While “metalcore” may still be a dirty word to some readers, the subgenre has seen a recent resurgence over the last few years. Bands like I Am, 156/Silence, Seeyouspacecowboy and Wristmeetrazor are pushing the sound in new, heavier directions. Another such act is Church Tongue, a relatively young group who earned some well-deserved attention for 2016’s Heart Failure on Blood & Ink.
To follow up Heart Failure, Church Tongue will release a new EP entitled Hell is Empty on December 21. With the release only two weeks away, Decibel has Church Tongue’s new video for first single “Heaven’s Gate” to share today.
“Hell Is Empty is a brooding, theatrical piece of metalcore,” the band wrote in an email. “A dynamic ebb and flow about the human condition from a first person point of view.”
That’s an apt description for the music contained inside Hell is Empty, which balances heaviness, melody and accessibility without leaning too far into either genre. And no, there isn’t any clean singing. Have a listen to “Heaven’s Gate” below and pre-order the EP through Delayed Gratification.