EPK – Oak, Ash & Thorn |

EPK – Oak, Ash & Thorn

Publicist – Jon Asher – jon[@]ashermediarelations[.]com

For fans of Borknagar, Tyr, Immortal, Amon Amarth, Primordial

“Lyrically the album is about the old gods, the ancestors, and the struggles that come along with being human. Musically it’s very melodic with 3-part harmonies and plenty of blast beats.” – Cierra White (Drums)

“I think the things that make us sound like Oak, Ash and Thorn are Cierra’s unorthodox drumming, my dual clean & growled vocals, and the layers of interweaving strings. Lyrically, it’s about my personal lived experiences expressed through pagan terminology.” – Adam Armstrong (Vocals, Guitar)

EP Title: To Gaze on Stars of Frost
Release Date: May 26, 2021
Label: Self-Release
Distribution: CD Baby

Facebook.com/ofoakashandthorn | Twitter.com/MetalOATs | YouTube | Instagram.com/ofoakashandthorn

Oakashandthorn.bandcamp.com | Apple Music | Spotify

“Oak Ash and Thorn have returned in triumphant fashion with one of the top EP’s of 2021.” – Folk-metal.nl

“[May Every Altar Linger] opener ‘Let the Hearthfires Burn’ will surely eat a hole in your ear before it’s finished, it’s too sweet.” – Kvlt of Brewtality

Oak, Ash & Thorn arose along Colorado’s Rocky Mountain front range out of a collective passion for heavy metal and old-world paganism. Their debut album, May Every Altar Linger, was released in 2018, laying the band’s foundation of melodic death/black metal shaded with traditional European folk music. The band teamed up with Fabian Jiru of Trollfest/Fleshmeadow to record the To Gaze on Stars of Frost EP, released May of 2021, and is now touring in select states throughout the western United States.

EP Band Line Up:
Adam Armstrong – Lead vocals, guitars
Casey Hill – Guitars
Nate Periat – Guitars, backing vocals
Erik Hoffman – Bass
Cierra White – Drums
Fabian Jiru – Guitar solo on “Suspended and Frozen”

Live Band Line Up:
Adam Armstrong – Lead vocals, guitars
Jason Harding – Backing vocals, guitars
Erik Hoffman – Bass
Cierra White – Drums

Discography:
2021 – To Gaze on Stars of Frost – EP
2018 – May Every Altar Linger – Full Length

Shared Stage with:
Rotting Christ, Borknagar, Abigail Williams, Ghost Bath, Vale of Pnath, Stormruler (Devastation on the Nation 2022), Cattle Decapitation, Carnifex, The Faceless, Rivers of Nihil, Nekrogoblikon, et al (Summer Slaughter 2019), Tyr, Orphaned Land, Ghost Ship Octavius, Aeternam (Tyr’s tour in support of their album “Hel”), Arkona & Metsatöll (Pagan Rebellion North America Part II 2019), Kalmah, Vreid, Empyrean Throne (Kalmah’s Heroes to Us Tour 2019), Cradle of Filth, Cancerslug, & Frayle (CoF’s most recent US headliner).

Tours and Festivals:
2022 – Existence is Futile Tour – Grand Junction, CO
2022 – Devastation on the Nation – Denver, CO
2019 – Summer Slaughter – Denver, CO
2019 – Pagan Rebellion North America Part II – Denver, CO
2018 – Snakes & Vultures over North America – Denver, CO
2015 – Beltania Festival – Colorado Springs, CO

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The EP as a whole (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY):

Lyrically the album is about the old gods, the ancestors, and the struggles that come along with being human. Musically it’s very melodic with 3-part harmonies and plenty of blast beats. – Cierra White

I think the things that make us sound like Oak, Ash and Thorn are Cierra’s unorthodox drumming, my dual clean & growled vocals, and the layers of interweaving strings. Lyrically, it’s about my personal lived experiences expressed through pagan terminology. – Adam Armstrong

Track by track (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY):

1. Praise Unto the Immortals, lyrically, is about the old gods of the world: the elements. Earth, air, fire, and water, and all their many forms. Musically, this song is nostalgic and full of longing, layered with a healthy dose of blast beats. – Cierra White

2. Anthem to the Forest of Our Ancestors, lyrically is about the death of my father and the void that it left in my life. Musically, this track is probably the most somber and the most influenced by Euro folk of the four of them. – Adam Armstrong

3. Ride!, lyrically, is a battle cry to those you hold dear to take a stand for what is important. Musically, this is probably the most upbeat song we’ve ever written. It’s very much a pump your fist and shout with your chosen brethren type of song. – Cierra White and Adam Armstrong

4. Suspended and Frozen, lyrically is about the end of a long relationship and the enlightenment I gained from getting through that grieving process. Musically, this track is the most experimental we’ve ever gotten. It’s our only song with a guitar solo in it, we experimented with vocal harmonies and brought forth some unorthodox riffs. – Adam Armstrong

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BAND STORY ANGLES / FUN FACTS:

1. When brainstorming names for our first album, we thought it would be funny if the acronym for it was MEAL since the acronym for our band name is OAT. Our bassist at the time came up with “May Every Altar Linger”, so we ran with it. Only a couple of people thus far have put it all together. – Cierra White

2. Each member has some other creative venture that they do on the side. Cierra is also in Denver’s post-black metal band Harboured and has a long, storied history as a powerhouse drummer among northern Colorado metal bands. Erik is part of a regular podcast about movers and the ridiculous shit that they experience on a daily basis. Jason is an EDM enthusiast and has a solo project called Kaom. Adam is an actor and stage performer, and has a history as a burlesque/circus MC, and is also the lead villain in an upcoming indie vampire flick.

3. When OAT began, they played strictly acoustic, dark folk music, and in fact, for some time after the band’s reimagination as a metal band, the songs were still written solely on acoustic guitars to attempt to maintain a sense of folkishness.

EP Title: To Gaze on Stars of Frost
Release Date: May 26, 2021
Label: Self-Release
Distribution: CD Baby

Track Listing:
1. Praise unto the Immortals – 5:32
2. Anthem to the Forest of Our Ancestors – 5:16
3. Ride! – 5:14
4. Suspended and Frozen – 8:16

EP Recording Credits:
• All songs performed by: Oak, Ash & Thorn
• All songs written by: Oak, Ash & Thorn
• Produced by: Oak, Ash & Thorn and Fabian Jiru
• Mixed by: Fabian Jiru
• Mastered by: Fabian Jiru
• Album Artwork by: Adam Armstrong
• Member of ASCAP