Danish metallers Gradience just dropped their new single and video, “Master To The Slave.” This track is the first taste of their forthcoming full-length album, which is set to arrive later this year via their new label home, Metal Blade Records.
Gradience isn’t your typical metal band. They smash the lines between apocalyptic, sludgy blackened death metal and dark urban trap-rap. You’ll find disarmingly emotive vocals, glacial synths, and hypnotic sonic details mixed into their sound. It might sound confusing at first, but it’s a genuine blend born from a unique friendship.
The band started back in 2022 when guitarist Jakob Harris (a visual artist and musician from a “popcore band”) and vocalist Gavin Mistry (involved in “different hip-hop constellations”) met at a Cabal show in Copenhagen. They hit it off and found common ground in exploring this new musical territory.
“It just feels completely natural for us to mix everything,” notes Harris. “We’re really up for whatever label people want to put on us. We’ve actually found it difficult for ourselves to narrow it down, but we like to think of ourselves as just being a metal band. We’ve used the description ‘blackened rap metal’ just to catch people’s attention. But to me, rap is just a tool we use to convey an emotion or feel, just like we use screams and melody. We’ve found different styles of rap and singing that suit Gavin really well, and when we’re writing vocals for a song, we’re only thinking about what would be the best fit with the energy and vibe. For us, there needs to be an emotional connection in order for heavy music to resonate with the listener on a deeper level.”
Harris also commented on the new single:
“The song is about Gavin’s struggle with managing his self-destructiveness and we wanted the video to feel like a physical manifestation of Gavin’s internal war. The moment in the music video where the hangman’s noose becomes a crown of rope is a deliberate visual metaphor of Gavin gaining the upper hand of what could potentially destroy him.”
Band Lineup:
- Gavin Mistry – vocals
- Jakob Lærke Harris – guitars, vocals
- Frederik Kjelstrup Hansen – drums
- Patrick Petersen – bass
Stay tuned for more news on Gradience in the weeks to come. We’ll be keeping an ear out for that Metal Blade full-length.
Gradience have been making waves, and their newest music deserves your full attention. Head over and stream them on The Underground Kings.
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