AN NCS ALBUM PREMIERE: BEYOND GRACE — “SEEKERS”

 

On July 7, the British band Beyond Grace will release their new album, Seekers, and today we present a full stream of all the music.

As many of you know, the band’s vocalist and lyricist Andy Walmsley is also the longest-running writer at this site (other than myself), better known to our readers as Andy Synn. And as you also therefore know, he has a way with words, which he has put to good use in penning the lyrics to Seeker’s nine songs, drawing inspiration from the writings of such sci-fi luminaries as Kim Stanley-Robinson, Jeff Vandermeer (who also gave permission for excerpts from his novel Annihilation to be used in the song “Apoptosis”), Edgar Rice-Burroughs, and Jeff Noon, as well as the works of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. And while I could be accused of bias based on friendship, he sounds damned good expressing those lyrics too.

The music on Seekers is damned good, too, as you’re about to find out — and I say that, never having met any of the musicians who created these vibrant tracks. They are: Tim Yearsley (guitars), Andrew Workman (bass), and Ed Gorrod (drums).

 

 

In addition to these performers, the album also includes synth/keys on “Seekers” by “Count” Seth Hecox (Becoming the Archetype) and a solo on “The Etherealist” by former Beyond Grace guitarist Alistair Bell (Aeon Zen).

Attempting to cabin the music on Seekers within a standard genre pigeonhole is not easy, which of course is one of the album’s attractions. Within a framework of death metal, the band incorporate technical and progressive flourishes in service to the songs rather than as things stitched on or forced in, and the songs themselves are quite dynamic, both within themselves and across the span of the album. No two are quite alike, and yet they are all distinctly the work of the same band, making Seekers a ferocious thrill ride of modern death metal that doesn’t wear out its welcome before you reach the end.

But don’t take my word for it — the album has been praised in other reviews scattered around the web, or better yet, just dive into the album stream we’ve got for you below.

 

 

Seekers can be pre-ordered now in a six-panel digipak CD edition that features the striking artwork of Michael Cowell (which spreads across all of the outer panels) or as a digital download; and combos with shirts are also available. Pre-orders may be placed on Bandcamp now:

https://beyondgrace.bandcamp.com/album/seekers

 

Beyond Grace will also soon be embarking on a July UK tour (The Seekers and Wanderers Tour) in support of the new album, as well as opening for Cryptopsy in London this coming August. The dates so far are here:

JUL 13: Nottingham @ The Angel Microbrewery (with Pteroglyph)
JUL 15: London @ The Dev (with Pteroglyph and Tacoma Narrows Bridge Disaster)
JUL 16: Bristol @ The Gryphon (with Pteroglyph and Altitudes)
JUL 19: Leeds @ Bad Apples (with Pteroglyph, When The Wolf Comes Home, FinalTitan)
JUL 20: Newcastle upon Tyne @ Jumpin’ Jacks (with Pteroglyph, Misanthropy, Altostratus)
JUL 21: Edinburgh @ Bannermans Bar (with Pteroglyph, Islasorna, Initium:Quietus
AUG 22: London at The Underworld Camden (with Cryptopsy)

For further details and to obtain tickets, check the Events section of the band’s Facebook page, linked below.

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pg/wearebeyondgrace/

Enjoy our album stream below, along with the band’s official video for the album track “Oracles“, which premiered at DECIBEL.