Manikin Parade

Oklahoma City based powerhouse VANGOUGH may be named after a post-impressionistic artist, come from a conservative bastion of the U.S. and draw inspiration from a variety of exotic musical styles; yet driven by the explosive, cutting edge vision of guitarist and lead vocalist Clay Withrow, the band's incisive and infectious songs and intense energy requires adjectives far beyond words that describe mainstream artists. So here's an opening attempt: committed to drawing listeners into their melodies before totally upending the tea table, they spit fiery madness by drenching your ears with a purple sunrise of melodic cocaine. Originally formed around Withrow's well-received 2007 solo debut and evolving over two incredible discs, Vangough - whose current killer lineup includes drummer Kyle Haws, keyboardist Corey Mast and bassist Jeren Martin - combines the groovy attitude of southern metal stalwarts and the quirkiness of contemporary art rock with melodies and textures inspired by music from all over the world. Their often times vintage sound harkens back to the forebearers of progressive rock, giving them a slightly retro feel while retaining the freshness of a forward thinking contemporary band. The new album Manikin Parade was recorded and performed by Clay Withrow on guitars, bass, keyboards, and vocals with Brandon Lopez on drums. It was mixed by engineer Sterling Winfield who is most famous for his work on many Pantera albums, the Damage Plan album and Vinnie Paul's latest group Hell Yeah! Manikin Parade comes housed in a glossy limited edition 6-panel DIGIPAK, including a full 12-page color booklet, with original artwork by Tyler Dunlap.