Today, GuitarWorld.com presents the exclusive premiere of "Elegy," a new song by New York City hard-rockers Tower. The track is from the band's upcoming self-titled debut album, which will be released October 28 via The End Records.
"The main riff happened spontaneously at one of our first jams together," says Tower guitarist James Danzo.
"We knew it was a good riff, but it seemed to take forever to find the right chorus. Finally it came to me one day after getting home from work, lighting a joint and getting ready to go to [vocalist] Sarabeth [Linden]'s house to work on another tune. A melody popped into my head, and I had to sit with the guitar for a few minutes to figure out the chords I was hearing.
"When I got to Sarabeth's, we forgot whatever else we were supposed to work on and focused on this one song. Once the chorus was in place, the second half of the song flowed out effortlessly. Sarabeth came up with the lyrics about death soon after, which floored me and gave the song added weight and intensity I hadn't expected. It's a really proud moment for us."
Tower delivers riffs that recall Scorpions and Judas Priest, topped with the type of soaring vocals associated with Heart's Ann Wilson or Pat Benatar. The band includes Sarabeth Linden (lead vocals), James Danzo (guitar), Zak Penley (guitar), Philippe Arman (bass, backup vocals) and Justin Sherrell (drums). Their new album, Tower, is available now for preorder.
Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.
