Chicago, IL trio BLIND EQUATION is today premiering their new album, DEATH AWAITS, in full via Metal Injection. DEATH AWAITS is the group's sophomore full-length, with BLIND EQUATION pushing the envelope of cybergrind's foundational sound with influences as far reaching as atmospheric black metal, grind breakbeat and Eurotrance. BLIND EQUATION will be heading out across the US this fall in support of DEATH AWAITS - full live dates detailed below.
LISTEN TO DEATH AWAITS VIA METAL INJECTION HERE.
DEATH AWAITS will be available on all streaming services on Friday, September 15.
Pre-order DEATH AWAITS here.
Speaking on the premiere, BLIND EQUATION's James McHenry comments: "DEATH AWAITS
is an album entirely written & produced by myself and is one of the most vulnerable and personal releases I’ve ever shared with the world.
"Instrumentally, I wanted the album to take influence from many genres outside of cybergrind. I wanted to present my style of music in a context that isn’t common for most heavy bands, and bring my chaotic sound into a more digestible format. I ignored a lot of common metal tropes while writing this album, not exclusive to the entire avoidance of guitars on the release. Some songs don’t even have breakdowns which is a huge staple in the genre, and I felt that if a song didn’t need it that was completely fine.
"Lyrically, the album deals with intrusive thoughts piling on top of another and not having an outlet to express them and fearing for your own future. This album was my way of opening up about how I was feeling when I felt as if I had nowhere else to express myself. I wrote this album and put it out for others to hopefully help show them that they should find a way to express those feelings in a healthy way and that they aren’t as alone as they think they are. Writing this album absolutely helped me and I hope it can do the same for someone else."
Having become a staple name in the burgeoning modern cybergrind scene, BLIND EQUATION has seen sole songwriter James McHenry nurture his talents for the better part of a decade in the form of various split releases, EPs and 2021 full-length Life Is Pain. Abandoning genre confines, McHenry’s unique amalgam of grind, hardcore, extreme metal, chiptune and electronics has come to define BLIND EQUATION’s sound.
Following Life Is Pain’s warm reception in online circles by fans and critics alike, the intervening years have seen BLIND EQUATION amass numerous live performances and US tours - with shows alongside HEALTH, Author and Punisher, Tallah and The Callous Daoboys having taken place in 2023 alone - picking up a dedicated following for the band along the way.
In rare moments of downtime from the road, DEATH AWAITS was conceptualised as a meditation on real world anxieties and largely negative lived experiences. Retaining complete creative control of BLIND EQUATION’s musical and lyrical output, DEATH AWAITS was self-produced and mastered by McHenry for streaming and CD before being placed in the hands of audio engineer Steve Perrino for vinyl mastering duties.
Unflinching accounts of mutilation, deception and depression appear repeatedly throughout DEATH AWAITS, be it the pulsating 8-bit electronics and blastbeats of lead single never getting better that explode into positively anthemic proclamations of the title in the chorus, or the desiderium of you betrayed the ones you love’s electronic strings that give way to scathing rebuttals of broken trust. DEATH AWAITS presents interpersonal disarray and suffering in its rawest and most confessional form, summarised best on suffering in silence’s one-two vocal trade offs and glitched-out hardcore pandemonium featuring New Zealand artist DEATHTRIPPA.
DEATH AWAITS’ fatalistic worldview is captured in blurred neon pinks and grainy black by visual artist angel gasm, with light leaking effects on the symbolic flower as a beacon of hope among the hurt. For all the anguish BLIND EQUATION pulls from for the latest full-length there is sure to be those who find solace and comfort here, and DEATH AWAITS may well prove to not only be a watershed moment in modern cybergrind but also the beginning of a limitless creative incline for the band.
Upcoming BLIND EQUATION tour dates:
27 September - The Forge - Joliet, IL*
30 September - ps1 - Iowa City, IA
4 October - MKE Ultra - Milwaukee, WI
3 November - Dumb Records - Springfield, IL**
4 November - Antumbra Room - Bloomington, IN**
5 November - TBA - Grand Rapids, MI**
6 November - Crucible - Madison, WI**
7 November - Aquarium - Fargo, ND ·
8 November - Cemetery Ridge - Minneapolis, MN ·
9 November - Cactus Club - Milwaukee, WI ·
10 November - Black Circle - Indianapolis, IN ·
11 November - Roboto Project - Pittsburgh, PA ·
12 December - Beat Kitchen - Chicago, IL
*w/ Hanabie ** w/ Closet Witch, · w/ Dreamwell