SEVERED ANGEL

track-list:
From The Inside
Live Your Imagination
A Perfect Disaster
Skyward
Life Is Here and Now
Move Through The Dark
Tyrant On The Throne
Never Look Back
Tranquility In Conflict
Citipati

produced and mixed by Alex Repetti
mastered by Joel Wanasek

Severed Angel, the New York/Pennsylvania-based melodic metal band, returns with their long-awaited sophomore release ‘Skyward’.
After the success and acclaim of their self-titled debut album released in 2023, ‘Skyward’ showcases the band evolving as songwriters while maintaining their original, melodic sound.
“One of the liberating things about being an independent band is that you do not have ‘yes’ men telling you what you can and cannot do,”
says Severed Angel lead guitarist Lou Mavs.
“At the same time, we have 5 capable musicians, songwriters and arrangers in this band with equal input that knows what our band is all about. We care about melody, we care about structure, and we care about presentation. If we do not like the songs, we will not release them.”
Keyboardist Marc Muchnik says
“we were wondering how we could top the first album. After a while, topping the first album became less of a priority, and we prioritized good songwriting and performances. In doing that, we not only completed an album to be a worthy successor to the debut – we improved on what made us Severed Angel.”
Produced and mixed by Severed Angel lead vocalist/guitarist Alex Repetti and mastered by Joel Wanasek, ‘Skyward’ showcases the band once again taking all its influences, pouring them in the proverbial blender, and creating a new album of some of the most powerful, melodic, thrashing and complex music of their careers.
‘From The Inside’, the album’s opening track, has the band starting the new album with an epilogue to the previous album closer ‘With Wings Anew’.
A calm before the storm, it then leads into ‘Live Your Imagination’, a classic power metal anthem.
‘A Perfect Disaster’ shows the band getting into more familiar progressive metal territory, while the next number (the album title track ‘Skyward’ with a riff written by Severed Angel bassist George Dimitri) shows the more melodic, radio-accessible side that would have fans in stadiums singing with fists in the air.
“’Skyward’ started as an acoustic riff that I created, and once Lou got his hands on it, it evolved into what I think is a true melodic metal masterpiece,”
says George.
“I knew the song had a charm to it when I wrote the riff. When we were done recording it, it felt as though this should be the track that we bestow the album title on. Everyone, including non-metal fans, will love it when they hear it.”
‘Life is Here and Now’ is another example of Severed Angel striving for heaviness and melody, while the following track ‘Move Through The Dark’ is a tour de force of their appreciation for darker metal highly influenced by thrash.
‘Tyrant On The Throne’, which is the first single off ‘Skyward’, showcases the band’s appreciation for groove and technical proficiency.
“Not only is it the first single from the album,”
says Severed Angel drummer Wayne Noon,
“but it is also our first animated music video. Our friend Dusty Mulholland (aka Mandeer, bassist of Frostbite BC) wanted to animate a video that fit the song, and we were open to his ideas. It is a very entertaining video where the soundtrack of our music fits hand in hand with it.”
Regarding the video, Alex states that
“Dusty had the idea to make us knights and put us in battle against a tyrannical king. Fans enjoyed the little details about it, such as the Severed Angel crest on our armor and shields. Without giving too much away, it is an entertaining concept video promoting one of the best songs of our career.”
George adds
“Dusty was great to work with because he took our opinions and ideas into consideration. We appreciated how he made our animated selves look very close to our likenesses and put us in a fantastical situation. We are incredibly happy with how it turned out, and we are looking forward to working with him again in some vicinity.”
‘Never Look Back’ provides an introspective look into the band’s journey to release ‘Skyward’, from negative criticism and negative experiences with others, with Severed Angel coming out the victors in the song and in their career.
“You are told your whole life by people that you do not have what it takes, or that you will never get far without their help,”
says Alex,
“and yet you overcome your own personal obstacles to get you where you want to be. That’s what ‘Never Look Back’ is about. It is our statement of rejection of these toxic people and ideologies, and it is a battle cry to inspire others to always persevere.”
‘Tranquility In Conflict’ begins with staccato-based riffing into a melodic landscape, leading into the epic closing track ‘Citipati’ – a devastating tour de force featuring guest vocals from Plant-Based Metal vocalist Gail Bourque.
‘Skyward’ will be released on Friday, May 3rd, 2024, on all their streaming platforms (Spotify, Apple Music, Bandcamp, YouTube, and Amazon Music).