LIONS AT THE GATE, the new band featuring former ILL NIÑO members Cristian Machado (vocals), Ahrue “Luster” Ilustre (guitar) and Diego Verduzco (guitar), alongside bassist Stephen Brewer (WESTFIELD MASSACRE) and drummer Fern Lemus, has released its latest single and music video, “Bed Of Nails”. The track strikes a fine balance between otherworldly vocals, relentless rhythm, and massively heavy riffs. Watch it below.
Speaking about “Bed Of Nails”, Machado commented: “‘Bed Of Nails’ is a song that was brought in by Diego, a string of riffs that told a story. [Producer] Kile [Odell] pushed the dynamics of the song into extremes by surrounding Diego‘s riffs with ghostly verses. Ahrue and Steve rounded off some of the parts and the bridge of the song. When I heard the demo, I fell in love with the heavy riff and the double bass, especially followed by those intimate and creepy verses. That caught my attention instantly. When we got the final mixes back from Kile, I realized how strong the song was.”
He continued: “The message of the song is not hidden in the lyric; it is blatantly about deep inner struggle to accept the things you cannot change. I think, especially to embrace those things which blossom growth, even when they involve intense struggle. It’s a theme stitched well into the album. Laying out a maze, attempting to discover an exit path, trying to cut through the uncertainty of life and the chaos of the world. Really, though, aren’t we all?”
“Bed Of Nails” and previously released singles “Scapegoat” and “Not Even Human” are expected to appear on LIONS AT THE GATE‘s upcoming debut album, which was produced by the aforementioned Kile Odell, who has previously worked with FOZZY and MOTIONLESS IN WHITE.
LIONS AT THE GATE released its debut single, “Not Even Human”, back in June 2021 to huge excitement from fans old and new.
When LIONS AT THE GATE‘s formation was first announced in early June, Machado said: “I feel so blessed to be in LIONS AT THE GATE. We’ve all been making albums for a long time but I think it was time for us to make something special and memorable again. This album is exactly that. Take away our musical history, take away our long hair, take away our personal feelings, just make believe we were never there. This LIONS AT THE GATE album is amazing. We finally made a modern metal album that metalheads will enjoy beginning to end. It’s deep, it’s memorable, I can’t wait for everyone to hear it, I can’t wait for everyone to hear the featured female artist on one of the songs.”
Verduzco added: “I’m beyond proud and excited to announce our new band LIONS AT THE GATE. Life is all about change and I feel that this music is the most dynamic and honest that we’ve ever written. I feel a sense of freedom and am completely reinvigorated and even anxious (in a good way) to be a part of something that pulls influence from so many directions . Each member brings a unique set of talent and tools. It’s quite frankly some of the best music we’ve ever written. Organic, honest, and true.”
Luster stated: “I’m more excited about LIONS AT THE GATE than anything that I’ve been a part of since I started my musical career.”
LIONS AT THE GATE will be making their live debut at the legendary Whisky a Go Go on April 28th. Their long-awaited premiere event will be supported by fellow metal acts Thrown Into Exile and Breaking In A Sequence. Tickets go on sale at 10AM PT on Friday, March 4th at this location.
