EPK – Split Image – Torrent of Illusion (2022)
Publicist – Jon Asher – jon[@]ashermediarelations[.]com
“Split Image is beyond stoked to finally release our debut album Torrent of Illusion. The time has come to move forward from the clutches of the COVID pandemic and there will be nothing prohibiting us from touching the hearts of many individuals while reaching the deepest levels of connections with current and new fans. We are all about unity through music and with Torrent of Illusion being released we strongly believe that our listeners will truly appreciate the messages of becoming hyper-aware of yourself as an individual as well as being aware of others around us. Take care of yourself and others around you because we are all we have.” – Split Image
For fans of Power Trip, Enforced, Dead Heat, Drain, Mindforce
Album Title: Torrent of Illusion
Release Date: June 1, 2022
Label: Self-Release
Distribution: DistroKid
Facebook.com/SplitImageCA – Instagram.com/splitimageca – YouTube – Twitter.com/splitimageca
Splitimage.bandcamp.com – Spotify
L to R – Christian “Chris” Sia – Drums, Jared Mooney – Lead Guitar, Joshua “Josh” Escobar – Vocals, Nadesha Mariudottir – Bass, Joey Sia – Rhythm Guitar
Photo Credit – Sam Stoutenburg
Murrieta, CA’s Split Image is releasing their debut album “Torrent of Illusion” right away and supporting it later this summer with a tour with their friends in Psycho Mantis. A gritty and powerful crossover experience, the band expects an enthusiastic reception from their fans due to its intensity, and also its relatability. The album packs a punch, it deals with intense lyrical themes surrounding mental health and rounds it out with aggressive hard-hitting instrumentals. The band comments:
“Split Image is beyond stoked to finally release our debut album Torrent of Illusion. The time has come to move forward from the clutches of the COVID pandemic and there will be nothing prohibiting us from touching the hearts of many individuals while reaching the deepest levels of connections with current and new fans. We are all about unity through music and with Torrent of Illusion being released we strongly believe that our listeners will truly appreciate the messages of becoming hyper-aware of yourself as an individual as well as being aware of others around us. Take care of yourself and others around you because we are all we have.”
Belted out with passion, Split Image’s lyrics stem from the various experiences they’ve endured like the loss of a loved one, grief, and perspectives they’ve had or envisioned as well as spirituality. They combine this with a unique sound that boasts familiarity through thrashy riffs, progressive, technical elements, and a solid nod to old-school hardcore.
Split Image will be cruising around the South West states in August and September and those who take in one of their live gigs will be met with a cosmic force – one which allows the crowd to reciprocate the energy radiating from the stage. In other words, nothing but pure energy and tight rhythm, a solid but minimalist performance.
With a dash of many genres, Split Image will be of interest to those who like thrash, punk, crust, and hardcore. Fans of Power Trip, Enforced, and Dead Heat should take note.
“Torrent of Illusion” is being released on June 1, 2022.
Album Band Line Up:
Joshua “Josh” Escobar – Vocals
James Munroe – Lead Guitar (Left)
Joey Sia – Rhythm Guitar (Right)
Nicolas MacDuffee – Bass
Christian “Chris” Sia – Drums
Live Band Line Up:
Joshua “Josh” Escobar – Vocals
Jared Mooney – Lead Guitar
Joey Sia – Rhythm Guitar
Nadesha Mariudottir – Bass
Christian “Chris” Sia – Drums
Psycho Image Tour 2022 – Spilt Image, Psycho Mantis
Aug 26 – Murrieta, CA – The Barn
Aug 27 – Canoga Park, CA- Scotland Yard
Aug 28 – Fresno, CA – TBA
Aug 29 – Sacramento, CA – The Colony
Aug 30 – Anderson, CA – Demented Designs
Sept 1 – Portland, OR – No Fun Bar
Sept 2 – Seattle, WA – Lucky Liquor
Sept 3 – Chehalis, WA – McFilers
Sept 6 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Bee Hive
Sept 7 – Las Vegas, NV – The Truth Spot
Sept 9 – Phoenix, AZ – The Blooze Bar
Sept 10 – Hemet, CA – House Will
[Download Album Cover | Download Album Lyrics]
Album Title: Torrent of Illusion
Release Date: June 1, 2022
Label: Self-Release
Distribution: DistroKid
Track Listing:
1. Socialized Crucifixion – (2:34)
2. Justified Suicide – (3:18)
3. Room With A View – (4:19)
4. Blank Shot – (4:03)
5. Facades – (2:35)
6. Mirrorstains – (4:13)
Album Length (21 Minutes)
Album Recording Credits:
• All songs performed by: Christian Sia, Joey Sia, Joshua Escobar, James Munroe, Nicolas MacDuffee
• All songs written by: Christian Sia, Joey Sia, Joshua Escobar, James Munroe
• Produced by: Christian Sia and James Munroe
• Mixed by: James Munroe
• Mastered by: James Munroe
• Album Artwork by: Andrei Bouzikov
Album Band Line Up:
Joshua “Josh” Escobar – Vocals
James Munroe – Lead Guitar (Left)
Joey Sia – Rhythm Guitar (Right)
Nicolas MacDuffee – Bass
Christian “Chris” Sia – Drums
Live Band Line Up:
Joshua “Josh” Escobar – Vocals
Jared Mooney – Lead Guitar
Joey Sia – Rhythm Guitar
Nadesha Mariudottir – Bass
Christian “Chris” Sia – Drums
DISCOGRAPHY:
2019 – Sulfur Pits (Single)
2020 – Facades (Single)
Shared Stage with:
Psycho Mantis, Corpus, Braineater, Iggy & the Rough Riders, Philosopher
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The album as a whole (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY) explained by the band:
“Lyrically it is a taste of what we as a band, and also personally, have gone through or acquired perspective. It goes from dark to somber towards the end. The music resonates with those who have experienced it and also attracts those who haven’t.” – Josh
“The music compliments the lyrics in a unique way because most of our songs are somewhat progressive. Now when it comes to the matter of the mind our minds are always going 100+ miles per hour whether we acknowledge it or not. The progressive-est music goes hand in hand with our lyrics that deal with mental and personal conflict. It’s as if there is always something else to think about so the music and lyrics capture exactly that!” – Chris
Track by track (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY) explained by the band:
