From Seattle, Washington, Yellfire announces the release of its first full-length album, Dear Gods, coming November 15th on The Ghost Is Clear Records.
Stream new track "Into Fire," here:
https://theghostisclearrecords.limitedrun.com/products/835336
Founded in Seattle toward the end of the last decade, armed with a moniker chosen because it evokes "someone spitting hellfire out of their mouth," Yellfire released its debut EP, Lara Flynn Boyle, in 2019. Crucial to the band's story is the fact that the members were born and raised outside the cultural hub to which they migrated. Sauer, along with guitarist Eric Christianson, bassist Nouela Johnston (replaced by Casey Nolan), and drummer Trent McIntyre, all came of age in outlying towns in the vicinities of Bellingham, Bremerton, and Tacoma – near, but outside, Seattle. One by one, feeling the magnetic pull of the Emerald City and eventually relocating there, the band members each brought with them the sense of awe and gratitude that can only come from living on the fringe. Nothing is taken for granted; every note is played like it is a matter of life or death.
"While we've lived in Seattle for quite a while, all of us came up in small towns," states guitarist Eric Christianson. "We devoured zines and alt-weeklies growing up – Maximumrocknroll, HeartattaCk, Punk Planet, The Stranger. The bigger local bands – Botch, Akimbo, Murder City Devils – as well as the touring bands that came through, were giants to us. So, while we've moved to the city, and have been playing here for years and are peers with a lot of these people now, it still doesn't feel real."
To make such a special album, the band ventured to a special studio: Dear Gods was recorded by Jason Sissoyev at The Unknown, a converted church in Anacortes, Washington, co-owned by Mt. Eerie's Phil Elverum. Drummer Trent McIntyre describes this singular place: "It is a Catholic Church from the 1920s. The upstairs was turned into a studio space in 2010, but it definitely still has a lot of its original features. The main room has huge vaulted ceilings, and is incredible for drums, if you like that giant massive room sound. It’s definitely a special space, and even has some haunted vibes. Ask about the 'crying room' in the tower."
Artwork by Frank Moth
Mixed by Matt Bayles (Minus the Bear, Mastodon) and mastered by Magnus Lindberg (Cult of Luna, Birds in Row), Dear Gods is a towering, thunderous piece of work that carries forth the spirit of the Pacific Northwest's greatest earth-shakers. Operating at the nexus of noise rock and hardcore, Yellfire's sound is the fusion of rain-soaked despair and snapped-wire urgency.
With guest vocals by John Pettibone (Undertow, Himsa, Heiress), the opening track, "Into Fire," is a downward-spiraling call-to-arms that sets things off in no uncertain terms. A storm of growling bass, wild-eyed vocals, cannon-fire drums, and dual guitars, the song descends like a black blanket of clouds devouring a city skyline, bolts of lightning blazing. With no subtlety at all, the lyrics illustrate the song's title: "Ready and waiting / Covered in accelerant from head to toe / Throw me into the fire / Show me to my pyre."
With guest vocals by John Pettibone (Undertow, Himsa, Heiress), the opening track, "Into Fire," is a downward-spiraling call-to-arms that sets things off in no uncertain terms. A storm of growling bass, wild-eyed vocals, cannon-fire drums, and dual guitars, the song descends like a black blanket of clouds devouring a city skyline, bolts of lightning blazing. With no subtlety at all, the lyrics illustrate the song's title: "Ready and waiting / Covered in accelerant from head to toe / Throw me into the fire / Show me to my pyre."
Vocalist/guitarist Jerome Sauer explains that the theme of flammability runs deep: "I am intrigued by fire's destructive and creative characteristics. My father is a ceramic artist and fires in an anagama kiln, an ancient Japanese technique of firing pottery, that involves stoking wood every two hours in a kiln for a week. During the process, they’ll open the doors to the 2300-degree heat and you can peer in to see the flames whirling around the molten red pottery, seeing the creation of art but also, the sheer violence and fury."
Founded in Seattle toward the end of the last decade, armed with a moniker chosen because it evokes "someone spitting hellfire out of their mouth," Yellfire released its debut EP, Lara Flynn Boyle, in 2019. Crucial to the band's story is the fact that the members were born and raised outside the cultural hub to which they migrated. Sauer, along with guitarist Eric Christianson, bassist Nouela Johnston (replaced by Casey Nolan), and drummer Trent McIntyre, all came of age in outlying towns in the vicinities of Bellingham, Bremerton, and Tacoma – near, but outside, Seattle. One by one, feeling the magnetic pull of the Emerald City and eventually relocating there, the band members each brought with them the sense of awe and gratitude that can only come from living on the fringe. Nothing is taken for granted; every note is played like it is a matter of life or death.
