Brantley Gilbert will release his fifth studio album, Fire & Brimstone, this Friday (10/4), and like all of his previous albums, this one represents the latest chapter in his life. It also follows his pattern of choosing a spiritual or faith-based title, like his previous albums, Halfway to Heaven and The Devil Don’t Sleep. Brantley explains, “There’s a reason for that. You know, I’m a lot of things. I’m rough around the edges, to say the least. Even being a married dad, you know, I still hang out with a rough crowd. Those are my people, but my one true north has always been my faith and my wife and I have that in common, and this record is kind of just about being comfortable in your own skin in spite of judgment… Fire & Brimstone is kind of just, be the best version of you that you know how to be.”
While Brantley is now a father of two and very happily married, and he no longer drinks, fans should know there are still plenty of party songs on his new album, with songs like “Fire’t Up,”Not Like Us” and “New Money”. Brantley explains, “Some of the rowdy stuff, you know, I might have to look back in time for it because I’m not at a field party every Thursday, Friday, Saturday night. But, you know, when we’re on the road and we’re playing shows, that’s a party. I’ve still got the adrenaline and the intensity and the party side of me. That’s still very much a part of my life and I love it.”
Brantley’s current life is reflected on Fire & Brimstone in some deeply personal and emotional songs like “Bad Boy,” “Man That Hung the Moon” and “Man of Steel.” In those songs and others, he says, “You’ll hear a lot about my wife, a lot about my son, just a lot about, really, where my head’s at. It’s like, you can listen to that record front to back and you can kinda tell where I’m at as a man and as a husband and as a dad, and it kind of gives you a little of the background on how I got there, and it’s just kind of a heart on my sleeve thing. Here you are.”
When it came to choosing songs for Fire & Brimstone, Brantley scrutinized each song to make sure it fits the story he’s trying to tell, and that it balances out the record. He intended to make a standard 10 – 12 song album, because he says. “I have a bad habit of burning songs. These days, the way people consume music is so different. You know, a lot of times you put too many songs on an album, there’s just too many to give each one a life. But we ended up with 15. I’m really proud of the 15 we got.”
Fire & Brimstone features Brantley and Lindsay Ell’s current top ten hit, “What Happens in a Small Town,” and he can’t wait to celebrate the album this Friday with a special USO show at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. Brantley says, “Every time I work with the military, something happens and changes my life drastically. They’re batting a thousand on just being influential in my life and changing my perception on life itself, every time we get a chance to partner up and do something. So being able to celebrate an album release with the USO is just… it’s an honor to be able to go out and play a show, especially for our military, it’s amazing, special, and I’m looking forward to the fourth.”
Brantley’s Fire & Brimstone album release celebration concert will be streamed live on his Facebook page beginning at 7pm ET.
Brantley Gilbert – writing for the album :30
“The hardest part about any album to me is, I write it and then I dissect it and then I’m always writing. So, more times than not, I’ll beat something that we were already centered in on going in and cutting. And a lot of times I’ll listen to the record as a whole, and if it’s not telling the story or if there’s something I think needs to be added … on this one we were missing a couple bangers. Went back and wrote those, and to be honest with you, the process was a lot of fun.”
Brantley Gilbert – Fire and Brimstone still a party :29
“I am finding out, now that I’m a dad and a husband, records moving forward will have a little bit of retrospect and reminiscent songs. Just some of the rowdy stuff, you know, I might have to look back in time for it because I’m not at a field party every Thursday, Friday, Saturday night. But, you know, when we’re on the road and we’re playing shows, that’s a party. I’ve still got the adrenaline and the intensity and the party side of me. That’s still very much a part of my life and I love it.”
Brantley Gilbert – meant to put less songs on album :18
“I was only gonna put like 12 songs on this album. I was like, man I have a bad habit of burning songs. These days, the way people consume music is so different. You know, a lot of times you put too many songs on an album, there’s just too many to give each one a life. But we ended up with 15. I’m really proud of the 15 we got.”
Brantley Gilbert – Fire and Brimstone album title :58
“All of my albums are chapters of my life and all my albums have a spiritual or faith-based title. There’s a reason for that. You know, I’m a lot of things. I’m rough around the edges, to say the least. Even being a married dad, you know, I still hang out with a rough crowd. Those are my people, but my one true north has always been my faith and my wife and I have that in common, and this record is kind of just about being comfortable in your own skin in spite of judgment. I feel like that song’s one of those it’s where I am in my life right now as a husband, as a dad. I live a conscious-based life meaning, you know, if I can go to bed at the end of the night and say I was best dad I knew how to be today, I was the best husband I knew how to be today, and I treated folks the best way I knew how today, then it’s a win. And trying to look at everybody else the same way you know. And just being open and comfortable in your own skin and realizing that there’s a lot of people that won’t be fans of that and that’s OK. Fire & Brimstone is kind of, just be the best version of you that you know how to be.”
Brantley Gilbert – family man aspect of album :24
“Being a husband or dad, of course, I think it’s going to follow this chapter of my life. So you’ll hear a lot about my wife, a lot about my son, just a lot about, really, where my head’s at. It’s like, you can listen to that record front to back and you can kinda tell where I’m at as a man and as a husband and as a dad, and it kind of gives you a little of the background on how I got there, and it’s just kind of a heart on my sleeve thing. Here you are.”
Brantley Gilbert – celebrating with USO :25
“Every time I work with the military, something happens and changes my life drastically. They’re batting a thousand on just being influential in my life and changing my perception on life itself, every time we get a chance to partner up and do something. So being able to celebrate an album release with the USO is just… it’s an honor to be able to go out and play a show, especially for our military, it’s amazing, special, and I’m looking forward to the fourth.”