lifornia based progressive rock standouts, Hail The Sun, have announced their ambitious new full-length, Mental Knife, will be out September 28th via Equal Vision Records.
Sonically, Mental Knife is the closest the band has come to realizing the sound they’ve sought since forming in 2009. The band lived largely in the same creative space for this record as they did on its predecessors – Culture Scars (2016, Equal Vision Records) and the Secret Wars EP (2017, Equal Vision Records). However, all four members of the band have elevated their already impressive style of play on Mental Knife; pushing the limit of what is capable when walking the delicate line between intricate song arrangements and massive riffs and thundering rhythms. To realize their vision for Mental Knife, the band worked with Beau Burchell, best known for his role as a member of Saosin and producing that project’s iconic Translating The Name full length which was a major influence on the members of Hail The Sun.
The title track for Mental Knife, which fans are able to hear for the first time today, directly addresses the record’s mission statement behind a wall of scorching guitars, visceral screams and driving percussion. It premiered via an innovative video that serves as a surreal performance in a dark and dingy basement. The second single revealed today, “Suffocating Syndrome”, imagines what a conversation with a god would be like over the sort of heavy ethereal soundscape that one would expect from such a weighted question. It will be featured on the official Warped Tour compilation this year.