THRASH OR DIE is the motto Lazarus A.D. has lived by since day one and their no holds bar attitude is helping them to be one of the most important and influential metal bands today. Backed up by an unmatched level of creativity and professionalism, Lazarus is as electrifying onstage as off. Hailing from the tundra of Southeastern Wisconsin, Lazarus A.D. (formerly known as simply Lazarus) was formed in the spring of 05. Consisting of four young and driven members: Dan Gapen (guitars/vocals), Jeff Paulick (bass/lead vocals), Alex Lackner (guitars), and Ryan Shutler (drums), Lazarus A.D. redefines the phrase “alcoholism and aggression” in music. Barely of age, they succumb listeners to a vigorous night of head banging while drinking the last of the beer. Keeping in the tradition of old, while adding a new edge to the equation, Lazarus A.D. blends all elements of music into no bullshit metal tunes appealing to the new generation while still keeping the old school listeners hooked.

In a few short years, Lazarus A.D. has accomplished what most could only dream. In the small city of Kenosha, WI, the Lazarus fire began to spread quickly early on. Fueled only on a free three song demo, the guys played as much as possible and landed a big break in the summer of 06 when they had the honor of opening up for the legendary ANTHRAX. They continued to tour the Midwest throughout the summer and fall and finally began work on their first full length album in January of 07. Recorded and engineered by Chris Djuricic (Soil, Michael Angelo Batio) at Studio One, and mastered by James Murphy (ex Death, Tesament), “The Onslaught” was a force to be reckoned with. Continuing to do what they do best, Lazarus stretched out to as far as Denver, CO, receiving an ever growing buzz about their live performances. After a lot of praise and success, Lazarus was approached by Earache Records for an upcoming metal compilation. Last Breath was chosen among 16 songs to appear on “Thrashing Like A Maniac”, and Lazarus being the only unsigned band on the disc, but not for long!

In the Spring of 08 the guys received a call from Metal Blade Records, and a short time later a deal had been inked. “The Onslaught” remixed by James Murphy and released worldwide through Metal Blade. In April of 2009, the band embarked on their first ever full US tour. It would prove to be a big one: Swedish legends, Amon Amarth, with metal veterans Goatwhore and Skeletonwitch in tow. As if that wasn’t enough, Lazarus A.D. missed the last few dates of that tour to head back across the US to join up with San Francisco bay area thrash icons, Testament, for their full US tour. Also joining the party on that tour were label mates and metal/hardcore pioneers, Unearth. Following these two highly publicized and successful tours, Lazarus A.D. once again criss-crossed the US and Canada with label mates Bison b.c. and Woe Of Tyrants. To cap off an active 2009, Lazarus A.D. had the honor of being invited to play Japan’s Loud Park festival 2009, where they played alongside Slayer, Rob Zombie, Judas Priest, Megadeth, Hatebreed and more.

Fast forward to 2011 and The dreaded sophomore album. How does a band like Lazarus A.D. approach what some see as a make-or-break album in a band’s career? How do they handle song writing after the endless (and inevitable) comparisons to Testament, Metallica, Pantera, etc.? “You focus on writing better songs, plain and simple. We fully understood the “sophomore slump” notion, and tossed it to the side. We believe that bands that have achieved success and continue to maintain it naturally evolve their sound while keeping a strong core. That was the plan for us since the get go, and we believe we have achieved that thus far with our second effort.” says vocalist and bassist, Jeff Paulick. It’s simple to say, more difficult to achieve, but Lazarus A.D. has proven that they are up to the task again and again. They’ve played everywhere from the Loud Park Festival in Tokyo to tens-of-thousands to your run of the mill clubs in front of dozens – it doesn’t matter – Lazarus A.D. brings the same show and intensity every time.

Black Rivers Flow is the band’s latest slab of unadulterated, pure heavy metal. It was recorded near their hometown of Kenosha, WI at Belle City Sound with Chris Djuricic with James Murphy of Safehouse Productions handling mixing and mastering duties. The final product is a natural evolution of the band’s sound and, quite literally, the sound of a more mature band. Much of The Onslaught was written while the band was still in high school, and by the time it was released by Metal Blade, the material was already several years old. You can imagine then how hungry and ready the band was to lay down new material.

The end result is a nine song beast full of pure heavy metal, free of any hindering genre tags and written for the sake of writing good music. The band claims any “filler” was left by the wayside and Paulick adds, “We are incredibly harsh when it comes to honesty in our songwriting, and if it doesn’t scream “that’s heavy as fuck” or “this sounds amazing”, it’s not making the record.” Another aspect that the band honed in on was vocals. In the past, Paulick handled the vast majority of the vocal duties with some back-up lines from guitarist, Dan Gapen. This time through, there’s much more synergy between the two. Paulick discusses further, “We used a mixture of singing and screaming, from both Gapen and myself. The way we interact is seamless throughout the record, and truly adds to the dynamic sound of the record.” What you’re hearing on Black Rivers Flow is a band that has truly found their groove. This album will prove to be one of the most undeniably heavy and catchy albums of 2011.

