As Savannah, Georgia-based VATICAN prepares for the August release of their brutalizing Ache Of Eternity EP through Sorrow Carrier Records, an official video for the track “Slit Of Creation” has been issued through an exclusive premiere at New Noise Magazine. You can watch it below. Ache Of Eternity will see release through Sorrow Carrier Records on August 25th; preorders for the record’s three color variants – black with screen-printed b-side, red with black smoke, and purple – are now posted HERE.
VATICAN‘s Ache Of Eternity was recorded by Kris Hilbert at Legitimate Business (Advent, Torch Runner, Red Death, Joy) in May of 2017, after which it was mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege (Integrity, Nails, Xibalba) and completed with artwork by Spencer Guerrero and photography by Nathan Fitzgerald. While some tracks meld corrosive vocals somewhere between Zao, Caliban, and Carcass, with the unhinged aggression of Martyr A.D., the barely-controlled chaos of Converge and Burnt By The Sun, the groove of Machine Head, and the bloodthirsty beatdown of One King Down, others open the heart as much as the pit, a la Poison The Well and It Dies Today.
VATICAN operates at the apex of dichotomy. The Savannah-based Paingods are both deities of hurt and at its behest, inflicting it via their blistering metallic hardcore and spouting its message via their cathartic lyrics. They’re simultaneously fueled by faith and a lack thereof; though the band members are all straight edge, a lack of belief – in religion, in people, in self – pervades. The only area where polarities aren’t pulling in other directions is in their seamless combination of metal and hardcore: once disparate genres that have, over the years, become increasingly entangled and, here, finally fused into one. Though VATICAN is seemingly always pulling in other directions, the result will no doubt pull in fans of all things heavy.
“The ‘Slit of Creation’ video depicts an individual mentally battling depression and suicidal thoughts. In the beginning, it shows her going to bed alone at night, with a killer appearing when she hits the lights (not necessarily a physical being, but more so a figment of suicide in the conscience). In her subsequent dream state, she is trapped in a room to face the killer/suicide, from whom/which she runs while mourning at a close friend’s gravestone. That’s similar to what we fought through while mourning our close friend’s passing. This track and ‘Boundless Image’ go hand-in-hand and were written within a three-week span while grieving. ‘Boundless Image’ is more so about his struggle and the image burnt into our minds. ‘Slit Of Creation’ is focused on finding a new sense of life through the experience – hence creation.
In the past, I’d always kept suicide as an option in the back of my head, if all else fails. That was a terrible way to live, but losing a friend put everything into perspective and kicked that thought out of my brain because of the damage I know it would cause those I love. Somehow, the tragedy saved my life. The video shows multiple shots of the killer standing nearby, getting closer each time, as a representation of that stagnant thought growing. Towards the end it shows the character giving in and letting the killer/suicide catch up to her, torment her to the point of torture, before ultimately resorting to suicide with a slit wrist/throat in the bathtub. Whether she’s still dreaming or that it’s actually taking place is up to the viewer.
I would urge anyone thinking of ending their life to not let that dream become a nightmarish reality. There is help out there for you, no matter how dark it seems; please seek it out. I know it’s cliché, but it will get better.”
VATICAN kicks off an intense run of US summer tour dates preceding the release of Ache Of Eternity this week, playing a This Is Hardcore pre-show supporting All Else Failed tomorrow, Wednesday, July 26th. Days later they head out with Absolute Suffering, Strength Approach, and Momentum from July 31st through August 6th, after which VATICAN and Momentum will continue in support of Breaking Wheel from August 8th through August 16th.
7/26/2017 Ortliebs – Philadelphia, PA – This Is Hardcore pre-show w/ All Else Failed, Absolute Suffering
w/ Absolute Suffering, Strength Approach, Momentum:
7/31/2017 The Flying Dutchman – Roanoke, VA
8/01/2017 Morning Glory Coffee – Wilmington, NC
8/02/2017 The Golden Pony- Harrisonburg, VA
8/03/2017 The Anvil- Altoona, PA
8/04/2017 Sugar City- Buffalo, NY
8/05/2017 Fuze Box- Albany, NY
8/06/2017 American Legion- Florence, MA
w/ Breaking Wheel, Momentum:
8/08/2017 Championship Bar- Trenton, NJ
8/09/2017 Sidebar- Baltimore, MD
8/10/2017 House Show- Florence, SC
8/11/2017 Cory’s Grilled Cheese- Charleston, SC
8/12/2017 Cloud Springs Deli – Ringgold, GA
8/13/2017 Erv’s – Atlanta, GA
8/14/2017 Space Station at Starlandia – Savannah, GA8/15/2017 Transitions – Tampa, FL
8/16/2017 Nighthawks – Jacksonville, FL
