After the Burial Refuse to “Collapse” Following Guitarist’s Passing [New Track!]

New Noise Magazine’s writeup for the new After the Burial song “Collapse” — from their forthcoming album Dig Deep — finally sheds some light on the role late guitarist Justin Lowe played in the writing and recording of the album. Reveals vocalist Anthony Notarmaso:

We went through hell to finish this record, and the music translates that. Trent [Hafdahl, guitars] worked his ass off, and it shows. It’s crazy because I think it brought us closer as band. Justin wrote some riffs that made the record, but after a couple of days in the studio he left. He obviously wasn’t okay, and we wanted him to get well. I arrived a few days after the guys had gotten there. I never got to see him.

We can only imagine what a roller coaster ride finishing the album must’ve been after such an ordeal. But the band persevered — amazingly, they barely took any time off, though Notarmaso says they did consider calling it quits — and they’ll release their most emotionally charged album to date on February 19th via Sumerian Records.

What of “Collapse” itself? If you’re an AtB fan you’ll surely dig it — it’s got tons of bounce, and tight, intricate progressions — and Will Putney’s production really brings it to life. There’s even a nifty guitar solo by Hafdahl later in the song; I’m not intimately familiar enough with AtB’s catalog to know whether he’s soloed like this on other tracks in the past, but this is the first time I can remember a solo on an AtB song jumping out at me.

Check out “Collapse” below, another new song called “Lost in the Static” here, and pre-order Dig Deep here. Upcoming tour dates here.

https://youtu.be/9YvcCHsdojw