“By Lead Or Steel” is the ravenous new single from Oakland, California death metal crew BARBAROUS. The song marks the newest preview of the band’s impending debut LP, Initium Mors, nearing release on Creator-Destructor Records.
Influenced by the likes of Cannibal Corpse, Skeletal Remains, Necrot, and Gatecreeper, BARBAROUS hit the ground running since coming onto the scene in April 2024, having played shows with performing live alongside the likes of Laceration and others across the Bay Area throughout last Summer. In September, the band released their two-song Coup De Grâce demo to widespread underground acclaim, just a foretaste of the lurking savagery the band was preparing to unload.
BARBAROUS’ merciless full-length debut, Initium Mors, arrives as one of the most devastating records to be delivered so far this year. The band’s classic death metal influences are exemplified through a modern edge of relentless Bay Area energetic destruction, coalescing into eight earthmoving tracks that devastate everything in earshot. Initium Mors was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Cody Fuentes in February/March 2025 at Rapture Studios (Spite, Wolf King, Lionheart) and completed with harrowing art by death metal luminary Dan Seagrave (Dismember, Hypocrisy, Morbid Angel).
With the new single, vocalist Travis Laberge states, “‘By Lead Or Steel’ is the second track off the record and we feel is one of the heaviest tracks. The premise of the song is about a sniper homing in and taking that one masterful shot, he almost seems jaded of the world and wishes to rid it of the ‘sickness’ that surrounds him. It’s one of the shorter tracks on the LP but there’s a lot to unpack. We’re definitely really proud of the power chorus with the heavy vocal layering.”
The video for “By Lead Or Steel” was filmed/edited by Kevin Burleigh.
Watch BARBAROUS’ “By Lead Or Steel” video on YouTube HERE and stream the track everywhere including Bandcamp HERE.
Initium Mors will be released on LP, CD, and digital platforms on August 1st. Preorders are available at the Creator-Destructor webshop HERE and Bandcamp where “Tools Of The Trade” is also streaming HERE.
Be on the lookout for additional videos, live announcements, and more to be posted shortly.
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