Australia’s NOTHING SACRED marked their return in 2021 with the release of their first album in 30 years entitled “No Gods” and now a year and a half later they are ready to continue that groundbreaking resurrection with the next record “Leviathan” due out February 3, 2023, via Rockshots Records.
Fans of the band will notice on this new EP that there has been a lineup change that now sees the return of Chris Stark taking the reins as lead vocalist, replacing James Davies. Stark had previously sung with the band for a number of years and has now returned in time to lay down the vocal tracks for their next monster.
“Chris has an amazing voice and definitely suits what we are doing today. We’d like to think that we are still growing as a band and the music we write is forever changing.” says drummer Sham.
The EP “Leviathan” is a mix of new and older tracks that builds on what the band did with “No Gods”. It has plenty of riffs, killer solos, and big melodies from vocalist Chris Stark. The EP also includes the song “Sudden Death”, a thrashy unreleased track that was a mainstay during the band’s live gigs in the mid-’80s plus re-recordings of a few tracks from the band’s first album “Let Us Prey” and two new songs. All the new songs were written in group sessions with everyone jamming, throwing around riffs and arrangements into the mix. Overall, the EP is a blend of old and new, and something they could get done without a follow-up taking too long.
“The 2021 album “No Gods” was well received so we were keen to get back into the studio and follow up as quickly as possible. It was really a great experience and different from the way “No Gods” was done – that involved a fair amount of ‘online’ sharing. Getting together in the same room and just playing to see what came out was refreshing after the Covid isolation years! We think it takes things a step forward – Sacred fans will find plenty to enjoy.” adds bassist Karl Lean.
The two new tracks “Leviathan” and “Drone” written for the EP are lyrically connected to the Ukrainian war. Drummer Sham explains further:
“It’s heartbreaking that people like Putin still twist countries into wars over land. We wanted to show support for the Ukrainian people, and also for the average Russian citizen too. No sane person really wants war and the lyrics try to reflect the madness and cruelty that underlies what’s happening now and we play a bit on the term Leviathan state. The Leviathan is described as an artificial person whose body is made up of all the bodies of its citizens. These people become literal members of the Leviathan’s body. The head of the Leviathan is the sovereign”. This is by no means an attack on the citizens of Russia. It’s just a real shame that all this has happened, and we feel for all the good people on both sides.”
The EP’s title track and lead single can be heard via its music video directed and edited by Nothing Sacred drummer Sham. Additional drone footage by Julien Piazzon.
