11/01/2020 11:07

Scardust

Scardust release 'Gone' music video; new album out now

The acclaimed Israeli progressive/symphonic metal band Scardust is proud to unveil 'Gone', the epic conclusion to their latest two-part music video saga. The new clip completes a narrative that began in the recently-premiered video for its companion track, 'Stranger'. 'Gone' and 'Stranger' can also be streamed on Spotify, Apple Music, Bandcamp and other digital platforms starting tomorrow.

Scardust's new record, 'Strangers' – which was released on October 30th by M-Theory Audio – is an intriguing concept album built of complementary song pairs working from the outside in. Ever-metal.com calls it a "masterpiece", while Metal-Temple.com says "this album is so well done I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming." The first taste of the band's unique vision for their second full-length release was unveiled in September, through the music videos for 'Tantibus II' and 'Addicted'. The new pair of clips for 'Stranger' and 'Gone' tells another tale of two perspectives.

Says vocalist Noa Gruman: "You have your own dreams and ambitions, and sometimes you may choose to achieve them by yourself. 'Gone' is told by one who left. It shows the bittersweet side of caring deeply about someone, but having to leave them for your own personal needs. The song is fast and exciting, like a soundtrack to accompany a big adventure, and the choruses are repetitive and catchy. In the video, we see the band playing together by a concrete wall representing today. They are surrounded by paint cans lying on the ground. Suddenly, the video takes a sharp turn, and he musicians each appear in their own unique locations by the sea, in a bright and colorful dream-like sequence representing tomorrow... then back to playing together by the concrete wall, and so on alternately, until we get to the instrumental section. From there, it becomes a big explosion of color smears and splashes, alongside musicians playing in a dark, closed scene, then back to the sea, back to the concrete, and ending in a beautiful sea painting... on the concrete."

Noa Gruman commented about 'Stranger': "When someone close to your heart is leaving you and you're breaking down and feeling that you're left to face the world on your own, the shared memories and moments that you had become 'Stranger'. Being neglected is a fragile and exposed feeling, so in this one song we chose to lose the choir and strings and strip things down to the core musicians. In the video, they are playing the song, but never together, in an obscure, unrealistic location. They are surrounded by concrete pillars and the scene is continuously spinning, leaving the viewer feeling dizzy and uncomfortable. Lyrics pop out here and there to highlight specific parts, and there are also hints of water by the musicians' feet and paint cans lying on the ground. One may wonder why, and it will all be revealed in the other side of the story, told from the side of the neglector."

Mastered by Jens Bogren (Opeth, Devin Townsend, Arch Enemy), 'Strangers' was written and composed jointly by Gruman and composer Orr Didi, who also collaborated Scardust on their full-length debut 'Sands of Time' – which was hailed by Prog Magazine as "extraordinary" – and their 2015 EP 'Shadow'. The new album features guest appearances from German folk musician Patty Gurdy, as well as vocals by the Hellscore choir and England's prestigious Westbrook Hay Prep School Chamber Choir.

Track listing:
1. Overture for the Estranged (06:34)
2. Break the Ice (03:51)
3. Tantibus II (03:39)
4. Stranger (04:10)
5. Concrete Cages (07:21)
6. Over (06:14)
7. Under (04:13)
8. Huts (03:26)
9. Gone (04:43)
10. Addicted (05:29)
11. Mist (03:22)

Israel's leading progressive metal group have performed at such major festivals as Ramblin' Man Fair (UK), Metaldays (Slovenia) and Midi (China). In addition, the band hosts the annual Scarfest event in their home country, where they've also appeared alongside the likes of Therion, Epica and Symphony X.

'Strangers' is now available on CD, 12" vinyl (limited to 300 copies on smoky grey vinyl) and digital editions.

(source: M-Theory Audio)