ALPENA -Inspired by classic horror films and his passion for music, an Alpena man recruited the help of musicians in the Alpena area to produce a just released full-length album. Although the lyrics and music are the brainchild of Alpena’s Dave Rude, it was the contributions of many that helped round out the project.

Rude said as a boy he used to love watching Creature Feature movies like Godzilla, Dracula and Frankenstein on Saturday nights. Reflecting on those times, he was motivated to compose an album based on his memories. The album title, “The Devil Times Five,” was from a low-budget horror film of the 1970’s. Rude said he doesn’t want people to be confused by the title and believe it is evil in any way.

After the writing process was complete and the lyrics put to music, Rude laid down his own vocal tracks, but wanted to include a vocalist to provide accompaniment to his. He recruited Charlie and the Bourbons vocalist Charles Madison to lend his talent, and recording commenced.

Rude, who plays bass and some guitar, also wanted to feature several different guitar styles on the record so he added Andy Long and Conor Larkin to provide guitar rhythms and solos. Nic Wiser provided the percussion work on the recordings.

Rude said being able to work with other musicians and see the excitement they had to help out with the project made all of the hard work worthwhile. He said he believes their input captured the vision he had when he wrote the tunes.

“I decided to make it a community project. I wanted the other musicians to add flavor to the music and they really did help to paint the canvas I had in my head,” Rude said. “I wanted to make the experience of each song unique, and I believe we managed to accomplish that.”

Rude said the CD is a blend of rock, punk and metal, but that it is diverse. He said he added Cynthia Atkinson to the roster to lend cello arrangements on several of the tracks. Now that the album is done and Rude has been able to see how it turned out, he is already planning to release more music in the future. He said he wants to expand on what he already has created and include more keyboards and other instruments. He also wants to include artists who didn’t get a chance to take part in his current project.

“I don’t want to limit myself and I want to continue to grow as a musician. I’m serious about getting as many people involved as I can,” Rude said. “I hope everyone in the community sees the fun we have doing this and supports it.”

The album’s artwork on the cover was done by an Alpena artist. It features a portrait of Rude that was designed and painted by Rich Rider, a friend of Rude’s and a musician.

The album is available on iTunes, Amazon, CD Baby and Spotify. Rude also has copies of the CD available for purchase. He can be contacted via his Facebook page.

Rude said he will be performing many of the songs from his new album in the Alpena area with the band Dr. West, of which he is a founder. He said there also are plans being made for a special Christmas show later this year.

Steve Schulwitz can be reached via email at sschulwitz@thealpenanews.com or by phone at 358-5689. Follow Steve on Twitter ss_alpenanews. Read his blog, Upon Further Review … at www.thealpenanews.com.