Australia’s ageless kings of extreme doom Mournful Congregation return for the first time since 2018’s monumental “The Incubus of Karma” album. Now in 2022 comes “The Exuviae of Gods – Part I”, the first in a two-part EP series to bridge the gap between full-length albums.
Perhaps known equally for the colossal length of their songs as much as their evocative and somber magnificence, an EP for Mournful Congregation amounts to a sprawling three tracks over thirty-seven minutes in length. Two new tracks, the lachrymose funereal dirge “Mountainous Shadows, Cast Through Time” and the largely acoustic reflective dream of “The Exuviae of Gods”, present the ongoing expansion of the Mournful Congregation universe. And lastly, the band has revisited and re-recorded one of their oldest tracks dating all the way back to their 1995 demo days with “An Epic Dream of Desire”.
Over a discography spanning three decades, the towering legacy of one of the longest running underground extreme/funeral doom bands in the metal underground is unassailable, and “The Exuviae of Gods – Part I” is another brick in Mournful Congregation’s timeless ongoing bequest bestowed upon this mortal coil. Fans of Atramentus, Dream Unending, Worm, Skepticism, Bell Witch, Evoken, Ahab, Thergothon, and Esoteric, this is a must-hear.
The drums on “The Exuviae of Gods – Part I” were recorded at Red Lantern Studios in Portland, Oregon by Evan Mersky, while the rest of the tracks were recorded and the record mixed at the Cave Studio in Adelaide, Australia by Damon Good. Mastering was handled Brad Boatright at Audiosiege (Come To Grief, Nightfell, Yatra) and the artwork created by Karmazid (Abruptum, Summoning, Urfaust, Egregore).
Check out a teaser with clips from the songs on “The Exuviae of Gods – Part I” below.
20 Buck Spin will release “The Exuviae of Gods – Part I” in North America on CD and digital formats on May 27th, 2022, with the vinyl to follow later in the year. Find current preorder options at the label webshop here and Bandcamp and watch for vinyl preorders to post shortly. Osmose Productions is handling the record outside of North America.
Tracklist:
1. Mountainous Shadows, Cast Through Time
2. The Exuviae of Gods
3. An Epic Dream of Desire
The second installment of this series will see release later this year or early next. Watch for additional updates to follow throughout the year.
Line-up:
Damon Good – vocals, guitars
Justin Hartwig – guitars
Ben Newsome – bass
Ben Petch – guitar
Tim Call – drums
Weblinks:
www.mournfulcongregation.com
www.facebook.com/mournfulcongregation
