[photo by Justina Villanueva]
Decibel Magazine premieres “Smear Campaign,” the first single from Lowlands, the fourth LP from New York City-based ZEVIOUS. The band, featuring members of Dysrhythmia, Sabbath Assembly, Many Arms, Smother Party, and others, will release the album through Nefarious Industries in August.
Lowlands marks ZEVIOUS‘ first effort for Nefarious Industries and offers a subtle change in direction from their previous two releases. On Lowlands, the band explores a hypnotic and more streamlined rhythmic approach while maintaining their abrasive edge with influences ranging from new-wave and 20th century composition to doom and black metal.
“‘Smear Campaign’ was one of the most challenging songs to develop for this album,” the members of ZEVIOUS issue of the track. “Whenever we play this one, we feel like there are a lot of opportunities for the song to derail. When we got into the studio, we felt like it finally clicked, and all the parts came together. We poured a ton of energy into the performance and the song seemed to come alive in a way it hadn’t before.”
Decibel states of the song, “For the uninitiated, ZEVIOUS contains members of Dysrhythmia, Sabbath Assembly, Many Arms, Smother Party and other out-there acts, playing off-kilter instrumental music combining elements of jazz, metal, and prog. Their 2013 album, Through The Wall, is a total mindfucker and Lowlands promises to do the same, albeit in a more streamlined way.”
Hear ZEVIOUS’ “Smear Campaign” at Decibel Magazine RIGHT HERE.
Lowlands will see vinyl and digital release via Nefarious Industries on August 17th; find preorders at the label webshop HERE and via Bandcamp HERE. Watch for additional previews of the album, live actions in support of the album, and more to be released in the weeks ahead.
Since forming in 2007, Mike Eber (Smother Party), Jeff Eber (Dysrhythmia), and Johnny DeBlase (Sabbath Assembly, Many Arms) have sought to blur the lines between prog, jazz, and metal as ZEVIOUS. The band released their self-titled debut in 2008 which featured a more traditional acoustic sound and hinted at the compositional style the band was beginning to develop. Soon after, the band caught the attention of Cuneiform Records and released After The Air Raid in 2009, abandoning the traditional sound of their first record for a more power-trio style involving louder volumes with a leaning toward melodic/polymetric compositions.
The subsequent years marked a period of frequent touring and musical development for the band. In 2013 ZEVIOUS released their second record for Cuneiform, Passing Through The Wall, an even more aggressive realization of their trademark polymetric style. After a fruitful US tour with Dysrhythmia in late 2013, the band worked feverishly on a new batch of material while playing more on the NYC metal scene with acts such as Behold…The Arctopus, Krallice, Ocrilim, Child Abuse, Cellular Chaos, and others.
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