WHEN THE DEADBOLT BREAKS: Lovecraftian Sludge Metal Trio Marks Twentieth Anniversary With Tenth LP, In The Glow Of The Vatican Fire, Out June 27th On Argonauta Records; Track Posted

photos by Lounge708 Photography

When the soul dies, the animated meat is left behind to walk the earth in blind circles, mechanical life awaiting decay, feathered beings in the dark eating clay. In this space, WHEN THE DEADBOLT BREAKS lurks, a paper-thin sheet of ice covering a blackwater lake, salivating for the weight of the unsuspecting.

With a doom style both psychedelic and unsettling – in a word, Lovecraftian – WHEN THE DEADBOLT BREAKS is singer and guitarist Aaron Lewis’ nightmarish vision, the current lineup fleshed out with experimental vocalist Amber Leigh and bassist Steve Wieda. Since 2005, the band has resisted classification, having been called heavy, daunting, overwhelming, and unnerving. Long, sprawling songs encompassing both the hideous and the beautiful, the chaotic and the structured, the dissonant and the harmonious. The band weaves tapestries of sound and emotion – dirty, decomposing motifs interspersed with moments of psychotic frenzy, marked by sudden, unexpected shifts in mood, perspective, and tempo. Some of these interruptions evolve into extended and repeated sections, others are nihilistic sonic cul-de-sacs that dissolve into wet ashes.

Celebrating the band’s twentieth anniversary in 2025, WHEN THE DEADBOLT BREAKS delivers its tenth album, In The Glow Of The Vatican Fire. The record is as ambitious as it is violent and captures the essence of the band in its current form.  Inspired by man’s infinite capacity for cruelty, In The Glow Of The Vatican Fire evokes the numbing of human compassion, the sorrow of dead leaves, and the eternal rage of scorned gods. The band’s music is a feeling, an involuntary and instinctive recoiling from horror. It is the sound of emotions corrupted and driven to their extremes. It is the silent cry of the dead astronaut in space. It asks one simple question: When your soul dies, what will it leave behind?

In The Glow Of The Vatican Fire was recorded and mixed by the band at Room SevenZeroEight, mastered by James Plotkin of Plotkinworks (Earth, Khanate, Pelican), and completed with cover art concept and inspiration by MR and layout/design by Bill Kole.

The first glimpse into this nightmarish soundscape comes with the release of “The Chaos Of Water,” a song that embodies the band’s signature blend of oppressive weight and hypnotic atmosphere. Expect suffocating riffs, haunting vocal passages, and a descent into sonic oblivion that lingers long after the final note fades.

WHEN THE DEADBOLT BREAKS’ “The Chaos Of Water” is now streaming on YouTube HERE.

In The Glow Of The Vatican Fire will be released through Argonauta Records on CD, 2xLP, and digitally on June 27th. Preorders will post alongside new singles and more in the days ahead.

 

In The Glow Of The Vatican Fire Track Listing:
1. The Scythe Will Come
2. Deus Vult
3. Coffin Walls
4. The Chaos Of Water
5. Burning Zozobra
6. The Deep Well
7. N5691
8. Red Sparrow

Having played SXSW, The New England Stoner & Doom Fest, and toured parts of the East and West Coasts of the United States and Canada over the years, WHEN THE DEADBOLT BREAKS will tour in support of the new album. Dates are already confirmed throughout the East Coast of North America throughout the late Spring and through Summer, with more shows in the works. See confirmed dates below and expect to see updates shortly.

WHEN THE DEADBOLT BREAKS Tour Dates:
6/21/2025 Doom & Brews V @ Strange Brew Pub – Norwich, CT
7/17/2025 TBA – New York
7/18/2025 Bovine Sex Club – Toronto, ON
7/19/2025 The Mansion – Kingston, ON
7/20/2025 Quai Des Brumes – Montreal, QC
7/22/2025 Abandoned Building Brewery – Easthampton, MA
7/23/2025 1st Republic Brewing – Essex, VT
8/23/2025 Cherry Street Station – Wallingford, CT
8/29/2025 The Cellar – Hamden, CT

WHEN THE DEADBOLT BREAKS In The Glow Of The Vatican Fire Lineup:
Steve Wieda – bass, backing vocals
Amber Leigh – vocals
Aaron Lewis – vocals, guitar
Rob Birkbeck – drums
Joaquin Gouin – additional vocals on “The Deep Well”

https://whenthedeadboltbreaks.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/WhentheDeadboltBreaks
https://www.instagram.com/whenthedeadboltbreaks
https://www.youtube.com/user/Deadbolt6669
https://www.argonautarecords.com
https://www.facebook.com/ArgonautaRecords
https://www.instagram.com/argonautarecords
https://twitter.com/argonautarex
http://www.youtube.com/argonautarecords

The post WHEN THE DEADBOLT BREAKS: Lovecraftian Sludge Metal Trio Marks Twentieth Anniversary With Tenth LP, In The Glow Of The Vatican Fire, Out June 27th On Argonauta Records; Track Posted first appeared on Earsplit Compound.