I recently discovered Into the Storm the old fashioned way: their PR representative held me hostage at gunpoint in a windowless room for three days with little more than mouldy bread and tepid water as nourishment and nothing but a rusty paint can in which to recycle those foodstuffs when nature came calling until I relented and agreed to listen to the band’s latest release, Where the Merfalo Roam. None of that was actually necessary because the Seattle band’s conglomerate take on Mastodon, High on Fire, Tragedy’s Darker Days Ahead, sludge through the AmRep filter, absurd humour and abstruse stream of consciousness is something that would certainly tickle my fancy, whether it was being forced down my throat or not.
Today, we present a premiere of a track from said album to help shake those early morning cobwebs. “Ghostmaker” is the sound of a battalion of boulders rumbling through the mountains of the band’s Pacific Northwest home, crushing lumberjack campsites and weekend warrior hikers in the process. It’s the decades-old grumble of Mount St. Helens realised though the safe space of thunderous guitars and bass and pounding drums. It’s the song that will solve the mystery of constipation at twenty paces. Or, as the band tells us:
“‘Ghostmaker’ is a big heavy knuckle dragger that beats its rhythm into you. Lyrically covering a swath of ideas from the dystopian future novels, 1984 and Brave New World. Your government is out to get you. The grind of progress will never stop. You are alone. They will determine what is best for you. Sit back, grab a gin and just slow it down. Welcome home.”
Where the Merfalo Roam isn’t available until November 11th, but there are a variety of pre-order options and bundles (CD! Vinyl! Lyric books! Apparel!) available on their Bandcamp page. Check out the link at the bottom, after you finish checking out more of their auditory and visual wares.
