AN NCS PREMIERE: BLOOD OATH — “THE JOURNEY INTO THE DEPTHS”

We’re going to cut to the chase right away, because that’s what the song we’re premiering does. We’ll come back to provide some concrete information, but only after “The Journey Into the Depths” (and one other wild song) have flooded your body with adrenaline and thoroughly scrambled your brain (you probably weren’t using it for anything important anyway).

Photo by Ninoska Rojas

Blood Oath begin this journey with no prelude and no warning, and instead immediately hurl the listener into a zone of frenzy, with guitars feverishly swarming, a fretless bass thundering, and drums hammering in a fury.

The intricate fretwork grows even more crazed, creating sensations of gloriously swirling and darting delirium, eventually joined by savage vocal expulsions, riotous drum fills, and magical guitar solos that somehow seem even more wildly ecstatic than every insanely exultant thing that has preceded it.

And yes indeed, though the rampantly skittering, slithering, and pulsating riffage and obliterating percussion is undeniably vicious, the song as a whole does indeed come across like a band exulting in their lights-out technical proficiency and in their ability to send minds careening into excited lunacy.

(We also want to note that although you may not be able to make out all the words when you listen, they’re surprisingly poetic and compelling in a dark way, and you can read them here.)

Well, now that you’ve gotten your heart rate hammering and your head spinning, why not just double-down down on those sensations? You can relax later, after all.

And to keep all the pistons firing in your blood-pump and all the cranial neurons spinning like a centrifuge, we’re including a stream of the new album’s first single, “Sanctuary of Souls“.

If anything it’s even more dynamic and unpredictable, like a bamboozling high-speed rush through an elaborate labyrinth, replete not just with technical pyrotechnics but also rapid tempo shifts, multiple filaments of mood-altering melody, and bits of vocal variation as well.

Enjoy the fretless bass! Enjoy the little brittle and beguiling instrumental piece near the end, with a new tone that stands out! Enjoy all the menace and the mayhem! And for sure, enjoy the technical pyrotechnics! (You can reassemble the pieces of your mind later.)

 

 

Now for the details:

These two extraordinary songs are included on Lost in an Eternal Silence, the first full-length by the Chilean death metal band Blood Oath. It’s set for release by Caligari Records (CD and cassette tape) and Raise the Dead (vinyl LP) on September 15th. It comes recommended for maniacs of early ’90s Sadus, mid-’90s Cenotaph, or especially the works of The Chasm and Stargazer.

All the editions feature the stunning album cover art created by Nox Fragor (Daniel Hermosilla). Drums and vocals for the album were recorded at Chains Studio (Los Ángeles, Chile) by Felipe Cadenas. Guitars and bass were recorded at Ignacio Riveros‘ home studio (Nacimiento, Chile). It was mixed and mastered by Victor LR.

The Mad Geniuses Behind BLOOD OATH are:
Ignacio Canales / Guitars & Vocals except 5
Ignacio Riveros / Guitars
Matias Canales / Fretless Bass
Benjamin Soto / Drums & Vocals on 1, 5 and 7

PRE-ORDER:
Caligari: https://caligarirecords.bandcamp.com/album/lost-in-an-eternal-silence
Raise the Dead: https://raisethedeadrecords.com/en-us/products/blood-oath-lost-in-an-eternal-silence-12-lp

BLOOD OATH:
https://www.facebook.com/BloodOathChile