Zeal & Ardor are previewing their forthcoming self-titled third album with the release of new single Run.
The first release from the band since 2020’s Wake Of A Nation EP, Run is a typically intense offering from the Swiss black metal blues group, revolving around the lyric “Where’s your fucking God?”
Zeal & Ardor frontman Manuel Gagneux says, “Run is the first single we are releasing off of our self-titled album because, while there are definitely familiar elements present, it sets the tone for things to come. It is surely one of our most aggressive songs yet, but that is just a vanguard of what lies ahead. So run while you still can.”
Released last October, Zeal & Ardor’s Wake Of A Nation EP explicitly addressed police brutality in the wake of the murder of George Floyd by police officer Derek Chauvin in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020.
“Wake Of A Nation's intent and context should be obvious,” Manuel Gagneux explained at the time. “I like to revel in ambiguity and in room for interpretation. This is not the case here. These six songs are a knee jerk reaction to what has happened to my fellow people in the last months.
“Originally I was set to record an album scheduled to come out next year. As these songs were written due to the horrendous events that instilled them I decided to release them as soon as possible. Using the rich heritage and culture as a part of my musical identity it felt like cowardice to sit by and continue with my routine as if nothing happened
This record is for Michael Brown, Eric Garner, George Floyd and the countless untold and nameless killed.”
