Black Tusk came roaring out of the Savannah swamplands nearly twenty years ago, but the sludge metal veterans aren’t looking back anytime soon. On their seventh album, The Way Forward, the band blaze full steam into the future behind the force of their new yet familiar lineup.
“This record represents our steadfast resolve to keep making music together as a band and evolve our sound”, says Andrew Fidler, Black Tusk’s longtime guitarist and co-vocalist.
The Way Forward comes out tomorrow, Friday, April 26, but you can hear all 11 hard-hitting tracks today on the Season of Mist YouTube channel.
Listen to the full album stream: https://youtu.be/gUx_zKqsPs0
Pre-order: https://shop.season-of-mist.com/list/black-tusk-the-way-forward
Pre-save: https://orcd.co/thewayforwardpresave
The Way Forward pulls no punches. Right from the rip, album opener “Out of Grasp” charges head-on to the relentless chop of James May’s snare drum. Lead single “Brush Fire” quickly grabs the baton and lights it up like a Molotov cocktail. New bassist Derek Lynch makes one hell of a first impression. “I watch you burn!” he spits, already spewing with righteous fury.
“Derek said he’d never done heavy vocals before, so I was like, ‘Well, here’s the mic. Here’s some words. Yell at it and see if you like it.’”, says Fidler. “I was blown away the first time he did it. It sounded good as fuck.”
Black Tusk recorded The Way Forward at Hidden Audio, a studio run by frequent collaborator and now official member Chris “Scary” Adams. Not only did Scary handle the production, but he locks horns with Fidler, making this the band’s first album to feature a two guitar attack. On “Dance on Your Grave”, Fidler lays down a boot-stomping riff so Scary can rip into a solo that never stops climbing.
Of course, no band makes it 19 years without having to shovel their share of shit. “The big theme of this record is putting your life back together”, Fidler says. Black Tusk have switched labels and lost members, all while navigating the bumps in the road that come with being tour musicians. But The Way Forward leaves those past misgivings in the rear view. “Sometimes the worst things you’ve ever seen or done end up being the best thing that’s ever happened to you”, May says.
“Breath of Life” opens with murky synths that swirl like a depressive fog, but that’s just the quiet before the storm. Over fuming distortion, together, Black Tusk reach for something that sounds close to a silver lining. “Mercy in suffering, all I see“, they scream in unison.
“The title is kind of a double play,” Fidler says. “It’s the first record with the new lineup, and this is the direction we’re taking the band in. We’ve been doing Black Tusk for 19 years now, and we still love it. That’s why we called it The Way Forward.”
Early praise for The Way Forward
“They are harder and heavier than ever on this record…Nearly twenty years into their career, Black Tusk show no sign of stopping or slowing down” – Metal Sucks (4/5)
“Powerful, defiant music… a record that fills you with the urge to fight for the future, windmilling like a maniac” – Distorted Sound (8/10)
“A record that just rocks, and rocks hard” – Wonderbox Metal
“The Way Forward is Black Tusk doing what they do best and that’s playing a ton of fucked up and fast-paced grooves that destroy everything within its wake”. – Outlaws of the Sun
More praise for Black Tusk
“A raucous style of punky, hard rocking sludge, with minimum fuss and ample bursts of energy and ballsy aggression” – Angry Metal Guy
“Chaotic and raw, but also extremely catchy and memorable” – Metal Injection
“A no frills band that goes full throttle. Black Tusk are here to stay” – Heavy Music HQ
“An engine-wrecking riff-fest from the Savannah badlands” – Metal Hammer
“Black Tusk are pretty much the only Georgia metal act who still sound like they hail from the home state of Sandra Dee and Uga” – Invisible Oranges
“Alive, raw, furious, loud…they almost make your face vibrate” – Heavy Blog is Heavy
“Black Tusk’s combination of sludge, rock, hardcore and death metal remains fluid, fertile and most importantly, full of life” – Pitchfork
Celebrate The Way Forward with Black Tusk’s new four-piece lineup this Friday, April 26, at their free record release show! Joining the party at Congress Street Social Club are special guests Bronco and fellow Savannahians The Maxines.
Black Tusk will then hit the road in May for more shows with fans down south.
