Cory Marks' breakout hit "Outlaws & Outsiders" features Five Finger Death Punch's Ivan Moody, Mötley Crüe shredder Mick Mars and country musician Travis Tritt, and he's keeping the rock-country combo train rolling with "Blame It on the Double," a collaboration with Theory of a Deadman frontman Tyler Connolly.
As he continues to combine the twangy with the heavy, Marks certainly isn't plagued with any crisis of identity.
"First and foremost, I am a country artist," Marks tells ABC Audio. "Just with, I guess, rock 'n' roll attitude."
That's evident in a new, "country mix" version of the Connolly collaboration, which replaces the solo from ex-FFDP axe-man Jason Hook with banjo and steel guitar.
"'Blame It on the Double' definitely has rock edge, but it is ultimately a country song too," Marks shares, adding that he's excited to bring an artist like Connolly into the country fold.
"I think this will be his first country song that he's featured on," Marks says of Connolly. "So it's very cool to have him on this track, and know that he loves it so much, too."
The extra countrified "Blame It on the Double" is featured on Marks' new EP Nashville Mornings, which just dropped last Friday. The collection also includes a few songs off his 2020 album Who I Am, as well as a cover of the song "If I Could Only Fly," previously recorded by one of Marks' musical heroes, late country legend Merle Haggard.
"When my grandfather passed away, my grandmother would often think of him when she heard ['If Only I Could Fly],'" Marks says. "So it's a very special song to me, and now that all my grandparents are gone on both sides, it's a bit of a tribute and a dedication to them."