Panic In Eden

TO BORROW PANIC IN EDEN’S A REVELATION AT ITS FINEST, THE STORY SURROUNDING THIS BAND CAN BE EXPLAINED BY THAT ONE SONG TITLE ALONE.

Life for Los Angeles based Panic In Eden has been far from easy. Having initially set the wheels in motion back in 2013 via their self-tilted EP, which proved a success with both critics and punters alike in the US, the same momentum suddenly came to a dramatic halt after a headline slot at the Voodoo Festival.

What should have been a triumphant occasion after this particular live performance at one of America’s prestigious music festivals, ended up something of a miserable experience for all those involved in Panic In Eden. With three-quarters of the band deciding to go their separate ways, the debacle that unfolded after this initial impact was no doubt difficult to comprehend, let alone provide any reason(s) for the remaining band member(s) to continue.

Despite this setback, Panic In Eden made a decision to regroup, with new additions to fill the holes left by those who’d departed, and in the process ended up reinvigorating their sound and artistic vision.

With the new line-up in place and consisting of Pierce Humke (vocals), Conor Spellane (guitar/vocals), Will Hammond (guitar), Alex Diaz (bass/vocals) and Nick Marshall (drums), Panic In Eden entered Happy Ending Studios (Think about it readers, FLW) in Silver Lake with producer Norm Block in order to set down the band’s ideas for their debut album, ‘In The Company of Vultures’.

After a period of time, Panic In Eden emerged from the recording studio blinking at the LA sunlight, and no doubt feeling an overwhelming sense of relief that they had crossed the finishing line with the album recorded after the near derailment of the band.

Far from being another simple addition to the alternative rock scene, Panic In Eden is more concerned with rock of a vintage nature, with Led Zeppelin and The Cult being two of the most obvious candidates historically, and with more up-to-date names as Band of Skulls and Rival Sons for those seeking direct reference points from the present. But like their contemporaries, the aforementioned alternative rock environment is not completely dismissed by Panic In Eden and their debut album ‘In The Company of Vultures,’ as there are traces of grunge in the sprawling opener ‘Out For Blood’; suggestions of sludge rock during ‘Palaces’, and ‘War On The Rocks’ has a definite Interpol-light feel to it.

In fact, Panic In Eden’s debut offering can be accused of incorporating a broader spectrum of influences where even a minuscule amount of country (rock) can be dissected from ‘Could It Be You’ and ‘A Revelation At Its Finest’, leaving one to ponder that the near demise of Panic In Eden, and subsequent re-emergence was clearly meant to happen as the band may never have reached the heights of their first long player. A revelation at its finest? You bet!

With a desire to head to the sun-kissed state of California to catch up with the band members of Panic In Eden, Famous Last Words (FLW) has to make do with the drab office interior and set of questions posted electronically in order to get the lowdown on this rather exciting rock ‘n’ roll band. Therefore, it’s time to head back to the beginning and to establish where life for Panic In Eden all began.

“It began sometime towards the end of 2009. Conor Spellane (guitarist/singer/songwriter) met Lucas McEachern(singer/songwriter) and Will Hammond (guitarist/songwriter) while attending the Musicians Institute in Hollywood. Conor and Luke soon began playing and writing together and decided to start a band. They caught the attention of producer and songwriter Jim Huff, and decided to go into the studio to start working on their first EP. While in the midst of recording, Conor and Luke heard their friend Will’s new killer demo and decided they had to steal him and drummer Arnold Ceja away from their band MOTHER.

“After finishing the first EP, Panic [In Eden] held several, maybe even seemingly endless auditions for bass players. The guys happened upon the talented Ray Blair to fill out the official mark one of Panic In Eden.

“After playing extensively around Los Angeles, the band was picked to play at the Voodoo Experience in 2013 with the likes of Pearl Jam, The Cure, NIN and Paramore. Soon after getting back to Los Angeles, Luke informed the rest of the guys, much to everyone’s dismay, that he would be leaving LA and the band due to personal reasons. Arnold Ceja followed suit shortly after. Left in limbo, Ray Blair decided to pursue other musical ventures. In the coming months, Conor and Will, having poured years of blood, sweat, time and money into the band, talked it over and decided to continue their musical partnership. As a result of this decision, they decided to head down the long, tedious, if not exciting, road to putting together a new Panic In Eden family.”

