North Carolina-based melodic death metallers WRETCHED recently entered the studio to record their third full-length album, Son Of Perdition. The forthcoming effort is set for a March 27th release (March 26th in Europe) and will be produced by Jamie King at The Basement Studio in Winston Salem, North Carolina.

Check out a drum demo video below, featuring the new track, 'Repeat... The End Is Near':

Last year, Wretched solidified its lineup with the addition of industry-veterans Adam Cody (GLASS CASKET) and Andrew Grevey (LOCULUS) taking the positions of vocalist and bassist, respectively. Son Of Perdition marks the first official appearances by Cody and Grevey since their inception into Wretched.

The band took "a huge step forward, musically," confirms guitarist and one of the two founding members Steven Funderbunk on the new record. Funderbunk goes on to say, "Lyrically, the fans can expect an apocalyptic-type theme that portrays a very personal experience. This record will include some of our darkest and most mature material written to date."

Son of Perdition also exposes a "more melodic approach to the Wretched sound," says Funderbunk. "A lot of the drums are harmonically matched with a lot of the guitar riffs. We also used a lot of cool chords we haven't used in the past. It's far more rhythmic and grooves more than our previous records."

Wretched are confirmed for the Metal Alliance Tour 2012, which will run from March 15th - April 21st, also featuring DEVILDRIVER, THE FACELESS, DYING FETUS, JOB FOR A COWBOY, 3 INCHES OF BLOOD and IMPENDING DOOM.

Confirmed dates include:

March

15 - Austin, TX - SXSW / Scoot Inn
16 - New Orleans, LA - The Hangar
17 - St Petersburg, FL - State Theater
18 - Charlotte, NC - Amos' Southend
20 - Baltimore, MD - Sonar
21 - New York, NY - Gramercy Theater
22 - Danvers, MA - Palace Ballroom
23 - Montreal, QC - Club Soda
24 - Toronto, ON - Opera House
25 - Columbus, OH - Alrosa Villa
26 - Joliet, IL - Mojoe's
27 - St Paul, MN - Station 4
28 - Winnipeg, MB - Garrick Centre
29 - Regina, SK - Riddell Centre
30 - Edmonton, AB - Edmonton Events Centre
31 - Vancouver, BC - Rickshaw Theater

April

1 - Seattle, WA - Studio Seven
3 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theater
5 - Oakland, CA - The Pound
6 - Pomona, CA - Fox Theater
7 - Tempe, AZ - Marquee Theater
9 - Denver, CO - The Summit Music Hall
10 - Omaha, NE - Sokol Auditorium
11 - Des Moines, IA - 7 Flags Event Center
13 - Memphis, TN - New Daisy Theater
15 - Lawrence, KS - Granada Theater
16 - Tulsa, OK - Cain's Ballroom
19 - Dallas, TX - House Of Blues
20 - Austin, TX - Emo's East
21 - Houston, TX - House Of Blues