Combining the anthemic melodies of traditional and power metal, the precise, aggressive attack of thrash, and twists of dark intensity borrowed from second-wave black metal, Jersey, USA’s Mindrazer plays a style as familiar as it is fresh. Their debut album, “A Thing of Nightmares” (Produced by Kevin Antreassian - The Dillinger Escape Plan) was released this past October via the label Misanthropic Records and to demonstrate it to new fans who have yet to discover them, they have a new lyric video for their battle-ready track "Crusader".
It's a frenetic epic with an infectious riff along with constant twists and turns that paint the picture of riding into battle to fight on a blood-covered, snowy battlefield in medieval Finland. Nick DeFuria (Lead Vocals, Rhythm Guitar, Classical Guitar, Additional Percussion) and Brian Weissman (Drums, Percussion, Harsh Vocals) recorded an actual sword fight live in the studio for the song. They brought in swords they got at a Renaissance fair and spent an hour screaming and bashing them together to make layers and layers of a battle sound effect. They explain the track in further detail:
"Crusader is the epic orgasm of the album. Telling the seldom-told tale of the Crusade of Finland, this song is a whirlwind of technical riffs, melodies, and epic proportions. Blazing guitar harmonies, machine gun lyrics, and a drum solo bring this album to its peak. It covers three key signatures and changes time signatures twice and it even features a real sword fight recorded by the band for this song. Another goosebumps moment for sure if there ever was one, This brings the record to its conclusion with a bang."
Watch and listen to "Crusader" at
Mindrazer's latest offering promises to be a bold, brutal, and diverse exploration of melodic thrash metal, which even before its official release, was igniting mosh pits at the band's live shows. Now, with the album's availability, fans can delve into the depths of these tracks and experience them in all their glory.
The writing for the tracks on the album spans a large period of evolution, which can be heard as one progresses through the album. “Knightfall”, the earliest work, is much more power metal, upbeat, and melodic. “Better Dead”, another early song, is very riff-focused and old-school sounding. “Crusader” and “Suffer In Silence”, the later tracks on the record are great examples of how that power metal vibe never really left but the music got heavier and more technical. Each of the ten tracks offers epic melodies and frenetic dynamics that metalheads will be eager to sink their teeth into.
“We are so pumped to finally share ‘A Thing of Nightmares’, the culmination of half a decade of artistic inspiration, with the masses. We tried to make a top-to-bottom-worthy album for the playlist age that still maintained some semblance of cohesion and vibe without becoming stale. We didn’t reinvent the wheel here but we made an album for the modern listener sense that still calls upon all of those old-school influences that made metal such a fanatical genre in the first place. We hope you dig it.” adds the band.
Release on October 13, 2023, “A Thing of Nightmares” is recommended for fans of Iron Maiden, Megadeth, and Blind Guardian and is available on Spotify , Apple Music , and Officialmindrazer.bandcamp.com
Music Video - Entombed In Time -
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Track Listing:
1. Entombed In Time (5:36)
2. Suffer in Silence (4:05)
3. Left to Rot (6:09)
4. In the Corner of Your Eye (6:06)
5. Knightfall (5:35)
6. The Misanthropist (6:11)
7. Extractor (4:51)
8. Better Dead (4:07)
9. Crusader (6:25)
10. Mercy (1:12)
Album Length: 50:22
Album Recording Lineup:
Nick DeFuria - Lead Vocals, Rhythm Guitar, Classical Guitar, Additional Percussion
Vin “Hawky” Verducci - Bass Guitar
Brian Weissman - Drums, Percussion, Harsh Vocals
Zack Larmer - Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals
Featuring a guest guitar solo from Mo Uddin on track 7
Live Band Lineup:
Nick DeFuria - Lead Vocals and Guitar
Vin “Hawky” Verducci - Bass Guitar
Brian Weissman - Drums, Harsh Vocals
Patrick Wentz - Guitar and Harsh Vocals
More info: Mindrazerband.wixsite.com/home | Instagram.com/
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