Swedish Melodic death metal formation, The Unguided, break down barriers with their upcoming long player, Father Shadow, to be released on October 9 via Napalm Records.

With their new full-length, these Nordic heavyweights prove that they can’t be pigeonholed. Eleven quick-tempered, high-voltage pieces indicate that The Unguided have liberated themselves from the shadows of the past but are still aware of their manifold roots. The intoxicating mixture of clean hooklines and classifying screams lead up to a unique symbiosis of pure harshness. “Crown Prince Syndrome” is the first offering off Father Shadow and showcases the unmistakable supremacy of the Swedish four piece.

Along with the first single, they are also introducing their new band lineup, since their former bass-player Henric Liljesand departed the band to concentrate on other projects. But nevertheless, The Unguided are more than ready to present their razor-sharp arrangement and hard-hitting sense for modern melodic death metal interlaced with core and electronic elements.

Richard Sjunnesson of The Unguided on the new single “Crown Prince Syndrome”: “The instrumental basics to 'Crown Prince Syndrome' was written already around 2018 but it was not until pre-production late 2019 when the words and the chorus melody came to place we recognized how undeniably catchy this tune was. Possibly our best chorus to date! It was fun to include some industrial elements in the electronic section and also that tasty riff stacking with some rock-vibe going on throughout the song which is a bit different from our previous work. The music video from legendary Patric Ullaeus show the band in a gritty outdoor environment to underline the industrial feel and you might just get a cameo from someone you know in it.”

Watch the video for “Crown Prince Syndrome” below, and pre-order Father Shadow here.

With Father Shadow, The Unguided - comprised of the brothers and founders from Sonic Syndicate - break down the barriers between melodic death metal, metalcore and fitting electronic sounds. Clean hooklines explode in classifying screams, leading up to a unique symbiosis of pure harshness. With brutal shouts, an unmistakably catchy chorus and a huge chunk of honest words, "Crown Prince Syndrome" unveils the burden of an innate identity. The perfect symbiosis of Richard Sjunnesson’s forceful vocal pitch and Jonathan Thorpenberg’s clean vocals convinces to the fullest extent. Tracks like the banger “Never Yield” and “War Of Oceans” pierce straight into your eardrums. Let yourself be drawn into the deep, dark underbelly of “Stand Alone Complex”, capturing your mind with ruthlessly harsh drums. “Gaia”, featuring Erik Engstrand, marks a new chapter in the era of The Unguided: harder, faster but always on point. With heavy handed cover versions of their own classic Sonic Syndicate tracks “Jailbreak”, “Denied” and “Jack Of Diamonds”, the four piece also thrives in reminiscence - and reveals a new musical entity. Follow The Unguided into the deep shadows of the past and the abyss of the future.
 
The Unguided on the new album: “We started to work on the follow up to And the Battle Royale by the end of 2018 after the tour was done. I think that particular album was a lot about figuring out the band’s new identity and writing together after boarding a new member and undeniably it was well received. Father Shadow is all about taking that experience, refining the process and push it to the next level. We have grown together solidly as a band and I think it shows a lot on this album. The songwriters in the band all comes from different schools and write a bit differently musically, on this album everyone got equal airtime just to pump the diversity without losing the feel of the band. Lyrically it pushes the story and concept forward and finally ties up some ends that have been loose since Fragile Immortality (2014), something I think the hardcore fans will appreciate. It was also fun to go back and revisit those old Sonic Syndicate tracks for the bonus material and I think we managed to do our own thing to honor the songs with a mint 2020 production. Utterly we created the songs and album we’d love to listen to ourselves and we succeeded with that and hope you’ll like it as much as we do!”
 
Father Shadow will be available in the following formats:

- 1 CD Digipak
- 2 LP Gatefold Vinyl Black
- 1 CD Digipak + Shirt Bundle

Tracklisting:

"Childhood’s End"
"Never Yield"
"War Of Oceans"
"Breach"
"Where Love Comes To Die"
"Crown Prince Syndrome"
"Fate’s Hand"
"Stand Alone Complex"
"Lance Of Longinus"
"Seth"
"Gaia" feat. Erik Engstrand
"Jailbreak" (Bonus Track / Sonic Syndicate Cover)
"Denied" (Bonus Track / Sonic Syndicate Cover)
"Jack Of Diamonds" (Bonus Track / Sonic Syndicate Cover)

"Crown Prince Syndrome" video:

Lineup:

Richard Sjunnesson - Vocals
Jonathan Thorpenberg - Vocals / Guitars
Roger Sjunnesson - Guitars
Richard Schill - Drums

(Photo - Patric Ullaeus)