Swiss doom/post-metal band Tar Pond share new single and music video »Slave«; sophomore album »Petrol« out September 15th via Prophecy Productions!

Swiss doom/post-metal band Tar Pond has released a music video for the second single »Slave« taken from their upcoming sophomore full-length album, »Petrol«, due out on September 15th, 2023 via Prophecy Productions.

Tracklist:
01. Bomb
02. Blind
03. Slave
04. Something
05. Dirt

Courtesy of Prophecy Productions:

Out now: »Slave«, the second single and video from Swiss doom visionaries Tar Pond’s upcoming second album »Petrol«, which will be released on September 15, 2023.
Pre-order: lnk.spkr.media/tar-pond-petrol

“Although the video for »Slave« was produced simultaneously with the clip for »Blind«, we approached the visuals in a quite different way”, vocalist Thomas Ott elaborates. “This dark and heavy song rather evokes simple and slow images. I had some interesting shots of jellyfish floating in dark water. So we decided to shoot some additional material of the band performing in the rehearsal room, filled with a maximum of smoke. That quickly turned out to be a bad idea due to the fire alarms installed in the building. Well, with the kind help of some good old friends, Marky managed to procure a much better location in no time. Initially, the video for »Slave« was planned with more varied footage, but Fabrizio Merico’s sublime camera work, shot in only one night at the Zukunft Club in Zurich, and the absolute professional editing by Coroner’s Daniel Stoessel made us decide to just let it all go up in smoke! Sometimes less is more!”

»Petrol«, the second full-length of Swiss doom visionaries Tar Pond is clearly drawing inspiration from US doom classics such as Saint Vitus as way as going all the way back to the British roots embodied by Black Sabbath. There are also moments that connect Tar Pond with contemporary doom acts such as Electric Wizard and Acid Bath. At the same time, Tar Pond also exemplify the stubborn streak of Swiss metal that displays a fierce individuality and creative independence as outstanding acts such as Celtic Frost, Coroner, and Zeal & Ardor easily attest.

Going back to the crossroads of time, everything seemed to change when Martin Ain, bass player of the iconic Celtic Frost and one of the founding members of Tar Pond passed away in October 2017. Before this tragic day, the Swiss legend had already recorded the debut album together with the other founding members, the former Coroner drummer and lyricist Marky Edelmann, and the renowned scratchboard artist and vocalist Thomas Ott. After a long time of intense deliberation, Tar Pond decided to continue as a band and to release the debut under the title »Protocol Of Constant Sadness«. This album was originally written and recorded in 2016/17 under the guidance of producer and guitar-legend Tommy Vetterli of Coroner fame. Inspired by the enthusiastic reception of »Protocol Of Constant Sadness«, Tar Pond again joined forces with Tommy Vetterli at the New Sound Studio to record »Petrol«.

Due to changes in the line-up, »Petrol« is a collaboration of old and new band members throughout different times. Despite these circumstances, the second album appears to be coherent and focused on Tar Pond’s declared aim to deliver a soundtrack of brutality and an electric protocol of constant sadness. And while the Swiss filed their debut under the description ‘Doom’n’Gloom’, their sound has also been described as a combination of doom and post-metal. With »Petrol«, Tar Pond fulfil their original promise: this album is a beautiful soundtrack of darkness and sorrow.

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