Today, Eternal Death announces August 1st as the international release date for Ancient Torment's highly anticipated debut album, Follow the Echo of Curses, on CD format, with a vinyl version to come later via Goatowarex.
From the coastal reaches of New England, Rhode Island-based Ancient Torment have emerged as a leading torchbearer in the region's black metal underground. The band formed around the core dominion established by guitarist Tormentum and drummer Zealot (both erstwhile members of Witch King) during the winter of 2016, with a handful of short-length releases in the years that followed. Taking influence from the gloomy darkness of the Finnish scene and triumphant misery of their Québécois neighbors to the north, Ancient Torment have forged their own black metal.
Of especial note is the album's recording, a symbiosis of form and content. Follow the Echo of Curseswas recorded at Distorted Forest Studio, a space of reclusive solitude in the woods of northern Rhode Island, over the early months of 2024. It was mixed by Josh Welshman (Flux Studios NYC), mastered by Dan Lowndes (Resonance Sound Studio), and artwork from David Thiérrée, with an overall production that traverses the caustic and sublime. A testament to the mysteries of true death worship, driven by nuanced aggression and drenched in cold melodies, it covers themes that span the swirling depths of depravity, suffering, and infernal release. Ancient Torment have at last arrived to reclaim bloodied ground.
In the meantime, hear the brand-new track "Sorrow Verses"
HERE at Eternal Death's Bandcamp, where the album can also be preordered. Aforementioned cover artwork and tracklisting are as follows:
Tracklisting for Ancient Torment's Follow the Echo of Curses
1. Hanging from a Dead Star [6:44]
2. Spectre at the Crossroads [5:47]
3. Sorrow Verses [7:04]
4. Dejected Dreams Molested in Purgatory [5:08]
5. Under the Guise of Virtue [7:31]
6. Rotting Temperament [9:00]
