![VATICAN [photo by Nathan Fitzgerald]](https://www.earsplitcompound.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/VATICAN-photo-by-Nathan-Fitzgerald-1024x683.jpg)
[photo by Nathan Fitzgerald]
Sorrow Carrier Records confirms the August release of Ache Of Eternity — the crushing new EP by Georgia-based straight edge metallic hardcore outfit VATICAN – as the band begins to launch a brutal run of summer tour dates advancing the record.
VATICAN Ache Of Eternity was recorded by Kris Hilbert at Legitimate Business (Advent, Torch Runner, Red Death, Joy) in May of 2017, after which it was mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege (Integrity, Nails, Xibalba) and completed with artwork by Spencer Guerrero and photography by Nathan Fitzgerald.
Ache Of Eternity will see release through Sorrow Carrier Records on August 25th; stand by for audio samples, preorder links, an official video from the EP and more to be issued in the days ahead.
VATICAN has booked an intense run of US summer tour dates preceding the release of Ache Of Eternity, beginning with a show this Sunday, July 16th with Culture Killer and more in Ladson, South Carolina. Ten days later, on Wednesday, July 26th, they’ll play a This Is Hardcore pre-show supporting All Else Failed before heading out with Absolute Suffering, Strength Approach, and Momentum from July 31st through August 6th, after which VATICAN and Momentum will continue on in support of Breaking Wheel from August 8th through August 16th.
VATICAN Tour Dates:
7/16/2017 The Hive – Ladson, SC w/ Culture Killer, Invoke, Detriment, Hangman, Safety Switch, Mothmother
7/26/2017 Ortliebs – Philadelphia, PA – This Is Hardcore pre-show w/ All Else Failed, Absolute Suffering
w/ Absolute Suffering, Strength Approach, Momentum:
7/31/2017 The Flying Dutchman – Roanoke, VA
8/01/2017 Morning Glory Coffee – Wilmington, NC
8/02/2017 The Golden Pony- Harrisonburg, VA
8/03/2017 The Anvil- Altoona, PA
8/04/2017 Sugar City- Buffalo, NY
8/05/2017 Fuze Box- Albany, NY
8/06/2017 American Legion- Florence, MA
w/ Breaking Wheel, Momentum:
8/08/2017 Championship Bar- Trenton, NJ
8/09/2017 Sidebar- Baltimore, MD
8/10/2017 House Show- Florence, SC
8/11/2017 Cory’s Grilled Cheese- Charleston, SC
8/12/2017 Cloud Springs Deli – Ringgold, GA
8/13/2017 Erv’s – Atlanta, GA
8/14/2017 TBA
8/15/2017 Transitions – Tampa, FL
8/16/2017 Nighthawks – Jacksonville, FL
VATICAN operates at the apex of dichotomy. The Savannah-based Paingods are both deities of hurt and at its behest, inflicting it via their blistering metallic hardcore and spouting its message via their cathartic lyrics. They’re simultaneously fueled by faith and a lack thereof; though the band members are all straight edge, a lack of belief – in religion, in people, in self – pervades. The only area where polarities aren’t pulling in other directions is in their seamless combination of metal and hardcore: once disparate genres that have, over the years, become increasingly entangled and, here, finally fused into one.
That “here” is VATICAN‘s new EP, Ache Of Eternity. Tracks such as “Slit Of Creation” and “Boundless Image” find the group at their best, melding corrosive vocals somewhere between Zao, Caliban, and Carcass, with the unhinged aggression of Martyr A.D., the barely-controlled chaos of Converge and Burnt By The Sun, the groove of Machine Head, and the bloodthirsty beatdown of One King Down. They split the release with “Dreamer’s Bodybag,” a song that retains their energy but opens the heart as much as the pit, a la Poison The Well and It Dies Today.
Referencing “Eternity” in the title belies the young age of the band, initially formed at the beginning of 2015. Then again, traditional timelines have never really applied to VATICAN, who released their debut EP, Drowning the Apathy Inside, via Blasphemour Records just three months after forming and supported it with a two-week tour. Since then, they haven’t stopped releasing music – the “Paingod” single was followed by a four-way split with Sanction, Funerals, and Iron Curtain on Bitter Melody Records – or playing gigs, be they supporting shows in the Southeast US region they call home or on the road with bands like Heavens Die, Down In It, Vamachara, and others.
Though VATICAN is seemingly always pulling in other directions, the result will no doubt pull in fans of all things heavy.
Ache Of Eternity Track Listing:
1. Divine Ruination
2. Boundless Image
3. Dreamer’s Bodybag
4. Slit Of Creation
5. Innocence Grows Obsolete
https://vaticanga.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/vaticanhc
http://sorrowcarrier.bigcartel.com
https://www.facebook.com/SorrowCarrierRecords