Auralayer Announce Debut Album Thousand Petals Out July 14; Premiere “All My Time”
South Carolinian trio Auralayer make their full-length debut with Thousand Petals on July 14 through King Volume Records. The nine-song/35-minute outing is the latest in a splurge of quality offerings from the label — see also Fairie Ring‘s LP out in April and Lord Mountain‘s January release this year alone — and boasts production by former Kylesa guitarist Phillip Cope, who duly highlights the tonal depth and largesse on cuts like opener “All My Time,” which premieres below, while allowing for the movement in “Shelf Black,” first shuffle, then nod and (relative) lumber, enough breadth to exist fluidly side-by-side with the shove of “Dance to Thrash” and the bombastic stoner swing of “Monstrum” in which the High on Fire influence noted in the PR wire info comes home to roost in a rager of a riff and solo from guitarist Thomas Powell before the next galloping verse Kyuss careens through the barren wastes en route to “The Lake,” which pushes that lethal impulse even further in its chugging verse before opening to its unabashed hook.
Along with bassist/vocalist Jake “Kimble” Williams and drummer/backing vocalist Vladimir Doodle (also percussion), Powell lands numerous bruiser blows throughout, the band taking cues from ’90s and ’00s heavy and stoner rock and adding their own perspective as well as tonality such that “Faith to Reason” lands like dirtied-up C.O.C. and “Christ Antler” can build an atmosphere of its own around its beginning desert-style riff. The band call it “power doom” and fair enough for the push of air they unleash throughout, if not some of the more soaring aspects of power metal the self-applied tag might imply. They cap likewise melodic and intense on “You Walk,” nakedly referencing Sleep as they gleefully chug toward Thousand Petals‘ final payoff, but there’s a richer mix at play throughout the proceedings thanks to the sonic persona readily on display. That is, whatever aspects come across as familiar — that looming air of Goatsnake not directly traceable to any single riff, for example — Auralayer are purposeful in sounding like themselves.
The aforementioned “All My Time” was one of three songs included on the band’s 2021 demo EP Solar Plexus, but like its compatriots “Faith to Reason” and “Christ Antler,” it’s been re-recorded and fleshed out for the record. You can hear it on the player below, followed by a quote from Williams and the announcement from King Volume of the upcoming release. We’ve got a few months before July gets here, but heads up anyway:
Auralayer, “All My Time” track premiere
Jake “Kimble” Williams on “All My Time”:
“All My Time” is one of the first Auralayer songs we wrote, which at the time Auralayer was just Thomas and Myself in the basement of my home, jamming and seeing what would happen when two very different types of musicians made music. No name, no drummer, just throwing ideas at the wall and seeing what worked. I was very much looking to prove myself at the time. This song is partially me telling myself “this time I have something to say, I have something to show the world.” And the other half is the self-doubt and the doubt of my peers growing up who didn’t believe in me telling me “You ain’t never going anywhere.” It’s me screaming back to the void of voices screaming self-doubt. It’s a song I think many can relate to. To be brave in the face of odds stacked against you, and believing in yourself when no one else does.
—
Bombastic Progressive Doom Power Trio Auralayer to Release Debut Album ‘Thousand Petals’ Through King Volume Records On July 14, 2023
Eclectic Album Engineered by Philip Cope (Kylesa)
Preorder link: https://auralayer.bandcamp.com/album/thousand-petals
Auralayer, the visionary and captivating power trio out of Greenville, SC, has announced the release of their raucous debut album, Thousand Petals, through King Volume Records, due July 14, 2023. Delivering a unique blend of powerful doom riffs, kinetic progressive rock drums, and electrifying pop-inspired melodies, Thousand Petals is impressively heavy and undeniably catchy.
The band’s signature brand of metal comes from its members’ diverse musical interests. “I’m really into doom, especially bands like High on Fire,” says guitarist Thomas Powell. “Vlad, the drummer, is really into progressive rock, and his favorite drummer is Neil Peart. And Jake, our bassist, really likes pop music — The Beatles and Talking Heads.” Thanks to those disparate influences, the band is largely unencumbered by typical doom and stoner rock clichés during the writing phase — a fact that has helped them develop their own original metal sound.
To help them harness their energetic musical vision, the band recruited Philip Cope, the founder of the experimental metal band Kylesa, to engineer, mix, and master their debut at Jam Room Recording Studio in Columbia, SC. As with Kylesa, Cope helped to capture and channel the band’s diverse influences and experimentation into a cohesive sonic palette — on both the debut album and the band’s 2021 Solar Plexus EP.
“Phil has had a huge influence on me as an artist,” says Powell, “so it was great having him around. He’s just as passionate about our music as we are, so it almost feels like he’s part of the band. And since he’s worked on so many cool projects, like the first Baroness album, he has so many cool perspectives and great attention to detail, and that really helped us capture the sound we were going for.”
Despite the band’s collective encyclopedic knowledge of music, the trio has also pulled inspiration from a variety of artistic and philosophical sources—while still maintaining a unified final product. The album title, for example, comes from the Sahasrara padma, the crown chakra that translates to “the lotus of a thousand petals” and is symbolic of supreme consciousness and enlightenment.
Thousand Petals comes after the success of the band’s original demo EP, Solar Plexus (also inspired by Eastern cultures and the Chakra Manipura), which was released on August 13, 2021. All three songs from that demo — “Christ Antler,” “Faith to Reason,” and “All My Time” — have been sharpened and honed onto Thousand Petals.
Auralayer – Thousand Petals
Release Date: July 14, 2023
Label: King Volume Records
Tracklisting:
1. All My Time
2. Christ Antler
3. Dance to Thrash
4. Peacemonger
5. Faith to Reason
6. Shelf Black
7. Monstrum
8. The Lake
9. You Walk
Recording, Mix, and Engineering: Philip Cope (Jam Room Recording Studio, Columbia, SC)
Art: Juan Montoya (Formatted by Wes Brooks)
Band:
Thomas Powell (Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, FX/Pedals)
Jake “Kimble” Williams (Vocals, Bass Guitar, Miscellaneous Percussion)
Vladimir Doodle (Drums, Percussion, Backup Vocals)
https://www.facebook.com/auralayermusic
https://www.instagram.com/auralayermusic/
https://auralayer.bandcamp.com/
https://www.auralayer.com/
http://www.facebook.com/kingvolumerecords
http://www.kingvolumerecords.bandcamp.com
http://www.kingvolumerecords.limitedrun.com
A one thousand miles journey starts with the first step!
Congratulations!
Both tracks are tight. Cant wait for the release. Best of luck to all of you moving forward.