Experimental psych-rock institution Grails have announced they will release Chalice Hymnal, their first new studio album in nearly six years, via longtime label Temporary Residence Ltd. on February 17, 2017. Produced by the band over the past five years, Chalice Hymnal bears some of the European psych and experimental hip-hop production techniques of founding members Alex Hall and Emil Amos‘ other group, Lilacs & Champagne. Amos’ meditative metal band, Om, and longtime singer-songwriter project, Holy Sons, also naturally find their way into the Chalice cauldron. Rounding out their leaner line-up, cofounder Zak Riles (also of experimental kraut-psych trio, Watter) layers synths and programming into an electronic-prog hybrid that pushes Grails further into the deep end, displaying a profound resonance, both musically and emotionally.
When Grails dropped their fifth studio album, Deep Politics in 2011, it was instantly hailed as a cult classic and became the moment when Grails truly cultivated a sound all their own. Rather than pick up where they left off, Grails take the sky-high riff-based heaviness of their earlier albums and distill it into a nuanced, widescreen opus. The perennial influences of mid-20th century Western film scores, obscure library music, and psychedelic krautrock are indelibly imprinted, but Chalice Hymnal exudes an eerie patience in unfurling the many layers of its subtle details. No one else sounds like Grails, and on Chalice Hymnal they sound more like themselves than ever before.
Grails will be on tour in Europe in 2017 – UK & Ireland dates below:
Tuesday 7th March – Glasgow, Stereo
Wednesday 8th March – Belfast, Empire Music Hall
Thursday 9th March – Dublin, Whelans
Friday 10th March – Manchester, Deaf Institute
Saturday 11th March – London, Oslo
