Amped is the third studio album by American rock band Dog Eat Dog. It was released by Roadrunner Records exclusively in Europe. The album was a commercial failure in comparison to the previous two albums. It only charted in Germany, where it debuted at number 42. The album's only single, "Expect the Unexpected", debuted at number 94 in the UK singles chart. This was the band's final album released through Roadrunner Records as well as the last album to feature Sean Kilkenny on guitar.
Recording and production The album was recorded in Central Studios in Bladensburg, Maryland.
The album was produced, recorded and mixed by Italric, a friend of Brandon Finley who also owned the studio.
The band spent four days a week in the studio and recorded 15 new songs in a span of ten months.
Release and promotion The album was released on June 14, 1999, in Europe on CD, audio cassette and vinyl.
Singles In 1999, the band released "Expect the Unexpected" as the first and only single. The song debuted at number 94 in the UK singles chart. A music video for the song was also released
Touring The band toured Europe in support of the album. Despite losing popularity, the band managed to play bigger European festivals like Pukkelpop and Bizarre. In 1999, German TV show Rockpalast broadcast the band's performance at the Bizarre Festival. During the tour, they shared stages with bands like Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Offspring, Silverchair and more.
Critical reception
The album received mostly positive reviews from critics.
German music magazine "Visions" criticized the album, saying that "Despite the band trying to sound hardcore or funky, a lot of bands can convey their style about 100 percent emphatically". The magazine also said that "Their time is slowly coming to an end"
Commercial performance The album was a commercial failure in comparison to the previous two albums. The album only charted in Germany, where it debuted at number 42. The band made their third appearance on the French talk show Nulle part ailleurs, where they performed the song "Expect The Unexpected".
Due to the band being disappointed in Roadrunner's support of the album, as well as not getting the album released in their home country, the band left the label. In response, Roadrunner released the compilation album In the Dog House: The Best and the Rest on May 22, 2001, without the band's input.
Track listing
Personnel Dog Eat Dog
John Connor – vocals Sean Kilkenny – guitar, vocals Dave Neabore – bass, vocals Brandon Finley – drums
Additional musicians Dan Lipman – guitar (Wah) Milton Elijiah Russ II – percussion Heartbeat – percussion, vocals Skip Pruitt – saxophone Paul Vercesi – saxophone, flute Mr. Sinister – scratches Greg Boyer – trombone Bennie Cowan – trumpet Kevin Bachelor – trumpet Sherman Abraham – vocals
Production Italric – production, recording, mixing, mastering, engineering Bryan West – engineering
Charts Chart (1999)Peakposition
References