Des Rocs (aka Danny Rocco) is the epitome of focused. The New Yorker is poised to release his third album, ‘To Hell And Back’, and while some might take this as a chance to celebrate, Rocco is already working on new material. “I was in the studio at 8:30 this morning. I very much am an early riser. I always have been extremely driven to fulfil the rock-and-roll vision that I've been chasing since I was a little kid,” he explains, as if that was an everyday sentiment.

Perhaps it is for him: rock-and-roll has coursed through the veins of the vocalist and guitarist since birth. He always knew he was destined to be a musician. “There was no decision. It was just like the way a bird knows to fly in a certain direction. It was like a magnetic drive that I had from a very, very young age, from first or second grade. I always wanted to make rock-and-roll and be in rock-and-roll. I went on a journey of playing in many different bands and types of bands, and had lots of different experiences before really doubling down on the things I loved the most.”

You might have seen Des Rocs onstage with some of the greats such as The Rolling Stones or Muse, who he’s supported on tour. However, if you aren’t into stadium shows, you might have heard him a little closer to home thanks to his collaboration with Borderlands 4. The shooter-looter-gaming-juggernaut used his track ‘This Land’ as the main theme, so any time you’ve logged on to raid a Vault this year, you’ve heard Des Rocs.

“They had reached out to me when I was in the middle of writing my album,” he explains. “It was perfect timing because they were looking for a song for their intro that they wanted to be larger-than-life and otherworldly, left of centre. It’s exactly what I do, so it ended up being a perfect collaboration. I’m not really a gamer to be honest. Maybe it’s good because I wasn’t too close to it. I do have this Borderlands mask though,” he states as he produces a Psycho Bandit mask. “I’m just a fan of the idea [of gaming] but I’m not a real fan; I don’t play any games. It’s definitely exposed our music to new groups of people who otherwise may not have known about us. It was kind of tailored to that, but it’s very much just a Des Rocs song that could have – and would have – come out on its own anyway as is.”

We got the first clues as to his next album six months ago when he released ‘The Juice’ as an initial single drop. “You know, it’s a real rattlesnake of a record. It was tremendously fun to write. It’s kind of this self empowerment anthem. It’s a ton of fun to perform live and it’s a great way to introduce the album without giving too much away.” It feels very much like an updated Led Zeppelin track, especially in the interplay between the heavy riffs and vocal gymnastics, which Rocco takes as compliment. “I think that influence is always there for sure. I love Led Zeppelin. I’m a big Led Zeppelin fan, and I think it’s about just making music that is very real, dramatic and avant-garde.” 

His dedication to producing original and vibrant rock is what drives ‘To Hell And Back’. “I’m always trying to push the boundaries and create something that contributes to the conversation and the art form of rock-and-roll. To just repeat or not evolve is very uninteresting to me, so I really hope that I’ve pushed myself in a way that comes across to the listener. ‘To Hell And Back’ is a summary of the entire journey that I’ve been on as an artist and as a person, and also just the journey of trying to make it as a rock-and-roll artist in the ever-changing landscape of the modern era.” 

The album embraces so many different angles and sides to the Des Rocs sound. At one end of the spectrum, we have the tender ‘The More She Wants’, a deeply personal ballad about family, life and regrets. “It’s a song that was incredibly special to write,” he shares. “I didn’t want to bury the ballads like a lot of bands do, but to highlight it, embrace it and embrace that side of my songwriting. I’m very happy that it made it to the album.” At the totally opposite end, we get the speeding ‘The Riders Of Red Hook (Legends Never Die’. “It’s a really dynamic and exciting journey of a record that was written very, very quickly and recorded at the Power Station here in New York City, which is a legendary recording studio where so many of my favourite artists have had the opportunity to work. The album, for me, is all about dynamics. I love the idea of having these very long and beautiful ballads and then just ramping you right back up into something this intense.” 

So, what’s the songwriting process between these disparate songs which each shine a spotlight into a new area of his sound? “There really is no process. Ideas come at very random, unspecified times. My process is mostly me trying to figure out what my process is! It really changes a lot, there is no rhyme or reason. I’ll get a lyrical idea in my head, for days or sometimes years before I ever put it down on something. I have riffs that I’ve had for many years that just don’t have lyrical homes for yet. So, it’s really like a lot of timing and luck with a lot of these things. There really is no specific way in which I operate creatively.”

“I would live and die for every single note and lyric on this album,” he continues. “I put a tremendous amount of myself into it. I almost died making the thing; I really went to the edge. I challenged myself to make great art in a time where a lot of the things I’m aiming for are maybe not as valued as they once were. But I’m always going to be fighting the good fight and trying to jam every ounce of myself, my experiences and my stories into the album. So, if you’re looking for something that’s sonically different and extremely personal, check out ‘To Hell And Back’.”

Des Rocs has just finished a USA tour, and he’s already raring to go on his next adventure. “Touring always takes a tremendous amount out of you. I think I aged six years in six weeks, but we live for our show. We love our show, and we love performing live. The shows were incredible; it took a lot out of us, but it was a beautiful journey.”

“I’d love to play Asia,” he divulges. “I’d also love to play South America. I just think that it would be an adventure. Even when we went to Europe for the first time, there was a lot of cultural shock and cognitive dissonance in live music culture. So I think there would be even more of those stones to turn over.” He’ll get a chance to do just that when he returns to Europe this autumn, including two dates in the UK, and he promises it’ll be an evening on an epic scale. “You can expect an intensely emotional show, an intensely personal show, an intensely entertaining show – an intensely intense show! You’re going to see people really giving it their all in a way that I don’t think you get to see very often, truly leaving it all on the stage and hopefully creating a night that is special and so magical that you’ll remember for the rest of your life.”

With a promise like this from the rising rockstar, we’d go To Hell And Back to make it to one of his next shows.

KATE ALLVEY

___________

‘To Hell And Back’ is out on 12th June via Sumerian Records