North American dark melodic metal masters WITHERFALL will release their sophomore album, A Prelude To Sorrow, on November 2. An album artwork trailer can be seen below.
Songwriters Joseph Michael (vocals, SANCTUARY) and Jake Dreyer (guitar, ICED EARTH) succeeded in perfectly combining the group’s technical proficiency with an appropriate eerie and somber atmosphere, manifesting also in Kristian Wåhlin‘s majestic cover painting. For mix and mastering, WITHERFALL again worked with Chris “Zeuss” Harris (SANCTUARY, QUEENSRŸCHE, ICED EARTH).
Regarding the follow-up to 2017’s “Nocturnes And Requiems”, WITHERFALL said: “‘A Prelude To Sorrow’ is a concept record, though not in the sense that most people have come to know the form. Ours is not a story where each song acts as a chapter. The inspiration lays in the supremely dark reality that was the passing of our drummer and one of our best friends, Adam Sagan. These songs are raw emotional reflections, composed in the witching hours under the influence of wine and sorrow, while watching and helping our friend fight and ultimately lose his battle with lymphoma. ‘Nocturnes And Requiems’ was dedicated to Adam after the fact. ‘A Prelude To Sorrow’ is written specifically about his and our personal tragedy.”
“Prelude to Sorrow” Album Artwork
“Like ‘Nocturnes and Requiems’, the songs have been arranged to still have the peaks and valleys that any great record should. With ‘Prelude’, these peaks just might be a little steeper and the valleys might be a little deeper, alternating between violence and beauty. The titles initials are an acronym for ‘Adam Paul Sagan.’ He came up with ‘Nocturnes And Requiems’ so we suppose it is kind of fitting that he also inspired this title. Hope he doesn’t come knocking on our door for royalties. We hope that this will be a fitting requiem for our friend and talented musician.”
A Prelude To Sorrow track listing:
1. A Prelude To Sorrow
2. We Are Nothing
3. Moment Of Silence
4. Communion Of The Wicked
5. Maridian’s Visitation
6. Shadows
7. Ode To Despair
8. The Call
9. Vintage
10. Epilogue
The album will be released as limited-edition digipak, jewelcase CD (U.S. only), gatefold 2LP plus poster and etching on Side D as well as digital album.
WITHERFALL is:
Jake Dreyer – Guitar
Joseph Michael – Vocals/Keyboards
Anthony Crawford – Bass
Fili Bibiano – Guitar
Steve Bolognese – Drums
