Today, ETHER COVEN (members of Remembering Never) announce their signing to Good Fight Music and forthcoming album, The Relationship Between the Hammer and the Nail, set for release on August 5th. The first taste of music from the record comes in new single “Psalm of Cancer” featuring guest vocals from Dwid Hellion of Integrity and Anthony Crupi of Pain Ritual.
The new single hits heavy, showcasing the band’s blend of doom metal, sludge, and post-hardcore. Soaring guitars make way for an intense breakdown, encapsulating the emotional pull of the lyrical content. Written by vocalist and guitarist Peter Kowalsky, the song documents his ongoing battle with colon cancer and entering chemotherapy.
Kowalsky expands: “This song is about my days and nights going through chemotherapy and the moments that the doctors don’t warn you about. They tell you about the nausea and the bleeding, stomach issues, neuropathy, and the lethargy. They somehow leave out the parts that surround depression and suicidal thoughts.
This is/was no easy battle and my heart breaks for anyone else that has had to deal with this or has had loved ones that have experienced this. Cancer is no joke. We figured this was as bleak as it could get, why not add a little more darkness, so we asked Dwid from Integrity to throw some vocals on top of this here and there and the result is absolutely bonkers. This song is dedicated to anyone who knows this struggle.”
Produced by Andy Nelson at Bricktop Studios, the band set out to get The Relationship Between the Hammer and the Nail sounding as close to their live performance as possible. Using actual pedals instead of plug-ins and the majority of vocal cuts being first takes, the recording process was able to be completed in just one week. The seven songs on the record are impassioned, intense, and filled with an overwhelming vulnerability centered around despair, loved ones, and the state of the world.
On the album, the band also brought in a heavy line-up of guests and friends to feature. On opener and lead single “Psalm of Cancer” the band is joined by Integrity vocalist Dwid Hellion and Pain Ritual’s Anthony Crupi (who makes several vocal contributions on the album). Listening through the rest of the tracks you’ll find appearances from Daniel Weyandt (Zao), Howard Jones (Blood Has Been Shed, Light The Torch), Tarek Ahmed (Intercourse) and Shane Post (Bird of Ill Omen).
You can listen to “Psalm of Cancer” here now and pre-order The Relationship Between the Hammer and the Nail via Good Fight Music.
Ether Coven is Peter Kowalsky (vocals/guitars), Devin Estep (guitar/vocals) Justin Gianoutsos (drums), and Shane Nerenberg (bass).
The Relationship Between the Hammer and the Nail Tracklist:
1. Psalm of Cancer (feat. Dwid Hellion + Anthony Crupi)
2. Afraid & Suffering (feat. Dan Weyandt)
3. god Hates Flags (feat. Tarek Ahmed + Anthony Crupi)
4. Of Might & Failure (feat. Shane Post)
5. The Warmth of Your Bathwater (feat. Anthony Crupi)
6. Temple of Wu (Instrumental)
7. Consequences of Self (Let the Nails Carve Our Names in Rust) (feat. Howard Jones)
Dark. Bleak. Pissed. That’s how vocalist and guitarist Peter Kowlasky’s describes Ether Coven.
The band was born from lengthy van conversations about New Orleans sludge bands and a desperation to create a sound the members had always been fans of. Ether Coven has become an outlet for brooding riffs and frayed emotions, evolving greatly since the project’s first release, 2016’s Human Error. The band then went on to release two albums with Century Media, There Is Nothing Left For Me Here (2019) and Everything Is Temporary Except Suffering (2020).
Fast forward to 2022, and Kowlasky is joined by his Remembering Never bandmate Devin Estep (guitar/vocals), alongside Justin Gianoutsos (drums), and Shane Nerenberg (bass), ready to unleash the next chapter of the band. Joining the Good Fight Music roster, Ether Coven will release their new full-length album, The Relationship Between the Hammer and the Nail, this summer. The seven songs on the record are impassioned and intense, staggering in sound between doom metal, sludge, and post-hardcore. The album was written amidst Kowlasky’s on-going battle with colon cancer and is filled with an overwhelming vulnerability centered around despair, loved ones, and the state of the world.
Speaking on the lyrics, Kowlasky states: “With every release, we try to be as explicit as possible. Nothing is up for interpretation, and the goal is to pull emotion out of people they may not experience otherwise, in hopes someone can connect to any of what we do.”
And Estep adds, “Ether was built as a vessel for the worst feelings we could relay. We will always discuss the state of the world, but this time there is a bit more, I think, about the world that Peter was navigating during his treatments. His experience is the lens of this record.”
Produced by Andy Nelson at Bricktop Studios, the band set out to get The Relationship Between the Hammer and the Nail sounding as close to their live performance as possible. Using actual pedals instead of plug-ins and the majority of vocal cuts being first takes, the recording process was able to be completed in just one week.
On the album, the band also brought in a heavy line-up of guests and friends to feature. On opener and lead single “Psalm of Cancer” the band is joined by Integrity vocalist Dwid Hellion and Pain Ritual’s Anthony Crupi (who makes several vocal contributions on the album). Listening through the rest of the tracks you’ll find appearances from Daniel Weyandt (Zao), Howard Jones (Blood Has Been Shed, Light The Torch), Tarek Ahmed (Intercourse) and Shane Post (Bird of Ill Omen).
Closing in on the writing process, Kowlasky expands: “The record is about a moment in time, rife with loss, struggle, and pain, and trying to come out the other side as okay as possible. I’ve been in love with our band since we started and I can honestly say it’s my favorite of all of our records. It’s a proper evolution of our frustrations and our intentions.”
With The Relationship Between the Hammer and the Nail, Ether Coven have created a stand-out record embracing their truest form as a band.
