By Crazy John Kerecz


DownStruck is a hard rock up-and-coming east coast band from the greater Philadelphia area born from the merger of Triple Shot and Slaughter Beach in the summer of 2009. Slaughter Beach front man Bill Bradford joined up with the remaining members of Triple Shot Jim Preto and Ryan Popejoy and the three built instant chemistry as Bill's artistic vocal style complimented Jim and Ryan's energetic music. Then after holding numerous auditions the band found the perfect fit for a bassist with their current fill-in Jay Roemhild and decided as a group in October of 2009 to move on as the newly formed DownStruck.

 DownStruck, then feeling all the pieces were in place, hit the studio for over two months and worked with engineer producer Will Yip (Papa Roach, CKY, Blacklisted, King Sunny Ade, Cradle of Filth) in legendary Studio 4. Will got the best out of Bill, Jim, Jay, and Ryan, the band recorded an EP which was mastered by former Thursday guitarist Bill Henderson, and is presently available. The band learned that "being in the studio was a totally different experience then performing live" and "We came out of it better musicians from that experience."
With the regrouped line up and new EP completed, DownStruck was then ready to force it's unique blend of hard hitting rock and metal down everyone's throats, and has been hard at it ever since on the road playing venues. The guys commented about taking the act on the road "You really do not know what Rock and Roll is until you drive over 2 hours to play just a twenty minute set."
DownStruck's music is difficult to categorize: there are hints of acts like Guns N' Roses, Alice in Chains, White Zombie, Led Zeppelin, Alter Bridge, Thin Lizzy, Pantera, Motorhead and Soundgarden.  When the band is asked to comment on the music the overall consensus is that they are "Loud, Hard, and Sexy too!" while riding the hard line between "Hard rock and Heavy metal."
Listening to DownStruck, the drums and vocals are impressive, while their guitarist and bass player stand out with intensity.  The intensity of their music grows with excellent proficiency, and strong instrumentation that communicates to the listener with ease.  It is a total package that remains interesting and enjoyable throughout.  These elements will help DownStruck satisfy almost any listener. During a live show, DownStruck has plenty of energy that keeps the crowd's excitement really high while making the show enjoyable. As the guys say the shows are filled with "Just good hard rock!"
Make sure to check out DownStruck on MySpace, Facebook and ReverbNation!