-IRISH PROGRESSIVE POST-METALLERS RELEASE VIDEO FOR ‘OVER THE FIRE, UNDER THE SMOKE’
-ALBUM ‘THE CROSSING’ LANDS 15TH SEPTEMBER
“This record is a call for action,” declares Josh Guyett, one third of Irish progressive post-metal quintet Ilenkus’ guitar and vocals triad, whilst fervently discussing his band’s forthcoming new opus, ‘The Crossing’; “It’s a call to not sit on your ideas and beliefs, to take that step into the scary unknown and make things happen.” And now the band have gone one step further with this concept, with Chris taking to the streets of their hometown in Ireland to shoot their new video, in just one take. Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5t6zMD0qWI
Fully populated by Josh’s fellow guitarists/co-vocalists Chris Brennan & Sam Ellis, drummer Rory Guyett and bassist Robin Van Der Klooster, and taking their name from the Greek word ‘Elenchus’ (“This is the central technique of Socratic Method, which is essentially a form of debate where someone will refute another argument by proving the contrary of its conclusion,”), Ilenkus are an ambitious and articulate unit, one with a widescreen vision of their music, message and artistic scope. As Josh explains: “We have three alternating lead singers and guitar players, and all three of us write the lyrics, so the sound and atmosphere on each track can be completely different. But our lyrics definitely have a theme; an idea we touch on a lot is relinquishing the illusion of control, allowing the primal elements of human nature to come to the fore and to see where they guide the self.”
Set for release on September 15th, and mixed by These Arms Are Snakes’ Chris Common (Chelsea Wolfe, Pelican), ‘The Crossing’ is as crushing as it is complex, as serrated as it is subtle, the band’s three pronged vocal trident keeping the textures of Ilenkus’ sound in almost constant flux. Moments of sparkling downtime give way to rivers of crushing gloom; elsewhere, leviathan riffs wind their way in, out and around the quintet’s pulsing song structures like a complex network of roots in soil.
Coming off like the spawn of HydraHead Records’ early naughts output and the lofty likes of Neurosis or Cult Of Luna, ‘The Crossing’ is complex and challenging, immersive and compelling in equal measure. “We feel the album is diverse and powerful, yet a more focused vision than our previous work,” offers Josh; “It’s dramatic, dense and engaging with an almost cinematic yet brutal approach to song writing. The LP feels like a much truer representation of where the band is right now, therefore we’re really excited to get on the road and perform these songs live…. It’s gonna be like shooting my load for the first time again – I can’t fucking wait to get it the fuck out of my system.”
Currently Confirmed Tour Dates (More TBA Soon):
· 20th Sep – Galway – The Roisin Dubh
· 25th Sep – Bristol – The Gryphon
· 26th Sep – London – The Unicorn
· 11th – Oct – Luxembourg – Grape Sound Collective
‘The Crossing’ will be released on 15th September 2014
New Video ‘Over The Fire, Under The Smoke’ HERE
www.facebook.com/ilenkus
https://ilenkus.bandcamp.com
