PHOTO CREDIT:
Simon Skreddernes
BAND FEATURES FORMER MEMBERS OF THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, EXTOL, AND SEA + AIR
DEBUT ALBUM HEAVY YOKE OUT NOVEMBER 16
Members of The Dillinger Escape Plan, Extol, and Sea + Air have joined creative forces as Azusa. The band’s debut album Heavy Yoke will be released on November 16 via Solid State Records in the U.S.
The band has partnered with Heavy Consequence to premiere video for the title track from the album.
Watch + listen here.
The band described the clip as the “abstract visual metaphor about habit loops, rewinding time, and loss of innocence. Aesthetically, we were imaging what it would look like if Jonathan Glazer directed an episode of Twin Peaks.”
About the track itself, Azusa said, “The musical elements in ‘Heavy Yoke’ are constantly challenging the song’s center line and balance point. While the acrobatic riffing insists on taking the tune off-track, the vocal lines add an anchoring sense of stability within the chaos. The opening riff is a precarious roller coaster and one of the more jarring, yet thrilling rides on the whole album. After the intro drop, the chorus catches you in a cushion of harmony, leaving you feeling secure and ready to take that ride again.”
The band furthered, “Thematically, ‘Heavy Yoke’ deals with those unspeakable truths lurking in the subconscious mind. You can ignore them for a while, but sooner or later, they’ll haunt you in the night. When you finally wake yourself up and let the daylight in, its healing powers reveal universal truths, which bring clarity and relief.”
Uniting the complementary skills of its members, Azusa’s sound is a thrash-fusion tour de force. Can you imagine Kate Bush fronting Slayer? Death collaborating with Annette Peacock? These allegedly incongruent influences dissolve seamlessly in an alluring sonic alchemy.
ICMYI:
Watch the music video for “Interstellar Islands” here.
The band has partnered with Revolver to premiere the new song “Heart of Stone.” Listen here.
HEAVY YOKE TRACK LISTING:
1. “Interstellar Islands”
2. “Heart of Stone”
3. “Heavy Yoke”
4. “Fine Lines”
5. “Lost In the Ether”
6. “Spellbinder”
7. “Programmed to Distress”
8. “Eternal Echo”
9. “Iniquitous Spiritual Praxis”
10. “Succumb to Sorrow
11. “Distant Call”
AZUSA IS:
Eleni Zafiriadou (Sea + Air) — Voice
Liam Wilson (The Dillinger Escape Plan) — Bass
Christer Espevoll (Extol) — Guitars
David Husvik (Extol) — Drums
