Video Premiere: Create a Kill – ‘Flesh, Blood & Stone’ (Feat. Matt Harvey)

When Create a Kill released their debut album, Summoned to Rise, earlier this year, the band ran into a world of issues regarding distribution and the album didn’t get much attention. Fortunately, the group—featuring former Malevolent Creation drummers Gus Rios (guitar, drums for Create a Kill) and Alex Marquez (vocals for Create a Kill)—were able to connect with Redefining Darkness and Raw Skullz, who wanted to re-release the record properly, and with a bonus track honoring Brett Hoffman, the late Malevolent Creation vocalist who died earlier this year at 51 following a battle with colon cancer.

As such, Decibel are honored to share “Flesh, Blood & Stone,” which features vocals performed by Exhumed frontman Matt Harvey.

“Malevolent Creation was one of, if not the most important band in my life,” Rios tells Decibel honestly. “Slayer and Death of course lit the torch, but as a 13-year-old kid hearing them start as a local band on the radio and then go on to sign with Roadrunner and record with Scott Burns at Morrisound gave me the courage and inspiration to chase my own dreams in music. They made it tangible! Years later I went on to join the band, toured the world and recorded some good albums with them. To say that I’ve been through a lot with Brett is an understatement… from laughing our asses off on tour to being held hostage in 2009… these things create bonds that only people in bands can understand. Even though in the end we weren’t current bandmates, I’m happy to say that we spoke just a few weeks before he passed and our last words to each other were “I love you, bro!” and for that I am forever grateful.

“The music for what it now ‘Flesh, Blood, and Stone’ was the last song I had written for the band,” he continues. “I actually thought the whole session was lost or corrupted because a few of the other songs from what was to be an EP were damaged and files were missing. Long story short, I found this session and it was intact…except of course there were no vocals. I decided to re-record the guitars in D sharp (what I tune to in Create a Kill) and asked my good friend Matt Harvey do vocals and to please write the lyrics in honor of Brett. I think he fucking nailed it! And now watching this amazing video along with the song… fuck, I miss that dude! So please, enjoy this song, and remember one of metal’s biggest voices! I love you Bret… RIP brother.”

Summoned to Rise is available to pre-order via Redefining Darkness in the Americas and Raw Skullz in Europe. Its official release date is December 21.