photos by Ben Price
As Baltimore black/death metal outfit VERMÖRD prepares for the April release of their debut full-length, Nostalgic Predictions, Decibel Magazine is hosting the exclusive stream of the album’s closing hymn, “Gates.”
Crafting intense, epic, ominous, music, VERMÖRD’s aggressive approach is more realized than ever on Nostalgic Predictions. With rapid drumming and tremolo-picked riffs backed with occasional chugging chords, the band infuses components of sinister death metal into a wholly blackened aura, with technical and progressive tendencies and melodic elements instilled throughout, noting Necrophagist, Emperor, Decapitated, and Dark Funeral as reference points.
Nostalgic Predictions delivers thirteen tracks in just under an hour of playing time, the record was recorded by the band, then mixed and mastered by Noel Mueller at Grimoire Records and completed with cover artwork by Matt Lawrence.
VERMÖRD’s Zak Kempler reveals of the album’s new single, “‘Gates’ is a dark technical song that reflects on the ‘gateways’ chosen that ultimately determine our path. This song has a lot of sections and is chosen to end the album since it harbors much of what VERMÖRD strives to play as it represents the style of the band well. ‘Gates’ is about the inner struggle of succumbing to darker, primal side of us.”
Decibel writes with the “Gates” premiere, “…there’s certainly a layer of sophistication to the black metal savagery on this seven-minute rager.”
Stream VERMÖRD’s “Gates” first through Decibel Magazine RIGHT HERE.
Nostalgic Predictions will see independent release digitally and on CD on April 8th. Find preorders where “The Nine Circles” is playing HERE.
Stand by for additional audio premieres from Nostalgic Predictions, live plans, and more from the band to post over the weeks ahead.
Formed in 2014, VERMÖRD recorded their first EP, Dawn Of The Black Harvest, in 2015 with Grimoire Records, the record surrounded by two demos. The EP was met with solid critical acclaim by a wide array of metal outlets, and the band had already coalesced into the local metal scene, playing regularly around the Baltimore area. After winning a local battle of the bands contest for an opening slot for the Summer Slaughter Tour of 2016, their fanbase grew exponentially as a result. The band went through a hiatus from 2017-2020, where there were lineup changes, and no new recording or live activity took place, however, new music was still being written. In 2021, the revamped lineup began recording all the songs they had crafted in this period, which became their first full-length, Nostalgic Predictions
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