Mass appeal: Latest CD released to critical acclaim

Like fine wine, Revere’s rock band Mass seems to be refining itself with age – as the veteran rockers have recently released what critics are calling one of their best albums to date.

The band – made up of Revere residents and natives Joe Vadala (drums), Gene D’Itria (guitars), Michael Palumbo (bass) and Louis D’Agusta (vocals) – released ‘Sea of Black’ on Escape Records last month and will have a CD Release Party at the Regent Theatre, 7 Medford St., in Arlington on Friday, June 4.

“The new album is getting a lot of recognition,” said Vadala last week. “A lot of people consider it our best work, even considering our old stuff from the RCA days. We’re getting very high scores on all the reviews. Hopefully it leads us to some really great success.”

The album comprises 12 tracks of brand new material, and Vadala said that the third track, ‘All the Years Gone,’ has been attracting a lot of attention.

Vadala said that the album is a testament to Mass’s incredible comeback – after surviving a decade in which rock music went out of style.

“Our resurgence has done a lot with the vibe of this band,” said Vadala. “I don’t think I’ve seen this much excitement for Mass since the 1980s. The `90s weren’t too kind to us with the way that the music changed back then. Definitely, now, people are finding our kind of rock ‘n’ roll music very cool – even the younger generation.”

One of the testaments to that resurgence for Mass and other 1980s rock bands has been the huge summer rock festivals throughout the country.

The past few summers Mass has appeared at a giant, multi-day festival in Oklahoma.

However, this year they will premiere their new album and old favorites at the M3 Festival in Columbia, MD on June 19.

“We’ll be going down to Maryland and we’ll be playing with other bands like Tesla, the Scorpions, Cinderella and L.A. Guns,” said Vadala. “There are 14 bands from the `80s playing for one day.”

The new CD ‘Sea of Black’ is available at all Newbury Comics locations and is also available online through various Internet sites. Vadala said they would soon be available on the popular Internet site, iTunes.

The CD will also be available at the CD Release Party on June 4th at Arlington’s Regent Theatre. That show will open at 7 p.m. with opening act, The Herland Brothers.