HELLKEEPER announces debut full-length A World Within Flesh and premieres new track “Drown” via Decibel magazine (listen below)! Set for an April 7th release, A World Within Flesh sees the upstate New York band bolt out of the gate with a blackened, grinding version of hardcore that Decibel magazine likens to Rotten Sound, Deathspell Omega, and Converge. Over galloping cavalry charges and the tidal wave riffs of guitarist Jack Xiques and bassist Terry Orlando, frontman Paul Butler’s vocals seethe with pure, rabid feeling. Drummer Mike Pistone churns forward with the precision of a world-class metal drummer. Songs like “Obscure” and “Drown” are blasting, red-line assaults; “Threadbare” and “Species” shine with the added color of Butler’s clean vocals.
“The album is about wanting to live in a dream world because reality is too painful,” says Butler. His lyrics use literary references to paint their pictures of depression: “I utilized ideas from Hamlet and Don Delillo’s White Noise, among other books.”
A World Within Flesh was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Chris Bittner at Applehead Studios (Coheed and Cambria, Bad Brains, Team Sleep).
Founded in 2013 in the Hudson Valley region of New York State, Hellkeeper is a major player in the scene there, allied with a wide range of area bands, representative of the range within Hellkeeper’s own sound – from hardcore vets All Out War to black metallers Black Table. Stay tuned for news of upcoming shows.
“Hellkeeper are explosive. Their blackened hardcore sound has earned them comparisons to Rotten Sound, Deathspell Omega, and even Converge. Flashes of each band can be heard but Hellkeeper is still able to set themselves apart.” –Decibel
