EPK – Red Cain – NÃE’BLISSÂ (2023)
Publicist – Jon Asher – jon[@]ashermediarelations[.]com
Red Cain returns with their Wheel of Time-inspired 3rd full-length album âNÃE’BLISS”. This album is their homage to the legendary world of Robert Jordan’s fantasy epic.
For fans of Kamelot, Mastodon, Powerwolf, Lord of the Lost, Tesseract
Album Title: NÃE’BLISS
Release Date: June 2, 2023
Label: Independent
Distribution: Digital
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Album Title: NÃE’BLISS
Release Date: June 2, 2023
Label: Independent
Distribution: Digital
Track Listing:
1. Fisher King – 5:35
2. Blight – 6:37
3. The Great Hunt – 4:09
4. We Are Chaos – 4:55
5. Sightblinder – 2:47
6. The Man Who Can’t Forget (Part I) – 2:38
7. Crane of Malkier (Part II) – 2:04
8. Red Cain – Fires of Heaven ft. James Delbridge (Lycanthro) – 8:02
Album Length: 36:52
Album Recording Credits:
⢠All songs performed by: Red Cain
⢠All songs written by: Red Cain
⢠Produced by: Red Cain
⢠Mixed by: Tyler Corbett – Sole Audio
⢠Mastered by: Alan Sacha Laskow – Perfect Filth Studios.
⢠Album Artwork by: Red Cain
⢠Member of SOCAN
⢠Canadian Content (MAPL)
Recording and Live Band Lineup:
Evgeniy Zayarny – Vocals
Samuel Ridout – Guitars
Kalie Yan – Bass, Vocals
Taylor Gibson – Drums
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RED CAIN – âNÃE’BLISS” – About The Album
Red Cain returns with our Wheel of Time – inspired 3rd full-length album âNÃE’BLISS”. This album is our homage to the legendary world of Robert Jordan’s fantasy epic.
With a grimdark edge, downtuned guitars, death metal influences, and an unrelenting march forward, “NÃE’BLISS” is a foray into the reverse side of the Wheel of Time story – that of the Forsaken, antagonists, instruments of the Great Lord of the Dark, and the brutal and captivating allure of letting Chaos reign supreme.
âWe are fascinated by antagonists, why they stand against the âcommon goodâ, and how they came to fill that role – and when reading the Wheel of Time, there was the same intrigue behind how the very clearly defined âevilâ faction in this world justified its existence. Why did the Forsaken willingly join the Shadow? Why do some men and women want the world to burn, the Wheel to stop spinning? Within such a carefully crafted narrative and beautifully balanced universe, there were puzzling, unexplored gaps that we were determined to delve deeper into.
And of course, fantasy is but a mirror of reality – so outside WoT lore, these questions apply equally well to the world beyond our window. Which of our idols are false, which heroes degenerates, what history a compendium of careful lies? It is all too easy to raise your fist against those labelled evil by the multitudes or a voice above, while failing to realize you yourself are the instrument of tyranny and corruption.â
We are all massive fantasy fans, and for us, Wheel of Time rubs shoulders with LOTR as a genre-defining epic fantasy series that started it all. The world of the Wheel is a brutal, compelling world with multitudes of fascinating characters, and we were particularly interested in exploring its more visceral aspects – an area which begs to be paired with heavy metal. Weâve seen some of our musical icons, like Blind Guardian, successfully go down this path, and it was magnificent to see new musical interpretations of those stories spun out by them – not to mention some bloody good fun.
Now, it is our turn to ride forward in another turn of the Wheel. Enjoy!
Red Cain – âNÃE’BLISSâ Track by Track Comments
1. FISHER KING
Conceptually, âFisher Kingâ takes place in the universe of the legendary Wheel of Time fantasy series. It is the throw of the gauntlet by the Dragon Reborn, the Champion of the Light in his prime – a showcase of the kind of monumental inertia that brooks no opposition. Unsettling, bombastic and unrelenting, this track showcases a musical and lyrical contest of wills between the âChosen Oneâ archetype, and his antithetical, flawed, yet lethal opponent caught in his unrelenting march.
