Loss operate at their own pace. Nashville’s preeminent funeral doom/death band dropped their demo in 2004, their debut full length in 2011. Now six years later, the quartet is poised once more to disrupt our lives and our collective unconscious with nine brand new threnodies of leaden, crushing melancholy. Ominously titled Horizonless, Loss’ sophomore effort more than makes up for the time spent waiting for it. As with Despond, their debut, here is a work that will take us years to fully and thoroughly appreciate.
Three weeks ago, Loss revealed “All Grows on Tears,” the third track from Horizonless. A song draped in mournful chords like funereal cerecloth at once light as gossamer and as heavy as the smothering hand of a colossus. “All Grows on Tears” is a perfectly chosen song for an initial peak at Horizonless. Wherein John Anderson’s bassline weaves its way through that lachrymose torrent like the plaintive song of some cosmic cetacean. And your pulse dims in kind as Mike Meacham’s whispered growls fall upon your ears. Like I said: Pure Loss. Right down to Tim Lewis’ ending lead.
Now, with kind permission from Loss and Profound Lore, we wish to show you Loss’ versatility on their new album. Don’t get scared. “The Joy of All Who Sorrow” still very much sounds like Loss, but . . . Well, you’ll hear.
“Like all songs on Horizonless, we wrote this song together, in a circle, facing each other,” explains Loss’ guitarist/vocalist Mike Meacham. “[‘The Joy of All Who Sorrow’] was written about 2 years ago with each of us adding our own elements and pieces. This song was tricky and actually took a couple of different forms before its final form. It’s probably the most dynamic song on the album as it has speeds from an aching crawl all the way to its pointed, hammering ending.”
Meacham continues: “This track is the first song by Loss to feature all 4 members doing vocals which was something I have wanted to incorporate since our last album. I wrote the lyrics 3 to 4 years back as a testament to ‘the literal worship of DEATH.’ When there is nothing left, no more happiness, no hope, then sometimes the only joy left is giving up. Finding comfort in tragedy if not for anything more than the finality of it all . . . one’s body becoming a temple of the wounded. Weaving misery with bones heavy as stone and miles of glorious carrion lie ahead.”
Without further ado, it is our immense pleasure to bring you “The Joy of All Who Sorrow,” the opening track from Loss’ brand new album Horizonless.
Out May 19th on CD and double LP, pre-order Horizonless now.
