Aeraco

Who wouldn't want to listen to a band whose members are called Spidey, Ace, Misfit and Creature (who has since been replaced by Beast)? Exactly!

Rocking out of Chicago with their self produced/self released debut disc, this foursome neatly blend hard rock with ‘80s metal influences to create a decent and somewhat unique album that if given some time will grow with every single listen.

Management would hate them as they're not that easy to pigeonhole - and therefor market - but that would be a shame as they really do blend a lot of decent styles to create Aeraco. You can hear some NWOBHM wrapped around chords of hard hitting choruses of uncompromising rock before they twist it around to repeat in reverse without ever truly reminding you of anyone in particular - a decent feat you'll surely agree. Even on a tracks such as ‘Into The Night’ you'll hear a song that ticks so many boxes and adds smidgens of new wave rock (akin to XTC ) yet they never tread too far away from the origins of the material they're delivering. ‘Hero’ sounds like RATT on steroids with less hair but just the same amount of rocking verve to keep it in your head whilst songs such as ‘Grimm’, ‘Destruction’ or ‘Lala’ come on like a hard hitting Y&T or Armored Saint. Impressive!

‘Running In Shadows’ meanwhile is surely made for TV (bemoans the state of music television........ ) and reminded me of Wire Trains' ‘I Will Not Fall’ which was probably most famous for being from the original Point Break movie soundtrack.

There are some genuinely top notch songs on this album and it would be a shame to cherry pick the odd one or two songs for your music system. ‘All Or Nothing’ is an old school album that works best as one body of work and it's great to see and hear a young band pushing sounds from the past forward.

Great songs, great vocals and great tracks. Worth checking out. - Uber Rock

"Aeraco have their own thing going on and you can hear the influences in their music and can tell who has inspired them whilst retaining their own sound". - Fireworks Magazine

A rock band based out of Chicago is travelling the country to jam with fans, but also to raise awareness of their charity project. Aeraco may be a hard rock band, but the four musicians have soft hearts.

Lead singer Mike Gajewski says the band formed a few years ago in Chicago, and things have taken off since. They produced and recorded their own album, but they felt they wanted to be able to use their talents to help others. They partner with hospitals to donate money and toys to children.

"Unfortunately, you see a lot of these artists now usually their names are attached to things that doesn't make us look too great," Gajewski said. "So instead of going that route, why don't we go a different route and do some charity work?"

They partnered with a Chicago hospital for their shows at home, so when they take their show on the road they contact local hospitals to see who they can partner with. Their next show is in Des Moines followed by a Chicago show, but they'll be back in Sioux Falls in the coming months. - KDLT News

10 – Doll Skin – Manic Pixie Dream Girl (1 pts) (Album Review)
09 – Art Nation – Liberation (2 pts) (Album Review)
08 – The Darkness – Pinewood Smile (3 pts = 7 pts) (Album Review)
07 – Crystal Viper – Queen of the Witches (4 pts) (Album Review)
06 – Dante Fox – Six String Revolver (5 pts) (Album Review)
05 – Painful Pride – Lost Memories (6 pts) (Album Review)
04 – Travelin Jack – Commencing Countdown (7 pts) (Album Review)
03 – Axe Crazy – Ride On the Night (8 pts) (Album Review)
02 – Ascalon – Reflections (9 pts) (Album Review)
01 – Aeraco – Baptized By Fire (10 pts) (Album Review) - Decibel Geek

As hard rocking as they come, Aeraco gets the blood pumping almost immediately with the banging beat of Back With Vengeance.

“Guess whose back!?”

As catchy as the flu but far more fun, It’s a riff-tastic opener that sets up this 13 track album perfectly. It’s exciting with a serious sense of swagger, it sways & swings its way through the mind kicking over rubbish bins before flipping you off.

There are easy comparisons to bands such as Avenged Sevenfold & Metallica but with an ‘old school’ style. Songs like Cum to Rock, Baptized By Fire & Tequila and Lime are jammed packed with glorious hard rock rhythm that will put the biggest smile on your face. These are club floor fillers, fist in the air tunes with Tequila and Lime in particular having such an awesome Van Halen vibe about it. The solo is to die for!

All I Know changes things around a bit being a ballad that unfortunately falls flat. It’s lifeless & pretty boring, out of place with the more imaginative music surrounding it.

The hangover from that track follows into the bland Withered Rose but the bassy beat of In Hell We Trust drags things out of the doldrums.

Any concern that the latter half of the album might be drifting off in to nothingness is dismissed with the gloriously huge sounding, In Vain. One of the best tracks on the album, the guitar riffs & excellently epic vocals combine to create a real feel good song.