The concept of the Fisher King comes from Arthurian legend, telling the story of a wounded king unable to act as the protector of his lands, spending his time fishing in a pond, leading to them falling into ruin. The epic and forthright style of this track belies the lyrical theme of self-annihilation and corruption that can take root in those who are raised to be heroes or saviours. Our protagonist, Rand alâThor, is a monumental force of destruction, inevitable, standing for all that is Good. But this destruction is also within himself – the vessel of the Light can be consumed by that same Light from within – and is personified by his antagonist, the Chosen One of the Shadow. This track is a study of two men, both on a collision course with each other, both doomed and aware of their fate, locked in a mortal conflict that sees no end and spans eons.
2. BLIGHT
Blight is defined as an organic contagion that damages, destroys, or corrupts. In the Wheel of Time universe, where the Dark One touches the world, uncontrolled and aberrant growth sprouts and covers the land, home to malign flora and monstrous fauna. With this track, we moved the needle firmly into the progressive part of our progpower style, delivering an atmospheric, chilling, and dynamic performance meant to mimic the unstoppable advancement of the Blight over the land. Is the Blight a disease or a majestic triumph of organic life without limits? With this Tesseract, Ihsahn, and Insomnium-influenced track, we explore this idea.
The concept for âBlightâ came out of a question – what is the ideal state in the evolution of organic life? Influenced by authors like Stanislaw Lem and Adrian Tchaikovsky, this has long been a theme in science fiction, and is becoming relevant in the modern era. The Blight also plays a key role within the Wheel of Time universe, and the concept sets the stage for a musical exploration from our end where another evolution to our sound likewise takes root.
3. THE GREAT HUNT
With our next single for the upcoming album âNÃE’BLISSâ, we are pleased to debut one of the heaviest tracks in the Red Cain repertoire – âThe Great Huntâ. A stomping, driven ¾ march utilizing 8-string guitars and layers and layers of bass, this track pushes further into the djent riffs present elsewhere on the album, yet contains all of the usual characteristics of a Red Cain anthem – lush electronic backing, soaring, aggressive vocals, and a pulsing, headbanging groove.
Conceptually, within the albumâs theme continuing to revolve around the âWheel of Timeâ universe, âThe Great Huntâ calls our Forsaken protagonists to begin the hunt for the most dangerous game – their archenemy, the worldbreaking Champion of the Light – the Dragon Reborn himself. With regression to the status quo threatening, and Chaos the only antidote, will this bold move yield success – or drive the world deeper into the designs of the Wheel?
Step up, heft your spear – and join The Great Hunt.
4. WE ARE CHAOS
Ruminations on chaos. Four rebellious souls plotting against a tyrant. An occult ceremony. A secret waiting to be torn open. Red Cainâs new single + music video âWe Are Chaosâ brings us back into the universe of the Wheel of Time, into the lair of the Forsaken – the Chosen, as they see themselves – in their resistance to the unending turning of the Wheel.
Under the leadership of the enigmatic Moridin, irreversibly tied to their enemy, the Dragon Reborn, Sammael, Demandred, and Semirhage are the bulwark against the rising tide of the Dragon and his followers, and the decaying status quo that his ascension brings.
Continuing the experimental nature of previous single âBlightâ, âWe Are Chaosâ plants its flag firmly in death metal territory, with vocalists Evgeniy Zayarny and Kalie Yan trading off growls amid heavy, groove laden riffs, backlit by the usual eerie soundscapes, and Samuel Ridoutâs staccato guitarwork. A plunge into the nature of chaos, promises broken, and a bond that threatens mutual destruction, âWe Are Chaosâ is very much a new iteration of the core Red Cain sound, and an emphatic musical and visual statement en route to the upcoming album release.
