EPK – Burned In Effigy – Rex Mortem (2022)
Publicist – Jon Asher – jon[@]ashermediarelations[.]com
“We are psyched to present our debut album, Rex Mortem, a catalog of the first chapter of the band. This has been in the works for a long time and we couldn’t be more pleased with how it has turned out. The songs vary in complexity and intensity and demonstrate our growth as a band since its inception. Listeners will hear influences such as The Black Dahlia Murder and The Human Abstract, combining our love for death metal and progressive/neo-classical metal. The vocals are gritty and tense and the lyrics emphasize this with dark tales inspired by mythology, history, and classic literature. Many of the songs follow the story of a tyrannical king aiming to expand his power and influence, who ends up being brought down by his closest allies. We believe our album has something for all metal fans, regardless of preferred subgenre.” – Matt Watkins (Bass) – Burning in Effigy
For fans of The Black Dahlia Murder, The Human Abstract, At the Gates, Between the Buried and Me, Arsis
Facebook.com/burnedineffigyofficial | Instagram.com/burnedineffigyil | YouTube
BurnedInEffigy.bandcamp.com | Spotify
[Download Album Cover | Download Album Lyrics]
Track Listing:
1. Doomsayer (3:28)
2. Artorias (5:08)
3. Nightfall (3:20)
4. The Empiricist (4:05)
5. Hades (4:26)
6. Atlas (4:23)
7. Treachery (3:25)
8. Vendetta (3:55)
Album Length: 32:12
• All songs performed by: Mark Smedbron, Matt Watkins, Eddie Dec, Vito Bellino, Brad Dose
• All songs written by: Burned in Effigy
• Produced by: Jordon Beal
• Mixed by: Jordon Beal
• Mastered by: Jordon Beal
• Album Artwork by: Martin Trottier, Darkest Media
Album and Live Band Line Up:
– Mark “Smedy” Smedbron – Vocals
– Steve Bacakos – Guitar
– Mike Hisson – Guitar
– Matt Watkins – Bass
– Eddie Dec – Drums
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The album as a whole explained by bassist Matt Watkins:
Lyrically, the album is the introduction of a tale of a tyrannical king’s rule and demise, including some other minor themes and stories from mythology and classic literature. Musically, the album is high-energy, but also diverse. It takes elements from multiple subgenres within metal, mainly melodic death metal and progressive metal, while infusing neoclassical elements into each track. No two tracks sound the same. We try to skillfully and tastefully change keys and time signatures throughout, so the feel of the music is constantly shifting but also smoothly flowing between each section.
Track by Track by Explained:
1. Doomsayer – Doomsayer is a fast-paced and technical introduction to the album. The guitar progressions alternate between tight and muted and open and harmonized, building to a crushing pre-chorus and open, melodic chorus. The lyrical themes deal with the world burning while a tyrannical king watches from on high with contempt.
2. Artorias – Artorias has the most emphasis on groove on the album. It has multiple movements, including a latin-influenced clean departure in the middle of the song. It starts with a syncopated riff that really comes together with the drums’ half-time groove, going into a verse section with a thundering double kick pattern. The middle section continues the groove between the bass and drums, and the final section builds into a climactic finale with a ripping guitar solo. Lyrically, it describes a doomed path for humanity with no chance of redemption.
3. Nightfall – Nightfall’s lyrics are based on the tales of Vladimir Dracula and Count Orlok (Nosferatu) and seek to illustrate the neoclassical themes in the song. Musically, it incorporates multiple clean sections that outline the main musical themes that then appear in the riffs, including fast-paced tremolo picking sections with blast beats.
4. The Empiricist – The Empiricist steadily builds emotional tension throughout the song and shifts keys multiple times, demonstrating the main theme in multiple different ways. The lyrics deal with the king’s closest advisor and right-hand man betraying him and destroying what the king had built. This song really benefited the most from vocals as opposed to its instrumental version, in our opinion.
5. Hades – Hades is the fastest song on the album and shifts between multiple time signatures rapidly, with a mid-tempo melodic chorus and solo section. Though the groove is constantly shifting, it transitions smoothly so it feels natural instead of jarring. The lyrics illustrate the king’s descent to the afterlife.