The penultimate track, Lone Wolf is catchy & beat driven enough to keep the positivity up into The Outlaw, the final track. One last roll of the groove, guitar led hard rocking dice. No surprises here, just a damn fine finish to a damn fine album.

If you like your metal/hard rock with a real feel good vibe, bundles of riffs & solos then look no further then Baptized By Fire. It’s a slamming record that leaves you with a big smile plastered all over your face. - Games, Brains and a Head Banging Life

Now I’m not gonna beat about the bush here, this album by Aeraco is fucking ace.

There are 13 songs on Baptized By Fire and each and every one gets the blood and fist pumping. There are no fillers here my friends, no way.

This album is chock full of heavy, heavy music but it also crams in melody, stories, and solos to die for.

Baptized By Fire is the follow-up to Aeraco’s debut offering All or Nothing, released in 2015. (The keen-eyed amongst you will have noted that I called Baptized By Fire their debut on the upcoming releases section of the website, sorry!)

Whilst All or Nothing is a decent enough album, it was merely a gentle warm up in preparation for this much more muscular effort.

Aeraco are four of the hardest of hard rockers you’ll find anywhere, so hard they don’t even need second names. We have Ace on lead vocals and guitar, Spidey on guitar, Misfit bashing the drums and Beast thrashing the bass.

Ace, whilst having a touch of added sandpaper to his vocals, has total and absolute power, which other gravelly-voiced singers often don’t.

And Spidey, man can he play! He can thrash with the best of them and also caress you with the sweetest of notes.

The driving force behind these two guys is, of course, the rhythm provided by Misfit and Beast. I haven’t heard or felt power like this for a long time and boy it felt great.

The general feel to this album is pure heavy rock, but with subtle changes throughout the album the guys conjure up feelings from old school metal to modern pop-punk without losing their identity.

From the opening track, “Back With Vengeance” Aeraco leave you in no doubt as to their modus operandi; hard, fast rock, of the highest standard.

The intriguingly titled “Cum to Rock” follows, which grooves and screams at full power. I’m not sure if it’s an invitation or an instruction, but whichever it is I don’t care, it’s a pure rockin’ gem.

The title track gives the same, if not more, gut-punching rock with a scorching solo which tore right through me. The pace slows just a touch but the power is unrelenting on “Stab In Dim Light” with gang vocals on the chorus having a big positive effect.

“Tequila and Lime” follows the path that, by law, all songs with ‘tequila’ in the title must follow. A touch of sleaze, a party feel (although the song is about trying to forget a girl) and a singalong chorus. It also has the great line, “tequila for pain, the lime is for the taste”. We all agree with that, right?

The single ballad now makes an appearance with “All I Know”. This song demonstrates that Aeraco can turn their hand to anything, including an understated solo which fits beautifully.

It’s back to rock with Withered Rose” with Ace his most eclectic, from tender singing to spitting out the lyrics. The rising riffs are inspired, too.

“In Hell We Trust” has a power-metal feel to it, especially early on, and Maiden-esque riffing. Superb song.

I keep waiting for the momentum to be lost a touch but it just never happens, every song finds its target, a bullseye every time.

“In Vain” starts off with a modern pop-punk riff then grows into a straight up rocker with a ripping solo. Hot on its heels comes “Bad” which continues the hot streak, just a great rock song.

“Fighting The Fame” tells the tale of where Aeraco feel they are in the industry of their choice. Interesting stuff.

I’m running out of superlatives now as the album just keeps on giving top quality music and “Lone Wolf” is no different. A rollicking rocker with yet another top solo.

It was with fingers crossed that I anticipated the arrival of “The Outlaw”. I desperately didn’t want to end on a low and thank God I didn’t. “The Outlaw” is arguably the best song which is high praise indeed. The riffs aren’t so much galloping as haring along with their arses on fire. Great story, great riffs, great vocals, great solo. Just great! What a finish.

Whichever way you look at it – top to bottom, inside out, or dissected into a thousand parts – this album is a 100% stone cold killer.

If this album isn’t in my top 5 of 2017 come the year end, then I will, as my Dad says, eat hay with a horse. - Decibel Geek

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnahI5k9g-0 - AntiHero Magazine

