For those not in the know, when Tim Skold, producer and former member of Marilyn Manson’s band, ex-KMFDM member, Motionless In White producer, and co-founder of Swedish metal act Shotgun Messiah, titled his new album Dies Irae - a Latin phrase meaning “Day Of Wrath” - not even he could have imagined what the fates had in store for 2021.

Between political upheavals and violent revolts to a myriad of allegations against established heroes and icons, it seems a day of reckoning may indeed be coming, like a “black cloud on a dirty horizon.”

That’s the image painted by SKOLD in the lead-off track to Dies Irae, the fifth and most aggressive album to date, 'Dirty Horizon,' a heavy-as-fu*k metal anthem that grabs you by the throat with its opening riff and doesn’t let up for the entirety of its 4-minute running time!

1. 'Dirty Horizon'
2. 'Unspoken'
3. 'The End Is Near'
4. 'Terrified'
5. 'Love Is A Disease'
6. 'This Is The Way'
7. 'Silicon Dreams'
8. 'As Above So Below'
9. 'Kill Yourself'
10. 'Goodbye'

Opening with that very same bold and powerful track ('Dirty Horizon'), and one that suggests that this particular beginning is in fact the beginning of the end, “Goodbye and goodnight / Everything is alright / Blinded by starlight / Everything is fine / Just let it BURN,”, they back that up with the lighter fare of both 'Unspoken' and SKOLD's revolution ode 'The End Is Near,' before the Gary Numan-esque brilliance of his lyrical musings on death come to the fore on 'Terrified.'

The electro pulse of the romantic 'Love Is A Disease' is then backed by the thrasher 'This Is The Way' and the Goth electronica of 'Silicon Dreams,' and then we get another stand out cut in the form of the harmonic 'As Above So Below,' with the album coming to a close on the dark synth of 'Kill Yourself' and the melodically-toned 'Goodbye.'

As for SKOLD himself, after 3 decades of making music, he is determined as ever to remain true to his vision and defy audience expectations, saying “I really don’t know what people expect but I think that is a good thing. The idea is that if I just stick to doing my thing I will somehow retain the original enthusiasm and it is actually working, I’m literally getting more inspired the further down the rabbit hole I go. It’s getting scary.”

Dies Irae features artwork from hugely talented German artist Sebastian Nabel showcased beautifully on reverse-board digipak for CD plus a special limited edition vinyl edition with a reverse-board jacket and full-color inner sleeve housing a gorgeous CLEAR vinyl LP!

Official Purchase Links

www.skold.com

SKOLD @ Facebook

SKOLD @ Instagram

SKOLD - 'Dirty Horizon' (Official Music Video)