In 2002, an ambitious young band going by the name of Partisan entered Zero Return Studios in their hometown of Atlanta and over the course of a weekend recorded nine tracks that—for all intents and purposes—should have made up their debut album, The Partisan. But aside from a handful of hard to find CD-Rs, the record never saw the light of day. Soon after the sessions were completed, founding bassist Ryan Mahan took a year off to study in the UK, and the band decided to take a break. When he returned, the original songs were abandoned in favor of new material that Mahan had begun to compose while he was away—songs that would eventually grow to form the bulk of the band’s critically acclaimed debut, The Gothic and the Gospel. As guitarist Lee Tesche explains it:

It was one of those things that just happened. As an artist you are continually looking forward, exploring new ideas. I rarely revisit a record after I finish it. It’s a document of that particular place in time. Once we started working on new material we were excited about that, because we were making another huge step artistically. This record became a victim of circumstance.

So here it is finally after eight long years. If you don’t think this album slays, if you can’t recognize it’s considerable power and unique vision, then you have no soul and we’re done with you. Even eight years can’t obscure its pulsing vitality or quell its incendiary spirit; it’s as thoughtful and uncompromising as the day it was recorded. Equal parts acerbic punk rock diatribe and excursionary art-rock exploration, The Partisan is a document of a young band tinkering with and developing their considerable arsenal—blistering guitar riffs, swinging Latin rhythms and Afrobeat funk, instrumental experimentation, epic post-rock explosions. It’s certainly a lot to take in, but fortune has never favored the meek.

Below is the artwork and track list for The Partisan. You can also stream the entire record and start wishing that you could time warp back to 2006 so that you could get your face rocked the fuck off by these dudes live. Once you’re done commiserating, you can go here to pre-order. Or you can download it now from iTunes or your favorite digital music outlet. However, the first 100 fans who order the physical CD will also receive a free copy of The Gothic and the Gospel. Pow.

The Partisan Track List:
01. The Wedding Crown
02. Concept of Zero
03. Gasoline Churches
04. The Punch and Judy
05. Beyond Recognition
06. Assembly Line Love Affair
07. Down Low
08. La Distancia
09. October in the Railroad Earth

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More Info:
Web: www.reasonyrecords.com/partisan
MySpace: www.myspace.com/partisanrock