EPK – No Hope For The Lost – The Pilgrimage (EP) (2021)
Publicist – Jon Asher – asher[@]ashermediarelations[.]com
For fans of Periphery, Meshuggah, Deftones, Devin Townsend, Gojira
Album Title: The Pilgrimage
Release Date: April 9, 2021
Label: Self-Release
Distribution: Distrokid
Facebook.com/NHFTL | Instagram.com/n0h0pef0rthel0st
Nohopeforthelost.bandcamp.com | Spotify | Amazon
No Hope For The Lost is a project formed and led by musician and audio engineer Nathanael Bohnet. Ran out of Octave Studios in Medicine Hat, Alberta, No Hope For The Lost was formed as Deadlights originally in 2018. After releasing one EP and having Covid-19 cancel all plans for festival appearances and touring, Nathanael and bandmate/producer Re Mayer decided it was time to go back to the drawing board. Thus, starting under the new moniker No Hope For The Lost.
Combining influences of progressive metal, metalcore, and various influences from science fiction to video games, No Hope for the Lost delivers a sound that is as heavy as it is accessible. Their new upcoming EP “The Pilgrimage” is centered around the classic video game Final Fantasy X, and they have re-released their old Deadlights material as a homage to their formative days, thus continuing the pattern of being influenced by various works of fiction.
“The Pilgrimage is a structured listening experience that combines an atmosphere of high-energy melody and groove with a foundation of heavy rhythms and ferocious vocal patterns. The EP is meant to flow as one track broken into 4 movements, as we believe the best records are made to be heard that way. It draws influences from many sounds that prevailed through the 2010s, while continuously tipping a hat to the atmospheric soundscapes and vibes of the early 2000s. In a world where the fine line between djent, metalcore, and progressive metal is continuously blurred, The Pilgrimage is a sound confident on its own that refuses to fit in while still having the formulas that make interesting and catchy music. The Pilgrimage is a sound that imagines the heavy side of catchy, and the catchy side of heavy.” – NHFTL
BAND STORY ANGLES / FUN FACTS
1. The third track on the EP, and to be honest the entire concept of having things relate to themes present in Final Fantasy X, came from Re and I (Nate) talking in the studio late at night about how we wanted everything to link together. We figured out our concepts, and realized that a lot of the leg work for making everything fit was already there, we just needed one more thing. Re has been getting into a lot of experimental production, so we felt that maybe this was just what we needed to help make things link together. So Re took some random guitar part I wrote doing a scale/theory exercise and created something that really helps bring the rest of the ep together.
2. The guitars for this EP were my (Nate) first attempt at a full re-amp setup. Our friend in Raising the Ruins lent us his 5150/Mesa Rectifier setup, and we had our fun blending that with a gnarly Helix Tone with a Friedman IR.
3. One of the synth patches I (Re) used in Yu Yevon and Braska was actually created by my 3-year-old daughter Vela when she was 2. I let her mess around with the synth until something we had to save was made. It ended up actually getting used, so I actually credit her as one of the creative inputs on this EP.
4. One of the songs on this EP is actually a reprisal of an older song I (Nate) released for my solo project with Re reworking riffs and helping transform it into a better song. Another song off the EP was originally a song that myself and our former guitarist Cesar brought into a band a few years ago. Though both of us had left that project, Re had ended up joining them for a time, and we got the go-ahead to take it for ourselves and rework it into what it is now.
5. Back in 2017 when I (Nate) was trying to figure out collaborations for a solo project, I reached out to Re and we ended up working on a song called Chaotic. A year after that we ended up playing a few shows together with the original lineup when we were Deadlights and Re’s project Bring Your Own Bodies. The following day we did a live stream here in the band studio house for 2 Shadows and BYOB, and shortly after that, I reached out to Re about possibly working together on future promotional stuff as we are both aspiring audio engineers. Two years later Re has not only moved Medicine Hat, but we are finally going at what we have been talking about for the past 3 and a half years.
