Czech Death Metal veterans Pandemia proudly reveals the full details of their new album "Darkened Devotion", set for release on the 16th of May 2025 via Hammerheart Records. Celebrating 30 years of relentless brutality, this sixth full-length is a masterclass in old-school ferocity, sharpened by modern precision.
The striking album artwork was created by renowned artist Giovanni Ponziano, whose visual interpretation perfectly captures the album's exploration of nocturnal anxieties and triumph. The cover art reflects the dual nature of darkness as both adversary and catalyst for transformation.
The band comments: “The incredible artwork Giovanni Ponziano created for "Darkened Devotion" hits hard with everything we wanted to express on this album. That central figure is caught in a moment between exhaustion and breakthrough - whether it's drowning in the depths, frozen in sleep paralysis, or suspended at terrifying heights. Those shadowy figures lurking at the edges? They're the entities that visit us in our darkest dreams, the ones we eventually learn to dance with rather than fear. It perfectly captures that decisive moment we're talking about throughout the album - when you stop fighting the darkness and instead let it transform you into something stronger. This is what our current music sounds like translated into visual form.”
"Darkened Devotion" was crafted across multiple studios throughout 2024. The drum tracks were laid down at the famous The Barn studio in the Czech Republic with Dan Friml, while vocals, guitars, and bass were recorded at Absroth Studio. The final mix and mastering were completed by Miguel Tereso at Demigod Recordings in Portugal, resulting in a powerful, crystalline production that serves the material's intensity and complexity.
The band comments: “With "Darkened Devotion", we've created a cohesive concept exploring humanity's struggle with nocturnal challenges. Each track confronts a different aspect of night-time anxiety - from paralyzing nightmares to suffocating sleep paralysis. Yet within every dark encounter lies the seed of transformation, as each song reveals how these challenges can be conquered through analysis, acceptance and resilience. Musically, we've drawn from a decade of creative output, selecting and refining our most powerful material to date. The album moves seamlessly between furious blasting speeds and thundering double-kick assaults to more subdued, emotionally charged moments, representing our strongest and most dynamic work yet.”
Tracklist:
1. Depths
2. A Sea To Breathe In
3. The Wretched Dance
4. Nightmare Paradox
5. Heights of your Fear
6. Catalepsy
7. Sleep Paralysis
8. The Pallor of Detest
9. Blessed, Blessed Oblivion
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