earthtone9 have announced their return, with their first album in 11 years, In Resonance Nexus, due on June 21. Dropping a new single alongside the news, the enormous Oceanic Drift, the British metal icons describe the album as, "The absolute distillation of what we do."
“For me, this album is about persistence in heart and knowing that you can pursue stuff and do it to a high standard at any point in time,” says singer Karl Middleton. “It’s more vital and urgent. This feels like a definitive statement.”
Recorded with producer Lewis Johns (Employed To Serve, Svalbard, Pupil Slicer), the band say that In Resonance Nexus' essence comes from almost rebuilding the band following their second hiatus, and reconnecting with the elements that made their first trio of albums before their first split in 2002 (1998's Lo-def(inition) Discord, 1999's Off Kilter Enhancement and 2000's arc'tan'gent) so special and important.
“In Resonance Nexus, as a title, is saying that we’ve found the core and the essence of the band again,” says Karl. “We were digging deep to find common musical ground, and between Joe [Roberts] and Owen [Packard, guitars], and it really felt like that there was a resonance there. It feels like we've landed on a really legitimate, 21st century version of the band. We were asking, ‘Why are we doing this?’ and having a very authentic answer.”
Listen to the first track, Oceanic Drift, below: