West Coast desert doom trio ATALA will release their The Bearer Of Light full-length via Salt Of The Earth Records on May 21st.
Returning to their DIY ethos, the seven-track desert voyage was captured and self-produced in just five days at Gatos Trail in Joshua Tree with engineer Jeff Thomas. “It’s a true roller coaster of emotions: sad, angry, confused, lost… but, you can’t help but feel hope as you follow the journey,” notes founding guitarist Kyle Stratton.
“After working with producers who I admired,” Stratton continues of the decision to record TheBearer Of Light on his own, “I felt it was my time to do it my way while implementing some of the tricks they used. I wanted to record live and not overthink the process. I just wanted to capture the moment take by take. It was a learning process for both the band and myself as a producer. I literally had no idea what I was doing but I wanted the record to have a ’90s DIY feel like the stuff I grew up listening to and I think we achieved that.”
In advance of the release of TheBearer Of Light, ATALA is pleased to unveil their video for first single “Desolate Lands.” Issues Stratton of the clip, “‘Desolate Lands’ was written spontaneously in a jam and it was devastatingly heavy. Lyrically, it’s about the desert and our connection to the surrounding landscape and creatures. It’s about understanding that nature is the only true connection we have to any kind of a god or higher power. The video was created by our friend Zak Kupcha at Circulation Media. He did a great job.”
View ATALA’s “Desolate Lands” at THIS LOCATION.
The Bearer Of Light comes swathed in Stratton’s striking cover art and will be available on, CD, LP, and digitally. Preorders begin this Saturday, 4/20 via Salt Of The Earth Records at THIS LOCATION or the ATALA website HERE.
The Bearer Of Light Track Listing:
1. Desolate Lands
2. Upon The Altar
3. Naïve Demure
4. Sun Worship
5. Venomous Lure
6. Won’t Subside
7. Dark Skies
Catch ATALA live in support of The Bearer Of Light on a near-three-week US tour this June alongside Sixes. See all confirmed dates below.
ATALA w/ Sixes:
6/14/2019 O’Malley’s – Mountain View, CA
6/15/2019 Mummer’s – Sparks, NV
6/16/2019 Beehive – Salt Lake City, UT
6/17/2019 Streets Of London – Denver, CO
6/18/2019 The Riot Room – Kansas City, MO
6/19/2019 The Lift – Dubuque, IA
6/20/2019 Reggie’s Music Hall – Chicago, IL
6/21/2019 Mohawk Place – Buffalo, NY
6/22/2019 Café 611 – Frederick, MD
6/23/2019 The Drunk Horse – Fayetteville, NC
6/24/2019 Alabama Music Box – Mobile, AL
6/25/2019 Come And Take It Live – Austin, TX
6/26/2019 Bond’s 007 Rock Bar – San Antonio, TX
6/27/2019 Rockhouse Bar & Grill – El Paso, TX
6/28/2019 House of Bards – Tucson, AZ
6/29/2019 Yucca Tap Room – Phoenix, AZ
6/30/2019 Slidebar – Fullerton, CA
Conceived in a Tuff Shed in the desolate landscape of Twentynine Palms, California, sometime in the winter of 2013, ATALA is the conjuring of Kyle Stratton, an artist who has found his home among the rattlesnakes, scorpions, bobcats, and mountain lions. “I love to be lost in the wilderness out here. You can lose yourself and find freedom alongside the creatures who survive here. It’s a great place to escape the human world.”
Completing the trio is drummer Jeff Tedtaotao and bassist Dave Horn. Together the band released a self-titled debut in 2014 with producer and famed desert musician Scott Reeder (Kyuss, Unida). Their 2015 follow-up, Shaman’s Path Of The Serpent, a decidedly more atmospheric and drone-heavy affair, featured producer Billy Anderson (Sleep, Melvins, Pallbearer) who would again produce 2016’s critically-acclaimed Labyrinth Of Ashmedai full-length. Loudwire lauded the band’s “consciousness altering” abilities while Metal Nexus hailed the band for, “keeping heavy music alive and fresh!”
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ATALA has toured both regionally and nationally sharing stages with countless household names including The Obsessed, Coven, Pallbearer, Baroness, and SubRosa. Additionally, the band has performed at various festivals including the 2017 edition of Roadburn where they crushed three separate sets, the New England Stoner And Doom Festival, the SXSW Stoner Fest, and the Maryland Doom Fest, where they will be returning this June to play alongside the legendary Pentagram among so many others.
ATALA:
Kyle Stratton – guitar, vocals
Jeff Tedtaotao – drums
Dave Horn – bass
Jeff Tedtaotao – drums
Dave Horn – bass