Thousands of votes were submitted, we kept track and after the final tally, the Loudwire readers have voted CKY's The Phoenix as their most anticipated new album of June 2017. It was a close race early with Stone Sour's Hydrograd initially taking the lead, but CKY took the title of Release of the Month, with Stone Sour placing second and Nickelback's Feed the Machine finishing a close third.

For CKY, this is definitely a key album. Now a trio, longtime guitarist Chad I Ginsburg steps up to lead the band on vocals, as well. He's joined by drummer Jess Margera and bassist Matt Deis as the group redefine their mission to deliver a raw, authentic rock album.

For CKY fans, this album is long overdue, with their last disc coming in 2009. That fact isn't lost on the band, as Ginsburg states, "We're feeling rather lucky. We're not taking things for granted. We're saturated with gratitude. It's an incredibly humbled CKY, with a fire to last another 20 years. The point is to go play rock and roll and appreciate everybody else who does it too. It's a lucky job to have."

“We’re grown adults now with an eagle-eye perspective on who we are, what we do, and how to do it right,” Ginsburg declares. “None of us are out there in the clouds. We’re pretty well-grounded people that have an honest perspective on where we’re at.” “We made sure that we went into the studio with our guns blazing,” adds Margera. “This isn’t a bunch of parts thrown together. We focused on the songs. We didn’t ‘have to’ make this album, we wanted to.”

The band recorded the album at the Rancho De La Luna studio in California, which has housed many a great album, including the famed "Desert Sessions" discs. “It’s one thing reading about the vibe at Rancho,” Margera says. “And then it’s another thing to actually go out there and make an album. You’re like, ‘Ok, I get it.’” “It’s the center of something out there,” adds Ginsburg. “There’s a magnetic pull or something that lands directly in Dave’s backyard. I was just relaxed, waking up in the morning and getting right into the music.”

The group is already off to a solid start thanks to the song "Days of Self Destruction." Mastodon's Brent Hinds joins in on the fun, helping out the band on this bluesy distortion-filled rocker. Other highlights include the swagger-filled album opener "Replaceable," the dark yet catchy "Unknown Enemy," the more restrained "Head for a Breakdown" and the push and pull between bouncy and psychedelic on the album closer "Better Than Get Even."

CKY's The Phoenix album is due June 16 via eOne. You can currently place your pre-orders at Amazon, iTunes and Google Play. And look for CKY back out on the road this summer. They have shows in Canada, the U.S. and Australia booked all the way into October. See their current tour schedule here.

Once again, congrats to CKY as The Phoenix has been voted as Loudwire's June 2017 Release of the Month.

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