EPK – Infrared – From the Black Swamp (2021)
Publicist – Jon Asher – jon[@]ashermediarelations.com
“Infrared is very excited to release their 3rd full-length. With 12 songs and an hour of brand-new music, this album is the most personal yet. It touches on aspects of all the band members’ lives and the trials and tribulations they have been through. It is a roller coaster ride of riff after riff, thundering bass, relentless drumming, and heavy lyrical content. The band hopes these personal songs resonate with fans and attracts new listeners who share a love and passion for classic metal songs delivered with a modern touch and production. If you like the 80’s Bay area sound mixed with classic metal influences such as Maiden, Priest and Sabbath, chances are, you will want to give this a listen.” – Infrared
For fans of Slayer, Metallica, Testament, Megadeth, Anthrax
Album Title: From the Black Swamp
Release Date: September 30, 2021
Label: Inframental Records
Infraredmetal.ca | Facebook.com/infraredmetal | Twitter.com/infraredmetal | YouTube | Instagram.com/theofficialinfrared
Infraredmetal.bandcamp.com/ | Spotify | Apple Music
“Saviours” #5 on Hellbound’s 2018 Top 10 Canadian Albums
“Saviours” #8 on Honest Brutality Picks “The 12 Rock and Metal Albums from 2018 That You Probably Overlooked”
“Back To The Warehouse echoes that time when the Big 4 were driving thrash, the likes of Testament, Exodus, and SOD equally making an open inspiration to the tracks within it yet it has a freshness to its particularly individual nostalgia which is not out of place with anything new being cast by current thrashers.” -The RingMaster Review
“Each instrument is well placed in the mix and is crowned by the aggressive, raw and yet melodic voice of Armin. This is old school thrash as it should be…..These guys have a very good hand for song writing…..Should not be missing in any good thrash collection.” – -Nocturnal Hall (Germany)
“This is definitely a must for fans of old school Melodic Thrash Metal. It’s loaded with thick beefy riffs to satisfy the real neck-breaking enthusiasts, yet enough melody alongside to please the more discerning listener.” – Decibel Geek
“The old school always has a new trick up its sleeve, and this well-established band knows how to bring it better than a good 80 percent of all those eight-stringed newbies.” – Absolute Underground Magazine
“These Canadian thrashers have stayed true to the sounds they knew when they were in their earlier years and have bought that sound back to the modern era.” – Overdrive Music Magazine (Review ‘Saviours’ 2018)
“killer thrash with NWOBHM melodic sensibilities, proper singing, hooks, the full nine yards!” – Hellbound (Review ‘Saviours’ 2018)
“a savage and brutal journey of eighties inspired thrash metal, laden with heaviness and menace, heads will be banging hard from start to finish.” – Metal Gods TV (Review ‘Saviours’ 2018)
“a thrash party from beginning to end.” – Rock Portaal (Review ‘Saviours’ 2018)
“These guys play a heavy/thrash hybrid that’s highly melodic and at times is so damn catchy, some of the songs just stick in your head after the first listen. ” – The Metal Crypt
“If you have dreamed of a cross between Annihilator and Vio-Lence then this might very well be the album for you. It is both melodic as well as aggressive with a just enough dose of technical tomfoolery.” – Battlehelm (Review ‘Saviours’ 2018)
“Straight up thrash metal with the heavy and fast riffs, pounding drums, and the thumping of the bass.” – Sleaze Roxx
“This band is extremely talented” – Metal At The Gates
“Saviours has an epic grandoise quality, bordering on classic heavy metal which makes this release a memorable listen. The unified choruses add even more flavour to the musical pallette and highlights the solid vocal attack of Armin Kamal……Check out Saviours and let the radioactive thrash of Infrared penetrate you!” -The Metal Channel
Album “No Peace” made the Best of 2016 album lists from:
-ASILO DE LUNÁTIKOS thrash metal radio
-Acier Doux Metal Management & Promotions Tunisia
-Off The Grid Metal
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[Download Album Cover | Download Album Lyrics]
Album Title: From the Black Swamp
Release Date: September 30, 2021
Label: Inframental Records
Track Listing:
1. Tribal Junction – 4:49
2. No Master, No Gods – 4:39
3. Lockdown – 4:02
4. Left Lane F√₵K! – 4:19
5. Eat Your Own – 4:58
6. From the Black Swamp – 6:11
7. Evil Ascent – 5:22
8. Blood & Sweat – 5:04
9. Eternal Exile – 5:09
10. Tradimento – 4:31
11. Beautiful Death – 4:31
12. SemitaDomum – 6:32
Album Length: 1:00:13
Album Recording Credits:
• All songs performed by: Infrared
• All songs written by: Infrared
• Produced by: Armin Kamal
• Mixed by: Armin Kamal
• Mastered by: Armin Kamal
• Album Artwork by: Nate MacDonald
• Member of SOCAN
• Canadian Content (MAPL)
Album and Live Band Line Up:
Kirk Gidley – Guitar
Alain Groulx – Drums
Mike Forbes – Bass
Armin Kamal – Vocals, Guitar
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Track by Track Explained by Infrared:
1. Tribal Junction – Song about bad relationships from societal down to interpersonal – opening song barn burner
2. No Master No Gods – You will not control me, I think for myself – energetic fast song
3. Lockdown – is about school shootings in the USA – fast song lots of energy
4. Left Lane F√₵k! – asshole drivers, but also a metaphor for people hindering or sabotaging your progress in life – mid paced fun song
5. Eat Your Own – music industry screwing each other over for $$, but also applies to any relationship where one side screws over the other for personal gain – mid-paced headbanger
