Red Dead Redemption Meets Black Metal in Wayfarer’s “A High Plains Eulogy”
What happens to black metal as a genre when you swap the icy fjords of Scandinavia for the dust swept plains of the American west, yet seek to keep the same kind of atmosphere? Well, you get whatever dark, cattle wranglin’ alchemy it is that Wayfarer‘s rustlin’ up for their fifth full-length studio release, American Gothic.
Set to release on October 27 via Profound Lore here in the U.S. and Century Media Records in Europe, the new album features their unmistakable yet unconventional blend of black metal, gothic country, and Americana. To celebrate its impending release, the band dropped its third single and accompanying music video for “A High Plains Eulogy.”
Speaking on the new tune and its video, guitarist/vocalist Shane McCarthy said “A High Plains Eulogy” was one of the more toned down moments on the album.
“‘A High Plains Eulogy’ is one of the more stripped down and somber moments on the record. It’s a moody vision of the American frontier, serving a bit as a requiem for an idea that is slipping through one’s hands lost to time.
“The video, captured by our longtime collaborator Alex Pace, paints the stark and empty beauty of the Colorado plains, and the Rocky Mountains, where the rock formations of the land serve as its own tombstones. The visuals are a perfect accompaniment to this dark little folksong. It tells of tragedy, and sits in the middle of American Gothic, fully fleshing out the record’s more personal facets.”
American Gothic will be released on October 27, but you can preorder your copy (as long as you’re in the U.S.) in CD, vinyl, cassette, or digital form right now. European fans can preorder their copy today as well.
If you want to catch Wayfarer live, you can do so next month for three dates with Baroness. More info about those gigs can be found down below.
Wayfarer tour dates
w/ Baroness
Nov. 9 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot
Nov. 11 – Denver, CO @ Summit Music Hall
Nov. 12 – Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room
American Gothic track-listing:
1. The Thousand Tombs Of Western Promise
2. The Cattle Thief
3. Reaper On The Oilfields
4. To Enter My House Justified
5. A High Plains Eulogy
6. 1934
7. Black Plumes Over God’s Country
8. False Constellation
