| The Endless Road Turns Dark | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
| Studio album by The Skull | ||
| Released | September 7 2018 | |
| Recorded | 2017 - 2018 at Decade Music Studios in Chicago, Illinois | |
| Genre | Doom Metal | |
| Length | 43:57 | |
| Label | Tee Pee Records | |
| Producer | The Skull | |
| The Skull chronology | ||
| The Skull (2016) |
The Endless Road Turns Dark (2018) |
Final Release (N/A) |
The Endless Road Turns Dark is the second and final studio album by The Skull. Recorded by Sanford Parker at Decade Music Studios and produced by the band. Along with the core lineup of Eric Wagner, Ron Holzner and Lothar Keller, The Endless Road Turns Dark would be notable for featuring Witch Mountain guitarist Rob Wrong and Cathedral drummer Brian Dixon. It would also be notable, barring solo releases, to be the final recorded full-length vocalist Eric Wagner would be involved with before his passing in August 2021.
History[]
Following the release of the band's debut album For Those Which Are Asleep, work would slowly begin on a second record, eventually unveiling a new song in "The Longing" in early 2016. Once a stable lineup was formed, recording on the second album would begin in 2017. In a 2017 interview with Columbus Calling, Eric Wagner would talk about modern advancements affected and adapted the recording: "I like getting in a room together and I think it's important. The last SKULL record, we did the same thing. Everybody's got their riffs and their songs and when we get together. I used to go to rehearsals with a boombox and a cassette to tape it. Now I'm so spoiled, because it sounds almost like a record in a way. Obviously, we would never put one out like that, but it sounds so good to me, it sounds like I'm listening to a song instead of hurting my ears with a boombox tape. I think it's great, I can talk to the guy and say, 'Try this, try this and move shit around and edit,' and he'll send them back to me. Technology is definitely on our side in the studio, the trick is to make it sound human and not be totally reliant on those technology tricks. It's just like with anything — you use it as a tool, you use it to your advantage and you don't abuse it.".[1]
Details on the album would surface through the summer of 2018, including premieres of new songs and music videos for "Ravenswood" and "The Longing".[2][3][4] The Endless Road Turns Dark would see release on 7 September 2018 via Tee Pee Records, in CD and Vinyl formats. The Endless Road Turns Dark would attain positive reception from several publications, including Angry Metal Guy (3.5/5),[5] Louder Sound (4/5),[6] Metal Injection (9/10),[7] The Obelisk,[8] Echoes and Dust[9] and Everything is Noise.[10]
Tracklist[]
- 1. The Endless Road Turns Dark (6:55) (Wagner, Holzner, Keller)
- 2. Ravenswood (3:51) (Wagner, Holzner, Keller)
- 3. Breathing Underwater (6:17) (Wagner, Wrong
- 4. The Longing (4:24) (Wagner, Holzner, Keller, Hoey)
- 5. From Myself Depart (6:00) (Wagner, Holzner, Keller)
- 6. As The Sun Draws Near (4:24) (Wagner, Holzner, Keller)
- 7. All That Remains (Is True) (5:56) (Wagner, Keller)
- 8. Thy Will Be Done (6:10) (Wagner, Keller)
Personnel[]
- Eric Wagner - Vocals
- Ron Holzner - Bass
- Lothar Keller - Guitar, Additional Recording
- Rob Wrong - Guitar, Additional Recording
- Brian Dixon - Drums, Percussion
- Chuck Robinson - Layout, Graphic Design
- Alison Chesley - Cello
- Sanford Parker - Engineer, Moog
- Billy Anderson - Additional Engineering
- Sean Nelson - Artwork
- Ashlee Gillis Nelson - Artwork
- 'Al Oaks - Layout, Additional Artwork
- Quentin Poynter - Engineer, Mixing
- John Scrip - Mastering
- Ken Kope - Photography
External Links[]
References[]
| V·T·E The Skull | |
|---|---|
| Current Members | Ron Holzner • Lothar Keller • Henry Vasquez • Karl Agell • Scott Little |
| Selected Past Members | Eric Wagner • Jeff Olson • Matt Goldsborough • Chuck Robinson • Sean Saley • Rob Wrong • Brian Dixon |
| Studio Albums | For Those Which Are Asleep • The Endless Road Turns Dark |
| Other Releases | Sometime Yesterday Mourning • The Skull |
| Associated Bands | Trouble • Blackfinger • Lid • Retro Grave • Earthen Grave • Debris Inc. • Pentagram • Cathedral • Saint Vitus • Blood of the Sun • Corrosion of Conformity • Leadfoot • COC-Blind • Legion of Doom |