(written by Islander)
The cover art of Outergods‘ forthcoming second album is abominable, a skeletal devil-winged regent that clearly won’t die despite its lack of flesh. The album’s title, Dethroned & Devoured, is equally cursed. But the name of the album track we’re presenting today through a video promises something even more abhorrent — “Cosmic Abomination“.
The new album, which follows this UK band’s 2023 full-length debut A Kingdom Built upon the Wreckage of Heaven, is now set for release by Apocalyptic Witchcraft on June 13th. As the label represents, it offers “an unrelenting blend of blackened death metal, grindcore, and extreme intensity” and “promises to deliver the same raw intensity and unbridled chaos that fans have come to expect from the band.”
Apocalyptic Witchcraft has also explained that “like its predecessor, Dethroned & Devoured is rooted in dark fantasy and cosmic horror, drawing inspiration from the lore of Bloodborne, Dark Souls, and Elden Ring — all of which provided escapism during the tougher moments of recent years.” And to return to that striking cover art, it was created by Tim Sinfield (the brother of Outergods‘ leader Nathe) and it reflects the album’s lyrical themes. Tim has commented:
“My approach to this artwork was quite different from my usual process. Instead of working with multiple tones, I stripped it down to just two. It took months to finalize the idea, sketching many environments, poses, and creature concepts. Throughout the process, I kept in mind my brother’s love for the mystical imagery of Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Elden Ring, as well as the overall sound of the record. I was also inspired by artists like Dan Seagrave, particularly his work on Morbid Angel’s Gateways to Annihilation.”
And now let’s turn to the video we’re presenting for that first single off the album, “Cosmic Abomination“. It provides an exhilarating, fast-cutting display of the band throwing themselves headlong into the song’s turbocharged and technically demanding performance — and apparently throwing themselves into a cosmic storm too.
As for the music, it’s an explosive display of mayhem and monstrosity, and of blistering and bludgeoning chaos, but with an evil unearthly aura that feeds into the song’s title.
At a high level, the song has two speeds. With the throttle wide open, it’s the kind of thing that will blow your hair back, get your pulse roaring, and suck the wind from your lungs. When it slows, it feels like something horrid and alien is coldly choking your soul.
At rocket speed the fretwork is fleet and frantic, a cavalcade of writhing, darting, and swirling riffage, occasionally accented with bits of weirdly swarming melody and eerily shrieking arpeggios. In keeping with that madness, the vocals are a berserk tirade of unhinged screams. Sometimes it feels like the steadiness of the drumming is all that keeps the song from shattering into a thousand fragments (but there are also some jet-fast drum-fills in the mix, as well as a very nimble and very heavy bass performance)
On the other hand, the music also grimly groans and brutally pounds. The bass morbidly throbs and the guitars grow shrill and shiver, indeed like the manifestation of a cosmic abomination. And on the third hand, in the song’s final minute, the band shift into neck-wrecker mode with a rhythmically compulsive jackhammer beating, even as their unhinged frontman continues spraying blood.
The video was directed by filmmaker Jake Kindred, and he shared these thoughts about it:
“The shoot for ‘Cosmic Abomination‘ with Outergods was a lot of fun. Myself and the band discussed and prepped ideas before descending on the venue for a packed day of filming, including various different setups and scenes. We even added some green screen concepts as we knew we wanted to put the band in an outer space cosmic storm in the edit. The band smashed out all their performance takes with mad energy throughout. I hope you like the final outcome!”
The new album was produced and mixed by Nathe. He says the album’s production was influenced by the work of Daniel Bergstrand and Jaime Gomez Arellano, with the latter handling mastering duties.
The album also features guest appearances from Chad Kapper of Frontierer and Rune Stigart of the Danish Industrial Metal band Mnemic, a band that has been a significant influence on the members of Outergods.
For more info, visit the locations linked below.
PRE-ORDER/PRE-SAVE:
https://orcd.co/apw047
FOLLOW OUTERGODS:
https://linktr.ee/outergods
https://www.facebook.com/outergodsuk
https://www.instagram.com/outergodsUK