Striker – Play To Win (2018) (Record Breaking Records)
Release Date: October 26, 2018
LABEL: Record Breaking Records
DISTRIBUTION: CD Baby
For Fans of Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Enforcer, Skullfist, Steelwing
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“Play to Win, which might be their most balanced effort yet. It’s their most catchy, too: the likelihood you’ll be singing along with every song before they finish is very, very high.” – Metal Sucks
“expertly combined killer arena rock choruses with well-done, cleaner verses.” – Metal Injection
“Six albums in six years. That is something almost unheard of, even in the modern era of production that considerably lessens the time needed to record and mix albums. Striker always seems to provide a new album right around when I start to wonder, “Hey, I wonder what Striker is up to?”. PLAY TO WIN is the band’s 6th LP and to my ears, one of their best. Rest assured, the band has not altered their sound. This is still classic metal, mixed with modern elements that continues to leave all pretenders in a cloud of choking dust.” – Metal Rules
“You can hear influences ranging from Dokken to Metallica on Play to Win, and it’s all done with masterful songwriting, performances and production. This is a slick, aggressively-mixed record that drips with excitement and replayability… Striker have produced their best record since City of Gold, and all fans of straight-up hard rock and metal need to own this album.” – Heavy Music HQ
“Striker have knocked this one out of the park and into the stratosphere. You’d be hard-pressed to find a catchier slice of fine cheddar this year, and I’d highly recommend it.” – New Noise Mag
“STRIKER have done it again. They hath given unto thee one monster of a metal album that simply begs to be put on REPEAT.” – Amps And Green Screens
““Catchy choruses, well-crafted riffs and squealing solos are woven throughout… Play to Win is another solid effort from Striker.” – The Metal Crypt
“Each track is overflowing with riffs and hooks that captivate the listener. Each track stands strong enough on its own, but together create a strong contender for another Juno nomination. This is not an album you should overlook.” – Hellbound
“If you like 80’s rock with big guitars, or metal that’s fun in general, check out Striker and crank it up. You won’t regret it, I promise.” – Diary of A Music Addict
“Blending the music by Iron Maiden with Motley Crüe, Stratovarius and Van Halen, which in the end resulted in sheer awesomeness, Striker offer us the thrilling On The Run, showcasing a brilliant vocal performance by Dan while William keeps extracting that metallic sound we all love form his bass, whereas The Front is another classic song by Striker, also feeling as it was taken from an 80’s Hair Metal album…Striker are a band that keeps winning no matter what with each and every release and the flame of Canadian metal will remain alive and vibrant while we have those skillful metalheads from Edmonton among us, always playing to win. ” – The Headbanging Moose
“Striker gush with so much enthusiasm here, with explosive riffs swirling between the vibrant harmonies and choruses, that it’s hard not to notice…Tracks like “Former Glory” and “Born to Lose” are anthemic, catchy as hell and feature soaring vocals from Dan Cleary and terrific guitar work by Tim Brown…On Striker, the band take a host of influences and hone them into a sound they can call their own.” – Exclaim!
