Before becoming one of the most beloved and successful independent voices in country music, singer-songwriter Cody Jinks fronted Fort Worth, Texas-based thrash metal band Unchecked Aggression. Come Nov. 12, he'll dip toes in both outsider scenes with the simultaneous releases of country album Mercy and None the Wiser, a metal album by his band Caned by Nod.
Jinks and producer/engineer Edward Spear recorded both albums at the same time at Sonic Ranch in Tornillo, Texas.
"It was very different recording them at the same time," Jinks said in a press release. "Literally, it was being in one studio and walking next door and going from this beautiful country song that we're doing to just this really angry metal song, flipping a switch. The actual art of writing was the only thing I really had to focus on to keep myself sane...the song comes first. If I'm not writing a great song, then I'm dead in the water. I really, really focused on being a better wordsmith."
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The songs on Mercy were all written during quarantine. A press release lists an impressive cast of collaborators: Kendell Marvel, Adam Hood, Tennessee Jet, Josh Morningstar, Greg C. Jones, The Foo Fighters' Chris Shiflett and Jinks' wife, Rebecca.
Jinks' co-wrote the songs on None the Wiser with former bandmate Ben Heffley. Some were written in the past year, while others date back to the early aughts.
Caned by Nod teams Jinks (vocals, guitar) with Jacob Lentner (guitars), Aksel Coe (drums) and Calvin Knowles (bass).
Mercy Tracklist
Late August Records
1. "All It Cost Me Was Everything"
2. "Hurt You"
3. "Mercy"
4. "Feeding the Flames"
5. "I Don't Trust My Memories Anymore"
6. "Like a Hurricane"
7. "How It Works"
8. "Nobody Knows How to Read"
9. "Shoulders"
10. "Dying Isn't Cheap"
11. "Roll"
12. "When Whiskey Calls the Shots"
None the Wiser Tracklist
Late August Records
1. "Middle Finger"
2. "Dying Trying"
3. "None the Wiser"
4. "Seeing Ghosts"
5. "Covet"
6. "Led Astray"
7. "Half a Life"
8. "Can't Hide the Truth"
9. "Broken Wings"
10. "Eyes"
