Album Premiere and Interview: Miasmal Sabbath – ‘Ominous Radiance’

Miasmal Sabbath Ominous Radiance

When Miasmal Sabbath formed in Northern Greece, the goal was to bash out crusty death metal informed by D-beat punk. Their eponymous 2016 EP featured a rancid sound comparable to Necrot’s primordial recordings. But just a year later, their 2-track EP Ascension of the Foulest revealed a band with pursuits beyond this plane of existence. Those psychedelic seeds have now fully blossomed on their debut LP, Ominous Radiance. Decibel Magazine has the pleasure of sharing Miasmal Sabbath’s mind-expanding opus before it’s released from Unholy Prophecies on September 25th.

The album’s title foreshadows the brutality and unearthly beauty that awaits. The instrumental intro crawls from a vortex of poisoned starlight. That atmosphere bleeds into “Celestial Prodigy” before splintering into a flurry of death punk passages. Throughout Ominous Radiance, Miasmal Sabbath show they’re adept at stomping through the sewers and soaring through the pitch-black cosmos. “The Oracular Voice” and “Ghostly Aura Bathed in Stellar Luminescence” both conjure memories of Morbus Chron’s own aesthetic metamorphosis. Album epic “Umbra Mortis” takes turns easing into outer realms before exploding like a supernova. By the time the album fades to black, it seems like Miasmal Sabbath has changed forms. While they shed their husk of of D-beat death metal, the band has not abandoned their extremity. They have reshaped their power into an album that is both pensive and urgent. Miasmic Sabbath use death metal as a portal to new worlds. Take a listen and step through the portal with them.

Come join these celestial prodigies on their ascent and stream Miasmal Sabbath’s Ominous Radiance below. Headbang in the ether and press play NOW.

Decibel Magazine interview with Miasmal Sabbath

How did the members of Miasmal Sabbath meet, and what were your goals for the band’s sound when the project started?

Chris and I played together at another band at the time of Miasmal Sabbath’s inception. We used to jam before and after the rehearsals some stuff I had in mind for a band in the vein of Murder Squad. I remember I had maybe two tracks and some other riffs and ideas. Maybe even the overall aesthetic and concept, which is pretty evident in the first EP. At some point we felt that it would be cool to add a second guitar or maybe bass guitar and Chris pointed out that a friend of his should fit perfectly. So Orfeas came to the picture about four months after the initial jams.

The title Ominous Radiance really captures the album’s dark occult/psychedelic atmosphere. I felt like your song “Ascension of the Foulest” was a hint at a change in style and sound from the first EP. Were there any additional changes to your songwriting or style you wanted to make for this record?

One day I was watching a movie and it had like really dark music playing on the background and at some point it says on the subtitles “ominous music playing.” I thought that’s exactly the feeling our music should reverberate. We also felt that a more organic approach in terms of production should fit the overall concept and give that spacey psychedelic vibe that resonates throughout the album. Maybe you could say that “Ascension of the Foulest” is the middle ground between the other two. I think that was its purpose after all, at least in my mind. I felt that we were onto something different musically in terms of songwriting as we kept rehearsing and that song was chosen to bridge the gap between a shift in style or maybe an evolution in style, if you wish.

What lyrical themes do you enjoy exploring in the band?

The lyrics on the first two EPs are more direct and nihilistic, but with an allegoric approach. They mostly concern the realization of the terminable nature of existence. On this album we took a different path, one that fits the music and the whole atmosphere. [It focuses] more on the occult and spiritual concepts, and about death as well.

Your songs have so much feral energy; perfect to hear and experience live. While touring is not happening in the United States, can you share one of your favorite memories from one of your live performances?

The truth is that we never played a single gig with the band. We mostly get together to work on new music and then book studio time to record. But now we have an album almost out so we are talking about getting a bassist. As you said, it would be great to bring all that feral energy on stage for the people to experience Miasmal Sabbath’s spacey vibe at last.

What’s next for Miasmal Sabbath for the rest of this cursed year of 2020 and beyond?

We hope people will like the album and we will try to make some live appearances if possible to bring all the energy on stage. We’ll also keep writing and rehearsing new material for future releases.

Pre-order Miasmal Sabbath’s Ominous Radiance from Unholy Prophecies HERE

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