DARK MEDITATION: Seattle Heavy Metal Practitioners To Kick Off Polluted Temples West Coast Tour This Friday

Photo by Sarah Hammel

Seattle heavy metal practitioners DARK MEDITATION will kick off their Polluted Temples West Coast tour this week! The journey begins September 15th in Portland, Oregon and runs through September 23rd in San Francisco, California. Additionally, on September 30th, the band will play the Satanik Royalty Records Showcase at Belltown Yacht Club alongside labelmates Sandrider, Heiress, Izthmi, and Ugly. Tickets for all shows are on sale now. See all confirmed dates below.

DARK MEDITATION Live:
9/15/2023 The Six – Portland, OR w/ Atriarch, Temple, Magdalene
9/16/2023 Naked Lounge – Chico, CA w/ Cryo, Murder Of Crows
9/17/2023 Harlows @ The Starlet Room – Sacramento CA w/ Larvae, His Master’s Noise, Drezden
9/18/2023 Savage Henry’s Metal Punk Mondays – Eureka, CA w/ The Disorderlies, Children Of The Atom, Drastic Gnarlys
9/20/2023 Supply And Demand – Long Beach, CA w/ Anubis, Trapmaker, Grave Danger
9/21/2023 Til Two Club – San Deigo, CA w/ -(16)-, Phantasmal Abyss, Blunt Splitter
9/22/2023 Knucklehead – Hollywood, CA
9/23/2023 Kilowatt – San Francisco, CA w/ Nite, Darkness Everywhere
9/30/2023 Belltown Yacht Club Satanik Royalty Records Showcase – Seattle, WA w/ Sandrider, Heiress, Izthmi, Ugly

DARK MEDITATION will be touring in support of their Polluted Temples full-length, released via Satanik Royalty Records earlier this year.

They may hail from Seattle, but DARK MEDITATION’s sound is steeped in traditions associated with other corners of the globe — England’s working-class cities, frosty Scandinavian towns, Southern California meccas of the ‘80s. Or as the band puts it, DARK MEDITATION sounds like the bastard amalgamation of Venom and Judas Priest fighting it out on the Sunset Strip while Danzig and King Diamond cheer them on. While such reference points may suggest a nexus of evil kitsch and arena-level theatrics, the band’s debut album Polluted Temples comes from a place of down-and-out urgency and punk ethics, adopting the gloomy anthems and riff worship of heavy metal titans for their sonic exorcisms rather than their rock n’ roll panache. It’s an album that basks in big hooks, righteous guitar work, and an arena-level stomp without compromising any grit, grime, or guts.

Originally conceived by vocalist A.D. Vick, guitarist Rane, and guitarist/synth player Ian as a recording project intended to provide personal catharsis, DARK MEDITATION came to serve as a crucial artistic outlet for the entire five-piece band — a salve during trying times. Along with compatriots JW Mullett (bass), and Will Klintberg (drums), the founding trio poured four years of blood, sweat, and equity into Polluted Temples, though the inner-band relationships go back even further. The members of DARK MEDITATION all cut their teeth and crossed paths in various niches of the underground, churning out visceral and vitriolic bangers in acts like Emeralds (SEA), O.S.S., R.I.P., and Wildildlife. A punk ethos permeated their earlier acts, and while they may have excised some of that primitivism in their current project, the members of DARK MEDITATION have not skimped on the aural punishment and physical intensity.

Recorded over two weeks during Seattle’s record-breaking heatwave of June 2021 by Matt Bayles (Mastodon, The Sword, Soundgarden), Polluted Temples is the culmination of nearly half a decade’s worth of work. Not only does it represent a triumph over recent adversities, it serves as a negation of ingrained prejudices and social mores. “Most of our songs deal with personal consequences of our actions and how it affects the world around us,” Vick says of his lyrics. “But there is also the looming specter of evangelical Christianity that I was brought up in and trying to break away from the dogmatic concepts that were pushed upon me in childhood.”

Ultimately, DARK MEDITATION’s true power lies in their razor-sharp musicianship, addictive songwriting, and fist-pumping instrumentation. It’s no small wonder that the band’s early demos warranted an official release by Austria’s boutique black metal label Doctrina Carnis before they’d even played their first live show. Polluted Temples marks a substantial progression in both performance and production, and with that evolution comes the requisite support of a strong stateside label.

Polluted Temples is out now on LP and digital formats. Find physical orders HERE and digital orders HERE.

“…gloomy trip with a riff-heavy soundtrack and earworms galore.” — Metal Injection

“…[DARK MEDITATION] channel the riffage of classic heavy metal but also embrace the accessible hooks of hard rock and goth/death rock.” — BrooklynVegan

“If you like your metal vivid, dynamic and fresh, but still honoring the old school titans of the ‘80s, then look no further…” — Velvet Thunder

“…fun, catchy, melodic at times and a great overall listening experience… a marvelous treat front to back for those wanting to travel years ago when metal just found its rightful place.” — Metal Purgatory

“It pounds the pulse, drives the head, and the soloing will make you want to hoist those invisible oranges toward the rooftops. Great vocals too, with enough grittiness and extravagant demonic flare to avoid running afoul of the ‘rule’ in our site’s title.” — No Clean Singing on “Haunt Of Fear”

“Drawing inspiration from bands as diverse as Fields Of The Nephilim and Judas Priest, Dark Meditation have unleashed 10 songs that find the perfect balance between catchy and heavy; songs that welcome fans of Tribulation and Sisters Of Mercy alike.” — Worship Metal