Deathchant – Kova

We are all at the unforgiving whim of life's extremes. For every moment of overwhelming sorrow, there's another of indescribable bliss. For every death, there's a birth. For all of the darkness, there's just as much light. Deathchant have never shied away from extremes. Their sound seamlessly oscillates from high-octane rubber-burning riffs and gravelly chants to purring feedback and melodies as expansive as the desert at night. After gathering millions of streams, earning enthusiastic acclaim, and an endless string of packed shows, the Los Angeles, CA quartet-Thomas J Lemieux a.k.a. TJ [guitar, vocals, keys, bass], Doug Stuckey [guitar, vocals], Quinn-George Camacho [bass], and Nick Joose McDonnell [drums]-explore life's highs, lows, and everything in between on their fourth full-length LP, KOVA [RidingEasy Records]. Named after their late friend Davey Kova, it's simultaneously a raucous send-off worthy of a Viking, an introspective look at manhood, and a dyed-in-the-wool badass barnstorming hard rock record.To me, Deathchant means very intense brotherhood and friendship, observes TJ. I have a truly safe place to express every facet of myself. Even though we're really heavy, this is also a vehicle for me to explore softer sides of music and wear my heart on my sleeve. For the last nine years, it's allowed me to be a raw nerve. It was often brutal, because we lived our lives in the world of motorcycle culture, drugs, and partying. At the same time, I always had space for reflection. We implicitly trust one another. It's rare for a friendship-let alone a four-way working relationship. I recently became a new dad, went through a divorce, and experienced serious loss. All of these massive shifts fed into the music, making it angrier, but more revealing and intimate.Back in 2018, Deathchant began to make noise on the West Coast. The group captivated a cult-like audience with the self-titled Deathchant [2019], Waste [2021], and Thrones [2023]. They landed looks from CBS News, Angry Metal Guy, and It's Psychedelic Baby Magazine who marveled at their combination of rumbling noise, chiming guitar melodies, bluesy boogie, NWOBHM thrash, and punk fury. Plus, they ignited the YouTube channel Jam In The Van with a fiery performance and canvased the globe on tour, playing at festivals such as Psycho Las Vegas, Desertfest Belgium, Keep It Low Festival, and SonicBlast Festival. While writing KOVA, they said goodbye to it's namesake.My best friend Davey Kova was a dude who white-knuckled life, treated each day like it was his last, took chances, rode fast, and partied hard, but he was the sweetest guy you could ever meet, sighs TJ. It's a weird way to live, yet it's beautiful. He passed away during the writing process. The record seemed to finish itself after that. The album is a eulogy to not just Davey, but countless friends we've lost in the last couple of years.The lyrics lined up with everything else, he says. It's the human existence of battling addiction and living life to the fullest.Ultimately, this is the soundtrack for waking up and going full throttle in pursuit of whatever drives you.