LP – Limited Edition Red w/ Black Swirl Colour Vinyl.

Tech-metal outfit FALLUJAH expand horizons and solidify their position as one of Americas most exciting artists on their new album, Xenotaph, through Nuclear Blast. The Bay Area-based quintets confidence in the lineup that made their previous album, Empyrean (2022), such a resounding successearning high marks from Metal Injection, New Noise, and Guitar Worldhas been reconfigured slightly, with guitarist Sam Mooradian (INHALE EXISTENCE, SAM MOORADIAN) and drummer Kevin Alexander (DISEMBODIED TYRANT. BROUGHT BY PAIN) bringing their jaw-dropping musical proficiency to the fold, as vocalist Kyle Schaefer, guitarist Scott Carstairs, and bassist Evan Brewer enter a new chapter with FALLUJAH. Moored by singles Kaleidoscopic Waves, Labyrinth of Stone, and Step Through the Portal and Breathe, Xenotaph is FALLUJAH personified, reinvigorated, and re-imagined.

Having numerous self-sufficient writers in the band who all agreed on a shared vision allowed us to work as a team to make sure every song was intense, detailed, and dynamic but not overbearing in any aspect, at least to our tastes, Carstairs says. We spent many hours trying out different arrangements and had a goal from the beginning to keep the song structures fast-paced and dense with tons of different parts in each song. We also tried to push the music in a simultaneously more melodic and more technical/progressive directioneven crazier riffs and solos balanced out by atmospheric moments and more prominent clean vocal hooks.

As a details-oriented record Xenotaph benefits from moments of low tension, atmospheric delight, and Schaefers winged clean vocals. This dynamic isnt particularly new to Fallujah, but the group spent considerable time honing what each song neededfrom blast-laden speed runs and jazz-fusion solos to vocal restraint and brutalitywhich resulted in a brighter, more exhilarating experience. Musically, it truly feels like the listener is embroiled in the albums sci-fi concept and Peter Mohrbachers stunning cosmogonic cover art, which is aesthetically in line with his previous covers (Dreamless and Empyrean) for FALLUJAH. Close encounters with Step Through the Portal and Breathe, Labyrinth of Stone, and Kaleidoscopic Waves spark wonder and stimulate the soul.

Kaleidoscopic Waves was the first song we began working on, recalls Schaefer. The song changed a lot before it ended up in its current form. In Stars We Drown came together the most quickly, and was the first song I wrote vocals for. The last song we completed together was the title track Xenotaph, which was also the most collaborative song with a good balance of everyones ideas and contributions. We spent a lot of time going back and forth on what the singles should be, and even though Kaleidoscopic Waves might seem like the obvious choice due to length and structure, we actually werent planning on releasing it as a single at all for the vast majority of this process. Its brighter and more upbeat than most of the other songs, and we were originally planning to debut the record with something darker, heavier and more Fallujah-y. In the end, we decided to lead with Kaleidoscopic and then trust the subsequent singles to give people an idea of the full range of what to expect.

For Xenotaph, Schaefer was influenced by Frank Herberts Children of Dune novel, as well as other Dune stories and theatricals, as well as impressions from Mohrbachers cover art, illustrated for his The Watchers series. From there, FALLUJAHs frontman went into a pretty psychedelic & complicated sci-fi story. Each song on Xenotaph represents a chapter or section of the whole, starting with Kaleidoscopic Waves, a tale of the main protagonist in a post-death wake state meeting the guide, who may be angelic in appearance but is intently malevolent. Wrought with twists and turns, Schaefers per-song arc engrosses and enthralls.

I wanted everything to feel very sci-fi and abstract rather than resembling any traditional human ideas of heaven or hell, Schaefer says. This guide accompanies the narrator on a journey through incomprehensible new worlds as well as the inner working of their own psyche and memories, leading the narrator to develop a profound sense of enlightenment and attachment to this new plane of existence. The twist that comes later, though, is the realization that this character isnt dead, that the entire experience has been a lie, and that the angelic guide is really more like a parasite inside the characters mind, trying to trap and deceive them into surrendering their soul instead of waking up from this dreamlike state.

Xenotaph was produced by FALLUJAH, engineered by Dave Otero (CATTLE
DECAPITATION, ARCHSPIRE) and Mike Low (VITRIOL, ABORTED) at Flatline Audio in Denver, Colorado and Top Track Studios in Nashville, Tennessee. Otero also mixed and mastered Xenotaph. The main goal was elevation, building upon yet soaring upward from Empyrean, one of the groups strongest productions to date. The team focused the separation of FALLUJAHs breakneck pace, meticulous songcraft, euphonious leads, and unrivaled intensity, creating an experience pulls the listener into Xenotaphs high-caliber music and concept. Kaleidoscopic Waves, Labyrinth of Stone, Step Through the Portal and Breathe, and The Obsidian Architect engage instantlytheir depth and oh-wow moments offer endless replay power.

The recording process ended up overlapping with the writing and demoing process to some degree, reveals Schaefer. Generally, tracking occurred from roughly January-April 2024. We spent about two-three days with Dave at his studio in Denver in mid-April. Most of our parts were recorded individually at home, including all guitars, vocals and bass. Drums were tracked with our friend/Daves assistant Mike Low here in Nashville, and then mixed and mastered remotely by Dave.

Beyond releasing Xenotaph to an anticipating fanbase, FALLUJAH take aim at the road, drawing upon the success of their Empyrean runs. Indeed, attendees to the groups live performances have witnessed some of Xenotaphs songs already, namely the shimmery prog-bounce and inner world horror of The Obsidian Architect. FALLUJAH are in a perpetual state of evolution, and Xenotaph demonstrates the groups hard-won, if profound journey. For there is no reverseonly forward progress, and the path ahead is illuminating before them. Step through the portal if you dare

Hopefully fans will be surprised and excited by some of the new directions were pushing in, Schaefer says. They will also still recognize the core elements theyve grown to love in the past. There are some moments where we wanted the music to feel completely new and even out of character for us, and then other moments where we wanted to lean into what we already know the band can do well. Its all about keeping things dynamic and exciting, while hopefully still feeling like a fully cohesive piece of work held together by the lyrics and storyline. Wed love for this music to eventually impact our fans in the way our favourite music has impacted us.

Tracklist:

Side A
1. In Stars We Drown
2. Kaleidoscopic Waves
3. Labyrinth of Stone
4. The Crystalline Veil

Side B
1. Step Through the Portal and Breathe
2. A Parasitic Dream
3. The Obsidian Architect
4. Xenotaph