Lotus Thief and Forlesen to release a split EP on January 26th via I, Voidhanger Records
Lotus Thief and Forlesen teamed up for a split EP which will see the light on January 26th, 2024 via I, Voidhanger Records.
Tracklist:
01. Lotus Thief – In Perdition
02. Forlesen – Black Is The Color
Courtesy of C Squared Music:
Lotus Thief and Forlesen are preparing to unveil their split EP via I, Voidhanger Records on January 26th, 2024. The EP consists of »In Perdition« and »Black Is The Color«, songs based on olden texts and traditions that challenged and united both bands in common purpose.
Lyrically, Lotus Thief’s »In Perdition« is based on Giovanni Boccaccio’s 14th-century text »The Decameron«, a set of short stories taking place during The Black Death. The song parallels moods of terror and hope set during and in the wake of the global lockdowns centuries apart.
Forlesen presents a unique arrangement of the traditional folk ballad »Black Is The Color«. First documented in Appalachia in 1916, but with roots traced back to Scotland, it is a song of love, loss and grief, which the band transforms into a dirge both funereal and soaring.
The songs on this EP touch upon the struggles of both the era of their source material as well as the present day, and the timeless and universal hopes and fears therein.
About Lotus Thief:
Formed in 2012, Lotus Thief weave a union of doom, post-rock, black metal and ambient sound, with each song a tribute to the voices of the past. In the same year, their first single, »Nymphaea Carulea« – based on Homer’s »The Odyssey« – was released on Botanist’s »Doom In Bloom«. The band then recorded critically‐acclaimed »Rervm«, based on the 55 BCE philosophical piece »De Rerum Natura«, at The Atomic Garden Studios (Deafheaven, Bosse-De-Nage) and was released on Svart Records in 2014 with strong critical reception. In 2016, Lotus Thief released its second full-length, »Gramarye«, based on ancient texts of sorcery and paganism, on Prophecy Productions.
Lotus Thief expanded to a live 5-player lineup in 2017 to tour US West and East Coasts, with a debut European performance at Prophecy Fest in Balve, Germany. The group released Oresteia via Prophecy Productions in winter of 2020. During the period of lockdown, Bezaelith and Petit Albert released a sparse cover of Windhand’s »Aition«, while compiling materials for the next two releases. In 2022, the group reached its current 6-player lineup.
Lotus Thief is:
Ascalaphus – Harsh Vocals
Bezaelith – Vocals, Bass, Guitar, Synth, Mandolin
Mohrany – Backing Vocals
Petit Albert – Electric and Acoustic Guitar, Synth
Romthulus – Guitar
Sonnungr – Percussion
About Forlesen:
Forlesen draws from epic doom, black metal, dark ambient and slowcore to create a dynamic and experimental sound. The quartet formed in San Francisco at the end of 2016 and released their debut, »Hierophant Violent«, in 2020. Comprised of two side-length tracks, it soon found a cult following. Now based in Portland, OR, Forlesen’s compositional evolution continued with the release of the critically-acclaimed »Black Terrain« in 2022, which saw the band expand into previously untapped musical realms. On December 15, 2023, the band released their black metal cover of Type O Negative’s »Red Water (Christmas Mourning)«.
Forlesen is:
Ascalaphus – Vocals, Guitar
Bezaelith – Vocals, Guitar, Bass
Petit Albert – B3 Organ, Piano
Maleus – Drums
Pre-order here: i-voidhangerrecords.bandcamp.com
Credits:
Album artwork features Albrecht Dürer’s woodblock print “The Whore of Babylon” from “The Apocalypse” series (1496-1498).
»In Perdition« credits:
Recorded at Owl Mountain Audio, with drums recorded at Aural Assault with Mike Usifer (Sickbay, Inherus).
Mixed and mastered at Menegroth – The Thousand Caves with Colin Marston (Krallice, Gorguts).
»Black Is The Color« credits:
Recorded and mixed with Justin Phelps (Mr. Bungle, Secret Chiefs 3, Amanda Palmer) at the Hallowed Halls, Portland, OR, with additional recording by the band in The Black Pacific.
Mastered by Justin Weis (Bell Witch, Pallbearer, Agalloch) at Trakworx, South San Francisco.
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well