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[metal-bs]

My band Lavaborne's album comes out on October 1st! Special thanks to @doomedandstoned for premiering "Prove Your Worth" for us! Pre-orders are available at lavaborne.bandcamp.com!

Lavaborne Fly Us Closer to ‘Black Winged Gods’ in New Vid, “Prove Your Worth”

~Doomed & Stoned Debuts~ By Billy Goate

Album Art by Nate Vaught/Brainvault Illustration

If LAVABORNE sounds like an epic name for a band, it’s for very good reason. Not only is the Midwest outfit inclined towards epic themes, they have also ignited the use of a descriptor that has been neglected by most music journalists to date: power doom.

You pick up on the spirit lyrically, just as much as musically, in the new music video “Prove Your Worth” (the third single to be released from the Indy handful’s forthcoming full-length, Black Winged Gods). The song’s ominous opening chords and crooning guitar lead ready us for a tale grandiose, inspired by ancient mythological lore that still has its soul-stirring way with our imaginations.

“Prove Your Worth,” says vocalist Chris Latta (who you might recognize from the now defunct doom operation Spirit Division) “was one of the last songs that was finished before we started recording the album. [Guitarist] Brandon Signorino wrote the riffs for this one, with the rest of us filling out the arrangements as it went along. I love how it goes between from the slower first half to the faster climax all while maintaining a triumphant air throughout. The Viking-themed lyrics that I paired with it seemed to be a pretty good fit. This is one of our favorite songs on the album. I want it played at my funeral – pyre and longboats optional.”

I love where his head is at! Surely I’m not the only one who has daydreamed about which songs I’d want played at my wake (while morbid, it is nonetheless a strange bit of fun to work on a playlist of songs echoing one’s life journey). The music video not only relays the timeless theme of life triumphing against the odds, but gives us a behind the scenes look at the band in action, whose full line-up includes: Chris Latta on vocals, Brandon Signorino and Freddie Rodriguez manning the guitars, completed by the rhythm section of Brandon Davis and Freddie Rodriguez on bass and drums.

Look for ‘Black Winged Gods’ (2021) to drop on October 1st, with a CD and cassette release via Wise Blood Records (pre-order here). Stick this in your rotation with Candlemass, Witchfinder General, and Armored Saint and you’ll find it a fine companion to epic doom, NWOBHM, and power metal.

Give ear…

Lavaborne - “Prove Your Worth” (music video)

Some Buzz

Indianapolis warriors Lavaborne forge their riffs in the magma of classic metal. Flashback with us to the early and mid-'80s, when Iron Maiden was writing a new classic album every year and Candlemass lit their first flame.

When vocalist Chris Latta and guitarist Brandon Signorino first formed Lavaborne, they envisioned a blend of doom and power metal. Slide on your studded gauntlets and listen to Lavaborne’s Black Winged Gods, a spirited offering of self-described Power Doom that’s a modern ode to epic heavy metal.

“The darker tone and theatrical vocals are rooted in doom, while the faster drums and guitar harmonies are very inspired by more traditional heavy metal,” vocalist Chris Latta describes. “Our core influences are Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Mercyful Fate, Candlemass, and the eighties Black Sabbath albums. We also take inspiration from more contemporary bands like Crypt Sermon, Khemmis, and Visigoth, among others.”

Black Winged Gods by Lavaborne

You can hear an array of those influences charging throughout Black Winged Gods. But Lavaborne owe their sound to no single genre or metal legend. Their riffs clash swords on distant battlefields and stomp through the swamps of doom and sludge. But this doesn’t sound like a band searching for their voice. After the original duo slowly recruited three members from local maniacs Mask of Sanity, they used the past two years sharpening the timeless choruses on Black Winged Gods. Drummer Max Barber recorded the album like an alchemist turning heavy metal into sonic gold. While the songs are populated with adventurers and mythic beasts, Latta’s lyrics translate fantasy themes with a philosopher’s quill.

“The lyrics on Black Winged Gods are primarily based on fantasy, religion, and mythology,” Latta explains. “[There are] a lot of standard metal tropes, but they come with certain twists or questions rather than playing them straight. A song like “The Great Reward” turns the idea of dying in a war for one’s country on its head. “Mortal Pride” uses the Tower of Babel to question religious authority. And “Master of Medusa” invites the listener to see the true face behind the monster.”

Lavaborne will ascend from the flames when Wise Blood Records release the album digitally and on CD/cassette formats on October 1st. Punch the sky and join the Power Doom quest of Lavaborne’s Black Winged Gods.

