Pittsburgh’s own Stalemate of Wills have announced they are ready to drop their debut full-length, Existence Denied, this spring. The three-piece wrecking ball has been bubbling under for a while with a string of singles, but this 8-track rager looks set to truly put them on the map.
The band describes their sound as “heavy riffs for a withering world,” which feels pretty spot on given they hail from the heart of the American rust belt. Existence Denied is a proper grit-under-the-fingernails blend of doom, hardcore, and NOLA-style sludge, with a few nods to 90s death metal thrown in for good measure. Expect down-tuned, “meat and potatoes” riffing that knows exactly when to pivot from a heavy groove into something a bit creepier and more atmospheric.
Lyrically, the record doesn’t shy away from the grim stuff, focusing on the frustrations of life and the sheer effort it takes to survive in a hopeless situation. It’s a DIY affair through and through, with the album being released on April 26th via FFTC Records—an independent label run by the band’s own guitarist and vocalist, Derek Kovacs.
The project actually started out as a one-man studio mission back in 2023, but Kovacs soon realised these songs needed the weight of a full band behind them. Recruiting scene veterans Jake Morris on bass and Bob McSherry on drums, the line-up was completed, turning Stalemate of Wills into the powerhouse they are today. You can get a taste of what’s coming by checking out the first single, “Two Worlds”, which is streaming now.
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Existence Denied Tracklist:
- Visibility
- Maximum Amounts of Woe
- Existence Denied
- Two Worlds
- Let It Be Known
- High Above
- Unusual Character Profile
- Light the Way
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