North Carolinian heavy rockers HolyRoller hereby officially declare a June 6 release date for their second full-length, Rat King, as their first release through Ripple Music. To coincide with this officially-official-official-type of announcement, the Winston-Salem-based four-piece are unveiling their brand new video for “Crunch Riff Supreme,” the opening track from the record.

The title, as you’ll find upon hearing the song, is not a misnomer, but the melody that surrounds and the atmosphere that results from the spacious effects at use makes the actual listening a deeper experience than going, “yup, crunchy.” I haven’t heard the full album yet, so I won’t guess what’s in store, but there’s plenty to dig in the roll of its lead cut, and the video has charm besides that I won’t spoil except to say it’s about a minute before the song starts, and heads up on that if you’re feeling particularly impatient. No doubt other songs will be streaming soon enough, but as a first listen/look to go with the confirmed release date, cover art and whatnot, by no means are they making it tough for the converted to get on board.

Video is on the player below. Info and such — shout to Scott Spiers of Clean and Sober Stoner, who did liner notes — follows courtesy of the PR wire:

HolyRoller, “Crunch Riff Supreme” video premiere

HolyRoller on Rat King:

Rat King is our heaviest most straightforward album to-date. Our goal was to create catchy Stoner rock with brutal doom laden riffs throughout. We wanted simple songs with undeniable groove at every turn. Vocals you can sing along to & rhythm that keeps you head banging.

Lyrically the themes revolve around navigating mental health. Vocalist Adam Cody’s sings about Suicidal Thoughts, finding peace in being Atheist, our love of cannabis, substance abuse, political ideology, aging in the music industry & more.

A Rat King refers to when a group of Rats has lived in such close proximity that their tails and fur fuse together over time forming a mass that has to work together as one. In a dark twisted way this is our message. Work together to accomplish what needs to be done. Lift up your fellow Rats and be a king in your community however small it may be. Don’t underestimate the little guy. Take a bite out of crime. And most importantly… Smoke em if ya got em.

Tracks
Side A
1. Crunch Riff Supreme
2. Titan
3. Forbidden Things
4. Rat King
Side B
5. Buried Alone
6. Heave Ho
7. Radiating Sacred Light
8. Drift Into The Sun

All music by HolyRoller
except Forbidden Things music by HolyRoller and Jim Mayberry
Recorded, mixed, mastered and produced by Jamie King at Jamie King Audio, Winston-Salem, NC
Front Cover by David Paul Seymour
Photos by Dania Ramos
Liner notes by Scott Spiers

HolyRoller is:
Adam Cody – rhythm guitar & vocals
Jay Ovittore- Drums & gang vox
Steve Poe – Lead guitar
Jason Kincaid- bass guitar & backing vocals

HolyRoller on Facebook

HolyRoller on Instagram

HolyRoller on Bandcamp

Ripple Music on Facebook

Ripple Music on Instagram

Ripple Music on Bandcamp

Ripple Music website

The Obelisk Questionnaire is a series of open questions intended to give the answerer an opportunity to explore these ideas and stories from their life as deeply as they choose. Answers can be short or long, and that reveals something in itself, but the most important factor is honesty.

Based on the Proust Questionnaire, the goal over time is to show a diverse range of perspectives as those who take part bring their own points of view to answering the same questions. To see all The Obelisk Questionnaire posts, click here.

Thank you for reading and thanks to all who participate.

The Obelisk Questionnaire: Jay Ovittore of Holyroller

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How do you define what you do and how did you come to do it?

Music is life for me. Playing, discovering, learning or listening to music. Music has always been in my blood. I started playing drums around 6 years old. My Dad was a Bass Player before I was born and was always supportive of me and my music, so maybe it was in my genes. I was lucky to have that supportz most aren’t as lucky.

As far as defining what I do, me personally, I beat the shit out of my drums to express emotions I am feeling. It is the best stress relief. The band gets a lot of labels, Doom, Stoner, Psych,etc…I like to think we are a rock n roll band, and if it fits into a niche that you enjoy then great, but the reality is we strive to write good rock n roll songs.

Describe your first musical memory.

I used to spend summers in Mount Vernon, NY (home of Lou Albano and Denzel Washington) with my grandparents. My Uncle Ronnie lived there too. We would hang out and he would play me some of his vinyl. The one that changed my life was The Police- Reggatta de Blanc. I was air drumming to Stewart Copeland and my Uncle caught that and called my Dad and said, “You have to get this boy a drum kit”. Rest is history.

Describe your best musical memory to date.

I got to open for Clutch on their Robot Hive/Exodus tour on New Year’s Eve here in NC. I would describe more but I was in the moment and not so sober.

When was a time when a firmly held belief was tested?

Religion seems to be a good one…I am an Atheist and it seems a challenge to some who do have different beliefs to test my “lack of faith”. I believe in those I surround myself with and they believe in me….I do good things and treat folks like I want to be treated. I don’t need organized religion to justify who I am or what I do. I’m also not going to judge you if you need it your life, because it’s really none of my business.

Where do you feel artistic progression leads?

I think artists are always growing, or they should be. It seems that most bands debuts are always golden, but those follow up albums always seem to lack. We strive to not jump off the cliff with our writing. We changed a lot from our self titled EP to our debut label release Swimming Witches. I feel like we push each other to be better, write better and I just wish the world could see the magic when it happens, because sometimes it’s hard for me to believe that we just wrote that. It’s natural to mature as an artist, experiment and explore. It’s healthy for you.

How do you define success?

Some define success in dollars or album sales. As those would be nice, I see it a bit different. Not every band can go out and make a living doing this thing. So for me it is those moments with fans we make…when they tell us how they feel because of what we play. If I change one person’s life with the music we put out, I am successful.

What is something you have seen that you wish you hadn’t?

Can I just list our some of my ex’s here?

Describe something you haven’t created yet that you’d like to create.

A solution to all this hatred in the world. People of different political beliefs, religions, color, lifestyle just flat out hating each other and there is no room to discuss things like adults and get shit done. Smoke some weed and have a conversation. Maybe if weed was legal in more places we would have as many fucked up mass shootings that seem like just every day normal events now because we have become numb. I certainly don’t have the answer to solve all of it, but violence and hatred has to stop.

What do you believe is the most essential function of art?

Art is a historical document of the time we live in. It tells a story of a certain time and be it music or paintings or tattoos, the story lies within.

Something non-musical that you’re looking forward to?

This is the toughest question here, because everything in my life is musical in some way. I guess I can say eventually going to Italy (but I’m really hoping that it is part of a tour). It’s the one place on the world I want to see more then any other. Hell, I might not come back.

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https://www.instagram.com/holyrollerrocknroller/
https://twitter.com/HolyRollerband
https://holyrollernc.bandcamp.com/

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Holyroller, Swimming Witches (2022)