Cursed Earth return with 'Fear', announce 'The Deathbed Sessions'

Cursed Earth are back.

After having parted ways with former vocalist Jazmine Luders last year and going deathly silent since, Cursed Earth have finally announced their return today: a new EP entitled 'The Deathbed Sessions'. But there's a cool catch to it.

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This new seven-track release will actually see seven other vocalists each take up the vocal reigns of Cursed Earth's flag-ship. The featuring stars found on this new release will be: Larissa Stupar (Venom Prison), Matt Honeycutt (Kublai Khan), Joel Birch (The Amity Affliction), Booka Nile and Sean Harmanis (Make Them Suffer), Nick Adams (Justice For The Damned), Mark Poida (Aversions Crown) and Jack McDonald (Cast Down, who is also rumoured to be the band's current fill-in). Hence the shrouded figure seen in the middle of the band's above promo photo; they'll have a revolving door of vocalists. Modern problems require modern solutions, and all that jazz.

Today, the Perth-based act offer the first taste from their own figurative deathbed with their new record's opening song, 'Fear'.

Written by guitarist Kieran Molloy and producer/engineer Elliott Gallart, this particular new track shows off Kublai Khan frontman. Matt Honeycutt, leading the charge. It's a decent and also logical guest feature: Cursed Earth and Kublai Khan have a good fan crossover, they've toured together before, they're friends, and Matt fits the vocal mould of their metallic hardcore sound well enough. However, 'Fear' simultaneously sounds like a standard if slightly weaker CE track, but also like KK-Lite as well. It's got the usual chest-beating rhythms, pummelling instrumentals, and tough-guy riffs, along with Matt's beastly screams. While it's fine, to me, it doesn't hold much of a candle to the best tracks off 'Nomad' nor anything from the 'Cycles Of Grief' LP either.

Nonetheless, this is still a really interesting concept for a new release in the wake of Cursed Earth being dealt a bad hand last year, having to completely go-to-ground as result. And I'd be lying if I wasn't damned excited to hear Larissa from Venom Prison rip the mic on a Cursed Earth track. Given all of the people involved in this, I'm quite sure there'll be the odd gem found on this forthcoming effort too.

This new "mixtape" is also set to tackle a range of dark tropics. From the psychological warfare implemented during the Vietnam War, various grim moments in Western Australian history like the 1834 Pinjarra Massacre and the Rottnest concentration camp during WWI, the Catholic Church, and other personal self-destructive themes. So basically, par for the bleak course in terms of lyrical content for the WA group. Expect things to be depressing and violent!

'The Deathbed Sessions' arrives Friday, May 31st via UNFD.