New Heaven, Inter Arma’s new album (out April 26th on Relapse Records), is a compelling testament to perseverance, top to bottom. Its thicket of ever-dense layers of doom, death, and black metal occasionally let bits of light slip in, fleeting reminders to keep going amid the tumult. The record marks a sharp turn for Inter Arma, showcasing some of the most extreme and angular songwriting the band has ever laid bare. Known for their cinematic take on sludgy, extremely cavernous and borderline psychedelic Metal, the Richmond band broadens their dynamics by seesawing between piledriving momentum and swirling oblivion. New Heaven crushes and conquers, and illustrates what Inter Arma can truly be.
The push-and-pull between finesse and force is New Heaven’s hallmark, the quality that makes it such an electrifying and compulsive listen. “Concrete Cliffs” is one of Inter Arma’s most magnetic songs to date, with its forlorn riffs pulled tight until it catches like razor wire. The band seesaws between piledriving momentum and swirling oblivion, as if always trying to find some new path ahead out of unceasing trouble. It is a note to self to stay alive, to see what else may be in store. Inter Arma's TJ Childers comments, "While sonically 'Concrete Cliffs' doesn’t exactly traverse any new terrain in the Inter Arma universe-psychedelia, one note knuckle dragger riffs and Lizzy-esque harmony guitars-it marks the first time we’ve ever gone after a harsh verse/melodic chorus dichotomy within a song. It’s kind of a classic metal recipe that we put our own fucked up spin on. Hope ya’ll dig it."
Additionally, Inter Arma have dropped a limited edition "Concrete Cliffs" t-shirt of which 10% of proceeds go to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) of Virginia. Childers says, “We are releasing a 'Concrete Cliffs' t-shirt to coincide with the release of the song and music video. It’s limited to 200 pieces and 10% of the proceeds of each t-shirt sale will be donated to NAMI Virginia to help ensure that all Virginians continue to have access to mental health resources if and when they need it. Thank you.” Order the "Concrete Cliffs" t-shirt from InterArmaMusic.com.
Though New Heaven is indeed another triumph for the band, it is not a triumphant album, meant to offer some glib or naïve assurance that everything will be fine.
They call it the 'Inter Arma Curse': for nearly two decades, the band has emerged as one of the most inspired and fearless acts in or around American metal. They’ve also endured an endless parade of complications, hurdles, and slights: visa problems in Russia, stolen passports in Europe, unexpected member turmoil in their ranks, accidents and near death experiences, and a pervasive paradoxical sense that they have either been too metal or not metal enough. It’s been forever Sisyphean, except that Inter Arma has sporadically crested the hill to make a series of visionary albums.
As New Heaven started to take shape, the curse roared to life. Worldwide pandemic that squashed tours and writing sessions aside, Inter Arma churned through four bassists before finding salvation in Joel Moore, a guitar-and-engineering whiz who had never before played bass in a band. With the addition of Moore, drummer T.J. Childers admits that New Heaven features some of the kind of music Inter Arma could have never executed. Listen for the uncanny keyboards wedged between Paparo and the band, for the ways Steven Russell and Trey Dalton coil and collide with Moore, for Childers’ way of slipping some Southern soul into what borders on truly brutal prog. Paparo’s keen and empathetic lyrics explore arduous facets of the human experience, from innocent victims of war, to addiction, and social apathy. New Heaven is a record about enduring brambles and curses and lasting long enough to make something profound, honest, and even affirming about it all every now and again..
Childers comments, "New Heaven is the culmination of four years worth of adversity ranging from near death experiences, multiple member changes and of course a global pandemic. It marks a new chapter for us musically as we feel we've taken our songwriting to places we've never explored before. We're excited to have come out of the madness relatively unscathed and feel as though we've created something completely unique that will stand apart in the sometimes homogenous extreme music community." Guitarist Trey Dalton continues, "This record, maybe more than our previous efforts, more fully represents what we're trying to accomplish. It's still very much us - you know, music made by dudes coming from disparate musical backgrounds and perspectives, but with a more collective and defined sense of purpose. Clarity in direction, maybe. Your mileage may vary, but we like it a lot, and we hope you do too."
Pre-order New Heaven at this location, or direct from Relapse Records here.
New Heaven tracklisting:
"New Heaven"
"Violet Seizures"
"Desolation’s Harp"
"Endless Grey"
"Gardens In The Dark"
"The Children The Bombs Overlooked"
"Concrete Cliffs"
"Forest Service Road Blues"
"New Heaven":
Catch Inter Arma on tour with Pallbearer and The Keening at the following shows:
July
11 - St. Louis, MI - Off Broadway
13 - Denver, CO - Gothic Theater
15 - Calgary, AB - Dickens
16 - Edmonton, AB - The Starlite Room
18 - Vancouver, WA - Rickshaw
19 - Seattle, WA - Substation
20 - Portland, OR - Star Theater
23 - Sacramento, CA - Harlows
24 - San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall
26 - Santa Cruz - The Catalyst Atrium
27 - San Diego, CA - Brick By Brick
28 - Los Angeles, CA - Terragram Ballroom
29 - Phoenix, AZ - Crescent Ballroom
30 - Albuquerque, NM - Sister Bar
August
1 - Dallas, TX - Trees
2 - Austin, TX - The Parish
3 - Houston, TX - White Oak Music Hall
(Photo - Jonah Livingston)
