Netherbird returns to us with the kind of melodic death metal that only our Scandinavian brethren can produce. Coming of out the gates like a blistering, gilded bat from hell, Netherbird is back after a 2-year break with their new single "Saturnine Ancestry" from the forthcoming album Into the Vast Uncharted. Equal parts ambitious and exciting, "Saturnine Ancestry" feels epic thanks to huge chorus and sustain effects that give the track an echoing, hall-of-power feel.
With "Saturnine Ancestry", Netherbird is back in a new and visceral way. Since their last release, Hymns from Realms Yonder, Netherbird has rekindled their massive, melodic roots. While Hymns brought moody, mid-paced blackened misanthropy, "Saturnine Ancestry" picks up the baton left by that album, sets it one fire, and hurls it off into the horizon. If Into the Vast Uncharted is anything like this first single, this will hands-down be Netherbird's best record yet.
This injection of renewed vigor may be part in due to the new, fiery addition of Fredrick Anderson (of Amon Amarth fame) on drums. Produced by Hiili Hiilesmaa and mastered by the incomparable Dan Swanö, "Saturnine Ancestry" is glittering and bright in the right places. Densely packed with technique and appropriate reservations, melody is back for 2019 and I am heeeeere for it.
If you're as stoked as I am about this, you can click here to pre-order Into The Vast Uncharted (and also read more about the release).