Swedish progressive doom and rock explorers CITIES OF MARS present the third single taken from their new album ‘Cities of Mars’, due out May 20th on Ripple Music. Let yourself be submerged by the epic beauty of “The Dreaming Sky (Anur)”!
CITIES OF MARS combine earth-rumbling riffs with ambient soundscapes and haunting vocal harmonies reminiscent of bands like Baroness, Kylesa or The Sword for an overall adventurous sonic escape. Each song on the new album adds a chapter in the band’s ongoing story, where a KGB cosmonaut crashes on the Red Planet in 1971 while on a covert space mission. She discovers an ancient Martian city and awakens a sleeping conspiracy from the dawn of humanity. Following on from recent singles “Towering Graves (Osmos)” and “A Dawn Of No Light (Chthon)“, this new track highlights their melodic and progressive facet and displays the trio’s gift for solid lyricality and haunting ambiances.
This self-titled third album is even more rooted in the CITIES OF MARS‘ evolving storyline, with each song adding another piece to the puzzle by telling a story of each of the seven cities on the Red Planet. Seven years of existence as a band, several European tours and countless hours of relentless 105 dB creativity later, the Swedes present their widest sonic palette to date, including acoustic songs, more intricate vocals and prominent electronic soundscapes, all recorded by the band and mixed/mastered by Kent Stump (Wo Fat) at Crystal Clear Sound in Texas.
Formed in 2015 by Danne Palm (vocals, synth, bass), Christoffer Norén (vocals, guitar) and Johan Aronstedt (drums, vocals), their first two songs were recorded into a single produced by Esben Willems (Monolord/Berserk Audio) and released for the band’s first live show at the Wizard of Fuzz Festival. 2016 saw the release of ‘Celestial Mistress’, a three-song vinyl EP with the captivating artwork of Gothenburg-based graphic artist Axel Widén and the band’s first European tour. More shows and new songs followed into 2017 when the album ‘Temporal Rifts’ was released with a three-week tour through Europe.
CITIES OF MARS didn’t stay idle and have sharpened their songcraft to release ‘The Horologist’ through Ripple Music in April 2019. The band consequently performed at Desertfest London as part of a 22-show tour across Europe.
Their third full-length ‘Cities of Mars’ will see a May 20th release on Ripple Music. From the ethereal melody of the ghost city of Sarraqum in “Reflected Skyline”, the haunted skyscraper riff of “Towering Graves”, to the desperate howls from the buried city of Methusalem in “The Prophet”, this album represents all the musical facets so far of Daniel, Chris and Johan in their quest for not only the heaviest of riffs but also great melodies, hooks and the occasional 80’s throwback. Artwork was designed by Mirkow Gastow.
CITIES OF MARS lineup
Danne Palm – lead vocals, bass, synths
Christoffer Norén – lead vocals, guitar
Johan Aronstedt – backing vocals, drums & percussion, sound FX
