Tooth and Claw (Earth Crisis, Sect, etc) announce debut album, share new song
Tooth and Claw — the new band of vocalist Daniel Austin (Die Young), multi-instrumentalist Scott Crouse (Earth Crisis, Sect, Path of Resistance), drummer Cameron Joplin (Magnitude, Ecostrike), and James Chang (Undying, Catharsis, Sect) — have announced their debut album, Dream of Ascension, due May 21 via Good Fight (pre-order). The album includes the singles “Kiss of Night” and “Arrival” that came out last year, as well as the just-released “Your Crucifixion.” Not all “supergroups” work as well as they sound on paper, but this is exactly the kind of bone-crushing metalcore you’d hope for from a lineup like this band has. Here’s what Daniel Austin tells Decibel about it:
Believe it or not, ‘Your Crucifixion’ might be the most optimistic, uplifting song on our LP. It’s a song about transcendence–transcending life’s inherently absurd and stagnant misery (LOL) towards an existence that hints at a chance of actually being meaningful — or at least one that’s perceived to be so. Who knows what’s real, illusion, or otherwise anymore given the post-truth climate of the world? Perhaps we know too much for our own good. All we can do is try our best to forge some meaning in the madness of everything that’s coming at us. In order for us to do that as well as we humanly can, we’re going to have to sift through the wisdom of the past, the knowledge and vitality of the now, and utilize the best of both to steady ourselves for the suffering that is just around the bend. No matter how you face your inevitable suffering, you’re going to be judged for it–by those around you, or if you’re lucky, the greater collective consciousness of humanity and its generations to come. People act like being judgmental is an ugly attribute of human character, but we all judge all the time, to ourselves and each other. You will judge and be judged. You are judging and being judged right now, so embrace it. Try to choose and love wisely. We wish you the best of luck on your path.
Regarding the video, director Justin Reich said he read the lyrics and wanted to find a place that was visually fitting for the concepts in the song. He found a defunct grain silo overgrown with vines and reeds in rural North Carolina, so we all went out there to shoot the video in the 30 degree January cold. He noted that the top of the silo, with all its overgrowth, reminded him of a crown of thorns, and that was what made him decide on that shooting location.
Watch the videos for the new song and the previous two singles below…
Tracklist
1. Dream of Ascension
2. Your Crucifixion
3. Time’s Desire
4. Seventy Times Seven
5. Kiss of Night
6. Arrival
7. Torn in Half
8. Spiritual Lust
9. Ravage