The origins of noise metal legends Will Haven can be traced back to 1995, when they first emerged as a staple in Sacramento, CA's storied underground. For the past two decades-plus, they've existed on the fringe of extreme music - championing an apocalyptic amalgam of metal, noise, hardcore, and alternative all their own. In 2018, Will Haven return to release their sixth full-length album and first for minus HEAD Records, entitled Muerte (Spanish for "death"), but this is anything but the end. Rather, it's a whole new beginning.

Will Haven breathe entirely new life into their sound with Muerte, taking notes from the past but incorporating modern tones to create a chaotic, haunting auditory attack. "All said and done, we spent two years on this record," says guitarist Jeff Irwin. "We had more time than ever to fine tune the music. We really benefitted from that. We're also more in tune with who we are. It's the first time I walked away going, 'There's nothing else I could've done to make this better.'"

Spiral down into the heavy, atmospheric thickness of Muerte by sampling the first offering of new Will Haven music now. Stream the six minute-plus epic, "El Sol", co-written and performed with guest guitarist Stephen Carpenter of Deftones, below.

"If Will Haven and Deftones had a kid, that's what it would sound like," Irwin says about "El Sol". "I was in my first band with Stephen. This was really a family thing. While we were in the studio, he sent us an email with an eight-minute song of all riffs. I added the spacey elements. Our vocalist, Grady, is reciting this famous poem about being kind to your fellow man and taking care of each other. Lyrically, it fits the times."

Muerte is available for pre-order now via Amazon and Bandcamp, with iTunes digital, PledgeMusic bundles and Spotify streaming becoming available very soon.

Throughout 2017, the members of Will Haven secretly recorded Muerte at Pus Cavern Studios in Sacramento, CA with Joe Johnston engineering and co-producing alongside Irwin. They pieced together a corrosive, chaotic, and cohesive vision that never relents over its 11 tracks. Mastering was handled by Logan Mader (Devil You Know, Fear Factory, Periphery).

Irwin adds about recording Muerte, "It felt like a rebirth. It sounds like a whole new band. There's a chemistry that only the four of us can achieve. Who knows what's next, but this is everything we were always meant to be on a record."

In the end, Muerte represents a milestone for Will Haven as their most poignant, passionate, and powerful body of work to date.

Muerte tracklisting:

"Hewed With The Brand"                  
"Winds Of Change"               
"Kinney"                  
"The Son"                
"43"             
"No Escape" (feat. Mike Scheidt of YOB)     
"Unit K"                   
"Ladwig No. 949"                
"Bootstraps"             
"Now In The Ashes"              
"El Sol" (co-written with/feat. Stephen Carpenter of Deftones)

"El Sol" video:

Will Haven is:

Grady Avenell - singer
Jeff Irwin - guitar
Adrien Contreras - bass
Mitch Wheeler - drums

(Photo - Rockin Ryan Richardson)