After a three-year hiatus, acclaimed hard rockers Palaceburn are exploding back on to the scene with their provocative Black Lives Matter anthem “And You Wonder Why They Kneel,” available now on all DSPs. The timely new song, which the band says was four years in the making after the 2016 murder of Philando Castile, was one that they say “NEEDED to be heard even if all it meant was adding one more voice to the masses who fight injustice, systemic racism, and police brutality” in the wake of George Floyd’s death.

“As a black woman, artist and songwriter, I couldn’t sit idly by and not use my voice to fight for justice and equality during this time,” said Meredith Bell, frontwoman for Palaceburn. “My amazing band of brothers were equally as inspired to get this message out and after only a few texts we not only had the group back together but had plans to write and release new music as well. This whole experience has been very visceral.”

Deciding to keep the entire project in-house, Palaceburn self-produced “And You Wonder Why They Kneel,” and bass player Michael Marks engineered, mixed and mastered it at his studio Milestone Audio located outside of Philadelphia, PA. The band is also working on several new songs, which are scheduled for a 2020 release and have plans for a full album in 2021. The new tracks feature all four original members, with the addition of Bon Soma on drums.

“The new songs are much more of a collaborative effort than ever before. In the past, songwriting was primarily handled by one or two members doing the bulk of the writing,” said Palaceburn Guitarist Darren Makins. “Now, starting with the current single ‘And You Wonder Why They Kneel,’ we have the first complete collaboration between all of the members from start to finish. The mix of influences has sparked some of our best writing so far.”

To coincide with “And You Wonder Why They Kneel,” Palaceburn also released an eight-minute and 46-second video depicting scenes from united protests in the band’s hometown city of Philadelphia, PA., as well as Washington, D.C., Denver, CO, and Seattle, WA, featuring footage filmed by the members’ friends who were at the heart of the movements. The video was directed and produced by Makins. 

“And You Wonder Why They Kneel” is the group’s first release since their amicable split in 2017 to pursue other career interests. The band first began receiving national recognition in 2013 with their debut EP The Awakening and they quickly became a household name in 2015 with their sophomore EP Curses, which quickly led to them sharing the stage with such bands as Nonpoint, Suicidal Tendencies, Death Grips, Candiria and Letlive. Palaceburn continued their success from 2015-2017 opening up for Sevendust, Trivium and Like a Storm and performing at such high-profile festivals as AfroPunk.