Don’t worry about the break. Don’t question what might have been. Just be grateful Tora Tora are back, the glorious bastards.
-Maximum Volume Music-
Tora Tora are back, and I already want more.
-The Rock Pit-
Tora Tora’s Bastards Of Beale is a fine album of AOR melodic hard rock from a band that still has some creative and restless talent surging in their veins.
-DangerDog Music Review-
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TORA TORA have released their long-awaited new studio album, “Bastards of Beale” today via Frontiers Music Srl.
Coinciding with the album’s release the band has unveiled a new video for the song “Son of a Prodigal Son.” Watch it
HERE.
Anthony Corder (vocals) describes the video:
“We shot the video with Waheed from WAFILMS in Memphis. Keith was introduced to him through some mutual friends in Memphis. We loved his work, he dug the tune and we thought he would a great fit with us. The locations of shoot had special meanings to us. Handy Hall on Beale Street was the same location we shot our first video ‘Walkin’ Shoes,’ so it’s full circle literally…same room from all that time ago. The other location was Sam Phillips Recording where we had recorded the “Bastards of Beale” project.”
“The shoot for ‘Son Of A Prodigal Son’ couldn’t have gone better. It’s been quite a while since we’ve done a professional video shoot and Waheed was the perfect fit for us. I took a walk down Beale one Sunday afternoon scouting for a location and when I went inside Handy Blues Hall I couldn’t believe it looked pretty much exactly the same as it did in 1989 when we shot the video for ‘Walkin Shoes’. It was a no-brainer that this had to be the place. We actually originally wanted to shoot the second location in the alley behind Sam Phillips Recording which is where we had done a previous photo shoot, but unfortunately we were rained/snowed out. However, our Plan B (which was a room inside the studio building) seemed to work out just fine. We are super-happy with the way it came out,” adds Keith Douglas (guitar).
In 2017, Memphis rockers TORA TORA were approached by Frontiers Music Srl about recording a proper new studio album and they enthusiastically jumped at the opportunity. The resulting new album, “Bastards Of Beale,” set for release on February 22nd, brings back the magic of the band’s blues-rooted hard rock sound that gained them a loyal following upon their debut in the late ‘80s. Always a far cry from their more polished mainstream peers and more spiritually connected to blue collar hard rock, the band’s return picks up where they left off, while not sounding even the slightest bit dated.
The guys are thrilled to finally release the album:
“Without knowing what to expect when we started writing, we were all pretty excited when the songs started coming together and it all started to feel very familiar and natural. We spent lots of time on pre-production so when we finally hit the studio we basically just ripped through the songs live and then went back with very minimal overdubs. It’s pretty stripped down and a very honest picture of what the band sounds like live. I also feel like the songs are strong enough that they don’t need a lot of extra tracks or any kind of filler. P.S. I highly recommend listening to B.O.B. at a high level of volume, FYI. Enjoy,” comments Keith Douglas.
“We’re very excited! Jeff Powell, our producer and long time friend, made us feel extremely comfortable. We were so glad we were able to work with him. Sam Phillips Recording has such a rich heritage, it was a great place to be inspired. The album is raw, three-piece with vocals and solos…it is what you’ll hear when you see us live. It is a different approach than previous albums, but we did that intentionally,” says Anthony Corder.
TORA TORA is an American hard rock band formed in Memphis, Tennessee in the ‘80s. The origin of the band name is a reference to the song of the same name released by Van Halen on their 1980 classic, “Women and Children First”. The band got their start toughing it out in the local Memphis scene before they won a local Battle of the Bands contest that landed them some free studio time. Following this, the band recorded “To Rock To Roll”, an independently released EP. After signing with A&M Records, they recorded their debut album “Surprise! Attack” in 1989. The album charted on Billboard’s Top 200 at No. 47 and featured the singles “Walkin’ Shoes” and “Guilty.” The single “Dancing With a Gypsy” was on the soundtrack for the hugely popular film ‘Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure’ later that year.
In 2008, all four original members reunited for some performances. One was a sold-out performance at Newby’s, a local club in Memphis, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of receiving their major label recording contract. The second appearance occurred during Rocklahoma 2008 before he band played another reunion show at The New Daisy Theatre on March 7, 2009 in Memphis.
Since the reunion, TORA TORA has released three albums of unreleased material, “Before & After”, “Bombs Away: The Unreleased Surprise Attack Recordings”, and “Miss B. Haven’: The Unreleased Wild America Recordings”. But fans were clamoring for NEW MUSIC from the band, and that is just what they will get with the release of “Bastards of Beale!”
Tracklisting:
1. Sons Of Zebedee
2. Giants Fall
3. Everbright
4. Silence The Sirens
5. Son Of A Prodigal Son
6. Lights Up The River
7. Let Us Be One
8. All Good Things
9. Rose Of Jericho
10. Vertigo
11. Bastards Of Beale
TORA TORA Lineup:
Anthony Corder: Vocals/Background Vocals/Acoustic Guitars
Keith Douglas: Lead & Rhythm Guitars/Acoustic Guitars
Patrick Francis: Bass
John Patterson: Drums/Percussion
TORA TORA Live:
2/24-3/1: Miami, FL @ Monsters Of Rock Cruise
3/30: Atlanta, GA @ Rocklanta
5/4: Columbia, MD @ M3 Festival
5/18: Denver, CO @ The Venue
6/7: Memphis, TN @ Lafayette’s Music Room
6/8: Acadia, MO @ Acvadia Valley BBQ Battle
For More Info Visit:
No Remorse records 2020 
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