Santa Cruz (photo credit Ryan Richardson)

SANTA CRUZ Stream New Track ‘True Believer’; New Album ‘Katharsis’ Out Friday
Finnish hard rock quartet’s U.S. tour with Atreyu kicks off Monday

October 17, 2019 (Las Vegas, NV) — On the heels of well-received performances at the Louder Than Life and Aftershock festivals, as well as a jam-packed show at the Viper Room along Hollywood’s Sunset Strip, Helsinki hellraisers SANTA CRUZ have unveiled another song from their soon-to-be-released new album, “Katharsis.” Check out the riff-fueled powerhouse track “True Believer” HERE.

Produced, engineered, mixed and mastered by Kane Churko (Five Finger Death Punch, Ozzy Osbourne, Papa Roach), “Katharsis” – which also includes the recently released single/video track “Testify” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bf1UErfPdCs) – will be released tomorrow (Oct. 18) via M-Theory Audio on CD, digital and neon-colored vinyl. Pre-orders are still available at this location: http://smarturl.it/)katharsis

The album – the cover art for which was designed by Tim LeNoir (Guns N’ Roses, Rolling Stones, Imagine Dragons) – marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter in the story of SANTA CRUZ, who made impressive waves on both sides of the Atlantic in the five-year period following the release of their acclaimed 2013 debut. In Europe, the group scored two Top 5 albums in their home country, supported the likes of AC/DC and delivered memorable performances at major events such as the UK’s Download Festival. In America, meanwhile, the band appeared on the AXS TV program “Breaking Band,” played notable gigs such as Rock On The Range and the inaugural Motörboat cruise and toured alongside Through Fire, Amaranthe and Sebastian Bach.

Halfway through an American tour with Fozzy last spring, however, founding member Archie Cruz and his then-bandmates parted ways. Soon after, Archie temporarily relocated to Las Vegas to write and record “Katharsis” with Churko at the city’s Hideout Recording Studio (In This Moment, Disturbed, Halestorm). “The whole year was very spiritual for me,” Archie recently told KaaosTV. “I had to reevaluate myself, my goals, what I wanted to do… When the whole fallout happened, I saw this as a great opportunity for me to finally put myself out there creatively, the way I wanted to do it for the longest time. It was a blessing in disguise, really.”

While “Katharsis” is not a concept album per se, several of the album’s 11 tracks (“Changing of Seasons,” “True Believer,” “Salvation”) address Archie’s journey to rebuild SANTA CRUZ. Other songs tackle relationships, for better (“Testify”) or worse (“It Was You”). Perhaps the album’s most eye-opening moments, meanwhile, are its two riveting power ballads, the plaintive “I Want You To Mean It” and the soaring “Smoke Signals.” And lest anyone think that the group has lost its affinity for the music of the 1980s, the album’s closing track is a faithful but adrenalized cover of Cyndi Lauper’s iconic No. 1 hit “Time After Time.” As a whole, “Katharsis” is an exciting, diverse and – dare we say? – mature album that should appeal to fans of classic Sunset Strip hard rock and modern hard rock alike.

On Monday, SANTA CRUZ will kick off a month-long tour with Atreyu, Whitechapel, He Is Legend and Tempting Fate. A complete list of the group’s upcoming shows appears below.

SANTA CRUZ on tour:
10/20    Tucson, AZ – Rialto Theatre
10/21    Albuquerque, NM – Sunshine Theater
10/22    Dallas, TX – Gas Monkey Bar N Grill
10/23    Austin, TX – Come And Take It Live
10/25    Athens, GA – 40 Watt Club
10/26    Chattanooga, TN – The Signal
10/27    Louisville, KY – Mercury Ballroom
10/28    Pittsburgh, PA – Small’s
10/29    Silver Spring, MD – The Fillmore
10/30    Norfolk, VA – The NorVa
11/1    Stroudsburg, PA – Sherman Theater
11/2    Providence, RI – The Strand
11/3    New Haven, CT – Toad’s Place
11/4    Wantagh, NY – Mulcahy’s
11/7    Niagara, NY – Rapids Theatre
11/8    Toledo, OH – Civic Music Hall
11/9    Belvidere, IL – Apollo Theater
11/10    Milwaukee, WI – The Rave
11/11    St. Louis, MO – Ready Room
11/13    Colorado Springs, CO – Sunshine Studios Live
11/14    Salt Lake City, UT – The Complex
11/15    Chico, CA – Senator Theater
11/16    Reno, NV – Cargo
11/18    Santa Cruz, CA – The Catalyst
11/19    Los Angeles, CA – Belasco Theater
11/20    Ventura, CA – Ventura Theater

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Visit the band online:
https://santacruzbandofficial.com/
https://www.facebook.com/santacruzband
https://twitter.com/santacruzband
https://www.youtube.com/user/SantaCruzVEVO
https://www.instagram.com/santacruzbandofficial/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/1ZP10xzJoQljzTHiaU2Gri

  
‘Katharsis’ cover art designed by Tim LeNoir (Guns N’ Roses, Rolling Stones, Imagine Dragons)