"It seems inevitable that we are headed toward a much darker age for humanity," Matt Stikker, vocalist and guitarist of Drouth says. "Our civilization can only be described as accelerating toward environmental and societal self-destruction, and the twilight of an open and constructive society, let alone human existence itself, is gathering in a tangible way. It may be that from the peak of technological progress in the 20th century it became impossible to grasp the concept of regression, let alone collapse and extinction, but we have arrived and it's impossible to say it doesn't color our attitude toward life as reflected in our art. We're dancing on our own grave, as the tide of history consumes us."
Stikker, like a lot of us, continues to feel society's claws sinking into on our backs. He and his bandmates in Drouth, the Portland, Oregon based black metal project, channel much of that sentiment into their music. The band returns this year with a brand new full-length record entitled Excerpts From A Dread Liturgy which arrives this July.
The album comes three years after their first full-length, Knives, Labyrinths, Mirrors. During that time, the band has gone through some personnel changes and used those years to hone in their sound. Stikker explains, "We're very pleased to release Excerpts as it is the first album we've done with the current lineup, which played its first show together about two years ago. Pat (Fiorentino, drums) and I remain proud of our earlier releases but this album represents a cohesive, collaborative effort that only could have been possible with the four of us as presently assembled."
He continues, "It's the most focused, musically and thematically cohesive piece Drouth has produced, and our long relationship with Fester (engineer/mixing) was instrumental in shaping the sound and feel of the album into something altogether beyond anything we've previously recorded. It feels more than ever like we've truly birthed something into existence with a life and will of its own."
The album indeed echoes that sentiment. Drouth's newest album is packed with ferocious barrages of black metal stylings and interspersed melodies that fill out its roughly 41 minutes. The first track to this album, the eight and a half minute, "A Drowning In Sunlight," is an opening salvo for the band's grand gesture to humanity's collapse.
"'A Drowning In Sunlight' questions the act of creation and the nature of our distinction between being and nothingness, and includes a reference to the Jorge Luis Borges story "The Circular Ruins" among other works," Stikker states. "To further dissect the lyrics would only serve to eliminate other valid interpretations, and as I believe the work takes on a life of its own after its creation, the true judgment lies with the listener/observer."
Listen to an exclusive stream of "A Drowning In Sunlight" now. Pre-orders of Excerpts From A Dread Liturgy are available through Translation Loss Records ahead of its July 31st release date.
