TRACKLIST Cardinals Folly: 1. Ilian of Garathorm 2. The Swordwoman 3. Bastard Steel 4. Voyage of the Sunchaser 5. Shadowy Sisterhood 6. The Black God s Kiss First full-length from firebrand Canadian quintet that escapes into realms of fantasy, glory and heroism, all under the banner of epic doom and power metal! Buoyed by the success of their The Sword Woman demo comes Smoulder, a Canadian epic doom/power metal quintet who combines obscure metal savvy with brilliant storytelling on their first full-length, Times of Obscene Evil and Wild Daring. An impromptu jam session at a house party was all it took to light the fire under Canadian metal aficionados Sarah Ann and Shon Vincent. The two shared a fondness for doom bands such as Reverend Bizarre, Lamp of Thoth and Solitude Aeternus, utilizing this synchronicity to throw around ideas that while crude, were the foundation for what was to come. Originally, Sarah was on drums; Vincent on guitar and vocals, resulting in the name Smoulder, as in smouldering ruins. After doing the perfunctory check on Metal Archives to ensure the name wasn t taken, Smoulder was forged in 2013. Smoulder s first few years was slow-going, though, as the two struggled to find reliable bandmates in their hometown of Calgary. The pair relocated to Toronto in 2017 and came to the realization Sarah would be better off singing and Vincent should concentrate solely on guitar. Faced with the high costs of a rehearsal room and delaying the band for another year so they could afford space, Sarah and Vincent reached across the border to Illinois to secure the services of Collin Wolf (guitar) and Kevin Hester (drums). Shortly thereafter, Smoulder trekked into the studio to record their debut 2018 demo, The Sword Woman. The Sword Woman was released by Hoove Child Records on a limited run of 100 copies. The demo quickly sold-out, prompting the band and label to push the run to 150 which sold out just as quickly. Soon, the label had no choice but to press a 300 run of the demo to vinyl. Smoulder (who are completed by bassist Adam Blake) eventually caught the eye of Cruz Del Sur Music. Pen now put to paper, the band got to work on its first full-length, Times of Obscene Evil and Wild Daring. Recorded throughout 2018 at Chicago s Swift Road Studios and Toronto s Lincoln County Social Club, Times of Obscene Evil and Wild Daring was mixed and mastered by Arthur Rizk (Eternal Champion, Sumerlands). Artwork is courtesy of iconic fantasy painter Michael Whelan (Cirith Ungol). Featuring six songs of climatic and challenging epic doom crossed with elements of power metal, Times of Obscene Evil... is the result of countless songwriting sessions and intercontinental file-sharing. With lyrics provoking the imagination while testing the mind, Smoulder emboldens the listener with literary and fantasy-driven stories on cuts like the nine-minute epic The Black God s Kiss, power metal-ripper Bastard Steel and Shadowy Sisterhood, Smoulder s ode to Iron Maiden s immortal Rime of the Ancient Mariner.
