Buried In Verona has today released their new album ‘Vultures Above, Lions Below‘ on UNFD.
Next month they’ll hit the road to launch it, and have announced an addition to the tour. Melbourne’s Void Of Vision will now jump on board the dates, whilst the already announced Hand Of Mercy have revealed it will be their final tour, and they’ll have their original singer Scott Bird returning to the line up for this last hurrah.
You can order the new album on CD, or in bundles [Here].
To find out more about the album, the band took the time to answer our On The Record questions this week. Take a read and listen to the album below.
‘Vultures Above, Lions Below‘ was mixed and mastered by world renowned engineers Fredrik Nordström and Henrik Udd (Bring Me The Horizon, Architects, Soilwork) at Studio Fredman in Sweden, and was written, produced and recorded entirely by the band – Brett Anderson (vocals), Richie Newman (guitar), and new additions to the line up – Mark Harris (guitar), Brandon Martel (bass) and James Swanson (drums).
The title Vultures Above, Lions Below is in reference to the fact you move up in the world, have success etc there are always people circling and waiting to take anything from you; they are waiting for you to fall or fail so they take what they can when they can, picking at you until there is but a shell to sink back down (Vultures Above). Then, if you do fall from some sort of success there is nothing but the (Lions Below) waiting for you to finish you off. They want to scavenge any remaining parts of you until you don’t exist, until the memory of once great times becomes bitter to even think about. This record is about the positive change we made. We lost all the bullshit that comes with Buried In Verona and found our passion for music once again. We started respecting music and ourselves again and pushed ourselves to write the best piece of work we have ever done.
Tell us about the artwork.
I had the idea of a try simple and striking black and white image of a vulture – something that people would see and straight away make the connection to our new record Vultures Above, Lions Below so I found a perfect image explained the idea to Pat at UNFD who put it all together and killed it. He added things and made the whole booklet flow and we are all stoked with the final result.
What format/s will it be released on and how will it be packaged?
Standard dual case and all digital outlets, hoping for vinyl later in the year.
Who will it be released through, and when?
It will be released through UNFD and Rise Records worldwide on August 7th but pre-orders are up now at buriedinverona.com
Tell us about the studio and why you chose to record there?
We have recorded the last 3 albums in Sweden and Detroit and wanted to do this one at home in Sydney so we had more control and more time to do the record so we went to Oxygen studios in Alexandria – nice studios with a chilled out vibe.
Tell us about the producer / engineer and why you chose to record with them?
We produced and engineered the record ourselves with help from Greg Stace on the engineering side of things.
Did you go into the writing process with a clear direction in mind?
100% we knew what we had to do and what we needed to get out and we didn’t stop until we achieved it.
Were you listening to anything in particular during the writing / recording process that influenced the songs at all?
No we try to cut off listening to other music while writing so we get the most original songs. Sometimes subconsciously you write what you listen to accidentally. There’s nothing worse than getting to the end of writing a song and realising there is a very similar aspect of another song in there.
Were there any albums you were referencing in the studio to aim for a certain type of sound production wise?
No
How long did you spend in the studio recording?
We spent 30 days in the studio this time which was great, but you could always do with a bit more.
We set up the studio to be a really creative environment with lights, moods and inspiring artworks etc and then we just went for it and got the best out of each other when tracking or trying ideas. It was a really positive experience this time.
Was this any different to previous processes you have used?
Much less stress, much less negativity and a renewed passion for music.
Any guests involved? if so, who.. and what did they do?
No not this time.
When it comes do naming the tracks, is there any particular approach or process to it all?
I try to name the tracks to capture the correct vibe of the song; something that compliments the meaning and lyrical content.
Any particular equipment outside your usual live gear used in the process?
Flutes, choirs, strings and lots of experimental stuff using normal gear.
Any memorable studio moments?
For once it all ran like clockwork haha, we just worked our asses off.
Any additional tracks recorded that didn’t make the cut but may see the light of day sometime?
Yeah there are 2 extra tracks that didn’t quite get finished but we plan on redoing them and putting them out one day.
What track/s are you most looking forward to playing live?
As many as possible, but ‘Cant Be Unsaid’ and ‘Vultures Above’ should be great fun.
How would you compare the final product to previous releases?
This record is the best thing we have ever done. It’s in a totally different league to our previous releases.
Anything else you want to say or about the release?
Go check out our new record – it comes out August 7th. Approach it with an open mind and I’m sure you will love it. Fuck anything you think you know about BIV and straight fresh with us as we have with our new music. We love all the people who supported us over the last couple of years as they were extremely hard to get through but you guys were the reason we did.
1. Vultures Above
2. Extraction
3. Dig Me Out
4. Hurricane
5. Separation
6. Can’t Be Unsaid
7. Reflection
8. Done For Good
9. Pathways
10. Unbroken
11. Bring Me Home
12. Lions Below
BURIED IN VERONA
With guests VOID OF VISION, HAND OF MERCY and POLARIS
SEPTEMBER
17th – Fowlers Live, Adelaide [Lic/AA]
18th – Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy [18+]
19th – Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy [AA]
20th – Magpies, Canberra [Lic/AA]
23rd – Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle [18+]
24th – Bald Faced Stag, Sydney [18+]
25th – Bald Faced Stag, Sydney [AA]
26th – The Brightside, Brisbane [18+]
27th – The Lab, Brisbane [AA]
OCTOBER
2nd – Elliot St Bar, Bunbury [18+]
3rd – Amplifier Bar, Perth [18+]
4th – HQ, Adelaide [AA]
—> Tickets available now.
—> For more information, visit [Here].
