History repeats itself. What was once old (and horrible) becomes new (and horrible) again.
Estimates of the human carnage inflicted during by the First World War vary to a great extent, but some place the number of military casualties (killed and wounded) at 9.7 million and the number of civilian casualties at 10 million. The magnitude of the slaughter is incomprehensible, but of course it didn’t sate the blood-lust of humankind. Another global conflagration began only two decades later. And now look at what’s happening, again.
The new part-American, part-Belgian black metal band Suntold have made World War I the central theme of their forthcoming debut album World Torn Asunder. It comes at a time when reminders of that brutal conflict centered in Europe are sadly all too relevant. And the music makes the reminder shockingly vivid.
One month ago we premiered the first single (“The Hill”) from Suntold‘s new album, and now we have a second one, “Into No Man’s Land“.
In this song, the drums and the bass blast at a blistering pace, pausing only long enough to re-load and then resume their obliterating fusillades. In the center of the conflict they fall silent, a haunting pause but a brief one before the rhythm section mounts a thrusting (and head-moving) surge and then discharges furious hellfire again.
As exhilarating as all that is, the surrounding sounds are equally intense. The guitars maniacally swirl and savage the senses, creating extravagant visions of sweeping, all-consuming chaos. Fear and madness reign in the music, accompanied by dense tides of confusion and decimating anguish, unveiling a portrait of terrible grandeur.
Not to be outdone by the instrumentation, the harsh vocals are ravaging in their ferocity and torment. As already revealed in the first track we premiered, both bestial cruelty and unchained suffering come through in those inflamed and horrifying sounds.
Suntold‘s line-up is as follows:
Vocalist- Dakota Rivera (Inanimate Prognosis, Hellthorne)
Guitar/Mixing/Mastering- Cedric Hannecart (Human Vivisection, Sadistic Defilement, etc.)
Drums- Stijn Kelchtermans
World Torn Asunder features artwork by Father of Horror and a logo by Extirpate Humanity Logos, and we’ve provided the track list below. It’s set for release on April 22nd, and if you come back to NCS on that day we’ll present a full album stream (we’ll also have a review on or before that date). In case you missed our premiere of the first single, “The Hill“, we’ve included a stream of that one for you too.
For more info about the release as it becomes available, follow Suntold here:
https://www.facebook.com/SVNTOLD/
Track List:
1. Carved in Stone
2. 40 Million Dead
3. The Hill
4. Into No Man’s Land
5. Bullet Harvest
6. Dulce Et Decorum Est
7. Death Circles Somme
8. World Torn Asunder
9. Suicide in the Trenches
10. British Mark IV