ALLMusic biography

An explosive hard rock outfit formed around the fancy fretwork of guitar legend Jake E. Lee, Red Dragon Cartel was founded in 2013. Lee, best known as the axe slinger who helped a post-Randy Rhoads Ozzy Osbourne score two of his most commercially successful releases in Bark at the Moon (1983) and Ultimate Sin (1986), recruited bass player Ronnie Mancuso, drummer Jonas Fairley, and vocalist Darren James Smith for the project. Recorded at the Hideout in Las Vegas with producer Kevin Churko, the band's eponymous debut album, which featured a small army of guest vocalists including Robin Zander (Cheap Trick), Paul Di'Anno (Iron Maiden), Maria Brink (In This Moment), and Jeremy Spencer (Five Finger Death Punch), was issued via Frontiers Records in early 2014. Patina, the group's sophomore effort, followed in 2018 and featured a re-tooled lineup consisting of Lee and Smith, and newcomers Phil Varone (drums) and Anthony Esposito (bass).