Second Lazarus A.D. single 'Black Rivers Flow' available for streaming now at Noisecreep.com

Wisconsin thrash metallers LAZARUS A.D. and AOL's Noisecreep.com are pleased to debut the new title track 'Black Rivers Flow', cut from LAZARUS A.D.'s upcoming full-length release of the same name. The track is available for streaming now at this link. The band's recently released first single, 'The Ultimate Sacrifice' can be heard now on metalblade.com/lazarusad with pre-order packages coming soon!

LAZARUS A.D. and MetalInjection.net have just released the first of six exclusive episodes chronicling "The Making of Black Rivers Flow".The behind the scenes footage for the series was filmed by the band and produced/edited by Clay Cook at Dirty Cheese Design & Development. Stay tuned into MetalInjection.net for new episodes posting throughout the month of January!

"This time in the studio, we decided to record what was going on behind the scenes during the recording of Black Rivers Flow," states bassist and vocalist Jeff Paulick. "We compiled over 50 hours of footage and edited this into six episodes that show you a side of the band rarely ever seen. We hope this gives everyone a deeper understanding of what went into the recording of Black Rivers Flow."

LAZARUS A.D.'s highly anticipated upcoming album, Black Rivers Flow, was recorded in July and August 2010 at Belle City Sound with Chris Djuricic and was mixed and mastered by James Murphy at Safehouse Production. The album hits stores on February 1st, 2011.

Track listing for Black Rivers Flow:

1. American Dreams
2. The Ultimate Sacrifice
3. The Strong Prevail
4. Black Rivers Flow
5. Casting Forward
6. Light A City (Up In Smoke)
7. Through Your Eyes
8. Beneath the Waves of Hatred
9. Eternal Vengeance

LAZARUS A.D. is set to tour the U.S. this winter on the North American Retribution Tour alongside thrash metal legends Death Angel. Joining the tour will be Bonded by Blood, and Hexen.

Upcoming Tour Dates

• Jan. 13 - Miramar Theatre- Milwaukee, WI
• Jan. 28 - Broadway Joe's - Buffalo, NY
• Jan. 29 - Championship Bar and Grill - Trenton, NJ

North American Retribution Tour 2011 W/ Death Angel, Bonded By Blood And Hexen

• Jan. 30 - Volume 11 - Raleigh, NC
• Jan. 31 - The Casbah - Charlotte, NC
• Feb. 01 - Jaxx - W. Springfield, VA
• Feb. 02 - Crazy Donkey - Farmingdale, NY
• Feb. 03 - Rocko's - Manchester, NH
• Feb. 04 - Club Hell - Providence, RI
• Feb. 05 - Montage Music Hall - Rochester, NY
• Feb. 06 - Mod Club - Toronto, ON - CANADA
• Feb. 07 - Peabody's - Cleveland, OH
• Feb. 08 - Blondie's - Detroit, MI
• Feb. 09 - Reggie's Rock Club - Chicago, IL
• Feb. 10 - Phoenix Hill Tavern - Louisville, KY
• Feb. 11 - Riot Room - Kansas City, MO
• Feb. 12 - Conservatory - Oklahoma City, OK
• Feb. 13 - Numbers - Houston, TX (w/ D.R.I.)
• Feb. 14 - Emo's - Austin, TX (w/ D.R.I.)
• Feb. 15 - White Rabbit - San Antonio, TX (w/ D.R.I.)
• Feb. 16 - Rail Club - Ft. Worth, TX
• Feb. 18 - Club DV8 - Tucson, AZ
• Feb. 19 - Clubhouse - Tempe, AZ
• Feb. 20 - Chain Reaction - Anaheim, CA
• Feb. 21 - Cheyenne Saloon - Las Vegas, NV
• Feb. 22 - The Key Club - Hollywood, CA
• Feb. 23 - Brick By Brick - San Diego, CA
• Feb. 24 - The Boardwalk - Orangevale, CA
• Feb. 26 - Slim's - San Francisco, CA

Critical Appraisal of Lazarus A.D.

Here's what critics had to say of the LAZARUS A.D.'s Metal Blade debut, The Onslaught:

"The thrash revival seems to have spawned two types of bands - retro sound-alikes and those who are looking to make the genre relevant now. Lazarus A.D. are one of the latter…"
Revolver Magazine

"straightforward…engaging…Kill 'Em All style climax."
Decibel Magazine

"Get ready for some friggin ridiculous thrash from Wisconsin! Not bay area thrash, think Master of Puppets era Metallica thrash"
Hails & Horns Magazine

"…the way it combines rapid-fire riffage, abrupt rhythm changes and cutting guitar harmonies within double bass drumming is worthy of praise."
Guitar World from 'The Next Metallica?' article

"This one hits so hard it hurts…it's meaner than a hungry pit bull with rabies…In two words, damn good."
Blabbermouth.net

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Updated Sunday, 6 February, 2011 6:09 PM