THE BEAST

Atlanta black metal outfit CLOAK are preparing to enter a new chapter with the announcement of their upcoming full-length album, Above, Below, & Through, scheduled for release on February 12, 2027, through Metal Blade Records. The record marks the band's debut release for the legendary label and their fourth full-length album overall.

Alongside the announcement, CLOAK have unleashed the first single and accompanying music video, "Nigredo - Initium," offering listeners an initial glimpse into the darker, more expansive direction of the new material. Pre-orders for Above, Below, & Through are now available.

Formed in Atlanta, Georgia, in 2013, CLOAK have steadily developed a sound rooted in black metal while incorporating a broader range of influences and atmospheric elements. Their new album represents a significant step forward for the band, both musically and conceptually.

The band describes the record as a continuation and expansion of their previous album, Black Flame Eternal.

"Above, Below, & Through takes everything that was great about our last LP, Black Flame Eternal, and amplifies it completely, while still standing as an album of its own," the band explains.

The album was shaped during a period of change, reflection, and creative inspiration. Its conceptual foundation explores themes of liminality and duality, examining the spaces between opposing forces and states of existence.

According to founding vocalist and guitarist Scott Taysom, the songs gradually developed around ideas involving life and death, dreams and consciousness, humanity and animal instinct, and the relationship between shadow and light.

"The main concepts of the songs were dealing with pathways between life and death, realms between dream and consciousness, shifts between beast and man, and the juxtaposition of shadow and light as spiritual guides," Taysom explains.

He continues, "The album title's meaning became clear, as something both all-encompassing and complete, but also something liminal and transitional. This is represented in both the songs and the band itself at the time of writing the album."

The new record also introduces a refreshed lineup. Founding members Scott Taysom and guitarist Max Brigham are joined by drummer Matt Morris and bassist Rafay Nabeel. The expanded lineup has helped shape what the band describes as its most massive and sonically expansive recording to date.

The production takes a different approach from previous CLOAK releases, emphasizing enormous, natural-sounding drums, rumbling bass, and guitar tones packed with attack and clarity.

Lead single "Nigredo - Initium" holds particular significance as the first song the band began developing with its new lineup. The track also serves as the opening gateway into the album's conceptual world.

"A tale of being marked from the beginning. 'Nigredo - Initium' was the first song we started working on as a new lineup, which is very fitting considering the translated title. It is the initial door that opens to the world that is Above, Below, & Through, and the start of a new dark age," the band states.

Above, Below, & Through was recorded with producer Alex Parra and drum engineer John Douglass. The album features striking cover artwork by Jordan Barlow.

With a new lineup, a new label home, and an ambitious conceptual direction, CLOAK appear ready to push their sound into darker and more expansive territory.

Album Details:

• Artist: CLOAK

• Album: Above, Below, & Through

• Release Date: February 12, 2027

• Label: Metal Blade Records

• Location: Atlanta, Georgia

• Producer: Alex Parra

• Drum Engineer: John Douglass

• Cover Artwork: Jordan Barlow

Watch/Stream "Nigredo - Initium":

Pre-orders for Above, Below, & Through are available now. https://www.metalblade.com/cloak/

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