Hi guys, welcome to VENTS! How have you been?
We’ve been great! Busy, busy and busy but we enjoy the activity. Good to be here!
Can you talk to us more about your latest single “Baptized By Fire”?
“Baptized By Fire” is a song we are very proud man. It combines what we love about modern metal but has an old school layout with lyrics that we feel embody our experiences so far. It’s a great jam, damn good flow and overall a killer song we think.
Did any event in particular inspire you to write this song?
Being a musician can be a pain in the ass. There are a lot of shady people in every business but the music industry is rampant with sharks, snakes and people you’d definitely want to stay clear of. The only way to learn is by exposing yourself to opportunity but there’s a risk to be paid. You need to get out there, cut your teeth, get kicked in the ass, fail – then fail again, get the shit kicked out of you and learn quickly from what you experience. We feel as though we are Baptized By Fire. We’ve been tossed in the pits since the beginning. No help, no assistance, no guidance – just learning by trial and error/baptism by fire. We’ve paid some dues, we will put it that way… still are.
How was the film experience?
It was awesome! The only thing that sucked is that it was really cold but overall it was great. We shot at this badass abandoned church in Gary, IN and also at a place called The Shadow Emporium in Chicago. Our good friend Drake not only owns the joint but also does a lot of our artwork as well. Finally, we had the pleasure of working with artist J Anthony Kosar who did the makeup for our main character. If you don’t know Kosar, google him… the guy is a legend.
Why naming the album after this track in particular?
We just felt it was appropriate. The title is a nice middle finger to the people who try to take advantage of others in the music industry and in life period. The lyrics are a great showcase and reminder that no one will help you but yourself, the lessons you learn always hold true and how we are hard pressed to succeed. Failure is not an option. Blacktop Mojo has an album titled “Burn the Ships” and I love that name. I feel like it’s related so much. There’s no turning back, ya know? We’ve learned so much because we’ve been baptized by fire so fuck it, burn the ships and let’s go full steam ahead.
How was the recording and writing process?
Great! We took more time to write and structure everything which is always beneficial. It was a lot of fun to trying new things, experiment and step out of our comfort zones. Writing and recording are always interesting processes to begin with. You’re creating something, molding it and producing it for the world to hear. That sounds beautiful and is… but it’s also a bit terrifying to make yourself artistically vulnerable to the world. Luckily, the response has been great though!
What role does Chicago play in your writing?
Honestly, a lot. We were all born and raised here so that Chicago blood runs thick. There’s a lot of cultural substance, political content and rich history to go around here. We’re proud of where we are from so I’m sure those roots trickle through musically.
What aspect of 80s music did you get to explore on this record?
Well, we obviously love 80’s metal and old school rock but press kind of took it and ran with it. We have said a few times that we are influenced by the 80’s but who isn’t? There are so many iconic and legendary bands that came out of the 80’s and the genre’s they stretch across are so vast. We love BOTH modern metal and 80’s metal. We’ve also stated a few times that we like quite a few bands dominating the scene currently. So let’s cut the shit, we like both old shit and new shit and combine that shit to make new shit!
Where else did you find the inspiration for the songs and lyrics?
There are quite a few things we take inspiration from. Movies, sports, war, love, hate, fear. It all depends on the song and where the energy takes us. We like pushing the boundaries and exploring new content so it depends.
Any plans to hit the road?
We are planning the first leg of our tour now actually. We are getting pretty booked up and I know for sure we will be in Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, Illinois and Colorado very soon. You can go to www.aeracomusic.com to keep up with tour dates!
What else is happening next in Aeraco’s world?
We’ve got some huge surprises we are working on but we are limited on what we can say right now. A few music videos are in the works as well but again, I can’t say which ones because we are still in pre-production for them. All in all, we have a ton going on and love staying busy. We owe it to our fans to give them great music/content so that is a primary driver. We hope everyone will continue to enjoy the music and what we will reveal soon!

Read more at http://ventsmagazine.com/2017/08/02/interview-hard-rock-band-aeraco/#g7GsShVAAhFGRBMY.99 - Vents Magazine

Aeraco are a hard rock band from the USA forming in 2013, releasing their debut album in 2015. Heavily influenced by the eighties hard rock, glam and sleaze genres, Aeraco are making a huge global impact and have just released their second album.

Jammed to the rafters with catchy hard rock, the sophomore album by American hard rockers Aeraco is gonna set the world alight. In the eighties, the sleaze and glam metal genres evolved with pioneering bands such as Faster Pussycat, Motley Crue, Poison, Savatage and Ratt leading the way. Aeraco embody everything these bands achieved and have gone on to produce a cracking album of power house hard rock. Opening the album is the booming 'Back With Vengeance', all heavy riffing and punchy with an infectious rhythm that is gonna have you hooked in an instant. 'Cum To Rock' is a mid tempo anthemic romp that is savagely heavy on the riffs, with a chorus chant that is gonna be sung by the bands legions of fans everywhere. The opening double salvo serves as a warm up for the cannon fire that follows. The title song 'Baptized By Fire' is a hard rock party anthem, so catchy and infectious that I don't know whether to head bang or dance! The booming voice of the bands singer is loud and proud with a clean and clear delivery. With a huge nod towards the eighties sound of the legendary band Dio, 'Stab In Dim Light' is a thundering romp of heavy riffs and foot tapping rhythms.

