Photo by David Joseph Silver
Decibel Magazine is currently streaming Vermillion Haze, the latest full-length from California post-metal outfit, O ZORN!, in its entirety. The premiere comes in advance of the recordâs official unveiling this Friday, March 15th, via Hard Drugs/Seeing Red Records.
Hailing from Long Beach, O ZORN! is led by enigmatic frontman Bill Kielty, a charismatic and confident performer that sits somewhere between Rob Zombie and James Hetfield in his delivery and is completed by the exceptional guitar talents of Justin Suitor, the rolling thunder of bassist Justin Morales, and powerhouse drummer Derek Eglit. Together, the O ZORN! collective creates the unmistakable, thumping groove that has begun to capture the hearts and minds of metal fans throughout the scene since the band formed in 2013.
Comments Kielty on Vermillion Haze, âOur last record, Your Killer, was released on March 20th of 2020, during the pandemic. Needless to say, not much was done in support of that record. We were just idling by, waiting for all that to end, so that we could get our show on the road. Unfortunately, that wait was too much for the other two members. One fell back into drugs and eventually excused himself, and the other couldnât keep his mental demons in check and had to part ways. Thankfully, I was able to secure another drummer, and just figured Iâd start writing the next album. It was just the drummer and myself, hashing it out for roughly a year. December of 2021, we headed out to Tampa Florida to start tracking the new album with our friend Ryan Boesch at Candor Studios. Heâd worked on a handful of big albums for bands such as Whores, Andrew WK, Peaches, The Eels, and Tomahawk, to name a few, and had always shown interest in working with us. Eventually, after quite a few trips back and forth to Florida, we were able to wrap it up. Took roughly a year and a half to get everything tracked and mixed.
âAs for the writing itself,â he continues, âI think everything that was going on during the time in which we put this record together, weighs heavily on the overall vibe of the album. Los Angeles was insane. Florida was insane. The political atmosphere, the riots, the division, the covid deaths. It was a stressful, confusing time for everyone. I think the sound of this album represents that time period pretty well. For me anyway…â
Adds Decibel, âA testament to the bandâs evolution, Vermillion Haze offers a heavy yet melodic exploration of lifeâs darker shades. It reminds us that amidst hardship, thereâs hope, and through its music, O ZORN! shines a light on the authentic lived experience of Los Angeles, far from its shimmering facade.â
Stream O ZORN!âs Vermillion Haze, exclusively at Decibel Magazine, at THIS LOCATION.
Watch O ZORN!âs previously released video for âNever Saw It Comingâ at THIS LOCATION.
The eight-track Vermillion Haze was overseen by producer Ryan Boesch (Whores, Andrew WK, Tomahawk, The Eels), and showcases a more melodic vocal approach from Kielty, with an extra emphasis on memorable choruses that compliment some of the recordâs heavy themes.
Vermillion Haze will be released digitally and on vinyl. Find US preorders at THIS LOCATION and European preorders at THIS LOCATION.
âO ZORN! is here to show you how to write a slow-burning track thatâs heavy, but will also get real stuck in your head.â â Metal Injection on âSlow Moodâ
âNot that being one of the only bands making waves in Long Beach playing sludge metal isnât enough, but O ZORN! also has the benefit of balancing the genreâs melodicism and dissonance. Where a band like Baroness might lean toward the former and Thou toward the latter, O ZORN! has found a way to let the riffs guide them beyond such limitations. Hooky, heavy, and grimy, Vermilion Haze finds O ZORN! more than earning their keep as one of Southern Californiaâs most exciting bands within the sludge, doom, or heavy rock umbrellas.â â MetalSucks
ââ¦a bleak, harsh and hard-hitting album⦠one of the most refreshing and honest albums Iâve heard in some time. O ZORN! have released an album that will see them appear on quite a few Album Of The Year contender lists before the year is outâ¦A simply unmissable release that every fan of the doom/sludge/stoner metal underground scene needs to check out now.” â Outlaws Of The Sun
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The post O ZORN!: Decibel Magazine Premieres Vermillion Haze From California Post-Metal Outfit; Record To Drop This Friday Via Hard Drugs/Seeing Red Records first appeared on Earsplit Compound.
