DROWNING POOL’s first new song with singer RYAN MCCOMBS in 13 years will be released within a month

In a new interview with Stefs Rock Show, founder DROWNING POOL guitarist CJ Pierce discussed the progress of the songwriting sessions for the new music that he and his longtime bandmates — drummer Michael Luce and bassist Stevie Benton — worked with the singer Ryan McCombs. He said (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “Having Ryan McCombs back in the band last year has been great for us. We have a new song. Hopefully it’s coming out in the next four weeks. It’s being mixed right now today. In fact, I’ll probably hear the final mixed version tonight after we DJ. So I’m really looking forward to new material from us. And this new song is awesome… We’ve got two or three others we’re working on at the moment. We want to try and come out regularly and get a couple of new singles out before we put out a full record.”

Last month, Drilling told Scott Penfold from Loaded Radio that he and his DROWNING POOL The band members “finished recording in (Las) Vegas about two weeks ago and are currently mixing. So we have three new ideas that we’re dying to get out. We’re hoping to get them out here in the summer. But between the tour schedule, life and family, it just needs a little more time. Also, we’re trying not to rush anything. We’re taking our time and writing what we feel and making sure it’s good for everyone to hear. So, it’s right there, man. It’s pretty much done.”

Drilling said further that he and his DROWNING POOL Bandmates work again with the producer Shawn McGhee“He has his own studio,” CJ explained. “We also made the last record with him. We have (2022’s) “Hit a nerve” (with him). And it’s just great to work with him. He’s on the same wavelength as us and a great friend and a great musician and a great producer and mixer. So we really enjoy working with Shawn. He really knows how to capture what we’re trying to do, man. That’s the kind of producer you want. We put him at the helm and made him someone you can trust to have that outside ear to take what we already have and make it better.

“I’m excited, man,” Drilling added. “We’re super excited, man. I was hoping to come out sooner, but there’s a right place and a right time for everything. And it’s right here, man. It’s almost done.”

When asked what fans think of the new DROWNING POOL Music, Drilling said: “It just came naturally. We just started writing. We were all excited to be back together. And we never try to be the kind of band that says, ‘Okay, let’s write “Body Part Two” or “Sinner Part Two”. We just write what we feel. And then it came out quite naturally, just to have ‘Sinner’ Record Foundation with Ryan sing, man. That’s probably the closest thing to it, it’s a good mix of us and Ryan and things from the Dave Williams (Original DROWNING POOL “I’ve grown up since my days as a singer (singer). And it came very naturally and organically and, dude, it’s awesome. I’m excited to play these new songs that are coming out here in the next few weeks.”

In terms of how it was, Ryan Step back into the band and if that familiarity was there again, CJ said, “Yeah, it was like that and even better, man, because we’re all different people. And getting to know each other, the new me – new and improved, hopefully.

“We just did that (Welcome to) Rockville Festival, and just to see friends saying that, because people are seeing us with Ryan again,” he continued. “(People tell us), ‘Man, I can just tell you guys are having so much fun doing this. It’s great to see you guys.’ You can tell when a band is up there and means business. There’s no rote work with us. And we’re having fun doing it.”

Three months ago, Drilling told Tulsa Music Stream about the new DROWNING POOL Music: “It is the first time that we have released new music with Ryan McCombs in 13 years. And it’s all organic and natural. We just started jamming and it just came out like that. It’s not about pushing anything or any agenda. We just had this great relationship writing and it was great to be back in sync like that, especially with everyone in the band. Before we finalize the lyrics and all the vocals, we all sit around the table and bounce ideas off each other to refine the songs. It’s great to work with my brothers like that, to have that kind of relationship where everyone can contribute and have a say. So when the song comes out, all four of us love what we do with it.”

