Wednesday 23 March 2022

RED MESA to release their new Doom Metal single “Forest Cathedral” on May 6th via Desert Records.

RED MESA to release their new Doom Metal single “Forest Cathedral” on May 6th via Desert Records.

Artwork by Kyrre Bjurling

The heavy desert trio will start pre-order on April 1st (BandCamp only) for limited edition 7” lathe vinyl & merch bundle that will include Taos desert sage, t-shirt, patch, stickers.


Red Mesa is (L to R): Alex Cantwell - bass/vox, Brad Frye - guitar/vox, Roman Barham - drums/backing vox

FOREST CATHEDRAL

The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.” — John Muir

A walk in the woods. That’s what inspired Red Mesa’s new single “Forest Cathedral” on Desert Records. Not to sound trite, but even saying that anything “inspired” the song is a misnomer. A more accurate way to explain how the song came about is that it was “revealed” to bass player Alex Cantwell during repeated hikes in the same area of Oak Flat in Tijeras, NM. 

“In New Mexico where we live”, explains Alex, “ there are different topographies within a short drive from each other including high desert landscapes, forested mountains, river valleys with old growth trees called the bosque, sand dunes, grass plains, salt flats, caves, etc . This provides an aesthetic variety and different perspectives. I spent 10 months renting a cabin in the mountains in the forest, and it was an amazing place to spend time.  I especially loved my frequent hikes, and this song, riff by riff was all pieced together in my head as the muse provided it to me and made it available for me to snatch out of the air. The lyrics are simply an outpouring of simple gratitude for the forest itself”. 

“Forest Cathedral” sees Red Mesa embracing it’s gratitude and reverence for something else as well; doom metal. While their 2020 album “The Path to the Deathless” saw the band branch out from a desert rock format with nods to Kyuss, but also Motorhead, east coast doom, and expansive soundscapes that would give way to quiet acoustic passages and death metal alike, this new single is a nod to true doom, but done in Red Mesa’s ever-evolving style.

PREORDER for “Forest Cathedral” will be available on April 1st.

Links