EMPIRE STATE BASTARD release 'The Silver Cord Sessions' EP
25-04-2024
EMPIRE STATE BASTARD, the extreme metal band founded by Simon Neil (BIFFY CLYRO) and Mike Vennart (BIFFY CLYRO live guitarist and solo artist, ex-OCEANSIZE), has shared “The Silver Cord Sessions” EP. Available today on all streaming platforms, the live EP emerges as EMPIRE STATE BASTARD has just been nominated for two Heavy Music Awards: “Best Breakthrough Album” and “Best Album Artwork”, both for their acclaimed debut, “Rivers Of Heresy”.
Recorded at Silver Cord Studios in New York, owned by GOJIRA‘s Joseph Duplantier, who produced the session, the EP sees EMPIRE STATE BASTARD detonating a triple blast of incendiary tracks — “Harvest”, “Moi?” and “Stutter” — from “Rivers Of Heresy”. The accompanying live studio footage shows the band’s frenetic intensity instigated by founding members Neil and Vennart, cemented by bassist Naomi Macleod (BITCH FALCON) and drumming legend Dave Lombardo (SLAYER, TESTAMENT, MR. BUNGLE).
Since debuting early in 2023, EMPIRE STATE BASTARD has hit festivals including Download, Glastonbury and Hellfest as well as completing a U.K. headline tour that included a London show at Electric Brixton. Next comes the SLEEP TOKEN North American tour, interspersed with the Sonic Temple festival, before they play a London show as guests to THE ARMED and then select European festival dates.
“Rivers Of Heresy” arrived in September 2023 via Roadrunner.
Lombardo, who has spent most of the recent years between crossover pioneers SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, horror-punk icons MISFITS, hardcore supergroup DEAD CROSS and MR. BUNGLE, was effectively fired from SLAYER after sitting out the group’s Australian tour in February/March 2013 due to a contract dispute with the other bandmembers. He was later replaced by Paul Bostaph, who was previously SLAYER‘s drummer from 1992 until 2001.
Lombardo rejoined TESTAMENT in 2022 but stopped touring with that band a few months later.
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