It's always killer to see young musicians follow the footsteps of their rocker parents, which is why today we're excited to exclusively premiere the new song "Pause" from Next To None. The band features drummer Max Portnoy, who is, you guessed it, the son of drumming extraordinaire Mike Portnoy. The group will be releasing their second album, Phases, on July 7 through EMP Label Group in North America and Inside Out Music in Europe.

You can feel papa Portnoy's influence on Max work its way into the song in interesting ways, most obviously in the intricate drumwork. Guitars easily shift between flourishes and chugs, mixed by Grammy nominated bassist and member of Periphery, Adam "Nolly" Getgood. Vocally, you can hear savage screams being intermixed with ultra high-range clean singing. It's a solid representation of where modern metal is going, and more of what Next to None is capable of -- songs that stack "catchy" elements with undeniable heaviness.

“Our song 'Pause' shows both sides of the band," Max tells Loudwire. "While being really brutal and heavy, it shows a lot of the progressive side of our playing, as well.”

Of the album, Max Portnoy says, “It's a collective production, with all of the band having their say. We had strong ideas as to how we wanted this album to turn out, and if we'd brought in an outside producer, then this could have changed. So, it was best for us to stick together and follow our own vision."

He adds, "We're so excited to finally be releasing our new album. We feel it's a huge step forward for the band and shows a much heavier and much more technical side. This album is very special to us because it's the first time we recorded and self-produced our entire album. We were able to create music that is completely our own. Every note, every sound, every word, came from us and we can't wait for you all to hear it. I suppose you could say that we've done here is do more of everything we did before, but the greater experience we now have has helped us become better at what we want to do.”

In addition to Max Portnoy, the band features singer-keyboardist Thomas Cuce, bassist Kris Rank and new guitarist Derrick Schneider.

Next to None can next be seen opening up for Mike Portnoy's Shattered Fortress tour in Europe beginning June 28 in London. See the full list of dates here. In the meantime, their new album, Phases, is available for pre-order via EMP or at various European outlets, including Inside Out Music.

Next To None

Next To None 11.04.2017 Session
Photo by Axel Jusseit
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