UK Experimental Doomsters ESOTERIC are set to begin recording their seventh full-length album on the 11th April at vocalist/guitarist Greg Chandler’s Priory Recording Studios in Birmingham. The, as yet, un-named album will be the long-awaited follow up to 2011’s “Paragon of Dissonance”, and is expected to be released on Season of Mist during 2019.
The band’s lineup of Gordon Bicknell on Guitar, Mark Bodossian on Bass, Greg Chandler on Guitar and Vocals, Joe Fletcher on Drums, and Jim Nolan on Guitar, are anticipating completing the album in May.
Commenting on what fans can expect from the new ESOTERIC album, the band had this to say:
The new album, which will be 2CDs and 3LPs in length, sees a return to the heavier use of psychedelic effects and a greater variety of tempo, expanding on the sound developed since the band’s inception in 1992.
Just short of twenty years after its release, ESOTERIC’s sophomore full-length album “The Pernicious Enigma” has finally found its way onto vinyl courtesy of Aesthetic Death Records. Recorded in 1996 at Rich Bitch Studios, and originally released as a double CD in 1997, the vinyl version of “The Pernicious Enigma” is available as a triple gatefold LP strictly limited to 600 copies and can be bought directly from the band’s Webstore at http://www.esotericuk.net/Store
Having never been completely satisfied with the original mix of “The Pernicious Enigma”, the Experimental Doomsters decided to transfer the album from the original multitrack tapes in order to be able to remix the tracks and bring out some of the details that had been buried or subdued in the original release. The remixing and remastering was carried out during 2015/16 by ESOTERIC’s Greg Chandler at his Priory Studios (http://www.prioryrecordingstudios.co.uk/ ). Now, without actually having changed the overall feel of the album, and with a level of clarity and definition that far surpasses the original, “The Pernicious Enigma” is much closer to the band’s original vision. Artwork is by Simon Phillips.
Only one more of ESOTERIC’s six full length albums now remains to be released on vinyl, and it is anticipated that “Metamorphogenesis” will also appear in LP format in the future.
ESOTERIC are currently working on what will be their seventh full-length album, and a follow up to 2011’s critically acclaimed “Paragon of Dissonance”. Eschewing any serious touring whilst they focus on the preparations and recording for the new album, the band are planning to play a few one-off shows and festivals this year. Confirmed appearances to date as follows:
28th May: No Fun Intended, Eiger Studios, Leeds, UK
3rd June: Temples Festival, Bristol, UK
1st July: Under the Black Sun Festival, Bornicke, Germany
15th Oct: Autumn Souls of Sofia, Sofia, Bulgaria
UK Experimental Doomsters ESOTERIC are hard at work on what will be the bands seventh full-length album and the follow up to 2011’s “Paragon of Dissonance”. As the band explain, this pretty much means that for the rest of the year they will be concentrating on preparation and recording: “We will be playing a few one-off shows and festivals, but we don’t intend to take part in any tours this year as we want our main focus to be on the album. If all goes to plan we hope to complete the writing by the end of 2015. The cycle continues…”
The departure last year of keyboard player Jan Krause has not affected the ability of the line up of Gordon Bicknell on Guitar, Mark Bodossian on Bass, Greg Chandler on Guitar and Vocals, Joe Fletcher on Drums, and Jim Nolan on Guitar, to crack on with the new album, nor has it stopped them playing live while they search for a replacement. With an appearance at Bergen’s Blastfest already behind them, other confirmed dates include a show at The Boston Music Room in London along with AHAB on the 4th of July, and the 20th Anniversary celebration of Brutal Assault Festival in the Czech Republic in August.
As well as the new album, ESOTERIC also have other releases on their mind, which vinyl fans will definitely appreciate. “We plan to release “The Pernicious Enigma” and “Metamorphogenesis” on vinyl, which are the two remaining albums from our back catalogue that haven’t yet been released in this format. After that we will be re-releasing our first two albums on CD, but we will have more details about everything we’re planning to do as we go along.
“The Pernicious Enigma” has actually been transferred from the original multitrack tapes, and remixed and remastered at the Priory Recording Studios for the vinyl release. Having never been happy with the original mix of the album, we were able to go over the tracks and bring out some of the details that were buried or subdued in the original release, without changing the overall feel of the album “.
And is there any news about a much-requested live album? “It’s definitely something we’ve always had in the back of our minds, but it’s not a question we can give a definitive answer to right now”, commented the band. “It’s true that we recorded the show in Brescia,Italy, in January, but finding the time to work on it is going to be very hard, especially with a new studio album in the offing. We will try to find the time to mix the live recording in the coming months and then we will look at the possibility of a release”.
PATRICIA THOMAS BAND MANAGEMENT 