The Wales-via-London metal marauders Skreamer are streaming their new album King Of Crows exclusively with Metal Hammer – and they’re offering it as a free download! You can either listen to it below or download each track from this handy link!
Skreamer previously released a video for the title track, describing it as “a harsh look at the realities of a society gone mad.” And it’s safe to say the new album is a continuation of that bleak outlook.
To dig a little deeper and to find out what Skreamer are all about, we spoke to vocalist Sam Morter.
You’re giving King Of Crows away as a free download, why have you decided to go this route?
“In this instance, with King Of Crows, the whole concept is unity with all people wherever they are, some of whom cannot afford to buy the album – so we decided it would be free!”
How important is it to Skreamer to give music away for free?
“Crows are scavengers who flock to feed off carrion and chase everyone else away. Can you see the connection between this behaviour and how the corporations and our governments act?”
The artwork shows crows in Parliament, can you explain the story behind this?
“We wanted the artwork to be totally obvious and hit a nerve. Regardless of who is in Parliament, 99% of the population suffer because of the legislation and decisions, made by an elite, who are at times totally detached from the reality of the average person. We feel the artwork depicts this perfectly.”
British politics is in a very interesting place in 2016, what are your thoughts on everything that’s happening right now?
“Interesting is not the word we would use. As always the system is weighted in favour of the international banks and the multinational corporations, which is simply to say the very richest amongst us. In addition to this we are witnessing a terribly incompetent handling of a very complicated divorce with little-to-no exit plan. We are also witnessing a fire sale of public assets, under the guise of austerity, moving them into private hands. On top of this, the people in general are placated by the power of propaganda, which is to say misleading information coming from a media mostly owned by tax-exiled billionaires.”
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You have described yourself as “Flesh And Blood 888”. What does that mean?
“We are flesh and blood in two ways. All people, regardless of what they own, what ‘power’ they possess, and anything else, are equal. We are all only flesh and blood. But we are also the flesh and blood that’s fed upon by multinationals and governments – without their carrion, who are they?”
Which song on the new album are you most excited to play live?
“That would have to be King Of Crows, followed closely by Welcome To Paradise. We’ve previously explained King Of Crows, but Welcome To Paradise is at the grassroots of everything we are trying to say.”
You guys are pretty rampant on social media, how important are these platforms to the success of young bands?
“Incredibly important especially at a time when funding and spare income is in such short supply. But the downside is you have to do the work. That means hundreds, if not thousands of hours, spent sharing, interacting, and answering questions, all so that your voice can be heard.”
What are the plans for Skreamer for the rest of the year?
“We have already started work on the next album, and we will be continuing to try and raise awareness around issues that affect 99% of people, not only here, but around the world.”
