"Ash Like Anvils" Falls in the Wake of The Mosaic Window's Blazing Advance (Early Track Stream)

Life is an ever-fluctuating journey, but there are persistent downsides to it -- namely, loss, sadness, and the other sorts of darkness that await us. It's these undercurrents that Los Angeles' The Mosaic Window tap into on their new album Hemasanctum, which conceptually examines everything between life and death through a lens of blistering melodic black and death metal. This time around, sole member Andrew Steven Brown loops in a live drummer, Gabe Seeber (Abigail Williams, Vale of Pnath, and more), to help drive home his combination of melodic despondency and riff-heavy onslaught.

Hemasanctum sprawls and ponders along its path, examining shared trials and tribulations obscured behind cryptic language and annihilating blast beats. Memorable melodic lines are a major focus, but so is shifting pacing that cycles through pure black metal aggression and cathartic slowdowns. Each track on the album takes a totally different path from start to finish, often entering unexpected sonic territory to reinforce its themes--which might take some deciphering to grasp.

Today we're premiering the new single "Ash Like Anvils," which includes some dark, brooding passages intermixed with furious tremolo riffs that rain down like fiery debris from a burning sky. Listen below:

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Regarding Hemasanctum, Brown comments:

Hemasanctum is a concept album that explores my current thoughts on life, relationships (parent-child), and loss. While it may or may not be obvious, the album starts with a song about birth and ends with a song about death. In between are songs intentionally out of order (like the roller-coaster timeline we all experience) subtly relating to topics like self-awareness, mental health, abortion, religion, and grief.

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Hemasanctum releases November 15th via Willowtip Records.