Up-and-coming primal epic metal band BLAZON RITE will release their first full-length album, Endless Halls of Golden Totem, on May 28th on Gates of Hell Records! A triumph of true metal power, the new album comes one year after the release of the brilliant Dulce Bellum Inexpertis.
Striking quickly after the release of their debut four-song 2020 Dulce Bellum Inexpertis EP, the members of BLAZON RITE (comprised of founding member/primary songwriter/guitarist James Kirn, vocalist Johnny Halladay, bassist Pierson Roe and drummer Ryan Haley) worked off a series of compositions Kirn wrote before EP was tracked. Whereas the EP had a cohesive batch of songs tied to a concept, the cuts on Endless Halls of Golden Totem utilize a variety of tempos, structures, textures and hooks.
The album’s eight songs carefully draw from proto-metal motifs to strident, galloping power metal, all wrapped around a bevy of expertly-crafted guitar melodies and Halladay’s convincing vocal delivery. Unlike Dulce Bellum Inexpertis, Endless Halls of Golden Totem is not a concept album. This time, BLAZON RITE tackled fantasy-based themes, namely lost and hidden worlds, betrayal, the inner turmoil and lives of different characters, battle, magic and sorcery and, perhaps most significantly, making love the night before going off to war.
Endless Halls of Golden Totem was tracked in Kirn’s basement. While that may immediately suggest the album boasts a raw production, BLAZON RITE, on the contrary, produced a more measured and polished album than their debut EP. Kirn’s basement is finished, allowing it to be properly equipped with engineer Richie Rabid’s recording equipment and microphones. The band also outfitted Kirn’s small bathroom with rugs and soundproofing gear, further enhancing the sound. BLAZON RITE recorded on weekends and tracked all instruments separately, taking them a month-and-a-half to complete the process. The mixing and mastering were then handled by Will Mellor of Red Water Recording, who, according to Kirn, “took the album to the next level.”
Endless Halls of Golden Totem Track Listing:
1. Legends of Time and Eidolon
2. Put Down Your Steel (Only for the Night)
3. The Executioners Woe
4. Endless Halls of Golden Totem
5. The Alchemists Brute
6. The Night Watchmen of Starfall Tower
7. Consumed by Glory Light
8. Into Shores of Blood
