BURNLEY band Exit State are rocking their way to the top as they celebrate the release of their debut album.

Out this week Death of a Rock Star is released through their recent professional management signing with Rocksector Records, and is available to download now.

And it’s all the more special to the four-piece after the band’s future was thrown into doubt last year when lead singer — and ex-soldier — Roy Bright was attacked in a Burnley nightclub.

But despite Roy taking three months to recover from a broken jaw, the band never gave up and went on to secure sell-out gigs in the UK and Europe.

Now guitarists Roy and Adam Stephenson, bassist and vocalist Phil Ireland and drummer Peat ‘Crazy Texas’ Hicks are set to support ex AC/DC front man Dave Evans on tour later this year.

The band can also be heard on another album out now.

It’s a compilation called Surf Rock, featuring tracks from Aerosmith, WASP, the Alice Cooper Band and Ozzy Osbourne’s band.

We caught up with Roy as the band gets set to launch themselves on to the global music scene.

What does it mean for you to have the album released?

The past two years have been amazing from being discovered and signed by King Prawn Records, to signing our professional management deal with Rocksector Records a month back and now the release of our debut album.

It’s an awesome thrill ride for us. The album has been received well by reviewers and some of the top music magazines are set to do features on us.

It makes us really happy to know that our hard work is starting to pay off.

And with our video to the opening track ‘Lost Beyond Belief’ about to hit the playlists on the music video channels, it’s going to be quite the month of June!

Can you describe the sound of your album?

The album is rock driven with elements of metal and indie.

In a line, sum up what the album is about

Serial Killers, women, drinking, death, death, hating work, women, women, death… the usual stuff!

How did the band meet?

Well, I formed the band in 2005 following the breakup of popular Burnley band Deponeye.

Following the usual line up comings and goings that befall every band, we finally settled on a top-notch line up in October 2008.

Adam and I had been friends for a long time through the Burnley music scene.

Peat Hicks was headhunted for the drumming responsibilities following his band The Freespirits breaking up and bassist Phil Ireland was spotted in Preston playing for a couple of bands and asked to take up the bass responsibilities for Exit State.

How have you found it being back playing following the attack?

The initial attack caused a lot of grief for me – obviously being a singer and suffering a broken jaw is far from ideal.

The entire band has playing and touring firmly in our blood and in honesty the band has kept us all so busy over the past two years that not a lot of thought has gone into the incident.

In an odd way the attack did symbolise a period of change for the band given the time taken for recuperation.

Every cloud, silver linings and all that!

Are you touring this year? If so when and where?

We have taken up where we left off in 2009. We played around 85 shows in 2009 and we have been out touring during the early parts of 2010 in the same fashion.

With signing to the management arm of Rocksector Records, our opportunities are becoming even better with support slots with The Black Spiders, The Black Mollys, The Crave, The More I See, and founder member and original vocalist of AC/DC – Dave Evans under our belts.

Tell me an interesting fact about the band.

Well I am the half brother of famous ex-Premiership footballer and BBC Sports pundit Mark Bright. Does that count?!

l For the band’s next dates log on to their website — www.myspace.com/exitstate