The party feel returns with the exceptionally hard stomping 'Tequila And Lime', sharing the same kinda vibe as 'Nothin' But A Good Time', by Poison (off their 1988 album 'Open Up And Say...Ahh!'. 'Tequila And Lime' is so catchy and infectious, you're gonna be humming it for weeks to come... Queue the customary ballad that appears on all hard rock albums these days, and what a ballad 'All I Know' is...get those lighters lit and held high, wave your arms from side to side and enjoy the moment. The booming vocals are replaced by a superb soulful swagger and 'All I Know' stands shoulder to shoulder with any ballad that the likes of Motley Crue and Poison put out during their eighties heyday. With a much heavier feel, 'Withered Rose' is a rougher and tougher song, with a more menacing vocal performance than heard previously. 'In Hell We Trust' picks up the pace and is very hard hitting and punchy as it strides on at a high tempo pace. 'In Hell We Trust' is a much more modern type of song, living in the now, rather than looking back at the eighties. With thirteen songs on offer across a playing time of one hour, 'Baptized By Fire' (the album) is worth every minute of your listening time.

The hard rocking party vibe hits back in glorious style with 'In Vain' picking up the pace and energy and races full tilt on to a conclusion, all the time retaining that awesome catchiness that Aeraco have in abundance. Big riffing, hard hitting and foot stompingly addictive 'Bad' is a savage romp of thunder, booming vocals and one of the best guitar solos on the album. The buzzing guitar riff of 'Fighting The Fame' is straight outta the eighties NWOBHM evolution, with a slight bluesy feel thrown in there too. Aeraco are masters of delivering melodic hard rock, full of catchiness and sing a long style choruses, they will, wherever they play, get the party started... Hard to believe that the hour is nearly up, but there is still time for more. 'Lone Wolf' is pure melodic hard rock, with a mean slant to it. The singer has an outstanding voice that is really infectious and stands tall and proud. Metal takes over from rock as the final curtain is brought down on the album with the six minutes plus epic 'The Outlaw'. Rumbling along, it inspires visions of an old Western movie, horses galloping across the land, Indians and cowboys, a saloon bar, a sheriff and a game of black jack... 'The Outlaw' is a cracking end to a corker of an album and one that will be replayed many times over.

Overall, hard hitting and punchy, Aeraco deliver a heavy rock album, full of melodic and catchy songs, with an eighties style party rock anthem feel. - Frenzy Fire

With musical influences from the 1980’s colliding with the current metal scene, Aeraco seems to have just the right ingredients to make a powerful Hard Rock band with solid vocals, a strong percussion section and killer guitar riffs.



Aeraco hails from Chicago, Illinois and made a name for itself with their debut album All or Nothing in February 2015. The band has shared the stage with many big name acts such as Dokken and Hollywood Vampires, not to mention they have played festivals and some of the most historic venues.



The band consisting of Ace on guitar/vocals, Misfit on drums, Spidey on guitar and Beast on bass has just released a brand new album on Dark Star Records, Baptized By Fire on July 28, 2017. The album shows off the members of Aeraco’s talents by displaying powerful lyrics and hard-hitting music performances.



Baptized By Fire starts off with a heavy rock tune “Back With Vengeance”. The sound of rhythmic guitars pumping out chords that define the song’s melody mixed with steady percussion make for a great start to this hard rock track. With a gritty spoken opening line “Guess Who’s Back!” by Ace with a tiny reminiscence of James Hatfield’s voice proves along with the killer music and lyric that Aeraco is back with a vengeance with the new album.



Some songs on the album that are sure to be fan favorites start off with the second track on the album “Cum To Rock”. This track has a punk rock vibe to it with strong steady bass and drum section but then the song turns heavier making it a hard rock tune. Ace’s vocals are strong and powerful and of course, the killer guitar solo that is played during the middle of the song will have fans blown away .



“Baptized By Fire” the title track of the album with its hard rock feel has an addictive percussion and guitar section. With its catchy chorus and dueling guitar solo listeners won’t be able to stop themselves from becoming drawn into this tune.



With a hint of a Van Halen vibe to it, “Tequila and Lime” will hit home with a lot of fans as it truly embraces the 1980’s hard rock song. “All I Know” is a slow ballad starting off with an electric guitar solo and melodic vocals. It brings in a slightly heavier sound with some percussion sections and a passionate guitar solo. It truly embraces a softer side of the band’s sound.



“In Vain” is another tune that embraces the 1980’s vibe but brings in a modern feel with soloing guitars and rhythm guitar mixing together making for a powerful hard rock tune. When drums and bass come into the mix they add to the feel of the song. Fans will enjoy the hard rock number as it embraces the past and present of hard rock.

