Artist Website: blackwaterconspiracy.com
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About Blackwater Conspiracy
Million Dollar Reload were a 5-piece hard rock band formed in County Tyrone in 2006. The band recorded two studio albums and a live album before rebranding themselves as Blackwater Conspiracy in 2015.
Formed in 2005 they immediately began writing their own material. Phil Conalane, Kie McMurray and Andy Mack began the writing process in the late summer of that year and during this time 'Superslave', 'Degeneration' and 'Give It All' were penned. With the help of drummer Davy Cassa and guitarist B.A.M., the band hit Manor Park Studios and recorded the now out-of-print 1st 3- track E.P., the self-titled 'Million Dollar Reload' containing the afore mentioned songs.
The band name itself was taken from the song 'Give It All' - a song about two aggressors piting their wits against each other in a poker game - "...no everything's not all right, I need a million dollar reload..." A 'Reload' being a poker term for a buy-in.
Each band member had previously played and toured extensively in various different cover bands with the exception of Davy who had previously toured with Irish heavy-metal band 'Sinocence'.
During Christmas 2005 the band played their first live show together to tremendous reviews so when 2006 rolled in the band were on top form and began working on new material. They soon had over 11 songs and were ripping up Belfast and Dublin with their live show.
Million Dollar Reload hit the studio once again in autumn 2006 and their debut album 'Anthems of a Degeneration' was recorded. The album was released in 2007 and later re-released by Powerage Records and Hydrant/Universal in 2010. The band toured extensively, including support slots for Alice Cooper and The Darkness, and gained attention in Japan and the US.
Their second album, A Sinner's Saint (2012), was released through Frontiers Records and supported by a UK and European tour. The band also faced lineup changes, with Finn O'Hagain replacing drummer Sean McKernan. In 2014, after being dropped by Frontiers, Million Dollar Reload self-released their live album As Real As It Gets and toured with Blackberry Smoke.
In 2015, following a shift in musical style towards a more laid-back rock sound, the band rebranded as Blackwater Conspiracy. Their first album under the new name, Shootin' The Breeze, was released in 2017, followed by Two Tails and The Dirty Truth of Love and Revolution in 2020. After a delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they embarked on the Love and Revolution tour in 2021.
In June 2023, Blackwater Conspiracy signed with Golden Robot Records and announced new music in the works for the first time since 2020. At this point the lineup consisted of Conalane, Mallon, McMurray, O'Hagain, and keyboardist Kevy Brennan.
Comments
Mick Foley wrote on 2013-05-10 00:00:00:Heard them on Planet Rock yesterday 09/05/2013, brilliant. Phil might not mean to but sounds like Bon Scott.
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