Louisville, Kentucky blackened melodic death metal band, VOLCANDRA has today announced their forthcoming second album, The Way of Ancients, which is due for release via Prosthetic Records on March 1. Alongside the album announcement, VOLCANDRA are currently premiering the lead single and accompanying music video, Fouled Sanctity, via Decibel.
LISTEN TO AND WATCH THE MUSIC VIDEO FOR FOULED SANCTITY VIA DECIBEL HERE.
Fouled Sanctity will be available on all streaming platforms on Thursday, February 1. Pre-order The Way of Ancients here.
Speaking on the album announcement, VOLCANDRA comments: “The Way of Ancients features an over arching high fantasy concept inspired by some of our favorite pieces of media from the sword and sorcery genre. It tells a tale of unlikely heroes traversing through deadly terrain in order to take on insurmountable forces of darkness. The album title refers to the final passage that must be taken in order to complete such a perilous quest. For this release we blended our influences from thrash metal, melodic death metal, and black metal all into one finely crafted sonic assault. It is our most aggressive record to date and we can’t wait to bring these songs to a venue near you. We are ecstatic to share this album that we are very proud of on the world stage via Prosthetic Records and expand our reach as far as possible.”
Of Fouled Sanctity, they add: “We chose Fouled Sanctity as the first single for this record because it takes no time to get going. From the first note you know you’re in for a banger. The track showcases our love for thrash and death metal with a blackened twist, but not without a hint of melody in the mix. The lyrics are about a brave warrior who ventures into the depths of a defiled cathedral that has been infested with demons in which he must do battle with. By the end of his quest he is possessed by the soul of the beast who is the cause of all of this chaos. For the music video we recruited our good friend Malcolm Pugh (Inferi) once again. The video pays homage to sword and sorcery films of the 1980’s and our love for analog media of yesteryear.”
Following the release of their well-received Border World EP in 2022, VOLCANDRA breathed life into their continually evolving universe of myths and extreme metal fantasy epics across stages in North America. Amassing tours alongside labelmates Tómarúm, multiple solo headline runs, and a support stint with The Convalescence, VOLCANDRA’s dynamic as a unit in 2024 is one of unwavering confidence and lofty ambition.
Galvanized by their growing rapport and momentum from the road, The Way of Ancients’ writing process came quickly and naturally to the band in the winter of 2022. Vocalist and lyricist Dave Palenske’s affinity for concept albums led to The Way of Ancients’ creative decision to implement an overarching story, with particular influence from the classic early Diablo video game series as well as the escapism found in sword and sorcery eighties films such as Conan, Clash of the Titans and Excalibur.
Commencing production in January 2023 with Mike Low (Cattle Decapitation, Khemmis, INFERI) at the helm for tracking, mixing and mastering, VOLCANDRA also enlisted Entheos’ Chaney Crabb and Navene Koperweis for drum recording. Further contributions also see choral singing throughout the release from Oubliette’s Emily Low. Whilst The Way of Ancients retains VOLCANDRA’s inclination for melodicism, both in songwriting and production value, guitarists River Jordan and Jamie DeMar’s synergy and growing desire for a more bellicose approach to the blackened aspects of their sound is evident throughout the near 40 minute runtime.
Intent to keep aesthetic continuity of their established narrative thread, longtime collaborator Varises Otak (Cryptopsy and Amon Amath) masterfully brings The Way Of Ancients’ visual identity to life with the cover art.