Concepción melodic death metal band SOULBURNER return to the political events behind “Fade Away” with a newly recorded version of the song, the first single from their forthcoming album Metanoia. Featuring guest vocals by Mårten Hansen of A CANOROUS QUINTET and THIS ENDING, the recording revisits lyrics inspired by Chile’s October 2019 social uprising.
In their announcement, SOULBURNER explain that the song first appeared in a pandemic-era version made with the equipment and recording conditions available at the time. The decision to record it again reflects both their ambitions for its sound and their continued connection to its subject. “We always felt this song deserved more, so we decided to record it again and finally give it the sound and quality it deserves,” the band state.
The lyrics draw on the political events that led to the estallido social. SOULBURNER connect the song’s return to their view of the political and social climate in Chile and elsewhere in South America: “This is another important reason why we chose to bring ‘Fade Away’ back for our new album.” Their statement specifically recalls October 18, 2019, describing it as a date that left a lasting mark on the country’s history.
Hansen’s guest appearance adds a Swedish connection to a band whose stated influences have long combined Swedish and American death metal. SOULBURNER describe their admiration for his work and say his involvement makes the new recording particularly meaningful to them. The accompanying official video includes footage from their REC Festival performance, alongside imagery connected to the lyrics.
The announcement scheduled the “Fade Away” video premiere for Sunday, October 18, and said the complete Metanoia album would reach major digital platforms the following week. It also unveiled the album’s cover artwork. No exact album release date was supplied. The accompanying biography describes the completed record as pursuing a darker, heavier and more melodic direction, and states that the band were seeking a label for its release.
Formed in Concepción in 1997, SOULBURNER have built a recording and live history spanning Chile and Europe. Their supplied biography lists appearances alongside DISMEMBER, KREATOR, DEICIDE, VADER, UNLEASHED, KATAKLYSM, MONSTROSITY, CARACH ANGREN and ABYSMAL DAWN, as well as underground shows.
The political focus of “Fade Away” also has a precedent in Self Deceiver, whose accompanying band description addresses abuses of political, economic and spiritual power in Chile and internationally. That record combined Gothenburg influences with the band’s North American death metal roots. With Metanoia, SOULBURNER bring a song from their pandemic recordings into a new album while retaining its explicitly Chilean lyrical context.