5. SIGHTBLINDER
The Aiel are a hardened, brutal, yet noble culture of desert warriors who are in many cases the last line of defence against the encroaching forces of the Dark. âSightblinderâ is the Aiel term for the Dark One – a presence that destroys sight, mind, and the tools to appreciate the ephemeral and visceral beauty of life. “Til shade is gone, ’til water is gone, to spit in Sightblinder’s eye on the Last Day” is a battle promise given by all Aiel warriors, dedicating their life to fight the Great Lord of the Dark and his influence.
This perseverance, brutalism, and refusal to fall – qualities respected by ally and enemy alike – are at the core of this progressive, heavy, and intricate instrumental. “Sightblinder” doubly refers to the private, though indirect, battle fought between Tigraine, the mother of Rand al’Thor, and Shai’tan himself – the battle to birth the Dragon Reborn, won by the Maiden of the Spear.
6. THE MAN WHO CANâT FORGET (Part I) / 7. CRANE OF MALKIER (Part II)
An instant hit from the long-awaited Wheel of Time TV series, performed by Thom (Alexandre Willaume) this raw, tobacco-and-whisky flavoured ballad immediately caught us and wouldn’t let go. So we wrote a metal cover of it in our own flavour. And then we added our own twist to it with the Part II of this track – Crane of Malkier.
Where the original song speaks quite clearly and eloquently about Lews Therin, the original Dragon, who caused the Breaking of the World in his madness, and the torment that came to him as a result, our track focuses on another “Man who can’t forget” – the last Malkieri king, on a sworn crusade to avenge the death of his land and bring down the Dark One.
In a relatively classical and beloved power metal ballad format, dressed up with familiar Red Cain stylistic elements and electronic backing, these two tracks shape the duality, juxtaposition, and dimmed glory of two men, neither of whom can let go of the past.
8. FIRES OF HEAVEN (feat. James Delbridge – Lyrcanthro)
The smell of char. The howling of Trollocs and screeches of Fades. Lightning tendrils of the One Power arcing across the carmine skies. The landscape is ashen, and reality is visibly torn by the vicious cyclones of raw power concentrated around Shayol Ghul – the prison of the being known as the Dark One.
The Wheel creaks under the strain of the ta’veren. The air itself is charged with the expectation of bloodshed. And the most powerful forces of the Third Age face one another. One side – the adherents of the Dragon Reborn, fight for the status quo and the minimization of human suffering – shortsighted, naive, altogether ignorant of the true oppressive weight of the cyclical nature of the Wheel. The other – Forsaken, blood on their hands, in an unholy union with the Dark One, yearning to break the Wheel, derail the cycling of Ages, burn this false Heaven down and, through entropy, create a new world.
For the longest Red Cain track yet, we invited James Delbridge from  Canadian band Lycanthro to lend his classic heavy metal vocal to this opus of a song hitting the crescendo of the lore behind “NAÌE’BLISS”. A culmination of the musical elements in the other tracks of the album, “Fires of Heaven” brings the “NAÌE’BLISS” concept to a close with a blistering, sprawling tour de force mirroring the epic closing of the Wheel of Time series – Tarmon Gai’don – The Last Battle. Heaven must burn.
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STORY ANGLES / FUN FACTS:
1. Evgeniy, the frontman, is of joint Russian/Ukrainian descent and was exposed to Slavic paganism from a young age, gaining insight into old ceremonies and spoken word myths, as well as the vast and strange body of Slavic folklore. A lot of these experiences and his love for myth and the exploration of the occult come through in the lyrics and concepts of Red Cainâs music.
2. Red Cainâs first two full albums, âKindred: Act Iâ and âKindred: Act IIâ conceptually told a sprawling story of how raw and primal ancient myth collides with modern society and human yearning toward the stars, toward perfection. The albums contained a ton of genre inspirations, from gothic rock to ambient electronica, power, black, and death metal, and were universally lauded for their inventiveness, variety, and strong conceptual content.
3. The band members feel strongly in favour of experimentation, whether with genres, resulting in much of the material sitting across multiple genres, not all related to metal; visual elements, with striking and inventive story-based music videos a particular focus; or art and concepts, many of which relate to the clash between the ancient and modern, with more recent material zeroing in on a futuristic design and musical style.
