Track By Tracks: Locust Grove - The Battle Of Locust (2022)

1. One Foot In The Grave:

"One Foot In The Grave" musically was inspired by two things. The last band we toured with was 96 Bitter Beings with Deron Miller formerly of CKY. He is such a great guitarist and vocalist with a knack for writing catchy riffs. We had just gotten off of a run with those dudes and I was messing around with my fuzz octave pedal which Deron made cool to begin with lol I wrote the main riff and the rest is history . I also recently heard Ozzy's song "Under The Graveyard". It inspired me lyrically and the riffs in Ozzy's music never fail to impress. Starting with only vocals and a cigar box guitar we figured this song would be perfect to open the album and grab listeners from the moment it comes on.  

2. The Battle of Locust:

"The Battle of Locust" is our title track for the album, it is heavy with an energy that drives throughout the entire song. The tuning for this song is Drop Bb. We normally play in Drop B and a few other tunings but this is the only song to date in this tuning. The lyrics are delivered with an angry tone and the chorus has anthem vibes. We have been told it would go well in the UFC or NFL.

3. Bluebird:

"Bluebird" is personally one of my favorite songs on the album and possibly that I have ever written.  The song just came together in what felt like overnight. Lyrically the song is about reflecting back on the past and thinking man if I could just go back and change a few things would I be where I am now or would I be in a better place? Maybe I would be in a worse place and things played out the way they should have. It is a radio friendly song sonically with a big chorus and catchy melodies. Hard rock with some blues leadwork on the guitar.

4. S.O.S.:

"S.O.S." opens with a catchy riff that hooks you in and builds into the full band playing the main riff together. Lyrically speaking this song was one of the last ones on the album to come together. It's about being with someone that you can't easily get away from, a toxic person that you don't wish bad on but you know they will never change. After the guitar solo it breaks down to drums and vocals only before going into the final chorus as the outro.

5. Sick of it All:

"Sick of it All' was the last song to come together lyrically. We had the music for this song for at least 2 years and had several different ideas before finding the theme we wanted to go with. We aren't much of a political band but in a weird time in the world this song needed lyrics and we were smack dab in the middle of a pandemic and sick of sitting at home and not having life be the way it once was. "Sick of it All '' is one of the heavier tracks on the album with riffs that make you want to headbang.It also has a shredding solo with screams and attitude behind the vocals. The drums punch you in the face throughout the entire song. This track is for the die hard Locust Grove fans.

6. Heat My Blood:

"Heat My Blood" is the song we dedicate to our female fans. We wanted to make a song that was sexy at the same time heavy and cool. It falls into that radio friendly category. This song has a huge chorus. After the guitar solo we strip the song down to acoustic guitar and vocals before kicking it back in with a huge drum fill into the final chorus.

7. These Hands:

"These Hands" is our fight song. It's basically about having it out with your opponent. musically it is another heavy song with angry vocals. The chorus is catchy and melodic before heading back into the main riff. We named it "These Hands" because "Catch These Hands" didn't roll as well.

8. Why Run:

"Why Run" starts with a drum fill and takes you straight into a headbanging riff. Lyrically it's about perseverance and never looking behind you. Face your fears because life is short. The bass guitar has a cool run in the verses. The bridge section is also one of the main reasons we kept this song. We shot a music video for this song as well. We are gonna be releasing it at the end of the year! "Why Run" ends with a high energy outro!!!

9. Hard To Change:

"Hard To Change" is our hard rock ballad. The main riff hooks you in from the start. The verse guitar overdubs were inspired by Dr. Dre and other rap songs from the west coast days. Often they would loop a catchy clean guitar part and it would act as a hook within the beats. Lyrically the song is about being stuck and trying to do something different to better your situation. It's not always easy but with self reflection and realizing you have to help yourself it can be done. I guess that makes the song somewhat motivational.  We also had our friend Britt sing on the track as well so it would have a powerful female vocal in the mix that fit the mood of the song.

10. Worth My Time:

"Worth My Time" was the first single we released off of our upcoming album. This track opens with the vocal screaming "YOU'RE NOT WORTH MY TIME" lyrically this song is about someone that sits on their high horse and makes your life hell. The bridge section came off of one of our old songs written in 2016 called "From The Ashes" we never released it and ended up salvaging the best part of it which turned into the solo section and bridge riffs of "Worth My Time"

11. Learn To Crawl:

"Learn To Crawl" is the last heavy track on the album. Starts with one guitar playing the main riff before the drums slam in with the other guitar and bass. Vocally I experimented in different ranges and with screams to help the tone of the song. It has dark vibes. The bridge breaks down before exploding into the breakdown riff. The outro is the chorus doubled and the delivery of the vocals changes a bit before it ends on the bridge/breakdown riff. The song has an abrupt ending.

12. Days Gone:

"Days Gone" is our acoustic song that concludes the album. I always wanted to write a song that was all clean and never got heavy but still represents us and our sound. This song in my opinion has Everlast vibes. Not really saying that was an inspiration but it ended up in the same vein. Lyrically the song is about not wanting to feel like a failure. It's again about changing your situation and not getting discouraged or giving up. Days pass us by and time is unkind. It felt like the perfect way to end our album after all the years of hard work.