Coyote Music Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE!

February 25, 2026 - Colgate, WI
Contact: Mark Friday | 262.250.1924 | hailkingfriday [at] gmail

Friday Dies is back! Seemingly risen from Metal's graveyard, the group grew its cult presence throughout the 80s and 90s with their album Return of the Witch. Now in 2026 they have enlisted the vocal prowess of singer Shay Hazlewood to put her stamp on the new single "I'd Rather Trust a Stranger" from the forthcoming album The Sky is the Ocean.

Their sound was and still is raw, unfiltered, intense--coming at you with a spray of blast beats, blistering guitar solos and the intensity of early recordings of The Big Four (in my opinion). There's something about the fuzz of the rhythm guitar that sounds similar to those first recordings of Hammett and Mustaine. 

Cue "I'd Rather Trust a Stranger." This track embarks into a more somber, morose realm. It's slower, for one. But once it kicks into gear around the 2:00 mark, there's a dark Sabbath-esque shadow cast from the speakers. Hazlewood's effected voice haunts. And Mark Friday's guitar begins slicing and dicing across the chord progression with his unmistakable excoriated tone of old.

Friday Dies continue to record new material for The Sky is the Ocean at Trax 52, "Wisconsin’s Largest and Only Grammy Award-Winning Recording Studio." Mark notes that the new material will be "polished but punishing," with the same raw intensity Friday Dies is known for. 

Visit fridaydies.com to keep up with new releases from the album, as well as show dates and band news as it breaks.