photos by Erika Schultz
“…they’d prefer to exist outside of the conventional extreme metal timeline.” – Decibel Magazine
The Skorian // The Greyleer, the third LP by California-based dark metal duo MEFITIS, is now streaming in its entirety ahead of its release this Friday on Profound Lore Records.
MEFITIS is a dark metal endeavor dedicated to venturing the shadowy depths and desolate expanses of musical expression. Formed by Pendath and Vatha in 2007, MEFITIS would from day one embody a metallic maelstrom intruding on the defined boundaries of extreme music. After some fallow years, the duo emerged to realize their dark metal vision with the 2019 full-length Emberdawn. This record put forth their signature style of boundless songwriting across black and death metal, telling parables of degradation and savagery in both lyrics and the very music itself. The kindling now sparked, MEFITIS returned in 2021 with their follow-up in Offscourings. Here they would expand further on the possibilities of dark metal, exploring gloomier climes and thornier guitar arrangements. In addition, the band solidified a conceptual framework for the music to occupy, known as Skoria. In this parallel world out of time, the music, themes, and imagery could exist as ideas unto themselves rather than mere simulacra.
And so, MEFITIS brings you their newest work: a duology in grey titled The Skorian // The Greyleer. Initially conceived as an experiment for analog tape, the new record is informed by the constraints and particular character of that medium. Every piece of sound you will hear was initially tracked to tape and then digitized and mixed by the band. The dual title is indicative of the two halves, which were recorded in separate time spans and studio locations. However, The Skorian and The Greyleer are reflections of each other, and can be appreciated both in parts and in whole. Where past works looked outward to an ashen world, this new release contemplates its own crumbling edifice. It calls into question the very notion of one’s ‘self’ as an entity in thrall to its master. Witness now this loathing gallery and join the grey.
MEFITIS’ The Skorian // The Greyleer was created and is delivered in a specific two-part method. The album’s first four movements, comprising The Skorian, were recorded to analog tape during 2021 and 2022 at Emberdusk Studio, and the corresponding four songs of The Greyleer were recorded to analog tape during 2022 and 2023 at Emberdust Studio B, with additional songwriting by Severin (Cameron Wade). Once digitized and mixed by MEFITIS, the album was mastered by Dan Lowndes at Resonance Sound Studio (Chthe’ilist, Suffering Hour, Pallbearer) and fitted with a gothic painting by Billy Norrby and additional art by Catarina Putri, Saheefa Mustafa, and Forest Hughes.
Stream MEFITIS’ The Skorian // The Greyleer in its entirety early only at YouTube RIGHT HERE.
The Skorian // The Greyleer will be released this Friday, November 29th on LP, CD, and digitally. Find preorders, presaves, merch, and more at Profound Lore HERE.
“The Skorian side is ‘direct and immediate’ with The Greyleer more of a great emotional unraveling, more theatrical. The two different productions, both DIY jobs, tracked to analog tape then transferred to digital, support Vatha’s assertion that the two sides of the album are the ‘external and internal’ views of this fictional world. Yes, this is pretty far out. But MEFITIS give the impression they’d prefer to exist outside of the conventional extreme metal timeline. They draw from the Second Wave black metal and death metal’s physicality, vocals will modulate between black metal snarl and choral.” – Decibel Magazine
“MEFITIS covers such a vast territory, and they do so with astounding depth and grace. The result is not only a record that, while having many familiar treats, almost defies pigeonholing but one that has tremendous flow and momentum.” – PopMatters
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