Looking back, it’s incredible to think that you managed to overcome this turbulent period and create a positive outcome with the release of your debut album after such a major shift in personnel.

“As was mentioned in the last question, three out of the five original band members decided to leave for personal reasons. Kicking around Hollywood, playing music, can, if you let it, lead to some eye-opening revelations, and can be a very unhealthy lifestyle with a lot of apathy and rejection. For example, we played shows, often three or four times a week for all of 2012-13. A lot of those shows were to five people and the bartender. The guys who left [the band] were just kind of understandably burnt out. It’s one of those things where it’s either something you absolutely must do, with no questions asked, or you do for a while and decide there is greener grass elsewhere." Conor and Will fall into the former rather than the latter and decided the band would go on.

“Continuing was more of a compulsion, or a necessity, not an option. The current line-up of Pierce Humke (vocalist), Nick Bock (drummer) and Alex Diaz (bassist/singer/songwriter) share that unflappable itch to create with Conor and Will. So after about a year of writing, promoting, and auditions, Nick Bock answered the ad Conor and Will had posted at their former college for band members. Nick came in and nailed the audition. The guys were still having trouble finding the other missing pieces (This was because Nick, after hearing the band’s EP, went all over MI and took down all of the other ads we posted to make sure he had no competition, ha-ha!). Luckily, Nick was in another band with a unique singer with the range they sought after, and that happened to be Pierce Humke. Soon after, Conor and Will met Alex Diaz – a multi-instrumentalist – who decided to come aboard as the bass player after seeing the band at The Rainbow on Sunset. Despite never having played the bass before, Alex also nailed the audition, there marking the new, and longest running line-up of Panic In Eden. It’s actually crazy how far the sound has come since the old line-up in 2013, while still remaining unmistakably Panic In Eden.”

With some obvious rock and roll references, in addition to less obvious influences when considering your album, how would Panic In Eden actually describe your sound?

“Rock ‘n’ Roll. We aren’t trying to reinvent the wheel, we’d rather just put our own spin on it; as people, as millennials, as musicians and artists. Trying to quantify a sound can be awkward. We received a great review from This Is Not The Radio in December and they summed it up pretty well – certainly much better than we can – “This LP is one of juxtaposition, it is at once grungy and uplifting, sad and hopeful, moody and vibrant. It’s intellectual and subliminal while still being simplistic and unpretentious. An impressive feat indeed.” We were going for something that was fairly all encompassing. We have four writers in the band and everyone is influenced by different sounds at different times. It definitely keeps things fresh for us and makes for some great adventures in writing.”

Who do you regard as influences in terms of your music?

“There is quite a lot that we draw influence from, such as music to other forms of art and everyday life. There are things all around you that you can tap into and draw experiences and inspirations from.”

With the debut album ‘In The Company of Vultures’ finished, can you provide some details regarding its background?

“The whole album was recorded at Happy Ending Studios in Silver Lake by Norm Block. We met Norm while tracking drums and bass for our first EP, as we also tracked those at his studio. We started recording “The Waltz” and “A Revelation At Its Finest” [taken from ‘In The Company of Vultures’] towards the end of January in 2015. There was a break in between recording those songs and recording the other eight as we had to get the money together to pay for it all, as well as finish writing some of the other songs.

“After the initial tracking of the first two songs, we all decided that we loved Happy Ending Studio and, more importantly, had really hit it off with Norm. After talking it over we decided we wanted to do our first full length effort and set out writing and doing pre-production for eight more songs with Norm guiding the way.”

Was the recording process difficult at any time?

“Recording at its best is pure elation. The feeling of bringing something you made up in your head into the physical realm is kind of indescribable. That being said you have to leave your ego at the door and do what’s best for the song, which can lead to hurt feelings, or even the occasional argument. It’s also really, really expensive and stressful. You wanna go in and nail everything, which most people don’t realise how difficult that can be. Being a good studio musician is an art in itself. There are definitely moments, or hours, or days where you wanna tear out your hair or punch someone, ha-ha!”

Do you have any regrets about the overall outcome of the album?

“You never really come out of the process unscathed in that regard. There are always going to be things here or there that you wish you had another go at. We had another song or two that didn’t make it due to monetary constraints. As a whole though, we are about as proud as we possibly can be with our album ‘In the Company of Vultures’. It’s without doubt our crowning achievement to date.”

