Jersey Rock Band of the Week: Return to Earth
New EP “Octavius” Available Now!
It’s been a long voyage for Return To Earth. Formed in 2006,the band is anchored by Chris Pennie on drums, with Brett Aveni on guitar, and Ron Scalzon on vocals. They achieved success and acclaim, ultimately signing with Metal Blade Records in 2010. Following a multi-year hiatus the band reunited and got back to writing and recording. The result was their 2022 album “Oblivion.” The band followed up the LP this spring with a rad new EP. “Octavius” is a sleek release that retains Return To Earth’s Metal roots while adopting elements of Synthwave. It’s available now on all streaming platforms. Speaking of the new release, singer Ron Scalzo said:
“On this new EP, we leaned into our synthwave sensibilities with intention to shed any sort of “metal” tag the band has earned throughout the years. We have nothing against the genre, obviously, but these new songs are mostly influenced by acts like Depeche Mode, M83 and Peter Gabriel.”
Speaking of the writing process Scalzo said:
“I think we all had a little something left in the tank after our Oblivion album came out in 2022. That record really took a lot out of me as the band’s lyricist and singer — it was a literal sounding board for the gnarly experience I went thru during the pandemic, and even though I’m proud of the output — the rawness of my genuine screams and my guttural howls — the anger had gotten to me by the end of it. My exhaust pipes were empty and overheated.“
If “Oblivion” was a long-awaited supernova, “Octavius” was something born from the previous effort’s celestial wreckage. It’s new, exciting, and unexpected. Scalzo said:
“The record came out and I remember thinking that even though it was an appropriate time capsule, it would sure be nice to work on some new tunes with these guys that weren’t dipped in so much venom. I found some instrumental demo Chris had pitched to the band years ago that sounded like Muse and I got inspired to write some melodies over it. I sent that to Chris and he transformed the demo into something more retrowave, and that song would become ‘Soiled.’ I mean, it’s all still moody and dark and venomous, just maybe not as deadly a poison this go-round.”
Tune to Jersey Rock on 95.9 the RAT Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 11:30 pm to hear cuts from “Octavius.” Ron Scalzo will call in to the show each night!
Learn more at baldfreak.com!