"While we've lived in Seattle for quite a while, all of us came up in small towns," states guitarist Eric Christianson. "We devoured zines and alt-weeklies growing up – Maximumrocknroll, HeartattaCk, Punk Planet, The Stranger. The bigger local bands – Botch, Akimbo, Murder City Devils – as well as the touring bands that came through, were giants to us. So, while we've moved to the city, and have been playing here for years and are peers with a lot of these people now, it still doesn't feel real."
Bassist Casey Nolan concurs, as she describes growing up in the shadow of so many storied musicians in the region: "You might think you’re going to a regular yard sale, only to have it be the guy from Earth selling some of his books and old band shirts. Or you think you might be moving into another college town slumlord house, only to find it is the original Death Cab studio before they were Death Cab."
If Yellfire's place amidst their heroes "doesn't feel real," the release of Dear Gods is going to change that. The album is a massive achievement that puts the band right there in the ranks of the greats. As a means of honoring the scene within which they have found their home, the band enlisted a slew of local friends to lend their voices to Dear Gods: first single "Into Fire" features the roar of John Pettibone; "Escape" features Demian Johnston (Great Falls, Kiss It Goodbye, Playing Enemy); "Cynics Revision" features former Yellfire member Nouela Johnston and Minus the Bear's Matt Bayles whose world-class mixing skills also helped bring the album to life; "Red Sky" features Ben Verellen (Harkonen, Helms Alee).
To make such a special album, the band ventured to a special studio: Dear Gods was recorded by Jason Sissoyev at The Unknown, a converted church in Anacortes, Washington, co-owned by Mt. Eerie's Phil Elverum. Drummer Trent McIntyre describes this singular place: "It is a Catholic Church from the 1920s. The upstairs was turned into a studio space in 2010, but it definitely still has a lot of its original features. The main room has huge vaulted ceilings, and is incredible for drums, if you like that giant massive room sound. It’s definitely a special space, and even has some haunted vibes. Ask about the 'crying room' in the tower."
Additional tracking was done with the help of Derek Moree (Pelican, The Sword) at The Boiler Room in Seattle.
With the album out November 15th on The Ghost Is Clear, Yellfire's fall schedule includes slots on Massif Fest in British Columbia, alongside the likes of Fucked Up and KEN mode, and Rat City Recon in Seattle, with High on Fire, Sandrider, and more.
Tracklist:
1) Into Fire (feat. John Pettibone)
2) Anti Inverted
3) Escape (feat. Demian Johnston)
4) Cynics Revision (feat. Nouela Johnston, Matt Bayles)
5) Fuji
6) Unrelated Incident
7) Symmetry
8) Wabi Sabi
9) One Into the Other
10) Carbon
11) Red Sky (feat. Ben Verellen)
Upcoming shows:
Sep 25 - Bellingham, WA @ Church of the Divine Man
Sep 27 - Vernon, BC @ BBDB’s
Sep 28 - Nelson, BC @ Massif Fest
Oct 26 - Seattle, WA @ Rat City Recon
With the album out November 15th on The Ghost Is Clear, Yellfire's fall schedule includes slots on Massif Fest in British Columbia, alongside the likes of Fucked Up and KEN mode, and Rat City Recon in Seattle, with High on Fire, Sandrider, and more.
Tracklist:
1) Into Fire (feat. John Pettibone)
2) Anti Inverted
3) Escape (feat. Demian Johnston)
4) Cynics Revision (feat. Nouela Johnston, Matt Bayles)
5) Fuji
6) Unrelated Incident
7) Symmetry
8) Wabi Sabi
9) One Into the Other
10) Carbon
11) Red Sky (feat. Ben Verellen)
Upcoming shows:
Sep 25 - Bellingham, WA @ Church of the Divine Man
Sep 27 - Vernon, BC @ BBDB’s
Sep 28 - Nelson, BC @ Massif Fest
Oct 26 - Seattle, WA @ Rat City Recon
Lineup:
Jerome Sauer - vocals, guitar
Eric Christianson - guitar
Casey Nolan - bass
Trent McIntyre - drums
Photos by Taylor Jones
Jerome Sauer - vocals, guitar
Eric Christianson - guitar
Casey Nolan - bass
Trent McIntyre - drums
Photos by Taylor Jones
Artwork by Frank Moth
