Relapse Records are extremely proud to announce the signing of Australian atmospheric black metal quartet HOPE DRONE Formed in Brisbane, Australia in 2011, HOPE DRONE (Karl Hartwig – guitar, Christopher Rowden – guitar/vocals, Francis Keil – drums, Aaron Pickersgill – bass/vocals) quickly made a name for themselves with their 2013 self-titled debut that was hailed by Cvlt Nation as “fresh, invigorating and captivating”, by Scene Point Blank as a record that “achieves on all fronts” and by Angry Metal Guy as “possibly the most devastatingly nihilistic recording I’ve ever heard, both instrumentally and lyrically.”
After supporting acts like Neurosis, Deafheaven, Caspian and Rosetta in Australia, the band recorded their sophomore record once again with engineer Christopher Brownbill. The yet-to-be-titled album will see it’s release via Relapse in the Spring of 2015.
Guitarist Karl Hartwig commented on the signing and the upcoming material: “We’re stoked to be welcomed into the Relapse family and have our records released by the label that is responsible for some of our favourite releases. The record was recorded at the soon to be defuct Wavelength Studios with our engineer Christopher Brownbill. We really wanted to push ourselves with this record and spent much longer crafting songs with a greater dynamic and depth to them, both in terms of songwriting and how we approached capturing the songs. We aimed for a more live sounding recording that was still rich in atmosphere and I think we’ve achieved something that is true to both of these elements of the band.”
Stay tuned for more news and updates on HOPE DRONE and stream their self-titled debut at this location.