Photo by Ben Price
Decibel Magazine is currently streaming A Cold Sweat Of Quiet Dread, the collaborative full-length between Washington, DC-based progressive doom trio MYOPIC and Baltimore and Maryland-based one-man doom/sludge project AT THE GRAVES. The premiere comes on the eve of the record’s official release via Grimoire Records.
MYOPIC and AT THE GRAVES met in 2013 at the Velvet Lounge in Washington, DC, and have since gigged together frequently. Having become good friends and sharing similar musical interests, the two bands have talked about uniting for a singular project for years. In 2019, the idea came to fruition with the six-track A Cold Sweat Of Quiet Dread.
Writes Decibel Magazine of the release, “Cold Sweat Of Quiet Dread combines MYOPIC’s blackened and progressive doom metal with AT THE GRAVES’ sludge-ridden doom. The resultant product is an elaborate and sprawling display of metallic excellence and diversity… Across forty minutes, the quartet wonderfully executes wavering doom metal rife with swaths sludge, death, and black metal. Three vocalists and multi-layered riffs and modulations push the ambiance and arrangements to new levels for the members of both projects. From the vocal harmonies and riffing on ‘Gold Sinews’ to the almost goth rock tinges on ‘Stray Parasite,’ there are numerous examples of the power behind these two bands’ collaboration across its six tracks…”
Stream A Cold Sweat Of Quiet Dread, exclusively at Decibel Magazine, at THIS LOCATION.
View the band’s recording session videos for “Oppressive Ruminations” HERE and “Through Veins Of Shared Blood” HERE.
A Cold Sweat Of Quiet Dread will be released digitally and on limited edition CD. For preorders, visit the Grimoire Records Bandcamp page at THIS LOCATION.
Forged in 2010, MYOPIC released a blackened death metal demo in 2011, followed by their Vacuous EP in 2013, which showcased a darker, slower, and more introspective direction for the band. The band joined forces with Grimoire Records a year later for the release of the Beyond The Mirror’s Edge EP which Brooklyn Vegan crowned, “stern but thoroughly un-kvlt American black metal,” praising its production and unconventional songwriting. A split release with Appalachian black metallers Torrid Husk — Crawling Mountain Apogee — would emerge later that year where MYOPIC continued their progression towards slower, longer, and more sprawling compositions. Bordering on concept album territory, their approach received critical acclaim nationally with Invisible Oranges writing, “a band that can tie a story together without relying on their scream is a band worth your time.” MYOPIC released their self-titled full-length in 2018. Championed Svbterranean, “With over fifty minutes at their disposal, MYOPIC deliver multifaceted compositions that weave elements of black, death, progressive and post-metal into a dynamic and destructive sound.”
Ben Price (Immiseration, Elagabalus, Foehammer, Textile, ex-Revolta, ex-Xozo) has been playing music under the name AT THE GRAVES with various other members fulfilling band duties since 2009. Formed out of the desire to play guitar and a slower and more emotionally deep form of music, Price has been operating as a one-man-band since the release of 2016 full-length, Cold And True which Outlaws Of The Sun called, “a harsh and desolate cold as hell experience with the music instantly you drawing in.” Influenced by the likes of Neurosis, Godflesh, My Bloody Valentine, and Nirvana, AT THE GRAVES’ live performances heavily leverage the use of looper pedals, backing tracks and a live percussion set-up consisting of rack mounted toms and cymbals.
MYOPIC:
Sean Simmons – vocals, guitar
Nick Leonard – bass, vocals
Michael Brown – drums
AT THE GRAVES:
Ben Price – guitars, vocals, drums
“…a crushing sludge song with flashes of black metal fury and hardcore attitude.” – BrooklynVegan on “Through Veins Of Shared Blood”
“It’s an interesting metal release, with black metal and doom in the sound, different dark and sad moods, variety in the vocals, guitar textures, and unusual guitar licks for this kind of music.” – Disposable Underground
“The union that brings together MYOPIC and AT THE GRAVES is a seamless one, as the two bands mix with precision, feeling like they’re creating a greater whole on A Cold Sweat of Quiet Dread rather than struggling to maintain their own identities. This is a collection that gets even more immersive the more you visit and get used to the unique terrain these two forces have created. Not sure if this is a one off or something that has legs in the future, but this release is one that begs for a follow up just to see where they can go next.” – Meat Mead Metal
“A Cold Sweat Of Quiet Dread fulfils its titular promise. Together, MYOPIC and AT THE GRAVES have conspired to create an album of unsettling and cerebral dirge, which is as technically accomplished as it is expressively sincere. Over forty-minutes the ensemble explores the compatibility of their distinct approaches to progressive and extreme music, with excellent results…” – Distorted Sound
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