Back in March, U.K.-based death-metal quintet Venom Prison dropped their neck-snapping second album, Samsara — titled for the Buddhist concept of being reborn into a never-ending cycle of suffering.
Before then, it was more like a never-ending cycle of touring for the rising young band, as their critically acclaimed debut Animus led them around the globe. Some of it was fun: Vocalist Larissa Stupar chronicled their eye-opening first-ever run across the U.S. in a zine created for Revolver, Syllogism: A Photographic Journey Across the USA With Venom Prison. But it was also challenging, as illustrated in the band's mini-doc Glitch, about touring life's deleterious impact on mental health. Through it all, guitarists Ash Gray and Ben Thomas wrote obsessively on the road for this sophomore release before the band finally entered the studio in the summer of 2018.
Here, as Venom Prison are just about to start another trek — this time a European run with fellow death metallers Fit for an Autopsy — the band has teamed with Revolver to take fans inside the making of Samsara with a new doc.
"Our relentless touring schedule throughout 2018 fueled our urge to continue to grind and lay down each song harder than before," explains Gray. "The process was grueling, relentless, trying and tough, but the final result of Samsara far outweighs the hell we went through to lay it down.
"Working once again with producer Tom Dring of Vagrant Studios at the helm and mixing and mastering by Arthur Rizk, plus additional company from resident studio dog Walter, saw us through the longest of nights and even longer days. We hope that Samsara shows you our growth as musicians and that you enjoy this visual document."
Watch above as the troupe spends 16 hours a day in the studio tracking all instrumental parts while losing sleep, having snacks, playing Pokémon Go and more.
