(written by Islander)

You might see the band whose music is the subject of this premiere identified as Conflux. But the complete name is The Conflux Collective, so-named mainly because the two musicians who initiated the project wanted to bring in a diverse group of extreme vocalists to accompany their compositions.

Those two musicians — drummer, composer, and producer Tommy McKinnon (Derelict, Akurion, ex‑Neuraxis, ex‑Augury) and guitarist Chase Fraser (Continuum, ex‑Decrepit Birth, ex‑Animosity) — conceived the band after a chance reunion in a Montreal fast‑food joint following a King Diamond show on 2016. In fairly short order they wrote and recorded a debut EP named The Inception, which included a different well-known Canadian death metal vocalist on each song, utilizing the talents of Cryptopsy vocalist Matt McGachy, Beneath The Massacre vocalist Elliot Desgagnés, and Mike Disalvo of Coma Cluster Void, Akurion, and ex-Cryptopsy.

The Inception received an enthusiastic response around various corners of the web (including here at NCS), but various life circumstances led to a long period of dormancy for the project. However, Tommy McKinnon made the wise decision to revive it, the results now encompassed on a debut album titled In the Wake of Saturn that’s set for release on June 19th.

As press materials describe it: “Armed with unreleased material from Fraser and a determination to finish what they started, [McKinnon] rebuilt the album from the ground up, writing new songs, reconstructing arrangements, recording all bass tracks by ear, and crafting lyrics drawn from deeply personal turmoil, transformation, and catharsis.”

And of course McKinnon also revived the idea of including different vocalists on the songs. It’s a hell of a collective: Continue reading »