Progressive deathgaze pioneers Kardashev returns with a new studio album, “Alunea”, set for release on April 25th, 2025, via Metal Blade Records.
The eight sonically and lyrically immersive songs on “Alunea” have set yet another high-water mark for the dynamic lineup. Known as the progenitors of the “deathgaze” genre, that descriptor is evolving as Kardashev continually explores and pushes boundaries.
“Words you could use to describe our music are ‘atmospheric, progressive, emotional, dynamic, and contrast”, explains drummer Sean Lang. “Our music attempts to sonically portray the emotions of anger and sorrow which creates a palpable but natural dynamic contrast”.
“‘Alunea’ has much more experimentation when compared to previous releases”, says singer Mark Garrett. “It’s a very proggy album”. Guitarist Nico Mirolla concurs, The Almanac and The Baring Of Shadows albums were the beginning of development into the “gaze” side of deathgaze. Kardashev was known for their sonic similarities to death metal, but with “Alunea”, they’re coming closer to progressive death metal, with leanings in the “gaze” only momentarily.
Music has always been a universal language, but Kardashev creates their own lyrical language, adding depth and meaning. “I’ve loved tinkering with languages since I was a little kid”, says Garrett. “I’m not an expert when it comes to constructed languages, often referred to as ‘conlangs’, but I find language to be a really interesting aspect of humanity”.
“I was dabbling in the beginnings of the language of ‘Alunea’ years before we added it to our record The Almanac”, he continues. “I would sit at my desk at work – a call center at the time – and make up interesting grammatical rules to pass the time. One of my favorites was having the length of a vowel add plurality to a word. I didn’t create that concept, but it was fun to play with. Years later when Nico and our previous bassist suggested I bring my interest in conlangs to our music, the vowel length concept was what I started with. It all grew from there”.
“Alunea” is a direct sequel to the events of The Almanac and picks up right where the song “Beyond Sun And Moon” leaves off. Garrett elaborates: “The first releases in The Kardashev Mythos were broad and conceptual, but they’ve morphed into something more granular and specific. ‘Alunea’ tells the story of the main character from The Almanac meeting a being created in the song ‘Continuum’ from Excipio. Their meeting is a philosophical examination of where responsibility and duty intersect. We don’t try to answer those questions, but we do examine them deeply in this album”.
The LP’s first single, “Reunion”, is an allegory for hope. Garrett notes: “‘Reunion’ is part of the imaginary mythology we have written for our far-off descendants. Hundreds, maybe even thousands of years ago, our offspring will have their own stories of how life and society came to be. ‘Reunion’ tells a chapter in this mythology in which two pivotal figures meet in open air. The main character from The Almanac, who is named Sky-Brother, has traveled across space and time to meet a being created by mankind to form a new civilization on a distant world. The track’s musical DNA is rooted in the sounds of bands like The Contortionist, Cigarettes After Sex, and Fallujah, with intense death metal aggression, whimsical atmospheres drenched in reverb, and a bigger than life uplifting melodies. Kardashev likes to think of the melodic story as an allegory for hope”.
Watch the lyric video for “Reunion” below.
“Alunea”, which includes guest appearances by vocalist Erin from the band Genital Shame on “Speak Silence” and Pawel JJ Przybysz, who played duduk, an Armenian woodwind instrument, on “We Could Fold the Stars”, and artwork by Karl E., was mixed and mastered by Zack Ohren (Entheos, Machine Head, Demon King, Fallujah).
“Alunea” will be released on CD and digital formats as well as vinyl in the following color variants:
• White Black Dust (US)
• White Black Marbled (EU – Ltd. 300)
• Gold Black Dust (EU – Ltd. 300)
Pre-order “Alunea” here.
Tracklist:
1. A Precipice. A Door.
2. Reunion
3. Seed of the Night
4. Speak Silence
5. Truth to Form
6. Edge of Forever
7. We Could Fold the Stars
8. Below Sun & Soil
Line-up:
Nico Mirolla – Guitars
Mark Garrett – Vocals
Alex Rieth – Bass
Sean Lang – Drums
Weblinks:
www.facebook.com/Kardashevband
www.instagram.com/kardashevband
