US sludge/death/black metal trio Glacial Tomb share »The Lightless Expanse« music video; new album »Lightless Expanse« out now via Prosthetic Records!

Denver, Colorado based sludge/death/black metal trio Glacial Tomb share new music video for the latest single »The Lightless Expanse« taken from their sophomore album, »Lightless Expanse«, which was just released on September 20th, 2024 via Prosthetic Records.

Tracklist:
01. Stygian Abattoir
02. Voidwomb
03. Enshrined In Concrete
04. Abyssal Host
05. Sanctuary
06. Seraphic Mutilation
07. Worldsflesh
08. Wound Of Existence
09. The Lightless Expanse

Courtesy of Prosthetic Records:

Glacial Tomb are set to leave their mark on 2024 as they prepare for the release of their second full-length studio album, »Lightless Expanse«. The Denver, CO trio have embraced the foundations of sludge-corrupted death and black metal from their debut album while leveling up instrumental technicality and nuanced songwriting.

Invigorated by new bass player David Small’s presence, the group meticulously crafted »Lightless Expanse« throughout 2021 and 2022. Founding members Ben Hutcherson (guitar, vocals) and Michael Salazar (drums) embraced the new dynamic and fresh musical perspective Small brought to the band, with Hutcherson and Small’s work together in Khemmis no doubt fueling their creative alchemy.

The resulting album is an unflinching examination of the horrors of existence, captured with authenticity and meticulous attention to detail. The songs were produced and engineered by Hutcherson, with drums recorded at The Band Cave in Denver and everything else tracked at his home studio. In an era of hyper-quantized, soulless extreme music that prioritises perfection above all else, the trio rehearsed relentlessly throughout 2022 before they began tracking in Spring 2023. They enlisted the renowned mixing and mastering skills of Arthur Rizk to realize their collective vision for this record.

The narrative arc that runs through the nine blistering tracks juxtaposes everyday suffering with nigh-ineffable cosmic horror; mental illness, grief, social isolation, and a longing for meaning all take the form of celestial beings and deific machinations. Hutcherson’s lyrics are inspired by writers such as Thomas Ligotti, Philipp Mainländer, Peter Wessel Zapffe, and Alan Watts.

These bleak themes are wrapped up in a bruising package of dissonant death metal intensity, shot through with a flourish of black metal grandiosity. Whilst the aforementioned dedication to arranging things ‘just so’ gives a technical and cerebral edge to their sound, the choruses are laden with soaring melodic hooks, satisfying the most riff-hungry amongst us. Glacial Tomb refuses to fit neatly within the parameters of any one genre, and their sound is all the richer for it. »Lightless Expanse« is a multi-layered exploration of heavy metal in all its complex and cathartic glory.

»Lightless Expanse« is released via Prosthetic Records on September 20, 2024. Order the album HERE.

Glacial Tomb is:
Ben Hutcherson – Guitar/Vocals
Mike Salazar – Drums
David Small – Bass

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