Former QUIET RIOT singer and “American Idol” finalist James Durbin has joined forces with STRYPER members Robert Sweet and Perry Richardson (bass; also ex-FIREHOUSE) and RIOT guitarist Mike Flyntz in a new project called CLEANBREAK. The band’s debut album, “Coming Home”, will be released on July 8 via Frontiers Music Srl. The official music video for the LP’s second single, “Cleanbreak”, can be seen below.
After Durbin‘s well received debut album (under the moniker DURBIN),“The Beast Awakens”, James was eager to explore more opportunities to create heavy metal music within the Frontiers family and the label was more than happy to oblige. After some discussion about his inspirations and the musical path he wanted to pursue, CLEANBREAK was born.
Durbin‘s goal was to craft an album that paid homage to a more traditional American heavy metal sound, such as RIOT and FIFTH ANGEL, and for that task Flyntz was an ideal choice considering he dazzles with his fretwork and has been a member of RIOT (which changed its name to RIOT V in 2013) since 1989. With James‘s killer vocals and Flyntz‘s guitar prowess in place, an ideal rhythm section was needed. With STRYPER‘s long-lasting heavy metal legacy and their current studio albums being the heaviest of the band’s career, the rhythm section of Sweet and Richardson seemed an ideal pairing to get involved with CLEANBREAK. Both are criminally underrated players in the metal genre and it is a delight to see them shine in CLEANBREAK, just like they do in STRYPER.
“Coming Home” track listing:
01. Coming Home
02. Before The Fall
03. Dying Breed
04. We Are The Warriors
05. Dream Forever
06. The Man Of Older Soul
07. Still Fighting
08. The Pain Of Goodbye
09. Cleanbreak
10. Find My Way
11. No Other Hearts
CLEANBREAK is:
James Durbin (QUIET RIOT) – Vocals
Mike Flyntz (RIOT) – Guitar
Perry Richardson (STRYPER, FIREHOUSE) – Bass
Robert Sweet (STRYPER) – Drums
Produced by: Alessandro Del Vecchio
Mixed and mastered by: Alessandro Del Vecchio
Executive producer/A&R: Serafino Perugino
Durbin recorded two studio albums with QUIET RIOT — 2017’s “Road Rage” and 2019’s “Hollywood Cowboys” — during his three-year stint with the group. In September 2019, QUIET RIOT parted ways with Durbin and replaced him with Jizzy Pearl. Pearl previously fronted QUIET RIOT from 2013 until October 2016, when he was briefly replaced by Seann Nichols, who played only five shows with the group before the March 2017 arrival of Durbin.
Richardson joined STRYPER in the fall of 2017 as the replacement for longtime bassist Tim Gaines.