Leeds sludgemonsters Nomasta are premiering their new album House Of The Tiger King exclusively with Metal Hammer.
Taking cues from the likes of Mastodon, Baroness and Metallica, it’s a Yorkshire riff-fest from three furious gentlemen, telling tales of pain and conflict across fiction and reality. The album title itself comes from a Peruvian myth, but the record tackles Nazi book burning, Dracula and nuclear disasters.
Listen to the gritty, nasty noise below.
To give a better sense of what each song is about, vocalist Owen Wilson (not that one) breaks down House Of The Tiger King track by track.
Death Rattles
“This is about living with the choices we make, and being happy to die by them. It’s all about looking back and knowing you made the most of the things you had when death comes calling.”
The Book Burners
“It is all about knowing our history and the value of it. ‘Book burning’ relates to the destruction of any literature that didn’t agree with National Socialism during World War 2. For someone to genuinely think the removal of a race, or parts of their culture. for profit or gain, is terrifying and is beyond anything I could ever understand.”
Sir Impaler
“One of my favourite characters growing up was Dracula. The myths are all inspired by a Romanian man known as Vlad The Impaler. He was a member of a fraternity known as House Of The Dragon who were dedicated to preventing the Ottoman Turks advancing into Europe, and they did so with barbaric methods. Murder and torture all in the hope of spreading fear among those they were against. His reign was brutal, and the stories were exaggerated over time until he was no longer human, but a vampire. It is fantastic subject matter.”
Alchematic
“This is where our Metallica worship comes through. I took an old Lovecraft short story known as The Alchemist and adapted it. We wanted to capture the ultra-heavy, super eerie vibe that The Thing That Should Not Be and Call Of Ktulu have, but also have a great lyric running through it. Metallica and Lovecraft always nailed both those things. I would suggest reading the original story, get some beers, then sit in a dark room and turn your speakers up. You should be fully immersed with this one.”
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House Of The Tiger King
“This is a track Andy (Richards, drums) and I started working on about seven years ago. Old riffs and old stories are the backbone here. Spanish conquistadors invading Peru – in particular the city of Paititi in the 16th century, in search of lost treasure only to find the place devoid of any life or valuables. The myth has it that the citizens fled into the jungle and hid themselves and their treasures inside The House Of The Tiger King, a secret location, which to this day has still never been found.”
This Trail Got The Best Of Us
“This is a real nasty piece of work, in the most metal way! Amongst the imagery, the song is about understanding how all things can come to an end. It can take huge amounts of mental strength and humility to detach from a situation. Regardless of our personal investment in things, to accept failure and begin starting a fresh can sometimes be the best avenue to pursue.”
At The Mercy Of Sleep
“I had read reports of the Chernobyl and 3 Mile Island Nuclear disasters being caused by something as simple as a sleep-deprived work force. The fallout of such atrocities affected millions, and for so many years. It is heavy stuff, the idea of radiation poisoning, genetic mutations coupled alongside the effects of sleep deprivation; hallucination and potential psychosis. After all these years, seeing footage of such places uninhabited and overgrown with lush plants life; it seems so serene.”
Hard As A Coffin Nail
“This is personal to me, but I’m sure we can all relate. I was young when my dad passed away. He left a wonderful legacy and is still hugely missed and loved. 20 years on, it can still feel as raw as the night I heard the news, but thankfully, I have nothing but great memories of him. I need to be careful though, because if it’s a bad day and it catches me off guard, I still get fucked off about it. I will never, ever be happy with this song lyrically.”
Dawnbreaker
“The whole album is themed around atrocities that take inspiration from real and fictional sources. Dawnbreaker tells the tale of an all-powerful witch who, although capable of protecting Mother Earth with the support of the human race, is alienated and warded off. She survives for centuries, just to watch a selfish and narrow-minded mankind destroy itself.’
Nomasta tour dates
Nov 04: Northern Monk Refectory, Leeds (supporting Hark)
Nov 12: The Key Club, Leeds (supporting King Parrot)
Dec 01: Santiago, Leeds (supporting Dream Troll)
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