One song on the album that has a lighter feel to it with a great chorus and strong musical section is “Fighting The Fame”. Its upbeat rock tempo adds a different vibe to the album showing off the many talents the band has with writing lyrics and music that are powerful yet embracing the rock genre.



Maybe the heaviest song on the album is the last, “The Outlaw”. From the beginning of the song to the end this in your face vocal and musical piece takes you on a double time percussion and guitar journey that is sure to be a fan favorite for those who love heavier music with a rhythmic feel.



Aeraco is not only a band that has drawn its influence from the past and present hard rock scene but has created its own sound that is unique and powerful. With killer guitar riffs gracing every song mixed with a strong percussion section and powerhouse vocals Aeraco is proof the true rockers are alive and well in the industry. Baptized By Fire is a true display of how talented Aeraco is and how diverse the music proves to be with each song consisting of its own vibe and message. - Side Stage Magazine

Aeraco may be one the best American hard and heavy rock bands you've never heard of. Unless, of course, you're from their native Chicago where, last year, they won the Chicago Music Awards' Best Rock Entertainer of the Year on the strength of their debut album, 2015's All Or Nothing and their high energy concerts. But they garnered some international acclaim as well like write ups in Fireworks magazine and airplay in the UK and Italy. Essentially a DIY band, Aeraco returns with their sophomore effort Baptized By Fire, with mastering by Grammy award winning engineer Brian Gardner.

One spin of Baptized By Fire and you know the foundation of Aeraco's sound: classic, notably Eighties, melodic hard rock and heavy metal. Somebody's been digging through their father's vinyl collection. Their sound is melodic heavy metal with a significant hard rock groove, and then bundled in an AOR wrapper. All the important elements of the genre are here: twin guitar harmony and killer solos, clean, melodic, yet assertive vocals, and a bristling powerful rhythm section.
Songwriting is at a premium as well. The riffs are not only large and brisk, but offer the hooks to hang both melody and harmony. The vocal arrangements add more of the same. More hooks come with the cogent lyrics and the catchy refrains. The rhythm section's beat and groove allows you to both move your feet and bang your head. Feel free to do windmills as necessary. Also, being a guitar forward band, the solos are abundant and killer. Finally, the musicianship is not only expert, but this foursome are fearsome in their tight performance.
Honestly, it's the perfect storm for metal infused melodic hard rock. All these things are wrapped up in some great tunes, and there's a lot of them, 13 songs in one hour. Excepting a few songs, I liked everything I heard within Baptized By Fire. For things more on the metal side of hard rock The Outlaw, Baptized By Fire, Lone Wolf, and Metallica sounding Back With Vengeance are spot on tunes. There's something of a metal anthem in Withered Rose. While the hard rock groove is self-evident throughout, it rises more in Cum To Rock, In Vain, In Hell We Trust (with some more Metallica vibe), and the catchy hangover tune, Tequila And Lime. A ballad comes with All I Know, which I really didn't take to. The same could be said for Stab In Dim Light, which simply seemed composed of two things, heavy riffs and a thick bottom end. Which is to say, Baptized By Fire probably could have been trimmed of several songs and still have been a more tasty musical meal. But no worries. Aeraco is a dynamo of an American hard and heavy rock band and Baptized By Fire is a terrific album. Easily recommended. - Danger Dog Music Reviews

Ace, Spidey, Misfit and Beast make up the four piece heavy metal band from Chicago known as Aeraco, a band you should acquaint yourself with forthwith! Let’s face it, very few artists have been able to emulate the aura of the glory days of traditional heavy metal with any degree of success….and that brings us to Aeraco. Well, we can now add them to the exclusive list of those precious few who have curbed the trend to achieve exactly that!

With their sophomore album, Baptized by Fire, Aeraco have announced to the world that they’re ‘back with a vengeance’ with the opening track titled – you guessed it – “Back With a Vengeance”. From there on in, Baptized By Fire grabs you by the balls (or whatever your scrotal equivalent may be) and just doesn’t let go, gouging itself on the finest 80’s metal and rock influences.

Each and every time a new track begins it grabs you instantly and it’s not like Aeraco are just reusing the same the old recipe for the same old outcome either! There is more than enough variety on this album to keep the listener enthralled and they’ve crafted instant classics, such as the title track “Baptized by Fire” and “In Vain” via the simple use of catchy vocals and even catchier riffs and proven that they can slow it down with the heavy metal love song “All I Know”.

Aeraco blast us back to the good old days of heavy metal with their new album, Baptized by Fire. They are pure oxygen for classic metal die-hards and a must listen for anyone even remotely interested in the genre, rarely missing a beat to bring us a flawless 60 minute experience which is sure to be the envy of many heavy metal bands in 2017 and beyond!

