New Jersey’s Dying Light is preparing to unveil the forthcoming full length offering, “The Wicked Crow.” With a dynamic sound rooted in Hard Rock with Heavy Metal influences, “The Wicked Crow” is scheduled to arrive independently on April 23, 2027.
Stream the first single “Dust” via the Spotify player below:
“The Wicked Crow” introduces the album with a Heavy guitar laden riff that utilizes a non-standard time signature. Influenced musically by 90’s era Hard Rock, it also incorporates a concluding bluesy guitar solo. Thematically, “The Wicked Crow” draws from Norse Mythology and the track’s narrative explores the final moments in life after a violent encounter. “The Black Wolf is the finality of death that comes to us all but the Wicked Crow is a messenger from the after life claiming the soul.“
“New Religion” explodes into life with thundering percussion and heavy riffs. With a drop C tuning, the Dark intense sound of the track aptly portrays its central themes. “New Religion” considers the human need for worship and how this is often taken advantage of by those with nefarious intentions: “[t]he song is a criticism of ideological manipulation using religion as a metaphor for any belief system that demands unquestioned loyalty.”
Highly rhythmic with a sense of foreboding, “Dust” emerges with a bluesy guitar riff and swampy bass. The driving momentum of the track’s verses subsides upon reaching the melodic choruses. Comprised of call and response vocal lines, the chorus arrangement sees the energy shift and provides space to breathe. In “Dust,” “[t]he lyrics paint a tense, cinematic scene centered on a person holding lethal power in a moment of emotional emptiness. An emotional plea gives way to a tense exchange.“
“Your Roses” sees a clean guitar track surrounded by the fierce distortion and power of surrounding guitars, drums and bass. The song delves into shadows and dark emotions such as regret, love, loss, and mortality. From haunting guitar melody lines to piano layers and acoustic guitar passages, “Your Roses” travels through an array of enticing moods.
In “The Beautiful Ones,” Dying Light ventures through progressive styles. Lyrically, the track compares the Rat Utopia experiments of John Calhoun against today’s human society. “The experiment and book show the failure of abundance. Animals and people need much more than just primary instinct satisfaction.” Musically, “The Beautiful Ones” explores contrast using clean guitars, heavy moments, dynamic shifts and vocal melodies.
Inspiration for “Witchery” manifested following a trip to Scotland and exploring the history of witchcraft. For Dying Light, “[i]t’s a reminder of how easily we separate ourselves from others and how human it is to demonize what we do not understand.” Musically, eerie tones before giving way to clean guitars. The full band arrangement return in full force with an anguished fueled display leading to an old-school metal breakdown.
“The Fire” “intentionally follows “Witchery” on the list of songs. However it is more about burning away the old to become something new through a shared struggle.” Influences such as The Cult and Guns N’ Roses can be heard in the music. The track launches into a fast moving groove, with high octane bass lines and hard-hitting percussion before it subsides into clean tones and smooth vocal melodies.
Lyrically, “‘Autumn’ is about accepting the loss after someone is gone. It frames the fact that endings are part of a natural cycle even when they are heart breaking.” The emotional musical arrangement and lyrics present the sentimentality and volatility of emotions experienced in grief. Initially following two simply chord progressions, upon reaching the guitar solos the track ignites with dark energy.
“DYKMN” (or, “Do You Know My Name“), concludes “The Wicked Crow” with a destructive force. The track’s dissonant introduction evokes the mood of a horror movie atmosphere before striking into life with steadfast heavy groove. “The song is the voice of destruction and self destruction. It’s about humankind’s need to fight and create violence. It’s an indictment of our need to constantly create the same self destructive force throughout history. It treats human conflict as a predictable and predetermined state.”
“The Wicked Crow” was produced, mixed and mastered by Charlie Berezansky at Rival Sound.
— About Dying Light —
New Jersey based Melodic Metal outfit Dying Light formed in 2020 comprised of Jim Haldenwang (guitarist/songwriter), Jeff Ross (vocals), Chris Fritz (bass/vocals), Doug Edwards (guitar) and Shaun Dilliplane (drums). Following Doug Edwards‘ exit, Jake Whittaker joined taking on the role of bassist which saw Chris Fritz switch to guitars.
2020 saw the release of Dying Light‘s self titled demo album, which was swiftly followed by “Far From Life” in 2021. Showcasing a progression in their sound, “Shallow Grave” arrived in early 2023 with 2025 bringing the release of “The Slumber.”
Drawing inspiration from across Hard Rock and Metal’s subgenres, Dying Light‘s sound carries a Classic Metal foundation that balances aggressive riffs with melodies and memorable hooks. Thematically the band explores themes of mental illness, addiction, toxic relationships, violence, and despair.
Tracklist:
01. The Wicked Crow 4:34
02. New Religion 4:08
03. Dust 4:38
04. Your Roses 4:38
05. The Beautiful Ones 5:46
06. Witchery 4:42
07. The Fire 3:39
08. Autumn 3:48
09. DYKMN 3:19
Lineup:
Jeff Ross / Lead Vocals
Jim Haldenwang / Guitar, vocals
Chris Fritz / Guitar, Vocals
Shaun Dilliplane / Drums
Jake Whittaker / Bass