Pøltergeist Unveils Chilling New Track “Ethereal Nightmare”
– August 29th, 2024 –
Confirm Halloween Show With Unto Others
Pøst-Punk Band Signs to Bad Omen Records; Debut LP, ‘Nachtmusik’, Coming October 25th
Albertan deathrock denizens, Pøltergeist, have signed with independent music label Bad Omen Records (Watch Hazel, Satan’s Satyrs). The Canadian new musick trio will release its debut LP, ‘Nachtmusik‘, on October 25th. Described as a mix of Post-Punk, traditional metal, and shoegaze from the frostbitten plains, Pøltergeist plays propulsive, crypt-kicking coldwave that charts a pathway from the catacombs to the cosmos. Pre-order/save ‘Nachtmusik‘ at this location.
Today, Pøltergeist conjures up the new track, “Ethereal Nightmare“, and its accompanying video, created by Jamie Ward. Stream the spectral “Ethereal Nightmare” at this location.
“I consider us first and foremost a Post-Punk band, but heavy metal will always play an important role,” says front person Kalen Baker, citing the likes of In Solitude, Unto Others and Tribulation as bands who’ve explored the hinterlands between the two worlds. “When I got really into Goth Rock, one thing I noticed was that it was just as cold and bleak as black metal but in a different way“.
Having a longstanding love for the mystical metallic strains of Angel Witch, Cauldron and Blue Öyster Cult, Baker found himself moved by both Vancouver contemporary post-punk act Spectres and the epochal British melancholia of The Chameleons‘ ‘Script From The Bridge‘, not to mention gothic and post-punk legends like Sisters Of Mercy and The Sound, and paradigms of the ethereal like Cocteau Twins, Slowdive and My Bloody Valentine. Bolstered by the lyrical influence of spiritual progenitors like Moorcock, Lovecraft, Poe and the David Lynch of Twin Peaks, the sound of Pøltergeist was born; a gritty but magickal realm where crepuscular intensity is joined in psychic battle by metallic fortitude.
For those new to Pøltergeist‘s sound, Baker has created a Spotify playlist highlighting “the various musical and artistic influences of Poltergeist“. Listen now at this location.
A perfect distillation of the Pøltergeist style arrives with lead track, ‘Children Of The Dark‘, a catchy, stormy cut that Baker, deems “a call to arms for people who share a passion for underground music.” “Children of the Dark” can be viewed at this location.
Pøltergeist will hold an album release show on October 25 at Calgary’s Palomino Smokehouse and Social Club (details here) and will perform on Halloween at Edmonton’s Jackknife Brewery as special guests of Unto Others (details here).
For up-to-the-minute updates, follow Pøltergeist online at Bandcamp, Facebook, Instagram, Spotify, TikTok, and YouTube.
‘Nachtmusik‘ track listing:
01. Einfürung
02. Burning Sword
03. Ethereal Nightmare (watch VIDEO)
04. Cold in September
05. Yesterday Fades
06. Nachtmusik
07. Children of the Dark (watch VIDEO)
08. Swallowed by the Ocean
09. Will We Ever Live Again
10. Walking Alone
11. Dammerung (Outro)
Pre-order/save ‘Nachtmusik’ at this location.
‘Nachtmusik‘ is true to Baker’s vision of ‘a kaleidoscope of emotions, sounds and ideas‘. This is a record which, at heart may yearn for the spiritual realm of the 1980s, but with feet firmly treading the twenty-first century here and now. As storm clouds gather overhead, Pøltergeist‘s journey into darkness is just beginning.
In addition to Baker, Pøltergeist features Jacob Ponton (guitar), Ben Wytham (bass), and Amy Moore (drums; although Al Lester from Bad Omen labelmates Spell performed on the record).