“It offers captivating, driving anthems with immense dynamism—on one hand, monumental and monolithic, on the other, brilliant and varied!” (Legacy)
Shortly before the official release of MODERN RITES‘ second album, “Endless“, artistic duo Berg (AARA) and Jonny Warren (KUYASHII) present the full album stream.
Building upon acclaimed 2021 debut “Monuments“, new album “Endless” drives powerful slabs of dark ’90s Industrial music through a low-slung framework of churning and guttural melodic Black Metal. “Endless” takes the band’s monolithic sound to the next level: with crushing advancements in riff-quality, vocal weight, rhythmic intricacy, textural range, dynamics and songcraft.
Listen to the full album here:
Jonny Warren describes the creation of “Endless“:
“For this album, Berg and I were already chatting about ideas and inspirations shortly before our first album was released. From there we recorded snippets of riffs to figure out the progressions of songs, sometimes just creating piano melodies to find the themes we wanted to come through the music. I would then create the foundation of bass and programmed drums and send that to Berg to layer guitars. Next we would chat about edits, find elements we want to pull out more, etc After all the instrumentals were done, I began writing lyrics to tie themes together and recorded vocals. Lastly, we worked with The Empty Hall Studio to bring the album to life through mixing and mastering.
One thing we were very intentional about when starting the project was that we wanted the lyrics to be a true reflection of the human condition. This is definitely a driving force behind the sound as well, where the dance between poignancy and aggression take centre stage.With Art in general, my approach is to speak to the diverse backgrounds we all have and allow the listener or viewer to create their own personal connections to the work. While I have my own meanings, I try not to force them upon others, but rather challenge them to find their own pathways of understanding. In the end, I want the takeaway to be that all of our experiences, while vastly different, are ultimately connected in some way or another and to be mindful of how we move through this journey of life together.“
Explore all album details here!
‘Endless” will be released on CD, vinyl and digital on August 30th. Pre-orders are possible via the label’s EU, US and Bandcamp shops.
MODERN RITES is an Industrial-rooted, melodic Black Metal duo founded in Autumn 2020 by guitarist Berg of Swiss Atmospheric Black Metal band AARA and multi-instrumentalist/vocalist/visual artist Jonny Warren of US Experimental Metal band KUYASHII.
Born out of experimentation and a mutual respect for each other’s craft, the pair began trading tracks across borders with the goal of creating a unique sound which would transcend cultural barriers. At the core of MODERN RITES is Jonny‘s heavily distorted bass sound inspired by dark Industrial music of the ’90s. The diverging, stereo bass paths create a desolate landscape in which Berg’s guitars are free to open portals into dark atmospheres.
Exploring the bleaker aspects of the human condition, lyrical themes dive into psychology, isolation, conflict, and the ever-evolving shadow self.
Impressed by MODERN RITES‘ quality and originality, Debemur Morti Productions released “Monuments“, a debut album which sets a vast, winding aural path for further experimentation to come, in 2021.
Building upon acclaimed debut, forthcoming album “Endless” unifies, elevates and perfects the band’s vision, ebbing and flowing between oppressive isolation and furious optimism in an anthemically intense exploration of the human condition. “Endless” is set to release on August 30th, 2024.
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