“From the first storm-summoning power chord on the opener Former Glory, Striker (CAN) proves their new album’s initial claim of not dwelling on the past, a high and appropriate cry of “Yeah, I’m back again!”… If you haven’t witnessed this inspiring resurrection of classic metal, the band plays Friday, April 14 at Starlite with Ravenous and Tylor Dory Trio, no doubt sharpened from the faithful overseas audiences.” – Edmonton Journal
“When a band releases an eponymous album it’s a statement of intent, a sign of confidence, everything being as it should be. For make no mistake, Striker are a special band. As the old Metal Gods ascend to Valhalla, new gods will arise. This is Striker’s fifth album and it’s just timeless. Not retro, not looking back, but taking everything that’s uplifting and glorious about heavy metal into 2017 and beyond…this album has to be in every writer and fan’s top ten at the end of 2017.” – Hellbound
“A less balls out, more aggressive record than its predecessor, STRIKER delivers another impressive collection of high energy headbangers….Regardless of what your heavy metal predilections may be, STRIKER offers something for everyone. Super catchy tunes dripping with shred gymnastics and all around technical prowess, Striker deserves a place on any metal fan’s playlist….If you have not experienced Striker yet, this album is a worthy place to start and should appeal to a wide range of fans, particularly followers of the Priest, Anthrax and Maiden.” – Metal Rules
2019 Canadian Loud Charts: Striker – Play To Win
Highlight #11 – National Loud Top 20 of 2018 – (Earshot)
Highlight: #2 – December 2018 – National Top 20 Loud Chart (Earshot)
Highlight #167 on Top 200 – November 2018 – The National Chart (Earshot)
Highlight: #12 – October 2018 – National Top 20 Loud Chart (Earshot)
Track Listing:
1. Heart of Lies (4:04)
2. Position of Power (3:40)
3. Head of Power (4:02)
4. On The Run (3:51)
5. The Front (4:02)
6. Play To Win (3:48)
7. Standing Alone (4:56)
8. Summoner (4:04)
9. Heavy Is The Heart (4:54)
10. Hands of Time (3:46)
Album Length: 41:11
Album Credits:
• All songs performed by Striker
• All songs written by Striker
• Produced by Striker
• Mixed and Mastered by Hendrik Udd at Udd Recording Studios
• Gang Vocals: Lindsay Robinson, John Kennedy, Nathan Schadeck
• Gang Vocals Recorded at The Audio Department
• Guitar, Bass and Vocals Recorded by Dan Cleary at RBR Studios
• Drums Recorded and Performed by Randy Black
• Available on: http://www.striker-metal.com, cdbaby, and all major digital distributors
• Cover Artwork by Elvis Amaral (HipnoFX Audiovisual)
Album Recording Line Up:
Vocals – Dan Cleary
Guitar – Tim Brown
Guitar – Chris Segger
Bass – William Wallace
Drums – Randy Black
Live Line Up:
Vocals – Dan Cleary
Guitar – Tim Brown
Guitar – Chris Segger
Bass – William Wallace
Drums – Adam Brown
Photo Credit: Dana Zuk
Champions in blending classic heavy metal, hard rock, and 80’s hair metal, Canadian shredders STRIKER announce they will be unleashing their sixth studio album “Play To Win” on October 26th via their independent label Record Breaking Records. Revealing their artwork and track listing, the album features 10 fist pounding shredtacular anthems produced by the band plus mixed and mastered by Hendrik Udd (Firewind, Powerwolf, Hammerfall, Delain). The album follows their 2017 self-titled full length that the band supported with tours across Europe and North America with Sonata Arctica, Dark Tranquility, and Warbringer along with festival appearances at 70,000 Tons of Metal, Bang Your Head Festival (Germany) and more to add to their almost 1000 shows performed in their decade plus career. That fifth studio album also garnered them a nomination from Canada’s JUNO awards, the country’s highest music prize, along with wins at the Edmonton Music Awards and Western Canadian Awards.
In support of the release of “Play To Win”, STRIKER are launching a crowd funding campaign along with album pre-order via their official website www.striker-metal.com/shop beginning August 9th.
Guitarist Tim Brown comments:
“Play to Win: if you want to win you have to play the game. Find the rules and break them. This is our 6th album and 3rd independent release. If we followed the rules and listened to the industry people we’d have gone absolutely nowhere. Play To Win is about listening to yourself, following your own path, and playing that 5th ace hidden in your sleeve. This album is designed to light a fire under your ass and get you moving, and we made sure to get the most modern, ear melting sounds possible. It’s all about where metal is going, not where it has been, and this is our soundtrack to success.”
CDs and digital downloads available on Striker-Metal.com, iTunes, Amazon, Spotify and CD Baby.
2017 Canadian Loud Charts:
Highlight: #4 – The National Loud Top 20 for 2017 (Earshot)
Highlight: #8 – April 2017 – National Top 20 Loud Chart (Earshot)
Highlight: #1 – March 2017 – National Top 20 Loud Chart (Earshot)
Highlight: #1 – February 2017 – National Top 20 Loud Chart (Earshot)
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