It’s no secret I have a rooting interest in Whores. The Atlanta noise rock trio were one of the first bands I wrote about when I first started covering the Atlanta music scene for Latest Disgrace back in 2009. Frontman Christian Lembach was my first-ever interview. Both of their records, 2011’s bludgenoning debut Ruiner and their 2013 follow-up, Clean, have ranked at or near the top of my favorite releases for their respective years. I have watched with engaged interest as the band has grown from a promising local act to their present status as an underground powerhouse on the verge of breaking out big. For Whores., the time is most decidedly now.

On Tuesday, the band announced they had signed a deal with eOne Music, a primary division of international media corporation Entertainment One that is North America’s largest independent record label. Details on the press release are sparse — a quote from Lembach stating his excitement for the deal, a brief mention of an impending 2016 release, and the obligatory, but already well-known details of the bands tour with Northwest metal bruisers Red Fang — so I reached out to Lembach for more information. Here’s what I learned.

While there is no timetable set for the new record, it’s obviously a huge priority for the band, enough for them to have turned down two additional tour offers in order to spend more time writing and preparing. The album, and yes, it will be a full length featuring 10 new songs, will once again be recorded at Atlanta’s Parhelion Studios with Ryan Boesch, who was also at the helm for Clean. For fans of that record’s massive yet crisp tones and overall malevolent vibe, this is welcome news signaling the band has every intent of maintaining the nasty, loud, brutish trajectory its been on since the beginning. As for what to expect from the new songwriting, Lembach says that’s hard to answer: “Some new songs have a super heavy, Swans-meets-In Utero vibe, some are pretty fast with a more early Ceremony/Obliterations vibe. It’s definitely pretty mean sounding. We’ll see. I want to spread out a little bit on this one, but we keep writing crushers.”

For those interested in the terms of the record deal, Lembach reveals they had interest from a handful of labels, and had received a few formal offers. They were in talks with executives from eOne for about six months before finally hammering out a multi-record deal that granted them the creative freedom they wanted. “We officially signed about two weeks ago,” he explains. “We asked for a bunch of pretty specific things, and they said yes to everything without ever hesitating. The fact that they are what amounts to the biggest indie label in North America was already appealing, but they also made it very clear that they wanted to work with us from the start. We’re pretty excited.”

Finally, I wanted to find out about a recent shakeup in the band’s lineup. When former Norma Jean bassist Jake Schultz joined Whores. in 2011, it gave the group the invigorating shot in the arm it needed to make the leap from a semi-regional act to a burgeoning national one. In additional to his sharp skills as a player, Shultz brought a dynamic stage presence that was lacking from original bassist Steven Higginbottom. Overnight it seemed the band went from a reliably solid live act to an absolutely ferocious monster that demanded your attention before swallowing you whole. The transformation was almost uncanny. So, when Schultz was quietly replaced by drummer Donnie Adkinson’s longtime friend Casey Maxwell with nary a mention from the band, I was a little shocked. So, apparently was Lembach. “Yeah, I haven’t really said much about that,” he confides. “It’s still kind of a shock, frankly. I think he just wanted a different life and we’re about to be blasting super hard.”

For his part, Maxwell has stepped up to the challenge under some pretty trying circumstances. He only had a few days to learn the band’s set before playing his first show in front of a sold-out crowd in Austin opening for The Sword, and didn’t bat an eye. “He is crushing it,” says Lembach excitedly about his new bandmate. “He and Donnie grew up together, he’s a way better musician than me, and we’re lucky to have him.”

The future certainly seems wide open for Whores., but for now the group is focusing on the present. After playing a few warm-up shows over the last couple of nights, the band joins Red Fang and Wild Throne tonight for the first show of the REVOLVER Magazine sponsored Autumn Breeze tour, which hits Atlanta on Friday, October 14 at the Masquerade. Check out the full list of dates below.

Red Fang with Whores. and Wild Throne Tour Dates
Oct 01 – Billings, MT – The Pub Station
Oct 02 – Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge w/ Caspian
Oct 03 – Ft. Collins, CO – Aggie Theatre
Oct 05 – Kansas City, MO – The Riot Room
Oct 06 – St. Louis, MO – The Firebird
Oct 07 – Chicago, IL – Subterranean
Oct 08 – Columbus, OH – Ace of Cups
Oct 09 – Pittsburgh, PA – Altar Bar
Oct 10 – Brooklyn, NY – Palisades
Oct 11 – Philadelphia, PA – Underground Arts
Oct 13 – Raleigh, NC – Kings
Oct 14 – Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade
Oct 16 – New Orleans, LA – Siberia
Oct 17 – Dallas, TX – Gas Monkey Live
Oct 18 – Austin, TX – The Mohawk Austin
Oct 19 – Houston, TX – Warehouse Live
Oct 21 – Albuquerque, NM – Launchpad
Oct 22 – Phoenix, AZ – The Rebel Lounge
Oct 23 – San Diego, CA – Casbah San Diego

More Info
Bandcamp: whores.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @Whores-108004672554176
Instagram: @whoresband
Twitter: @whoresbandatl