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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"We paused our work as I was grieving heavily, but once we returned to it, things took on a whole new meaning." - LV Darkling
"It's a dark album. According to me, it's the darkest yet in our discography. It's also very suggestive, very introverted, less direct, and might be less friendly..." - Daniel Moilanen
"It's my kind of duty to provoke people and to make sure they feel something — to dance, cry, do whatever they feel. I do motivate them, because that's my purpose." - Chris Corner
"I think we longed for a band where we could be there from scratch and form everything the way we want." - Fabienne Erni