4. Red Cainâs story music videos for âZEROâ and âJulietâ have cumulatively earned the band 17+ international film festival awards, including wins at major festivals such as IndieX FilmFest, Global Shorts, LA Film & Script Festival, Cannes Indies Cinema Awards, and finalist with Toronto Indie Filmmakers Festival, Tokyo International Short Film Festival, and New York Tri-State International Film Festival. The band is currently planning its next feature music video to follow these two successes.
L-R – Taylor Gibson (drums), Kalie Yan (bass, vocals), Evgeniy Zayarny (vocals), Samuel Ridout (guitar)
Photo Credit Zak Kelly
Melancholy and Rage
Born out of the vast prairies and snowy peaks of Alberta, Canada, Red Cain is a modern progressive metal project with Eastern European roots. With intricate songwriting, powerful vocals, eerie soundscapes, and strong electronic-backed groove, Red Cain champion a fluid, dynamic, and unique style centered around telling dark, conceptual Faustian sagas and constructing those into an unforgettable live experience. Described by frontman Evgeniy Zayarny as a vehicle of “Melancholy and Rage”, Red Cain delivers power, flair, thematic Slavic influence, and intricate, lethal edge in their work. Listeners might well pick out elements reminiscent of such luminary acts as Kamelot, Symphony X, Tesseract, Lord of the Lost, whipped into a venomous new shape. The current incarnation of this Canadian metal band is of these influences mixed with a lot of vodka and Eastern European melancholy, shaken and stirred.
Red Cain self-released its debut self-titled EP in North America in 2016 to excellent reviews, and followed this up with two award-winning full-length albums, âKindred: Act Iâ in 2019, and AFA-funded âKindred: Act IIâ in 2021, working with Sliptrick Records globally to have over 3500+ physical copies sold, as well as over 200,000 digital streams to date. The band has hit #1 on the Canadian National Loud Charts on multiple occasions and is a 1x winner and 3x nominee for the Metal Recording of the Year at the YYC Music Awards.
The band has created 13 videos, of which 2 are full-length, high-production music videos for âZEROâ and âJulietâ. The latter two videos have won 17 awards at international music festivals, including the Berlin Short Film Festival, Venice Shorts, Global Shorts, IndieX FilmFesti, AIFF, and Hollywood Art & Movie Awards, among others. The band has a strong history of collaboration, with a highlight being our work with Juno Award-winning vocalist Kobra Paige of heavy metal band Kobra and the Lotus, on the track âWing of the Crowâ.
Red Cain released our latest album âKindred: Act IIâ globally with Sliptrick Records in 2021, with a particular focus on promotion and engagement in the United States and Eastern Europe, where the band has received significant traction in 2020-21. With live performances stunted by COVID, the band has focused strongly on building out the concept behind the two-album âKindredâ arc with non-musical collateral, creating story content and custom art for the album concept.
With a significant upward trend of fan interest for this release, and 100,000 + digital streams, Red Cain has our set sights firmly set on another ambitious and conceptually exciting project, with the next release cycle coming in 2023.
