photos by Ivan Khilko
“…an aural fucking beating through and through.” – Metal Injection
Metal Injection is hosting an exclusive stream of Asymmetrical, the long-awaited third LP from Northern Virginia-based grind ‘n’ roll trio DRUGS OF FAITH. The album is set for release this Friday through Selfmadegod Records and Malokul.
With guitarist/vocalist Richard Johnson (Enemy Soil, Agoraphobic Nosebleed), bassist Ivan Khilko (Immanent Voiceless), and drummer Ethan Griffiths (Embra), DRUGS OF FAITH creates a dense foundation of rock/punk intensified by grindcore elements. It’s been nearly six years since their Decay EP dropped, and nearly fourteen years since the release of their Corroded LP, but 2025 with the release of the band’s volatile third album.
Asymmetrical packs ten tracks into twenty-one minutes, some of which date back to before the pandemic and others that were written and demoed during the lockdowns and since. Asymmetrical was chosen as the title since the record doesn’t follow a solitary mission statement or lyrical theme; rather, it encapsulates a variety of different directions and themes. Like the Corroded LP, Asymmetrical contains a noise track, an instrumental, and a cover song, yet the new songs and the production are quite varied from Corroded.
The lyrics to “Desert War Eternal” were written by J.R. Hayes (Pig Destroyer, Enemy Soil). “Drones” contains ideas from an unreleased Enemy Soil song that were resurrected and put through the DRUGS OF FAITH filter. The song “Essential” is a cover of a defunct European band called DrDoom (pre-Teethgrinder), who DRUGS OF FAITH played shows with while touring Europe years ago. Asymmetrical was recorded at Developing Nations by Kevin Bernsten (Integrity, Full Of Hell, Magrudergrind), who noted during tracking that the record sounds like, “a deranged rock album.”
Richard Johnson writes, “We’re naturally excited about Asymmetrical coming out. Lots of bands say they don’t care what people think or don’t pay attention to reviews, but I’m one of those few that is interested in reactions to the music. While with this kind of music you can’t please everybody, nor should you try, hopefully people who have been following us like what they hear. I mean, we don’t want to release a lame album.”
Metal Injection declares, “…there’s really nothing more angry than this record at the moment. I mean really, this thing is an aural fucking beating through and through.”
Stream DRUGS OF FAITH’s enraged Asymmetrical LP early only at Metal Injection RIGHT HERE.
Asymmetrical will be released this Friday, February 21st. Find preorders for the CD and other merch at the Selfmadegod Records webshop HERE, preorders for the 12” grey vinyl limited to 100 copies on Malokul HERE, and digital preorders at Bandcamp HERE.
DRUGS OF FAITH is booking sporadic live performances and tour dates in support of the album. Watch for further developments to be posted over the weeks ahead.
DRUGS OF FAITH Live:
2/28/2025 Rhizome DC – Washington, DC w/ Witch’s Mirror, Stygian Mind [tickets]
“The words, delivered in raw and furious yells, pack a ‘wake the fuck up’ punch and so does the music. The bass sounds like an enormous cement mixer heard up-close. The clanging, quivering, and jolting chords are both grim and brazen. The drums rumble and bounce like bricks in an industrial dryer… A bruiser, a brawler, a napalm-sprayer, and a mosh-pit trigger…” – No Clean Singing
“…it has been more than worth the wait, due to its ferociously precise and grooving grind that will thrill listeners both old and new.” – Echoes And Dust
“If there is finesse in grind, DRUGS OF FAITH is one of those examples…[translated]” – Heavy Metal Online
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