\"Announcing Dope as an addition to the Koch roster of artists is the perfect way to start 2008, as I\'ve been a huge fan of this band for their entire career.\"

And it\'s been an illustrious career at that - digging deep into, as well as bordering the fringes of, all that progressive hard rock has had to offer over the last decade.

Dope has released four albums since their debut, \'Felons and Revolutionaries\', on Epic Records in 1999. Since that groundbreaking release, Dope have sold nearly a million albums, and have essentially broke the mold from the scene from which they were born. Their most recent opus, 2005\'s \'American Apathy\', debuted at 1 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart and peaked at 1 on Billboard\'s Independent Album chart.

Vocalist and guitarist Edsel Dope, alongside long-time lead guitarist Virus, has revitalized Dope\'s line-up on \'No Regrets\'. Joining them on bass and backing vocals is Tripp Tribbet, formerly frontman of Twisted Method, who also happens to be the younger brother of Mudvayne/ Hellyeah guitarist Greg Tribbet. On drums, Dope recruited former Genitorturers drummer Angel Bartolotta. Says Edsel:

\"Adding Tripp Tribbet and Angel to the fold has really made this incarnation of Dope the strongest yet. Our commitment to deliver a fresh approach on \'No Regrets\' has been our focus all winter long in the studio. Virus and I know where we came from and those roots are strong, so this record will also appeal to our core group of fans that has been with us since the beginning.\"

Prior to entering the studio, Dope hit the road last fall on a headlining tour that served as a perfect introduction for the new members to meet the fans, while enabling the band to showcase some new tracks from \'No Regrets\'. Comments Angel:

\"Tracking drums for the new Dope record was a real challenge. This cd will showcase my best drumming to date. I had a great time hanging out in Illinois with the band and working on the new material. I\'m very exited about this one!\"

Edsel adds:

\"The fan reaction was overwhelming and the tour was an affirmation that all these off-season moves that were falling in place were the right ones.\"

But it was the band\'s stint as openers for the west coast leg of Zakk Wylde\'s Black Label Society \'Last Call\' tour that proved to be a musical turning point for Dope.

\"Opening for Zakk was amazing, as he\'s more than a guitar hero, he\'s a legend. It served as perfect inspiration for us to further develop our sound. And what better way to do that? We asked Zakk to play on a track called Addiction. It\'s vintage Wylde with a heavy dose of Dope.\"

A video for the song is currently in development, and the final tracklisting will be available shortly.

Dope is currently in Chicago mixing \'No Regrets\' with producer/engineer Tadpole, who is fresh off a stint tracking Disturbed\'s new album.

Dope is managed by Bob Ringe at Survival Management and is booked by Dave Kirby / Andrew Goodfriend at TKO.