Already one of British metal’s biggest names, WHILE SHE SLEEPS are set to take things to the next sonic level with the March 29th release of their new album ‘SELF HELL’. As showcased with visceral intent on the recent singles, the title track and ‘DOWN’ (featuring Alex Taylor of Malevolence), the band’s ambitious approach is simple – make everything bigger and more unpredictable than ever before.
“TO THE FLOWERS” continues the maximalist ethos of their recent singles. Opening with spoken words from the philosopher and spiritual leader Jiddu Krishnamurti, “TO THE FLOWERS” finds cohesion in chaos. Drawing upon an ever-expanding maelstrom of influences, their renowned mix of screaming with melodic textures, punk energy, synths, and metallic breakdowns. The result again heightens expectations for the boundary-breaking scope of the ‘SELF HELL’ album.
Guitarist Sean Long says,
“This song means a lot to us. As much as we love a good breakdown and heavy riff, a lot of our passion lies within emotive musical pieces. This song has nearly brought us all to tears multiple times simply because it touches something in us that we hold very dear. A pain we all know and have felt down to our deepest core. The essence of our personal pain expressed in music is what the band is all about. Talking about the things we know are difficult but necessary. The working title was called ‘radiohead’ and that should help to understand the feeling it gave us when writing it. This contains the ‘double whammy’ that I stumbled across just before the song was finished. It went insanely viral when I posted it online so I just had to get it in the song. People have been saying it’s one of the greatest lead guitar parts of all time, I’ll take it.”
The accompanying short film for “TO THE FLOWERS” – created and then shot by the band – more than matches the intensity of the song, playing out with kitchen-sink realism and the cinematic atmospherics of an indie film.
Vocalist Loz Taylor adds,
“‘TO THE FLOWERS’ is emotional, tragic, and real life. We intended to make a short film that encompasses the real emotions of relationships, grief, love, death, and pain. Shot by the members of WHILE SHE SLEEPS, ‘TO THE FLOWERS’ ebbs and flows through an entendre of tragedy. This was a huge project to undertake, and we have poured our creative energy into directing this piece. We had a wicked time working on the film. This will hit home.”
Watch the Music Video for “TO THE FLOWERS” HERE
Even in a career of bold, empowering moves ‘SELF HELL’ casts the band’s net even wider, taking in symphonic music, hardcore, synth-rock, and metal alike. Yet, through all those styles, it never loses sight of the band’s ability to make confident, stadium-prepared anthems. It also continues the band’s DIY ethos with sessions at their own Six Audio in Sheffield as well as Metropolis Studios in London and Treehouse Studio in Chesterfield, with production from Sean Long and long-term collaborator Carl Bown.
‘SELF HELL’ is available to pre-order HERE with neo-orange vinyl and black/white swirl vinyl being the pick of its physical formats. All vinyl copies and bundles purchased from their official store will include a signed photo.
WHILE SHE SLEEPS are once again lining up a hectic schedule of touring for 2024. Their upcoming shows include the Download Festival as well as further festivals in Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, and Norway; a North American tour as special guests to Architects; and select headline shows in France and Poland. Please see HERE for a full list of dates and expect more to be added soon.
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