Formed in 2013 in Calgary and later relocated to Toronto, SMOULDER have established themselves in just a few years as one of the most interesting acts of the new Epic Metal wave, drawing heavily on sword & sorcery fiction to build their imagery. After the demo “The Sword Woman”, the debut “Times Of Obscene Evil And Wild Daring”, the EP “Dream Quest Ends” and their second album “Violent Creed Of Vengeance”, the band now returns with their third album, the work of a line-up split between two continents: singer Sarah Ann and guitarist Shon Vincent moved to Finland in 2022, while the rest of the band (Collin Wolf on guitar, Adam Blake on bass and Kevin Hester on drums) stayed across the ocean. Fittingly, the record was recorded between Espoo and Chicago. The sound remains the one that made SMOULDER recognizable: an Epic Doom Metal that looks to CANDLEMASS and blends in the fury of Power Metal and the most classic Heavy Metal, in the vein of MANILLA ROAD and CIRITH UNGOL. All of this spread across eight tracks, from ‘Water Wars’ to the closing ‘Smouldering Remains’. The real novelty is ‘Noitien Loitsu’, the band’s first song sung half in English and half in Finnish, with which Sarah Ann pays tribute to her family roots. The track also features a guest solo by Bootleg Henkka, the band’s live guitarist and member of HAVUKRUUNU. And towering over everything is Sarah Ann’s voice, SMOULDER’s trademark from the very beginning: powerful, theatrical, unmistakable. The cover also deserves a mention, painted by British illustrator Ian Miller, whose credits include work for STORMKEEP and ULTHAR, several H.P. Lovecraft editions and Ralph Bakshi’s animated film “Wizards”: an artwork that perfectly completes the atmosphere of the album. Rounding things off is Cruz Del Sur Music, the Rome based label that has been with SMOULDER since their debut and has long been a guarantee for fans of Epic Metal and traditional Heavy Metal. A bold third chapter that confirms SMOULDER among the leading names of the genre. More info here: www.facebook.com/smoulderdoom and www.facebook.com/cruzdelsurmusic.