photo by Michelle Nisbet
Oakland, California melodic death metal trio DARKNESS EVERYWHERE prepares for the release of their debut EP, The Seventh Circle, in late February through Creator-Destructor Records. As the album closes in, Revolver Magazine is hosting the premiere of the new single “The Grand Impact,” which features Darkest Hour’s vocalist John Henry.
DARKNESS EVERYWHERE unites vocalist/guitarist/drummer Ben Murray, guitarist Cameron Stucky, and renowned producer engineer Zack Ohren on bass. The Seventh Circle refers to Dante’s Seventh Layer Of Hell, where acts of violence in life are punished in death. The endless torture inflicted upon human souls for their past sins of hatred is an all-consuming reality in the lyrical themes of the seven songs on the band’s debut EP. The record was recorded in late 2020 at Sharkbite Studios in Oakland, engineered and produced by Zack Ohren, and completed with cover artwork by Samuel Nelson. Additionally, The Seventh Circle features guest vocals from Laura Nichol (Light This City) on “Survival Of The Sun,” by X on “The Seventh Circle,” and by John Henry (Darkest Hour) on the new single, “The Grand Impact.”
With the track’s debut, Stucky reveals, “‘The Grand Impact’ perfectly exemplifies the sound and approach of this band: riff-driven and straight to the point. I personally enjoy when bands unashamedly flaunt their influences, and we definitely achieved that with this song. For that reason, it made perfect sense to have John Henry from Darkest Hour throw down some vocals, every time I hear it my inner teenager cracks a huge smile!”
Murray adds, “‘This song is one of my favorites on the record, and definitely the heaviest. Lyrically it deals with the idea of rising above the toxic energy that one can unintentionally surround themselves with in life and cleansing yourself of ineffective people that drain your spirit. The tone of this track felt darker and more ominous from the start, so I knew I had to draw from personal experiences to get the right feelings across, lyrically. I love the way it came out, and John’s vocals really gave it that extra intensity it needed.”
Revolver writes, “If you’re partial to light, brightness, luminescence and other things of the sparkling nature, then you’ve come to the wrong place. Today, we’re premiering a new single from the Oakland bruisers DARKNESS EVERYWHERE that boasts guest vocals from John Henry, vocalist of the seminal melodeath progenitors Darkest Hour. ‘The Grand Impact’ is a whole lotta dark, and it fucking rips.”
Check out DARKNESS EVERYWHERE’s “The Grand Impact” featuring guest vocals from Darkest Hour’s John Henry first at Revolver Magazine RIGHT HERE.
The Seventh Circle will see digital release on February 25th through Ben Murray’s own Creator-Destructor Records with a vinyl version to follow shortly after. Find digital preorders at Bandcamp HERE.
Watch for vinyl/merch details and preorders to post alongside additional audio previews, videos, and more from the album over the weeks ahead.
DARKNESS EVERYWHERE formed in late 2020 with the goal of writing songs heavily influenced by the classic mid-1990s Swedish melodic death metal sound. This isn’t the individual members’ first round around the block when it comes to melodic death metal, as Murray is a founding member of Bay Area band Light This City, and Stucky is a member of symphonic melodic metal act, Crepuscle. Ohren recorded and produced all of Light This City’s albums throughout the past twenty years and continues to be one of the leading metal producers in the industry, having worked with Machine Head, All Shall Perish, and many more.
The glory years of early In Flames, At the Gates, and Dark Tranquillity are what largely inform the sound and aesthetic of DARKNESS EVERYWHERE. The core of the band is built on the feel of those legendary records, while offering a refreshing take on the no frills melodic death metal sound akin to the output of modern outfits The Black Dahlia Murder, Darkest Hour, and The Haunted. The band wastes no time in getting to the point of melodic death metal riffing and driving, thrashing tempos.
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