Denver-based death dealers Glacial Tomb are back in action with their first LP in six years and Decibel has the first listen for you right now. Fronted by Khemmis guitarist/bassist Ben Hutcherson, Glacial Tomb further descend into dissonant death metal madness on Lightless Expanse, aided by the presence of new bassist David Small, who adds a whole new dynamic to the band’s sound. Though Lightless Expanse won’t reach the masses until September 20, you can listen to first single “Abyssal Host” now.
Describing the new song, which shows off Glacial Tomb’s punk and sludge influences, Hutcherson says:
“’Abyssal Host’ is a D-beat rager about cosmic forces beyond humankind’s comprehension. One of the central themes of the record is that we, as a species, are continually undone by our hubris yet we seem unwilling and/or unable to acknowledge the futility of control in all its forms. There is serenity in surrender, yet our species seemingly cannot help but fetishize martyrdom. What would happen if a person who doesn’t want any part of this world became host to something so grand, so divine, that they became an unwitting martyr?”
Speaking eloquently about Lightless Expanse itself, Hutcherson elaborates on the meaning behind the album:
“Three and a half years. From the day that Dave shared the riffs that eventually became ‘Worldsflesh’ to the evening we approved the final mixes of Lightless Expanse with Arthur Rizik last fall, three-and-a-half years passed. In that time, our connection to–and appreciation of–this music grew stronger as the world around us continued to collapse. Despite the inescapable reminders of our proximity to the apocalypse, we also experienced moments of absolute joy in those years. Those moments of light proved to be just as essential to creating this record as the feelings of dread and anger, though the influence of the latter is certainly more immediate.
“I began writing the lyrics without a clear sense of the lyrical heart of these songs; I only knew that I wanted to reflect on the nature of suffering–the suffering guaranteed to each of us from the moment we draw our first breath. As the music became more complex and as the myriad emotions we sought to invoke became more visceral, I pushed myself to write a story–or, to be more precise, a story of and about stories–that was not simply a lamentation of the horrors of consciousness. I wanted the lyrics to reflect the journey that the three of us have been on, both individually and collectively, as we have grown to better understand the shape of this world and our place(s) in it. I wanted to see the world through the eyes of someone or something that would see this planet for what it is. I knew that it wouldn’t be enough to just be bitter about the pain of existence; I needed to articulate just how futile humanity’s aspirations for salvation truly are and, hopefully, to find some sort of serenity in that understanding.”
With all of that in mind, you can listen to “Abyssal Host” below and pre-order the album via Prosthetic. You can also listen to and score a copy of Glacial Tomb’s “Pale Usurper,” recorded during the Lightless Expanse sessions and released via the Decibel Flexi Series.
