New album ‘Näe’bliss’ out June 2023 on independent label
By Luiz Athayde
Progressive/power/groove metal band Red Cain have shared the latest single from their upcoming studio album, entitled Näe’bliss, which is out soon, on June 2. It’s “The Great Hunt”, one of the heaviest tracks from the Calgary, Canada-based band’s repertoire.
They even comment on the aggressive bias of the composition: “This track pushes further into the djent riffs present elsewhere on the album, yet contains all of the usual characteristics of a Red Cain anthem – lush electronic backing, soaring, aggressive vocals, and a pulsing, headbanging groove.”
About this story, the band reveals that “Conceptually, within the album’s theme continuing to revolve around the “Wheel of Time” universe, “The Great Hunt” calls our Forsaken protagonists to begin the hunt for the most dangerous game – their archenemy, the world-breaking Champion of the Light – the Dragon Reborn himself.”
And then adds: “With regression to the status quo threatening, and Chaos the only antidote, will this bold move yield success – or drive the world deeper into the designs of the Wheel? Step up, heft your spear – and join The Great Hunt.” adds the band.”
The record will be number 3 in the group’s discography, and pays homage to Robert Jordan’s fantastic universe, The Wheel of Time (book/TV series). The band explains further:
“We are fascinated by antagonists, why they stand against the “common good”, and how they came to fill that role – and when reading the Wheel of Time, there was the same intrigue behind how the very clearly defined “evil” faction in this world justified its existence. Why did the Forsaken willingly join the Shadow? Why do some men and women want the world to burn, and the Wheel to stop spinning? Within such a carefully crafted narrative and beautifully balanced universe, there were puzzling, unexplored gaps that we were determined to delve deeper into.
And of course, fantasy is but a mirror of reality – so outside WoT lore, these questions apply equally well to the world beyond our window. Which of our idols are false, which heroes degenerate, and what history is a compendium of careful lies? It is all too easy to raise your fist against those labeled evil by the multitudes or a voice above while failing to realize you yourself are the instrument of tyranny and corruption.
We are all massive fantasy fans, and for us, Wheel of Time rubs shoulders with LOTR as a genre-defining epic fantasy series that started it all. The world of the Wheel is a brutal, compelling world with multitudes of fascinating characters, and we were particularly interested in exploring its more visceral aspects – an area that begs to be paired with heavy metal. We’ve seen some of our musical icons, like Blind Guardian, successfully go down this path, and it was magnificent to see new musical interpretations of those stories spun out by them – not to mention some bloody good fun.”
Album pre-order here. Watch and listen to “The Great Hunt” below: