Now featuring a fixed lineup of the original members of John Bailey on guitars, Chris Reese (Corrupt Moral Altar) on vocals and Arran McSporran (Virvum/Vipassi) on fretless bass and Jay Walsh on drums with a second guitarist in Jimmy Wilson, Utopia return with the follow up to their debut album ‘Stalker’. Released in 2021 and named after the 1979 Tarkovsky film, ‘Stalker’ introduced the world to the genre crushing band. Now they have upped their game for their second release ‘Shame’. They have shared the title track as a teaser of the forthcoming album.
With Stalker described as
“the type of album that shapeshifts from one minute to the next, encompassing everything from grind, death metal, doom, jazz, and even some progressive rock, ensuring that listeners are in for a wild and challenging experience…comparable to the experimental madness of Psyopus and Dillinger Escape Plan alongside Spastic Ink or Behold the Arctopus, but with a bit more emphasis on jazz and prog melodies which sets Utopia apart”, their second album Shame looks to build on the foundations of Stalker, but with a more cohesive sound throughout – while still pushing themselves beyond the instrumental complexities of the first album.
Commenting on new single and album title track Shame, John from the band adds,
“The new track Shame continues the bands themes of mental health. It’s the title track from the album. As with most of our songs it’s a bit of a technical rollercoaster. I suppose it just represents the chaos and the complexities of human life. The lyrics are kind of abstract but deal with confusion, confirmation bias, illogical thinking. It’s not a particularly fun concept but it’s an honest one I think.”
Noodle-tastic prog brilliance mixed with blackened growls and a primaeval attitude that see the band rip through the track. Complex grooves are served up with hugely impressive musicianship thats demands your full attention. This is a song to get lost in not to stick on in the background.
Check it out, here
Find out more via the bands Facebook
Pre-order the album here
Upcoming live dates:
- 2nd February – Liverpool, District w/ Conan
- 8th March – Newcastle – Lubber Fiend
- 22nd March – Preston – Ferret
- 24th May – Guildford – The Holroyd
- 21st June – Rotherham – The Hive
