Following their much-acclaimed debut album, Recollections Of The Insane (February 2022), Belgium’s deaththrash frontrunners SCHIZOPHRENIA have announced the release of a very special tribute EP! Chants Of The Abyss will be out on February 10, 2023, and features six blistering cover songs – from Slayer, Judas Priest, Mistfits to Exodus, GBH and Morbid Angel – in SCHIZOPHRENIA manner.
“Playing covers has always been deeply rooted in Schizophrenia. Since the start of the band, we have always included one in our live set list to the point where we felt, time passing, that our adaptations were becoming more and more personal and original. At first, we wanted to include one in our full length, but it didn’t feel exactly right. That’s when slowly the idea of recording “Chants of the Abyss”, an entire cover EP, came about. Separating all originals and all covers.” The band states.
“However, doing covers yes, but simply copying them no. We wanted to emulate the feeling we had with those covers we did live. They had to feel personal and Schizophrenia in a way. There was no point in doing it if they couldn’t feel like our own also. It is exactly that way that we approach the whole EP and which we hope comes out from the recording. Have you ever heard a typical Morbid Angel like beatdown on a Judas Priest song? You might just now!”
Today, SCHIZOPHRENIA have premiered a first single and music video, as the band reveals:
“There shouldn’t be an introduction for this one. Nevertheless we present you,
our take on one of the MOST influential death metal bands ever to be unleashed upon the masses. Maze Of Torment by Morbid Angel. The way they kept reinventing themselves is truly something we are aspiring to do so. Their sound was so different then any other death metal band out there.. so distinctive in the best way possible. This is our Homage To one of the greatest, ever. “
The new music video for SCHIZOPHRENIA’s cover version of MORBID ANGEL’s "Maze Of Torment", is now streaming here:
SCHIZOPHRENIA - Maze Of Torment (Morbid Angel Cover, Official Music Video) - YouTube
“The other important reason we decided to do an entire cover EP was to pay homage to the heritage and history of extreme metal. We wanted to shine light on the bands and songs that made history and created thrash metal. This is why we included songs from death and thrash metal pioneers like Slayer, Morbid Angel and Exodus, but it is also why we decided to record two punk songs from Misfits and GBH as well as a NWOBHM song, Judas Priest. Punk, hardcore punk and Heavy Metal are the essence of the music we play now.
We hope you will like the concept as a small treat we did to ourselves, as music fans above all, but also a small treat we did to the schizo fans! Dive into the different Chants from the Abyss of metal history!”
The pre-sale of Chants Of The Abyss has just started at THIS LOCATION!
Chants Of The Abyss track listing:
1. Necrophiliac (Slayer cover)
2. Maze Of Torment (Morbid Angel cover)
3. Metal Meltdown (Judas Priest cover)
4. Bullet (Misfits cover)
5. Strike Of The Beast (Exodus cover)
6. Race Against Time (GBH cover)
In support of their upcoming EP, the band will be playing an exclusive release show at Kavka in their hometown Antwerp, Belgium, on February 10, 2023, followed by an extensive European tour with WARBRINGER and EVIL INVADERS! Make sure to catch them live at the following dates:
- 24/03/2023 BE Aalst - Oilsjt Omploft
- 25/03/2023 DE Essen - Turock
- 26/03/2023 FR Colmar - Le Grillen
- 28/03/2023 DE Kassel - Goldgrube
- 29/03/2023 DE Mannheim - 7er Club
- 30/03/2023 DE Leipzig - Hellraiser
- 31/03/2023 DE Hamburg - BHF Pauli
- 01/04/2023 DK Copenhagen- BETA
- 02/04/2023 DE Berlin - Cassiopeia
- 03/04/2023 PL Warsaw - Hydrozagadka
- 04/04/2023 PL Krakow - Kamienna12
- 05/04/2023 DE Munich - Backstage Halle
- 06/04/2023 CZ Prague - Modra Vopice
- 07/04/2023 HU Budapest - Barba Negra
- 08/04/2023 CH Sursee - Kulturwerk 118
- 09/04/2023 AT Dornbirn - Schlachthaus
- 10/04/2023 AT Vienna - Viper Room
- 11/04/2023 CH Martigny - Cave Du Manoir
- 13/04/2023 FR Lyon - Rock n Eat
- 14/04/2023 FR Pau - L'Ampli
- 15/04/2023 ES Barcelona - La Nau
- 16/04/2023 ES Madrid - Nazca
- 17/04/2023 ES Mos Pontreveda - Sala Rebullón
- 18/04/2023 ES Granada - Sala El Tren
- 19/04/2023 ES Zaragoza - Sala Lo Intento
- 20/04/2023 FR Nantes - Le Ferrailleur
- 21/04/2023 FR Paris - Backstage By The Mill
- 22/04/2023 NL Arnhem - Willemeen
- 23/04/2023 NL Helmond - Cacaofabriek
- 24/04/2023 DE Hannover - Cafe Glocksee
- 30/04/2023 NL Rotterdam - Baroeg