Greek psychedelic prog/black metal experimentalists Hail Spirit Noir unveil details of their long awaited fifth studio album “Fossil Gardens”, which constitutes the successor to “Eden in Reverse” from 2020. The album – set for release on June 28th, 2024, via Agonia Records – is foreshadowed by a new single “The Temple of Curved Space”, which is playing now below.
“Fossil Gardens” is an intense and soul-elevating experience; a musical journey to the unmistakable world of Hail Spirit Noir, and its most extreme effort to date. The band’s signature sound, defined by otherworldly melodies, vintage synths and compositional experimentation, is once again present, yet shifting towards black metal instrumentation and chaotic soundscapes, reaching next-level psychedelia.
Long time partner Dimitris Douvras (Rotting Christ, Nightstalker) and Magnus Lindberg, member of Cult of Luna and world renowned mastering engineer, handled the production duties, crafting a warm and solid sound that perfectly reverberates the band’s abstract vision. The visual side of the album was portrayed by George Baramatis (cover artwork) and Dimitris Katsenos (additional art and layout).
Taking up where “Eden in Reverse” left off, the album, thematically, focuses on the philosophical and scientific struggle to unravel the secrets of the universe and reach new states of consciousness that defy the limits of space and time.
Haris (synths) had this to say about “Fossil Gardens”: “This time we went more extreme than ever before, we used lots of blasts, screams and minimal black metal textures. Even so, I believe this is a positive album, since it revolves around the charm of our cosmos and the transcendence of space and time. Having this on mind, we went for a solid yet abstract sound production, meaning that we wanted the listener to perceive the music as a whole, not as the sum of individual parts and instruments. Some may find it different than our previous album, but if you watch closely, you’ll notice the extreme similarities”.
The group was established late 2010 as a trio and issued their debut album “Pneuma” two years later. Its warm reception strengthened the band’s experimental approach and enhanced its quirky take on music, all of which inevitably led to the release of “Oi Magoi” in 2014; a psychedelic prog-black metal opus of trippy melodies and satyric aura. Followed by “Mayhem in Blue” in 2016, the band’s signature sound was solidified, and at the same time expanded into more aggressive territories, without abandoning the group’s trademark psychedelic-infused melodies. Since 2018, the trio has been joined full-time by its live members, changing the band into a sextet. Their last album, 2020’s “Eden in Reverse”, was lauded as the next step in their ongoing evolution, with an 80s twist. In 2021, Hail Spirit Noir celebrated their 10th anniversary with a one-off, disco-driven soundtrack, “Mannequins”, which darignly plunged into synthwave & sci-fi pop aesthetics, having strayed away from the band’s typical release path.
Album formats:
• Slipcase CD
• Tape
• Color in color LP
• Marbled blue LP
• Galaxial red LP
• Digital
Clothing:
• T-shirt
Pre-order “Fossil Gardens” here.
Tracklist:
1. Starfront Promenade
2. The Temple of Curved Space
3. Curse you, Entropia
4. The Blue Dot
5. The Road to Awe
6. Ludwig in Orbit
7. Fossil Gardens
Line-up:
Theoharis – Guitars, vocals
Haris – Synths
Demian – Bass, guitar solos
Foivos Chatzis – Drums
Dimitris Dimitrakopoulos – Clean vocals
Weblinks:
hailspiritnoir.com
www.facebook.com/HailSpiritNoir
