Zeal & Ardor

Shame on me for not devoting nearly enough and time and space to the absolutely amazing new album from New York's Zeal & Ardor.  The band has been making brilliant music for a while now, but the self-titled album that dropped last month feels like the culmination of it all, a blistering mix of black metal, death metal, soul, gospel, old spirituals, and more.  There's no one else out there that sounds like these guys, nor should there be really.  Check out "Hold Your Head Low" below and get the record here from MVKA.

Zeal & Ardor Remixed by GEIZ

One more remix for the morning.  Back in May, New York's Zeal & Ardor released new track "Run," an intense mix of the band's particular style of death metal and bluesy spirituals.  As per usual with the group, it ruled.  And now it gets an insane remix from GEIZ.  The new version keeps the death metal and adds a bunch of industrial mayhem and synthwave techno.  It also rules.  Check it out below and get both versions of "Run" here from MVKA.

Zeal & Ardor

Zeal & Ardor's unique brand of gospel blues metal has always felt of the earth, a kind of spiritual din of mud and turmoil.  And on their latest upcoming EP, "Wake of a Nation," the group focuses that transcendent sound on our current and seemingly everlasting state of turmoil by way of racism and police violence.  It feels darker.  It feels heavier.  It feels real.  Listen to "Vigil" below and try not to be moved by it, a mix of anger and yearning, history and despair, and maybe even just the slightest ray of hope.  It floors me.  The EP is out next month on MVKA.  Pre-order it here.