Originally launched as the solo project of Bay Area, California multi-instrumentalist Kiera Pietrangelo in 2016, Arcane Existence has blossomed into a full band. And as a full band Arcane Existence are now poised for the August 20 release of their second album Colossus, which traces a fantastical journey through a mythical land and weaves a musical tapestry of the narrative through an intriguing amalgam of symphonic black and death metal.
What we have for you today is the premiere of a song from Colossus named “The Altar“, and it’s accompanied by a video filmed by Benjamin Casias and directed and edited by Eric Tracy-Cohen which well suits the magic and menace that flow through the music.
The entire experience of the song, particularly when coupled with the imagery of the video, is like taking a seat in a devilish theater to witness a diabolical pageant. The music’s near-baroque theatrical quality is inescapable. It’s as if a horned impresario has, with grand flourishes, invited you into an ornate, candle-lit and incense-perfumed hall (or at least a side-show tent at an infernal carnival) to witness a spectacle from which you might not be permitted to leave.
Glittering keys and chiming chords ring out like magical spells above blasting drums and a nimble bass. Scorching screams and leonine growls add savagery to fret-leaping acrobatics. A crystalline voice seductively soars above warm bass notes and glistening harp strings. The music becomes more frenzied and whirling, punctuated by stop-start drum bursts, but amidst the jabbing riffage and a crescendo of harsh and clean vocals, the harpsichord-like fanfares and fluid melodic shimmers continue to fashion an aura of unearthly sorcery.
Perhaps the most gripping sequence of the song includes a bewitching guitar solo followed by a darting, pinging keyboard motif and one last appearance by the band’s dual vocalists. The music rises and sweeps in hellish grandeur, and then the bursting carnival madness of the music returns at the end.
As briefly introduced above, Colossus is a journey through a mystical land following a cult’s quest towards reaching the Colossus castle. Each song paints a different phase of the cultists’ internal conflicts of breaking through their own mind’s illusions. Arcane Existence‘s harsh vocalist Jade Ordonez has shared this comment about the song you’ve just witnesses:
“This track really encapsulates the balance of beauty and darkness that we bring to the table with this record. ‘The Altar’ paints the scene of the cult coming into formation and the physical and mental energy that is required to complete the sacrificial formation. When the beginning riffs were written by Kiera for this record in 2018, we knew we had something magical that would set the tone for writing the rest of the album. This is just the beginning of the Colossus journey and this track casts the listener into the atmosphere of Arcane Existence.”
German fantasy artist Nele Diel handled the cover art for Colossus and the album was engineered, mixed, and masted by Nick Loiacono at Fang Studios. The album is available for pre-order now, and below you’ll also have a chance to absorb the album’s first single, “Sovereign Blood“.
The current line-up of Arcane Existence (as shown in the video) is:
Jade Ordonez (Deliria, Embrium) – Vocals
Kiera Pietrangelo – Guitar
Tracy LaBrie (Devils in the Detail, Dead Girl Rising, Dead Redwoods) – Bass
Becca McCabe (Erinyes) – Clean vocals, Keys and Harp (Erinyes)
Harley Blandford – Drums (Ominous Ruin, Enigma)
The album also includes guest guitar solos on “Sovereign Blood” and “Castle On The Hill” by Bobby Carroll of Cyborg Octopus and Raiju.
PRE-ORDER:
BANDCAMP – https://arcaneexistence.bandcamp.com/album/colossus
MERCH – https://arcaneexistence.bandcamp.com/merch
PRE-SAVE – https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/arcaneexistence/colossus
WEBSITE:
https://www.arcaneexistence.com/
FACEBOOK:
https://www.facebook.com/arcaneexistence