[photo by Ben Stas]
Southern Lord will release the debut LP from Worcester, Massachusetts crossover outfit HIGH COMMAND, putting the final touches on the terminal Beyond The Wall Of Desolation for release in the coming months. While the album’s street date and more are being locked down, an early single, “Visions From The Blade,” as a precursor for the record, as the band continues to tour across the country supporting Spirit Adrift.
Surging with the strength of the early US thrash and crossover scene, HIGH COMMAND projects a scathing display of scorched earth vocals and spiraling divebomb riffs, soaked in napalm leads, and percussive devastation. With competitive and fantasy-inspired lyrical scourge, the band drives their message forth with might and conviction. The raw barbarity of the band’s crushing early recordings caught the ear of Southern Lord who hunted the band down and now has them locked and loaded for the release of their debut LP.
HIGH COMMAND‘s Ryan McArdle offers, “Taken from the forth coming saga Beyond The Wall Of Desolation, ‘Visions From The Blade’ chronicles the boundless quest of obtaining forbidden knowledge from the unknown realm of profound secrecy. Who will survive… the spectacle of death?”
Stream HIGH COMMAND’s “Visions From The Blade” RIGHT HERE.
While the album is being slabbed for release, HIGH COMMAND has been on tour supporting the mighty Spirit Adrift for the past few weeks, performing several tracks from their impending debut. The tour continues with shows across Texas this week, after which HIGH COMMAND will tour home across the country, playing Memphis, Louisville, Milwaukee, Chicago, Lansing, Rochester, Albany, and Manchester through June 30th.
Watch for Beyond The Wall Of Desolation‘s official release date, cover art, additional audio samples, preorders, additional tour dates, and more to post in the coming days.
HIGH COMMAND:
6/21/2019 Hotel Vegas – Austin, TX w/ Spirit Adrift
6/22/2019 Ridglea Room – Ft. Worth, TX w/ Spirit Adrift
6/23/2019 Hi Tone – Memphis, TN
6/24/2019 Highlands Tap Room – Louisville, KY
6/25/2019 Walker’s Point Music Hall – Milwaukee, WI
6/26/2019 Subterranean – Chicago, IL
6/27/2019 Mac’s Bar – Lansing, MI
6/28/2019 The Rosen Krown – Rochester, NY
6/29/2019 Pauly’s Hotel – Albany, NY
6/30/2019 The Bungalow – Manchester, NH
The brainchild of guitarist Ryan McArdle and vocalist Kevin Fitzgerald, HIGH COMMAND began in rebellion to the brutal winter months, yet quickly spiraled into a full-bore killing machine, initiating the recruitment of like-minded area friends, the lineup fleshed-out by guitarist Mike Bonetti, bassist Chris Berg, and drummer Ryan Pitz. The band recorded The Secartha Demos at The Paincave with Chris Corey (Mind Eraser, Magic Circle, No Tolerance, Innumerable Forms) and had it mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege (From Ashes Rise, Integrity, Obituary) after which it saw release through Haftvad Records, the label issuing, “With razor-sharp metallic riffs, pure punk adrenaline, and an original Sword and Sorcery theme, HIGH COMMAND delivers a demo of skull crushing fantasy violence and aggressive atmosphere. If the brutal literary worlds of Robert E. Howard and Karl Edward Wagner manifested in the musical form of Sodom, Mercyful Fate, Integrity, and Cro-Mags, The Secartha Demos would likely be the result. For those who live for the lust of battle and music that bludgeons with the fury of a spiked-mace.” The label then issued the two-song The Primordial Void 7″ shortly after.
Decibel Magazine called the band, “A brawny and narrative-driven kind of crossover, draped in outlandish lore, taking zero prisoners,” and No Clean Singing offered, “It’s a powerhouse dose of crossover thrash that’s thoroughly galvanizing when the pedal is to the metal, and hits hard enough to rupture organs in the mercilessly grim slower sections.”
https://highcommand.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/HighCommand
http://www.southernlord.com
http://southernlord.bandcamp.com
http://twitter.com/twatterlord
https://www.facebook.com/SLadmin
https://www.instagram.com/southernlordrecords