My Insanity” was a two-disc collection featuring 21 tracks. ALTER BRIDGE/TREMONTI songwriter Mark Tremonti co-wrote “Rectify” and “Call Me The Devil” and SEVENDUST‘s Morgan Rose co-wrote “Concede” with PROJECTED.
In a 2017 interview with Shockwave Magazine, Connolly stated about PROJECTED: “With PROJECTED, its something that has given me a ton of opportunity, whereas in SEVENDUST, we all know our parts. If I’m having a bad day in SEVENDUST, I need to remember that I’m only 20% of the puzzle and when the other guys are on, they can pick me up. The freedom and creativity is endless with PROJECTED, and it has certainly brought me to somewhere where I’m not used to, but it’s so much fun, and these guys are so easy to work with.”
Asked if he has had any formal training as a lead vocalist, Connolly said: “Honestly, no. My training is basically the 20 years with SEVENDUST, and everything I do is the wrong way. Other vocalists probably cringe when they hear the way I do it. I do hope that one day I can take some time and have someone give me direction and training, though. It’s funny, I can wake up and sing a half a song one day, not feel it, then the next day a song. Then some days, I’m on, I just keep going and blow my voice out. My friends will ask, ‘John, are you all right?’, and I’m fine, but I’m just pushing it to the limit. Then I’ll have to stop for a few days and then everything is all right again.”
