Vacuous Drop New Single “Contraband” Ahead of In His Blood Release
Earlier today, U.K. death metal outfit Vacuous dropped another single off their forthcoming album In His Blood and damn it, it’s a plodding, seething, riff-fest from start to finish.
While speaking about the song and its lyrical theme, vocalist Jo Chen said this one was based on a very real and very tragic situation where Vietnamese immigrants lost their lives in the search of a better life.
“The song ‘Contraband’ is about the thirty-nine Vietnamese migrants who were suffocated in a lorry trying to come over to England. It was such a tragedy, but it was blink and you miss it; news today and gone tomorrow.
“I was born in London, but my family are from Malaysia, which is historically a poor country.There’s such a juxtaposition when I go back there. Here in the West, generally, people are often so comfortable. The only access that some people have to extreme poverty and violence is online.”
As for the rest of the album, guitarist Michael Brodsky said In His Blood is full of the band deftly paying homage to their death metal forebears while trying to infuse their more modern sensibilities into the music.
“We’ve talked about having different influences, and it felt like a bit of a dare to push things further. Back in death metal’s formative days, with bands like Autopsy, Obituary, and Incantation, none of those bands sounded like each other: they were just pushing their collective influences together to the extreme. I think we’re still doing the same thing, just from the point of view of people who grew up in the 2000s.”
In His Blood will be released on February 28 via Relapse Records, but you can preorder your copy today.
IN HIS BLOOD TRACKLIST:
- In His Blood
- Stress Position
- Hunger
- Flesh Parade
- Public Humiliation
- Contraband
- Immersion
- No Longer Human
VACUOUS Live:
3/01/2025 Life After Death Fest @ Walthamstow Trades Hall – London, UK * In His Blood Record Release Show
4/11/2025 Moor Beer Vaults – London, UK
4/12/2025 The Star Inn – Ashford, UK
4/13/2025 The Hope & Ruin – Brighton, UK
4/14/2025 The Gryphon – Bristol, UK
4/15/2025 Billy Bootleggers – Nottingham, UK
4/16/2025 The Lubber Fiend – Newcastle, UK
4/17/2025 The Flying Duck – Glasgow, UK
4/18/2025 Damaged Goods – Leeds, UK
