New England extreme metal powerhouse Escuela Grind will release their new LP Dreams On Algorithms on October 18th via MNRK Heavy (High On Fire, Zakk Wylde). Recorded at GodCity Studio in Salem, Massachusetts with producer Kurt Ballou and mastered by Nick Townsend (Dr. Dre, Betty Davis), the record is the follow-up to Escuela Grind’s acclaimed 2022 debut album Memory Theater. Order/save Dreams On Algorithms here now.
Escuela Grind has released a video for their new single “Concept Of God,” directed by Seby X Martinez for Negative Kitty (Body Count, (Adult Swim)). About the song, the band says: “‘Concept Of God’ is about the chaos that happens when people come together; the good and bad things that happen when opposites and like-minded people attract. The main lyric of the song is, ‘The concept of God only exists because of people.'”
Speaking about the album title Dreams On Algorithms, singer Katerina Economou says: “We wanted to write an album that describes what consumption looks like in today’s world: what we receive through our phones, the social media landscape and personalized algorithms and how it is processed by our subconscious. I think most people can identify with something in their online world influencing their dreams. We really wanted to expand on this transmission and all the songs have themes related to dream analysis and technology.”
The stunning cover art by AC Tremblay gives a hint of the inherent power and thematic dedication of Dreams On Algorithms. “We collaborated again with the incredible AC Tremblay to create this vision of Dreams On Algorithms,” says the band. “We wanted a similar expression to our last album, but with a different color palette. The art of Kurt Seligmann, Bauhaus theater sets, Nightmare On Elm Street, Eiko Ishioka and the Cremaster cycle were the sources of inspiration for this visual storytelling. What we love most about working with him is the level of detail and attention AC Tremblay pays to his drawings. In the artwork you will find many Easter eggs from the album’s lyrics. We are still discovering new details.”
Tracklist:
“Too late”
“I’m always watching you”
“Permanent Passenger”
“Moral injury”
“Concept of God”
“Animus Multiform”
“Scorpio”
“Planned obsolescence”
“Toothless”
“Turbulence”
“Dreams On Algorithms” is further propelled by the single and video “Turbulence,” which showcases clean vocals over a catchy chorus – a first for Escuela Grind – without deviating from the unbridled brutality.
“The idea for the title ‘Turbulence’ came to me during a flight where I thought I was actually going to die,” says Jesse Fuentes, drummer of Escuela Grind. “My mind was fixated on landing and the next show. That helped me cope, and then it kept happening on a few flights after that. My last face-to-face conversation with Shane Embury from Napalm Death was very emotional; he suggested we add clean vocals after hearing Katerina singing clean on the tour bus (after the shows, on our winter 2023 European tour with NxDx, everyone sang along together. It was truly magical). The vocal hook and melody of ‘Turbulence’ came about the day before we recorded the vocals in GodCity. We took that airplane experience and wrote some direct but meaningful lyrics.”
“When you hear this song for the first time, it’s immediately clear that we’re doing something new with it,” says Economou. “We wanted to take a risk with ‘Turbulence’ and after playing so many live shows last year, we were ready to bring all of these influences together. The clean vocals of a grind/hardcore band might surprise some, but after touring with Napalm Death, we realized we wanted to incorporate that aspect into our music in a similar way. We definitely wanted a grungy, catchy chorus that we could sing at all of our upcoming festival appearances, and I hope fans enjoy the song as much as we do.”
The first single released from Dreams On Algorithms is the ominous “Always Watching You”, the video for which you can enjoy below.
“The majority of ‘Always Watching You’ was written by Jesse and Krissy in a rehearsal room and refined during the soundchecks we had throughout the year,” Economou explains. “I’ve had a desire for some time to write a song where I could portray the archetype of the obsessive stalker girl through the lyrics. Although it’s not physically threatening, it’s really interesting that society is so afraid of this stereotype. In ‘Always Watching You’ I wanted this fantastic Nightmare on Elm Street style imagery rooted in the gore and horror of death metal. Themes of parasocial relationships, fears of social media, and an ever-present algorithm are heavily pursued in this song and throughout the album.”
For more details, visit the Escuela Grind Facebook page.
