Army of Three Coming Your Way –Young Blues Rock Sensations Virgil & The Accelerators’ New Album & Tour

Photo by by Will Ireland

Virgil & The Accelerators are set to release a brand new studio album ‘Army of Three’ on Monday 6^th October via Mystic Records that will dovetail alongside the band’s nationwide tour.  The band will also support the release of the album with a single and accompanying promotional video ‘All Night Long’.

‘Army of Three’ is the band’s second studio album produced by the legendary Chris Tsangarides (Gary Moore, Thin Lizzy, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest).  The new album follows 2011’s critically acclaimed debut album ‘The Radium’ that claimed a Best of Year spot in Classic Rock magazine’s year round-up and was  voted No. 2 in the coveted USA magazine Blues Rock Review Top 20 Albums of that year, alongside many 5 star reviews. No mean feat, considering the band were only teenagers when they recorded the album.

“The Radium was pretty much a live studio recording,” reflected Virgil McMahon “On Army of Three we wanted the production values, but we didn’t want to compromise the raw energy of our live sound.  I think the new songs really show a lot more maturity and growth.”

“Chris Tsangarides has an excellent track record,” continued Virgil. “He’s an easy guy to work with.  He helped us keep our own sound and explore bigger production.  What we do appeals to a rock and blues audience. Blues rock is the most accurate way to describe our music.”

Fast becoming renowned as a killer guitarist and front man, Virgil McMahon’s fretboard skills found him being voted Best Guitarist 2013 in the European Blues Awards. Mimicking his father strumming chords from the age of four, Virgil developed a taste for the blues that saw him having jammed with Otis Grand and joining his father’s band (the original version of The Accelerators) by the time he was 14. As the old guard saw the youth’s potential they stood aside as first his brother Gabriel came on board as drummer and more recently in 2010 bass guitarist Jack Alexander Timmis.

All in their early 20s, the band has built a formidable reputation as a telepathic power trio whose live shows have been described as “jaw-dropping, relentless and energised”. VATA have taken European festival stages by storm.  Touring relentlessly in their own right, while supporting the likes of Wilko Johnson, Michael Schenker, Uriah Heep, and the late Johnny Winter, they have gathered a loyal, growing and dedicated fan base along the way.

However, the forthcoming tour nearly didn’t have an album to accompany it when Tsangarides took ill. “Chris had a recording gig booked in Greece and we all but completed the album with the exception of two more days left,” recalled VATA bassist Jack Alexander Timmis.  “Before we were to return to the studio to finish the album, Chris was diagnosed with Legionnaires disease. He was in intensive care for three months. He was lucky to come out of it alive.  We didn’t want to bother his family, but, at the same time, we were frantic about finishing the album. We originally planned to release it in May.  When Chris made a full recovery, we immediately returned to the studio to finish the album.”

Now ready to be released, here’s a taste of what to expect on ‘Army of Three’ with a video of a track from it recorded around The Custard Factory in Birmingham, called ‘Blow To The Head‘:

Tour Dates are as follows with more information available direct from Virgil & The Accelerators’ website.