With the band asserting in their official press bio’ that the title given to their full-length record “…conjures up this predatory species that feeds off the weak,” as well as going on to add, “To us that notion is very applicable to what we are seeing today all around us from the top on down. We’re just trying to find hope within all the madness.” FLW is therefore left wondering whether such a title as ‘In The Company of Vultures’ is still applicable in the current regime of a newly elected American President?

“Similar to the band name, we feel it [‘In The Company of Vultures’] encompasses the feeling of the world that we are surrounded by. As far as it relates to politics, it’s truer now, with the current regime, more than ever before.”

Just as the album’s title is given some explanation, it’s worth discovering a bit more about a couple of the songs from the album with ‘Who’s To Blame’ and ‘A Revelation At Its Finest’ the two selected for questioning.

“I try to write songs about a specific person, people in general, and also myself,” mentions Conor Spellane. “The recording of music always seems to coincide with changes in my life, especially in relationships. For example, I was nearing the end of fairly long one [relationship], and I was writing about how we dealt or maybe didn’t deal with things. Everyone has been there in almost any situation in life. Like ‘ok here we go, what’s the problem now?’ It’s also me trying to tell everyone and myself that it’s ok to be ok, and that you don’t need to create reasons for drama. If you’re unhappy, change it.”

“I wrote ‘A Revelation At Its Finest’ years ago,” says Will Hammond. “I remember the actual process of writing the song, and it happening extremely quickly, which is kind of ironic because it is anything but a quick song! There were a lot of things going on personally for myself and within myself. It just seemed to be a nice sort of exorcism at the time, if you will. There were a lot of outside issues coming at Conor and myself during that time period, and writing was definitely our escape from it. People have various vices and coping mechanisms to help them deal with things, with some being great, and some not so great. Music is ours. It is the best and ultimately always keeps us coming back for more. It’s incredibly addictive.”

Is there a favourite Panic In Eden song from the album right now, and what are your reasons for this?

Conor: “For me, ‘Passerby’ kind of has a little bit of everything as far as what we were going for overall; three-part vocal harmonies, tone-wise on the instrumentation, interesting arrangement and song form, rippin’ solo section. It’s fun to play too.”

Will: “I can’t say if it is my favourite, but the track that I am most proud of would be ‘Passerby’ as well. A couple of years back, I had these elaborate ideas and structures floating around in my head which, at the time, almost seemed more of a movement rather than a song. Being able to actually make that happen in terms of what the rest of the guys brought to the table was awesome! The moment of listening back to the final master and hearing it come to life was incredibly gratifying. In fact, it was a huge sense of relief to get that recorded and out.”

What is it like being in a band in the current music scene in LA?

“Being a band in LA can be tough, because it’s so spread out and so expensive. Trying to get your friends out to a show that’s an hour away in traffic, costs ten dollars to park, ten dollars to get in, ten dollars per drink, and when they’re all tired after a long week of work it’s difficult. It turns into a potentially stressful and expensive night which kind of defeats the purpose. Music is supposed to soothe the soul and take you away from the rigors of life, not add to them. All hope is not lost by any stretch of the imagination. You just have to be a little bit more strategic about it which can be frustrating when you just wanna go show your art to the world as often as possible.”

What’s next for Panic In Eden in 2017?

“Get out of LA and tour.”

Any last words gents before you “Get out of LA and tour”?

“Yeah, well, ya know that’s just like… uhh you’re opinion man” (The Dude, The Big Lebowski). Also, listen to our record!”

Heed the advice dear readers and head straight to your nearest record dealer or internet server to snap up a copy of ‘In The Company of Vultures’ because it’s a highly detailed, imaginative and rip-roaring rock ‘n’ roll rollercoaster of a ride that sucks in rock music’s past, as well as borrowing from the present, yet managing to sound uniquely fresh in quite a few places that will forever be known as distinctly Panic In Eden. - Nathan Olsen-Haines - Famous Last Words Records

A tight modern-rock quintet that generates a big sound from the get-go, Panic In Eden's “Out For Blood” and “War On The Rocks” are familiar and durable rock tunes that benefit from Pierce Humke at the mic. The singer’s tone really peals through perfectly on each song, all of which are expertly produced so his voice is the primary instrument. The cold, coiled precision of those two songs suggests a prog-rock inclination in the band, and, sure enough, their 7-minute magnum opus “A Revelation at Its Finest” provides plenty of twists, turns and a battery of guitar tones to conjure moods and moments that keep the listener absorbed. Again, Humke’s confident vocals command/demand the listener’s attention.

