SMOTHER Premiere New Album Chapter IV - Tying Thy Noose of Rusted Chain via NoCleanSinging
Featuring members of BLACK VICE, CROWN OF ASTERIA, etc.
US black metal collective SMOTHER has released the fourth installment of its anguishing saga Chapter IV - Tying Thy Noose of Rusted Chain, out now via Red River Family Records.
Mixed and mastered by frequent label conspirator Bradley Tiffin (Haunter), Chapter IV - Tying Thy Noose of Rusted Chain is a 41-minute track that sees SMOTHER at its most disturbing. Dropping the neo-folk influences for wailing noise and ambiance, Tying Thy Noose of Rusted Chain maintains the Cascadian black metal trio is more than just a side project of its creators. The album features cover photography by Katie Metcalfe (Cave Mouth). Like previous chapters, the recording begins with the base foundation of a drum track, with collaborators adding elements to the passage to bring the fullness of instrumentation into a finished product.
Summoned in 2016, SMOTHER first entered the void as a project between SM (Black Vice, Ravnblod) and AR (The Way to Light). The initial concept was a book that SM would write after releasing ten albums, known as chapters, with audio and lyrics tying into each. The collective's first release, Chapter I - The Human Condition, added DZ as a vocalist, with AR masterminding the atmosphere and guitars while SD handled drums and artwork. After AR stepped away from music, MW (Crown of Asteria) continued the writing process in their place, and Chapter II - A Corpse of Wood and Stone saw their first collaboration with SM. Chapter III - This Road That Stopped The Fire introduced JV (Grst, Uruk) on guitar, and Chapter IV - Tying Thy Noose of Rusted Chain sees MW making their mark as the main vocalist.
Red River Family Records released SMOTHER's Chapter IV - Tying Thy Noose of Rusted Chain via cassette and digital platforms on January 14. Purchase here.
SMOTHER is:
SM – percussion, noise
MW – ambiance, vocals
JV – guitars
"Best listened to in pitch-black darkness" – NoCleanSinging
Chapter IV - Tying Thy Noose of Rusted Chain Track List:
1. Chapter IV - Tying Thy Noose of Rusted Chain (40:51)