THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Appalooza are a long-gone stallion speeding after a lost freedom. Formed in Brest, France, in 2012, they take their cue from the alt-heavy firepower of Alice in Chains, the rock’n’roll stampede of the likes of Queens of the Stone Age or Them Crooked Vultures, propelling themselves with a creativity and sense of direction that are only the essence of great bands. Spirituality and ancient myths colour a spacious sound that nonetheless worships at the altar of modern and unwaveringly hard-hitting heavy rock.
Say Appalooza about the new sophomore album: “The Holy Of Holies is an ironic comment on religion. A storm is coming and ready to send mankind to a certain death. They are deprived and punished for their individualism, appearing already dead. They accept it and seek a new being to venerate, then send a scapegoat to the desert with all their sins, to find the demon Azazael, the Holy of Holies. This fallen angel takes possession of mankind. He reincarnates them into a half-man half-beast species by transplanting a horse skull, symbol of a lost freedom. Our lyrics deal with subjects such as the lie of religion, the failure to assist a person in distress, the exploitation of man by man, the disappointment that one may have in general towards people, the eternal questioning about our existence and the universe.”
Appalooza released the demos Squamata and Chameleon in 2013 and 2014, then embarked on their first U.S. tour, hitting Colorado, Nevada and California. Fired up by this successful experience, they released their eponymous debut in 2018, quickly followed by a second North American trek from the Midwest to the Pacific Coast. The Holy Of Holies is the beginning of a new era — an album that perfectly embodies the trio’s musical and visual reincarnation, through an intense sonic escape and ultimately, freedom.”
