Some of the first promo photos for En Minor‘s debut LP featured a stout tree split in half by circumstances outside its control. That sobering image illustrates the vulnerable, bruised-spirit lyricism of Philip H. Anselmo’s Southern Gothic neo-folk project. On When The Cold Truth Has Worn Its Miserable Welcome Out, Anselmo trades in harsh distortion for emotional heaviness with En Minor. The long-gestating project has slowly shaped since 2012, and they’re here to ruin moods in the best way possible. En Minor’s rustic broken beauty is more akin to Nick Cave’s work with the Bad Seeds or Leonard Cohen’s somber confessional ballads than heavy metal. Anselmo’s downcast performance is flanked by some of his most trusted Superjoint collaborators. Still, Stephen Taylor (Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals, Wovenhand), Kevin Bond (Christ Inversion) and Jimmy Bower (Eyehategod, Down) have all created music with Anselmo that fall outside the realm of metallic extremity. They’re joined by The Dover Brothers and Steve Bernal, who contributes his notable talent as former first cellist of the Temple Symphony Orchestra.
Experience the sepulchral allure of En Minor’s debut by listening to an exclusive early stream of album opener “Mausoleums.” In five minutes the song captures the raw, wounded heart of When The Cold Truth Has Worn Its Miserable Welcome Out. The video’s sullen sepia tone and time-lapse videography fittingly match the crawling clean guitars and evocative cello. Like the flowers that will inevitably wilt outside the video’s titular mausoleum, Anselmo’s vocals feel like they’re withering with the seasons. Not every song on the album is as morose and monochromatic as this single, but there’s little sunshine to be found. As Anselmo said about this project, “Ugly and beautiful, En Minor isn’t ‘party music.’ This is ‘kill the party music.’”
“We were not able to shoot the video we initially had in mind because of the pandemic, but the video rendered is beautifully somber,” Anselmo shares. “I’d like to thank the crew responsible for putting it all together, and I hope you enjoy it. Love to everyone!”
Listen to En Minor’s haunting single “Mausoleums” below before the album’s September 4th release. It will be available from Housecore Records in North America, Season of Mist in Europe, and Ward Records in Japan. You don’t have to wear your finest pallbearer suit to press play NOW.
Pre-order En Minor’s When The Cold Truth Has Worn Its Miserable Welcome Out from Housecore Records HERE
Or pre-order the album in digital form at Bandcamp HERE
Don’t forget to follow En Minor on Facebook for news and updates HERE
