Toronto’s hardest‑working power trio DANKO JONES roars back with “Leo Rising”, an eleven-track masterclass in sweat-soaked, no-nonsense rock ‘n’ roll. The album — produced to red‑hot perfection by long‑time collaborator Eric Ratz — lands on November 21, 2025 via Perception, a division of Reigning Phoenix Music and Sonic Unyon (for Canada).
Following the rabid reception to opening salvo “What You Need” and party‑starting anthem “Everyday Is Saturday Night”, “Leo Rising” turns the dial past eleven with razor‑sharp riffs, thunderous rhythms and fist‑pumping hooks. Guitar legend Marty Friedman (MEGADETH, CACOPHONY) makes a blistering guest appearance on future single “Diamond In The Rough”, while other standouts — from the priapic swagger of “Hot Fox” to the roof‑rattling “It’s A Celebration” — prove DANKO JONES are keeping rock alive by doing it better than anyone else.
“I like the routine of recording, touring, writing, repeat — I can do that till I’m dead,” DANKO JONES‘s namesake frontman states and adds “It may sound boring, but it’s so hard for a band to achieve. I don’t take this lightly. Also, it’s a page out of the MOTÖRHEAD handbook so it works! ‘Leo Rising’ is another serving of peerless hard‑rock: bass, drums, guitar, vocals, no frills. Roll the windows down and crank it.”
John Calabrese laid down bass tracks from Finland, Rich Knox flew to Toronto to record drums, and Danko worked with producer Eric Ratz in the same city to capture vocals and guitars. Despite recording separately once again, the band’s chemistry is unmistakable. The result is pure DANKO JONES: tight, loud, and built for the stage. “Leo Rising” may be their most electrifying and uplifting record yet — a jolt of high-octane rock made for packed clubs, open highways, and everything in between.
“Leo Rising” track listing:
01. What You Need
02. Diamond In The Rough
03. Everyday Is Saturday Night
04. I Love It Louder
05. I’m Going Blind
06. Hot Fox
07. It’s A Celebration
08. Pretty Stuff
09. Gotta Let It Go
10. I Can’t Stop
11. Too Slick For Love
Formed in Toronto in 1996, DANKO JONES have seen and done just about everything over the last quarter of a century. Powered by a DIY punk rock spirit, and inspired by the good, great and grotesque of electrified rock ‘n’ roll, they have steadily built a colossal international fan base and become one of the most acclaimed live bands around, embraced by everyone from mainstream radio-rock fans to diehard metalheads. Along the way, they have released ten widely praised studio albums, generating a peerless repertoire of fists-in-the-air crowd-pleasers into the bargain. From the spiky blues of 2002’s “Born A Lion” and the crazed power-pop of its follow-up “We Sweat Blood” (2003),to the priapic perfection of 2010’s “Below The Belt”, the band’s knack for hitting rock’s sweet spot has never wavered.
Over the last decade, DANKO JONES have visibly moved up a few gears. Since frontman Danko and bassist John Calabrese joined forced with drummer Rich Knox, the band’s creative fire has blazed more brightly than ever. A succession of all-killer, no-filler albums — “Fire Music”, “Wild Cat”, “A Rock Supreme”, “Power Trio” — has led to even more gung-ho touring and unapologetic service to the rock cause. In 2023, Toronto’s archbishops of amplification released their eleventh album, “Electric Sounds”: proof that even a global pandemic couldn’t stop DANKO JONES.
Photo credit: Ole Martin Wold
