The statistics of COVID-19 change with every news cycle, and with growing numbers, stay-at-home isolation and a near-universal disruption to society on a global scale, it is ever more important to consider the human aspect of this coronavirus. Amid the sad surrealism of living through social distancing, quarantines and bans on gatherings of groups of any size, creative professionals — artists, musicians, promoters, club owners, techs, producers, and more — are seeing an effect like nothing witnessed in the last century, and as humanity as a whole deals with this calamity, some perspective on who, what, where, when and how we’re all getting through is a needed reminder of why we’re doing so in the first place.

Thus, Days of Rona, in some attempt to help document the state of things as they are now, both so help can be asked for and given where needed, and so that when this is over it can be remembered.

Thanks to all who participate. To read all the Days of Rona coverage, click here. — JJ Koczan

Days of Rona: Martin Bush of Hyborian (Kansas City, Missouri)

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How are you dealing with this crisis as a band? Have you had to rework plans at all? How is everyone’s health so far?

We had to postpone our album release show, and festival and tour plans for the spring are obviously cancelled. We are all healthy and hale, but bored out of our minds being isolated at home.

What are the quarantine/isolation rules where you are?

We are under a shelter at home order here in Kansas City, with no real end in sight. Basically only essential businesses can operate, and everyone is supposed to stay in their houses unless leaving is absolutely necessary.

How have you seen the virus affecting the community around you and in music?

Everything here is pretty much at a standstill. Venues are all closed, restaurants and bars are all closed, everything but grocery stores and hospitals are pretty much closed. It has definitely had a huge effect on the music community here.

What is the one thing you want people to know about your situation, either as a band, or personally, or anything?

As soon as this is all over, expect to see us on tour A LOT. I never thought the freedom to play shows was something that could be taken away from us, but once we can again we will definitely not take it for granted. See you on the road soon!

https://www.facebook.com/HyborianRock/
https://hyborianrock.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/seasonofmistofficial
http://www.season-of-mist.com/

Some pretty significant gallop in the new streaming track from Hyborian, which is serving as the lead single of their sci-fi-apocalypse-end-of-the-universe-cycle-of-rebirth themed new record. Given its narrative and the tie-in novel guitarist/vocalist Martin Bush penned to go along with it, the title Volume II for the record seems kind of understated, but fair enough either way. The song, for example, is called “Planet Destructor,” and that would appear to convey some more of the severity of the subject at hand. One way or the other, though, they get the point across, and if that’s what the end of all things sounds like, it’s surprisingly precise for an unraveling. I’ll take it.

Hyborian make their way east to play Grim Reefer Fest in Baltimore on April 18, and before they do that, they’ll play the release show timed to the album coming out on March 20 at The Riot Room in their hometown of Kansas City.

Details for those and the single can be found below via the PR wire. It’s easily the most metal thing I’ve heard today:

HYBORIAN Reveal New Album Details, Release First Single

Progressive sludge metal outfit HYBORIAN will release their sophomore effort, aptly titled ‘Volume II,’ on March 20, 2020! In conjunction with the album announcement, HYBORIAN have released the first single from this monstrous effort, “Planet Destructor.”

The conceptual record picks up where their debut record left off and is accompanied by a 224-page sci-fi novel, ‘The Traveller,’ which was penned entirely by HYBORIAN guitarist/vocalist Martin Bush.

A summary of the book is as follows:
“The universe is filled with beginnings. Life springs anew in a constant cycle of birth and rebirth, billions upon billions of beginnings, intrinsically linked, each influencing the beginnings that will come after. Every ending is in and of itself a new beginning; what once was, by the very act of ending, becomes the beginning of what is to follow. This particular beginning begins at the end; the end of everything. The universe is dying. It is in the final stages of passing out of existence, which is a beginning as well, the beginning of what comes after. The cycle continues, cascading in an unending series of births and deaths, all linked, each one shaped by the beginnings that preceded it.

“The universe is dying, but it will begin again.”

To celebrate the release, HYBORIAN will be performing an album release show on March 20 at The Riot Room in their hometown of Kansas City, MO, in which they will be supported by label-mates THE LION’S DAUGHTER. The event will be sponsored by 98.9 FM.

