New Zealand rock juggernauts Black Smoke Trigger have unleashed their hard-hitting new single “The Way Down” today. The accompanying death-defying music video sees Black Smoke Trigger go to extreme lengths in pursuit of rock n’ roll glory. Filmed atop The Auckland Sky Tower, the tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere, the video features the band performing on the rooftop 630ft up and guitarist, Charlie Wallace, jumping off the building whilst shredding a guitar solo. Stream the new track HERE and watch the adrenaline-fuelled, heart-stopping music video HERE or by clicking below.
Speaking on the filming of their death-defying video, Wallace shares
“Standing on the outside edge of the tower, 630ft up, at night time with a helicopter whirling around us filming was surreal. I’ve always liked the idea of making a music video for a song, a literal definition of the title. Like when we filmed a music video underwater for our track ‘Caught In The Undertow’. So for ‘The Way Down’ I closed my eyes and thought… What’s the highest place we could perform this song, then jump off to have a literal definition of ‘The Way Down’?
The idea came to me pretty quickly, the Auckland Sky Tower here in New Zealand is the tallest free-standing structure in the southern hemisphere. Telling the band about the idea, no one else was too keen to jump off, so I drew the short straw with that one. It took a bit of convincing to let me play the guitar solo while falling 630ft from the outside edge of the building, and some custom metal clamps that attached to a harness so the guitar didn’t fall away from me. It was quite the experience jumping off such a tall building while playing a guitar solo and to get the coverage we needed for the video, as soon as I jumped once, I had to run to the elevator and jump off again straight away.”
The band will be hosting a very special online release party today to celebrate the long-awaited arrival of ‘The Way Down’. The live stream will give fans the opportunity to win signed gear, participate in a live Q&A with the band, watch exclusive behind-the-scenes footage from “The Way Down” video shoot, and more. Fans can pre-register for a free ticket to join the festivities at https://go.blacksmoketrigger.com/the-way-down-party
Produced by the legendary Nick Raskulinecz (Alice in Chains, Foo Fighters, RUSH) and mixed by Chris Lord-Alge (Green Day, Muse, Prince), “The Way Down” is an arena-ready rock anthem that combines a gigantic, toe-tapping riff from leader and guitarist Charlie Wallace (creator of the hugely successful Guitar Mastery Method) with soaring vocals from frontman Baldrick, who’s soaring vocal range channels icons like Chris Cornell and Layne Staley in both passion and versatility and a pummelling rhythm section courtesy of Bassist Dan Fulton, and drummer Josh Te Maro. The track follows the band’s previous single “Caught In The Undertow”, the video for which was also a feat of extreme conditions. Filmed at Muriwai Beach in Auckland, New Zealand, and at a helicopter crash testing facility in a 3.6M deep pool, the whole band performed much of the song underwater, highlighting their dedication to creating unforgettable visual accompaniments for their hard-hitting rock anthems. Speaking on the writing of “The Way Down”, Wallace continues
“We are really excited to finally release this single, it’s been a long time coming. The Way Down came together really quickly with Dan and I passing the guitar and bass back and forth experimenting with different chords and rhythms to get the vibe we were wanting to achieve. The tension that the verse builds makes it feel great to smash into the chorus when we perform it live. We recorded the track with producer Nick Raskulinecz in his studio in Nashville, TN, and the whole recording process was a lot of fun. Nick really pushed us and came up with great ideas to take it to another level. We are really proud of the result we’ve got and can’t wait to let our fans hear it.”
Blending raw punk aggression with arena-ready hooks, “The Way Down” provides the perfect soundtrack as Black Smoke Trigger literally dives into the unknown. The latest single cements this ambitious quartet as heavy music’s most daring new force.
With elite musicianship honed from years of tireless work, Black Smoke Trigger shows no signs of compromise in their pursuit of creating pure exhilarating rock chaos. Their unbridled passion bleeds through every note.
The horizon shines bright for these Kiwi rock trailblazers. Stay tuned for much more to come.
