Thirteen rock and metal classics—from Iron Maiden to Led Zeppelin—are reimagined with electric violin in every guitar role. Advance singles “The Trooper” and “Run to the Hills” are streaming now; the album arrives Aug. 7.
LAS VEGAS, NV / MusicWire / July 27, 2026 — The Violution will release Undercover, its debut album, worldwide Aug. 7, 2026, on all major streaming platforms. The album is available for pre-order now on Apple Music.
Across 13 tracks, every role normally assigned to guitar—including rhythm parts, harmonies, leads and solos—is performed on electric violin. No guitars appear on the recording.
The album’s two advance singles—The Violution’s instrumental interpretations of Iron Maiden’s “The Trooper” and “Run to the Hills”—were released June 5 and June 26, respectively, and are streaming now. The tracks open and close Undercover.
The project traces back to 2009, when classically trained violinist JLynn posted a distorted electric-violin performance of System of a Down’s “Toxicity.” The video went on to surpass 10 million views, and the response from rock and metal listeners inspired a goal that took more than 15 years to realize: creating a full-length hard rock and metal album with every guitar part performed on electric violin.
“Without seeing the performance, most people wouldn’t know there’s no guitar on this record,” JLynn said. “Every sound that reads as a guitar is my electric violin, built over years of experimenting with distortion, effects and amp modeling.”
Paired with electric bass and Patrick Caccia’s drums, the result places the violin somewhere it is rarely heard.
“I hope listeners walk away realizing the violin isn’t limited to classical music,” JLynn said. “It can absolutely be the primary lead instrument in a rock band.”
More Than 15 Years in the Making
Undercover was slated for label release more than once before those plans fell through. Rather than leave the recordings unheard, JLynn and Caccia opted to release the album independently.
“We’ve reached the point where we simply want people to hear this music,” JLynn said. “Independent or signed, after all these years, it’s time.”
The album documents the project’s evolution, from its earliest experiments with distortion to performances reflecting years of technical and creative growth.
“This album is a journey from the very first moment I plugged into a distortion pedal,” JLynn said. “From ‘Toxicity’ to ‘Run to the Hills,’ you can hear the evolution of both the sound and the technique.”
Classical Training, Heavy Material
JLynn holds a Bachelor of Music, a Master of Music in Violin Performance and a Graduate Certificate in Early Music Performance from the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music. She spent years performing classical repertoire before turning to distortion and modern guitar effects—and she retained the former rather than trading it for the latter.
“I bring solid technique and a more classical approach to these arrangements,” she said. “Combined with the backgrounds of the other musicians involved, it became a merging of very different musical backgrounds.”
Familiar melodies remain recognizable while orchestral textures and cinematic arrangements reshape the material around them.
Collaborators
Undercover was produced, engineered and mixed by Patrick Caccia and mastered by Peter Doell.
Guest performers include:
Glen Sobel of Alice Cooper — drums
Marty O’Brien of Daughtry — bass
Philip Bynoe of Steve Vai — bass
Guitarist Hajime Uchiyama, a longtime friend of the band, helped shape the arrangements for Iron Maiden’s “The Trooper” and “Run to the Hills,” as well as Deep Purple’s “Highway Star.”
“As a guitarist, Hajime brought a real understanding of the instrument I was trying to emulate,” JLynn said. “He added another level of edge and progressive energy to those arrangements.”
Reworking the Catalog
The album draws from several generations of rock and metal, featuring instrumental interpretations of songs originally recorded by Iron Maiden, Deep Purple, Avenged Sevenfold, Evanescence, System of a Down, Jeff Beck, Foo Fighters, Three Days Grace, Steve Vai and Led Zeppelin.
Most of the arrangements were rebuilt rather than recreated—“Violutionized,” as the band puts it. A few were approached as deliberate tributes, with “Bad Horsie” and Jeff Beck’s “The Pump” remaining close to their source recordings.
Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” went in the opposite direction. The eight-minute original was condensed into an instrumental that opens with delicate string orchestration and builds to a symphonic climax, layering acoustic violin, distorted electric violin, harmonized electric-violin parts, rhythm section and an 81-part virtual orchestra arranged and performed entirely by JLynn.
“Bad Horsie” proved to be the album’s most demanding session, both technically and physically. The recording also drew a response from Steve Vai, who said, “The melody of an electric violin processed like that is just off the charts dope.”
The advance single “The Trooper” also earned early critical praise. Reviewing the track for Indie Boulevard, Michael Filip Reed wrote that “the novelty factor evaporates about fifteen seconds in.”
The album’s extended recording sessions also produced Studio Shenanigans, The Violution’s behind-the-scenes video series on YouTube.
What Comes Next
Undercover is intended as an introduction rather than a destination—a way to present The Violution’s sound through songs listeners already know before the project releases original material.
The Violution plans to begin work on its first album of original material following the release of Undercover.
“What excites me most is finally sharing music that’s been waiting years,” JLynn said. “Some people make movies to tell a story. We made an album.”
Caccia summarizes the project more briefly: “It’s familiar to the ear and unique to the eye.”
Undercover Track List
- “The Trooper” — Iron Maiden
- “Highway Star” — Deep Purple
- “Afterlife (Intro)” — Avenged Sevenfold
- “Almost Easy” — Avenged Sevenfold
- “Afterlife (Outro)” — Avenged Sevenfold
- “Call Me When You’re Sober” — Evanescence
- “Toxicity” — System of a Down
- “The Pump” — Jeff Beck
- “The Pretender” — Foo Fighters
- “Animal I Have Become” — Three Days Grace
- “Bad Horsie” — Steve Vai
- “Stairway to Heaven” — Led Zeppelin
- “Run to the Hills” — Iron Maiden
Release date: Aug. 7, 2026
Availability: Worldwide on all major streaming platforms
Pre-order: Apple Music — https://music.apple.com/us/album/undercover/6791459018
About JLynn
Jennifer Lynn, who performs as JLynn, is a classically trained violinist who holds a Bachelor of Music, a Master of Music in Violin Performance and a Graduate Certificate in Early Music Performance from the USC Thornton School of Music.
She has performed as first violin with Aerosmith and as principal violin for Jennifer Lopez. She has also contracted professional string ensembles for productions featuring Journey, TLC and Richard Marx. Two of her online performances have amassed millions of views.
About Patrick Caccia
Patrick Caccia is a producer, drummer, recording and mixing engineer, and arranger whose career spans touring, recording and production. On Undercover, he served as producer, engineer, mixer and drummer, working with JLynn to develop The Violution’s sonic identity.
About The Violution
Conceived in 2010 following JLynn’s 2009 electric-violin performance of “Toxicity,” The Violution is a Las Vegas rock and metal project led by classically trained violinist JLynn and drummer-producer Patrick Caccia.
The project combines distorted violin, driving bass and drums with progressive, symphonic and heavy-metal elements, placing electric violin in the rhythm, harmony, lead and solo roles traditionally assigned to guitar. Undercover is The Violution’s debut album.
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Media Contact
Mystye Gorgan, Media Relations
mbg.v.pr@gmail.com
View source version on MusicWire: press release
SOURCE: The Violution