PRODUCTION 9
LYRICS 7
MUSIC 7
VOCALS 8
MUSICIANSHIP 8
OVERALL 7.8 - Music Connection

LA-based band Panic In Eden has a sound that sounds like a mixture of The Arctic Monkeys, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Strokes, Pink Floyd, and The Beatles. Their sound is rock, at times heavy, at other times subdued. It appeals to the indie rock genre but also contains a more broad essence like Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin. Panic In Eden released their latest project In The Company of Vultures on October 28th.

The ten song album has many highlights including “Out For Blood”, “Who’s To Blame”, “White Elephant”, “Shapeshifter”, and “The Waltz”. When listening to the LP, there is a 90s appeal – a time when alternative rock was often on the radio, in the top 100 charts, and it was good, really good. It conjures up memories of times when artists like Nirvana had a place in mainstream music. It’s refreshing to hear a current band playing good music and not just fitting into the subpar standard of pop rock and modern rock as it currently stands now.


This LP is one of juxtaposition, it is at once grungy and uplifting, sad and hopeful, moody and vibrant. It’s intellectual and subliminal while still being simplistic and unpretentious. An impressive feat indeed. Panic In Eden, they’re onto something.

I highly recommend this as a fall download. Listen to their latest LP on Soundcloud and find more information on their website. Follow them on Twitter and Instagram. Watch videos on Youtube and like their Facebook page here. - This Is Not The Radio

NO NEED TO PANIC!

It’s been an uphill struggle for Panic In Eden, but one that has been worth persisting with as their album, In The Company of Vultures, attests.

After receiving much praise for the band’s LP from both press and fans alike, Panic In Eden nearly didn’t get to the stage where they currently find themselves. What should have been a momentous occasion after a festival appearance Stateside, the original line up of Panic In Eden soon started to crumble as band members decided to go their separate ways.

Thankfully, the remaining members decided to keep the creative flames alive and start afresh with new recruitments to the Panic In Eden stable, which finally resulted in the album, ‘In The Company of Vultures’.

Want to know more? Then head straight to A Revelation At Its Finest which is the latest interview with Panic In Eden and at FLW. http://famouslastwordsrecords.com/interviews/a-revelation-at-its-finest/ - Nathan Olsen-Haines- Famous Last Words Records

Panic in Eden mine a sweet-spot, vintage rock vein on “Out For Blood.”

The LA-based quintet’s newest single throws down the gauntlet for other vintage rock revivalists, traversing the trail macheted by Band of Skulls and The Dead Weather. This is dangerous territory where the line between Zeppelinesque authenticity and The Darkness-like parody is very thin, but Panic in Eden prevail with their righteous indignation for the man and mind-boggling riffs which are distinctly their own.

“Out For Blood” is the first single from their forthcoming album, In The Company of Vultures, and the predatory species they reference is a direct dig on the establishment. The ten songs which comprise the LP take aim at the band’s collective disillusionment with the current state of the world and fire a blistering warning shot which essentially says “We have some serious rock ‘n’ roll here and we know how to use it.” - Mike Olinger- The Vinyl District

LA quintet Panic In Eden are modern day classic rock band. Their debut album In the Company of Vultures touches base with the Allman Brothers, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin and umpteenth other acts form the Sixties and Seventies. Besides dwelling in the pantheon of acts from the heyday of pop music there is also a bit of Soundgarden (Out for Blood), Foreigner (War on the Rocks) and Lenny Kravitz (Who's To Blame?).

They paint with broad strokes mostly, building a rock solid wall of guitars, bass and drums, but they end the album with two songs that break out the mould of rock: the self-explanatory The Waltz, with a nod to the guiar tone of Brian May, and the vaudevillian folk song A Revelation at Its Finest.

Panic In Eden sounds like dozens of other bands, but their musical prowess and their ability to change things up mid-song saves them for the "epigone" tag. They wear their influences proudly an boldly on their sleeves and use it as launchpad for an in-your-face album that should be played loud.

Panic In Eden:
Pierce Humke: vocals
Conor Spellane: guitar, vocals
Will Hammond: guitar
Alex Diaz: bass, vocals
Nick Marshall: drums - Hans Werksman- Here Comes The Flood

A Great Listen!

