Croatian hard rockers ANIMAL DRIVE are preparing to begin work in earnest on the follow-up to their debut, "Bite!" To hold fans over while they wait for the band's new album, ANIMAL DRIVE jumped in the studio to record a covers EP, "Back To The Roots". The track listing includes a super-heavy rendition of ROXETTE's "The Look" (featuring the guest vocals of Frontiers labelmate and fellow TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA artist Rosa Laricchiuta), a magnificent and epic version of WHITESNAKE's "Judgement Day", SKID ROW's "Monkey Business" and WARRANT's evergreen classic "Uncle Tom's Cabin". ANIMAL DRIVE showcasea how much musical prowess the band possesses by covering these three hard rock classics and a mainstream '90s hit and completely making them its own. On why the band chose to cover "Monkey Business", singer Dino Jelusic says: "People used to, and still do sometimes, compare ANIMAL DRIVE to SKID ROW and their 'Slave To The Grind' era. That song opens the 'Slave To The Grind' album and it's a monster jam, so it felt like a logical fit." Of the other covers on "Back To The Roots", Jelusic continues: "I've always wanted to cover 'The Look' in a heavy way, so it was cool to finally do it. We are big WHITESNAKE fans and had to go for one of their more epic jams. The WARRANT song is one of their absolute best and shows what a great songwriters Jani and the band are, plus it's a great fit for a heavy band to cover." As for what can fans expect from the next ANIMAL DRIVE album, Jelusic says: "I more or less have all the songs down. It will be epic, a lot more versatile than the first album, more pianos and orchestra, progressive, but still very heavy and melodic. Probably my finest lyrical and musical work to date." "Bite!" caused quite a stir in the hard rock scene, showcasing for the first time to the world Jelusic's amazing vocals. Originally formed in 2012 by Jelusic, who is the primary songwriter and driving force behind the band's sound, ANIMAL DRIVE also features guitarist Ivan Keller, bassist Roko Nikolic (a.k.a. Rokindja) and drummer Zvonimir Mihaljevic (a.k.a. Zvone). Dino was chosen by the late, great Paul O'Neill to tour as a featured vocalist on TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA's most recent U.S. tours. Often compared to the likes of David Coverdale, Russell Allen, Sebastian Bach and Steve Lee, Jelusic's commanding vocal presence is perfectly matched in ANIMAL DRIVE's sound by Keller's monster riffs and screaming solos, and the thunderous rhythm section of Rokindja and Zvone. "Back To The Roots" track listing: 01. The Look (featuring Rosa Laricchiuta) 02. Judgement Day 03. Monkey Business 04. Uncle Tom's Cabin
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