A fan-favorite metal band is set to drop a new album despite a nearly two-decade hiatus and two members recently dying of cancer.
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Indeed, Swedish d-beat (a subgenre of hardcore punk with very aggresive drum beats) outfit Disfear will release their fittingly titled The Last Nail on Nov. 20. As Stereogum points out, the metal band's last album, Live the Storm, debuted all the way back in 2008. Meanwhile, two of the band's members, vocalist Tomas Lindberg and drummer Marcus Andersson, died of cancer within the past two years.
With that in mind, fans weren't expecting another album, let alone one with new material.
However, Disfear managed to record one last studio effort before Lindberg and Andersson passed away. The metal outfit teased fans earlier this year by dropping a single from the upcoming album, once again fittingly titled "Early Graves." Given the cancer battles Lindberg and Andersson were undergoing, it's clear mortality was a theme the band was grappling with (their bassist Henke Frykman also passed from cancer in 2011).
Disfear Debuts 2nd Single Off of Upcoming Album
That said, The Last Nail won't be a straight funeral dirge. Disfear dropped another single from the forthcoming album on Oct. 20, and it's decidely more upbeat. The single, "Shackled to Our Vice," channels 1980s-era Motörhead, and is clearly meant to be a love letter to fans, offering them a chance to trimuphantly headbang to the beat.
Indeed, the comments section on the metal band's YouTube post of the new track is filled with ecstatic fans.
"Great addition to the legacy of Tompa and Marcus, love the Motorhead vibes too," one fan wrote. "Awesome! Channeling big-time Fast Eddie vibes! Rest in Power, Tomas, Marcus and all of Motorhead," another fan offered.
Of course, more than a few fans admitted feeling pangs knowing this would likely be Disfear's final album.
"This makes me both happy and sad," one fan admitted. "I've been listening to Disfear since the late '90s, so it's... bittersweet," they added. "Thank you, guys, for This Masterpiece. In Memory of Tomas Lindberg and Marcus Andersson, R.I.P," yet another fan chimed in.
The Last Nail will be driven into fans' earholes on Nov. 20 via Relapse Records.
