East Anglia's monolithic-metallers The King Is Blind have been summoned to carry the torch for a new generation of extreme music.
Emerging from the deepest black as the first signing in over a decade from the resurrected, genre-defining coven that is Cacophonous Records, today sees the band announce their monstrously ambitious debut full-length album Our Father for release 29th January.
"Our Father" Tracklisting:
1. Genesis Refracted
2. Fragility Becomes Wrath
3. Mors Somnis
4. Bloodlet Ascension
5. Mourning Light
6. Amen
7. !For All The Daemons Are Here
8. Venin
9. Devoured
10. Mesmeric Furnace
A dark and involved concept album, Our Father follows 2014's The Deficiencies Of Man EP (KKKK ' Kerrang!). The record houses the familiar story of Satan, with a narrative focus going beyond what has previously been covered in literature and music to date.
Working with interpretations of the Bible, and John Milton's 17th Century epics Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained, the album depicts Satan as the first son and creation of God ' with a focus on their close relationship over millennia. Satan conceives the idea of 'Man' (Adam) as a gift to God out of praise and love. God is immediately enraptured, loving Man unconditionally and going so far as to create a companion (Eve) for him. God becomes so transfixed by Man that he creates a further being, Christ, to be his representative on Earth.
All this time, Satan remains overlooked, replaced by his gift to God, and his jealously and rage causes Sin to be born. And so the story of "Our Father" begins! "We agreed early on that not only would anything we worked on have to be of the highest quality musically, it would also need to have depth. 'Our Father' isn't simply about Satan vs God, or taking sides ' it had to translate to give meaning to people. Highlighting inherent hypocrisies; how God is forgiveness but is also the deadly sin "Wrath", going so far as wiping out mankind twice in the Bible. Satan is also wracked with inconsistencies in his thoughts and choices. This concept transcends to be applicable to society, modern global and national politics, religion in general ' not just Catholicism; oppressive states, bullying; it covers it all, all the way.
Let's be clear. It is not anti-Christian. It is not anti-religion. It is definitely not anti-faith. 'Our Father' is against how people use religion as a banner and a mask to commit atrocities. We are pro-equality and pro-diversity, we stand against oppression and division. This album is a release of frustration towards the things that are too big for us, individually, to change through to daily life." ' Stephen John Tovey, Vocals
The first single from Our Father is Fragility Becomes Wrath, which premiered on BBC Radio 1 Rock Show, followed by an exclusive stream with Metal Hammer.
The King IS Blind boast an impressive heritage, with members drawing from a wealth of experience in Cradle Of Filth, New Model Army, Extreme Noise Terror, and Entwined. Fresh from a bludgeoning performance at last weekend's Damnation Festival, and their recent UK run with Winterfylleth, the band hold an impressive set of notches on the touring post, including Temples, HammerFest and Bloodstock festivals, alongside support to Fen. The band are pencilling in further dates for early 2016 which will be announced soon.
Armed with a relentlessly brutal masterpiece, Our Father is set to mark The King Is Blind as the obelisk for the UK on the extreme music map.