Worth every second of your time. 10/10 - Worship Metal

Aeraco are a US hard rock band and this is their second album.

Aeraco crash out of the speakers with a mix of 80s metal and modern rock influences. Aeraco have come to spread fun, joy, and an unashamed love of hard rock to the masses. This they do with such passion and obvious enthusiasm that it’s hard to dislike their work.

With over an hour of material on Baptized by Fire, there’s a lot of content to get through. In some ways it may have benefited the band to keep some of the songs back for a future EP, (or something), which would have resulted in a more streamlined album. However, this is only a minor quibble, as the vast majority of the material here is enjoyable enough to make the playing time melt away under the heat of the band’s delivery.

The songs are well-written and easily digested. With a variety of mainstream metal/rock influences drawn from all of the biggest bands and eras over the last few decades – everything from Metallica to ZZ Top to Avenged Sevenfold to Skid Row to Ugly Kid Joe – Aeraco wear their influences on their sleeves. However, it’s what they do with these influences that marks them out as a band worth listening to rather than passing over as a derivative act.

What Aeraco do so well is combine all of their different influences into enjoyable and light-hearted rock songs that effortlessly get at the essence of what this kind of music should be – fun, entertaining, and catchy. They do all of this very well indeed, and they certainly know how to pen a good tune.

A band’s vocalist is always going to be a crucial aspect of an outfit like this, and I’m pleased to say that Aeraco’s singer doesn’t let the side down. His strongly-delivered voice belts out the infectious songs with gusto, and he knows how to carry a good chorus.

As the band themselves say on only the second track – “I came to rock”. Yes you did. Let’s rock along with them.

Recommended. - Wonderbox Metal

Today, we are pleased to present to your eyes and ears the official track-by-track commentary of Chicago hard rock outfit Aeraco’s sophomore album Baptized By Fire. As the album has yet to be released, we have exclusively embedded the title track within the article, just to give you a teasing taste of the impending catchy, fire-fueled musicality of Aeraco- all of which is for the betterment of your reading and listening experience. Enjoy!

“Back With Vengeance”
“Back With Vengeance” is about being stronger, tougher and more powerful than anything that comes your way. No matter what hits you and how hard you get knocked down, you always have to get back up. There is a lesson to be learned from every time you get your ass kicked. When you rise, you will rise enlightened, more durable, faster and better than you were previous to getting the shit kicked out of you. You will be back with vengeance. That’s why this song has more of a militant flow to it with a battle-like percussive edge. For me, it definitely gets my adrenaline going and I feel motivated whenever I listen to it. Finally, it’s definitely a salute to our first album All or Nothing. I feel like we came back with a vengeance with Baptized By Fire and it’s an awesome follow up to our freshman release.

“Cum to Rock”
Turn your brain off; don’t think and don’t analyze. This song is meant to be fun, straight forward and simple. The riff is super old school metal, the lyrics have a slight layer of cheese and overall the song is just fun to listen to. It’s about just letting loose and rocking out. Metal does not have to be so complex, progressive and complicated all the time so we wanted to break things down a little bit. Sometimes, the more straightforward a song is, the more relatable it is as a result. You can expect some old school guitar chugging and semi-predictable lyrics. All of the above is intended and it’s okay to indulge in “predictable” from time to time!

“Baptized By Fire”
Lies, broken promises, second guessing, heartache, pain, trusting yourself, all of the above, etc etc.. This song is about cutting your teeth and getting tossed in the fire. But from getting tossed in the fire, your trade off is knowledge and an understanding of how your passion works. We’ve dealt with shitty managers, terrible booking agents, promoters who are sharks, venues that are cheats, bands who don’t get it among a billion other things… The only way to learn is by throwing yourself in the fire and learning the business. Books, teachers, school- they will only teach you so much. The real learning is by just getting up off your ass and doing it. That’s what this song is about. It is the epitome of our lives as musicians and people in general. Poetic verses intertwined with catchy pre-choruses and a cool metal riff followed by a chorus that highlights how we feel all amounts to a song called “Baptized By Fire.”

“Stab In Dim Light”
This number is about the one you can’t have. No matter how fair you play your ball game and despite your efforts, you just can’t get a grip on “her.” You wait by the phone, take her in when she needs you, provide warmth/shelter/food… but in the end, it’s never good enough. You get half-assed effort in return and barely get the time of day. You want to take a “stab” at really trying to make things work but her “stab” is one in dim light. She may hit the target and become the woman you want, she may stab you in the back by doing something you thought she was incapable of doing, or she may stab you right in the heart. In the end, you come to terms with knowing where you stand… and where you’re standing is nowhere on her radar.

