Auckland, New Zealand–based Progressive/Post-Metal side project Magnalith, founded by Mathew Bosher (also known for his work with Kerretta), is set to release the new album “Memento Mori” on November 07, 2025 via Rothko Records.
Today, Progressive Rock Journal is proud to host the exclusive premiere of the official music video for the title-track “Memento Mori.” Watch it via the YouTube player below:
Exclusive Q&A with Mathew Bosher:
Can you tell us about the inspiration and concept behind this track, and how it fits into the album as a whole?
“Memento Mori” is the title track of the album and serves as a reminder to me to live with purpose and be productive. To remember that you will die is actually inspiring. It means that by acknowledging, not ignoring, that there is an inevitable end—and that we have little control over when and how this may come about—we have the opportunity to make meaning of life. That is, to create our lives and not waste time. As Bob Dylan wrote, “He not busy being born is busy dying.” My intent is not to be didactic; just to hold up a mirror to myself. In this way, all the songs and effort to record and release them have been about doing purposeful work with the time I have. The lyrics are abstract expressionistic but I use that approach to create cinematic vignettes along these themes throughout. I think making meaning of (apparent) meaninglessness is interesting.
Were there any particular musical ideas, instruments, or production techniques that you focused on for this song?
Magnalith has allowed me to create a recipe that works well: a cycle of developing ideas swiftly (or finding a home for wayward ones), recording these with skilled friends to our shared engineering preferences, and maintaining a steady output between my other projects like Kerretta, Domes, and Whiteheron. The record is a collection of two remastered EPs and three new singles. Batch-processing these short-but-proggy songs over the years helped make it achievable. It’s rewarding to hear all of it together, working coherently. That makes sense as it’s all me on the instruments, except drums. I can hear the improvement over time of bass, keys, and songwriting. For this song, I was interested in the percussive bridge feeling like an A380 taking off then banking into the chorus finale. That was my actual direction to Corey Friedlander in the studio and it worked.
What was the creative approach behind the official music video, and how do you hope it enhances the listener’s experience of the track?
I make the videos for Magnalith to support self-promotion (I have a DIY label, Rothko Records) and because I’m interested to continue learning in media and technology. I source the narrative content, shoot the performance footage in my garage, experiment with different effects, and try for something that might give someone pause enough to consider the music. My hope is that the video is interesting, but mostly that listeners enjoy the lurch and lift of the riffs and sonic plateaus of this song—and are curious to explore more of the record. Thank you for checking it out!
Magnalith is dense but concise, expressionistic but corporeal music. Tangentially metal, curiously harmonic. Unbridled structural deviations see handbrake slides into weird, cinematic passages that lurch back into leviathan riffs. The new album, “Memento Mori,” meditation: an exploration of riffs, tension-and-release, and contemplative light-and-shade. It features three new singles alongside six remastered tracks; all focused, melodious slabs that reveal texture and detail on repeat listens.
At the helm of this project is Kerretta bassist, Mathew Bosher, with a team of regular collaborators including mix engineer David Holmes (Jakob, Saint Agnes). Listeners can expect elements of commanding New Zealand Post-Metal and Hard Rock balanced by emotive moments of introspection and suspense. The eclectic mix creates a sound that is both accessible and challenging.
The album is at times cacophonous, others pensive. It showcases a melancholic blend of Heavy riffs, vocal layering, and considered song structures. Each track contributes to a wandering but coherent journey. Fans of Progressive Music will find themselves immersed in an urgent, undulating soundscape of rolling fills, distorted bass, oddly-tuned guitars, retro synths, and soaring vocals.
“Memento Mori” is an invitation to an all too brief but meaningful journey from pathos to purpose, where each track serves as a testament to the human spirit. Prepare for an album that resonates long after the final note fades.
Purchase “Memento Mori” on Bandcamp: https://magnalith.bandcamp.com/album/memento-mori
Tracklist:
01. Memento Mori 03:09
02. Antimasque 03:05
03. Sanguinivory 03:36
04. Oblivion 02:47
05. Multitudes 02:05
06. Sympathy 02:51
07. Subnautica 03:10
08. Intimacy’s End 02:25
09. Instrumentality 02:29
Credits:
Written by Mathew Bosher
Drums performed by Corey Friedlander (Tracks 1 to 3), H. Walker (Tracks 4 to 6), and Dan Bosher (Tracks 7 to 9)
Mixed and mastered by David Holmes
Drums, Vocals (Tracks 1 to 6), Bass (Tracks 4 to 6) recorded by Tyler Tantin
Guitar, Bass, Vocals recorded by Johnny Kierle (Tracks 7 to 9)