Premiere: The Gloom In The Corner engage in holy 'Warfare' on new single

The rules of engagement change with The Gloom In The Corner's new single, 'Warfare.'

In 2020, The Gloom In The Corner are putting together an Unholy Trinity of singles, with 'Warfare' being the loud, brash middle-child. If The Gloom In The Corner's previous single, 'Violence' - a savage, djenty metalcore intersection between the group's influences of artists like Loathe and Mick Gordon - was more or less an anthem for the "Glooms" in the band's larger conceptual narrative, then 'Warfare' is one-part origin-story, one-part prelude to all-out open-conflict. Basically, if you thought that 'Violence' was going to be their heaviest song, then you aren't fucking prepared for where the quartet tread here.

'Warfare' is almost like a perfect summary of what TGITC do as a band. It's one of their strongest offerings to date, and a personal favourite of mine for their work. It's practically got everything new and old fans could ever want from the Aussie group! Seeing them once again tuning down to some heavy-as-shit drop F guitars, making great melodic respites in the resoundingly hooky choruses, showing off their dramatic flair of orchestral arrangements and piano arrangements around their core-rooted compositions, and featuring an insane "no god is above me" deathcore breakdown section (suitably complimented by decapitating pick scrapes) that's down-right fucking Biblical in its impact.

On the surface level, the real-world theme of the Melbourne four-piece's latest is that the politics, methods, and landscapes of humanity and it's lust for war may have changed over the centuries - from fists and sticks, to swords and guns, to drones and machines - but that the evolution of technology doesn't follow an evolution of thinking. It's the age-old tale of flawed human condition: destroying what we love despite desperately wanting to save it. Though, that's just one part of the lyrical theme being told.

[caption id="attachment_1109453" align="aligncenter" width="760"] The artwork for 'Warfare' and the second part of the band's narrative mural piece, with the final piece coming later; showing where the story has been, and where it's ultimately going...[/caption]

Within the lore-heavy, gritty world the Australian act have created, 'Warfare' is a turning point of sorts for the 'Fear Me' arc. It's a revelation for one of the story's biggest players, Sherlock Bones, the star of their 'Flesh & Bones' EP (2019) and from whom the perspective of 'Warfare' comes from. It's all about his lost past coming back to him and an ancient ruler named King Baphicho - who was the first Gloom around the time of Christ in the Middle-East - someone who Sherlock once, long ago, swore fealty towards, The song's entire theme is drenched in the past, clearly, but also the future, as it helps to reveal a cult, The Holy Order, ruled by Elias Degraver, who are the antithesis to the other main faction the story has centred around so heavily thus far, The Sect, lead by director Emily Scarlett.

In speaking with our peers over at Wall of Sound, frontman Mikey Arthur actually teased where this narrative was all barrelling forward towards after the events of their last EP, saying:

"Following the events of ‘Flesh & Bones’, Jay, the anti-hero of the arc, has since lost his position as a detective, and been moved to The Sect’s wet-work team, performing hits as per request of Director Scarlett. The Sect’s oldest foe, the zealous cult known as The Holy Order, is also coming to light, led by the supernatural priest Elias DeGraver. Not much is known about the Order as of yet, but more will be soon to come."

The Gloom In The Corner's Section 13 universe of "Supernaturalists" - people with supernatural abilities, whether they be attained genetically or unconventionally - is becoming increasingly complex and sprawling with each new release. And this doesn't look to be slowing down anytime soon. It's the kind of twisting-and-turning narrative that if it ever were to receive a Netflix adaption a la Gerard Way's The Umbrella Academy, you'd hope it was to the quality of the awesome Castlevania anime, and not that utterly dreadful live-action Death Note film.

Even in keeping things as close-knit as possible, the band are severely ramping up this aspect of their music and aesthetic, from playlisting all of their songs in chronological order, to recently creating the Where Do You Stand website that asked fans a variety of moral and ethical questions to see which faction they stand with in this upcoming battle. And yet, between those two main choices of The Sect and The Holy Order resides a third rogue group known as Echo-Six, which some fans unlocked through that aforementioned website, who are (in-universe) leaking to the world what's going on, with said group to be revealed at a later date. Of course, everything this band does is just so deliberate, so it shouldn't be surprising that Echo-Six is also the name of their frontman's Gloom-related side-project. Time to start placing your conspiratorial bets on where it's all culminating towards now!

'Violence' was just the beginning, 'Warfare' is but the next solid step forward as the full picture comes into view, and as the band tell me, if all goes to plan, the third and final piece of this puzzle will be out by 2020's end via Collision Course Records.

For now, engage in modern warfare with our exclusive premiere before it's release on all platforms come Friday, September 4th: