Ripple Music is thrilled to have signed Los Angeles based Progressive-Space-Rock quartet, Vitskär Süden, for their sophomore full-length album. Doubling down on the strength of their self-titled debut from early 2020, the band have put together a truly phenomenal concept album – “The Faceless King” – which has some pretty incredible surprises that fans are sure to enjoy. Out NOW on Vinyl/CD/Digital via Ripple Music!
To commemorate the release of this fantastic new album, the band are also releasing the official music video for the track “Archdiocese of Worms,” watch it through the YouTube player below:
Regarding the video’s concept, Jarvis says:
“The idea was to show decay on multiple levels—a visual abstraction of this king’s mental state, and the way his cruelty ate away at his kingdom and his legacy. Ultimately, the landscape gives way to his decaying flesh as his transformation begins.“
About signing with Ripple, the band says:
“We couldn’t be happier to be working with Todd Severin and his team at Ripple Music on this release,” says the band. “Having a new home supportive of our genre-bending sound is a fantastic break for us moving forward. Hopefully we can bring something a little different to the Ripple roster and the label can introduce our unique sonic landscape to a wider audience.“
New album “The Faceless King” Out November 4th on vinyl, CD and digital via Ripple Music on Bandcamp: https://vitskarsuden.bandcamp.com/album/the-faceless-king-2
It’s clear that Los Angeles-based quartet Vitskär Süden operates from a shared musical consciousness. Having played together over the course of two decades, bassist/vocalist Martin Garner and drummer Christopher Martin unite effortlessly for a locked-in, half-time-heavy rhythm section approach. Guitarists Julian Goldberger and TJ Webber bring their own distinctive influences, touching on both the ambient and melodic but unified in an appreciation of layered sonic texture.
Drawing on elements of heavy psych and prog, their cosmic horror-inspired 2020 debut landed at #17 on Doom Charts’ best of the year list, also scoring an 8/10 review in Metal Hammer. Vitskär Süden are now ready to embrace its destiny, as the foursome recently signed to Californian powerhouse Ripple Music for the release of their anticipated sophomore album “The Faceless King” in the late fall of 2022. With stunning artwork by Samuel Araya, “The Faceless King” is a dark fantasy concept album that expands the Vitskär Süden mythos, weaving the origin story of the record’s antihero namesake. Acclaimed horror author Laird Barron describes it as “gorgeous and sinister; shoots images into my brain of blacklight posters of secret rites in lost, desecrated valleys performed while some bastard ’70s metal band croons a sword & sorcery drug rock accompaniment naming, song-by-song, a terrible thing that should remain nameless.“
Tackling themes of rebirth and the lust for power, “The Faceless King” retains the cosmic horror undertones of the band’s self-titled 2020 debut while leaning further into the fantasy realm to build out the mythology of the shadowy forces at work in their first record. It was recorded and produced by Vitskär Süden and Don Cento at Studio 64 in Los Angeles, mixed by Don Cento at CenTones, Austin, TX, and mastered by James Driscoll. It will be released on November 4th, 2022 on various vinyl formats, CD, and digital through Ripple Music. Listen to debut single “The Broken Crown” here: https://lnk.to/vitskarcrown
Lineup:
Martin Garner / Bass, Vocals
Julian Goldberger / Guitar, Synths
Christopher Martin / Drums
TJ Webber / Guitar
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