Oakland-born, now Portland (USA)-based post-goth/doomgaze outfit Esses returns with their third full-length, Pain At The Altar Of Jest—their most expansive and intentional work to date. The album will be out on 26 September via Seeing Red Records. So far, the band has unveiled two singles, "Low" and "Mirage Artist".
Pain At The Altar Of Jest is a hauntingly atmospheric masterpiece that holds you by the throat. Imagine the feral, gothic undercurrents of Esben & The Witch - tribal drum-pounding and cavernous guitars that feel simultaneously primordial and modern; match that with the spellbinding trance-energy of Chelsea Wolfe's stormy atmospheres and haunted melodies, where doom, brooding cinematic and sometimes industrial textures collide in hypnotic layers. Like Marriages, Esses harness emotional weight and melodic precision, balancing vulnerability with sheer sonic power. This is not just an album—it's a spell, a sonic rite that reshapes grief and fury into something transcendent.
The track "Mirage Artist" was born out of ritual and warnings, combining the driving rhythms with a foreboding ceremony woven by Kel and featured artist SoRIAH.
Vocalist/guitarist Kelly Correll comments: "It was an incredible honor to collaborate with SoRIAH on this track and we can't wait to perform it live with SoRIAH at our record release party at the Star Theater in Portland. Beware your broken things. Beware the tender leaves. Beware the Fae as you walk in the trees under the moon." Link
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"They wrote that we wanted to influence people's minds with our bagpipes so that they would be willing to attack the police." - Irdorath
"There were already bands doing small illustrations of symphonic metal, and I was thinking, why doesn't someone do this all the time?" - Christofer Johnsson
"We were outsiders, and nobody knew what the fuck was going on. We just listened to this extreme music that nobody else liked, and that made us very strong..." - Mikael Stanne
"I can call our show an emotional exhibitionism. If you want to drink beer and cry, please come to our show, haha." - Nokt Aeon
