Tuesday 23 October 2018

VIDEO PREMIERE: Barbarian Hermit deliver gravy thick riffs on "Black Mass"





Since their emergence in 2017, APF Records have set out to support the very best bands from the UK’s thriving underground doom scene.  Home to the likes of Ba'al, Battalions, Blind Haze, BongCauldron, Desert Storm, Diesel King, Mastiff, Nomad, Pist, RedEye Revival, The Hyena Kill, The Wizards Of Delight, Tronald, Under and Trevor's Head, label head Andrew Field exudes a sense of family within his ranks and is supporting bands that he himself enjoys.  In essence APF Records is about a love of music and is a platform for them to help nurture bands they enjoy.

With around 16 releases to their name in an 18 month period, that is no small achievement, what’s more the standard of music has been extraordinarily high and that is set to continue on 16th November and the release of Solitude and Savagery” the debut album by Barbarian Hermit, a Manchester sludge five piece known for giving it some bastard and bringing the thick, Northern gravy.   Today we have been tasked by wonderful people at Hold Tight PR and APF Records to present the brand new video for the track “Black Mass” which you check out below.  But first check out what the band had to say about the track. 

Introducing ‘Black Mass’, the second single from our forthcoming album, “Solitude and Savagery”.  The track is a twisting, turning sonic assault that meanders through passages of tripped out psychedelia, pure Sabbath worship, thrash and trademark Hermit heavy groove, so it’s fitting that the video that goes along with the song is just as disorienting.

It was actually our old singer Si Prato-Scarlett that approached us to do the video, as since he parted ways with the band he’s been dabbling in film production, whilst also remaining a friend and supporter of Barbarian Hermit. He'd already done the video for “Widowmaker” back in the day so we knew he'd do a fantastic job, but he really knocked it out of the park with this one.

We filmed it over a few days at our practice studio at Brunswick Mill in Manchester, which is full of eerie corridors and weird and wonderful trinkets, which lent themselves perfectly for the dreamlike atmosphere that Si wanted to create.

Ed’s lyrics for the song were inspired by a dream/nightmare/vision he had of a dark figure, a black mass that hovered before him, filling him with fear. The song is about facing those fears head on and letting hope guide your way, though much like the imagery that Si has thrown into the video, the lyrics are very much open to the listener’s own interpretation.

"Solitude & Savagery" is set for release on 16/11/2018 via APF Records and orders are being taken link: HERE and you check out the video to “Black Mass” exclusively below





Live Rituals

November 10th – Cvltfest, Café Independent, Scunthorpe
November 16th – Album Lunch, Kosmopolitan, Manchester
November 17th – Ale Fest, Northern Monk Brewery, Leeds
December 22nd – Rebellion Christmas Party, Rebellion, Manchester


Band info: facebook || bandcamp