Portland doomgaze/post-punk band Esses return with third full-length album »Pain At The Altar Of Jest«; out now via Seeing Red Records!

Portland, Oregon based doomgaze/post-punk band Esses return with their third full-length album, »Pain At The Altar Of Jest«, which was just released on September 26th, 2025 via Seeing Red Records.

Listen to »Pain At The Altar Of Jest« on all major streaming services!

Tracklist:
01. Three Sisters
02. Mirage Artist
03. Low
04. A Greene Heart
05. The Twelfth Thread
06. The Burrow
07. Cavern Of Souls
08. Crackedlands

Oakland-born, now Portland-based post-goth outfit Esses return with their 3rd LP, »Pain At The Altar Of Jest« – their most expansive and intentional work to date. Written after a move to the Pacific Northwest, the album draws influence from the city and its scene as well as its surrounding landscape. »Pain At The Altar Of Jest« is a hauntingly atmospheric masterpiece that holds you by the throat.

Their music weaves together elements of post-goth and doomgaze with overtones of the occult, dark imagery, and ancestral magick to capture an atmosphere that is both intimate and intense. The band is known for its transcendently dark and energetic live performances. Esses released »Pain At The Altar Of Jest« LP on September 26th through Seeing Red Records.

Photo credits: Kevin Brown

Esses on the opening track »Three Sisters«: “Recorded at Toadhouse Studios and mastered by Stephan Hawkes, »Three Sisters« kicks off the new record, picking up where »Schism« had left off on »Bloodletting«. This song felt like an opener as soon as we wrote it. We loved laying down multiple guitar tracks just for the chunk-chunk!”

Order »Pain At The Altar Of Jest« here:
seeingredrecords.8merch.com
seeingredrecords.8merch.us
essesmusic.bandcamp.com

Engineered by Adam Pike at Toadhouse Studios, Portland OR.
Mastered by Stephan Hawkes at Hawkes Studio, Los Angeles, CA.
Cover art by Ramona Zordini.
Photography by Kevin Brown.
Illustration and design by Kelly Correll.

Esses is:
Kelly Correll – Vocals & Guitar
John Chap – Guitar, Lap & Pedal Steel Guitar
Kevin Brown – Drums
Scout – Bass

For fans of Chelsea Wolfe, Esben & The Witch, Marriages

Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well