After dropping eerie track ‘Gravedigger’s Chant’ on Good Friday, Zeal & Ardor now share a contrasting second new song from their forthcoming new album – Stranger Fruit.
The song is entitled ‘Waste’ and is one of the tracks on the new album which is being released on June 8th in multiple formats, including CD, cassette, vinyl and digital download/stream. For vinyl fans there’s a 2LP 180g gatefold edition or a 2LP limited deluxe 180g gatefold purple edition.
You can listen to the track below:
The diverse yet cohesive nature of the sixteen tracks on Stranger Fruit is designed to encourage the listener to dig deeper and find their own meanings in the words. In contrast to their first album, Devil is Fine, these songs are intended to play off each other, both lyrically and musically. The record seethes with justifiable rage, but its wider reaching aim is to unify and inspire action, not create inertia. Superficially the album tells small, isolated stories, but there’s also references to the Goetia, Yoruba and obscure occult literature and history.
The mixing of blues, gospel and soul against a background of harsher music has opened up a world of possibilities for Manuel Gagneux. Previously operating as a one-man solo effort, the immense interest and critical acclaim Zeal & Ardor attracted upon the release of debut album, Devil is Fine, has lead to the project becoming an internationally-touring band. After months hidden away crafting the songs for Stranger Fruit, Gagneux entered the studio alongside producer Zebo Adam and mixer Kurt Ballou and, while the finished sound is larger and heavier, it’s still unmistakeably Zeal & Ardor.
As Manuel Gagneux explained, “ Waste is the introduction of the other half of ‘Stranger fruit,’ fully incorporating the soul and gospel elements in black metal and uncompromising in its intent. We give you this song as a second single because it’s not what you might expect to come next, and this is the feeling permeating the album as a whole. We hope you enjoy.’
