Metal Shock Finland (World Assault )

Denver, CO sludge-corrupted death metal trio, GLACIAL TOMB has today shared a new song and accompanying music video, Stygian Abattoir. Stygian Abattoir is the second single to be taken from GLACIAL TOMB‘s forthcoming sophomore album, Lightless Expanse, which is set for release via Prosthetic Records on September 20.

Stream Stygian Abattoir via Apple Music, TIDAL, Deezer, Bandcamp and Spotify.
Pre-order Lightless Expanse here.

Speaking on Stygian Abattoir, GLACIAL TOMB vocalist / guitarist Ben Hutcherson comments: “We knew that Stygian Abattoir was the album opener after the first time we played it. It’s fast. It’s unrelenting. It is an amuse-bouche of blastbeats and death growls that gives the listener an overview of the record without showing our hand completely. I wanted to make sure that the lyrics established a thematic foundation for the rest of the album while also being as direct and unrelenting as the music, hence the line “mankind is a disease.””

Invigorated by new bass player David Small’s presence, the group meticulously crafted Lightless Expanse throughout 2021 and 2022. Founding members Ben Hutcherson and Michael Salazar (drums) embraced the new dynamic and fresh musical perspective Small brought to the band, with Hutcherson and Small’s work together in Khemmis no doubt fueling their creative alchemy.

The resulting album is an unflinching examination of the horrors of existence, captured with authenticity and meticulous attention to detail. The songs were produced and engineered by Hutcherson, with drums recorded at The Band Cave in Denver and everything else tracked at his home studio. In an era of hyper-quantized, soulless extreme music that prioritises perfection above all else, the trio rehearsed relentlessly throughout 2022 before they began tracking in Spring 2023. They enlisted the renowned mixing and mastering skills of Arthur Rizk to realise their collective vision for this record.

The narrative arc that runs through the nine blistering tracks juxtaposes everyday suffering with nigh-ineffable cosmic horror; mental illness, grief, social isolation, and a longing for meaning all take the form of celestial beings and deific machinations. Hutcherson’s lyrics are inspired by writers such as Thomas Ligotti, Philipp Mainländer, Peter Wessel Zapffe, and Alan Watts.

These bleak themes are wrapped up in a bruising package of dissonant death metal intensity, shot through with a flourish of black metal grandiosity. Whilst the aforementioned dedication to arranging things ‘just so’ gives a technical and cerebral edge to their sound, the choruses are laden with soaring melodic hooks, satisfying the most riff-hungry amongst us. GLACIAL TOMB refuses to fit neatly within the parameters of any one genre, and their sound is all the richer for it. Lightless Expanse is a multi-layered exploration of heavy metal in all its complex and cathartic glory.

Lightless Expanse Tracklist:
1. Stygian Abattoir
2. Voidwomb
3. Enshrined in Concrete
4. Abyssal Host
5. Sanctuary
6. Seraphic Mutilation
7. Worldsflesh
8. Wound of Existence
9. The Lightless Expanse

Upcoming GLACIAL TOMB live shows:

Fall North American tour
September 14 – Black Circle – Indianapolis, IN (Heavy Hell w/ Coven, Internal Bleeding, more)
September 15 – Al’s Bar – Lexington, KY
September 16 – Sanctuary – Detroit, MI (w/ Deicide, Krisiun, Inferi, Cloak)
September 17 – Kung Fu Necktie – Philadelphia, PA
September 18 – Woodshop – Brooklyn, NY
September 19 – Empire Underground – Albany, NY (New England Metal and Hardcore Fest pre-party w/ Rivers of Nihil & Wretched)
September 20 – Piranha Bar – Montreal, QC
September 21 – Palladium – Worcester, MA (New England Metal and Hardcore Fest)
September 22 – The Lost Horizon – Syracuse, NY
September 23 – Preserving Underground – Pittsburgh, PA
September 24 – Magoo’s – Bedford Park , IL
September 25 – 1867 Bar – Lincoln, NE

December 7 – Summit Music Hall – Denver, CO (Decibel Magazine Metal & Beer Fest)

GLACIAL TOMB is:
Ben Hutcherson – Guitar/Vocals
Mike Salazar – Drums
David Small – Bass