You know how I know Vestal Claret enjoy making their listeners squirm? Because not only is their new video for the song “The Stranger,” which is among the most singularly perverse tracks from their new album, The Cult of Vestal Claret (discussed here), but the lyrics appear in the clip itself, overlaid with the video footage. There’s no getting around them, and the video only furthers the band’s well-honed atmosphere of deranged, sexualized violence.

“The Stranger” repurposes an episode of Showtime’s Masters of Horror to tell its tale of kidnapping and psychotic abuse, and yeah, put together with vocalist Phil Swanson‘s lyrics, it’s pretty fucked up and troubling. That’s what Vestal Claret — Swanson and multi-instrumentalist/recording engineer Simon Tuozzoli — do, and they’re good at it. There’s not much gore to speak of, but still, the cringes come easy as the clip plays out, complete with van, rag soaked in ether, and a blood-stained tub in the basement.

The entirety of The Cult of Vestal Claret is available now for streaming through Bandcamp, and you’ll find that on the player following Cruz del Sur Music‘s announcement of the video.

Here goes:

Vestal Claret, “The Stranger” official video

VESTAL CLARET releases new videoclip

America’s heavy rock doomsters VESTAL CLARET release today their first videoclip off “The Cult of Vestal Claret” their last release out on Cruz Del Sur Music early May 2014.

The song chosen is “The Stranger”, one of the most catchy yet disturbing tunes of the album; for the visual side we were inspired by the Masters of Horror’s episode “The Fair-Haired Child” which partially depict most of the upsetting lyrics of the track.

The release of “The Cult of The Vestal Claret” introduced the band to a wider audience thanks to a mature yet in-your-face song-writing. Some of the songs have been already released by Vestal Claret on limited edition split albums, but have been completely re-recorded for the occasion. Featuring the charming vocals of Phil Swanson, Vestal Claret’s sound has been enthusiastically described as “the jangling melancholy of Trouble, the epic stomp of Candlemass, the creative freedom of Sabbath”, but also raised some controversy in the media when some songs’ lyrics were described as “nauseating”.

You will not get a better chance to judge by yourself by checking the video clip above or listen to the entire album streaming on bandcamp!

Vestal Claret, The Cult of Vestal Claret (2014)

Vestal Claret on Thee Facebooks

Cruz del Sur Music

Leave a comment on this post to be entered into a contest to win a CD of the new Vestal Claret full-length, The Cult of Vestal Claret, from Cruz del Sur. The album (discussed here) came out last week, and if you’re a fan of traditional doom, classic metal or any number of deviant behaviors, the latest work from the core duo of Phil Swanson (Hour of 13, etc.) and Simon Tuozzoli (King of Salem) — plus drummer Michael Petrucci (Curse the Son) — is one you’re going to want to check out. At very least with all the commitment that entering to win one for free requires, which is basically none.

You know the drill by now. If you want the disc, comment on this post and don’t forget to fill in your email address so I can get back to you and tell you you won. Goes without saying but I’ll say it anyway that your email doesn’t get shared with anybody because fuck that shady shit.

Here’s the full stream from Cruz del Sur‘s Bandcamp, followed by more info about the record. Don’t forget to enter!

The Cult of Vestal Claret introduces to the masses a name that thus far has been quite popular only amongst the die-hard fans of the doom metal scene. In fact, Swanson is well renowned for his work with HOUR OF 13 and SEAMOUNT. VESTAL CLARET’s pronounced BLACK SABBATH-inspiration together with Swanson’s signature doomy style perfectly blends with the band’s Traditional Heavy Metal’ influences, not to mention an accomplished drumming style, cutting guitars and catchy compositions. The morbid-themed lyrics walk hand in hand with the mesmerizing music: VESTAL CLARET celebrates the dark side of the human psyche, with abundant references to Occultism, Satanism and other disturbing imagery.

The compact disc edition includes newly recorded versions of four previously released tracks from the split with Ungod, and the long suite “Black Priest” (a different, re-recorded version from the one present on the split with Indian band ALBATROSS). The CD also contains two unreleased songs, a cover version of BLACK SABBATH’s “Who Are You?”, and an exclusive CD-only track titled “Great Goat God.” The vinyl LP includes two songs from the Ungod split, the two unreleased tracks, and an exclusive vinyl-only track titled “So Mote it Be.”

