The Skull, the band featuring vocalist Eric Wagner and bassist Ron Holzner, formerly of metal legends Trouble, will release its sophomore album, “The Endless Road Turns Dark”, on September 7 via Tee Pee Records. The LP was recorded in Chicago’s Decade Music Studios with engineer Sanford Parker (Yob, Tombs) and builds on the foundation laid by The Skull‘s debut album, “For Those Which Are Asleep”, a recording that landed at or near the top of a host of 2014 year-end best of lists.
The lyric video for “The Endless Road Turns Dark” title track can be seen below.
The Skull, which also features longtime Cathdral drummer Brian Dixon, guitarist Lothar Keller (Sacred Dawn), and guitarist Rob Wrong (Witch Mountain), creates classic Sabbath-ian doom with a psych-tinged metal vision. “The Endless Road Turns Dark” benefits greatly from the pedigree and experience of the band’s members and pushes authentic, old-school metal to heavier and more foreboding places, fueled by burly riffing, metallic groove and a crushing punch. Ethereal and wonderfully moody with a heart of heavy metal beating at its center, the record delivers definitive doom metal full of powerful builds and mesmerizing dynamic range. More than a mere throwback, “The Endless Road Turns Dark” is the work of a band that respects their fans, understands their own history, and still has their ears open to the current doom metal landscape. A wicked exercise in heavy metal majesty, “The Endless Road Turns Dark” plays like a natural extension of the musicians exemplary work during their 20-plus years with Trouble and cements The Skull as modern-day doom metal royalty.
Track listing:
01. The Endless Road Turns Dark
02. Ravenswood
03. Breathing Underwater
04. The Longing
05. From Myself Depart
06. As the Sun Draws Near
07. All That Remains (Is True)
08. Thy Will Be Done
To celebrate the completion of the new album, The Skull has announced a U.S. headlining tour that will launch on June 2 in in Chicago where the band will headline the third annual Doomed & Stoned Fest. The 14-city jaunt will run through June 19 in Kansas City, Missouri. On the spring tour, The SkullL will be joined by guest drummer Henry Vasquez of Saint Vitus who will fill in for Dixon. Opening acts include Earthride and Hyborian.
Upcoming Shows
June
2 – Chicago, IL – Reggie’s (as part of Doomed & Stoned Fest)
3 – Minneapolis, MN – Studio B @ Skyway Theatre
5 – Bozeman, MT – Zebra Lounge
7 – Seattle, WA – Highline
8 – Bellingham, WA – Shakedown
9 – Portland, OR – Star Theatre
10 – Sacramento, CA – Blue Lamp
11 – Santa Cruz, CA – Atrium @ Catalyst
12 – San Francisco, CA – Elbo Room
13 – Los Angeles, CA – Resident
14 – Las Vegas, NV – Count’s Vamp’d
15 – San Diego, CA – Soda Bar
18 – Denver, CO – Streets Of London
19 – Kansas City, MO – Riot Room
Their debut album “For Those Which Are Asleep” was released in November 2014 via Tee Pee Records.
Our review can be found here.
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Lyric video for ‘The Endless Road Turns Dark’