Category: On Tour

SANHEDRIN To Issue Sophomore Album ‘The Poisoner” In February

Enrico


Brooklyn metallers SANHEDRIN will release their sophomore album, “The Poisoner”, on February 22 via Cruz Del Sur Music. Recorded in August and September of this year at Menegroth, The Thousand Caves with Colin Marston at the helm, “The Poisoner” features eight songs of timeless, classy heavy metal that picks up where the band’s acclaimed “A Funeral For The World” debut left off, with an array of big riffs, catchy vocals and explorations into darker territory than before.

“We had no idea how that record would be received when we released it,” begins guitarist Jeremy Sosville, also of BLACK ANVIL. “We knew we were proud of it, but the response from the greater public was quite surprising and humbling. Since then, we’ve been able to play some great shows and really learn what makes our band unique and build on that.”

SANHEDRIN, who also feature former AMBER ASYLUM and LOST GOAT vocalist/bassist Erica Stoltz and drummer Nathan Honor, used ideas that date back to the formation of the band for “The Poisoner” in addition to songs that were written around the time of “A Funeral For The World’s” release. The overriding goal, however, was to have an album ready in time for their European live debut next March alongside labelmates GATEKEEPER.

“I think all three of us progressed quite a bit as individual players as well as learning to maximize our roles as a collective,” says Sosville. “The approach is unique for every song, but it normally starts with me bringing in some riffs that work well together. Erica usually comes up with a vocal line and all three of us convene until we’re all happy with the final result. A very important aspect we pay attention to is how all the songs flow together. It’s a crucial element to any great record. We certainly did not want to write the same album a second time but we did not want to forsake what makes us SANHEDRIN either. Overall, I think this record is a little darker and a little meaner.

A distinctive element of SANHEDRIN is their thought-provoking lyrics, many of which that go deeper than metal’s often fantasy and allegory-based themes. On “The Poisoner”, SANHEDRIN addresses real-world themes that can be seen virtually every day in the news. “A lot of the album is about the destructive and chaotic side of human nature,” says Stoltz. “The thirst for power, living in a world slipping into a surreal soup of archaic ideas and advanced technology.”

After an active 2018 that saw SANHEDRIN share the stage with the likes of EYEHATEGOD, THE OBSESSED, CAULDRON, WITCH MOUNTAIN and SABBATH ASSEMBLY (among others), the band is preparing for an even bigger live assault in 2019 behind “The Poisoner”.

“I hope that the people who support us already are as proud of this record as we are and that we can gain some new supporters with this new material,” wraps Sosville. “We work really hard to make music we believe in, so it’s gratifying when you can reach more people with it and bring them along for the journey. We’re not the biggest band out there, but the people who do follow us have been extremely positive and supportive. We’re really grateful for that. I’m probably most excited at the prospect of bringing these songs to as many stages as we can in 2019.”

 

“The Poisoner” track listing:

Meditation (All My Gods Are Gone)
Wind On The Storm
Blood From A Stone
The Poisoner
The Getaway
For The Wicked
Saints And Sinners
In From The Outside

WHILE HEAVEN WEPT’s ‘Vast Oceans Lachrymose’ Lineup To Embark On ‘Farewell’ European Dates

Enrico

In early 2015, WHILE HEAVEN WEPT mainman Tom Phillips had to regrettably pull the plug on the band’s European tour in support of their latest studio album, “Suspended At Aphelion”. The decision led to Phillips’ unexpected retirement from the metal scene, effectively putting the revered doomsters on ice. However, Phillips and his bandmates have long sought to make amends to the European crowds who have so strongly backed WHILE HEAVEN WEPT over the years. Now, as 2018 draws to a close, the most recent incarnation of WHILE HEAVEN WEPT that started with 2009’s classic “Vast Oceans Lachrymose” will play its final shows together on a run of European dates that begins November 16 at Germany’s Hammer Of Doom festival.

“I agreed to do these shows to give everyone else — the band members, our fans, even myself some closure, especially since the last tour was cancelled,” says Phillips. “The other aspect is the circumstances and priorities of the musicians involved are simply not aligned with what an actively touring band requires anymore.”

The “Vast Oceans Lachrymose” lineup — rounded out by bassist Jim Hunter, vocalist Rain Irving, second guitarist Scott Loose, keyboardist/harmony vocalist Michelle Schrotz and drummer Trevor Schrotz — have been holed up in a Virginia rehearsal room putting together a setlist that is not only representative of the latest era of WHILE HEAVEN WEPT, but the band’s storied past as well. According to Phillips, some of WHILE HEAVEN WEPT’s most memorable shows have taken place on European shores, including their 2010 appearance at Hammer Of Doom alongside Irish metallers PRIMORDIAL, which was not only Irving’s third show with the band, but also where the “Triumph: Tragedy: Transcendence” DVD/live album was recorded.

“We’ve always had a great time sharing the stage with PRIMORDIAL,” he says. “I think we’ve played with them more than anyone else in our history — and that’s always been such a great insight into the scope of melancholia and epos. Of course, we’ve also had the great honor of playing with heroes, family and upcoming bands who have gone on to become some of the biggest names out there like ALCEST and GHOST. Most of all though, it’s connecting directly with the people who really care about what we do and again, that’s what these upcoming shows are really about.”

The shows will offer another treat for fans — a limited-edition shirt commemorating the 30th anniversary of the band. “It’s an exclusive design by Gustavo Sazes, who has done the covers for our last couple of albums,” says Phillips. “There’s quite a few layers to the design and it definitely correlates to ‘Fear Of Infinity’ and ‘Suspended At Aphelion’. Personally, I think it turned out amazing and while it does represent our 30th anniversary, for now, it will be available exclusively at the concerts.” `

While these European dates signal the end for the “Vast Oceans Lachrymose” era of WHILE HEAVEN WEPT, it does not mean the end for the band. Phillips says there is an entire album of unfinished material that sits between “Fear Of Infinity” and “Suspended At Aphelion” in which he may look to finalize at some point.

“In the end, I’d started on a solo project prior to being involved with the WALPYRGUS album [2017’s ‘Walpyrgus Nights’], but with the WHILE HEAVEN WEPT shows coming up, I haven’t even looked at that again. But for WHILE HEAVEN WEPT, as long as I’m breathing, WHILE HEAVEN WEPT exists, even if the lineup changes for the nth time or we are strictly DIY on a small, independent scale. Only time will tell. For now, it’s time to commemorate a milestone and the end of an era!”

 

WHILE HEAVEN WEPT 2018 European tour dates:

November 16 – Hammer Of Doom, Würzburg, Germany
November 18 – Temple, Athens, Greece
November 24/25 – Dutch Doom Days, Baroeg, Rotterdam, Netherlands
December 7 – Under The Doom VI, LAV Lisboa ao Vivo, Lisbon, Portugal
December 8 – Madrid Is The Dark, Madrid, Spain