Babylon A.D. are proud to announce their first single “Wrecking Machine” from their upcoming album “Rome Wasn’t Built In A Day” on Perris Records. The album will be released on May 17th.
According to Derek Davis, “The song came about when lead guitarist John Matthews played me an old cassette tape recording of live music he had done with “Leonard Hayes” drummer for Y&T. I thought the opening riff was really cool and I played the music track a few times in my studio and came up with the idea for the song and lyrics pretty quick. The band then demoed the track and we all decided it was a great song for the album. The video and single came out amazing and we are extremely happy with the way the visual idea and track came together.”
Derek Davis’ back story on the lyrics, “The song is about a lost girl with destructive mental problems. She’s manipulative and vengeful and she is a created AI Robot! She’s not happy unless she is destroying people, relationships and eventually the world. She is a Sci-Fi “WRECKING MACHINE” come to life!”
and Ron Freschi drummer James Pacheco and bassist Rob Reid met in high school before they began playing together as “The Persuaders” making a name for themselves with their powerful live performances and catchy songwriting skills becoming one of the top drawing original Hard Rock bands in the Northern CA.
In 1989 the band changed their name to Babylon A.D. and caught the attention of Arista Records President and industry music mogul “Clive Davis”, who signed them at a live showcase in Los Angeles thanks to their impressive three song demo and a home made video. John Mattews departed the band and was replaced by another high school friend Dan De La Rosa just before their self-titled album Babylon A.D. was released in 1990.
The album included their hard rock classic hits “Bang Go The Bells”, “Hammer Swings Down” and “The Kid Goes Wild”, which featured Screaming “Sam Kinison” and was the trailer song and promotional video for Orion Pictures (ROBO COP 2).The band scored three #1 songs at Metal Radio and reached Gold status on their first release, which spent 38 weeks on the Billboard top 200, peaking at # 46. Their sophomore effort (Nothing Sacred) was produced by the legendary “Tom Werman” and released in 1992, it produced two more top-ten metal rockers. “Bad Blood” and “So Savage the Heart”. Constant touring throughout the early 1990s and several MTV videos made them one of hard rock fans favorite bands.
In 1999 the band and released “Live In Your Face” on Apocalypse Records, a compilation of live tracks recorded at various cities’ across America. Their next release “American Blitzkrieg” soon followed in 2002 and both records were well received by critics and fans alike. In 2008 the band released Babylon A.D. “In The Beginning” on Perris Records, a compilation of songs from the original demo tapes that secured them their recording contract with Arista Records.
After a long hiatus the band started playing and recording again in 2014. Touring across the States and Europe releasing the four song E.P “Lost Sessions”. in 2018 John Matthews rejoined the group and the band signed with Frontiers Records for their forth studio release “Revelation Highway” Four singles/ videos and more touring followed through the beginning of 2020. In 2022 original members James Pacheco and Robb Reid left the band for other pursuits remaining connected to the bands legacy and part of a brotherhood of friendship that has lasted for over 30 years!
Fast forward to 2023, Babylon A.D. announced new members Craig Pepe (bass) and Dylan Soto (drums) and a new live concert album “Live Lightning” from Perris Records.
The new album included their top-ten rock-radio classic hits from their debut album as well as songs from “Nothing Sacred”, “American Blitzkrieg”, and “Revelation Highway”.
“Rome Wasn’t Built In A Day” on May 17th. The 11 track album is classic Babylon A.D. firing on all cylinders, showcasing great songwriting talent, performances and the hard rock sound the band is known for. New videos and singles are coming and the band is currently booking and playing select live shows across the states in support of the new album.
Ron Freschi – Lead Guitar, Background vocals
John Mattews – Lead Guitar
Craig Pepe – Bass, Background vocals
Dylan Soto – Drums / Background vocals
Tour Dates:
Sept 21st – Horsefest – Newark CA
About Us:
We are an independent, non-profit publication…in other words, this is a labor of love. If you enjoyed our photos and reviews, or if you want to share some love in appreciation of a photo we captured. You can help support our publication with tips through PayPal. You’ll find us under kara@tprs.com. If you are interested in licensing photos for your own personal or commercial use, contact us via email or social channels to discuss. Thank you for your support!You can also show your support by following us @ThePureRockShop on Facebook and Instagram (or simply follow us everywhere here!).
Watch for continued coverage of local shows and regional shows with Faster Pussycat, Judas Priest and Sabaton, Queensryche and Armored Saint, Uriah Heep and Saxon, and more. In May, you’ll find us at the M3 Rock Festival in Baltimore. And, we’ll see you at on “The Mountain” in Gatlinburg in August.
Coverage by Editor and founder Kara Marie Uhrlen posted on 4/17/2024. All event photos by photographer Kara Uhrlen and The Pure Rock Shop.