Track List:
CD
1. Never Say No
2. Three and Three Are Six
3. The Cult of the Vestal Claret
4. Great Goat God
5. The Demon and the Deceiver
6. Piece of Meat
7. Black Priest
8. Who Are You
9. The Stranger

VESTAL CLARET is:
Philip Swanson – Vocals
Simon Tuozzoli – Bass, Guitar, Organ, Additional Voice
(Drums by Michael Petrucci)

Contest ends Monday, May 19. Good luck!

Vestal Claret on Thee Facebooks

Cruz del Sur Music

There are many lyricists who delve into occult themes, devil-worship, carnal violence, etc., in their work, but I can’t think of anyone who pushes the boundaries quite as much as Phil Swanson. Noted for his tenures in Hour of 13 and Seamount — as well as the underappreciated Upwards of Endtime, Earthlord and a slew of others — the Connecticut-based singer seems most at home reveling in the taboo, testing and periodically crossing the line between decency and the profane. It’s not the cartoon chainsawing of death metal; there’s something more cerebral and corrupted about his approach. In Vestal Claret, he partners with multi-instrumentalist/engineer Simon Tuozzoli, also of King of Salem, and he seems to have found an avenue for his darkest output yet.

Vestal Claret‘s story is complicated, but in 2013, the three-piece of Swanson, Tuozzoli and drummer Michael Petrucci (also of King of Salem and Curse the Son) released their full-length debut, Bloodbath (review here), after putting the same record out on vinyl with various guests singing in 2011. Now signed to Cruz del Sur Music, the follow-up, The Cult of Vestal Claret, arrives quickly on the heels of its predecessor and furthers the duo’s (Petrucci played drums, but is no longer listed as a permanent member) fetish for psychotic explorations and traditional Sabbathian metal, tracks like “Never Say No Again,” “Piece of Meat,” the startlingly progressive 16-minute “Black Priest” and closer “The Stranger” churning with malevolent riffs, classically-styled lead work and of course Swanson‘s trademark bite.

Handling guitar, bass, organ and backing vocals in addition to the recording, Tuozzoli manages to evoke a full-band feel across The Cult of Vestal Claret‘s nine-song course (the LP has a different tracklisting than the CD, with sundry bonus cuts for each), boldly taking on Black Sabbath‘s “Who are You?” and matching the swing and pace of the original before letting loose one final creep-out with “The Stranger.” The latter track begins acoustically — there are unplugged moments throughout, feeding into the classic metal atmosphere — before moving into one of the record’s most righteous riffs, Swanson‘s vocals arriving with an immediate threat on which the song itself seems to make good, only getting more twisted as it progresses.

They are not looking to sicken simply for shock value, and there is an underlying intelligence and subtlety to what Vestal Claret does, so even if they offend, they’re offending with art and forcing the listener to confront what it is about their material that proves so disturbing. Take a listen to “The Stranger” on the player below and see where you stand:

[mp3player width=480 height=150 config=fmp_jw_widget_config.xml playlist=vestal-claret-the-stranger.xml]

Vestal Claret release The Cult of Vestal Claret on May 6 via Cruz del Sur. More info below, courtesy of the PR wire:

U.S. Occult Heavy Metallers VESTAL CLARET will release The Cult of Vestal Claret through Cruz del Sur Music on May 6 in North America. The album will be available on CD and vinyl LP formats; each with different track listings.

The compact disc edition includes newly recorded versions of four previously released tracks from the split with Ungod, and the long suite “Black Priest” (a different, re-recorded version from the one present on the split with Indian band ALBATROSS). The CD also contains two unreleased songs, a cover version of BLACK SABBATH’s “Who Are You?”, and an exclusive CD-only track titled “Great Goat God.” The vinyl LP includes two songs from the Ungod split, the two unreleased tracks, and an exclusive vinyl-only track titled “So Mote it Be.”

Track List
CD
1. Never Say No Again
2. Three and Three Are Six
3. The Cult of the Vestal
4. Great Goat God
5. The Demon and the Deceiver
6. Piece of Meat
7. Black Priest
8. Who Are You
9. The Stranger

Vinyl LP
1. Never Say No Again
2. Three and Three Are Six
3. The Cult of the Vestal
4. The Stranger
5. So Mote it Be
6. Black Priest

Vestal Claret on Thee Facebooks

Cruz del Sur Music