Red Cain is:
Evgeniy Zayarny – Vocals
Samuel Ridout – Guitars
Tyler Corbett – Guitars
Kalie Yan – Bass, Vocals
Taylor Gibson – Drums
What the press is saying:
“This is a track (Sunshine (Blood Sun Empire) that infuses their progressive and power metal sound, similar to that of Symphony X and Kamelot. Alongside this, there are also faint similarities to bands like Dream Theater and even Korn. This is a nearly 6 minute track that doesn’t let up and doesn’t fear to change up its style throughout.” – Metal Injection
#10 Red Cain !earshot â The National Loud Chart For the Week Ending: Tuesday, February 9, 2021 (Earshot)
âFrom the proggy goodness of album opener âKindredâ, to the blast beats of âBaltic Fleetâ, to the epic closer âSunshine (Blood Sun Empire), there is something here for every fan of progressive power metal. Â With this being Act II in Red Cainâs Kindred body of work, I really feel as though I entered a movie theater right in the middle of an epic saga. Each song is a journey in and of itself, but each also contributes to the overall fantastic voyage. Â I will absolutely be purchasing Act I of this amazing tale and listen from start to finish, the way it was intended. Do yourself a favor and do the same!â â Metal Rules
âIf you like your music melodic, mysterious, and gothic, with a progressive power metal base, then this is for you. This has been a joy to review and yet another band to add to my favoured list. â â The Prog Space
âZayarny is a powerhouse vocalist and the contortions he forces into Red Cain make for a very diverse record.. the talent behind the record is undeniable, and at the very least, Kindred proved far more creative and thought-provoking than most death metal records Iâve recently tackled. You should give it a shot â even if youâre not a big weenie..â â Angry Metal Guy
âOverall, âKindred: Act IIâ is an interesting mix of styles that combine together in technical wizardry to set the backdrop for the continued tales of the warrior Zalcoatl. Thereâs some unexpected musical influences that bubble to the surface, particularly the liberal use of electronic elements provides a futuristic, yet gothic, element to the tales. Vocally, thereâs some clear inspiration from Kamelot going on here. Theyâre predominantly clean, but with a wide range between high pitched and deep passages. The guitar work is pretty varied as well and at times even hits a distinctly djent groove that seems to appear out of nowhere!⦠Fans of Kamelot and Mastodon alike will find some common ground with âKindred: Act IIâ (and Act I for that matter).â â Uber Rock
âThese seasoned metal performers brought me to school with a clear cut album, delivered beautifully across seven tracks. The epic highs and lows of the album leave me wanting more⦠My hat is off to RED CAIN!â â Metal Temple
âWith a flurry of progressive guitars, grandiose vocals and intriguingly wild effects, Red Cain burn brightly from the very start with the opening track, Kindred.â â Games, Brrraaains & A Head-Banging Life
âSongs alternate between melodic and more progressive portions in fine fashion. There is also a heroic aspect to the band that assures that they have some variety and also ties them to power metal. The entire affair is uplifting and does a good job getting the listener entranced in the music⦠a fun album and a very nice way to start the year off. It will also appeal to fans of bands from a number of different sub-genres.â â Heavy Music Headquarters
âthe crew here found yet another gem from Red Cain, one filled with cosmic terrors this time. Kindred: Act II provides us with an additional slice of that delicious metal geekery that this band is capable of. A record that makes complexity sound easy, even casual. And thatâs a feat not many bands master these days anymore.â â Rock Music Raider
âRED CAIN keep us on our toes right down to the final track Sunshine (Blood Sun Empire). There is a mixture of all sorts going on but again, it flows together seamlessly. Itâs complex yet memorable. I knew logically this was the last track of the album but I feel this story is not over yet. Will there be Act III to follow in the next year or so? Who knows, I personally hope there is. Kindred: Â Act II was a great introduction to RED CAIN and their sound. From listening to this, itâs easy to see why they have been nominated for awards. I look forward to see how their sound grows and develops from now.â â Rock Out Stand Out
âOne of the best aspects, despite the fact that this is prog, is that the music is very easy to get into and enjoy. It is often midtempo, headbobbing music as a general style, and that makes things exceedingly easy for fans in general that prefer normal, song-friendly speeds⦠ the real big reason to listen is the melodic singing. It makes this listener really curious to find out if the singing can be this good in the live concert. Is this voice for real?! It sounds so good, and strong, and also melodic. It is the thing that takes the band over the top in terms of music and of catching the interest of potential fans. There is an elegance and style to the singing that makes the songwriting attractive and pulls you in to check out more of the music.â â Metal Bulletin Zine