“Tequila And Lime”
Go to the bar, order a shot of tequila, grab some lime wedges, and get so trashed you can’t remember her name… Or your name, for that matter. Have you ever been so heartbroken you just wish you could take back all the memories and forget everything that happened? This song is about when a relationship goes south and you find yourself at the bottom of a tequila bottle. You’re probably going to regret saying the things you say, or getting as trashed as you’re going to, but it makes no difference. You’re on a mission to wipe the slate clean and let loose for the night. Just be sure to drink responsibly and take a cab like I do in verse three, HA!

“All I Know”
All I Know is our first “ballad” type song. It starts soft and then moves into a heartfelt heaviness that lasts damn near until the end of the song. The title is derived from Socrates’ quote “all I know is I know nothing.” The song was derived from the opposition of Socrates words with the basis of there is only one thing that I know… and that is that I love “you.” The ‘you’ is subjective, but in the song’s case, it is about- no matter what- all you know is you love and care for one person and that one person alone. There are a lot of emotions and thoughts to be had on this one, so I’ll leave the rest to the listener to interpret. What I can say is we wanted to give listeners a lighter side of Aeraco and something different. As a result of trying to throw a curve ball, we came up with lighter guitar riffs, softer gang vocal singing, a touch a synth and content that is definitely different than what we’ve done.

“Withered Rose”
“Withered Rose” is our horrific love tale that is entrenched in tragedy. It’s about a being that feeds off of energy and does whatever it takes to live by stealing yours. It’s a tale of dancing with the devil and flirting with danger. Even though you know you are romanticizing with disaster, disaster itself has you hooked. As much as this beast is hooked on consuming your energy you are consumed with trying to save it from its haunting fate… a life of darkness and despair. You’re willing to be the martyr in the name of a foolish attempt to save something you know is hurting you. Despite your pain and regardless of your agony, you fight to show this beast a life without suffering. In the end, your efforts go unwanted.

“In Hell We Trust”
This is a song written from the devils point of view. It’s our literal version of a devil’s advocate. We explore the idea that the devil is angry with God because he feels his name, reputation and existence were sacrificed to glorify God himself. He has tried to feel, love and care but in the end it made no difference. The devil was tossed aside for God’s own benefit and the devil is not too happy about it. The devil feels the pedestal God has put himself on is narcissistic and unfair and mankind’s suffering is a direct result of this. In the end, the devil is willing to throw himself on the sword and annihilate his own existence to save the world from suffering anymore. We aren’t a satanic band to the slightest and certainly didn’t want to come off as blasphemous… We just wanted to write about an interesting point of view. What if the good guy is the bad guy and vice versa? That sorta thing.

“In Vain”
“In Vain” is about consumption and shit that just doesn’t matter. People spend so much time watching reality TV, competing with people they don’t even care about, and fighting for positive opinions from others. Our society has definitely encouraged a culture of materialism, consumption and indulgence. Nothing wrong with these things in moderation, but for a lot of people, it’s a way of life. Time moves quickly so it needs to be treated with more appreciation and not taken for granted so much. “In Vain” is about listening rather than talking; understanding opposed to seeking to be understood; internalizing the world and creating a legacy with the time you have in contrast to wasting time. We are captives to our own mental barriers. The only way to expand is to listen, understand and fight to know more. Reality TV, competing with uselessness and consuming needlessness are byproducts and side effects of living a life in vain. Go out there, use your time wisely, and kick some ass.

“Bad”
I think we all wanted a song that you’d enjoy listening to while cruisin’ on a motorcycle… This is that song. “Bad” is about having no rules, zero laws, and living life on your own terms. In this song’s case, it’s kind of the root of your own demise because excess and indulgence are highly encouraged with this track. Don’t live your life ‘In Vain’ but it’s okay to be ‘Bad’ once in a while! No? Too cliché’? Alright, Alright, HA!

“Fighting The Fame”
Ah, yes, a song that represents our middle finger to the music industry. What’s funny is we attack the music industry and record labels in this song and then signed a record deal right when we finished recording everything. I’ll laugh out loud and in my head at that hilarious piece of irony! Anyways, this song is about fighting the “non-existent” fame we “have” and is kind of us poking fun of ourselves with a bit of musical humility. The music industry is so plastic, over produced and fake sometimes, it definitely sets itself up as an easy target. “Fighting the Fame” is a promise to never fall into the trap of being consumed by fame and never forgetting where you come from. Aeraco won’t be asking for the green M&M’s to be removed from our backstage snack bowls any time soon… even though Van Halen had a very logical reason requesting that! HA!

