Word spreads swiftly through the village.
The fields lie barren, the taxes grow heavier, and the lords continue to take what little remains. But every tale of rebellion must begin somewhere.
Today, NETHERWILDS announce their debut album, Peasant Rising, arriving October 9 via King Volume Records, alongside the release of its latest single, “Siege Proof Hovel.” The new track, featuring a shredding mandolin solo from Hole Dweller, marks a pivotal chapter in Worm Chewer’s unlikely journey from overworked peasant to the reluctant spark of a revolution.
Peasant Rising is a sweeping, narrative-driven adventure that follows Worm Chewer as he endures hardship, humiliation, and the crushing weight of life beneath the crown. Along the way he discovers that surviving is one thing, but changing the world requires far more than stubbornness alone. Across the album’s ten chapters, the story grows from one peasant’s personal struggle into an uprising fueled by unlikely allies, hard-earned hope, and a healthy disdain for the ruling class.
On “Siege Proof Hovel,” Worm Chewer has finally had enough.
Armed with questionable engineering, unwavering confidence, and a moat that no sensible knight would dare approach, he prepares to defend his humble home against a lord’s hunting party. It is a valiant plan… at least until reality arrives at the front gate.
Regarding the single, Worm Chewer proclaims:
“At some point amid the toil and taxation, a peasant must take a stand. A fool’s errand you say? Forsooth! How many townsfolk have a moat about their hovel? Better yet – it took a fortnight of every drunkard in town emptying their bladders to fill it up! If any royal nostrils come within a hundred paces they’ll be sorry they picked a fight with me. Indeed m’lord – your kingdom ends where I build my own. If ye have quarrel with that, bring your machines and archers – I shall watch them perish from within my siege proof hovel.“
Though Worm Chewer believes his fortress can withstand the might of the kingdom, “Siege Proof Hovel” tells the story of a hard-earned lesson. His lone act of defiance ends not in victory, but in the realization that no single peasant can overthrow tyranny alone. The defeat sets him upon the road to finding a band of fellow rebels, where bitterness gives way to purpose and the seeds of the Peasant Rising are finally sown.
Blending blackened metal, medieval folk, doom, and cinematic storytelling, NETHERWILDS continue to build one of heavy music’s most distinctive worlds. Equal parts fantasy epic, razor-sharp social allegory, and tongue-in-cheek adventure, Peasant Rising proves there’s more than one way to tell a story with crushing riffs.
So gather round the fire, sharpen thy pitchforks, and prepare for the rising.
Stream “Siege Proof Hovel“: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/netherwilds/siege-proof-hovel?ref=release
Pre-order Peasant Rising: https://netherwilds.bandcamp.com/album/peasant-rising
The release of “Siege Proof Hovel” follows NETHERWILDS‘ acclaimed first single, “Return The Goat,” which introduced listeners to Worm Chewer’s peculiar world through a tale of desperate survival, misplaced heroism, and one very important goat. Together, the two songs begin to reveal the larger narrative of Peasant Rising, with each release serving as another chapter in the peasant’s unlikely journey toward revolution.
Peasant Rising Track List:
1. Peasant Rising
2. Peasant Pit
3. Helm Yeah
4. Scroll I – The Fair
5. Ballad of Sir Gregory
6. Scroll II – The Mud Mages
7. Cry in the Hay
8. Scroll III – The Chase
9. Siege Proof Hovel
10. Scroll IV – The Dungeon
11. Dungeon Song
12. ;Scroll V – The Rescue
13. The Fall
14. Farmer’s Armoury
15. Scroll VI – The Plot
16. Blight!
17. Scroll VII – The Storm
18. Heretic
19. Scroll VIII – The Rising
20. Wickermech
21. Scroll IX – The Walls
22. Return the Goat
About NETHERWILDS:
NETHERWILDS is the medieval metal project created by David Monks (Tokyo Police Club), expanding the viral mythology of his beloved “Worm Chewer” character into a fully realized musical universe. Produced and mixed by Jesse Turnbull (Dear-God, Doflame), the band’s debut album, Peasant Rising, fuses black metal, medieval folk, doom, and cinematic storytelling in a soundtrack chronicling one peasant’s journey from forgotten laborer to unlikely revolutionary. Rich with immersive world-building, unforgettable characters, and a healthy distrust of feudal authority, NETHERWILDS have forged one of heavy music’s most original new realms.
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