"Yeah, it’s like this," James "Jaw" Alexander says as he listens to the catchy title track from Heart Attack, the third full-length release from Tennessee rock trio The American Plague. "To me, this is what rock radio should be playing, not the bulls**t that’s on 90 percent of the time." Spend a few minutes with Alexander, bassist Dave Dammit and drummer Tilmon Navare, and it’s obvious their reverence for rock’s rich past is just as strong as their vision for its potential present. It’s only fitting that Heart Attack would draw its influences from classic rock and earlier genres, including rootsy rock ‘n’ roll that permeated the American music scene in the '50s and '60s. "I like singles," Alexander says. "I like loud guitars and songs with hooks in them. A lot of earlier rock groups had it right - they made their point in under three minutes, and then they got the hell out."
 
Flashback to January 2001: Shoe-gazing art rock ruled the underground with its hipster irony, FM "rock" radio squawked out the homogenized, faux-angst of nu-metal and The American Plague burst onto an unsuspecting Tennessee music scene, declaring rock 'n' roll war. With a sound described as "a fresh take on late '70s rock with punk sensibility and a metal soul," the Knoxville-based trio quickly built a loyal fan base for its decidedly southern brand of blistering hard rock that packs the power of Mot°rhead and Black Sabbath dousing it with the edgy intensity of the Stooges and the Ramones. But as the band is quick to point out, they like to do their own thing. "We've got our influences, but we're not trying to spin the wheels exactly like our musical heroes did, or still do," Alexander says. "If you want to hear Sabbath or Mot°rhead, you pay $50-$75 and go see them. If you want to get your face chewed off for five or ten bucks, come talk to us."
 
Alexander made his bones in the mid-'90s with The Malignmen, a notorious punk group that scoured the eastern U.S. for almost four years, followed by a stint behind the drums with NYC's legendary horror-rock trio The Undead, featuring former Misfits guitarist Bobby Steele. Dammit, who started out as a teenage talent buyer for punk rock shows at Knoxville's infamous Mercury Theater before co-founding thrash-metal quartet Nocturna, was a fairly obvious choice when Alexander reached out for a bass player. "I've been a friend of Dave's family for years," Alexander says. "I think I've known him since he was 8 or something ... we're like brothers at this point." Completing the rhythm section is heavy-hitting drummer Tilmon Navare, whose long list of accolades includes drumming for '90s road-rockers Galaxie and session work for producer Travis Wyrick (10 Years, POD) and Atlantic Records recording artists Shinedown.
 
Opening with the unforgettable guitar riff of "Past the Machine," The American Plague's 2001 eponymous seven-song EP came on as a soundtrack to rebellion, generating praise from fans and critics alike. Knoxville's weekly Metro Pulse deemed the release "surging anthems of straight-rock-no-chaser" and The Nashville Scene called it "primordial three-chord punk-metal with a maniacal energy and tautness." The EP featured a variety of dicey subject matter - drugs and suicide ("Without You"), man's inhumanity to man ("The World Is Doomed") and general world domination ("I Want It All") - that may have seemed dark at first glance, but listeners were quick to catch on to an underlying lyrical message of change and retribution. Explains Alexander: "I'm a big believer in lyrical duality and metaphorical writing. What I get out of a song may not necessarily be what someone else gets out of it, and I love that. If someone cares to dig deep enough, 95 percent of the lyrics I write have multiple meanings." The debut EP with two additional songs added was released as a full-length album in 2004.
 
In mid-2005 the band released a second full-length, God Bless the American Plague, and embarked on a six-week tour of the U.S. Featuring 10 tracks, GBTAP is the result of the band partnering with renowned producer/sound guru Seva, who'd worked with a diverse range of artists from Corrosion of Conformity to Dolly Parton. Aiming for a stripped-down approach and wanting to retain their independence, the band self-financed the highly anticipated follow-up, which included the dark shuffler "Highwayman" (garnering significant commercial/college airplay in the Southeast) and the anthemic sing-along "Sympathy for the King." The album caught the attention of Dr. Cyclops Records and Long Live Crime, two West Coast labels that joined forces in 2006 to release GBTAP on a national level.
 
Likewise, the steady touring has garnered The American Plague dedicated converts across the country. They've shared the stage with The Cramps, Buckcherry, 10 Years, Electric Frankenstein, Nashville Pussy, Agent Orange, Danko Jones and a slew of other notable artists. "I love playing for crowds that don't expect it and expose people to new music," Alexander says. "Our goal with this band is to bring back real rock 'n' roll music, to make folks realize there's really an alternative to the 'alternative' they're used to."
 
Released on Valentine's Day 2008, Heart Attack is a culmination of hard work, frustration and introspection. The album contains some of the band’s most recognizable music to date, thanks to a sonic lift from producer Ryan "Tater" Johnson, guitarist of Universal/Republic recording artists 10 Years. Heart Attack sees the return of The American Plague’s trademark post-apocalyptic bend on songwriting, present on several tunes such as "Far & Away," "Last Drop" and "Animal Mother," but what may take fans by surprise is the peppier tracks. Rockers "Made in the Shade," "Heart Attack" and "Let It Roll" are semi-new territory for the band, although the familiar sonic weaving of Alexander, Dammit and Navare makes the songs feel like a perfect match. "I went through a lot of different emotions when I was writing this album," Alexander says. "We’ve all grown as musicians, as a unit and as individuals, and we weren’t scared to let the writing take us places we hadn’t been before." When asked whether the new songs can hold their own against fan favorites like "Highwayman" (God Bless the American Plague, 2006) and "Past the Machine" (The American Plague, 2001), Alexander doesn’t mince words. "This is the best one we’ve done, to date... and we ain’t done yet."