World War III

World War III is the third studio album by American post-hardcore band Madina Lake. The second single, "Imagineer", was produced and co-written by Billy Corgan. Longtime Smashing Pumpkins producer Bjorn Thorsrud also engineered the track.

Madina Lake are another alternative rock band from Chicago. In 2010, bassist Matthew Leone was hospitalized after intervening in a domestic violence incident involving a man beating his wife. At the time, Corgan did not personally know Leone, though Leone and his brother (who is the vocalist for Madina Lake) considered The Smashing Pumpkins their favorite band. In response to his accident, Corgan contacted Metro owner Joe Shanahan and former Pumpkins drummer Matt Walker to hear more about Leone's story. This inspired them to organize the July 27, 2010 benefit show headlined by The Smashing Pumpkins and supported by fellow Chicago band Kill Hannah. The show raised $80,000 to finance Leone's hospital bills. About a year later, once Leone had become coherent enough, he emailed Corgan thanking him. Corgan replied with what Leone described as a "profound, beautiful, powerful e-mail" which sparked a correspondence leading to their collaboration on World War III. Corgan invited Leone and his brother to Sedona, Arizona, where the Pumpkins were demoing songs for Oceania. It was there that "Imagineer" was written and recorded.

When asked about working with Corgan, Leone said it was "almost indescribable":

He embodies all of the talent, imagination, mystique and spirit that we had anticipated, and more. His ability and artistic prowess taught us more than we've learned in six years of touring and making records. In addition to that, he was very compassionate about what we've been enduring personally, and remains devoted to seeing our road to recovery through. I’m eternally grateful for this connection.

Critical reception
The album received positive reviews upon its release. AllMusic wrote that the band sounded "reinvigorated," singling out the Corgan-produced "Imagineer" as an example. IGN gave the album 9/10 stars, describing "Imagineer" as a "squall of buzzing riffs and a thicket of drums paint a perfect backdrop" for the story behind the album.