“Rise, the chainless!
For they whose sight was not relinquished
Rise, the insurgents!
Contrary to the spirit of the age
For we dare to see the stars
as our ancestors did.” (‘Renunciation‘)
On December 19th, LYCHGATE will unveil their meticulously crafted fourth album, “Precipice“. In anticipation, the UK avant–Black/Death Metal ensemble now presents a second preview track, ‘Renunciation.’ Steeped in oppressive grandeur and apocalyptic fervour, the piece evokes a profound spiritual unease and piercing, cerebral intensity.
Interweaving literary, philosophical, and cinematic influences, “Precipice” is conceptually based on E. M. Forster‘s “The Machine Stops” (1909) – a story of humanity’s underground existence and total dependence on a god-like machine – and also draws from Plato‘s ‘allegory of the cave’, H. G. Wells‘ “A Story of the Days to Come“, and T. S. Eliot‘s “The Waste Land.”
Main composer Vortigern reflects on the lyrical conception of ‘Renunciation‘ and its significance to the album’s overarching thematics:
“‘Renunciation‘ refers to the longing of the novella’s main character, Kuno, to escape the underground prison of hexagonal cells, his musings on the open landscapes as they were in times before, and his awareness that such landscapes now consist of exiles, who have been expelled from the machine. ‘Renunciation‘ precedes the track ‘The Meeting of Orion and Scorpio‘ in the album’s track-listing, in which he does escape, but is captured by a giant worm, which pulls him down below again. The succeeding track is therefore a direct link to the cover art, in which a snake is depicted, illustrating essentially the same meaning.“
Find all album info here and listen to the first single – ‘Hive of Parasites‘ – directly below:
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“Precipice” will be released on CD, vinyl – including an exclusive DMP variant – and digital on December 19th. A special t-shirt design will accompany the launch. Pre-orders are possible via DMP’s EU, US and Bandcamp shops.
LYCHGATE was formed in 2011 by Vortigern (guitars) with the collaboration of Greg Chandler (vocals and guitars), Aran (Bass) and T. J. F. Vallely (drums). In 2012, the self-titled debut was recorded and then released in the first quarter of 2013 through Mordgrimm and Gilead Media. The material on this album was partly inspired by demo material from a pre-LYCHGATE project known as ARCHAICUS; demos that would later be released through Cult Never Dies and entitled, “The Early Years – ‘Beneath the Horizon’ and Other Demos, 2002-06“.
Between January 2012 and December 2013, Vortigern wrote material for the second album entitled “An Antidote for the Glass Pill“, which was thematically inspired by Bentham‘s concept of the Panopticon. It was recorded almost entirely at Priory Studios intermittently in the second half of 2014. It was then released through the Finnish label Blood Music in August 2015. The album was a significant step in the development of LYCHGATE‘s sound, with the utilisation of organ as a compositional backbone to all tracks, along with influences from late 19th century/early 20th century art music, Rock in Opposition, musique concréte and 1940s-70s cinema. Besides the core line-up and addition of Alan Webb on bass, the band invited Kevin Bowyer to perform all organ parts.
The press received “An Antidote” highly, with praise given to its uniqueness and forward-thinking approach. It has been featured in lists for the top metal albums of the 2010s, from Angry Metal Guy and Invisible Oranges. Shortly after the release date, a European tour was conducted with NIGHTBRINGER in November 2015. The following year, the band performed the entire album with real organ at Roadburn Festival in Tilburg, the Netherlands.
In August 2017, LYCHGATE entered Orgone Studios with producer Jaime Gomez (ULVER, PARADISE LOST, ORANSSI PAZUZU) to record the third album for Blood Music, entitled “The Contagion In Nine Steps“, in which the band adopted generally slower tempos, and psychedelic atmospheres. The album was inspired by the Stanisław Lem novel “The Invincible (Niezwyciężony)” and variations on the theme of group-think and crowd psychology.
During August/September 2019, an EP entitled “Also sprach Futura” was recorded at Priory Studios, inspired by the film “Metropolis” (1925/1927), and Lem‘s “Golem XIV” (1981). The work was quicker paced, and more similar to “An Antidote” than its predecessor. It was released on Debemur Morti Productions in March 2020. A subsequent European tour with WHITE WARD was regrettably cancelled due to the global pandemic at the time.
In 2025, LYCHGATE entered Priory Studios to record “Precipice“. It is due to be released in the winter of 2025 through Debemur Morti Productions.
LYCHGATE 2025 are:
J.C. Young “Vortigern” – Guitars, Organ, Piano, Orchestration
Greg Chandler – Vocals
S.D. Lindsley – Guitar
Tom McLean – Bass
T. J. F. Vallely – Drums
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Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 