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Stream new single "Troublesome Priest" at this location
Six years after their last offering, The Heavy Eyes return with their most electrifying work yet. Their forthcoming new album Focus is 11 tracks brimming with new energy, cementing the band’s stomp-inducing riff-rock and transcending into heavier sonic realms. Sprawling guitar solos caress gargantuan grooves while languid, soulful vocals preach the gospel of a band reborn — ready to lead heavy rock lovers into the promised land with what can already be described as an instant classic.
About the album, guitarist and vocalist Tripp Shumake comments: “This album is The Heavy Eyes taking everything that has inspired us in the musical landscape and not giving a damn if it fits our particular genre. We want to use those impressions to bend our sound into new and exciting ideas for the listener and us, while still remaining true to our Memphis rock and roll roots. To focus on the thrill of creating something that wasn’t there before.”
Focus will be available on June 12th, 2026 on vinyl, CD and digital in collaboration with Magnetic Eye Records and Kozmik Artifactz, with preorders available from Bandcamp and MER's official store.
TRACKLIST:
1. That Cold Goliath
2. Concrete Halloween
3. It's All Simone
4. Sarissa
5. Corporal Upham
6. Troublesome Priest
7. Focus
8. Greener
9. Words
10. That Cold Goliath (Might Return)
11. Holy Envy
Formed in the sweltering Memphis heat, The Heavy Eyes — Tripp Shumake (guitar/vocals), Matthew Qualls (guitar), Wally Anderson (bass) and Eric Garcia (drums) — forge a lean, no-frills sound rooted in the power of heavy blues and classic rock. Originally a trio, Shumake, Anderson and Garcia bonded over shared influences like Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, quickly carving out their own identity with a self-titled debut recorded in a break room and praised for its unmistakable grit.
The 2012 follow-up, Maera, sharpened their attack with its immediate, riff-driven songwriting and a thunderous rhythm section, while 2015’s He Dreams of Lions marked their first proper studio recording and introduced guitarist Matthew Qualls. By 2018, Qualls was a full-time member, and the band began crafting their fourth album, Love Like Machines. The road to that album was anything but straight. Recorded between New Mexico and Memphis, its completion was threatened when Shumake was diagnosed with Chronic Kidney Disease. Battling fatigue from treatment, he pushed through to finish the vocals, delivering a more polished yet unmistakably raw version of the band’s sound.
Though the album's 2020 release and a long-awaited European tour were derailed — first by the pandemic, then by Shumake’s successful kidney transplant in 2022 — The Heavy Eyes never stopped moving forward. Now, in 2025, The Heavy Eyes are gearing up to self-release their fifth studio record in collaboration with Magnetic Eye Records, as well as bringing their electrifying live show to European stages.
The Heavy Eyes is
2. Concrete Halloween
3. It's All Simone
4. Sarissa
5. Corporal Upham
6. Troublesome Priest
7. Focus
8. Greener
9. Words
10. That Cold Goliath (Might Return)
11. Holy Envy
Formed in the sweltering Memphis heat, The Heavy Eyes — Tripp Shumake (guitar/vocals), Matthew Qualls (guitar), Wally Anderson (bass) and Eric Garcia (drums) — forge a lean, no-frills sound rooted in the power of heavy blues and classic rock. Originally a trio, Shumake, Anderson and Garcia bonded over shared influences like Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, quickly carving out their own identity with a self-titled debut recorded in a break room and praised for its unmistakable grit.
The 2012 follow-up, Maera, sharpened their attack with its immediate, riff-driven songwriting and a thunderous rhythm section, while 2015’s He Dreams of Lions marked their first proper studio recording and introduced guitarist Matthew Qualls. By 2018, Qualls was a full-time member, and the band began crafting their fourth album, Love Like Machines. The road to that album was anything but straight. Recorded between New Mexico and Memphis, its completion was threatened when Shumake was diagnosed with Chronic Kidney Disease. Battling fatigue from treatment, he pushed through to finish the vocals, delivering a more polished yet unmistakably raw version of the band’s sound.
Though the album's 2020 release and a long-awaited European tour were derailed — first by the pandemic, then by Shumake’s successful kidney transplant in 2022 — The Heavy Eyes never stopped moving forward. Now, in 2025, The Heavy Eyes are gearing up to self-release their fifth studio record in collaboration with Magnetic Eye Records, as well as bringing their electrifying live show to European stages.
The Heavy Eyes is
Tripp Shumake - guitar/vocals
Matthew Qualls - guitar
Wally Anderson - bass
Eric Garcia - drums
Matthew Qualls - guitar
Wally Anderson - bass
Eric Garcia - drums
The Heavy Eyes links
Thanks to Purple Sage PR for the details.