Ex-Trouble-makers vocalist Eric Wagner and bassist Ron Holzer, along with guitarist Lothar Keller, formed The Skull back in 2012. The Chicago-based doombringers, nowadays featuring St. Vitus drummer Henry Vasquez and second guitarist Alex Johnson, have been going strong these past eight years, having released two modern American doom classics so far, For Those Which Are Asleep, their debut album, and The Endless Road Turns Dark from 2018.
Today we have the pleasure of premiering the brand-new video for “As the Sun Draws Near,” the sixth track from The Endless Road Turns Dark. As most other contemporary metal bands race to get new music out as quickly as possible, the seasoned ‘heads in The Skull seem to understand that the best records take years to truly reveal the depth of their quality.
Vocalist Eric Wagner says the song “As the Sun Draws Near” to [him] is about the one thing that no one can live without … hope.” He goes on to hint that, “perhaps [this track is] a segue to the next album.”
“As the Sun Draws Near,” says Ron Holzer is “a musical collaboration between Lothar Keller and myself that starts with a part I wrote and played for my cat Sparkey every morning. He liked it and stayed calm listening to it. He was a good judge of real Metal and Doom. I couldn’t slide anything shitty past him. If I did . . . He would go out and kill something, drag it into the house disapprovingly and leave it on the door mat, then walk away. He kept me on my toes!” Holzer continues: “The end part is a nod to my bud Kirk Weinstein (Crowbar). 2 Cool Cats.”
Featuring live footage shot by Raymond Moffat and edited by The Skull’s own Lothar Kellar, “As the Sun Draws Near” is both a look back at better, simpler times and a light at the end of this ever-stretching dark tunnel. And who can’t feel it right in their doomed heart when legendary singer Eric Wagner opens up with “Lately I’ve been to just stay alive . . . behind these tired eyes.”
“‘As the Sun Draws Near’ was a fun video for us to make,” says Lothar Kellar. “I love performance videos and I feel that this one really helps feature the band in its current line up. I wanna give thanks to Raymond Moffat for his fantastic camera work and to Dave Hornyak for the venue to shoot this.”
“As the Sun Draws Near”
Get The Endless Road Turns Dark from Tee Pee Records
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