Some things are worth waiting a little longer than usual for, like the new album from Belgian blues-rock dandies, Triggerfinger. Actually, "By Absence Of The Sun" was supposed to be released earlier. Much earlier. But sometimes fate just throws a spanner in the works. No one knows this better than frontman/guitarist Ruben Block, bassist Paul Van Bruystegem and drummer Mario Goossens, who now present the most multifaceted, exciting and dangerous album of their career!

Triggerfinger toured across the globe for almost four years with their last, multi-platinum 2010 album "All This Dancin' Around" and the equally well-received number one single "I Follow Rivers". What began as a simple live recording of a Dutch radio performance, exploded into a viral mega-hit on the internet just a few hours later, leading the Antwerp trio non-stop around the world several times. They went from an insiders' tip to an internationally celebrated cult band, inspiring hundreds of thousands on mostly sold-out headlining tours and at festivals such as Rock am Ring/Rock im Park, Pinkpop, Rock Werchter, Nova Rock and recently, the British Summer Time Festival in Hyde Park. Last summer, Triggerfinger shared the stage with none other than the legendary Rolling Stones.

So it's no surprise that the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Block, Van Bruystegem and Goossens, secretly wanted nothing more than to go back to the studio to capture the experiences and inspirations of the few last years as songs. The million different impressions from countless clubs, stadiums, countries, fans and fellow musicians that had crossed their paths during their mammoth tour have now been explored on "By Absence Of The Sun". After the tour ended, the trio indulged in just a few days within their own four walls before meeting again for long songwriting sessions in the rehearsal room. They collectively worked on fresh song ideas that were merged to create a new sound monster. "We were on the road constantly for almost four years", says drummer Mario Goossens, who won a Belgian Music Industry Award in 2011 in the "Best Musician" category. "Although we had been playing together for a long time before that, we'd never spent that amount of time together. The time really welded us together, as a band and as people, too."

This fact can be clearly heard in the new material. Last autumn, Triggerfinger returned to sunny Los Angeles for seven weeks to work with producer Greg Gordon (Slayer, System Of A Down, Waylon "Shooter" Jennings) on "By Absence Of The Sun". "He's known us forever", says Mario. "He understands what we do and is completely on our wavelength. He breathes rock 'n' roll. He's basically something like the unofficial fourth member of Triggerfinger!" Triggerfinger in 2014 - once again the trio have managed to expand their inexhaustible facets and raise the bar even higher. Extreme situations during recording were included, as bassist Paul Van Bruystegem recalls with a grin. "For the song 'Black Panic', we really wanted handclaps. Usually, you make them by hitting boards together. During recording, all three of us had to jump, in time, around a huge piece of plywood for the entire duration of the song - seven minutes long! Ruben is quite athletic, Mario a bit less, and I... well, I got given a bottle of oxygen at some point by the studio technician. To make up for this intense round of sport, we hired two Mustang convertibles and cruised around Sunset Strip.

Literally almost "playing", Triggerfinger complement their highly-explosive signature sound-mix of blues, hard rock and pop with a variety of unexpected style elements. This is why you'll find, according to Monsieur Paul, "a few things where you really have to worry about the radio imploding if you turn it up too loud" among some extremely catchy tracks. "As if ZZ Top, INXS and Roxy Music met up to jam, except cooler", although the trio stays typically Triggerfinger every step of the way. Triggerfinger have been playing with extremes since their self-titled debut album in 2004: The both unique and unpredictable contrast-blend of melody and aggression, hard rock dirt and sexy glam, groove and funk. After their previous album "All This Dancin' Around", the Belgians have shaken another gem from the sleeves of their elegantly-tailored suits with "By Absence Of The Sun". It's a sparkling diamond, where a few corners have some extra carats while others have fresh, exciting scratches.

"One of the advantages of this band is that we have such a wide range of styles and emotions", adds frontman Ruben Block. "From heavy to delicate, from loud to soft, from rocking to soulful. Our last album was very blues-heavy; this time it's something completely different." These carefully cultivated opposites are also reflected in the album title. "It's about the contrast between light and shadow, light and dark. About the particular voltage that dominates these differences. I wanted to make a comment with the album title, a statement about what's going on in the big, wide world, and also in the small one around me. If the sun is missing in your life, you have to either shine yourself, or think about how to replace the light and its warmth in some other way. This motif weaves its way through the entire album in one form or another. Life doesn't treat you well every day. Still, you have to fight your way through somehow, and try to make the most of it every single day."4"

Cleverly-packaged ambiguities can be found on tracks such as the forward-rolling opener "Game", the pop-rock sex song "Perfect Match" or the manically funky "Big Hole". "We all have the basic need to fill this hole, this void you sometimes feel in your life, either with love, security, expensive cars, or sometimes even with things that aren't so good for you. On the other hand, we're always looking for the 'Big Whole' the big picture that everyone wants to reach. I think it's a nice play on words, which can be applied to almost every life situation..."

Single Info: Perfect Match

With their 2010 international multi-platinum album "All This Dancin' Around" and their well-received number 1 single "I Follow Rivers", these Belgian blues-rockers have been touring extensively around the globe for almost four years. Now, with their song "Perfect Match", Triggerfinger is finally releasing the first taste of their brand new, follow-up studio album "By Absence Of The Sun", coming out in April!

They went from an insiders' tip to an internationally celebrated cult band: Two years ago, the Antwerp trio delighted the public with their highly explosive mixture of blues, rock and pop. During their countless shows, the audience was completely spellbound by the somehow mysteriously charming aura and elegant dandy look of frontman/guitarist Ruben Block, bassist Paul Van Bruystegem and drummer Mario Goossens.

After Triggerfinger drew hundreds of thousands under their spell on their sold-out headlining tours and at renowned festivals like Rock am Ring/Rock im Park, Pinkpop, Rock Werchter, and even as the supporting act for the Rolling Stones, the trio are now presenting their catchiest and most wicked side on their first single "Perfect Match"! Last autumn, Triggerfinger moved back to Los Angeles for seven weeks to work on new material with their regular producer Greg Gordon (Slayer, System Of A Down, Waylon "Shooter" Jennings).

Driven by the tightest drumming in all of Benelux, a dangerously distorted funky bass, and held together by the incomparable vocals of frontman Ruben Block, which seesaws between sexy murmuring and icy-hot coolness, Triggerfinger let their hormones talk. "'Perfect Match' is just a song about sex", says Monsieur Block succinctly about the first outtake of the upcoming album "By Absence Of The Sun". "It's the classic theme of rock 'n' roll, something that has occupied millions of bands before us, and will occupy millions of artists after us. It's a song to forget all your worries and just let yourself fall for three minutes."