Courtesy Photo From left to right, Kevin Sytek, Mike Cohoon, Carlos Vivero, and KC Mason make up the Alpena hard rock band Katharsys Theory, which is releasing a new single on Friday.

ALPENA — Despite having no live show opportunities because of the pandemic, Alpena hard rock band Katharsys Theory will release a new single on Friday.

The upcoming single, titled “Release Me,” will debut on Friday, then another single is expected to drop soon after, preceding the release of their first full album this spring.

“COVID-19 has affected us tremendously, as there have been no show opportunities since last year due to venue closures and COVID-related restrictions,” said lead singer and guitar player Carlos Vivero. “We will be releasing our debut full-length album this spring, and plan on touring as soon as venues begin to open back up (hopefully sooner than later).”

Vivero explained that “Release Me” will appeal to many audiences, as it is not as metal-sounding as a lot of the band’s songs, and it contains relatable lyrics.

“This song is one of our less-heavier songs,” he noted. “We’re more of a hard rock band, and it’s probably the one that is the most radio-friendly out of all of them. It’s a pretty personal song, but we believe that the lyrics, everybody can pretty much relate to, which is one thing I like about our songs is that it doesn’t matter who you are, or what demographic you’re in, you can interpret it your own way, and you can relate to it in some way, shape or form.”

The single will be released digitally, available online on many music platforms, including Spotify, iTunes, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and more.

“The next single is entitled, ‘Gone,’ and it probably won’t come out until mid- to late March,” Vivero said. “We want to be able to promote the first single for a little while before releasing the next one.”

In addition to Vivero, band members include Mike Cohoon on lead guitar, Kevin Sytek on bass, and KC Mason on drums. All band members are from Alpena.

The band has been together since June 2018, Vivero said, but he and Mason had been talking about starting a band well before that.

“KC and I met back in between 2008 and 2009,” Vivero recalled. “We told each other we should jam sometime, and maybe start a band or whatever, and, just, life happened, and we didn’t really start this until 10 years after.”

He said Mason is a contractor, and he was remodeling Vivero’s bathroom in December 2017, and Mason heard Vivero playing some songs in the other room, and he said, “Hey, do you want to pick up where we left off?”

“And I’m like, ‘Yeah, let’s do it,'” Vivero said. “So we started jammin’ together and we recruited a couple more people, and it just kinda started.”

He added, “We did go through a few lineup changes — it’s not just about having the right musicians. They can be great … but if the chemistry is not there, it’s just not going to work. So it did take a couple of lineup changes, and we’ve been pretty solid ever since.”

Here is the band’s bio, provided by Vivero:

“Formed by four like-minded and versatile musicians, Katharsys Theory arose from the underground music scene in Alpena. With the perfect blend of rock and metal, their mission is to conquer Northern Michigan and beyond. Within their first year as a band, they have earned an exclusive radio segment on Traverse City’s Rock 105, recorded a live studio performance at Dave Runyan’s studio (Runyan Media LLC), recorded a four-song EP, opened for national acts Mushroomhead, Stitched Up Heart, Lynch Mob, NeverWake, and The Veer Union, and also gained a state-wide following. Their sound has been classified as ‘A perfect mix between Breaking Benjamin, Killswitch Engage and Bullet for my Valentine.’ Be on the look-out for the release of their highly-anticipated debut album in spring of 2021, titled ‘We Will Rise.'”

At this point, all the music will be released only in digital format, Vivero said, but, once the band is able to perform live at venues, that’s when they will likely put out physical copies of the album.

Vivero added that the band is looking forward to performing the new album live, perhaps at an outdoor venue such as the Alpena Bandshell at Bay View Park.

For more information about Katharsys Theory, visit their Facebook page.

“Release Me” is now available to pre-save on Spotify.