When two-fifths of Northern metal crew Red Seas Fire fell from the band's ranks in June 2015, defeat felt, unsurprisingly, close at hand. After 5 years of build, during which time RSF crafted themselves a respected corner in the tech-metal and djent scenes, losing two members was a flying dropkick that would floor even the most ardent troopers. "It's taken us a little while to get back on our feet," admits vocalist Robin Adams, "But, ultimately we were given a rare opportunity to reassess where we were as a band, and attack the sound we put out from here on out with revitalized influences and a newborn passion for what we create."

That passion is certainly evident on 'Prisoner', the forthcoming first strike from Red Seas Fire 2.0. Though no less sonically intense than the band's previous body of work, the track sees RSF (completed by drummer Jake Fogarty - Drums, guitarist Ales Mauric and bassist Jack Barrett) stripping back the progressive technicality in favour of a more direct, in-your-face approach - drawing kinetic influence from hardcore's feral, built-for-sweaty-clubs energy, but mixing it with an arena-ready chorus hook from frontman Adams. Says the singer: "We've all moved on a lot from when we set out to write the previous records. 'Prisoner' is the first track that we wrote after the initial loss of our previous members. It's raw, it's catchy and we feel it's great transition track between the old material and the new. We've worked very hard over the past 5 years to build a reputable following and a fan base that cares about the music we create, and as far as we're concerned we're very excited to deliver this new music to fans proudly under the banner of Red Seas Fire."

'Prisoner' will debut on the BBC Radio 1 Rock Show on June 5[sup]th[/sup], with its claustrophobic official video following the very next day. Prepare for the next chapter of Red Seas Fire, it'll be the best one yet.