Gruesome Would Probably Make Chuck Schuldiner Proud with Their New Single “Frailty”
Yeah, that headline may be a little bit hyperbolic, but I think it’s pretty fitting given the fact that the band has never hidden their reverence to Death in the slightest. Armed with an explicitly old school style, “Frailty” is the band’s first new single in four years and is sure to make even the crustiest of old heads nod in approval.
With recording set to begin this summer for their follow up to 2018’s Twisted Prayers, the band say what they’ve got next will be “their take on the legendary Human full-length.” Noting that their drummer Gus Rios and ex-Death drummer Sean Reinert are apparently buddies in real life, the band said this effort was especially important to them. The drummer had this to say about the forthcoming album:
“Finding the words to describe the immense series of emotions that have already gone into this album’s process is proving to be similarly as difficult as the process itself. The seemingly impossible task of having to emulate not only one the most skilled, cherished and influential drummers of all time, but also the closest friend I’ve ever had is a challenge that legitimately has taken years to even attempt.
“Not only is the material extremely challenging to play, but I also feel deep sadness every single time I sit down to work on it. That said, I feel like I owe it to my brother Sean, my band and the death metal community to give this album 110%. I had called Sean in November of 2019 telling him how terrified I was of this album and I truly needed his guidance. In true bro fashion his response to me was “dude, what do you need ME for? You’re the one who’s been in these trenches for years now, not me. Just be yourself, you’ve got this”. And though ultimately our plan was for me to go and stay with him for a few days and work on this material together at his studio, life’s cruelty had other plans. Sean’s family lost a son and brother, the world lost a beacon of inspiration, and I lost a best friend.
“One global pandemic and several years later here we finally are and Gruesome is making what I consider to be not only the album of our career but also my personal greatest test of skill, resilience and will. I am NOT the drummer that Sean was, but he was my mentor, teacher and brother and I will do my very best to honor that.”
In addition to work on the new album, the band has a tour coming up with Sabbat for their 20th Annivevil European Tour. With his eyes on the road ahead, frontman Matt Harvey said the band was stoked over the opportunity.
“We’re all very psyched to get Gruesome going full force once more this summer – between the single, the European tour with Sabbat and, most importantly, undertaking work on the next record, we’ll be getting into some exciting territory and I hope people are psyched to go with us!”
You can find the full list of tour dates below.
SABBAT – 40TH ANNIVEVIL EUROPEAN TOUR 2024
feat. very special guest GRUESOME
26/06 Belgium, Diest, Hell
27/06 Germany, Krolpa, Donnerheim
28/06 Czech Republic, Pisek, Divadlo Pod Carou
29/06 Poland, Katowice, P23
30/06 Austria, Wien, Viper Room
02/07 Croatia, Zagreb, Klub Mocvara
03/07 Czech Republic, Trutnov, Obscene Extreme
04/07 Germany, Kassel, Goldgrube
05/07 Germany, Hamburg, Bambi Galore
06/07 Netherlands, Emmen, Pitfest
07/07 Germany, Oberhausen, Helvete
08/07 Germany, Weinheim, Cafe Central
10/07 Germany, Munchen, Backstage
11/07 Germany, Torgau, In Flammen Open Air
12/07 Germany, Oldenburg, MTS
13/07 Denmark, Fredericia, Metal Magic Festival
