Cold Blue Mountain are not exactly thinking small on The Healer. The Chico, California post-metal quintet’s new double album is a 74-minute concept record tracing the rise of Grigori Rasputin from grief-stricken peasant mystic to royal-court power broker, turning Russian historical obsession into a massive doom/sludge/post-metal descent through grief, faith, ego, corruption and control.
Out June 24 via Vulture Print Records, The Healer marks Cold Blue Mountain’s most ambitious work to date. Across eight tracks, the band build on the massive emotional architecture of Neurosis, Amenra and Oathbreaker while pushing into heavier, more violent terrain. Lead single “The Storm” channels the intense grief of Rasputin’s early life through death metal breakdowns before collapsing into an outro of black metal-style annihilation and ego death. In other words: not exactly light weather.
The album also finds Cold Blue Mountain reforged with a new lineup around returning members Brandon Squyres, William McGahan and Daniel Taylor. Guitarist Nathan Collins brings complex doom harmonies and frenetic black metal influence, while bassist/vocalist Chris Keene adds soaring clean vocals to counter Squyres’ bloodcurdling screams and expanded harsh-noise/sound-design work. The result is still recognizably Cold Blue Mountain, but broader, darker and more melodically adventurous.
“We are incredibly proud of this record,” Squyres tells Decibel. “The story of Rasputin has always fascinated me. Having this theme and story in mind for the next album gave us a focus that helped create our heaviest music to date.”
Stream “The Storm” below, and look for The Healer on June 24 via Vulture Print Records. Cold Blue Mountain will also hit the West Coast for a short release run June 24–28, with physical media in hand, including the double LP on gold vinyl with full art booklet and CD editions.
