Empire State Bastard have announced their signing to Roadrunner Records in a message to fans on social media and shared a teaser clip of their first single “Harvest” which will be released worldwide on March 24th. Founded by Simon Neil (Biffy Clyro) and Mike Vennart (Biffy Clyro live guitarist and solo artist, ex-Oceansize), the grindcore extreme metal band also features the legendary Dave Lombardo (Slayer, Testament, Mr. Bungle) on drums, with Naomi Macleod (Bitch Falcon) rounding out the live line-up on bass.
The concept for Empire State Bastard emerged when Neil and Vennart would spend downtime on tour sitting at the back of their bus sharing the heaviest, most avant-garde and confrontational music they could find. Now, a decade on from its conception, the project is finally coming to fruition with Vennart writing the songs and recording all the guitars, and Neil focusing on vocals and lyrics.
The two have emerged with a collection of songs which adventurously probes slamming hardcore in the vein of Siege; the frenetic, visceral thrash of Slayer; the claustrophobic sludge of Melvins; the freeform vocal dexterity of Mike Patton; and the gargantuan stoner riffs of Sleep. It’s a band that’s rooted in the tradition of metal’s forefathers but informed by more recent waves of leftfield aggression.
Up next, Empire State Bastard are slated for a run of sold-out U.K. shows later this month with festival set confirmed for this Summer at Download Festival (June 9th), HellFest (June 18th), 2000trees (July 7th) and ArcTanGent (August 17th). For tickets and more information on Empire State Bastard’s upcoming live dates, visit www.empirestatebastard.com.
