The metal band made up of brothers Tommy and Kyle Gonzales are back with a full-length follow-up to 2014’s Police State EP. Recorded by Alan Burcham (the same producer behind Police State) at Ardent Studios and at his home, Democracy Delivered is a nine-song album that is “85 percent metal and 15 percent experimental,” according to frontman Tommy Gonzalez.
“We started mixing in elements of ska and punk on some songs, but overall it is still a metal album,” Gonzales said.
Since forming in 2012, Dawn Patrol have gained a strong local following, performed regional tours, and opened for national touring acts that found their way to Memphis. Through the help of venues like the Hi-Tone and Rock 103’s “Memphis Made” show, the band has become one of the mainstays of the “new Memphis metal scene,” alongside bands like Reserving Dirtnaps and Ritual Decay. The artwork on Democracy Delivered was created by Benjamin Velasco, and the album’s title comes from something that Gonzales saw at a concert.
Dawn Patrol
“I saw someone wearing a shirt that said ‘Democracy Delivered,’ and there was this image of a plane dropping bombs from the sky,” Gonzales said.
“That image stuck with me, so when I got home that night, I wrote a song with that phrase in mind. I looked it up and there wasn’t already a band called Democracy Delivered, so we just stuck with it.”
To celebrate the release of Democracy Delivered, Dawn Patrol will play a local show at the Hi-Tone with locals Klaxxon and Process of Suffocation, along with touring act Cryptic Hymn from Louisville, Kentucky. Democracy Delivered will be available for the first time at Friday’s show.