CRUCIAL VELOCITY dropped a timely new video for their track “Controller.” This song stands out as the title track from their latest album and showcases the incredible talents of metal legends, including King Diamond’s drummer Matt Thompson, guitar virtuoso Michael Harris, and Shaolin Death Squad’s vocalist Androo O’Hearn.
Nate Bauer of Crucial Velocity reflects, “‘Controller’ deals with technology and the grip that it has on all of us. We rely on it. We feed on it. We are entertained by it. We get our news from it. And over time, the cell phone has become the ‘Controller’. We have become slaves to technology, but who is controlling who?”
Crucial Velocity began as a creative partnership between songwriter/guitarist/bassist Nate Bauer and experienced engineer Gary Long, who owns the Nomad Recording Studio in the Dallas/Ft Worth area. Initially sparked by their collaboration, the project evolved as they sought out exceptional musicians to bring Nate’s vision of combining the eerie undertones and complexity of bands like Opeth, Black Sabbath, and Voivod into shorter tracks with the melodic hooks and vocal harmonies typical of Queen, Alice In Chains, and Ghost.
With the support of Matt Thompson, Androo O’Hearn, Michael Harris, and guest Buddy Sledge, the band released their self-titled debut album in 2023, garnering praise from several magazines such as Metalized, Powerplay, Rock Hard Italy, and Metallurg. Their music also gained traction on independent radio stations throughout Europe, South America, and Mexico.
Following up with their sophomore album, Controller, released on January 10, 2025, Crucial Velocity explores themes of control, examining political unrest, online influence, religious dominance, and historical tragedies.
The first impactful single from this album, “Brainstorm,” was launched on November 15, 2024. This haunting track was crafted by Nate Bauer, inspired by his experiences with his autistic child.
On December 13, 2024, the band released their second single, “Hollow,” with a video premiere on Metal Insider. The publication commented, “Crucial Velocity, a powerhouse band featuring members of King Diamond, Shaolin Death Squad, and Chastain Harris, have teamed up with Metal Insider to premiere their latest single,
Nate Bauer explains the inspiration behind “Hollow,” stating, “‘Hollow’ was written after a conversation with a friend about ideology. Ideology, in my opinion, is the root of all evil. It pushes politics and religion into dangerous cult-like territory. Ideology promotes thoughtless thought in that you basically surrender yourself to whatever the ideology is without feeling the need to really think about what it is you are following.
People placing complete trust in the ideology and the leaders who promote them. We have seen this happen over centuries with the rise of very evil leaders or civilizations. And yet, here we are in 2024 and supposedly intelligent people are still being caught up in dangerous ideological movements. We need to get back to pragmatic thought. Deep, thoughtful thought. Androo O’Hearn captured the anger in the lyrics with his death metal growls while still maintaining the melodic approach that defines the Crucial Velocity sound.”
Members of CRUCIAL VELOCITY:
– Matt Thompson – Drums (King Diamond, Shaolin Death Squad) @mattthmpsndrums
– Androo O’Hearn – Vocals, Keyboards (Shaolin Death Squad): @androoohearn
– Michael Harris – Guitar Solos http://www.michaelharrisguitar.com
– Nate Bauer, Songwriter, Guitar, Bass, Keyboard
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