“The first song ‘Socialized Crucifixion’ off of Torrent of Illusion deals with becoming alienated and chastised due to biased opinions spread onto others by one individual. As if once someone paints you as a bad individual automatically everyone else follows without question. The point of this song is to urge individuals to really question a situation and take information with a grain of salt especially when it comes to defamation of character. There is always a lot more to what meets the eye and there are two sides of a coin. Musically, this song is fast, simple, straightforward, and ends with a heavy breakdown that really captures the emotion of being a victim of this type of scenario.” – Chris
“Suicide awareness is what the second track ‘Justified Suicide’ is all about. The intro brings a sense of dread with its slow heavy beats and long sustaining riffs. We have had a few friends of ours who had sadly taken their own lives due to being overwhelmed by life in general. I and a few of us have also thought about committing suicide a handful of times whether it was caused by a call of the void or being tempted to cut the high stress by pulling the trigger. Anyone who feels this way needs to remember that you are not alone. There are people who love you and the future is a lot brighter than it portrays itself to be. Every negative experience is only temporary, however, the wisdom you obtain from it is infinite. You gotta keep that PMA at all costs!” – Chris
“The third song ‘Room With A View’ portrays an individual who was unjustly punished through a flawed system of justice. We believe anyone can relate to this whether it be through the literal U.S. justice system or something as simple as being isolated without choice whether it be through the actions of someone else or the individual themself. When it comes to the matter of the mind it could also be considered a prison. The song starts out slow with its dark guitar tones and is greeted with the entirety of the band in an aggressive execution throughout the whole composition.” – Chris
“‘Blank Shot,’ the fourth song off of Torrent of Illusion, is an allegory to choices in life and indecisiveness whether choices are made for the individual themself or deciding these options on their own. When there is pressure to succeed one could simply quit or tread on forward and never give up despite the difficulties/hardship that follows. The lyrics urge individuals to look into themself and their heart to truly discover what resonates with them and choose these decisions based upon what benefits the individual themself as opposed to shooting these ‘blank shots’ that lead to nowhere but square one. Musically, the progressive nature of this song and non-repetition of verses/choruses is our way of describing how much of a labyrinth the human mind can often be especially in a state of indecisiveness.” – Chris
“There is a disorder that is called ‘Alice in Wonderland syndrome’ and it is more of a common occurrence within children than it is a rare occasion with adults. ‘Facades,’ the fifth song of this album, describes this disorder of misinterpreting sight, touch, and even sense of time being simply incorrect. I personally have had these episodes throughout my life, mostly as an adolescent, but I have experienced this syndrome a couple of times as an adult. There is a small percentage of individuals who are diagnosed with ‘Alice in Wonderland syndrome’ and have to live with it every second of their life. These people are a good example of what it takes to have such mental fortitude to combat disorders such as this. ‘Facades’ is more of our fast ‘crossover’ song that bridges the first and the second half of the song with a walky bassline and is eventually met with tying the knot of a breakdown whilst ending the composition with the initial riff of the entire song.” – Chris
“Self-hatred, whether it be caused through disorders such as body dysmorphia, depression, borderline personality disorder, survivor guilt, defeatist attitude (the list goes on) or even if it’s a temporary feeling is what the sixth and final track of Torrent of Illusion embodies. The name ‘Mirrorstains’ comes from evoking the inner consciousness by looking at a mirror because this reflection of oneself is not as clear as it should be. The bass effects in the introduction of the song make you feel as if you are in a bathroom looking at this mirror that is stained. After this introduction comes a ‘doomy’ part to tie up the first section of the song and then comes the heavy and fast riffs. The music merely portrays the rage of self-loathing behavior in a unique way. You are not as alone as you feel. There are people who have gone through the same experiences and many of us who care.” – Chris
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STORY ANGLES / FUN FACTS:
1. We had a difficult time naming the band for quite a while. Joey, Josh, and I had come up with hundreds of names, but none of them were to no avail. This went on for a few months and funny enough one day when I and Joey were on the way home from work the song Split Image from the legendary band Excel played on my playlist. Joey just said, “Why don’t we just name the band Split Image?” I took off my sunglasses, looked at Joey, and replied, “Wait, what did you say?!” It was a eureka moment! Everyone agreed on the name and then Split Image became a thing then literally everyone started hilariously saying, “Split Image… it’s a thing!”It was an inside joke for quite some time. – Chris
2. The songs on Torrent of Illusion were actually written a few years ago during the time I and Joey were in a band called Devastation (aka D.V.T.). These songs were so different from the typical style/structure of the music we played in D.V.T. There was a gradual shift from Hardcore Punk to Metal throughout the years in D.V.T. that the music became so different to the point in where these songs sounded like they could be played by a completely different band. So it feels like these specific songs were meant to be played in Split Image and everything fell into place. – Chris
3. There are three J’s and three Tauruses in the band. The three J’s are Josh, Jared, and Joey. The Tauruses are Josh, Nadesha, and Chris. It seems that a lot of things always work in 3’s! – Joey
4. We all have musical roots reaching back to our parents and grandparents. – Joey
5. Split Image’s early incarnation was actually in 2013 when I used to be a guest vocalist for one song out of D.V.T.’s setlist. – Josh
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