Mental Cruelty have just put up a new single titled “The Serpent Of Midgard“. The German blackened deathcore outfit continue their foray into Norse mythology with this latest track, as the band collectively explained below:
“On last year’s ‘Helheim,’ we expanded our instruments beyond typical deathcore fare (guitar, bass, drums and, of course, monstrous vocals) to include folk music’s talharpa, aiding in the telling of Norse mythology’s Hel. It’s only appropriate we continue darkening our sound with more black metal and melodeath inspirations as we tell the story of her brother, Jörmungandr, the titular ‘Serpent of Midgard,’ in his epic ocean battle with his uncle Thor. For those unfamiliar with the folklore, it ends in both of their demises: talk about family issues!
Musically, we wanted to capture the intensity of the conflict, with our guitarist Nahuel Lozano’s working title of ‘Gojibehe’ summing up key influences. You can guess those, but we’ll spell out the inspiration behind the chunky mid-section and the closest thing we get to a full-on breakdown here: our brothers Signs of the Swarm and the insane tones on their latest album!
But while we learned from bands we look up to and friends alike musically, sadly, we never learn from ourselves and once again shot the music video in subzero temperatures. The results are worth it—you can see for yourself—but damn, that was cold.”
Rob Reva directed the below music video for the song. Mental Cruelty will undertake their first-ever European/UK headlining run this fall, bringing along Ov Sulfur and Extermination Dismemberment for the duration. Sun Eater and Arcanius will split the opening duties across separate legs.
With Sun Eater:
11/27 Rotterdam, NET – Baroeg
11/28 Koln, GER – Club Volta
11/29 Nijmegen, NET – Doornrosje
11/30 Birmingha, UK – Asylum
12/02 Manchester, UK – Academy 3
12/03 London, UK – Downstairs At The Dome
12/04 Paris, FRA – Glazart
12/05 Antwerp, BEL – Zappa
With Arcanius:
12/06 Hamburg, GER – Bahnhof Pauli
12/07 Copenhagen, DEN – Hotel Cecil
12/08 Stockholm, SWE – Kollektivet Livet
12/10 Jyväskylä, FIN – Luttako
12/11 Helsinki, FIN – Ääniwalli
12/13 Gothenburg, SWE – Monument
12/14 Berlin, GER – Hole 44
12/15 Prague, CZE – Rock Cafe
12/16 Frankfurt, GER – Das Bett
12/17 Munchen, GER – Backstage
12/18 Aarau, SWI – KIFF
12/19 Schweinfurt, GER – Alter Stattbahnhof
12/20 Karlsruhe, GER – Substage
