A FLOCK NAMED MURDER: Toronto-Based Atmospheric Post-Black Metal Trio To Release Incendiary Sanctum 2xLP May 2nd On Hypaethral Records

Photo by Felix Vesker

Toronto-based atmospheric post-black trio A FLOCK NAMED MURDER will release their Incendiary Sanctum full-length May 2nd on Hypaethral Records.

A FLOCK NAMED MURDER was born from a simple but powerful idea: to compose music that is both potent and honest, unbound by expectations. Brothers Cam and Ryan Mueller first began writing and playing together in 2009, using their diverse influences to carve out a sound uniquely their own. Their goal was never to conform but to express the raw and visceral emotions that define the human experience through the boundless spirit of creativity.

The band took on various incarnations over the years, initially with the moniker Sovereign, where they became a fixture in Toronto’s metal underground, sharing the stage with bands like Imperial Triumphant, Rosetta, and Falls Of Rauros. After recording their debut album, longtime friend and bassist Sean Shorting amicably departed in 2018, making way for the arrival of Mike Wandy on bass. With this final shift, the band rebranded as A FLOCK NAMED MURDER and released their first full-length, An Appointed Time, later that year.

Never confined by genre, A FLOCK NAMED MURDER crafts an expansive and immersive sound–merging elements of black metal, post-metal, doom, and death metal into a seamless whole. Their music resonates with fans of boundary-pushing acts like Agalloch, Neurosis, Inter Arma, Ulver, Fen, The Ruins Of Beverast, Ulcerate, and Cult Of Luna. Whether leaning into crushing intensity or weaving hypnotic atmospheres, each song is a journey – meticulously crafted yet organic in flow, sprawling yet cohesive, drawing listeners into deep, evocative soundscapes.

With their upcoming sophomore LP, Incendiary Sanctum, A FLOCK NAMED MURDER pushes every element of their sound to its outermost limits. As diverse and sprawling as it is, the album stands as their most complete and uncompromising artistic statement to date – a bold exploration of extremity and emotion, crafted by a band unafraid to forge its own path.

Comments Cam Mueller on the album overall, “Worship is ever beyond the divine. Worship takes hold in ideals, and in idolatry. We worship progress. We worship the myth of a venerable past. We worship power. It is insidious when that which is revered becomes incapable of wrongdoing. Everything is justified in the eyes of worship and that rotten seed can lead to the worst of human atrocities. Incendiary Sanctum is a eulogy burning away the very idea of worship. It is a longing for an insurmountable world beyond flesh. It is a rumination on humanity and those we’ve lost, and all those who came and went before we were ever here and are gone without a trace. The passing in and out of time, with many of us left behind or unceremoniously taken away. It is our strength in holding onto that memory, which is all there is and someday will be gone too. It’s the inner sanctum of the self as a pyre, and the infinite silence of God.”

In advance of the release of Incendiary Sanctum, today the band unsheathes “Pierced Flesh Catharsis,’ “The track encapsulates the desire to be something beyond human, something that will last forever. Something that won’t be eroded by the relentless passing of time. An ache for life in a great world beyond, despite the absence and listlessness of belief. A crossing of the veil through self-sacrifice and a purging of sorrow and longing.”

A FLOCK NAMED MURDER’s Incendiary Sanctum features stunning cover art by Adam Burke (Nightjar Illustration) as well as several guest appearances including additional vocals in “Pierced Flesh Catharsis” by Luke Farndon of Drofnosura and piano in “Pierced Flesh Catharsis” by Rob McAllister of Centuries Of Decay. Drum recording, engineering, and mastering was handled by Roland Rodas (Cavern Of Echoes Studio), additional drum recording, vocal recording, and 12-string acoustic guitar recording was handled by Matt Hems (Seventh Level Sound), while electric and bass guitar recording and mixing was handled by Greg Dawson (BWC Studios).

“The Eulogy Fields” and “To Drown In Obsidian Tides” field recordings were captured at Yosemite National Park in California and The Cathedral Church of St. James in Toronto by Ryan Mueller and Cam Mueller respectively. All other samples were rendered by Greg Dawson

Incendiary Sanctum will be released on CD (limited to 300 copies), 2xLP on Molten Lava vinyl (limited to 200 copies), and digital formats.

Find preorders at the Hypaethral webshop HERE or Bandcamp HERE.

Incendiary Sanctum Track Listing:

1. Garden Of Embers

2. Pierced Flesh Catharsis

3. The Eulogy Fields

4. To Drown In Obsidian Tides

“The truth is, I usually don’t delve into ‘post,’ or ‘atmospheric’ black metal that often. Most bands associated with those styles usually bore me after a few minutes, so I rarely venture in those realms. I would recommend this record to any black metal fan though, regardless of categorizations and genre tags. I found their riffs significantly darker, heavier and more memorable upon first listen than their counterparts. From the clean guitar intro of ‘Garden’… to the gentle acoustic strumming and church bells at the end of ‘To Drown…,’ you’ll be taken on a journey. This album has something to say, and it resonates with me despite being an outsider.

“For the guitar nerds out there, the album has plenty of dynamics, tasteful chord progressions, carefully arranged tempo changes and soul-crushing decrescendos to keep the pacing engaging despite the songs being long. I hear ‘70s influenced guitar soloing and Mournful Congregation-esque melodicism in the guitar work, through the lens of European black metal and a tinge of doom metal and Close To A World Below-era Immolation sounding passages. This is the kind of eclecticism that attracts my ear immediately.” – Phil Tougas / Worm, Chthe’ilist, Atramentus

A FLOCK NAMED MURDER:

Ryan Mueller – guitars, vocals

Mike Wandy – bass, vocals

Cam Mueller – drums, lyric

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Ralph Greco, Jr. is the devilishly clever nom de plume of professional writer/musician Ralph Greco who lives in the wilds of suburban New Jersey. He is also a podcast co-host, but as everyone has a podcast these days, this fact is of very little consequence.

Ralph can be reached by writing ralphiedawriter@gmail.com

 

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