(another/side) Poison Ruin have shared a new song called "Torture Chamber", from their highly anticipated album Harvest follows the release of their S/T debut which spread like wildfire throughout the punk and DIY community throughout the past two years.
The Philadelphian band quickly amassed a following for their lo-fi, catchy metaphoric revolts that stab at the pulsing heart of what it means to live under the permanent midnight of contemporary life.
Harvest gazes at the world with a sense of grave seriousness, its stare softened only by the alluring seduction of a dream world's open-ended possibility. Its songs move with a type of uncanny confidence, assembling an array of references to past styles and sensibilities that collapse in on one another, congealing into a truly unique sonic landscape.
Just ahead of its release, Poison Ruin share their melodic thrasher, "Torture Chamber" which questions the limits and conviction of one's own beliefs: "What is a truth for which you'd die? And what are the words that could set you free?"
With Harvest, Poison Ruin aligns their sonic palette to their godless, medieval-inflected aesthetic symbolism, creating a record which strikes with an assured sense of blackened harmony.
"I've always found fantasy tropes to be incredibly evocative," vocalist/guitarist Mac Kennedy notes, "that said, even though they are a set of symbols that seem to speak to most people of our generation, they are often either apolitical or co-opted for incredibly backwards politics."
Harvest's lyrics and imagery, Kennedy reworks fantasy imagery as a series of totems for the downtrodden, stripping it of its escapist tendencies and retooling it as a rich metaphor for the collective struggle over our shared reality: "Instead of knights in shining armor and dragons, it's a peasant revolt," he explains, "I'm all for protest songs, but with this band I've found that sometimes your message can reach a greater audience if you imbue it with a certain interactive, almost magical realist element."
These are not superficial or self-aggrandizing political statements. Rather, Poison Ruin stares into the abyss of present-day life with a sober and empathetic outlook, portraying our cracked reality as a complex and difficult to parse miasma of competing desires.
Poison Ruin's Relapse debut, Harvest was mastered by Arthur Rizk. It sees its release on April 14 alongside the reissue of their eponymous 2021 LP which has established the band as one of punk and the underground's newest beloved treasures. Poison Ruin will tour extensively this year. Next up are two record release shows in NYC and their hometown, Philadelphia just before heading overseas for a full EU / UK run including a performance at Roadburn. See below for a full list of dates.
Sites and Sounds: Tupelo Elvis Festival
Caught In The Act: Frankie Valli Live 2023
Caught In The Act: Winger Live 2023
Live: The Psychedelic Furs Rock Orlando
Guns N' Roses Perform Rare Tracks At 2023 Tour Launch
David Lee Roth Shares New Recording Of Van Halen Classic 'Atomic Punk'
Hollywood Vampires Celebrate Live Album With 'Raise The Dead' Video
Pop Evil Announce U.S. Headline Tour
Queen Revisit 1982 Performance Of 'Dragon Attack' On The Greatest Live
Neil Young Announces Official Release Series Volume 5
Beach Boys Iconic Pet Sounds Album Now Available In Dolby Atmos
Devin Townsend Continues Devolution Series With 'Empath Live In America'