Follow The Band Get Their Music

[metal-bs]

I am super happy to finally be able to share this - my power-doom band @lavaborne is releasing our debut album Black Winged Gods on October 1st via @wisebloodrecords! We've put a hell of a lot of work into this thing... two and a half years' worth! I can confidently say that the quality of the final product will speak for itself. @singularpathaudio did an excellent job on the engineering/mixing/mastering. Follow the Lavaborne and Wise Blood pages for more details as they come out! #lavaborne #metal #heavymetal #doom #doommetal #powermetal #powerdoom #indianapolis #indiana #blackwingedgods #wiseblood #wisebloodrecords https://www.instagram.com/p/CRZSWtDiwdc/?utm_medium=tumblr

[metal-bs]

Found this little fren when getting the grill ready for dinner. He hung out in my hand for like 20 minutes and I was content just holding him... totally made my day! https://www.instagram.com/p/CPEpzMlrAX8/?utm_medium=tumblr

[metal-bs]

We are off to a good start with recording footage for the next #cacodemonia video! @the_reff_jeagan of @maskofsanityofficial #metal #deerdance https://www.instagram.com/p/CMfnL_WrLRR/?igshid=1llr2a0b42lex

[metal-bs]

@indymetalchris's solo album Taken by the Tide is out today! As you may have seen by now, I contributed some guest spots to this album. I recorded the first guitar solo on the closing track, "Eternity". I also recorded some mandolin parts for the not-so-subtly named "I Am A Clinic Escort"; this one in particular was important to me, as I firmly believe that access to affordable reproductive care should be a right... including contraception and abortion. I would happily accompany any of my friends to Planned Parenthood if they felt uncomfortable or threatened in any way. This was my first time recording mandolin, and it already isn't the last. Check it out on Bandcamp when you can! Cover layout by @samanthasignorino_art #plannedparenthood #abortion #birthcontrol https://www.instagram.com/p/CLwcOXWrGXx/?igshid=1gslaw36acfmb

[metal-bs]

Tribbles have picked the wrong man to mess with

[metal-bs]

I finally have this little project finished... anyone like Animal Crossing?

https://youtu.be/cSbBFK_yJnA

Also, I know it's very short (the original one in the game is the same length, just looped), which is why I also recorded an extended version just for fun! https://soundcloud.com/brandon-signorino/animal-crossing-kk-metal-extended

[metal-bs]

I had some leftover sausage gravy from making the breakfast pizza before, and I was trying to think of a way to use it. I remembered my grandpa used to joke about having SOS (shit on a shingle) all the time so I decided to throw some together... and it's actually pretty good! The green onions were re-grown in our windowsill. This was an awesome way to reduce food waste. https://www.instagram.com/p/CAGEiCZAyxU/?igshid=k4irfg4nv1tb

[metal-bs]

For brunch today I made a breakfast pizza! I used refrigerated pizza dough topped with homemade sausage gravy, scrambled eggs, sausage, and a variety of white cheeses. I had my slices with a little bit of Cholula on top too. Simple and delicious! https://www.instagram.com/p/B_-lpZ8A12s/?igshid=j682yg7664gy

[metal-bs]

I had some bananas that were very ripe, so I decided to try something new and make banana pudding from scratch! I had never made any pudding from scratch before and this came out really good. Hooray for having so much time to try things in the kitchen! https://www.instagram.com/p/B_220D0gvHG/?igshid=t12f4f6a8at4

[metal-bs]

I have been doing some more work on "Fire Field" and I am trying out harmonies on a few of the parts... some of the harmonies here make immediate sense, and some are admittedly weird (but I think those still sound kinda cool). I'm not sure what all I will keep for the final mix yet. Anyway, guitars are done, on to bass next! #firefield #fzerosnes #fzero #heavymetal https://www.instagram.com/p/B_Qy1qqAg5l/?igshid=889oyeg5tmm2

[metal-bs]

I made something new... I baked a sort of banana cake, but I added Reese's peanut butter chips to the batter. I love eating bananas with peanut butter, so this seemed like something to try... and it turned out awesome! https://www.instagram.com/p/B_GozaJlJEM/?igshid=1s7en9idniezz

[metal-bs]

I officially finished tracking rhythm guitars for the Lavaborne record last night! Here is a clip of "The Final Mystery". Follow us on FB/IG for more studio updates!

[metal-bs]

Check out this clip of me laying down rhythm tracks for "Prove Your Worth", which will appear on the Lavaborne debut!

Check us out at:

[metal-bs]

I made vegan Swedish meatballs for dinner tonight- yes, totally vegan! I made the gravy using plant-based butter, flour, unsweetened soymilk, veggie stock, and a few seasonings. I served them over mashed purple potatoes (using the same vegan butter and soymilk) alongside steamed broccoli. I only didn't make the meatballs myself - they were made by @gardein. It turned out delicious and very comforting! #food #foodporn #vegetarian #vegan #swedishmeatballs https://www.instagram.com/p/B4gRTbYAg58/?igshid=1housw17hjbge

[metal-bs]

Check out my guitar solo in @lavaborne's song "Prove Your Worth"! #lavaborne #metal #heavymetal #doom #doommetal #powermetal #powerdoom #indianapolis #indiana https://www.instagram.com/p/B2op8ffgmNJ/?igshid=1lcrr4xjipfd0

[metal-bs]

Next up for @lavaborne: we are playing at @blackcirclebrew next Friday night with @megband and Porunga. This is going to be one hell of a show, so don't miss it! #lavaborne #metal #heavymetal #doom #doommetal #powermetal #powerdoom #indianapolis #indiana #localguides #porunga (at Black Circle Brewing Co.) https://www.instagram.com/p/B2hZOy4g5w7/?igshid=usrdhe0184j1