Today, Svart Records announces September 18th as the international release date for Skepticism’s highly anticipated new album, Ordeal. A legendary name in metal circles, Skepticism are widely hailed as one of the originators of funeral doom. Their first album for Svart and fifth overall, Ordeal is also the first Skepticism full-length since 2008’s Alloy. But instead of going the usual recording-in-the-studio route, the band decided to record this new album live before an audience on January 24th at Klubi in Turku, Finland, with the event also captured on film. A truly unique experience for a truly unique band, Ordealis a honest and accurate summary of what Skepticism is in 2015.
Keyboardist Eero Pöyry commented:
Recording the album live was a positive experience. I’ve come to think of Skepticism being at its best live, and the Ordeal session proved it for me. Having a whole day to concentrate in one shot at a perfect performance brought in a good pressure – and a bit of an ordeal, as well.
Adds drummer Lasse Pelkonen,
Recording live made the album sound a bit rough and dirty, which is suitable for us in any case.
The album will be available as a CD/DVD bundle and also as a LP/DVD set, featuring visual documentation of the whole Ordeal performance.
It is hard to think of a more street-credible approach to recording an album
contends Lasse,
I think metal is good only if one can recognize it as such by sound and arrangement. This happens on Ordeal. I am personally very happy with the new songs. They contain a lot of atmospheric changes and layering but still sound like Skepticism.
Guitarist Jani Kekarainen explains,
Life is an ordeal, the album is about ordeal, and making the album was an ordeal. To me, the music of Skepticism is essentially dynamic and atmospheric. These qualities in music are best presented live. Hence, recording live made it possible to capture the most authentic result for the album.
Finally, vocalist Matti concluded
It is difficult not to be and difficult to be; Ordeal is what music is – genuine without further explanation.
Tracklisting for Skepticism’s Ordeal
1. You
2. Momentary
3. The Departure
4. March Incomplete
5. The Road
6. Closing Music
7. Pouring
8. The March and the Stream
www.svartrecords.com
www.facebook.com/svartrecords
www.youtube.com/svartrecords
www.twitter.com/svartrecords
Tags: 2015, death metal, Doom Metal, Ordeal, skepticism, svart records
close up of used v-string on the cover lol
My first thought was a jockstrap and a rose… Hopefully the rest is better than this lackluster cover art.
I share your concern over the cover art, not because it is “lackluster” (although that may also be true), but because it is self-referential. Like bands naming their comeback albums after the fact that they are the return, rebirth, second coming, etc., of the band, this is not a great sign but does not necessarily mean all that much either.
For those interested, here’s a video of them playing “The Departure” at this year’s Maryland Deathfest.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smW7mEIO-6w
If it’s any indicator of the rest of the album, then it should be one of the best releases of the year. The stop-start riff in the middle of the song seemed off-putting to me at first, but it works in the context of the rest of the song.
Also, one of the tags is misspelled “Oreal” instead of “Ordeal.”
The self-referential cover artwork is slightly disconcerting to me, but I believe that Skepticism are capable of producing a high quality album over two decades into their career. Indeed, this news of Ordeal represents a great potential.
Some of the transitions in the Maryland Deathfest performance of “The Departure” seem rough, but I like how the song ties together and concludes.