HOLY SH*T, THERE’S GONNA BE A NEW CONVULSE ALBUM

I fell in love with Convulse, hard, when Relapse reissued their 1992 full-length, World Without God, a couple of years ago. So needless to say, I got pretty excited when Convulse started playing shows again in their native Finland this year, and subsequently announced that they’ll be performing at next year’s Maryland Deathfest. And while they could probably get away with simply playing their old material (see: At the Gates, Repulsion, etc.), it looks like they have ambitions of being a modern, relevant death metal act yet again: the band has signed with Svart Records and will release a vinyl EP with two new tracks in November! An as if that wasn’t enough, they’re also planning a new full-legnth — their first since 1994’s Reflections (which I don’t like nearly as much as World Without God, but details details) — sometime next year. I’d wager right around the time they’re flying over to the States.

Of course, the tricky thing about a band reuniting is that they have to live up to their fans’ memories of how great they once were. Convulse aren’t staring down a legacy as intimidating as Slaughter of the Soul or Horrified,  but they still have their work cut out for them. But I choose to be optimistic about Convulse’s chances of getting out from under their own shadow — at least in part because the band has vowed that these new recordings won’t utilize Pro Tools. Pro Tools isn’t necessarily evil, and saying you’re gonna record without is, to be sure, something of a gimmick. But as far as gimmicks go, it’s one I find pretty enticing.

Here’s footage of the band rehearsing this past June. More details on Convulse’s dual new releases as soon it becomes available.

-AR