HYBORIAN live:
03/20: Kansas City, MO @ The Riot Room (w/ THE LION’S DAUGHTER)
04/18: Baltimore, MD @ Grim Reefer Fest

Track-list:
1. Driven by Hunger (05:11)
2. Stormbound (04:18)
3. Sanctuary (05:28)
4. Planet Destructor (04:40)
5. The Entity (03:55)
6. Expanse (03:40)
7. Portal (04:43)
8. In the Hall of the Travellers (08:10)
Total: 40:10s

‘Volume II’ is available for pre-order HERE.

HYBORIAN Line-up:
Martin Bush – Guitar, Vocals
Ryan Bates – Guitar, Bass, Vocals
Justin Rippeto – Drums

https://www.facebook.com/HyborianRock/
https://hyborianrock.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/seasonofmistofficial
http://www.season-of-mist.com/

Hyborian, “Planet Destructor”

Kansas City-based progressive heavy rockers/metallers Hyborian are set to release their new album, Volume II — their 19th record, obviously — through Season of Mist early next year, and to herald its arrival, they have a novel written by guitarist/vocalist Martin Bush telling the story more or less of the universe dying and being reborn, because if you’re going to have a narrative, go big. No doubt the riffs on the upcoming LP will do likewise when they land. In the meantime, the band will tour next month including a stop at Saint Vitus Bar that will be presented by Ode to Doom and this very site as a matinee show ahead of Monolord taking the stage that night. Godmaker are playing too. My position is you go to the venue and make a full day of it in Brooklyn. Your own fest! I don’t know what more you could ask for.

The PR wire has the info you need, and I’ll have more about that show probably next week:

HYBORIAN Announce November U.S. Tour Dates

Heavy metal riff machine HYBORIAN have announced a run of headlining U.S. tour dates for this November, in which they will be supported by Migrator. Preceded by a set at Harvest of Doom Fest on October 19 in Lawrence, KS, the tour will officially kick off on November 14 in St. Louis, MO and will conclude on November 22 in Lincoln, NE. More dates TBA! The full itinerary is as follows:

HYBORIAN (w/ Migrator):
10/19: Lawrence, KS @ Harvest of Doom Fest
11/14: St Louis, MO @ Fubar*
11/15: Indianapolis, IN @ Black Circle Brewing
11/16: Pittsburgh, PA @ Smiling Moose
11/17: Brooklyn, NY @ Saint Vitus Bar (Matinee Show)
11/18: Philadelphia, PA @ MilkBoy
11/19: Baltimore, MD @ Metro Gallery
11/20: Columbus, OH @ Cafe Bourbon Street
11/21: Chicago, IL @ Reggie’s
11/22: Lincoln, NE @ 1867 Bar
11/24: TBA
*No Migrator

HYBORIAN have previously released the first edition of their original new book, ‘The Traveller – A Hyborian Tale,’ which was written and illustrated by vocalist/guitarist Martin Bush. The 224 page sci-fi tale has been written as a companion piece for the band’s upcoming conceptual full-length, ‘Volume II,’ which is due in early 2020. The book is available now and can be purchased HERE.

Author Martin Bush further explains, “For our next record, we decided that we wanted to expound upon the concepts we introduced with ‘Volume I.’ The Traveller (the cloaked figure on the cover of ‘Volume I’) was a central figure in the mythos we were building, so for this album we wanted to focus more on who/what The Traveller is. The more we talked about it as a band, the more involved the ideas became, until there was just way too much to be able to cram it into an album’s worth of song lyrics. Over most of 2018, we were touring pretty nonstop, but I was finding time here and there to start putting all those ideas down on paper. Eventually, we had a book, which tells the same story as our upcoming full-length ‘Volume II,’ just in much, much more detail. It’s basically an origin story for The Traveller, set in the very last days of existence. The story focuses on a father and son, who, as far as we know, are the last humans alive, and their struggles to survive as the universe crumbles around them.”

HYBORIAN Line-up:
Martin Bush – Guitar, Vocals
Ryan Bates – Guitar, Vocals
Justin Rippeto – Drums
Anthony Diale – Bass

https://www.facebook.com/HyborianRock/
https://hyborianrock.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/seasonofmistofficial
http://www.season-of-mist.com/

Hyborian, Volume I (2017)