As Pathway, the impending new full-length from Oakland-based atmospheric doom-bringers, SECRETS OF THE SKY, draws near, today the band offers up the stunning new visual accompaniment to fourth track “Angel In Vines.” Directed and edited by Andrew Nethery (Melvins, Kyuss Lives, Dead Meadow), creator of the band’s 2014 “Decline” clip, and starring Melissa May and Zack Warren, the video, much like the song itself, is at once stark and alluring.
Elaborates guitarist Clayton Bartholomew, “For this video, we went back to director Andrew Nethery, who also did the video for the song ‘Decline’ from our first record, To Sail Black Waters. He did a great job for that video and was an easy guy to work with. For the ‘Angel In Vines’ video, we let him run with his own vision. The song itself relates to the loss of innocence, and he found an interesting analogy to express this same sentiment, while keeping the video abstract and not just giving away the premise of the song. We like that he was able to avoid cliché and the imagery he was able to capture is a definite work of art on its own.”
View the disquieting “Angel In Vines” clip at metalblade.com/secretsofthesky where you can also sample second movement, “Three Swords.”
Engineered, mixed, mastered and co-produced by Juan Urteaga of Trident Studios with SECRETS OF THE SKY, Pathway is the gargantuan, thirteen-track follow-up to 2013’s critically-adored To Sail Black Waters long player. Dark, brooding, pure and eclectic, the record finds SECRETS OF THE SKY at their most poignant. In a near perfect 9/10 review, Dead Rhetoric rightfully crowns the record, “an emotionally draining journey… the type of album that you can just close your eyes and visualize your own tale, even as some parts seem to prop up only after repeated listens,” further championing Pathway for having, “all of the inner workings of a great and resonating album,” while Metal Injection christened first single, “Three Swords” alone a “progressive metal masterpiece.”
Pathway features the diverse vocal stylings of Garett Gazay, who seamlessly fluctuates between monstrous growls and clean, soothing cascades, all the while complimenting the twisted compositions of guitarists Bartholomew and Andrew Green. Bassist Ryan Healy and drummer Lance Lea round out the lineup, their rhythms and distinctive voices adding further depth to the collective’s meticulous, blackened soundscrapes. Sonically, SECRETS OF THE SKY aimed for a massive, clean, and organic sounding production. Much time was invested in obtaining huge drum sounds and the focus was on single performance takes throughout the process. The result is an ambitious foray into conceptual storytelling, coupled with emotional music full of peaks and valleys. This is a metal record, to be sure, but more importantly, it sounds like an album of music. This is not a random sequencing of songs or a search for a “hit” single; the tracks all have their place in the story, and the cuts in between actually drive the narrative through sound effects and ambience. SECRETS OF THE SKY‘s Pathway is an experience to be had, as well as a record to merely be heard.
In conjunction with its release, SECRETS OF THE SKY will support UK extreme metal duo/labelmates, Anaal Nathrakh, on their North American live takeover. Beginning May 11th in Sacramento, California and concluding on May 22nd in Trenton, New Jersey, the journey will claw its way through twelve cities with additional support from special guests, Incite. From there, SECRETS OF THE SKY will conquer eighteen more locales through eleven states alongside Tucson sludge ensemble, North, on select dates. The band is also confirmed to appear at the inaugural Death To False Metal gala in Hamden, Connecticut in August alongside Whiplash, Krieg, Valkyrie, Imperial Triumphant, Nightbitch, Immortal Bird, Secret Cutter and many others, with future onstage endeavors in their strategizing stages.
SECRETS OF THE SKY w/ Anaal Nathrakh, Incite:
5/11/2015 Starlite – Sacramento, CA
5/12/2015 Complex – Los Angeles, CA
5/13/2015 Backstage Bar – Las Vegas, NV
5/14/2015 Club X – Salt Lake City, UT
5/15/2015 Black Sheep – Colorado Springs, CO
5/16/2015 Riot Room – Kansas City, MO
5/17/2015 Live Wire Lounge – Chicago, IL
5/18/2015 Empire Concert Club – Akron, OH
5/19/2015 TBA – Rochester, NY *SECRETS OF THE SKY only
5/20/2015 Sammy’s Patio – Revere Beach, MA *SECRETS OF THE SKY only
5/21/2015 St. Vitus – Brooklyn, NY
5/22/2015 Championship’s – Trenton, NJ
End Tour
5/23/2015 Goodfellas – McMechen, WV w/ Brimstone Coven
5/24/2015 The Rabbit Hole – Charlotte, NC
5/25/2015 The Odditorium – Asheville, NC
5/26/2015 TBA Atlanta, GA
5/27/2015 Vino’s – Little Rock, AR
5/29/2015 The Cave – Santa Fe, NM
5/30/2015 Tempe Tavern – Phoenix, AZ
6/06/2015 Golden Bull – Oakland, CA
w/ North:
6/12/2015 The Complex – Glendale, CA
6/13/2015 Caravan – San Jose, CA w/ Cold Blue Mountain
6/14/2015 1078 Gallery – Chico, CA w/ Cold Blue Mountain
6/15/2015 The Wandering Goat – Eugene, OR w/ Cold Blue Mountain
6/16/2015 Rotture – Portland, OR w/ Cold Blue Mountain
6/17/2015 Black Lodge – Bremerton, WA
6/18/2015 The Pin – Spokane, WA
6/19/2015 The Railyard – Billings, MT
6/20/2015 Foot Foot Fest – Fort Collins, CO w/ Reproacher
6/21/2015 7th Circle Collective – Denver, CO
8/14/2015 Death To False Metal @ The Outer Space & Ballroom – Hamden, CT w/ Whiplash, Valkyrie, Imperial Triumphant, Nightbitch, Immortal Bird more…
SECRETS OF THE SKY‘s Pathway will be officially released on May 19th, 2015 via Metal Blade Records. For preorder bundles, scroll on over to: metalblade.com/secretsofthesky.
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