DUNGEON SERPENT have shared “Tranquil Sleep Of The Dead, Eternal Seas Aflame,” the latest song from Lamentations Of The Shadowkingdoms. The Vancouver, British Columbia melodic death metal band’s second album is their first for Profound Lore Records, with an announced October 30 release on LP, CD and digital platforms.
The six-piece record follows World Of Sorrows and a period described in the Earsplit PR announcement as five years of work and silence. Rather than simply repeating the debut’s approach, the announcement outlines a broader instrumental palette and six tonally distinct compositions connected by their themes and sequencing.
Arawn handles vocals, guitars, keyboards and bass, joined by drummer Bhraonáin of Fake Dust. Violin contributions come from string player and contemporary composer Anju Singh, also identified in the announcement with The Nausea. The supplied album description points to faster playing and a wider range of influences, including black metal, brutal death metal, jazz and grind, alongside keyboards drawing on the Hellenic tradition and expanded orchestral textures.
For the new song, Arawn identifies a connection to the debut’s “Cosmic Sorcery,” explaining: “This is of a similar archetype to ‘Cosmic Sorcery’ from the first record. Slightly more ‘positive’ in tone and with more of a calm and repetitive structure in general.”
That relative calm does not remove the song’s death metal focus. Arawn cites Immolation, Absu and Maleficarum when discussing its riffs and describes the ending as an attempt at screamo-style “whistle” vocals. Those comments place the track’s more repetitive structure within the heavier musical direction described for the album.
The recording also includes guest guitar contributions. Arawn explains: “The guitar solos on this one are courtesy of Brandon and Jeremy from one of my all-time favorite bands, Gyibaaw, and Shawn from the legendary horde Mitochondrion was kind enough to record acoustic guitars for the opening movement of this hymn.”
Damian Herring of Horrendous mixed and mastered Lamentations Of The Shadowkingdoms at Subterranean Watchtower Studios. Marc Potts supplied the cover artwork. The announcement also directs listeners to the separate “Rainland’s Elegy” video, while “Tranquil Sleep Of The Dead, Eternal Seas Aflame” serves as the latest streaming preview. Preorders for the album’s physical and digital formats, along with presaves, are available through the supplied Profound Lore release links.