âKindred: Act II is a solid offering. It straddles a number of different styles and influences without committing 100% to any of them⦠any metalhead with a taste for the dramatic should find something rewarding in here.â â The Independent Voice
âI think Red Cain took the right chances and put forward an interesting release that will challenge the listeners to catch everything theyâve put into making this album. Itâs definitely not a one listen and youâve got it album. It is a listen multiple times to catch what you missed each time before type of album. Give this one a chance and see if you donât love it yourself.â â Yesterdaze News
âan atmosphere between anger and melancholy are exactly what the band is all about. âKINDRED: ACT IIâ is definitely a really strong album and one only regrets that it ends so early. But as the saying goes : Quality is more important than quantity!â â Metal-Heads.de
âThis new album is opened by KINDRED, a brilliant tune with different influences, from power/prog to electro-rock. Itâs enriched by an interesting solo, a well-groomed production and cinematic mood.â â HardRockHeavyMetal
âa strong progressive mix and very melodic power metal, they are a band of experienced musicians who give us a well-defined, real album with these seven tracks, for lovers of this genre it will be more than good and unique.â â Darkzen Dragon Metal Angels
âThe album kicks off with a couple of brilliantly technical and melodic tracks â âKindredâ, is heavy and showcases the skillset these guys have at their disposal in true Progressive style. âDemonsâ is a much more catchy hook-based track, although no less technically capable, but with catchy riffs, melodies and enough commercial bent to pull in a new listener â whilst still playing to that vocal ambidextrousness with a couple of lines that wouldnât sound amiss on a Marilyn Manson album. And then the album switches style and becomes haunting, moody and totally surprising with the falsetto introduction to âPrecipice Of Manâ, which fools you into thinking itâs a power ballad before belting you around the head with one of the heaviest bass sounds I have heard in a while and a much more extreme vocal sound. These kind of body swerves just keep coming, and are what makes this album such a refreshing change.â â Ever Metal
âConcluding this album is the pure Power Metal entity known as âSunshine (Blood Sun Empire)â. This proves to be an enjoyable ad worthy finale for what has been a brilliant album. âKindred: Act IIâ doesnât include a single bad song and advertises the talent of Red Cain excellently.â â AC Rock Reviews
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âWhat we have here is a two headed beast of sad and melancholy music on one side and angry and raging music on the other. The two combine somewhere in the middle with flair for the dramatic and impassioned vocals. This is definitely worth your time if you are looking for something off the beaten path.â â Metal Temple (Kindred Act I Review)
âRed Cainâs first full-length act is a more than solid release that I can warmly recommend if you enjoy the likes of Kamelot, TesseracT and Blind Guardian or just enjoy some good old thinking manâs metal music in general. With a charismatic frontman, well thought out and varied songwriting and a healthy dose of power and energy, Red Cain is a up and coming Canadian act that Iâll sure be keeping my eye on!â â Belgian Metal Shredder (Kindred Act I Review)
âKindred: Act I is all about raw and unbridled metal power. A thoughtful brand of metal that â for once â does not base itself on mindless growling about the stage along normal lines of metal conduct. Instead they rip the established status quo to pieces and attack with a very unusual metal dish. One that comes with a distinct groove to boot⦠a very tasty fusion of Progressive and Power Metal that we have rarely seen to date. A metal dish best consumed red-hot. Have some, you will not regret it.â â Rock Music Raider (Kindred Act I Review)
âSymphonic progressive metal with alternative and gothic nuances â Red Cain are well on their way to establishing new territory in story telling and musical match-ups. Kindred: Act Irepresents a fine opening album for these Canadians, and should lend itself well to various multi-media opportunities for live show and film options. The best records connect on a mind, body, and spirit level â and this will be one that should be in the conversation for visionary, forward-thinking effort, proving the ink is not dry on what metal can bring to the table for innovation.â â Dead Rhetoric (Kindred Act I Review)
âI couldnât be more impressed with this band and album from the opening track âSnake Bouquetâ to the last track âWing Of The Crowâ which is an awesome closing track with guest vocals from Kobra Paige of Kobra and The Lotus. This album takes you on an epic and melodic journey, I feel fans of bands from Avatar to Kamelot to Marilyn Manson and anything in between will really love this album.â â Crannk (Kindred Act I Review)
âRed Cain have produced a very awesome album. It sounds and looks very professional, has great riffs and epic melodies. Keep an eye on these guys, they will come very far.â â Lyrical Spell Magazine (Kindred Act I Review)
