Symphonic Rock Artist BELLA D to Release “The Crystal Ceiling” Dystopian Concept Album & Comic Book
Steampunk-inspired symphonic rock songstress BELLA D has been making serious waves in the club scene for years, but 2016 sees her musical story art finally put to paper – literally – as well as in album form. Joined by today’s top musicians recognized for working with multi-platinum artists such as (but not limited to) Taylor Swift, Blondie, Avril Lavigne, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen and David Guetta, musical artist BELLA D weaves gripping storytelling with unforgettable rock anthems on her long-awaited concept album, The Crystal Ceiling.
The Crystal Ceiling, alongside the first installment of an accompanying comic book series, will be available for purchase digitally on Friday, May 13, 2016. Physical copies of the album and comic book will be available on the following Thursday, May 19th, syncing with an album release party in New York City. You can pre-order The Crystal Ceiling and the first comic book here, and secure pre-sale tickets for the Carroll Place NYC CD release party here.
The first single from The Crystal Ceiling, entitled “End Of The World”, speaks of an impending doomsday and a love that transcends all odds. Performing as the story’s protagonist, BELLA D’s vocals ascend over a cinematic musical landscape that conjures up images of a post-apocalyptic future world fraught with turmoil and chaos – with only love lighting the way. Listen to “End Of The World” now, streaming via
PunkNews.org, and buy the single via BigCartel this Saturday, March 5th here.
BELLA D is a diehard fan of video games, dystopian novels and sci-fi films, so it’s safe to say her story’s concept is an engrossing one. The Crystal Ceiling tells the story of a female automaton whose main purpose for construction was companionship. Beautiful, smart and charming, BELLA D was crafted almost too well, with a will too strong for captivity. After discovering a portal that transports her to a darkened dystopian New York City, BELLA D soon discovers that her new surroundings are entrenched in war, struggle, and violence. She finds refuge with a group of unusual people whose leader is kind but mysterious – he knows something he is not revealing. Amidst her new personal turmoil, New York City is under attack by a group of powerful adversaries who only go by the name “Shadow Walkers”. BELLA D finds herself in the middle of a war with an unknown force while battling her own demons.
The Crystal Ceiling’s inspirational theme of escape from terrible circumstances, surmounting impossible obstacles and overcoming tragedy as a victorious hero is not just a fairy-tale – it’s Christie Oakes’ (the real life BELLA D) life story. Midway through the album recording process, Oakes received the terrible news that she had BRCA positive aggressive Breast Cancer and needed to not only endure grueling high dose chemotherapy, but also have massive surgery to remove both breasts and her ovaries, similar to Angelina Jolie. Since then, her music has taken on a higher stakes/real life-and-death meaning. Subsequently, this trying process inspired BELLA D to create the best piece of art that she could, and therefore required performances by the world’s greatest musicians.
The Crystal Ceiling stands beyond your average concept album. The album is performed by some of today’s most gifted musicians, recognized for working alongside the world’s biggest talent. Impressively, not one of these musicians shared a physical space during the recording process. This entire record was recorded completely utilizing the power of the internet – a true product of the future.
In addition to full production, dynamic drums and electronics led by DRMAGDN: Cyborg Drummer/DJ(Charlie Zeleny, known for his work with Jordan Rudess, Blotted Science, Behold the Arctopus and more), The Crystal Ceiling also features performances by:
Tommy Kessler: Guitar: (Blondie, Rock of Ages, Blue Man Group)
Matt Beck: Guitar: (Matchbox 20, Rob Thomas)
Iakov Kremenskiy: (Talib Kweli, Outasight, Tanya Morgan)
Oscar Albis Rodriguez: Guitar/Bass/Keys: (A Great Big World)
Karl Cochran: Guitar: (Ace Freeley, Joe Lynn Turner)
Matt Rubano: Bass: (Taking Back Sunday, All-American Rejects)
Greg Smith: Bass: (Ted Nugent, Alice Cooper, Billy Joel)
Steve Ferlazzo: Keys: (Avril Lavigne)
David Cook: Keys: (Taylor Swift, David Guetta, Jennifer Hudson)
Paul Morris: Keys: (Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Rainbow)
Joe Deninzon: Strings: (Richie Blackmore, Bruce Springsteen, Sheryl Crow)
Daniel Flam, New York Brass: Horns: (Kanye West, Rick Ross, Jay-Z, John Legend)
Kevin & Melinda Brown: Upright Bass/Strings/Harp: (NJ Pops, Staten Island Symphony, NJ Ballet)
Bashiri Johnson: Percussion: (Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Queen)
Daniel Sadownick: Percussion: (Steely Dan, Jennifer Lopez, Billy Idol, The Roots)
With drummer Charlie Zeleny as DRMAGDN at her side and a slew of fantastic musicians behind her, BELLA D is finally able to turn this concept into a reality. Stay tuned for more music, videos, comic book segments, and beyond coming soon from BELLA D.
Source: www.BellaDMusic.com
Image credit: Tim Shaday
