FUNERAL Announce Chilling New Album "Gospel of Bones"

In the shivering, twilight-stained expanse of Norway, where frost gnaws at ancient stones and shadows linger under perpetual twilight, FUNERAL weave tapestries of sorrow. The band's upcoming ninth album, Gospel of Bones, is a cavernous exploration of grief and resilience that's bound to echo deep within the hearts and souls of the doom metal faithful. Every note of lead single "My Own Grave" is meticulously carved from the raw nerves of pain, loss and solitude.   

Watch the elegiac video for "My Own Grave" below

Gospel of Bones comes out October 18, 2024 on Season of Mist.

Pre-order & Pre-save: https://orcd.co/funeralgospelofbones

When the weight of the world presses down like the bows of a snow-laden fir, Funeral stand resolute. The Norwegian band are guardians of the melancholic spirit that defines funeral doom metal, marching to the somber tune of operatic vocals, crushing riffs and the relentless dirge of the band's founder and drummer Anders Eek.

Gospel of Bones is a journey through the depths of despair. The album was produced by  the venerable Børge Finstad, who helped the enduring Norwegian band intertwine their intense, personal narrative of life's mishaps with a wide-ranging vision that bridges the chasm between doom metal, folk-rock and classical music. This mournful soundscape is enhanced by the artwork of Tristan Diaz Bastie, drawing listeners into a world where beauty and anguish waltz in a tragic embrace. 

"My Own Grave" is a harrowing scene of mournful splendor. Pounding drums, bowing strings, slow, chugging riffs and Eirik Krokfjord's operatic baritone lock together in a perpetual dance between life and the inevitable shadow of death.  

Melancholy. Pain. Loss. Solitude. Those had been just some of doom metal main themes ever since bleak pouring rain and the sound of church bell in the distance gave birth to the genre on BLACK SABBATH self-eponymous debut over five decades ago. But how many musicians have actually been bearing in their very flesh those gut-wrenching feelings?


Anders Eek – FUNERAL’s founding member, drummer and indisputable leader since 1991 – doesn’t particularly see it as a badge of honour, but he’d be the first to admit that somehow, the “death and loss we had to go through over the years were extremely painful yet inspiring, as a musician and as a human being.” And indeed, ever since their very first rehearsal in a basement in their hometown of Drammen, just outside of Oslo, Funeral had been ridden with problems and tragedy. Originally inspired by CATHEDRAL, CANDLEMASS, BLACK SABBATH, TROUBLE etc, they very quickly set out to create the most depressing and slowest form of doom/death possible at a time when their home country was being hailed as the birthplace of black metal. They went through several labels over the years, only to see them bust soon afterwards. Plagued by recurrent line-up problems, they even lost two of their key members Einar André Fredriksen (bass) and Christian Loos (guitar) in 2003 and 2006, respectively, to suicide and overdose.


But somehow, Eek never surrendered, but instead overcame all those obstacles by releasing over the years a slab of classics, each with its own, distinct personality, from the utter misery of the delicate yet none-so-extreme 1995 debut album ‘Tragedies’ to the more melodic and accessible 2001 gothic/doom masterpiece ‘In Fields Of Pestilent Grief’ or 2012 symphonic masterpiece ‘Oratorium’. Still, after the 30th anniversary concert in Oslo, april 12th 2022, also featuring the original singer Toril Snyen on the track «taarene», “life got in the way” as Anders puts it. “Some of us had kids, others moved out. Even I had quite a lot of things going on in my personal life and, at least for a while, maybe less drive to keep on carrying on the weight of the band on my shoulders. I never stopped writing music though because it’s something I’ve always done anyway.


2021 sees the band releasing Praesentialis in Aeternum (something along the line of “here eternally”) as a “natural progression. Guesting on  opening track ‘Ånd,’ the first single off the record, is Lars Nedland, Sindre’s own brother of BORKNAGAR and SOLEFALD fame. It’s also the first album for their new partner, Season of Mist.


In 2020 Eek started writing what was to become the album Gospel of Bones, to be released in October 2024.

In 2022 Singer Sindre Nedland was replaced by the professionally trained baritone opera singer Eirik Krokfjord (specialized in the works of Richard Wagner), known from both the Norwegian Opera Choir, as well as having several leading roles in operas both in Norway and abroad.