6. Atlas – Atlas is likely the most melodic song on the album, though it also has plenty of groove. It was originally called “Jupiter” on our first EP and now has proper production and includes vocals. The lyrical themes follow Atlas, who was cursed to bear the weight of the world on his shoulders.
7. Treachery – Treachery is the most melodically and harmonically complex song on the album. It expresses its themes in multiple keys and includes lots of counterpoint, including sections with 3-way counterpoints between the guitars and bass. The vocal chants throughout the song hammer home the lyrical themes of divine right and corruption. The king aims to present an image to his subjects as a just and noble ruler, while he plots to spread his treachery across the land.
8. Vendetta – Vendetta is one of the first songs written by the band and deserved a rendition for the album release. It has some speed/power metal influences and includes very lead-driven choruses and a climactic solo. The lyrics detail a murderous revenge upon one’s oppressors.
L-R – Mark “Smedy” Smedbron (Vocals) | Matt Watkins (Bass) | Eddie Dec (Drums) | Steve Bacakos (Guitar) | Mike Hisson (Guitar)
Photo Credit – Emily Fuschen – Dark Trix Photography
Burned in Effigy is a neoclassical melodic death metal band from Chicago, IL. Formed in late 2016 by founding members Brad Dose (guitar), Vito Belino (guitar), Eddie Dec (drums), and Matt Watkins (bass). Starting as an instrumental melodic metal band, the four were brought together by their love of complex, melodic, and heavy music and sought to bring more of that to the Chicago extreme music scene.
Burned in Effigy released their debut EP, Terrestrial, in April 2017. The band focused on playing shows after and building an audience through top-notch live performances while opening for prominent bands such as Scale the Summit, Angel Vivaldi, Oh, Sleeper, and Mushroomhead. While supporting this EP, Burned in Effigy worked with a couple of different vocalists and eventually recruited vocalist Mark “Smedy” Smedbron in December 2019 while in the early demo stages for their first full length.
During the late stages of planning the recording of their first album, Covid-19 began to plague the world and slowed its progress. During this time, Burned in Effigy had the departures of co-founding members Vito Belino and Brad Dose. The remaining three members Eddie Dec (drums), Matt Watkins (bass) and Mark “Smedy” Smedbron (Vocals) rallied and recruited guitar players Mike Hisson and Steve Bacakos to fill their shoes. The quintet entered the studio soon after and completed recording their 2022 masterpiece “Rex Mortem”.
Fans can expect a diverse high-energy album. It takes elements from multiple subgenres within metal, mainly melodic death and progressive metal while infusing neoclassical elements into each track. No two tracks sound the same. The quintet skillfully and tastefully changes keys and time signatures throughout, so the feel of the music is constantly shifting, but also smoothly flowing between each section.
“Rex Mortem” is due out January 28, 2022.
Discography:
2022 – Rex Mortem – LP
2017 – Terrestrial EP
Shared Stage with:
Mushroomhead, Scale the Summit, Angel Vivaldi, Andy James, Oh Sleeper, Product of Hate, Depths of Hatred, A War Within, Sleep Signals
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BAND STORY ANGLES / FUN FACTS:
1. While the story of the tyrannical king was not planned from the start, it naturally arose during the vocal/lyrical writing process and felt it complimented the sounds of the songs on the album. It isn’t fully a concept album, but does include an ongoing story that we will definitely continue in future material. We don’t want to limit ourselves, so some songs may depart from the theme, but we can also expand the scope of the saga to include other stories from within the same universe.
2. Opening for Mushroomhead was unexpected for us, as we were asked by the promoter day-of to fill in since the previously scheduled opening band had to drop the show. We cleared our schedules and showed up to play, though as an instrumental progressive band at the time we were more than a little out of place. We still gave our best performance and a decent amount of people in the crowd were vibing to it, despite the audience expecting something more in line with the main industrial lineup. It ended up being a great experience.
3. The candles in the background of our video for Doomsayer were made by the band the night before the video shoot. We made them by hot-gluing assorted lengths of PVC pipe together, adding extra dribbles of glue, and painting over. The extra amount of hot glue gave them a melted candle look, and we just placed small tea lights on top to provide light. While it was a last-minute idea and kept many of us up until the early morning hours, they turned out looking really cool, and we plan on bringing some of them for our live setups in the future.