One thing that always excites me about a new year is the chance to check out new music. Los Angeles based rock quintet Panic In Eden released a new album entitled In The Company Of Vultures that I recently got the opportunity to hear. Is it worth a listen? Read on for my thoughts.

Panic In Eden In The Company Of Vultures A Great Listen

The album opens with Out For Blood, and it’s a truly rocking opener. There are loud rock guitars and banging drums, and I immediately felt energized listening to the number. I also liked the lyrics, especially with the opening line, “So did you expect to fall from grace?”

Who’s To Blame? which appears two tracks later reminded me a little bit of a Hottie and Blowfish sound with a harder edge stylistically. While this sounds like it might be bizarre, it worked perfectly. I really enjoyed the lead singer’s voice on this track, as I felt that its range was perfectly shown here. I also liked the lyrics, especially those that read, “How you can claim to follow me when you don’t believe a word I say?So don’t run away when I call your name, so who’s to blame? I guess it’s me.”

“White Elephant” is another standout track on the album, much due to the lack of vocals and focus on instrumentation. While this isn’t something I normally love on an album, I found myself enjoying the eerie sounding track here and focusing on the emotion the music made me feel, rather than focusing on lyrics as I typically would.

I also really enjoyed “A Revelation At Its Finest,” which closes the album. I found the lyrics particularly introspective for an album closer, especially when the lead singer sang, “It’s come to mind that for sometime I’ve been wandering blind I have lost and I have learned.

Overall, with In The Company Of Vultures, Panic In Eden has released a great album I highly recommend checking out! - Matt Richards- Real Mr. Housewife

From the opening lick of the first single from Panic In Eden’s record In the Company of Vultures, It is clear that the swampy quintet is out to make a statement. The dirty fuzz of guitars sound louder than usual on a record that burns bright with the clearcut sound of raw energy. I guess it’s fitting that the band is from the grit of Los Angeles, the sound is vintage LA, but encapsulates a something that could be mid-70’s America. Three part harmonies, dual guitars, and an almost southern delivery, dare I say that it’s a rock n roll revival.

Lead track “Out For Blood” almost gets it as the opening guitar is searing with lead vocalist Pierce Humke keeping an even keel. “Who’s to Blame”, is a comforting change of pace as a nod to Appalachia and has a nice Zeppelin III vibe to it, and a beautiful harmony as part of the verse. “War on the Rocks” could have been written in a barn right before church on a Saturday night with an infectious and soaring chorus with driving rhythm from drummer Nick Marshall, and bassist Alex Diaz. “Could It Be You” is a nice change of pace, slowing down the record, with their take on the power ballad. “A Revelation At Its Finest” is a 7 minute circus of sound with booming highs and lows, and damn fine guitar work from both Conor Spellane and Will Hammond.

Panic In Eden is headed in the right direction. I still think that for every electronic piece that augments a song or record, there are bands, like Panic In Eden, that keep pure rock n roll alive, and are always willing to find new ways to push those boundaries. Rock music is not your father’s music as long as bands like Panic In Eden continue to find ways to make it interesting and with In the Company of Vultures I think there is still hope. - Brian Furman- RaRa'sfarm

The members of Panic In Eden reside in the City of (Lost) Angles and rock it old-school with their self-described ‘old-soul rock ‘n’ roll’ sound. Legends Led Zeppelin and renowned acts like Band Of Skulls and The Dead Weather come to mind when digging into Panic In Eden’s energetic and gritty vintage numbers. The band released its debut album, In The Company Of Vultures, on October 28th.

In The Company Of Vultures follows up Panic In Eden’s acclaimed self-titled EP, and also the departure of most of the band’s members, and its new regrouping which currently includes Pierce Humke (vocals), Conor Spellane (guitar, vocals), Will Hammond (guitar), Alex Diaz (bass, vocals), and Nick Marshall (drums). Notable producer Norm Block guided the band through the recording process at Happy Ending Studios in Silverlake.

