U.S. instrumental Post-Metal voyagers A World Worth Burning premiere their new full-length “The Sky Was Colored as Hammered Lead” exclusively here at Progressive Rock Journal, ahead of its official release on June 26, 2026 via Argonauta Records. The premiere is accompanied by an exclusive Q&A with the band.
Stream “The Sky Was Colored as Hammered Lead” in full via the YouTube player below:
With today’s premiere we enter the universe of A World Worth Burning: an instrumental journey where Post-Metal becomes the soundtrack of an imminent and silent apocalypse, between fragile melodies and massive distortions.
Craig, this project remained a personal aspiration for twenty years before materializing during the stasis of 2020. How did what was a solitary vision transform into a collective work capable of combining post-metal intensity with such cinematic textures?
It all started with finding the right people to create with. To go back to the beginning, it would be the fall of 2019 when Joe and I were messing around with riffs that I had in my library that dates back to about 2005 – 2007. It was Joe that said to me: “Hey, this stuff would be perfect for that instrumental project you have always wanted to do.” So, we started messing around with them. Then in 2020 COVID hit. Our other band, Vigil, that we were just starting to get off the ground, was impacted by the social distancing and quarantine rules. However, Joe and I decided that we could still get together and work on these riffs and see what we could do with them. Bringing in Derek on drums was next. He helped give them structure and movement. The original vision was to be a simple three piece. I wanted to keep it small and easy. Then as we started building these songs, I realised that a second guitarist was needed to add all the layers and harmonies it needed. We recruited Randy who is now also in Vigil with Joe and me.
As for our writing process and how the songs developed the huge cinematic sound to them, it is quite simple. All the songs were created by all of us in a room together jamming and improvising parts and sections. This gives the output a very live active feel. We did not record to a click because I find that it feels too sterile and mechanical. I like music that feels live, that breathes and moves. All the while, as these are being practiced and edited and modified, I am taking home the room recordings and taking notes for the eventual studio part of this. Those notes are things like synth and keyboard ideas, background instruments and other layers.
I love epic movie scores by composers such as John Williams and Hans Zimmer. This influence really has a lot of room to shine in this kind of music, and I am glad it can. Because of this, the album has a common thread of motifs and movements that all fit together to make one “story” if you will. I like lyrics and enjoy reading liner notes on albums that I purchase. I decided to craft a story of sorts, and the liner notes include each song with its meaning and purpose to the overall meaning of the album. It is a thin metaphor overall, but we think it gives the songs more life and purpose, and we hope people will enjoy the extra bit of effort put into it.
The album explores the collapse of humanity through eight chapters that recall the Horsemen of the Apocalypse. In the absence of lyrics, how did you work on the instruments to make them become the “narrating voice” of themes so dense such as extinction and the indifference of the universe?
We started by completing the songs and arranging them in a way that felt natural to go from one to the other. They were purposely built to begin and end so they could crossfade into each other when needed to maintain the momentum of the album and story. As for the instruments, we went for rich harmonies and melodic guitar lines that are very vocal in the approach of phrasing and articulation. I use a guitar with a sustainer in it, and that is a huge part of the overall sound and “vocal” quality you are hearing. Then we added the synth layers and choirs to give the songs a more majestic and ethereal under layer. I love to blend hard and soft together and make them play nice with each other.
Your style thrives on contrasts, between “fragile beauty” and overwhelming crescendos that recall the meeting between Pink Floyd and Cult of Luna. How did you build the hypnotic “momentum” that binds the record, making it a single listening experience from the first to the last note?
I think it is the combination of our influences. The band is most definitely a sum of its parts. We jam and improvise very well together, and everything just feels natural when we are in a room working and creating. To start there is me (Craig) who has the influence of classical composers and modern movie soundtracks coupled with influences like Pink Floyd, Devin Townsend, Opeth, Ayreon and The Gathering. Joe comes from the 90’s metal arena and brings that raunchy growling bass tone and groovy swing to everything he does. Bands like Tool, Type O Negative, Fear Factory, Pantera, Mastodon are all in his file cabinet. Then we have Derek who is a solid hard-hitting drummer that loves the classics from the 70’s and 80’s. You know, like Stewart Copeland, John Bonham, but also stuff like Megadeth and old school Metallica as well. Then finally we get to Randy who is the youngest member of the band. He brings his unbelievable level of musicianship and ability. He is the “accountant” of the band keeping us in check and making sure everything works correctly and fits harmonically. He has the influences of the 2000’s era metal such as Between the Buried and Me, The Ocean, In Flames, but also loves old Metallica and Megadeth. These things are all part of our sound and most likely why our songs flow so well together. We like to tell stories with our music.
— About The Album —
“The Sky Was Colored as Hammered Lead” unfolds like the soundtrack to the end of the world. Across eight interconnected compositions, the album explores themes of war, greed, famine, moral decay, silence, and extinction. Humanity slowly disappears beneath the consequences of its own hubris while the universe continues forward without memory or remorse. Rather than relying on vocals, the band allows the instruments themselves to become the narrative voice. Expansive guitar harmonies drift between haunting ambience and crushing intensity, while the rhythm section anchors every movement with massive low end and hypnotic momentum. The result is a record designed to be experienced from beginning to end, inviting the listener to completely sink into its atmosphere and emotional weight.
Tracklist:
01. Zelus (Conquest)
02. The Sky Was Colored as Hammered Lead
03. Speak No Evil
04. Ares (War)
05. Everything and Everyone You Have Ever Known
06. Limos (Famine)
07. A World Worth Burning
08. Thanatos (Death)
— A World Worth Burning Biography —
A World Worth Burning is an instrumental Post-Metal project from the United States featuring members of Vigil, already part of the Argonauta Records roster. What began as a personal creative vision over twenty years ago eventually evolved into a fully realized band shaped by atmosphere, emotion, heaviness, and cinematic storytelling. Guitarist Craig had long envisioned creating something entirely instrumental, focused less on genre conventions and more on building immersive sonic journeys capable of speaking without words. That vision finally took concrete form during 2020, when the global slowdown unexpectedly created the time and space needed to develop the material seriously. Joined by Vigil bassist Joe Davis, drummer Derek Clark, and guitarist Randy LaChance, the project quickly transformed from casual rehearsals into something far more ambitious. Drawing equally from Post-Metal, Progressive Music, Cinematic textures, and expansive Psychedelic atmospheres, A World Worth Burning developed a sound where soaring melodic guitars collide with massive rhythmic weight. The result is music that feels deeply emotional yet physically intense, balancing fragile moments of beauty with overwhelming crescendos.