photos by Jacob Murry
Since releasing the first TERMINAL NATION album Holocene Extinction in 2020, the USA’s simmering divisions have only widened, factions hardened, compromise disintegrated. The band’s incendiary new album Echoes Of The Devil’s Den epitomizes that boiling rage, once again appearing on the eve of a recurring nightmare election cycle of fossilized 20th century relics.
The TERMINAL NATION battering ram has at its core outrageously heavy mid-paced riffing and bulldozing breakdowns, taken to new levels of extreme brutality, over which Stan Liszewski’s vocal venom radiates the seething anger of a population at wit’s end. Yet beyond that punishing substructure, TERMINAL NATION’s songwriting chops have evolved considerably, as evidenced on songs like “Embers Of Humanity,” which injects an epic heavy metal flair within its balladry, building to a stadium-esque crescendo. On “Merchants Of Bloodshed,” the band splices in anthemic, bordering on radio-friendly clean singing courtesy of Jesse Leach (Killswitch Engage). Additional guests flesh out the album, including additional drums on “Written By The Victor” and “Dying Alive” by Juan Cebreros, and additional vocal performances by Dwid Hellion (Integrity) on “Release The Serpents,” K. Kennedy (Sex Prisoner) on “Cemetery Of Imposters,” Zak Vargas (Elysia) on “Spikes Under The Bridge,” and Todd Jones (Nails) on “Written by The Victor.”
Lyrically, throughout Echoes Of The Devil’s Den, the band lashes out with both the scathing societal critique for which they’re well known and also a more intimately reflective narrative that draws upon some massive personal upheavals endured in the preceding years. Forged in the fires of tribulation, TERMINAL NATION’s “Echoes Of The Devil’s Den” demolishes with the force of an erupting volcano, burning to ash the falsity of our age.
Echoes Of The Devil’s Den was produced, engineered, and mixed by Ryan Bram at Homewrecker Recording Studio in Tucson, Arizona (Gatecreeper, Creeping Death, Spirit Adrift), mastered by Brad Boatright at Audioseige (Obituary, Integrity, Xibalba), and completed with photography by Jacob Murry and cover artwork by Adam Burke (Eternal Champion, Acephalix, Creeping Death). A must-hear album for followers of All Out War, Bolt Thrower, Earth Crisis, Maul, Xibalba, Kruelty, Fuming Mouth, and Gatecreeper.
The first warning shot to be fired from Echoes Of The Devil’s Den comes in the form of a video for “Written By The Victor,” the song featuring guest vocals from Nails’ Todd Jones and additional drums by Juan Cebreros, the video edited by Frank Huang with live Footage by Kurt Lunsford and additional footage by 197 Media.
Vocalist Stan Liszewski states, “It’s been almost four years since our debut LP dropped. We poured so much of ourselves into this new record that I wanted to come out of the gates swinging. ‘Written By The Victor’ is a track about the manipulation of historical narratives. The song explores how the ruling class holds so much power, they can essentially rewrite history to fit whatever narrative they choose. Those who emerge victorious, whether it be through conflict or through the power held via their socioeconomic status, end up as the narrators, formulating history as we know it. We still see it today in the schools (or at least attempts) and in the media, where entire movements and major historical events are misrepresented, overshadowed, or completely omitted entirely. While there has been some evolution of this tactic throughout history, the basis and intent remain the same. It’s about keeping control of the narrative and sometimes it’s even as insidious as retelling the hero’s story, but through the villain’s eyes.”
Unload TERMINAL NATION’s “Written By The Victor,” the video at YouTube HERE and the song at Bandcamp HERE.
20 Buck Spin will release Echoes Of The Devil’s Den May 3rd on LP, CD, MC, and digital formats. Find preorders for all versions at the label webshop HERE and Bandcamp HERE.
Watch for additional preview tracks from the record to be dispatched in the weeks ahead.
Echoes Of The Devil’s Den Track Listing:
1. Echoes Of The Devil’s Den
2. Written By The Victor
3. The Spikes Under The Bridge
4. No Reform (New Age Slave Patrol)
5. Empire In Decay
6. Embers Of Humanity
7. Merchants Of Bloodshed
8. Bullet For A Stone
9. Dying Alive
10. Cemetery Of Imposters
11. Immolation (Of Mother Earth)
12. Release The Serpents
The release date for Echoes Of The Devil’s Den will mark the ten-year anniversary of TERMINAL NATION’s first show, and the band is booking festival and tour dates to support the album. The band will play a show in Brooklyn on April 12th on their way to play the Decibel Metal & Beer Fest in Philadelphia April 13th, joining Biohazard, Deicide, Dying Fetus, Jesus Piece, Crowbar, Tomb Mold, Will Haven, and more. April 14th, they’ll play Worcester with Cruel Hand, Risk, Fool’s Game, and more at a benefit for The Whole Puzzle Company (Autism Awareness And Advocacy). See the confirmed dates below and watch for steady updates to post over the months ahead.
TERMINAL NATION Live:
4/12/2024 Gold Sounds – Brooklyn, NY w/ Enforced
4/13/2024 Decibel Metal & Beer Fest @ The Fillmore – Philadelphia, PA [tickets]
4/14/2024 The Whole Puzzle Company benefit @ PNI Club – Worcester, MA w/ Cruel Hand, Risk, Fool’s Game
TERMINAL NATION:
Chase Turner – bass/vocals
Stan Liszewski – vocals
Tommy Robinson – guitar
Chase Davis – drums
Dalton Rail – guitar
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