Riff-packed lead single “Out For Blood” cranks out the thunder and lightning in equal measure, flattening everything in its path with the heavy stop ‘n’ go stomp of classic ‘70s rock ‘n’ roll. Humke’s mildly sharp exclamations, backed with melodic, tiered vocal harmonies, wind through the roughly lashing, distorted guitar grind and weighty pounding of the drums. The staccato and emphatic press of the first half of the tune turns into a wildly driving tempo near its end, complete with the amped-up sizzle of deep-fried electric guitar lines and propulsive drum kit strikes. Rock on! - Jen Dan- Stereo Embers

Los Angeles, California-based rock quintet Panic in Eden released in October 2016 a 10-track album, In the Company of Vultures. This choice of a title makes direct reference to the disillusionment the members of the band felt while coming of age in the “city of angels”, where so many predators feed off the weak. Not to say that Pierce Humke (vocals), Conor Spellane (guitar, vocals), Will Hammond (guitar), Alex Diaz (bass, vocals), and Nick Marshall (drums) have completely given up hope. Quite the contrary, they seek, amidst the pain, anguish, and despair, to always find hope.

Most of the numbers on In the Company of Vultures have a hard rock feel to them. “Out for Blood” is an electric guitar-led uptempo song. Intense, engaging, and very passionate, it is thoroughly enjoyable from beginning to end and will set feet tapping. “War on the Rocks” features an opening that highlights more impressive six-string skills. The vocals come off as tongue-in-cheek despite a topic that is anything but lighthearted. Also uptempo and engaging, it conveys a a sense of annoyed despair that doesn’t go anywhere near hopelessness; rather, this song seems almost like an anthem calling listeners to arise to change things.

The shrieking guitars in “Could It Be You?” create an auditory space within which the emotive vocals flip flop between hope and despair. The slow tempo is almost languid at times. “Shapeshifter” is melodramatic, throbbing, loud, and demands listeners’ attention from the first to the last second. The long “A Revelation at Its Finest”—clocking in at a little over seven minutes—goes by extremely fast (in a very good way).

The metallic “Palaces” opens with two electric guitars playing a sonic dance of sorts while the vocals get a bit creepy. “Who’s to Blame?” features surprisingly fresh and light-sounding vocals which gives it a completely different sound, but the underlying frustration and desire for things to change fit right in with the rest of the album. It also alternates between upbeat rock verses and almost ballad-like choruses.

Finally, both “White Elephant” and “The Waltz” are very theatrical. The former is an instrumental number, very dramatic and evoking very rich imagery, while the latter could easily be a musical number.

Panic in Eden share important messages in its music in a non-confrontational, honest, and non-patronising way, making their album all the more powerful. Tracks are available for streaming on SoundCloud. More information about the band and their music is available on both their official website and their official Facebook page. - Sahar- Blog Critics

Panic In Eden are an up and coming rock band from Los Angeles, they just released their new album “In The Company Of Vultures”, along with the single “Out For Blood”. Panic In Eden has hard hitting rock sound with deep bass lines and heavy guitar riffs, it reminds you of industry favorites such as Queens of The Stone Age with a grunge rock splash. The vocals remind you of an early 90’s rock sound but still have a modern feel. “Out For Blood” has great production and pacing, flowing organically to allow each member of the band to shine. - Danica- Neufutur

The Los Angeles-based rock quintet Panic In Eden lets us into their world on the electrifying single "Out For Blood" that impressively showcases each member's role in the band without taking away from the edgy theme of the song.

Thriving with booming guitar riffs and killer vocals, the song is a dark, pulsating ride that spares no expense in giving listeners pure, unadulterated rock at its finest.

"Out For Blood" serves as the lead single from Panic In Eden's latest LP, In The Company of Vultures, that can be found on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, Pandora, Amazon Music, and on Panicineden.com. - Tia Scott- Occur LA Blog

Panic In Eden is at its best when it matches the majesty of The Doors (at least with its intro) and the messy blues of White Stripes (especially with its chorus) during "Palaces" off its In the Company of Vultures release.
However, this act can change things up considerably when they want to. With "Who's to Blame," for instance, they go for the kind of soulful rock more closely associated with Lenny Kravitz. "Passerby," though, is another one that hearkens back to many of the reasons we love Jack White. It a has a sort of herky-jerky, start-and-stop blues vibe driving it. It also includes a cool, mystical Led Zeppelin thing about it, as well.

