Fireball Ministry

Fireball Ministry ain't got a rule book. If shit rocks, it rocks. Period.



From the beginning, the hard rockin' and hard partyin' crew have aggressively steered clear of pretentiousness, trends and all manner of poseurdom, throwing down analog-soaked, bottom-heavy tunes and tipping a hat toward the best of the past without sounding like a mere retread or novelty.



Famously described as Sabbath partying with Priest and Grand Funk Railroad, there's no nonsense in the Fireball camp. They don't have a schtick. They don't have a gimmick. The Reverend James A. Rota II (guitar, vocals), Emily J. Burton (guitar), John G. Oreschnick (drums) and Johnny Chow (bass) call 'em as they see 'em, refuse to kiss ass and have flown the flag for authenticity for a dozen years.



And with their fourth (and best) album, titled simply Fireball Ministry, the foursome shrugged-off any preconceived notions of their own. Nobody looked at each other in the practice room and said, "That riff doesn't sound like Fireball, man." If a song is great, it's great. And the record glows with this freedom.



"We definitely run into that thing like every band does - 'that song doesn't really sound like us' - but this time around we were just like, 'screw it!'" says Rota, with his gregarious laugh. "If it's a good song, let's just record it. Let's just write the songs that we want to write. Not to sound like I think we're the best band in the whole world, but I think it really suited us well to be able to take off those restrictions. "



Produced by Andrew Alekel, Fireball Ministry is a triumph of will from a band who knows exactly what they are. And exactly what they aren't.



The slight rustic twang that opens "Fallen Believers" is as meat and potatoes as it gets, with a stomach punch groove that drops from the speakers when it kicks in. "Butcher, Faker, Policy Maker" pulses with an anthemic verse stronger than most bands' choruses. "Thought it Out" is the best Cheap Trick song you haven't heard, filtered through the hard-driving Fireball engine.



The haunting yet alternately inviting melodious voice that emanates from Rota drips warmly atop the songs rather than doing battle with the riffs, as his guitar partners with Burton's to remind people what they first loved about the crackle of a vintage amp. Chow's low-end is rhythmic and anchoring without sacrificing fluidity or dynamics. And John O's drumming serves the songs with the strength of vision inherent in old school pounders who resist the urge to overplay or showoff.



A clandestine and subversive cadre of true-believers from all walks of life have spread the good word about Fireball Ministry since they relocated from New York City to Hollywood, where the band has mooched a brew or three from the rich and famous without losing themselves or their sound.



Fireball asked an important question with their debut in 1999: Ou Est La Rock? Four years later, the rumble rang louder from the underground, with MTV News taking notice of The Second Great Awakening. Folks with a radar for a righteous rock show and low tolerance for the insincere - Dave Grohl, Kat Von D. and Bam Margera, to name a few - will sing the band's praises without prompting.



The list of legendary icons who have invited Fireball Ministry to share their stages reads like a crucial discography of desert island riffs: Judas Priest. Alice Cooper. Dio. Blue Oyster Cult. Uriah Heap. Motorhead. Slayer. And the list goes on.



Their third album, Their Rock Is Not Our Rock, was released by their third label in 2003. After an extended break where outside projects were allowed to flourish -- Rota with members of Clutch and CKY in The Company Band and Chow with Max and Igor from Sepultura in Cavalera Conspiracy, for example -- the parent project reconvened with their sights set on a more hands on approach to their business.



"I know that we're not by any means special when it comes to this, a million bands are going through this, but we just decided we should take matters into our own hands," Rota says. "With all of the technology and things available to us, we're able to do this in a much more hands-on kind of way."



The lack of outside pressure and someone else's schedule gave the band time and presence of mind to let the music flow freely and to assemble songs they knew would not only standup to their impressive catalog, but in many ways, surpass it. Going forward, they've partnered with Restricted Release to rollout the album. As with each stage of their career, Fireball Ministry is determined to define success on their own terms and to forge ahead with lives as free from compromise as possible.



"I don't want to ever have to make excuses for our band or what we've done, ever," says Rota, without spite or malice in his voice. "If that means that I don't own four summer homes somewhere and a fleet of classic cars, well then, so be it. I couldn't live with myself if I ever had to say, 'There was a point where I totally lost it [creatively], but I sure made a bunch of money doing it.'



"It's not for us," he concludes simply. "It never has been. And it never will be."



Get this Fireball Ministry Banner for your page! Copy the code in the box below and paste into your page.