Metallic hardcore act Age of Despair from London, Ontario, released their first LP Nine Laments digitally and on vinyl on September 18. The record is true to what the musicians initially wanted of this band: to create songs that are emotionally and musically heavy.
Age of Despair, who started as a studio project of two friends, have now grown into a full band with two guitarists, a bassist, a drummer, and a vocalist. Their new album includes previously released songs, reworked and finally recorded with new vocals to capture the intended form. However, neither new nor old members want to be known to the public:
“No photos, no names, minimal social media presence. I remember when I thought Stephen King was a scary dude. Now you can see him post pictures with his dog. That’s cool but I like a little mystique…like, Ligotti is one of my favourite writers but I have no idea what he looks like. Almost no one does. The work should speak for itself and should feel satisfying when done. That’s all that matters,” one of the band’s co-founders shares with Musiknights.
The band’s bassist handled both recording and mixing of Nine Laments. The processes took place in the collective’s practice space—the basement of a century-old hosiery factory. Dead Air Studios mastered the album for vinyl release.
The record holds many themes at once. While partially relying on control as an overarching motif, each song has its own story and source of inspiration.
“The lyrics are intentionally ambiguous in a “choose your own adventure” way, so there is no wrong way to read them. “Elegy” is probably the most straightforward song on the record. I tried to write it from my wife’s perspective after her mom’s passing. It was emotionally draining but the song came together in one practice,” he adds.
Also, the musicians filled the record with various indirect horror references, where, for instance, “Murder the World” nods to Clive Barker, Simon Strantzas, and John Langan.
Age of Despair will present Nine Laments at the special LP Release Show at London’s Casa Latina on October 3. They’ve also already started working on their next record.
Age of Despair online:
https://www.instagram.com/ageofdespairhc
Cover photo — Bandcamp