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YATRA: Decibel Premieres “Snakes In The Temple” By Maryland Psychedelic Doom Trio; Death Ritual Debut Nears January Release Through Grimoire Records

photo by Shane Gardner
YATRA: Decibel Premieres “Snakes In The Temple” By Maryland Psychedelic Doom Trio; Death Ritual Debut Nears January Release Through Grimoire Records
Decibel Magazine is premiering “Snakes In The Temple,” the new single by Maryland-based psychedelic doom trio YATRA, as their impending debut LP, Death Ritual, nears early January release through Grimoire Records.
YATRA founder Dana Helmuth offers of the new single, “‘Snakes In The Temple’ is about death and mortality and the evil dogmas of Christianity. ‘Snakes inside the temple, consuming all mortals down‘ explains that concept pretty well, in the sense of priests inside temples acting like they are immortal, and from the first person perspective of a vampire in the sense of, ‘by the coming of the mornings light, my eyes are burning, I can see the rising of the shadows, from the edge of darkness, the end of a lifetime.'”
With their debut of the song, Decibel notes, “Following the demise of Maryland doom act Blood Raven, frontman Dana Helmuth formed YATRA, where he wrote all eight songs for their debut album over the course of a month. Pulling their vocal style from black metal, YATRA offer a harsher, colder take on fuzzed-out doom than Blood Raven did, dragging the listener through slooow riffs and demonic growls.”
Stream YATRA’s “Snakes In The Temple” at Decibel Magazine RIGHT HERE.
Death Ritual will be released on CD and digital download via Grimoire Records, and as a limited-edition vinyl release directly from the band, on January 4th, 2019. Find preorders where the prior singles “Black Moon” and “Smoke Is Rising” are also streaming HERE.
YATRA‘s sound is a journey into mountainous sounds, transcending into the deep forests of primeval times. Born from the ashes of Blood Raven, the new three-piece emerged in 2017 as frontman Dana Helmuth’s new vehicle to embrace the darkness and doom. Confident in Maria Geisbert and Mike Tull as his new rhythm section, Helmuth’s inspiration was fueled exponentially. YATRA‘s full-length debut, Death Ritual was written over several months in a secluded cottage with minimal essentials, far from society and its distractions. The record was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Grimoire Records’ Noel Mueller in August of 2018. The artwork features three mixed-media pieces by Aki Pitkänen, layout by Mueller, and the hand-drawn logotype by Helmuth.
While traveling through Nepal and the Himalayas by motorcycle in 2013, Helmuth learned the native word “yatra” which means journey or pilgrimage, which he later recalled as the namesake of this new doom trio. The band’s eclectic sound combines the harsh, distorted vocal sounds of black metal over slow, heavy doom drones, fuzzed-out sludge riffs, and a tight rhythm section maintained by Maria Geisbert on bass and Mike Tull on drums. YATRA‘s sound clearly conveys heavy worship and dedication to tone. Helmuth’s lyrics draw from fantasy and are influenced by the writings of Howard, Lovecraft, Auel, Tolkien, as well as many references to Norse mythology and Pagan ritual. No love or politics. Fans of Electric Wizard, Cough, and Sleep will find plenty to enjoy in Death Ritual.
YATRA Tour Dates:
12/07/2018 The Sidebar – Baltimore, MD w/ Witching
12/15/2018 Guido’s Speakeasy – Frederick, MD w/ Backwoods Payback, Byrgan
12/21/2018 Lucky 13 Saloon – Brooklyn, NY w/ Decap Attak, Sigils
12/28/2018 The Depot – Baltimore, MD w/ Byrgan, The Osedax, Erlkonig
1/15/2019 Sidebar – Baltimore, MD w/ Toke, Greenfiend, Tombtoker
1/16/2019 Arlene’s Grocery – New York, NY @ Ode to Doom w/ Clouds Taste Satanic, Matte Black, Sleeping Village
1/24/2019 The Ottobar – Baltimore, MD
2/02/2019 Century Bar – Philadelphia, PA w/ Backwoods Payback, Decap Attak
3/14/2019 SpiderHouse – Austin, TX @ SXSW
4/20/2019 The Ottobar – Baltimore, MD w/ Ruby The Hatchet, Book Of Wyrms, Haze Mage

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