photo by Shannan Jessica
Christchurch, New Zealand-based progressive death metal outfit BLINDFOLDED AND LED TO THE WOODS today presents their most monstrous recording yet, with the independent release of their third LP, Nightmare Withdrawals, which is now streaming on all platforms.
Nightmare Withdrawals sees BLINDFOLDED AND LED TO THE WOODS taking their already unstoppable craft to the next level of technical decimation. Much like NZ peers Ulcerate, BALTTW often explores atypical terrain, no more so than on Nightmare Withdrawals. Fueled by trauma, yet wholly cathartic, Nightmare Withdrawals’ sinuous songs exhibit technical mastery and raw emotionality. In recent years, the band’s hometown of Christchurch has suffered through natural disasters, a terrorist attack, and now a pandemic. Nightmare Withdrawals exorcises harrowing emotions in a cathartic eruption of tense, textural, and altogether fearless metal. BLINDFOLDED AND LED TO THE WOODS is a crew of passionate musicians determined to capitalize on a decade of hard work and relentless artistic drive.
Nightmare Withdrawals was recorded at The Sitting Room Studio, mixed by Samuel K Sproull, mastered by Alan Douches at West West Side Music, and completed with cover art by Agreatmass and additional artwork/design by Nina Morice. The album features guest vocal contributions from Karl Sanders of Nile on “Atop The Wings Of A Magpie” and Callum Gay of Spook The Horses on “Lucid Visitations.”
Writes guitarist Ben Atkinson, “Nightmare Withdrawals continues from our past records with chaotic and complex riffs but draws in a more nuanced and locked in approach with heavy grounded sections. From beginning to end the album tells a story of agony, trauma and release that is dark, unique, soul crushing, yet emotive.”
Stream BLINDFOLDED AND LED TO THE WOODS’ entire Nightmare Withdrawals through all digital service providers, find merchandise bundles, and more now at THIS LOCATION.
Watch the “Atop The Wings Of A Magpie” video featuring Karl Sanders of Nile HERE and the video for “The Inevitable Fate Of The Universe” HERE.
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Watch for additional updates from BLINDFOLDED AND LED TO THE WOODS including new videos, live announcements, and more over the weeks ahead.
“This New Zealand tech death band keep their music dizzying, disorienting and ultimately, violent. ‘The White Of The Eyes’ is over before it began, only making it more of a mindfuck… Imagine a band that grew up on the grindier side of deathcore à la the Red Chord discovered Gorguts.” – Decibel Magazine
“…a clinic in chaos — downtuned, earth-heaving grooves are halted by heart-palpitating palm mutes and screeching pick scrapes, the madness accentuated by the sickly yellow hue and dim-lit setting the band plays in. That unsettling vibe we mentioned is invoked by two mysterious, suit-clad figures whose faces are cloaked in a white cloth. There’s no other way to say it — it’s just creepy.” – Loudwire, of the video for “The Inevitable Fate Of The Universe”
“Every song on Nightmare Withdrawals darts off in a number of directions until things return to insane heaviness and anchor-like passages that ground the band before darting off again somewhere else within the wide range of genres and styles they comfortably flex an ability to annihilate within…I can say without a doubt that Nightmare Withdrawals will be in my absolute top releases of the year for this column. It’s the sort of unorthodox outsider take on tech-death I crave but rarely get enough of each year.” – Metal Injection
“For those who do not normally listen to this style of music it would be easy to discount it as yet another death metal album, but what we have here is an incredible sense of maturity which adds to the sheer depth and breadth of this release. When they are at full pelt then the music is driving and powerful, and it is easy to look past the complex patterns coming from the drums, the rough buzzsaw bass, or the twin guitars which lock in as one and mix together multiple different death and black metal styles, with wonderful growls from singer Stace Fifield… this is going to stay on repeat as extreme music rarely gets better than this. 5/5” – Muzic.net.nz
“…proggy, tech-y, and brutal but still with a ton of atmosphere — it makes sense that they’ve been compared to fellow New Zealanders Ulcerate.” – BrooklynVegan
“As technically astounding as many bands of this genre are, they often fail to produce memorable material. This isn’t the case with BLINDFOLDED AND LED TO THE WOODS and Nightmare Withdrawals. Despite the intense bludgeoning they deal out, they also create an atmospheric and a very engaging experience, conveying a plethora of dark emotions and moods. Three albums into their career and these guys seemed poised to boost themselves into the upper echelons of technical death metal with this release. It’s time they receive their due.” – No Clean Singing
“…blast beats straight out the gate, whinnying, dissonant guitars, and unexpected changes all around. It’s like being on a ship that’s not only rocking side to side and up and down, but also spinning, and under attack by pirates with nailguns. Each hit of the snare feels like a hit to the head, every whammy-bar ornamented guitar note nauseating, seasick.” – Everything Is Noise
“Let’s get this straight, these guys don’t fuck around. Starting strong with a cacophonic barrage of girthy dissonant riffs and precise drumming, this album lets you know what you are in for right off the bat, the best product that these guys have put out to date. A display of sheer technical ability and creative songwriting…” – Technical Music Review
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