“Lone Wolf”
“Lone Wolf” is narrated by a hunter who is hunting a wolf who turns into a woman. A pretty farfetched idea, but I caught some inspiration for this one a few years ago. The hunter is infatuated with this wolf/woman and spends his days hunting her. He wants to catch her so he can keep this beauty for himself. After he catches her he realized how badly he hurt her and the wrong he has done. He eventually releases her and comes to realize by releasing her, he gained the ultimate catch. You decide what you think that might be.

“The Outlaw”
“The Outlaw” is a bit heavier, a bit more progressive and shows a different side to Aeraco, I think. “The Outlaw” is about a guy who travels the West stealing valuables. But, instead of stealing gold, money and riches, he steals women’s hearts. He’s the renaissance man of the West that possess charm, charisma, wit, and everything else that a woman would want in a man. He uses that to get what he wants and then rides off to his next victim. In the end, he has a posse of women after him seeking revenge. But, he’s the man with no name, the one they can’t catch, and is too fast for love. He’s the outlaw. - Ouch That Hertz

The Hard Rock/Metal Chicago area band Aeraco who just recently got signed to Dark Star Records are to release their new Album “Baptized by Fire” on July 28th 2017. Aeraco is for fans of Metallica, Avenged Sevenfold mixed in with some old school 80s power metal bands like Dokken.

Empire Extreme got to listen to the Album before it released, The production value is well done. Singer/Guitarist Ace has what it takes to make it far in this genre, good pipes and catchy lyrics.

The album opens up with “Back with a Vengeance” which is a fist pumping, head banging song. This track reminds me of old school Metallica. It’s a great song to start off the album and one of my favorite tracks on the record.

The title track “Baptized by Fire” has the feel and the grit of the 80s metal scene, with killer guitar riffs and the band doing a background “yeah”.

My favorite track on the album is the last song “The Outlaw” I think it’s the perfect way to end the album. Heavy guitars, pulsating bass and head banging drums. The song makes you wanna sing along “ I’m a man on the run, The Outlaw.” Killer killer song.

Overall Aeraco’s album “Baptized by Fire” is a really good mix of new rock/metal with some throwbacks to the 80s metal scene. The production is perfect, the vocals are stellar and the band just rocks this album from beginning to end. With all 13 tracks kicking some metal ass, this album doesn’t have time for any filler. I would recommend this album if you’re into no nonsense rock/metal of a time ago and now. - Empire Extreme

Can you briefly tell the story how Aeraco got together? What does the band name mean?
Well it originally started with me (Spidey) and Misfit years ago when we were kids. After years went by, we went through a few change ups and finally recruited Ace. Beast came along shortly after Ace which completed the puzzle. We thought about band names for quite some time and Ace came up with Aeraco which is a variation of “Aerico”. Aerico is a Greek disease demon that takes human form and spreads various diseases. We all thought that was pretty gnarly so of course we went with it.

Who writes the bulk of the material in the band?
It all starts with a riff. Usually Ace or myself brings a riff to the table and we start composing from there. Beast and Misfit are a tightly knit rhythm section so they add those pieces complimentary to what me and Ace strap together. Lyrics come last which is usually Ace’s field.

How do you guys handle disputes among the band members over creative differences?
We do have occasions where we agree to disagree but what we do is talk about it. We compare and contrast each other’s points of view and logic usually wins. If all else fails, we just beat the shit out of each other. Last man standing-his opinion wins.

Does drugs and alcohol, specifically marjiuana, help or hinder in the creative process?
Ace and Beast are pretty straight edge. They will drink from time to time but they don’t smoke or anything like that. Misfit and I do smoke and I’d say it does help the creative process. It can help you hear and feel things in a way you otherwise wouldn’t I guess. Now, drinking always hinders the process. We play like shit when we drink so we have vowed to not drink and play. We heard a recording of ourselves from years ago playing when we were pretty drunk and it sounded fuckin’ terrible. Hence, no drinking and playing.

Of the first five Metallica albums, which one is the best. Defend your choice to the death.
I would say Master of puppets is by far THEE best metal album of all time! Every song on that album is just amazing. It’s an album you can listen from front to back and never skip a song. The other ones are great as well but Master is just a whole different level of awesome. When you can listen to an album in its entirety with no filler, you know it’s a kick ass album!

How is the new album going? Any shows to promote or shoutouts the fans?
It’s going great! “Baptized By Fire” has been a year in the making and so far the response has been incredible…very positive. We are extremely happy how the album turned out and we can’t wait for everyone to hear it. We’ve been playing quite a few shows to ramp up the release and will be definitely touring extensively to promote it. Our street team definitely means a lot to us so shout out to them and a huge shout out to our fans in general! Our east coasters, west coasters, mid wests best and those who are showing us love in Europe… they all deserve the shout out love! Thank you guys for all the support! We will be seeing all of you very soon. - Slickster