Harm’s Way have announced their fifth studio album, Common Suffering, out September 29th via Metal Blade. The Chicago hardcore act also shared the lead single and LP opener “Silent Wolf.”
The track marks the first new music from Harm’s Way since 2018, and it’s a crushing return. The beatdown drums and pummeling riffs offer no respite; meanwhile, vocalist James Pligge bolsters the aggression with politically charged lyrics delivered through abrasive gutturals.
“‘Silent Wolf’ was birthed out of observing a sense of persistent distrust in governing bodies and systems of power in our current cultural climate,” Pligge said via a press announcement. “It speaks on the faith, or lack of faith, many have in these systems and an overall feeling of inertia and paranoia with status quo operations… leading many to the question: ‘What is really informing our reality?’”
Although “Silent Wolf” falls into the hardcore/metalcore template typically associated with Harm’s Way, Common Suffering will see the band embracing quieter moments as well, steering songs into unexpected directions. The LP was recorded alongside in-demand producer Will Yip (Turnstile, Code Orange) at Studio 4 in Pennsylvania.
“We really tried not to settle on parts,” said guitarist Nick Gauthier. “Sometimes a direction that we could have taken in a song felt too obvious… We would just troubleshoot that until we felt creatively satisfied with the direction we were taking.”
You can pre-order Common Suffering via Metal Blade. Below you can stream the video for “Silent Wolf” and see the album art and tracklist.
Common Suffering Artwork:
Common Suffering Tracklist:
01. Silent Wolf
02. Denial
03. Hollow Cry
04. Devour
05. Undertow
06. Heaven’s Call
07. Cyanide
08. Terrorizer
09. Sadist Guilt
10. Wanderer