THE EMBER, THE ASH has today released the fifth single from their upcoming album, Fixation, titled Celestial Fracture (The Tempest). The solo endeavour from a musical polymath known only as 鬼, THE EMBER, THE ASH straddles the gulf between symphonic black metal and textured metalcore.
THE EMBER, THE ASH's sophomore album, Fixation, will be released via Prosthetic Records on May 14.
Listen to Celestial Fracture (The Tempest) via Bandcamp, available on all streaming platforms from April 16.
Speaking on the single release, 鬼 comments: "A storm of rages within the stricken, completely overthrowing the mind and seizing command over all thoughts. This complete hijacking of agency results in one feeling completely on the outside of their own mind, watching the mental fortitude they've constructed crumble before their eyes. Heavy symphonics are introduced on this track, and carry throughout its entire play time."
Distinct from their work as Unreqvited, Fixation follows on from THE EMBER, THE ASH’s 2019 highly acclaimed release, Consciousness Torn From The Void. Fixation is a unique blend of ice cold precision and a swirl of enveloping audio textures. The seven tracks that make up the album were written in 2019/20 before being entirely self-recorded and mixed in their home studio; mastering was handled by Nekkomix.
With a theme that picks through the debris of mental illness, 鬼 drew upon their own experiences of witnessing a loved one suffer through a traumatic episode. Exploring their own reaction to the fraught timeline of events, 鬼 channels their emotional response into the lyrics and music that make up Fixation. Suicidal ideation and spiraling thought patterns loom large over the album that is steeped in sombre atmosphere throughout. The distress of both witnessing and harboring such dark thoughts are at the core of the record's aggressive sound as well as its lyrical content.
Fixation will be released via Prosthetic Records on May 14.
Watch the lyric videos for Fixation's singles so far:
Strychnine
Fixation
Becoming the Eidolon
The Colossal Void