Nearly a decade since Mares of Thrace released their sophomore album The Pilgrimage, the mythology-loving, Alberta-based doom metal duo have finally announced a follow-up. The Exile will be released on March 25 via their longtime label, Sonic Unyon.
The Exile features original vocalist/guitarist Thérèse Lanz with new addition Casey Rogers on drums and bass. You can hear the first taste of the new lineup with lead single "Mortal Quarry," seven minutes of spidery riffs and heavy breakdowns.
While The Pilgrimage was a three-act retelling of the Biblical story of King David and Bathsheba, "Mortal Quarry" brings Mares of Thrace's trademark noisy doom to more contemporary subject matter.
Says Lanz, "'Mortal Quarry' is about a particularly dark chapter in the chronicle of the last decade: losing someone to mental illness and addiction, and leaving the US right before a particular political event in the winter of 2016 sunk world history into new lows of existential dread-hell."
In the 10 years since The Pilgrimage, the project has gone through several lineup changes, including the initial departure of original drummer Stef MacKichan and MacKichan's return the following year, which included the release of the "Dead French Mathematicians" demo, described as "from our third full-length, upcoming... eventually," which at the time was tentatively titled The Burden. It's currently unclear if that material ended up on The Exile.
No matter the formation, we're glad the Mares are back. Take a listen to "Mortal Quarry" below. More information on The Exile, including a full tracklist and purchase info, is still to come.
The Exile features original vocalist/guitarist Thérèse Lanz with new addition Casey Rogers on drums and bass. You can hear the first taste of the new lineup with lead single "Mortal Quarry," seven minutes of spidery riffs and heavy breakdowns.
While The Pilgrimage was a three-act retelling of the Biblical story of King David and Bathsheba, "Mortal Quarry" brings Mares of Thrace's trademark noisy doom to more contemporary subject matter.
Says Lanz, "'Mortal Quarry' is about a particularly dark chapter in the chronicle of the last decade: losing someone to mental illness and addiction, and leaving the US right before a particular political event in the winter of 2016 sunk world history into new lows of existential dread-hell."
In the 10 years since The Pilgrimage, the project has gone through several lineup changes, including the initial departure of original drummer Stef MacKichan and MacKichan's return the following year, which included the release of the "Dead French Mathematicians" demo, described as "from our third full-length, upcoming... eventually," which at the time was tentatively titled The Burden. It's currently unclear if that material ended up on The Exile.
No matter the formation, we're glad the Mares are back. Take a listen to "Mortal Quarry" below. More information on The Exile, including a full tracklist and purchase info, is still to come.