Violinist Ingvild Johannessen also joined the ranks, and the band moved away from programmed orchestration, and recorded all strings analogue.. This time around also incorporating the traditional Norwegian instrument the Harding fiddle, which is a key element throughout the entire upcoming album, moving the band slightly towards a more «folk» sound, combined with the classical opera-vocals of E. Krokfjord. Hopefully building bridges between both metal music, folk- rock and classical music.


Roughly 20 tracks were composed throughout the Covid pandemic(9 of whom made it to the studio), and yet again recorded and mixed at Toproom Studio, by Børge Finstad.


Violinist Øyvind Rauset, from the cult Norwegian folk-rock band FOLQUE, is performing on 2 tracks as a guest musician, as well as Espen Ingierd, with his very distinct singing-style in the vein of John Lennon, Michael Gira (SWANS)etc from cult doom/death band BEYOND DAWN singing on 2 tracks.


The album also contains an instrumental cover song , written by Kjetil Selvik, and is a melancholic piece only consisting of harding fiddle and church organ.


The lyrical content of the album is an autobiography of life’s mishaps of drummer/composer  A. Eek, and deals with real darkness, misery, pain and loss.  A Gospel of Bones.

Line-up
Anders Eek - Drums
Eirik Krokfjord - Vocals
Ingvild Johannesen - Violin
Rune Gandrud - Bass
Stian Kråbøl - Guitars
Morten Søbyskogen - Guitars

Recording Studio
Toproom Studio & Studio 42

Production Credits
Produced by Børge Finstad
Sound Engineered by Anders Langberg
Mixed & Mastered at Toproom Studio by Børge Finstad

Guest Musicians
Øyvind Rauset
Espen Ingjerd
Vilde Kråbøl
Anders Langberg

Cover Art
Tristan Diaz Bastie

Photography
Guilherme Henriques

Stream & Order: https://orcd.co/funeralgospelofbones

Follow Funeral:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/funeralnorway/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/funeralnorway
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DirgeofMourning
Bandcamp: https://funeraldoom.bandcamp.com/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0q3guqlmd8oVaz5v2Fqy3q
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/artist/funeral/208973684
Deezer: https://www.deezer.com/artist/194130
TIDAL: https://tidal.com/browse/artist/23777

AS I LAY DYING Celebrate Two Decades of Destruction in the U.S.!

San Diego quartet AS I LAY DYING is celebrating its anniversary as a band with the "Two Decades Of Destruction Tour". Today, the band announced the U.S. leg of the tour will kick off on June 10th in Las Vegas. Joining the band for the 30 dates are WHITECHAPEL, SHADOW OF INTENT, BRAND OF SACRIFICE (June 24-July 17), and OV SULFUR (June 10-23) The tour will conclude on July 17th in Oklahoma.

Phil Sgrosso comments, "After 2 years of anxiously awaiting the safe return of live events it's finally our time to get back out on the road to celebrate 'Two Decades of Destruction' with WHITECHAPEL, SHADOW OF INTENT, BRAND OF SACRIFICE, and OV SULFUR. We've had enough time to fully recharge and can't wait to feel that energy of performing onstage again. We've certainly missed our fans so we look forward to reconnecting with everyone as we celebrate our 20-year milestone and get back on the road. See you soon!"

General admission and VIP tickets for the tour go on sale on Friday, April 1st at 10 AM EDT


Purchase tickets here:
GA: www.asilaydying.com/
VIP: aild.soundrink.com/

Confirmed dates for AS I LAY DYING "Two Decades of Destruction" with WHITECHAPEL, SHADOW OF INTENT, BRAND OF SACRIFICE, and OV SULFUR are:

6/10/2022 House Of Blues - Las Vegas NV ^
6/11/2022 Rialto Theatre - Tucson. AZ ^
6/12/2022 11:11 - El Paso, TX
6/14/2022 Empire Garage - Austin, TX ^
6/15/2022 Temple Live - Fort Smith, AR^
6/16/2022 The Concourse - Knoxville, TN^
6/18/2022 House Of Blues - Myrtle Beach, SC^
6/19/2022 Jannus Landing - St Petersburg, FL^
6/20/2022 The Fillmore - Charlotte, NC^
6/22/2022 Brown's Island - Richmond, VA^
6/23/2022 The Sherman Theater - Stroudsburg, PA^
6/24/2022 Starland Ballroom - Sayreville, NJ*
6/25/2022 Webster Theater - Hartford, CT*
6/26/2022 The L - Elmira, NY*
6/27/2022 Roxian - Pittsburgh, PA*
6/29/2022 Paristown Hall - Louisville, KY*
6/30/2022 Kemba Live - Columbus, OH*
7/01/2022 The Intersection - Grand Rapids, MI*
7/02/2022 Pierre's - Ft. Wayne, IN*
7/05/2022 The Rust Belt - Moline, IL*
7/06/2022 EPIC Event Center - Green Bay, WI*
7/07/2022 Admiral - Omaha, NE*
7/08/2022 Val Air - Des Moines, IA*
7/10/2022 Zoo Montana - Billings, MT*
7/11/2022 The Newburry - Great Falls, MT*
7/12/2022 Knitting Factory - Spokane, WA*
7/14/2022 Mesa Theater - Grand Junction, CO*
7/15/2022 Sunshine Studios - Colorado Springs, CO*
7/16/2022 The Wave - Wichita, KS*
7/17/2022 Diamond Ballroom - Oklahoma City. OK*
^ - W/ OV SULFUR
* - W/ BRAND OF SACRIFICE
The band's latest album, Shaped By Fire, was produced by AS I LAY DYING and was mixed by Joseph McQueen at Sparrow Sound in Los Angeles, CA while mastering was completed by Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound in Nashville, TN. The only exception was for the track “My Own Grave” which was produced by AS I LAY DYING, co-produced by Drew Fulk, and mixed by Adam “Nolly” Getgood. The artwork was created by Corey Meyers.

The band releases the Shaped By Fire (Deluxe Version) which features live and instrumental versions as well as re-interpretations of the original tracks. AS I LAY DYING band offers fans the live music video for "My Own Grave". Check out the video from their show in Munich that was edited by Mike Demellia, below:

AS I LAY DYING is:
Tim Lambesis | vocals
Phil Sgrosso | guitars
Josh Gilbert | bass guitar & vocals
Jordan Mancino | drums

Order your copy of Shaped By Fire here: http://nblast.de/AsILayDyingShopInt

AS I LAY DYING Release Shaped By Fire (Deluxe Version) + Release Live Music Video For "My Own Grave"!

San Diego quartet AS I LAY DYING unleashed their seventh full-length album Shaped By Fire onto the world via Nuclear Blast on September 20, 2019. Today, the band releases the Shaped By Fire (Deluxe Version) which features live and instrumental versions as well as re-interpretations of the original tracks. In celebration, the band offers fans the live music video for "My Own Grave". Check out the video from their show in Munich that was edited by Mike Demellia, below.

Phil Sgrosso comments: "The initial idea was to create a deluxe version stemmed from leftover material written for the Shaped By Fire album. Some of it was re-purposed for b-sides and several tracks were used for the live show exclusively, until now.

More recently. we had an interest to recreate 'My Own Grave' into a more stripped-down/orchestral version inspired by the 90’s 'Unplugged' era that we all grew up with. We also became interested in a new version for 'Redefined', incorporating a heavier electronic element. The live versions for 'Blinded' and 'My Own Grave' were captured on our last European tour in Munich, which was one of the biggest and most high-energy shows to date.

For the first time ever, we’ve released an instrumental album version to showcase the musical aspect. Just like when we’re writing initial demos, the music is step one in captivating the listener’s attention so the intricacies and details of the music are a little more prevalent here.

It was a fun experience to breathe some new life back into
Shaped By Fire. We’re all very proud of this album and are always encouraged by our fans’ support and enthusiasm for new AILD music over the past 20 years."

LISTEN to Shaped By Fire (Deluxe Version) here: https://asilaydying.bfan.link/shaped-by-fire-dlx

The band's latest album, Shaped By Fire, was produced by AS I LAY DYING and was mixed by Joseph McQueen at Sparrow Sound in Los Angeles, CA while mastering was completed by Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound in Nashville, TN. The only exception was for the track “My Own Grave” which was produced by AS I LAY DYING, co-produced by Drew Fulk and mixed by Adam “Nolly” Getgood. The artwork was created by Corey Meyers.

Order your copy ofShaped By Firein the format of your choice here:label.nuclearblast.com/asilaydying-shapedbyfire


Listen and downloadShaped By Fireat:http://geni.us/AILDShapedByFire

AS I LAY DYING is:
Tim Lambesis | vocals
Phil Sgrosso | guitars
Josh Gilbert | bass guitar & vocals
Jordan Mancino | drums

Order your copy of Shaped By Fire here: nuclearblast.com/asilaydying-shapedbyfire