– August sixth, 2025 –
New Video/Single Now Enjoying + Pre-Orders Accessible
Picture by Dania Ramos
Watch/stream WRETCHED’s “Decay” HERE
For the final two years, Charlotte, North Carolina’s lauded metallic monsters WRETCHED labored on the songs that will populate their long-awaited fifth full-length, Decay. Set for launch on October seventeenth on Steel Blade Information, the result’s a conceptual masterpiece that blends haunting melodies with progressive complexity.
This fifth album, which is a prequel to 2010′s Past The Gate, delves into existential themes, D&D-inspired mythology, and private loss. The file sees the boundary-pushing lineup breaking previous outlined partitions of their 4 earlier releases. Sonically, Decay could also be WRETCHED‘s most pristine-sounding recording, nevertheless it’s nonetheless uncooked with a dwell feeling within the performances. The band didn’t observe the elements till they gave the impression of a pc. You hear guitarist Steven Funderburk choose by way of the strings and fret the instrument, bassist Andrew Grevey shines on bass with a potent musicality and motion, his elements as a lot part of the sound and construction of the songs because the guitar. Vocally, Billy Powers went as uncooked as humanly attainable, pushing himself and the instrumentals to their furthest for an uncompromisingly highly effective efficiency on each observe.
“We’ve had quite a lot of time to develop and replicate within the time between our final album and Decay,” says drummer Marshall Wieczorek. “WRETCHED is doing what WRETCHED all the time does, and that’s exploring our surroundings and leaving room for ourselves to strive various things. To sum issues up, the brand new album is dynamic. We go right here, we go there, we go in all places. There isn’t any scarcity of groove, heaviness, velocity, melodicism, prettiness, and disappointment.”
“Decay is 100% an idea album,” confirms Powers. “Past The Gate had a component this file shares, the talisman. I all the time knew there was extra story there and was very excited to affix up with the fellows once more to place that in movement. The primary observe I wrote was ‘The Golden Tide.’ I had no concept the place I used to be going to take the story connection to Past The Gate till I typed the primary line of the track. ‘They started at the hours of darkness.’ After that, the lyrics poured out of my thoughts and by the tip of it I noticed that this story takes place a few years earlier than the content material of Past The Gate.”
The LP’s title observe and first single comprises the album’s most important character, Malus, together with a personality from Past The Gate named Elturiel. “Within the track, ‘decay’ refers to Malus’ decaying existence, the sensation of loss, and helplessness/lack of management he has to affect something outdoors of the darkness wherein he has been forged.”
In broader phrases, decay refers to many components of the album’s story, “The decay of excellent intention, the lack of family members, the affect time and decisions has upon our our bodies and minds and the decay of the world round us because of the decisions of these with final energy.”
Powers additional elaborates, “[The song] ‘Decay’ is a chapter in our story wherein our most important character Malus has misplaced his bodily physique as a result of changing into possessed by an historic Necromancer. He’s only a acutely aware thought floating by way of the void between time and area, conjuring a familial djinn named Elturiel to achieve his help in returning to his mortal shell. This observe revolves rather a lot round out of physique expertise, lucid dreaming, internal voices/inner dialogue, and the potential for reincarnation. It’s the sensation if you’re so certain that you simply’ve misplaced all of it, but you see that little shimmering glimmer of hope on the finish of an extended, darkish tunnel. Then you have got the rug pulled out from beneath you to search out that the darkness is what you could solely ever know. To not say that every one hope is misplaced as a result of, within the context of the lyrics, it isn’t. There’s a repeated line close to the center and ending of the track that claims ‘as soon as extra upon this everlasting flat circle.’ It’s impressed by True Detective S1 the place it’s mentioned ‘time is a flat circle.’ This has all occurred earlier than and can all occur once more. I’m not a flat earther.”
Watch WRETCHED‘s video for “Decay” HERE.
Decay was self-produced with engineering by drummer Marshall Wieczorek, combined by Johann Meyer, mastered by Alan Douches, and options art work and format by Travis Smith (Overkill, Nevermore, Opeth and so forth). The file might be launched on CD and digital codecs in addition to vinyl within the following shade variants:
Blackout (US)
Flesh And Blood (US)
The Void (EU – Ltd. 300)
The Fact (EU – Ltd. 200)
Discover pre-orders at: metalblade.com/wretched
Decay Observe Itemizing:
01. Decay
02. Malus Incarnate
03. The Royal Physique
04. The Crimson Sky
05. Radiance
06. Clairvoyance
07. The Mortal Line
08. Behind the Glass
09. Lights
10. The Golden Tide
11. Blackout
12. The Golden Skyway
WRETCHED will play 4 exhibits with Aether Realm and Paladin later this week. In September, the band will help labelmates Six Ft Underneath this Fall on their US headlining tour. The tour runs from September twenty first by way of October twenty fifth. Further might be supplied by Exhorder and Incite. Tickets are on sale now. See all confirmed dates beneath.
WRETCHED w/ Aether Realm, Paladin:
8/07/2025 The Earl – Atlanta, GA
8/08/2025 Eulogy – Asheville, NC
8/09/2025 Chapel Of Bones – Raleigh, NC
w/ Aether Realm:
8/10/2025 The State Theatre – Greenville, NC
w/ Six Ft Underneath, Exhorder, Incite:
9/21/2025 The King Of Golf equipment – Columbus, OH
9/22/2025 Soundstage – Baltimore, MD
9/23/2025 Chapel Of Bones – Raleigh, NC
9/25/2025 Conduit – Orlando, FL
9/26/2025 Orpheum – Tampa, FL
9/27/2025 Membership LA – Destin, FL
9/28/2025 Chelsea’s Dwell – Baton Rouge, LA
9/29/2025 Paper Tiger – San Antonio, TX
9/30/2025 Jake’s – Lubbock, TX
10/02/2025 The Rock – Tucson, AZ
10/03/2025 Home Of Blues – San Diego, CA
10/04/2025 Humdinger – San Luis Obispo, CA
10/07/2025 El Corazon – Seattle, WA
10/09/2025 Ray’s Golden Lion – Richland, WA
10/10/2025 Nova PDX – Portland, OR
10/11/2025 The Shredder – Boise, ID
10/13/2025 The Oriental Theatre – Denver, CO
10/15/2025 The Vanguard – Tulsa, OK
10/16/2025 Wooly’s – Des Moines, IA
10/17/2025 The Cover Membership – Urbana, IL
10/18/2025 Avondale – Chicago, IL
10/19/2025 Venue Occasion Heart – Cadillac, MI
10/20/2025 Sanctuary – Detroit, MI
10/21/2025 Rec Room – Buffalo, NY
10/22/2025 District Music Corridor – Norwalk, CT
10/23/2025 Brooklyn Monarch – Brooklyn, NY
10/24/2025 Damaged Goblet – Bensalem, PA
10/25/2025 Preserving Underground – New Kensington, PA
WRETCHED:
Billy Powers – vocals
Steven Funderburk – guitar
Andrew Grevey – bass
Marshall Wieczorek – drums
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