In 2003, six-string virtuoso Jeff Rankin and NY Singer-Songwriter Anthony Sica assembled a 5-piece unit to perform the unique blend of power metal, thrash and prog swirling through their creative consciousness...thus Luna Dementia was born.With only three (ten minute plus) songs, two gigs and a lot of marketing savvy, Luna created a phenomenal buzz, landing a spot opening for legendary melodic metal maestro Rob Rock and a track on 2004's PROG POWER compilation. However, the band's meteoric rise, led to internal crashes. When the smoke cleared, Rankin and Sica carried on, stripping the band down to a 4-piece with a brand new rhythm section. Rankin and Sica wrote nine new tunes, releasing a 4-song EP called ON THE RISE. But by 2005, after several Florida tours, internal turmoil again caused a split on the moon's surface.
Parting ways with the rhythm section, Luna went on temporary and nearly permanent hiatus. Sica recorded a solo album and returned to NYC to promote it successfully playing to enthusiastic audiences at CBGB's, The Bitter End and other amazing and legendary NY venues. Rankin, returned to the studio also, creating a multitude of amazing solo tracks showcasing his extraordinary vocal skills in addition to his already deft and much-lauded guitar prowess. Getting these various ego-fueled projects out of the way, Sica and Rankin
reconnected in September 2007 and began writing what would become ECLIPSE...Luna Dementia's new full-length.
With the full intention of both bucking current musical trends and showing that amidst all the metaphysically, deep progressive-like lyrics they had employed in the past, Sica & Rankin quickly penned the infectious ode to gettin' some ass entitled "Whiskey, Wine, Women & Song." Part Van Halen, part LA Guns, part KISS, this is Jeff and Anthony flexing their arena rock muscles and proving that hard rock need not be so serious all the time.
On the contrary, "Scream" is quite serious and is a leftover from Luna's previous line-up and was a crowd favorite. Never recorded, Jeff & Anthony laid tracks for this song while they were 1,200 miles away. But despite the long-distance collaboration, this track provided the spark needed to re-ignite their songwriting partnership. Featuring the only keys on album courtesy of Rankin, the song leans toward the harsh reality of today's political climate and features some of Rankin's fiercest riffs alongside Sica's most graphic and satirical lyrics.
After watching an NBC news story, Sica was inspired to write "30 A Day," another politically charged song about the consequences of the war in Iraq. Borrowing a page from old school Metallica (think Puppets) Rankin & Sica quickly put together a syncopated epic which is everything and more you'd expect from Luna.
"Miracle" and "So Far From Home," two of the most commercial songs on ECLIPSE, ironically were composed in mere minutes on acoustic guitar by Sica & Rankin. Adding drums, bass and electric to "Far," Sica actually kept the lyrics he came up with on the fly while writing the song. While Rankin's faux doubled acoustics sounded so good with Sica's lush vocals, that they kept "Miracle" as an acoustic on CD, while working up an electric version for the stage.
"Best Of Me" written the same time as "Whiskey" also has that 80s arena rock sound, satisfying Luna's desires to write more mainstream radio-friendly metal for the sake of no one's particular tastes but their own.
"Soar" is an instrumental solo piece by Rankin that simply smokes. To leave it off the CD would have been a travesty. As would be an old live favorite "Dragon" which has been finally recorded and slowed down to give it a real "old-school" thrash meets Judas Priest vibe.
In a mere four months, Rankin on guitars and bass and Sica on drums and vocals, finished an album's worth of material and were ready to press it, but as they celebrated Christmas, they hooked up with a drummer looking for a gig named Mark Walker. Realizing that Sica had to surrender his throne to front the band properly on stage, Luna started rehearsing with Walker with casual intentions. However, it was immediately clear that this was the missing part of the body, mind and soul that is Luna Dementia. Gelling immediately, Walker, a veteran of the pop music industry (toured with C&C Music Factory) and prog-metal dynamo, incited the writing of "Motor," again in a matter of mere moments.
Fittingly, "Motor" is the most focused song on the record. Lyrically, it's about determination, longevity and fatalism...symbolically it represents Luna Dementia's true rebirth. Adding much needed vocal harmonies and passion to Sica & Rankin's always apparent alchemy, Walker has transcended the role of bandmate to soulmate in a few short weeks. The ECLIPSE is full...the album blends venomous, progressive power metal with old school, bluesy 80s LA infused hard rock to paint an unbelievable sonic canvas which must be heard to be believed. Conjuring up unadulterated, kickass hard rock/metal with lyrical content almost heavier than the music, guitar acrobatics and a new tribal-like rhythm section, Luna Dementia is coming…with a brand new album, brand new band, brand new moon...
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