When asked whether he and his bandmates usually discuss what direction their new music should take, or whether they generally stick to a tried and tested formula, Drilling said: “Actually, it’s none of those things. I’m sorry. The answer is neither. I mean, some people approach it that way. I know some bands have a songwriter in the band or two guys who write everything and some people don’t. I love the fact that we all just go in a room and jam. It’s a feeling thing. Music expresses what’s happening. The way ideas usually come to us in DROWNING POOLit’s just, ‘Hey, man, I have this feeling, this idea. What do you think about this topic or this topic?’ If something comes up, like, ‘We should write something about this.’ It’s different. It’s not really a set formula. We have to sound like this; we have to sound like this.”

He continued: “It was unfortunate that we lost Dave Williams In 2002 I was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, but it also allowed us to work with other singers. They all have their own style and their place in music Mike, Stevie and I write. So that was fun too. I wouldn’t say challenge so much as just developing your feeling and then seeing how it works with the strengths of the singer singing along. So it just comes together. Everything is, like I said, what you feel at the time; that’s what we write. We never tried to follow the trend, which I’m fine with bands doing, or trying to fit in here and there. We try to keep it 100 percent original.”

Drilling added: “There are a few bands out there that have this formula – like AC / DCfor example – and that works for them and that probably works to keep them going. With us, of course, we have been through everything, with singer changes and so on. But everyone knows ‘Body’. And that is the core sound of what we have anyway. And the excitement of Ryan Getting back into the band with the new songs we have is just as good, if not better, than jamming, ‘Body’. And not intentionally, like ‘we have to write a “Body Part Two”‘ or another song (like that). We just have that fire again. So it just comes out.”

early April Drilling spoke with Pierre Gutierrez of Rock Talks about how the new DROWNING POOL Music is comparable to “Hit a nerve”the band’s first record in seven years, which will be released in September 2022 via T-Boy/UMeIt was the band’s third album with singer Jasen Morenowho joined DROWNING POOL in 2012. When asked whether the material was “more balanced” than “Hit a nerve”, CJ said: “I wouldn’t say more balanced. Jasen Moreno on the last few records we just started getting heavier. And our career, just the things that were happening at the time – I write what is happening in my life at the time; it’s art, it’s music – and things just got more intense with Jasen. Not only Jasenbut the music business, everything. So the music also became more intense, as you can hear. And then with Ryan in here we still have the same intention, but Ryan brings a different aspect and a different performance to the songs. It definitely gives the style that we had on the two records that we made Ryan that’s there, but we still have that heaviness. So it’s definitely the heaviest stuff we’ve done Ryanabsolutely. So, it’s all heavy, brother. There are definitely some songs that maybe… We had ’37 stitches’ and songs like this with Ryan. We also have one or two songs with him that are more in that soft zone that we are working on. But yeah, on the last couple of records we have been rocking quite a bit, just full on super heavy stuff, man, which I like too. So there will be a mix of that. I think with Ryanwe can also bring in more of a mix of styles… It’s intense, man. It’s intense music. That’s what we write.”

McCombs played his first shows with DROWNING POOL in March 2023 at Club LA in Destin, Florida and at the opening Throwdown at the campsite Festival in Fruitland Park, Florida.

The long-standing FLOOR The frontman, who has been living in Swindon, England since 2018, originally performed DROWNING POOL in 2005 and appeared on two of the band’s studio albums, “Full Circle” (2007) and “Drowning pool” (2010) and a live album, 2009’s “Loudest common denominator”He answered FLOOR after leaving DROWNING POOL in 2011.

McCombs is still ahead FLOOR and will continue to record and perform with both bands.

DROWNING POOLs debut album, “Sinner”was certified platinum within six weeks of its release in 2001, while the CD’s first single, “Body”was one of the most broadcast videos on MTV from a new band. DROWNING POOL reached an ever larger audience with dynamic performances at Wrestlemania XVIII And Ozzfest in the summer of 2001 and 2002. Unfortunately, their success streak was not to last. Shortly after they had impressed the crowd at Ozzfest in Indianapolis, Indiana, on August 3, 2002, singer Dave “Stage” Williams was found dead of natural causes in the tour bus.

Photo credit: Tricia Starr Photography (courtesy of
O’Donnell Media Group)