Heavy Blog favorites White Arms of Athena have at long last wrapped up new album recording sessions with producer Kurt Ballou (Converge) at God City Studios! It’s been a difficult three year wait since their debut album Astrodrama, which effectively combined the modern prog sensibilities of Between the Buried and Me with Cynic‘s kaleidoscopic touch and Blink-182‘s mastery of hooks. Believe it or not, the sound works, and the band promises a stylistic evolution along with Ballou’s celebrated production.
When we last heard from White Arms bassist Thomas Sifuentes back in 2012, the new material was described as “poppy.” The new track the band performed on tour all of two years ago (!!!) featured clean vocals exclusively, and heavy use of guitar slide. With this in mind, it’s no wonder the group teamed up with Ballou; his work with Torche doesn’t seem so far removed from what White Arms are working with.
Co-produced by Travis Kammeyer (Storm of Light, Generation of Vipers) and mastered by Alan Douches (Baroness, The Dillinger Escape Plan), White Arms’ as of yet untitled new album will be out by year’s end via Prosthetic Records. The completed album and artwork have been sent to the label, so expect more info soon!
– JR