Bournemouth Hard Rockers South Of Salem have released their first song from the upcoming album ‘The Sinner Takes It All’, due out 25 September 2020.
Having worked supporting the likes of Iced Earth, The Damned, Wednesday 13 and The Birthday Massacre in the past, South Of Salem are now ready for their shot and while they were good to go, with their first show sold out, ultimately the lockdown put paid to any release party.
‘Cold Day In Hell’, below, is the first song from the album to be released and it is a great piece of Metal, with cracking riffing, catchy chorus and the sweet occasional Zakk Wylde guitar squeal. The song should go down a storm live – when we’re allowed!
Frontman Joey Draper told MetalTalk “‘Cold Day In Hell’ is a twisted homage to the dark and ugly sides of relationships. The lyrics speak of gas lighting and how the worst abuse can come from those who are closest to us.
“It deals with control and emotional abuse. The guilt and fear that can be bestowed upon them. Leading the victim to believe their only option is to stay proverbially chained to their captor.”
As for the album, ‘The Sinner Takes It All’ was recorded at Grindhouse Studios, Suffolk, along with acclaimed producer Scott Atkins, who has worked with Cradle Of Filth, Amon Amarth, Sylosis and Behemoth. While certainly Rock and Metal, there are twists of horror in their songwriting.
Talking about the album, Draper continues: “The lyrics effectively reflect the human race and where we are today as a society and how some people handle relationships, wealth over health… especially right now.
“The album title is a play on ABBA’s 1980 hit ‘The Winner Takes It All’. Mixing the tongue in cheek puns along with such heavy subject matter gives everyone a chance to relate in their own way.
“On a personal note we chose the album title because all the band members have been to hell and back with our lives in recent years. Some of it privy to intimacy, some of it from our experiences of being musicians trying to navigate one of the most mentally challenging industries in business. As I dived deeper in to the lyric writing it became apparent the words had a much broader meaning and chimed with the times.
“Greed, manipulation, corruption, abuse; essentially what we’re tackling here is low life in high (and low) places and even though we’ve seen some positivity come out of this awful Coronavirus pandemic, it’s not enough.
“Sadly, most of the time it is the people that use others, that manipulate and do wrong that ultimately come out on top and leave a trail of mental health and wellbeing issues in their wake.
‘The Sinner Takes It All’ represents the corruption connected to wealth and power. How in dark times the rich become more affluent and the poor become more disconnected.
During the current pandemic, small businesses are going under and people are more reliant on their government. Human beings abusing others, when they should be helping one another. The sinners are truly preparing to take it all. Enough is enough!”
South of Salem’s debut album ‘The Sinner Takes It All’ is released 25 September 2020.
Tracklist:
1. Let Us Prey
2. The Hate In Me
3. No Plague Like Home
4. Pretty Little Nightmare
5. Made To Be Mine
6. Cold Day In Hell
7. Demons Are Forever (ft. Alex Avdis of Red Method)
8. Another Nail In My Coffin
9. Severely Yours
10. Dead Hearts Don’t Break
