Black Lung drop the opening track “Traveler” as the first single taken from the American heavy psych rockers’ forthcoming new studio album “Forever Beyond”.
The fifth album from the Baltimore, Maryland outfit is scheduled for release on March 6th, 2026, via Magnetic Eye Records.
Watch the video for “Traveler” below.
“This song is about relying on one’s anxiety and depression – almost like a super power”, vocalist and guitarist David Cavalier writes. “You think, its the things that are going to keep you safe and sharp. In reality, it’s the complete opposite. The song also touches on the idea of living in a blameless world. Radical acceptance of people and who they are. Musically, this is one of my favorite tracks. We made it as dynamic as possible and each section feels like its own moment”.
Pre-order “Forever Beyond” here.
Tracklist:
1. Traveler
2. Death & Co.
3. Savior
4. Follow
5. Forever Beyond Me
6. Border Hoarder
7. Scum
When you find yourself adrift at zero gravity with a dreamy smile on your face, you’ve probably booked a flight into space on Black Lung’s latest inter-dimensional transport “Forever Beyond”.
The veteran trio from Baltimore, Maryland have fine-tuned the recipe of their musical rocket fuel, distilled from stoner doom, psychedelic rock, and other fiery ingredients. Black Lung’s unique concoction drives every track with captivating tunes, melodic riffing, pumping rhythms, and the inimitable vocal cords of Dave Cavalier taking it home. Every single song on “Forever Beyond” hits its mark perfectly.
On their fifth album “Forever Beyond”, Black Lung complete the hyper jump initiated on their fourth album “Dark Waves”, which was already venturing into new sonic galaxies. Undertones of anger and defiance manifest as many of the songs are artistic reactions to the historic political upheaval in the USA, dealing lyrically with the lure of fascism, blind nationalism, and corporate oligarchy.
Black Lung came into being when two founding members of Baltimore’s well-established psych rock band The Flying Eyes, guitarist and organ player Adam Bufano and drummer Elias Schutzman, teamed up with multi-instrumentalist Dave Cavalier in early 2014. The three set themselves apart from the crowded field of psych doom and heavy blues with a sonic interchange of fuzzed-drenched guitars, deep driving drumbeats, and Cavalier’s raw, blues-tinged vocals.
Their self-titled debut “Black Lung” appeared in 2014 and was not just celebrated locally, with the title “Best New Band” awarded by the Baltimore City Paper, but Black Lung also crossed the Atlantic to embark on their first European tour. This was capped with a performance at the prestigious Rockpalast Crossroads Festival, broadcast on German national television.
Black Lung released their sophomore album “See the Enemy” in 2016, building on the strengths of their debut while at times pushing into garage psych territory. The album paved the way for a headlining European tour, notably appearing at Freak Valley Festival and DesertFest Belgium.
In 2019, Black Lung returned with “Ancients”. The third full-length channeled years of experience, touring, and songwriting into a more adventurous course, venturing further from familiar doom and psych rock tropes. During the pandemic years, Black Lung managed to push forward with new guitarist Dave Fullerton, which resulted in fourth album “Dark Waves” It was a milestone in the band’s career, as they abandoned some of their pet ideas such as eschewing bass guitar live in favour of guitars through bass amps, along with the black and white aesthetics that had dominated their artwork of their first three full-lengths.
Black Lung are openly anti-Trump and anti-fascist to the core and make no secret of it. They have no intention to become dogmatically boring but rather aim for live performances that are both cathartic and fun.
With “Forever Beyond”, Black Lung prove that it is possible to rage against injustice with an utmost joyful defiance!
Line-up:
David Cavalier – Vocals, guitar
Dave Fullerton – Guitar
Elias Schutzman – Drums, keyboard, vocals
Mac Hewitt (live) – Bass
Recording line-up:
Dave Fullerton – Guitar
Elias Schutzman – Drums, percussion, mellotron, synth, bouzouki
Dave Cavalier – Vocals, guitar
Charles Braese – Bass
Guest musicians:
Ms. Sara – vocals on “Traveler”
Robert Karpay – cello on “Follow”
Recording by Steve Wright at Wrightway Studios, Baltimore, MD (US)
Mixing by Steve Wright at Wrightway Studios, Baltimore, MD (US)
Mastering by Tony Eichler at Goldtone MasterWorks, LLC, Cape Coral, FL (US)
Cover image courtesy of the NASA/Ames Research Center
Cover image hand-coloured by Zarahlena
Layout by Łukasz Jaszak
Weblinks:
www.facebook.com/blacklungbaltimore
www.instagram.com/blacklungband
