Candlelight Records has confirmed September 16th as the North America release date for III, the new album from England’s Xerath. Producer Jacob Hansen (Volbeat, Epica) returns to work with the band on the near 70-minute, 14-song recording. It features artwork by Colin Marks (Suicide Silence, Sylosis, Oceano). Official preorder for the album will begin August 5rg via iTunes, Amazon and other physical and digital music outlets.

Continuing to expand the band’s seasoned sonic complexity, III welcomes new guitarist Conor McGouran, “I am absolutely thrilled to be a part of Xerath,” chimes McGouran. “I was real nervous initially as I was replacing such an amazing player (Owain Williams) but thankfully we immediately gelled as musicians and have become good friends in the process.”

III features a refinement of elements that have now become a unique signature for the band. “We branched out more and enlisted the help of various live performers, such as a live string quartet and classically trained altos and sopranos, to give this album the level of production it required, “shares drummer Michael Pitman. “As we always have, we recorded at multiple studios to capture the sound we were looking for. The biggest addition to the sound this time around is Conor. He had some huge shoes to fill and the first thing we looked for in a guitarist was that he was able to keep that real, soulful element. Conor got this straight away and in him I think people will hear a guitarist who can give you those special moments but then floor you in an instant with savage speed and outright technique. There is a real danger to his playing.”

Xerath have honed their live chops at numerous festivals over the years. 2013 alumni for Bloodstock (along with Voivod, Scar Symmetry, Xentrix, Firewind) and CandleFest (alongside labelmates Altar Of Plagues, October File, Crown), the band recently headlined the Metal Hammer-sponsored UK TechFest in Bristol. Pitman says, “TechFest is growing in the UK year on year and Xerath are proud to have been part of its evolution. The gig was amazing and was, for our fans, the first chance to see us play with Conor. It was a solid show.”

Recalling the recording process of III, Pitman notes, “towards the end of the recording when we started piecing together all the elements, there was a special moment when we all looked at each other and thought we had genuinely made something special. There’s no doubt about it.”

III tracklisting:

“I Hold Dominion”
“2053”
“I Hunt For The Weak”
“Autonomous”
“Bleed This Body Clean”
“Death Defiant”
“Sentinels”
“Passenger”
“Ironclad”
“Demigod Doctrine”
“The Chaos Reign”
“Veil Pt. 1”
“Veil Pt. 2”

Album teaser:

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