Brisbane prog metal rising stars Citadel just announced their debut album ‘Decompose‘ due for release on Friday, November 4th. Accompanying this exciting announcement, the group also unveiled their immersive new single ‘Malignant‘ highlighting the remarkable diversity that is characteristic of its composers.
Featuring a harrowing melodic feel that’s satisfyingly heavy in all the right places, ‘Malignant’ showcases the heavier side of Citadel with its crushing drop tuned guitars and bludgeoning breakdowns reminiscent of Spiritbox and Sleep Token. Poignant and reflective passages give way to powerful, personal proclamations of raw honesty and vulnerability in a sonic odyssey that will linger with the listeners long after the song has finished.
Vocalist Russell Miller speaks: “Malignant was a tough song for us to write. We kind of allowed the song to take us where it wanted to go, and in turn we weren’t always comfortable. We rewrote the chorus multiple times, I had 4 stages of “finished” lyrics, and we still debated some things in the studio with Gareth. The lyrics are about dealing with mental health, which is a pretty common subject in alternative music. My angle on this was both coming to terms with the difficulties, as well as struggling to accept them. Allowing myself to experience what I am going through, but also helplessly resisting.
The dynamic of the instrumentals that Nat originally mapped out really helped me express my own internal rollercoaster, ranging from wallowing in self pity, to pointing fingers at my family, and landing on the belief that some of the worst thoughts I might have could be true. The final product is something we all enjoy. Heaps of groove, aggression, chill vibes and a crowd-belter chorus. We’re really looking forward to hearing everyone’s feedback.”
Written and recorded with the esteemed producer Gareth Hargreaves (Polaris, Young Lions, The Brave), the quintet blends djent, metalcore and hard rock influences with an affinity for high quality production. Anthemic stadium-ready choruses and infectious melodies make this an accessible track to please even the most stubborn listeners.
Coming straight off a sold out show with Voyager, the group has previously performed alongside Redhook, The Dead Love, Mass Sky Raid, The Stranger and have been featured on Triple J, Maniacs, Wall of Sound, The AU Review, Music Feeds, AAA Backstage and more. With the release of ‘Malignant’ and more new music on the horizon, we can’t wait to see Citadel stamp their name on the heavy music realm.
‘Malignant’ is out now via https://bit.ly/3RCVqG3
Pre-order ‘Decompose’ via https://bit.ly/3x1lxPj
