[Cover photo credit to JT Ibanez]
St. Louis, Missouri-based Black Metal duo Stormruler released their debut full-length, Under A Burning Eclipse in 2021 via Napalm Records. On October 14, 2022, the band featuring Jason Asberry (vocals/guitars/bass) and Jesse Schobel (drums/vocals) returns with Sacred Rites & Black Magick.
Produced, mixed and mastered by Gabe Usery at Encapsulated Studios and featuring artwork by Giannis Nakos of Remedy Art Design, the album combines “epic tales of war, history, black magick and sorcery” beyond the standard confines of Black Metal, including a “conceptual journey of legend”.
The debut single and title track “Sacred Rites & Black Magick” is out now, giving fans an idea of where the album is headed, also accompanied by a video.
Stormruler says about “Sacred Rites & Black Magick”:
We chose Sacred Rites as our first offering for many reasons. We feel as if from the strike of the very first chord it gives off an apparent energy that can be felt throughout the entire album. Lyrically it encompasses the feeling of this record rather well with lyrics ripe of black magick rituals and ancient orders.
As on Under A Burning Eclipse, between each song on Sacred Rites & Black Magick there is an “intricately positioned interlude” building the ambience and steering the themes of the album.
Stormruler says about Sacred Rites & Black Magick:
This album is on another level in comparison to our previous offering. It falls in the same vein of the melodic second wave black metal worship of Under The Burning Eclipse, but with a more intense and darker touch. It’s got the high speed buzzsaw attack we love, crushing grooves, solid leads, ambience within the interludes and acoustic passages, as well as lyrics that tell a story.
