Portland progressive sludge masters LORD DYING transform tragedy into triumph. A pair of albums powered by skull-crushing riffs and confrontational howls introduced the doom dogs to the world. In 2019, they delivered Mysterium Tremendum, a record Kerrang! declared a “prog-metal masterpiece.”
The heady and adventurous existential meditation on death kicked off a trilogy. That story continues in 2023 with an increasingly ambitious follow-up, the aptly named Clandestine Transcendence.
Lord Dying cofounders Erik Olson (guitar, vocals) and Chris Evans (guitar) are joined by Alyssa Mocere (former bassist for Eight Bells) and Kevin Swartz (current drummer of Tithe). Worldwide converts headbang in devotion, catching the band at festivals and on tours with genre giants like Crowbar, Black Label Society, Corrosion Of Conformity, and fellow Portlanders Red Fang.
Chicago Reader called Mysterium Tremendum “a beautiful meditation on tragedy.” Produced by Converge guitarist Kurt Ballou (High On Fire, Code Orange, Kvelertak) at his God City Studios, Clandestine Transcendence steps even further into the great unknown, filled with riffs and vibes.
From the earliest rumblings of their first demo and self-titled EP (both issued in 2011), through the piledriving force of Summon the Faithless (2013) and crushing despair of Poisoned Altars (2015), Olson and Evans maintained a vision for Lord Dying’s ever-evolving sound. Songs like “In a Frightful State of Gnawed Dismemberment,” “An Open Sore,” and “Darkness Remains” pulled no punches. Lord Dying made masterfully melancholic heavy music for the misanthropic, with grit and grime.