photo by Michelle Nisbet
As Oakland, California-based melodic death metal trio DARKNESS EVERYWHERE prepares for their debut EP, The Seventh Circle, to see release through Creator-Destructor Records next week, the searing title track has been dispatched, featuring guest vocals from Xavier of Upon Stone.
DARKNESS EVERYWHERE unites vocalist/guitarist/drummer Ben Murray, guitarist Cameron Stucky, and renowned producer engineer Zack Ohren on bass. The Seventh Circle refers to Dante’s Seventh Layer Of Hell, where acts of violence in life are punished in death. The endless torture inflicted upon human souls for their past sins of hatred is an all-consuming reality in the lyrical themes of the seven songs on the band’s debut EP.
The Seventh Circle was recorded in late 2020 at Sharkbite Studios in Oakland, engineered and produced by Zack Ohren, and completed with cover artwork by Samuel Nelson. Additionally, The Seventh Circle features guest vocals from Laura Nichol (Light This City) on “Survival Of The Sun,” by Xavier (Upon Stone) on “The Seventh Circle” and by John Henry (Darkest Hour) on the “The Grand Impact.”
Murray writes with the new single, “This song is definitely my favorite on the record, as I feel we captured the sound we were going for with the band perfectly with this title track. When Cameron and I wrote this one, it came together really quickly and just seemed like all the parts aligned seamlessly, right in that pocket of the melodic death metal that we love. To up the intensity on the final and title track on The Seventh Circle, we called on our friend Xavier of the almighty Upon Stone to contribute some guest vocals to the chorus of the song, which turned out awesome. We hope you all enjoy the song!”
Stream DARKNESS EVERYWHERE’s “The Seventh Circle” featuring Xavier from Upon Stone at all streaming services including Bandcamp HERE and YouTube HERE.
The Seventh Circle will see CD and digital release next Friday, February 25th through Murray’s Creator-Destructor Records with a vinyl version to follow shortly after; vinyl preorders have just been posted. Find preorders at Bandcamp HERE and the label webshop HERE.
DARKNESS EVERYWHERE formed in late 2020 with the goal of writing songs heavily influenced by the classic mid-1990s Swedish melodic death metal sound. This isn’t the individual members’ first round around the block when it comes to melodic death metal, as Murray is a founding member of Bay Area band Light This City, and Stucky is a member of symphonic melodic metal act, Crepuscle. Ohren recorded and produced all of Light This City’s albums throughout the past twenty years and continues to be one of the leading metal producers in the industry, having worked with Machine Head, All Shall Perish, and many more.
The glory years of early In Flames, At the Gates, and Dark Tranquillity are what largely inform the sound and aesthetic of DARKNESS EVERYWHERE. The core of the band is built on the feel of those legendary records, while offering a refreshing take on the no frills melodic death metal sound akin to the output of modern outfits The Black Dahlia Murder, Darkest Hour, and The Haunted. The band wastes no time in getting to the point of melodic death metal riffing and driving, thrashing tempos.
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