photos by Michael Hallahan
“…a gnarly waltz through the riffy side of sludge.” – Decibel Magazine
As Bangor, Maine-based MANIC ABRAXAS prepares for the August release of their fourth album, Skinformation, Decibel Magazine is hosting an exclusive premiere of the record’s title track.
From the wooded realms of Northern Maine, MANIC ABRAXAS unites drummer Tom Bennett, bassist/vocalist/synth player Justin Hamm, and guitarist/vocalist/synth player Dallas Seger), collectively unleashing a maelstrom of sound that defies boundaries and pushes the limits of auditory sanity.
The follow-up to their Foreign Winds album, MANIC ABRAXAS’ future-forward Skinformation is a dystopian sonic manifesto that delves into the dark underbelly of a bleak cyberpunk hive world. In this unforgiving landscape, data-huffers, faceless assassins, and techno-sexual freaks roam free, where information is the ultimate currency. Biomesh-enhanced collectors wipe their victims clean with a mere touch, but what happens when one becomes sentient and questions its purpose and the cost of this Skinformation?
Engineered, mixed, and mastered by the legendary Steve Austin of Today Is The Day at his Austin Enterprise, MANIC Skinformation features a guest appearance from William Maybeline (Qual, Lebanon Hanover) and mind-altering art by Gage Lindsten. Fans of High On Fire, Voivod, Taipan, Doomriders, Corrosion Of Conformity, Clutch, Diesto, Celtic Frost, Venom, and Okkultokrati should not miss MANIC ABRAXAS’ unhinged, unapologetic, and unrelenting, sound.
With the new single, Dallas Seger reveals, “‘Skinformation’ is a sonic representation of a world where the boundaries between mind and body are blurred, like a Philip K. Dick novel come to life. This song is a dark, gritty exploration of the intersection between human connection and technological manipulation, where the virtual and real blur like a faulty mainframe. Here, a single touch can upload, download, or erase the very fabric of our thoughts, and the Skinformant’s deadly caress can rewrite the code of our reality. Let the crushing riffs and gothic melodies transport you to a realm where the lines between flesh and circuitry, reality and fantasy are erased.”
Decibel Magazine writes, “Citing High on Fire, Doomriders, Voivod, Corrosion Of Conformity, and even Venom as influences, the band’s new album Skinformation is a gnarly waltz through the riffy side of sludge. On the title track, which you can stream below, MANIC ABRAXAS start with a tense riff and vocals that slowly build up into a steady groove. MANIC ABRAXAS’ sludgier influences and love for Voivod come through heavily on ‘Skinformation.’ Engineered, mixed and mastered by Today is the Day mastermind Steve Austin, ‘Skinformation’ is a slathered in a thick layer of grime and grit..”
Tap into MANIC ABRAXAS’ “Skinformation” through the Decibel Magazine portal RIGHT HERE.
Skinformation will be independently released on CD and digital platforms on August 2nd. Find preorders at Bandcamp where the track “Manic Abraxas” is playing HERE.
MANIC ABRAXAS formed in 2012 and unites three friends who met at local shows and collectively can’t get enough Celtic Frost, early High On Fire, and Unearthly Trance. Their hybrid of punk and metal fuses unpredictable yet catchy riffing with underground hooks and an energetic and aggressive sound that will make you either pump your fists or nod your head to the deep grooves.
Through 2015’s Manic Abraxas, 2020’s Speed Golem, and 2022’s Foreign Winds, and now the upcoming Skinformation full-length, MANIC ABRAXAS has employed heavy D.I.Y. promotion and regional performances supporting the likes of The Obsessed, Today Is The Day, Pilgrim, Heavy Temple, Shabti, Zud, Hessian, and more, earning them a solid fanbase, and earning the title of “Maine’s Best Metal Band” by Bangor Daily News.
Additionally, MANIC ABRAXAS’ Dallas Seger is a renowned luthier who owns and operates his own Seger Guitars, a dedicated shop specializing in custom handmade electric guitars inspired by vintage golden age electrics using traditional techniques. These guitars are the pinnacle of tone and feel. In addition to MANIC ABRAXAS exclusively playing Seger Guitars, some of the artists who are known to regularly play these axes include Matt Pike (High On Fire, Sleep), Dallas Green (Alexisonfire), Tim Sult (Clutch, Lionize), Tim Lehi (Draugar, ex-Twilight), and others. See more at the official website HERE.
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