Montreal's death metal scene has spawned a ton of legendary musicians, and some of them are coming together to form Akurion. The band consists of current and former members of Cattle Decapitation, Neuraxis, Cryptopsy and other influential death metal acts, but before they drop their debut record, Come Forth to Me, they're sharing a taste of what's to come exclusively through Exclaim!
Although their debut record is just arriving now, Akurion have been writing material since 2012, when guitarist Rob Milley came to vocalist Mike DiSalvo to work together following the last Neuraxis tour. After a year of working together, the pair brought bassist Oli Pinard and drummer Tommy McKinnon into the fold, but as they began teasing material in 2015, DiSalvo's wife Genevieve faced a terminal illness and Pinard's joining of Cattle Decapitation put things on hold.
Now, the time has arrived for the public to hear Akurion, and "Leave Them Scars" shows it is well worth the wait. The song is a nine-minute ride through devastating progressive death metal passages with enough twists and turns to keep listeners constantly engaged.
Speaking on the song's creation, DiSalvo says they wanted to come straight out of the gate with something aggressive to leave people waiting for more.
"Luc Lemay, Lord Worm, JM Leblanc — those voices you know instantly," says DiSalvo. "They all play an integral part to 'Leave Them Scars,' the opening track of the album. We wanted to club people over the head instantly and honestly, what better way than to have these three amazing musicians lend their incredible talents and expressions to the song. The intention was to have three other distinct vocals help tell the story."
He continues: "'Leave Them Scars' is a tribute to battling through your own trials and tribulations and becoming victorious in this very personal endeavour. There can be light from darkness, and we wanted to explore that theory throughout the track, whether it be through the many layers, the many movements and all the little intricacies that bring it all together. We felt this was the right track to showcase what to expect on the album."
You can give a listen to "Leave Them Scars" below and pre-order Come Forth to Me here before it arrives on April 10 via Redefining Darkness Records.
Although their debut record is just arriving now, Akurion have been writing material since 2012, when guitarist Rob Milley came to vocalist Mike DiSalvo to work together following the last Neuraxis tour. After a year of working together, the pair brought bassist Oli Pinard and drummer Tommy McKinnon into the fold, but as they began teasing material in 2015, DiSalvo's wife Genevieve faced a terminal illness and Pinard's joining of Cattle Decapitation put things on hold.
Now, the time has arrived for the public to hear Akurion, and "Leave Them Scars" shows it is well worth the wait. The song is a nine-minute ride through devastating progressive death metal passages with enough twists and turns to keep listeners constantly engaged.
Speaking on the song's creation, DiSalvo says they wanted to come straight out of the gate with something aggressive to leave people waiting for more.
"Luc Lemay, Lord Worm, JM Leblanc — those voices you know instantly," says DiSalvo. "They all play an integral part to 'Leave Them Scars,' the opening track of the album. We wanted to club people over the head instantly and honestly, what better way than to have these three amazing musicians lend their incredible talents and expressions to the song. The intention was to have three other distinct vocals help tell the story."
He continues: "'Leave Them Scars' is a tribute to battling through your own trials and tribulations and becoming victorious in this very personal endeavour. There can be light from darkness, and we wanted to explore that theory throughout the track, whether it be through the many layers, the many movements and all the little intricacies that bring it all together. We felt this was the right track to showcase what to expect on the album."
You can give a listen to "Leave Them Scars" below and pre-order Come Forth to Me here before it arrives on April 10 via Redefining Darkness Records.
