photos by Sebastian Gesch
“1772” is the new song by Berlin/Bielefeld, Germany-based MELLOWDEATH, the latest preview of their eponymous debut full-length album, nearing release in November.
MELLOWDEATH is formed by Sara Neidorf (Sarattma, Mad Kate | The Tide, Hypnodrone Ensemble, ex-Brian Jonestown Massacre) on drums and Isabel Merten (No Chronicles) on bass. Founded in 2017, the duo has since toured Germany, Austria, The Netherlands, Poland, and Czechia. In 2018, the band released their debut EP, Deadly Stares, introducing their captivating style of nightmare jazz—an eerie cinematic soundscape, a haunted circus intercut with a David Lynch western—equal parts menace and mischief. The EP was met by positive acclaim from exploratory and open-minded media outlets and forged a solid fanbase.
Now, 2025 sees the MELLOWDEATH crew eager to release their long-awaited debut album, simply titled Mellowdeath. The album arrives with ten instantly immersive new songs that expand the duo’s sonic palette on every level, sending listeners through a ghost surf cyclone, a haunted hayride through unsettling, yet hypnotic grooves and doom-twang dirges fit for a clown’s funeral. Fans of Man or Astro Man?, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, Stinking Lizaveta, Earth, Tera Melos, Breadwinner, Doctor Nerve, and Sarattma, Sons Of Ra, and similar free-thinking cross-genre artists will find themselves immersed in the diverse flow of Mellowdeath.
Mellowdeath was recorded by Jan Oberg at Hidden Planet Studios in Berlin, after which it was mixed and mastered by Steve Roche at Permanent Hearing Damage Studios in Philadelphia, and completed with cover art by Chloe Grove. The album sees Neidorf and Merten joined by a cast of guest musicians who help round out its sonic delivery, with synths from Rachel Glassberg (Matching Outfits, Dusty Houseplants), cello from Jackie Perez Gratz (Grayceon, Giant Squid), trombone from Florian Juncker (Berlin String Theory, Ensemble LUX:NM, Hannes Zerbe Jazz Orchester), theremin from Hekla Magnusdottir, and guitar from Marco Bianciardi (The Somnambulist) and Matt Hollenberg (Cleric, John Zorn, Titan To Tachyons, Sarattma).
With the new song, Neidorf writes, “1772 is the year that witch burnings were officially banned in Germany. We see it as a celebration, a party, the song to slowly and snakily dance and grind to at the coven’s surreptitious gathering (whether you’re a coven of one or many) to commemorate this benchmark, which continues to hold relevance as women and trans people’s rights come under attack. With this spell of a song, we ask witches of all ilk to gather and celebrate community. It’s one of the few songs that we introduce and tell a story about when we play live, since as an instrumental band, we usually like the audience to come up with their own narratives. But with this one, we ask you to move with us, and summon power from the core of your being to imagine a freer future.”
Stream MELLOWDEATH’s “1772” at Bandcamp HERE.
Mellowdeath will be released digitally by MELLOWDEATH on November 14th. Preorders are up at Bandcamp where “Omacore” is also streaming HERE. Cruel Nature Records will release the album on cassette; Preorders are now available HERE.
Additional previews of the album will drop over the weeks ahead.
Following the release of Mellowdeath, the band will release a stripped-down version of the album, void of all outside guest collaborators’ music, showcasing the band’s usual duo setup of bass and drums.
A release show for the album has been booked for December 11th in Berlin. MELLOWDEATH is also booking new tour dates for the Fall and Winter months.
MELLOWDEATH Live:
12/11/2025 3xter – Berlin, DE *album release show
https://www.facebook.com/letsdieaMellowdeath
https://www.instagram.com/mellowdeath_band
https://mellowdeath1.bandcamp.com