Allegaeon have announced their seventh album, The Ossuary Lens — their first to feature longtime vocalist Ezra Haynes since 2014.
The Denver-based band also offered the single “Driftwood” ahead of the album’s April 4th release date.
Haynes’ presence has an immediate effect, his more gravelly vocal adding further extremity to Allegaeon’s hyper-technical form of death metal. Maximal drums and winding guitar lines are woven into an prog-like arrangement that ducks into ambient passages, melodic sections, and grinding riff-laden brutality.
“This song holds a special place in Allegaeon history, honestly,” recalled guitarist Greg Burgess in a press release. “This piece was written for Apoptosis by our then-brand new bassist Booboo. In its original form, it was so tech death, I don’t think we knew how to incorporate it into the Allegaeon sound when he submitted it. Fast forward six years and, as we were kicking around ideas for this album, I remembered the piece, and asked Booboo if he wouldn’t mind if I took a crack at possibly rearranging its format a little smoother into the Allegaeon sound.”
He added, “I just wanted there to be a little bit more repetition of some parts. The song turned out amazing. Always goes to show — never throw out anything as you never know when it’ll come back.”
The Ossuary Lens was recorded with producer Dave Otero at Flatline Audio studio in Denver, marking the sixth Allegaeon LP produced by Otero and the first with Haynes since his departure from the group in 2015. Burgess described the new record as the culmination of the band’s sonic journey thus far.
“I think in the beginning we were a little more stripped down, very guitar-forward, focused melodeath,” Burgess said. “Over time, I think more technical, symphonic, and progressive elements creeped in. Finally, where we are today is all of that combined, added with more ambient elements.”
Leading up to the album’s release, Allegaeon will be on the road supporting Warbringer’s Spring North American tour. Dates kick off March 18th in San Diego, and you can get tickets here.
Pre-order The Ossuary Lens via Metal Blade Records. Below you can stream the video for “Driftwood” and see the album art/tracklist.
The Ossuary Lens Artwork:
The Ossuary Lens Tracklist:
01. Refraction
02. Chaos Theory
03. Driftwood
04. Dies Irae
05. The Swarm
06. Carried By Delusion
07. Dark Matter Dynamics
08. Imperial
09. Wake Circling Above
10. Scythe