Bangalore Choir return with their new album, Rapid Fire Succession: On Target Part II, set for release on 24 October 2025. The album is a stylish nod to the band’s debut, On Target, which David Reece and the band released in 1992, the same week as that Nirvana album.
In my mind, Bangalore Choir were synonymous with the Heavy Metal thunderstorm that was created by Nevermind. The impact of On Target should have been huge. David Coverdale would remove the band from the Vai/Vandenburg Whitesnake ’90s tour because he heard Reece’s fantastic singing.
After nine shows in LA, Bangalore Choir had been offered a deal by every major record label. Jon Bon Jovi and Aldo Nova co-wrote a song for On Target, and the album was recorded at Stevie Nicks’ house in her home studio.
On Target sold 400,000 units worldwide in the week of release. “Nirvana had shipped 600,000 on their shipping day,” David Reece told MetalTalk in an earlier interview.
However, with grunge surging, the record company pulled the plug. Reece was called in by the record company for a meeting, and the news was the worst.
“It’s over, we are dropping you,” the record label told David. “I asked if this was a joke, and they said it was no joke. We were told by Kaufman and Irving Azoff to get a day job. There’s a new kid in town called Seattle, and for Bangalore Choir, it’s over.”
A break followed, and the second album, Cadence, was released in 2010 with Curt Mitchell and Danny Greenberg joined by new guitarist Andy Susemihl, formerly of U.D.O. and drummer Hans in ‘t Zandt. Metaphor would follow in 2012.
The album Center Mass was released in 2023, with a different lineup, but Rapid Fire Succession: On Target Part II marks the return of Andy Susemihl. “A brilliant guitar player,” David Reece said. “A brilliant singer. A great guitar player.”
The impact is instantly noticeable in Bullet Train, the invigorating first single from the new album. “I wrote this song with the wonderful Andy Susemihl,” David says today. “Andy and I both often talk about how everything is just hurry, hurry, hurry. You feel like you’re spinning your wheels, climbing this corporate ladder, wasting your time, stressing, anxiety. It just feels like you’re getting nowhere.
“I kind of liken it to the neighbourhood dog who’s always chasing cars up and down the street. I wonder what that dog would do if he actually ever caught one of those cars. My message to all you rock ‘n’ roll people, life is short, enjoy the ride.”
Rapid Fire Succession: On Target Part II is sixteen tracks split over two acts and features guest keyboard appearances by Jimmy Waldo and Ferdy Doernberg.
And with Bullet Train hitting the number one spot on radio playlists, the follow-up single Driver’s Seat, increases the mouthwatering expectations and makes me think of the ‘what ifs’.
I have said before that for me, the ’90s were a devastating time for music. The habit of buying CDs, with poor selections in local shops, meant I was buying vinyl albums I already owned in this new format, and the lack of new music probably took me 20 years to recover from.
I had stopped reading Kerrang and, yes, Nirvana had a couple of good songs, but On Target is something I would have been all over if I had known about it.
Bangalore Choir hit the European roads this November/December with Girlschool and Alcatrazz in what deserves to be a fantastic relaunch for the band.
“Picture yourself with the top down, rolling down the highway, cranking the radio, the sun in your face,” David Reece says of Driver’s Seat. “Everything’s fine, baby. Fasten your seatbelts.”
For me, only when Bangalore Choir hit the UK, will everything be fine.
Bangalore Choir release Rapid Fire Succession: On Target Part II on 24 October 2025. To pre-order, visit smarturl.it/bangalorechoir.
Rapid Fire Succession: On Target Part II Tracklisting:
Act 1
01 How Does It Feel
02 Driver’s Seat
03 Love And War
04 I Never Meant To
05 I’m Headed For
06 Bullet Train
07 Swimming With The Shark
08 The Light
Act 2
09 Prisoner
10 The Beauty
11 Sail On
12 Trouble With The Truth
13 Still The Same
14 Blinded By Fire In The Sky
15 Rock Of Ages
16 Mending Fences
Bangalore Choir Are:
David Reece: Vocals
Diego Pires: Lead and Rhythm Guitars
Eric Juris: Lead and Rhythm Guitars
Andy Susemihl: Lead, Rhythm Guitars & Backing Vocals
Mario Percudani: Lead, Rhythm Guitars & Backing Vocals
Riccardo Demarosi: Bass and Backing Vocals
Nello Savinelli: Drums
