Empress/Abscess is the impending new full-length from Chicago-based blackened death grind misfits IMMORTAL BIRD. Captured by Pete Grossmann (Weekend Nachos, Harms Way, Dead In The Dirt) at Bricktop Recording in Chicago, Illinois and mixed and mastered by Colin Marston (Gorguts, Krallice, Nader Sadek, Atheist, Origin etc.) at Menegroth, The Thousand Caves in Queens, New York Empress/Abscess finds former drummer/vocalist, Rae Amitay, swapping in her drum stool for a full-time position at the mic with longtime live drummer, Garry Naples (Novembers Doom) taking her place at the kit. The result is a harrowing sound excursion through the bowels of human existence. Indeed, picking up where 2013’s Akrasia EP left off, Empress/Abscess delves once again into a cesspool of misery, fury, and anguish.
In an advance investigation of the record, the UK’s Intravenous Magazine elaborates, “IMMORTAL BIRD peddle a ferocious blend of black metal, thrash metal, death metal and crusty grindcore that can only really be summed up with the word… extreme. Scathing guitars, blistering blast beats and demonic vocals power through …Empress/Abscess, leaving scorched ears and speakers in their wake. With nods to the likes of elements of early Satyricon, Nile, Suffocation, and Venom within their technically proficient execution, songs such as the opener ‘Neoplastic,’ as well as ‘Saprophyte,’ and ‘The Sycophant’ exude a relentless brutality that still keeps things nice and tight with some great memorable riffs thrown into the mix.” The publication furthers, “The album is brilliantly mixed and the production reflects the technical prowess at work on the recordings. It is a strong, self-assured, tight, but most of all wonderfully fresh and modern sounding album.”
In anticipation of its official unveiling next month, today Decibel Magazine offers up a taste of opening hymn, “Neoplastic,” featuring a guest appearance by John Hoffman of Weekend Nachos. Relays Amitay: “‘Neoplastic was one of the first songs we wrote after the Akrasia EP was finished, and it went through several different live incarnations before we arrived at the version we recorded. I never envisioned having a guest vocalist when we were writing the album, but John has such an aggressive, inimitable voice and killer presence that I just had to ask! I think it adds something very cool to the track and I’m stoked he was a part of it.”
In related IMMORTAL BIRD missives, the band will make appearances at Shadow Woods Metal Fest (Midnight, Occulation, Iron Man etc.), Southwest Terror Fest (Sleep, Brothers Of The Sonic Cloth, Dropdead, Bongripper etc.) and Death To False Metal (Whiplash, Krieg, Secrets Of The Sky, Valkyrie, Imperial Triumphant, Nightbitch, Secret Cutter etc.) with future onstage demolitions in their plotting stages.
Forged by drummer/vocalist/lyricist Rae Amitay, IMMORTAL BIRD was brought to fruition by cowriter and guitarist Evan Berry and bassist John Picillo. Their critically-adored debut EP, which Decibel crowned, “dark and twisting,” and Ghost Cult dubbed, “distinctly disturbing and beautifully harsh,” was released in December of 2013. Following several tours that took the band across the United States and into Canada, IMMORTAL BIRD entered the studio to record their debut full-length, Empress/Abscess.
Empress/Abscess will be released on July 14th, 2015 as a collaborative effort, with Broken Limbs Recordings taking charge with vinyl and cassettes, while IMMORTAL BIRD will be self-releasing the CD/digital version under the moniker Manatee Rampage Recordings.
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