dUg Pinnick, frontman for legendary hard rock trio King’s X, releases his latest solo album, Naked, on May 7th through RockArmy Records with worldwide distribution through MVD.
Naked is a deeply personal release that represents Pinnick – who wrote, played, recorded, and produced the album alone at his own dUgtone Studio – at his most primal. Each of Naked‘s 11 guitar-heavy tracks are overflowing with Pinnick’s unmistakable tone, groove, and heart-wrenching vocals, including the singles What You Gonna Do? – which took YouTube by storm with a self-shot video that Pinnick created and unleashed in late 2012 – and That Great Big Thing.
Pinnick has been a pivotal figure in heavy music for over 30 years, most notably as the vocalist and bassist for the still-active King’s X, whose influence looms large over everything from the progressive metal movement (Dream Theater, et al) to the grunge scene – with Pearl Jam’s Jeff Ament famously stating that “heavy music didn’t start in Seattle, it started in Katy, Texas, with King’s X” – and who are also one of the few bands in the history of rock ‘n’ roll to mark 25-plus years of playing together with the original lineup intact, with no signs of slowing down.
Since 1998, Pinnick has released two solo albums under the moniker Poundhound and three others (including a collection of home demos featuring more than a dozen fan-favorite King’s X songs) under his own name. Additionally, Pinnick has joined forces with a who’s-who of veteran rockers – including Pearl Jam’s Jeff Ament, Eric Gales, Thomas Pridgen (The Mars Volta, The Memorials), Bruce Fanklin (Trouble), Kelly Keagy (Night Ranger), Timothy Drury (The Eagles, Stevie Nicks), Reb Beach (Winger, Dokken), Kip Winger (Winger), Living Colour (with whom he toured Europe as temporary vocalist in 2008), Gilby Clarke (Guns N’ Roses), Yngwie Malmsteen, Billy Sheehan, 24-7 Spyz, Steve Stevens (Billy Idol, Vince Neil), Tribe After Tribe, Carmine Appice, and many more – and young hotshots, including the Austin-based metal band RAZR13 (whose album was produced by RockArmy Records owner Paul Soroski and featured a guest appearance by Philip H. Anselmo (Pantera) guitarist Marzi Montazeri.
Naked combines the vibe and the songwriting of a classic King’s X album with the raw energy of a musician who feels like he’s got something to prove and isn’t afraid to do it. Without question, Naked is the sound of dUg Pinnick at the top of his game.
An album sampler can be heard below.