With the rise of EDM and dippy diva pop stars, many may believe rock is dead or at least dying. A band like Panic In Eden is here to tell the world to stop all its panicking. Rock just continues to reinvent itself, in all the most delightful ways. When in the company of In the Company of Vultures, you're in mighty good company. - Dan MacIntosh- antiMUSIC

LA rock outfit Panic in Eden may just be getting started, but what they’ve already accomplished is noteworthy. In October, the band dropped their full-length debut, In the Company of Vultures, and it will satisfy those longing for classic, dirty rock n roll. Taking cues from bands like Led Zeppelin and Rolling Stones, the album shows Panic in Eden just wants to make good ol’ fashioned rock music. The track that instantly pulls you in is the opener “Out for Blood.” It roars to life while singer Pierce Humke puts his impressive chops to the test. Not every song is raucous, rather the band changes it up on tracks like “Who’s to Blame?” and “White Elephant” where things start to sound more psychedelic. Their drive and passion bleed through tracks like "Shapeshifter" and "War on the Rocks" showing they have a lot to offer. The album may not blow your mind, but if you just want to jam and have a good time, then look no further than this LP. Panic in Eden may still be getting started, but with an album this promising, you'll be begging to hear more from them in the future.

Though they seem to be in a good spot now, things were pretty rough for Panic in Eden. After the release of their self-titled debut EP and a successful headlining slot at Voodoo Festival in 2013, most of the band departed. The remaining members had a difficult decision to make: do they keep going or end it all? It wasn’t easy, but the band kept pushing on and recruited new members into the fold leading to their current lineup: Pierce Humke on Vocals, Conor Spellane on Guitar + Vocals, Will Hammond on Guitar, Alex Diaz on Bass + Vocals and Nick Marshall on the drums. They then got together and recorded what was to be their debut album. After such a setback, most bands don’t make it this far. But Panic in Eden were determined to keep the dream alive and not let the vultures get in the way. - Ashley Perez- AXS

LA quintet Panic In Eden are modern day classic rock band. Their debut album In the Company of Vultures touches base with the Allman Brothers, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin and umpteenth other acts form the Sixties and Seventies. Besides dwelling in the pantheon of acts from the heyday of pop music there is also a bit of Soundgarden (Out for Blood), Foreigner (War on the Rocks) and Lenny Kravitz (Who's To Blame?).

They paint with broad strokes mostly, building a rock solid wall of guitars, bass and drums, but they end the album with two songs that break out the mold of rock: the self-explanatory The Waltz, with a nod to the guiar tone of Brian May, and the vaudevillian folk song A Revelation at Its Finest.

Panic In Eden sounds like dozens of other bands, but their musical prowess and their ability to change things up mid-song saves them for the "epigone" tag. They wear their influences proudly an boldly on their sleeves and use it as launchpad for an in-your-face album that should be played loud.

Panic In Eden:
Pierce Humke: vocals
Conor Spellane: guitar, vocals
Will Hammond: guitar
Alex Diaz: bass, vocals
Nick Marshall: drums - HCTF- Paperblog

Ready for some old soul, rock n roll?


LA-based rock outfit Panic In Eden are cut from the same Zeppelinesque cloth as Band Of Skulls, Rival Sons and The Dead Weather. The soaring vocals, three part harmonies and twin guitar wizardry are all accounted for with this troupe plus a kind of theatrical showmanship that kicks their righteously vintage rock out of the apathetic indie spectrum.

In 2013 their buzzed about self-titled EP was met with the anti-climactic departure of ¾ of the band following a headlining slot at the Voodoo Festival. With traction stalled at the apex of their hype and no particular captain of the ship, the band seriously considered packing it in. But this turning point brought about a series of synchronicities which pulled new members into the fold; each one bringing a distinct skill set to the table while sharing a specific artistic vision of what rock n’ roll could be in 2016.

Panic In Eden reformed and ultimately embodied the rock n’ roll Voltron they initially set out to be with Pierce Humke on Vocals, Conor Spellane on Guitar + Vocals, Will Hammond on Guitar, Alex Diaz on Bass + Vocals and Nick Marshall on Drums.

They hunkered down at Happy Ending Studios in Silverlake under the guidance of producer Norm Block and began to track their official debut full length. The LP, entitled In The Company of Vultures, was a direct reference to the disillusionment the band collectively felt coming of age in the city of angels. “The name conjures up this predatory species that feeds off the weak” Hammond asserts. “To us that notion is very applicable to what we are seeing today all around us from the top on down. We’re just trying to find hope within all the madness.”

