Instrumental Blackened Doom Trio CANYON OF THE SKULL will release Sins of The Past, the band’s third album, on November 20.
Stream the first of the album’s two epic tracks: “The Ghost Dance”
canyonoftheskull.bandcamp.com/track/the-ghost-dance
In terms the musical style, the band’s aesthetic is formed more specifically by Black Metal, Funeral Doom, and classic Heavy Metal. Guitarist Erik Ogershok offers a fuller description of what CANYON OF THE SKULL have accomplished on Sins of the Past:
“I try to do different things with each record and this one is no exception. This record is visceral and immediate, like the self-titled, while being highly conceptual and dynamic like The Desert Winter. ‘The Ghost Dance’ is probably the best thing that I have written to date. ‘The Sun Dance’ is unlike anything that I have ever written before. It incorporates my basic philosophies of composition but applies them differently, one that I jokingly call prog-doom.
The main aesthetic and themes that Canyon of the Skull was founded on remain unchanged. This band has always been focused on telling the stories of Indigenous Americans and their environments, specifically those of the American Southwest. I am still surprised at how many people have never met an Indigenous American, but we are not extinct, and this band exists to tell our stories both past, present, and future. This record is a bit more broad with the subject matter since it involves the rituals of tribes far from the land of my people. Also, this record is more influenced by recent events that have an impact beyond Native communities. I don’t like to talk specifically about the deeper meaning of any of my compositions as I want people to discover their meaning in our music. These two pieces have very specific meanings to both me and the wider world and googling the titles is my recommendation for people that want to delve deeper for the literal meanings.”
The musicians of CANYON OF THE SKULL are a varied, creative bunch. Bassist Todd Haug is also the guitarist for Minneapolis thrash legends Powermad. He most recently performed as the second guitarist for Norwegian black metal legends 1349. Dummer Mike Miczek is well respected in the Chicago metal scene and has made a name for himself with both Broken Hope and The Atlas Moth. He also plays drums with Todd in Powermad. Both Erik and Todd are brewmasters for metal-centric breweries. Todd is one of the brewmasters at the ground-breaking 3Floyds Brewing Company. Erik is the brewmaster for WarPigs USA.”
“What once was old shall be new again, and history will have its revenge.”
“You must speak straight so that your words may go as sunlight into our hearts.” —Cochise
“It does not require many words to speak the truth.” — Chief Joseph
“I do not think the measure of a civilization is how tall its buildings of concrete are, But rather how well its people have learned to relate to their environment and fellow man.” — Sun Bear, Chippewa
Pre-order Sins of the Past:
canyonoftheskull.bandcamp.com/album/sins-of-the-past
Track Listing
1. The Ghost Dance
2. The Sun Dance
Album Credits
Recorded at Decade Music Studios March 2019
Recorded and Mixed by Sanford Parker
Produced by Sanford Parker and Canyon of the Skull
Mastered by Collin Jordan at Boiler Room Mastering
Artwork Layout and design by Erik Bredthauer
Canyon of the Skull is:
Erik Ogershok- Guitars
Todd Haug- Bass Guitar
Mike Miczek- Drums
BIO
Canyon of the Skull was founded by Erik Ogershok in the winter of 2006. The band played many shows and recorded a demo before career demands forced Erik to mothball the project as a band, but he continued to release music as a one-man project. The stars aligned in 2014 and the band was reborn with two new members and more ambitious material. The band evolved into a duo releasing two albums, 2015’s self-titled Canyon of the Skull followed by The Desert Winter in 2017, and embarked on two tours to support them. Erik relocated to Chicago in the winter of 2018 and soon recruited his close friend and brewing colleague Todd Haug (Powermad) to play bass and Mike Miczek(Broken Hope, The Atlas Moth, Powermad) on drums. The band entered Decade Music Studios in March 2019 with Sanford Parker at the helm to record and mix their soon to be released third album, Sins of the Past.
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