NEWS RELEASE
Montreal, QC – September 28, 2022
Streaming Now! All Else Fails’ Potent And Dark Tenth Release âThe Incident at Black Lakeâ
New EP âThe Incident at Black Lakeâ Out Sept 30th
L-R – Coco Lee (Bass / Vocals ) | John Saturley (Guitar) | Barrett Klesko ( Vocals / Guitar) | Nelson Collins – Lee ( Drums )
Photo Credit – Barrett Klesko â FadeBack Studios United
Canadaâs All Else Fails is releasing its tenth studio recording, âThe Incident at Black Lakeâ and it promises to be a deep dive into emotional turmoil, violent riffs, and technical mastery. This EP is an evolution of the band in every aspect of their musicality, its songs are heavier, more complex, and deeper than ever. Employing elements of other genres like industrial, noise, moody electronics, or ambient sampling has always been a hallmark of the band, but take a new approach on this album.
The three original songs and one cover explore themes of devastating mental illness, dystopian mass existential nihilism, and ideological fascism. According to the band, It took over 2 full years to write and produce this EP, they took their time with every part, every note, and every modulated warble. Every musical element has a place and purpose. They are telling a horrifically personal, furiously aggressive, and unnervingly beautiful musical story of mental terror and surviving despair. They continue to explain:
âItâs been really interesting this time around. We started writing this in the early days of the pandemic, so we didnât really know if or when we would get to play live again. That led to us really taking our time to write each part exactly how we wanted. After we had finished writing and tracking the main instruments (drums, guitars, bass, vocals), then we spent over a year working on the programming, samples, keyboards, and production elements. We basically wrote a second album over top of the first one, it was kind of like writing a score to our own album. In two years, we are happy to say that we made no sacrifices anywhere on this release.â
Guitarist/vocalist Barrett Klesko shares that this EP is specifically about his spiral into mental illness. Falling into a pit of addiction and depression he was abusing my mind and my body, and allowing others to do the same. Struggling with derealization and dissociation, he became almost totally withdrawn into his mind. The day we finished our last track on the album, I checked myself into a recovery center. This EP offers an honest glimpse into that dark, internal turmoil.
Reaching a new level of technical metal prowess and adding a dramatically more dynamic vocal style it is with a dark heart, that All Else Fails presents âThe Incident at Black Lakeâ.
Recommended for fans of Fleshgod Apocalypse, Chimaira, and Killswitch Engage, âThe Incident at Black Lakeâ can be heard in full before it officially releases on September 30th via its stream premiere on IDIOTEQ HERE.
Music Video – I, Defiler – https://youtu.be/x_6SuAOiS1A
Track Listing:â
1. I, Defiler (5:48)
2. Devour the Sun (8:24) ft. Seedy Mitchell
3. Flesh /Excess /Wealth (5:36)
4. Crystal Mountain (5:19)
EP Length: 25:09
All Else Fails is:
Barrett Klesko â Vocals, Guitar
John Saturley â Guitar
Coco Lee â Bass, Vocals
Nelson Collins-Lee â Drums
About:
Over the last 15 years, Edmonton, Alberta based award-winning metal band All Else Fails has become a cornerstone of the melodic heavy metal community in Canada. Combining intense riffs, intricate rhythm sections, brutal guttural screams, and melodic yet unusual vocal lines paired with relevant and relatable lyrics, All Else Fails’ message resonates with us all.
Formed in 2006 with the release of their self-titled EP, All Else Fails has gone on to release 9 studio albums, many of which have garnered awards and nominations from across the Canadian music industry and have propelled the band into live performances all over the world, including their massively successful tour of India in 2017.
For the past two years, the band has been hard at work writing their new album “The Incident at Black Lake.” A deeply personal, brutally honest, and staggeringly complex take on the reality-bending mental struggles of vocalist and founder, Barrett Klesko (The Misfires, The Order of Chaos). The band is filled out by guitarist John Saturley (The Order of Chaos, Skepsis), bassist and vocalist Coco Lee (Eternal Prophecy), and drummer Nelson Collins-Lee (The 21st Agenda, Skepsis). The album is produced by Bevin Booth of In the Booth Recordings and engineered at The Electric Treehouse in Edmonton, Alberta.
In 2022, the band is returning to their DIY roots by mindfully abandoning their social media and redirecting their energy to contributing to their local metal scene by building a direct personal connection to their fans and followers, living in line with a humanist philosophy and encouraging a culture of support between artists. All Else Fails’ new single “Flesh /Excess /Wealth” drops in early September with the full EP “The Incident at Black Lake” releasing September 30th. Fans can experience their explosive new live show this fall in Western Canada.
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âA Monster of a Metal Opusâ â The Edmonton Journal (The False Sanctuary 2018)
“All Else Fails has a striking level of detail, constant melodic bloodshed and unremitting rhythms that push through your throat leaving you with no choice but to bang your head.” – Boston Rock Radio (The False Sanctuary 2018)
âThey are by turns pissed and melodic, speedy and anthemic â but always organic soundingâ¦.their song âThe Sons Of Plentyâ, a tune that encompasses all those things and demonstrates what the band is capable of.â â Gear Gods (The Forever Lie 2017)
âGuttural heaviness + impacting music = Youâll like it!â â CFMU 93.3 FM â Master Radio (Hamilton, ON) ( The Forever Lie 2017)
âFrom song to song you are greeted by pummeling riffs, heavy blasting drums, thick bass lines and vocals that transition between menacing and deadly growls to soaring and highly intoxicating cleans. Before you know it All Else Fails has you headbanging and singing along to each of their songs.â â Cadaver Garden (The Forever Lie 2017)
“this six track EP sees this quartet expand their mutant thrash blueprint with doses of melodic crooning and bursts of dizzying orchestral strings on Obedience At The Altar Of Sacrifice.” – Metal Hammer Mag UK (Fucktropolis – 2013)
“âFucktropolisâ. What an awesome name for an EP. And what an awesome EP it is.” – Metal Temple (Fucktropolis – 2013)
“They have a very ominous sound, if you will, with quick, intricate and skillful instrumentals – especially the drumming. Their talent really shows through in their final product.” – Spill Magazine (Fucktropolis – 2013)â
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