Axl and I have something of a fascinating with hard pop-metal band Depswa. Or more like I have a serious infatuation and Axl just humors me. But we’re both at the very least happy that Depswa are finally about to release their second album Distorted American Dream; it only took them seven years!

Depswa have the entire record streaming this week on their ReverbNation page in advance of next week’s March 16th album release. Nothing’s as immediately catchy as “This Time,” “From the Inside” or any number of songs from 2003′s Two Angels and a Dream, but everything here is good and in keeping with what you’d expect from Depswa; infectious hard pop-metal with soaring vocal melodies. A couple of these songs have appeared on Depswa’s MySpace page over the years as demos in various states of completion, but it’s good to finally hear those tracks in their finished form as well as all the new material. Toby Wright (Alice in Chains, Korn, etc.) and Logan Mader (Five Finger Death Punch, DevilDriver, etc) mixed 11 of the 13 on the new album so everything sounds top-notch. Mostly it’s just really satisfying to finally get to hear what the band’s been up to all this time.

Distorted American Dream will be available next week at most major digital retailers and shortly thereafter on CD via the band’s various web properties. The album is being released on the band’s own Tears & Smiles Recordings. Listen to the full album stream now on ReverbNation. Expect a string of west coast tour dates to be announced soon.

-VN

Thanks: SMNnews.com

Vince got stranded while on his way back from vacation (thus my egregious amount of posting today), but I’m sure he’d be happy to know that it looks like Depswa are about to finally release a new album. And it only took them six or seven years! Having apparently now forgone the label route altogether, the band will release Distorted American Dream on their own label, Tears & Smiles Recordings, sometime in February. SMN reports that the band has hired Toby Wright and Logan Mader to mix the thing, which means they ain’t dicking around. You hire dudes like that ’cause, at the very least, you’d like to be taken seriously.

I was never as big a Depswa fan as Vince is, but I do think their song “This Time” is a ridiculously catchy piece of pop metal. Seriously, I can’t even listen to it as I embed this video, for fear it will get stuck in my head and ruin the rest of my day.

-AR

Based on the inclusion of one of their songs on some Ozzfest sampler CD (2003, maybe?) Axl and I developed something of a hard-on for the little-known Californian band Depswa (well… Me moreso than Axl). Their one and only major label album Two Angels and a Dream was a collection of excellent alt-metal tinged hard rock songs, a much underappreciated gem that resulted in the band being dropped from Geffen after failing to live up to commercial expectations. Will you guys like ‘em? If you’re tr00er than tr00, probably not, but I urge you to put away your cool-o-meter for one second and see if you can dig.

Depswa still maintain their MySpace page and have even added a few demos of new songs in the past year or so, but they don’t seem to be up to much other than occasional show.

Unfortunately the video for the band’s best song “This Time” does not allow embeds (fuck you, Universal!), but “Not Responsible” is a heavier number anyway. Enjoy

-VN