Toronto post-metal artisans lowheaven today unveil their latest single, Amherst. The stunning new track comes off the band’s Ritual Decay debut full-length album, set for release on August 29th on MNRK Heavy. Amherst evokes an emotion of decomposition. A deadness that stays.
Vocalist/guitarist Dan Thomson elaborates, “This is a tough one for me. From where this song started, until where you hear it now, it has been through the wringer. This was the first song written for lowheaven, but probably the last one to feel finished. It was hard to let go of; hard to accept that there would be a point where it was done. Letting go of this song was like letting go of a part of me that I wasn’t ready for. A rock bottom and a redemption all at once. Even listening back to it now, preparing to play it with the band, it stirs something that I’ve been burying.”
“The progression of the song and what it ultimately became was not something that was planned or forced but what felt natural,” remembers vocalist/bassist Mikey Buchta. “So much of the song was done organically in the studio. Our producer would express ideas and take us to a destination we were unfamiliar with but easily accepted. A lot of songs can have a shining star element that people think of immediately when the song is mentioned and I feel that ‘Amherst’ only works because of every element coming together.”
“This song hits hard in a different, underhanded way compared to the rest of the album,” agrees guitarist/keyboardist Alex Pley, “It incorporates a ton of clean layering that builds and swells until the climax hits like an emotional hammer. There were points where we discussed cutting it all together as it isn’t as ‘heavy’ as the rest of the album, but after finishing it in the studio, it is arguably the hardest lowheaven song to date and not for the faint of heart.”
Adds guitarist Pat Pajak, “This song feels like the catharsis that offers a glimmer of hope and peace after a long, hard, and treacherous road that is Ritual Decay. Mostly, a territory we don’t often traverse. It’s refreshing. This one is somewhat our ballad and we are proud to share it… we hope it can resonate with everyone, from all sensibilities.”
