Like any good sorcerer, Black Lava cast a wicked array of spells. On their new album, this blackened band of Aussies swirl together howling old-school death metal, eerie melodic dissonance, technical wizardry and sludgy grooves into haunting fantasies. Today, they’re releasing the third single off The Savage Winds to Wisdom, which is bound to stand as another crushing pillar in the band’s growing legend.
Listen to “Dark Legacy”: https://youtu.be/t-wQKKDmx1I
The Savage Winds to Wisdom comes out July 12, 2024 on Season of Mist.
Pre-order & Stream: https://orcd.co/blacklavathesavagewindstowisdom
Heading into The Savage Winds to Wisdom, Black Lava were hellbent on tapping deeper into the medieval witchcraft that they conjured on their debut album. “Our first time in the studio, we were dealing with all these frustrations that had boiled up during the pandemic”, says Dan Presland, who’s nimble pounding on the drum kit has helped shape Vipassi, A Million Dead Birds Laughing and Ne Obliviscaris. “That anger led to more of a bang-bang, punk rock approach. This time around, we took more time on the songwriting with the hope of conjuring a deeper and darker sense of atmosphere”.
Black Lava got their wish. “Dark Legacy” leaves even the most ghoulish of metal heads shivering in its wake. Presland slithers between hissing cymbals as Hadal Maw guitarist Ben Boyle rips through the long black night with a sustained roar of reverb, like an angry giant that’s been disturbed from its cave. “I have walked / I have seen”, Rob Watkins waxes and wanes, so drunk on witches’ brew that he’s begging for death’s cold embrace.
“There was greater care taken with the compositions on The Savage Winds to Wisdom, while still staying true to what we set out to do with Black Lava”, Boyle says. “Create catchy, anthemic tunes that are heavy-but-energetic and give a sense of power to the listener”.
While it’s not short on dread-inducing ambience, “Dark Legacy” cuts all the way to the bone. After some stormy feedback, the song opens with a riff that comes cracking down like a bolt of lightning. When Watkins summons his death growl for a dance with the grim reaper, it cuts straight through the iciest of heart.
“We sharpened our tools on this album”, Black Lava says. “The Savage Winds to Wisdom is a step up in all aspects. We went a little more dark and brutal and that’s exactly where we want to take our music”.