Panic In Eden is:

Pierce Humke (Vocals)

Conor Spellane (Guitar, Vocals)

Will Hammond (Guitar)

Alex Diaz (Bass, Vocals)

Nick Marshall (Drums) - Andy Thorley- Maximum Volume Music

Whilst steeped in classic rock from generations ago, Panic In Eden give it all a fresh lick of paint and lightened the sounds to deliver something with familiarity yet different. A couple of years behind them the quartet have been busy with both studio time and live performance which has enabled the band to develop a certain maturity of sound to the out-put. Perhaps more waving arms in the air grasping glow-sticks whilst swaying than an all out dance, nonetheless the material does have a bounciness, which lifts the spirit.

Generously constructed tracks are brushed with well composed and played melodics that, while wandering from a direct route, do not sidestep far off the point, giving a depth to the sounds. Panic In Eden is a band to enjoy with cocktails rather than tinnies and they work exceptionally well in that space.

What I particularly enjoy of Panic In Eden is the way they are able to bring together their influences into a format that is current rather than retrospective. - Emerging Indie Bands

September 13th 2014, The Queen Mary, Long Beach CA: Once a grand ocean liner and World War II troopship, the retired Queen Mary stands permanently moored in Long Beach, and now this historic landmark not only serves as a luxury hotel but also plays host to a variety of events and festivals. The ‘Rock The Boat’ music festival took place on it yesterday across 3 floors and 13 stages, and Los Angeles-based rock ‘n roll quintet Panic In Eden were amongst a plethora of local and national acts that partook in the festivities, performing at the Degenerate Clothing stage on the middle floor.

They hit the stage at 4:30 for a 35-minute set and came across as positively contrasting to the soft alt rock band that played just before them on this stage. Led by vocalist Pierce Humke’s soaring vocals and eccentric stage antics to go with righteously vintage rock guitar sound delivered by Will Hammond and Conor Spellane, and backed up by a solid rhythm section comprising Alex Diaz (bass) and Nick Marshall (drums), Panic In Eden presented an enjoyable interpretation of rock ‘n roll music, starting out with only a handful of people standing by to watch their set but attracting more and more from around the floor with every song.

While his four band mates had their instruments perfectly dialed in and focused on combining to put forth the best possible representation of the band’s current sound, Pierce Humke dominated the visual aspect of the performance with his showmanship which included multiple changes in and/or removals of clothing, boogying, jumping off the stage onto the floor and interactions with the crowd, to compliment his excellent vocal delivery. It was hard for the audience to take their eyes off him, and he looked like a man possessed by Jim Morrison’s ghost. His voice was a great fit with the music which was a rather pleasant surprise because he isn’t even the band’s original vocalist.

In comparison to Panic In Eden’s 2013 self-titled debut EP which featured the original vocalist, this version of the band fronted by Humke carried a completely different vibe altogether, certainly more rock ‘n roll, rougher round the edges. The set comprised five songs in total with two brand new and yet unrecorded tunes, and three off of the Ep which sounded almost unrecognizable, in a good way. The two versions of the band are so distinct from each other that it would be perhaps fair to say that the EP shouldn’t even be considered a justifiable representative of the band, and their next studio effort will better serve that purpose.

Other than Panic In Eden’s set, I really wasn’t able to pay attention to anything else happening elsewhere on the Queen Mary and nothing really swayed me on this energy-sapping day, although whenever Panic In Eden took a pause between songs, a screamo band from one of the other stages on the same floor was clearly audible, which at a multi-stage festival should never be the case. But nonetheless, a great set from a fledgling band with a bright future made it worth the trip. For folks that like to go against the popular belief that the ‘scene is dead’ and still care to check out new rock bands, I recommend Panic In Eden. - Andrew Bansal- Metal Assault

They call it a music experience. Coming at the tail end of the so-called festival season, Voodoo always likes to go out with a bang. And Voodoo 2013, which begins this Friday, November 01, 2013, and runs through Sunday, is pumped with music: from the big headliners Pearl Jam, Nine Inch Nails and The Cure, to more pop flavored acts Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, AfroJack, Calvin Harris and Bassnectar, to young rockers Paramore, ZZ Ward, The Revivalists and Panic In Eden, to the legendary Preservation Hall Jazz Band and Dr John.

There are also plenty of arts & crafts booths, lots of hometown food, more on-site camping space, games, interactive art and rides for the young and fearless. Not to mention plenty of spectators in costume. For all the details regarding tickets, parking, camping, daily music schedules and more, visit the official website at http://www.worshipthemusic.com/.

For a taste of what was and what will come, check out these photos from Voodoo’s past: - Glide Magazine- Leslie Michele Derrough