Metal Injection is hosting the exclusive premiere of “Lividity And The Ascension,” the new video/single from Chicago-based progressive metal/jazz fusion trio SONS OF RA. The new song marks the latest single from the band’s impending debut LP, Standard Deviation, nearing April release through Free Electric Sound.
Two decades have passed since SONS OF RA emerged onto Chicago's scene with their fusion of heavy prog, jazz, math rock, and elements of avant garde music. Initially a line-blurring experiment, the trio's most recent work has proven the band's sound to jazz fusion aficionados, math and progressive rock purists alike while holding their own on bills on the Midwestern heavy music scenes. Formed by guitarist Erik Oldman Vecchione (Mare Crisium, Afrofuturistics), drummer Mike Rataj (Arbogast, Mine Collapse), and saxophonist/bassist Keith Wakefield (Jan King And Medicine Ball, Afrofuturistics), SONS OF RA independently released four EPs since 2016, culminating with the internationally critically acclaimed six-part suite Tropic Of Cancer in 2024.
Having drawn deeply from individual passions and stories, SONS OF RA’s evolution continues with their full-length album debut, Standard Deviation, diving deeper into their roots of avant-garde jazz, fusion, math and progressive rock, while maintaining a powerful metallic crunch. The album features interpretations of compositions from jazz legends Carla Bley, John Coltrane, and Don Ellis, balanced with a collection of original compositions reflecting the group’s diverse influences.
Standard Deviation was recorded and mixed by Spenser Morris (Saor, Panopticon, Vukari) at Palisade Studios in Chicago and mastered by Grammy Award-winning engineer Alan Douches at West West Side Sound in New York. Additionally, the album features guest performances by bassist Stephen Reichelt (Morgue Supplier, Drug Honkey, Mare Crisium), percussionist Paul Abella, and flautist Isaiah Sanderman. The cover art is a painting commissioned by the band from Chicago-area artist Nick Gurley, layout was handled by Erik Oldman Vecchione with photography from Sam Castellano at Doozy and Vacant Era Photography.
The video for “Lividity And The Ascension” was directed and produced by Doozy. SONS OF RA’s Keith Wakefield, who composed the piece, reveals, “‘Lividity And The Ascension’ is one of the tracks that I brought to the album. While the title might seem morbid, for me the piece is about shedding the old and triumphantly moving on to the future. I’ve had to do a bit of this in my life. I think it is important to remember and sometimes mourn the past, all the while embracing the future. It is a pretty simple and repetitive form that I originally wanted as a palate cleanser to offset some of the more complex songs on our album. But in the studio, it really came alive thanks to the 12-string that our friend Josh let us use and Erik’s inspired playing.”
Metal Injection writes, “If you're in need of some jazzy metal goodness up in your ears today, this is certainly it.”
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