Black Tusk The Way Forward Tour Dates
April 26 Savannah, GA @ Congress St. Social Club [FREE SHOW]
May 23 Atlanta, GA @ Boggs Social & Supply [TICKETS]
May 24 Orlando, FL @ Will’s Pub [TICKETS]
May 25 Stuart, FL @ East Ocean Pub [TICKETS]
May 26 Jacksonville, FL @ Rain Dogs [TICKETS]
Tracklist
1. Out Of Grasp – 2:47
2. Brushfire – 2:22 [LISTEN]
3. Harness (The Alchemist) – 2:35
4. Lessons Through Deception – 2:14
5. Breath Of Life – 5:12
6. Dance On Your Grave – 2:54
7. Against The Undertow – 3:06
8. Lift Yourself – 3:31
9. Ocean Of Obsidian – 2:50
10. Flee From Dawn – 3:38
11. The Way Forward – 4:40
Total runtime: 35:54
“The big theme of this record is putting your life back together.” That’s Black Tusk guitarist/vocalist Andrew Fidler talking about the band’s new album, The Way Forward. “When everything seems like it’s against you, put your head down and push through. Take those bad things that are happening and use them to help create.”
The Way Forward might be the Savannah swamp metal crew’s seventh album, but it marks many firsts for Black Tusk. It’s their first with their new lineup, which sees guitarist Chris “Scary” Adams and bassist Derek Lynch joining Fidler and drummer James May. Which also makes it Black Tusk’s first record with a two-guitar lineup. “We were able to add leads and harmonies and all kinds of stuff on the new record that we haven’t done in the past,” Fidler says. “As far as our records go, this one has the most guitar work.”
You can hear it in the squealing solo of “Dance on Your Grave,” the killer harmonies on ripper “Harness (The Alchemist),” and the glorious dual guitar interplay of the powerful title track.
“‘The Way Forward’ is my favorite song on the record,” Fidler says. “It’s based on a personal experience that everyone can probably relate to. I got divorced in 2020, and I kinda felt like my entire world was collapsing when that happened. But I pulled myself out of it. I realized that this one thing ending in my life isn’t the end of everything. I’m gonna find a way forward. I’m gonna figure out how to live my life and create and be happy and make new relationships. Which is what I’ve done.”
In true Black Tusk fashion, the new lineup has expanded their triple-vocal approach to quadruple. “Everyone is doing vocals,” Fidler says. “That’s always been a thing in Black Tusk. Derek said he’d never done heavy vocals before, so I was like, ‘Well, here’s the mic. Here’s some words. Yell at it and see if you like it.’ I was blown away the first time he did it. It sounded good as fuck.”
That’s Lynch on lead single “Brushfire,” a song for which he wrote the main riffs and lyrical concept. “That was my first real contribution to the band,” the bassist says. “Thematically, I wanted the aggressiveness of the lyrics to keep with the idea of pushing forward even when the world is trying to drag you down. The mood of the lyrics needed to match the pulverizing tempo of the song.”
The lyrics for second single “Dance on Your Grave” were written by May, who moved from Savannah to Athens, GA, in the time since Black Tusk’s last album. “It’s about his struggles through Covid and what this lifestyle can do to people,” Fidler says. “It’s about getting past the party lifestyle and continuing to do things that are creative.”
Meanwhile, “Breath of Life” distills Black Tusk’s lyrical philosophy into a righteous five-minute pummeling. “Scary came up with the main riff of this song, and it’s one of my favorite riffs on the record,” Fidler says. “I wrote the lyrics, and it’s just about darkness crushing everything. The world is a fucked-up place that we have to navigate through. That’s what a lot of Black Tusk songs are about.”
Black Tusk recorded The Way Forward at Adams’ own Hidden Audio studio just outside of Savannah. Adams engineered the album and the whole band produced. “I actually helped him build the studio in the detached garage next to his house,” Fidler explains. “Me and my carpentry company went out there to do it, and Scary helped.”
“We had about 90% of the riffs and song structures going into the studio, while still experimenting with ideas and inspirations,” Adams explains. “Sometimes we completely reworked parts, which made all the difference. For example, early versions of ‘Breath of Life’ and ‘The Way Forward’ are quite different than the record, and I love where they ended up. Though we did use a few effects and synths here and there for texture and space, to me this record still feels raw and powerful. It captures the feeling of being at a Black Tusk show.”
The cover art for The Way Forward was done by Brian Mercer, who also created the sleeve for Black Tusk’s 2018 album, T.C.B.T. “T.C.B.T. had a dark cover because it was a dark time for the band,” Fidler says, referring to the period immediately after the passing of their longtime friend and bassist Jonathan Athon. “This time, it’s full blown, full-color Black Tusk. Brian Mercer and James collaborated on the concept, and Brian really knocked it out of the park.”
“The title is kind of a double play,” Fidler says. “It’s the first record with the new lineup, and this is the direction we’re taking the band in. We’ve been doing Black Tusk for 19 years now, and we still love it. That’s why we called it The Way Forward.”
Line-up:
Andrew Fidler: guitar, vocals
James May: drums, vocals
Derek Lynch: bass, vocals
Chris “Scary” Adams: guitar, vocals
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