Though they formed with the ease of a natural stream, Black Lava whisk together a wickedly wide cauldron of influences. Sludgy grooves boil with melodic dissonance and old-school death metal, bubbling over into medieval fantasies.
The Australian band are now adding a fresh layer of dark and doomy atmosphere to this potent concoction with their upcoming second album The Savage Winds to Wisdom. Today, they’re revealing “Unsheathing Nightmares”, the album’s second single, which summons a coven of witches amidst a punishing thunderstorm.
Watch the video for “Unsheathing Nightmares”: https://youtu.be/L_nbEoXEDPg
The Savage Winds to Wisdom comes out July 12, 2024 on Season of Mist.
Pre-order & Stream: https://orcd.co/blacklavathesavagewindstowisdom
As with all things that go bump in the night, “Unsheathing Nightmares” lures you in before hooking its claws into your skull. Drummer Dan Presland (Vipassi, ex-Ne Obliviscaris) crashes and rumbles behind clouds of buzzing distortion, only for a riff to reign down with the headbanging force of an executioner.
“There was greater care taken with compositions on The Savage Winds to Wisdom”, says guitarist Ben Boyle, who also handles axe duties for Vipassi. “Our new album has a greater sense of depth than our first one. The riffs and melodies are more layered, while staying true to what Black Lava does: heavy but catchy anthems that tell an epic story with a real sense of atmosphere”.
On “Unsheathing Nightmares”, Rob Watkins still growls with all the towering menace of a ravenous ogre. “Speak to me, O silent one!”. But beneath the song’s snaking leviathan of a bass line stirs an even more menacing and elusive force. You can practically hear his eyes rolling into the back of his head as he calls upon an ancient evil amidst hellish, rain-soaked ambience.
“When writing lyrics, I try and stay true to the spirit of metal, but really I’m just channeling how the music makes me feel,” Watkins says. “‘Unsheathing Nightmares’ is one of the songs on The Savage Winds to Wisdom that really excited me. I hope our fans will feel that way, too”.
The video for “Unsheathing Nightmares” was filmed and directed by Colin Jeffs. It was edited and coloured by Dan Presland and produced by Black Lava.
Praise for Black Lava
“Familiar yet undeniably creative, heavy and a clear statement in the darkness of music” – Metal Roos
“Practically forces you to headbang” – Metal Injection
“One of the more impressive debuts of recent years” – Distorted Sound
