PRESS KIT
Infidels Records
Infidels Records: Artist - UniversalDice; new CD release - "birth, love, hate, death"
“birth, love, hate, death” a new rock opera by UniversalDice is released! Infidels Records artists UniversalDice is a most unique band; just beneath their accessible, melodic and beautifully played and arranged classic rock sound lay an ambitious and rich lyrical content that challenges pop music orthodoxy. There are few bands that not only make you think and take you to another place musically while at the same time force you to re-think what was once taken for granted.
The songs of the latest CD, "birth, love, hate, death", the second rock opera written and produced by Gerry Dantone, are always relevant and usually intensely emotion and often unique in the rock music arena. "blhd" is focused on love in real life terms, imperfections and all. This is a nuanced album and the lyrics are NOT what you would expect - there are no easy cliches here. At the same time their memorable melodies recall the qualities admired in the Who, the Beatles, Green Day and the Killers even though their songs never sound like any of these classic band's tunes in particular. Additionally, this is truly an album by UniversalDice. Besides performing the songs, it was recorded, mixed and mastered by the band. Even the band's web site, cover art and just about anything else you might think of were handled/created by band members.
Songwriter, singer and political and philosophical writer/activist Gerry Dantone has a writing style that is first and foremost humanistic, but also coherent, provocative and multi-layered. In addition, the band's primary themes are as big as they get; life and death and meaning and purpose. No other band is as prepared to tackle these subjects as UniversalDice. Bandmates Bob Barcus on lead guitar and Eddie Canova on bass are among Long Island's finest session players and are given a chance to stretch. Newest members are longtime Long Island musical giants Walt Sargent and Vincent Crici who add their keyboard support to the band's latest tunes.
Music to "birth, love, hate, death":
SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/universaldice/albums
Lyrics to "birth, love, hate, death": http://www.universaldice.com/lyrics_to_birth_love_hate_death
If you prefer, here is a link to a Spotify audio player - you may need a Spotify free account:
https://open.spotify.com/album/05QPPMIufSsPAbcMdTSO5F .
We do have our songs posted to YouTube as well - no account needed: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDzwgiI-BVobZER3kiWxPtZne0rne9Hoz
Reviews of "birth, love, hate, death":
Indie Music Reviews: "We don’t see albums like this in the mainstream much anymore... more and more artists of every musical type are increasingly building easily digestible releases. Not so for Gerry Dantone and Universal Dice. This aims high and finds its mark.
Valhalla Music Blog: "Whether pulling off some keyboard/vocal tenderness with “Honestly” and soulful closer “Forever,” or coming straight from the rock n’ roll gut on “I Love It When They Hate It” and “Better Man,” Universal Dice can do absolutely nothing wrong on this record. If you long for the days when musical giants walked and ruled the Earth, then "birth, love, death, hate" will be exactly the kind of sonic reminder you’ve been hoping to hear for ages. What an album, what a band; highly recommended!"
Razorfish: "Universal Dice pulls out all of the stops on this monstrous masterwork. With diverse songwriting flair, excellent instrumentation, meaningful vocals and lyrics and a production job that leaves a ton of space for each instrument to cut through, there’s absolutely not a single bum note or tune in the bunch. Anyone that wants a slice of REAL DEAL, vintage rock n’ roll done with an updated outlook on the sound must absolutely score a copy of birth, love, hate, death… it simply doesn’t get any better than this."
Indie Band Guru: "Gerry Dantone’s aspirations remind us of an earlier time in our history, not far removed from today, when musicians and composers working in popular music looked to stretch the form to accommodate the wide breadth of their dreams and express the seemingly inexpressible. The fourth studio release from Dantone’s band Universal Dice birth, love, hate, death is one of those albums and carries listeners on an amazing, bracing journey over sixteen songs."
Skope Magazine: "Universal Dice’s fourth release is definitely their best yet and shows Dantone’s songwriting creativity has no appreciable limit."
Released on CDBaby, Amazon, iTunes, Spotify, YouTube, and everywhere else, et al.
Sounds like Green Day, the Killers, the Who, the Beatles, Eagles, Springsteen, Pink Floyd, but really they sound like no one else!
Genre: Classic rock and classic rock opera
www.UniversalDice.com
https://www.facebook.com/UniversalDice/
https://twitter.com/universaldice
https://soundcloud.com/universaldice