6. From the Black Swamp – themed in betrayal and abuse by those closest to you – title track with an epic vibe
7. Evil Ascent – evildoers trying to brutalize people they feel superior to, again, both at a societal and an interpersonal level – fast-paced song with a creepy middle section, sing-along chorus
8. Blood and Sweat – a song about both band and crowd giving their all through moshing, headbanging, etc. – mid-paced and fast song (anthem type)
9. Eternal Exile – the masses gathering together to conquer a powerful evil entity and all the suffering that goes with it – doomy Black Sabbath style riffs
10. Tradimento – Strait up betrayal and psychological abuse song – buzzsaw heavy verses and catchy hook in the chorus
11. Beautiful Death – assisted dying for ill people wanting to be set free from endless pain – straight ahead riffage which builds a dark mood
12. Semita Domum – finding the path back home after being thrown off course – we describe it as an instrumental with lyrics
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Quick Facts:
1. Infrared suffers for its art! Almost every video shoot has Infrared battling the elements. Their first video, No Peace, was shot in sub zero temperatures. They bottomed out at minus 30 Celsius on one of the shoot days at an abandoned house. If you look closely at the video or even a photo shoot they did at the same location, you will see red noses and ears. To put it succinctly, “It sucked!” The All in Favour video had them battling rain in a leaky abandoned factory and risking shock hazards all day long. And on their latest photo shoot in a swampy area of the Ottawa River, Mike an Armin both ended up getting stung by wasps after unknowingly disturbing their nest. First time being stung for Armin….ever. Was it worth it? It always is.
2. Back in December 1987, Infrared opened for the well-known band Sacrifice. The bands clicked and had a great night. They talked metal and gear and Sacrifice had commented that Infrared was the best opener they had on tour yet. Watching Sacrifice play in ’87 really inspired the band as they were about the same age as Infrared members and they were signed to a label and had two albums. Infrared was blown away by the Sacrifice performance and the week after the show, they wrote the song Meet My Standards inspired by watching Sacrifice in action. Rob Urbanati gave Kirk a Sacrifice sticker which is still on his guitar to this day. Almost 31 years later, Infrared played with Sacrifice again in September of 2018. It was like nothing changed except they were all older. They talked metal and gear and had an awesome night.
3. Infrared meet all kinds of people along the way and make some pretty cool friends like the metal grandpa, Stephen Palmer, from Australia who travelled all the way to Canada to follow Sacrifice on tour. On a mini tour with Black Mass from Boston, one night Infrared is playing in Quebec City and notice from the stage some big dude in the mosh pit cradling an Aloe Vera plant in a big pot. The band was like “WTF”? All night he is body slamming in the pit and feeding the plant beer. After the set, the band asked him what’s up with the plant and he said that he promised his buddy’s wife he would take care of it while they were out of town and that he would not let it out of his sight. The plant was dead by the end of the night.
Infrared – L-R: Mike Forbes (Bass, Backing Vocals), Armin Kamal (Guitar, Vocals), Alain Groulx (Drums, Backing Vocals), Kirk Gidley (Guitar, Backing Vocals)
Photo Credit by : Carissa Broeren
If Infrared sounds like classic thrash metal, that’s because they are! And rightfully so since they were making music as teenagers in the mid to late 80s back when the Big 4 (Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, Anthrax) were just becoming famous. They literally lived and breathed that scene as it was happening and garnered national attention in Canada through their song and video for Thoughts Caught (in Between).
Then….life happened and members took different paths and the music, that was hot in the underground metal scene and loved by demo tape traders near and far, went dormant for 27 years! In 2014 Infrared reunited with 3 of the original 4 members (Kirk, Armin, and Alain), and since original bassist Shawn Thompson had moved to Miami, they recruited Mike Forbes. They worked hard to release their first full length album, No Peace, featuring songs written all those years ago. 2018 saw Infrared release their sophomore album, Saviours, featuring 8 new songs coming in at just over 50 minutes of music! That was followed up by their 2019 EP, Back to the Warehouse featuring the last of their 80’s written songs and released as a bridge to their next full length album. Now, in 2021, Infrared release their most mature album yet, From the Black Swamp. The album features 12 songs for one hour of hard hitting and emotionally charged songs steeped in the themes of betrayal and malicious sabotage in all walks of life, from societal to interpersonal.With several high profile concerts under their belts including opening for Anvil, Sacrifice, Razor, Venom Inc., Dirkschneider, Flotsam and Jetsam, DBC, E-Force, and Atrophy, Infrared raises their horns and looks forward to getting out there to meet and befriend metal lovers everywhere!
Discography:
2021 – From the Black Swamp – LP
2019 – Back to the Warehouse – EP
2018 – Saviours – LP
2016 – No Peace – LP
1986 – R.I.P. Demo
Shared Stage With:
Anvil, Flotsam and Jetsam, Udo Dirkshneider, Sacrifice, Varathron, DBC, E-Force, Vortex, Atrophy, Venom Inc.
ashermediarelations.com 
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