NEWS RELEASE
Montreal, QC – January 26, 2022
Streaming Now! Chicago’s BURNED IN EFFIGY New Album “Rex Mortem”
Album Stream Premiere via EverythingIsNoise
New Album “Rex Mortem” Out January 28, 2022
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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
Chicago’s BURNED IN EFFIGY will be unleashing their new album “Rex Mortem” on Friday, January 28, 2022 to follow their debut EP “Terrestrial”. Unlike their debut recording, which was all instrumental, this first full-length from the band will see not only new guitarists Mike Hisson and Steve Bacakos on the lineup, but also witness vocalist Mark “Smedy” Smedbron discharge his earworm fury unto the masses. The three new members join co-founding members Eddie Dec (Drums) and Matt Watkins (Bass).
Before the album officially drops, the band has teamed up with EverythingIsNoise for the full stream premiere of “Rex Mortem”, which can be heard at the following link HERE.
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 and progressive, while infusing neoclassical elements into each track. No two tracks sound the same. Burned In Effigy skillfully and tastefully changed keys and time signatures throughout, so the feel of their music is constantly shifting, but also smoothly flows between each section.
Bassist Matt Watkins adds:
“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. We believe our album has something for all metal fans, regardless of preferred subgenre.”
Album pre-order for “Rex Mortem” is available at Burnedineffigy.bandcamp.com (CD) and all other major digital platforms at https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/burnedineffigy/rex-mortem.
Music Video – Doomsayer – https://youtu.be/3mRbzMJX_BA
Lyric Video – Nightfall – https://youtu.be/gqe2919mDJ4
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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
Album Recording Lineup:
– Mark “Smedy” Smedbron – Vocals
– Matt Watkins – Bass
– Eddie Dec – Drums
– Vito Bellino – Guitar
– Brad Dose – Guitar
Live Band Line Up:
– Mark “Smedy” Smedbron – Vocals
– Matt Watkins – Bass
– Eddie Dec – Drums
– Steve Bacakos – Guitar
– Mike Hisson – Guitar
About:
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.
Instrumental recordings for the band’s masterpiece, Rex Mortem, were finished in early 2020. Shortly after, the band parted ways with guitarist Brad Dose. Vocal recording, mixing, and mastering was finished in mid 2021, after which guitarist Vito Bellino left in order to focus on music school. Shortly after, the remaining three members Eddie Dec (drums), Matt Watkins (bass), and Mark “Smedy” Smedbron (vocals) rallied and recruited guitarists Mike Hisson and Steve Bacakos, who naturally fit with and complemented the band’s signature sound.
For more info:
Facebook.com/burnedineffigyofficial
Instagram.com/burnedineffigyil
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“One of the first strong albums of 2022… a very solid debut without much in the way of a bad track. While the band tends to stick to a basic formula and not overpopulate the tracks with clean vocals, keyboards, or guest vocals which tends to the be typical melodeath experience these days “Rex Mortem” is full of infectious riffs that will grab listeners and root them in place for the full ride. Definitely, a band to watch for in 2022. 4/5” – Brutalism
“the highlight goes to the fantastic guitar work that manages to pull out memorable melodies and those that seem to be part of the common lexicon, especially for those who appreciate the neo-classical side. Add the caustic weight we’re used to in Black Dahlia Murder and we’re set for a great start to 2022. 8.5/10” – Word of Metal
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