The EP as a whole:
This EP is a structured listening experience that combines an atmosphere of melody and groove with a foundation of heavy rhythms and ferocious vocal patterns. The album flows as one track broken into 4 movements, as I believe the best albums are made to flow as much as possible.
Track by Track explained:
1. Braska:
The opening track. It is very prog rock-esque and the softest song on the album. It is ominous and atmospheric with vocal layers sung by both Nate and Re all throughout the track. The song is the first movement of the reprised melody throughout the EP. The song builds up into the next track after kicking into distorted guitars and progressively more layered and layered vocals shrouding the song as it closes, using various noises to make an unsettling environment into the next song.
2. Yu Yevon:
Continuing the buildup of noise and voices that made up the end of the intro, Yu Yevon immediately explodes into a rhythmic groove driven by heavy guitars and bass. Soon after, Nate’s screamed vocals kick in to really drive the point home that this experience has started. After going into the first verse, we are reminded of the synth-driven atmospheres of the previous track being thrown into the rest of the song in various contexts. The choruses of this song are a key change into an upbeat and soaring movement that descends back into the heavy rhythmic territory that glues the song together. The bridge of this song is a hardcore and groove metal influenced mosh riff compilation that takes a break from the overused metalcore formula rhythms and focuses on dynamic and power chord driven anger riffs before going back into the upbeat chorus that finally ends the song. The song ends as the next track can slowly be heard fading in with the last sounds of guitar fading out.
3. Yunalesca:
Yunalesca is an interlude track inspired by my (Re)’s aspiration to one day score for movies and video games. It was originally made by looping a riff Nate created and making an atmosphere around it with my synthesizer, and various samples. I then used my vocoder to sing the first reprisal of the reprising melody in the EP. I feel this song paints a picture of the various beautiful natural and urban environments created throughout Final Fantasy X, while still maintaining the influences of the artists I was listening to at the time. The ending sequence of the song uses glitching and reverse effects to shift a change from euphoric and soaring to abysmal and uncertain as distorted and layered voices once again shroud the listener in new ways before being fully immersed in the next and final song.
4. Jecht:
Jecht immediately starts off with part of its chorus: the reprising melody of the EP. This moment defines and makes the listening experience full circle as the final song kicks in with aggressive nu metalcore and djent inspired barrage of riffs. After showing off some riffs and fast aggressive vocals, the song breaks into heavy rhythms and synths before the pre-chorus. The song kicks into a dramatic and melodic chord driven chorus focused on a massive and layered sound. Right after the first chorus, Nate and Re compete with each other with fast guitar leads and a very operatic performance before once again contrasting melody and brutality.
The song’s chorus repeats and then goes into a grand finale sequence that is more or less our ode to Canadian Prog. The song ends with heavy rhythms and an abrupt ending to give a final cliffhanger effect after everything the listener just listened to.
[Download EP Cover | Download EP Lyrics]
Album Title: The Pilgrimage
Release Date: April 9, 2021
Label: Self-Release
Distribution: Distrokid
Track Listing:
1. Braska (1:36)
2. Yu Yevon (4:26)
3. Yunalesca (1:30)
4. Jecht (4:55)
EP Length: 12:28
EP Credits:
• All songs performed by: Nathanael Bohnet and Re Mayer
• All songs written by: Nathanael Bohnet (Song 3 Written by Re Mayer
• Produced by: Nathanael Bohnet and Re Mayer
• Mixed by: Nathananel Bohnet (Track 3 Mixed by Re Mayer)
• Mastered by: Nathanael Bohnet
• Member of SOCAN
• Canadian Content (MAPL)
Album Band Line Up:
Re Mayer – Guitar / Backing Vocals / Synth
Nathanael Bohnet – Bass/ Lead Vocals
Live Band Line Up:
Re Mayer – Guitar/Backing Vox
Nathanael Bohnet – Vox
Discography:
2021 – The Pilgrimage EP
2020 – Deadlights EP (also known as No Hope For The Lost)
Shared Stage with:
2 Shadows, Sicks, Widows Peak, Raising The Ruins, BYOB, Revanchist, Blackest Sin
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