Austin's Destroyer of Light make melodic doom metal that's as informed by lysergic genre leaders like Black Sabbath and Sleep as it is by more left-field influences like the Cure and Depeche Mode. It makes for a darkly catchy and atmospheric sound that should appeal to fans of the aforementioned bands, as well as Type O Negative and Pallbearer, the latter of whom they've supported on tour.
The group are gearing up to release their new album, Panic, in November (pre-order it here), and today (October 19th), they've teamed with Revolver to premiere lead single "Contagion," a devastatingly heavy yet infectiously hooky song with lyrics that resonate strongly of our pandemic age — even though, believe it or not, it was written before COVID struck. Crank it via YouTube above, and read the lyrics below.
"Thematically, the album deals with natural disasters and people losing their minds as a result," Destroyer of Light vocalist-guitarist Steve Colca tells us. "They become selfish in panicked situations. This song, 'Contagion,' is about a virus that is causing people to go crazy and turn on each other. End-of-the-world type paranoia and chaos-type mania. Ironically, I wrote this song — the music and lyrics — prior to the pandemic. There's some moments of calm in the song, but ultimately it becomes heavingly heavy."
"Contagion" lyrics:
I'm on the outside looking in.
This virus they test could prove our end.
Anxiety within creates more fear.
I should go stop them before we die.
How many days left before we find
the cure that will heal us from this big change
Yesterday, everything was just fine
Now we're turning and killing our kind.
I'm on the inside looking out.
The patients have escaped in the wild.
The pressure is building from within.
There's no way to stop this we're all doomed.
How many days left before we find
the cure that will heal us from this big change.
Yesterday, everything was just fine
Now we're turning and killing our kind.
Our days are numbered here.
Disease consumes us all.
Say goodbye to what was ours.
Kill yourself or become the dead.
