New Orleans stoner rock veterans SUPLECS announce their great return with the release of their first studio album in over a decade, "Hymns Under A Blood Moon Sky!
The album’s genesis took place in a hallowed Mid-City rehearsal space; the same warehouse that incubated the foundational New Orleans sludge of Crowbar or Graveyard Rodeo and echoed with the grooves of The Meters. Drawing inspiration from this legacy, Suplecs started crafting new material before being forced out by complaints of noise — an ironic fate for a room once dedicated to forging the city’s sound. They proceeded to track the album at High Tower Studios with esteemed engineer James Whitten (High On Fire, Thou), resulting in a mature, sonically diverse and emotionally charged collection.
"Hymns Under A Blood Moon Sky" is a gut-wrenching ride through the New Orleans trio's world. It ranges from the relentless, Maiden-meets-Sabbath attack of “Got Nothing” to the haunting, brass-backed NOLA jazz funeral dirge of “La Ti Da” featuring the horns of Egg Yolk Jubilee. The album fearlessly tackles themes of death, divorce, suicide and addiction (“Blackwater Rising”), balanced by moving tributes such as guitarist and vocalist Durel Yates’ ode to his mother, “I See You”. It weaves in diverse influences, from Black Flag swagger to prog-jazz intricacy, culminating in the dynamic first single: “No Apologies.”
The album’s title and artwork are deeply rooted in New Orleans history and personal narrative. The cover features a 1960s painting by Danny Nick’s father, famed Jackson Square artist Richard “D.Nick” Nick, depicting the pirate Jean Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop, which housed an arsenal of weapons strategic to the victory of The Battle Of New Orleans in the War of 1812. The title, Hymns Under A Blood Moon Sky, serves as a tribute to the band’s resilient, outsider spirit—forging an arsenal of riffs in secrecy to pay homage to the only home they’ve ever known.
