[photos by Shane Gardner]
“Storm Blade” is the new single from Baltimore, Maryland fantasy/stoner doom metal outfit HAZE MAGE, and the band’s impending debut full-length, Chronicles. As the album cruises towards its release through Grimoire Records in April, The Obelisk unveils the new track to the public.
HAZE MAGE‘s first album, Chronicles is an expansion of the fantasy world created in their debut EP. The album and its concept have been in development since 2017 as part of an even broader narrative yet to come. Each song introduces a new character or piece of lore for the listening adventurers to encounter. Chronicles was recorded, mixed, and mastered between fall 2018 and winter 2019 by Grimoire Records’ co-founder and audio engineer Noel Mueller. The artwork was created by John De Campos/Ghost Bat Illustration with additional layout work by Noel Mueller, with photography by Shane Gardner.
The HAZE MAGE clan declares with the “Storm Blade” single, “Forged in lighting, the Storm Blade is an ancient cursed blade which while powerful and deadly to anything in its path, it corrupts the mind of the wielder. To hold it is to release one’s self from mercy, to abandon choice and become an unstoppable, frenzied maniac christened in bloodshed while only a whisper of your own will remains. The Storm Blade, it thunders to kill. We enjoy diving into the wide spectrum of stoner/doom sub genres and want each song on the album to take the listener to a different place while still feeling like each one belongs as part of the whole experience. Embodying the chaotic and hectic mental state of a person possessed by the Storm Blade, we allowed our mutual admiration for ’80s-era UK heavy metal to let loose. With a decidedly doomier approach informing much of this album it was important to us have at least one biting ambush of a song. Frenetic, frantic, and an in-your-face fuel for a fight, ‘Storm Blade’ is that song for us.”
The Obelisk champions the track, writing in part, “Could be a foreshadow for future progressivism in their songcraft, or it could just be a fluke, but what’s more important for the moment is that with Chronicles, HAZE MAGE establish a metallic hold on the tenets of heavy and traditional doom, and not only to do they do so, but they then essentially put the varying styles in their grasp to work as their plaything…”
Unsheathe HAZE MAGE’s “Storm Blade” only through The Obelisk RIGHT HERE.
Chronicles will see release on limited edition CD and digital download via Grimoire Records on April 19th. Find preorders where “Fire Wizards” is streaming HERE.
HAZE MAGE has also booked the new installment of Grim Reefer Fest at the Ottobar in Baltimore, appropriately scheduled for 4/20 in conjunction with the release of the Chronicles album. In addition to HAZE MAGE, the event will feature sets from Ruby The Hatchet, Heavy Temple, Horseburner, Mountainwolf, Book Of Wyrms, Tombtoker, labelmates Yatra, and more. Watch for additional tour dates to be announced in the weeks ahead.
HAZE MAGE Live:
4/20/2019 Ottobar – Baltimore, MD @ Grim Reefer Fest [info]
Forged in late 2015, HAZE MAGE creates riff-driven, anthemic fantasy metal that transports listeners to a world of ancient dark forests, savage beasts, and gloomy landscapes engulfed by a menacing miasma of haunting haze. HAZE MAGE weaves their fantasy world through lyrics and sound that draw inspiration from many sub genres of metal including Black Sabbath, Queens Of The Stone Age, The Sword, Clutch, High On Fire, and Sleep to create what they have dubbed “sword and sorcery doom.”
Having quickly gained attention in the Baltimore metal scene thanks to their exuberant and thundering stage shows, HAZE MAGE first caught the ear of local label and friends, Grimoire Records, in the summer of 2016. In 2017, Grimoire recorded and released the band’s Blood Mist debut EP to critical praise from outlets such as The Obelisk, Worldwide Underground, and Heavy Planet, who found it “…bold, psychedelic, and memorable.” The band has performed at a number of notable annual events including Artscape, Days Of Darkness Festival, Shadow Woods Metal Fest, and Light City, and has maintained a presence in the Baltimore metal scene at clubs such as Metro Gallery, The Ottobar, Rams Head, and Soundstage.
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