Photo by: SpreadTheDisease/Hypaethral Records
Official press release:
Canadian blackened hardcore progenitors Spread The Disease return with their first new full-length in twenty-seven years! Titled The Darkness. The Dread. The Suffering., the eight-track offering will see release on July 10th via Hypaethral Records.
Emerging from the frigid heart of Southern Ontario in 1997, Spread The Disease (STD) began as a darker, uncompromising side project from members of New Day Rising. Long before “blackened hardcore” became a recognized genre, the band was already forging that collision – fusing the aggression of hardcore with the cold extremity of black metal and the technical precision of death metal.
Their feral intensity quickly made an impact on the underground. Their 1998 debut full-length, We Bleed From Many Wounds (Eulogy), delivered a bleak and relentless hybrid of hardcore and black metal, earning comparisons to bands such as Integrity, Cryptopsy, and Entombed. A notorious performance at Hellfest in 1999 cemented their reputation, leaving behind a set that attendees still speak of.
Years later, We Bleed From Many Wounds was remastered and reissued on limited-edition blood-splatter vinyl through Hypaethral Records, reaffirming its cult status among devotees of extreme music.
The band’s 1999 follow-up, The Sheer Force Of Inertia, pushed even further into uncharted territory, incorporating electronic textures that hinted at the band’s restless creative instincts. Though their output was brief, Spread The Disease became revered among purists as early trailblazers of a sound that would only gain wider recognition years later.
Now, decades after their primal beginnings, Spread The Disease returns. Re-emerging at a point in life where the obligations that once eclipsed creativity have begun to fade, the band has reignited the same uncompromising spirit that defined their earliest recordings. The newly forged lineup, featuring Shane Post, formerly of late ‘90s metalcore outfit Bird Of Ill Omen and current member of legendary sludge/doom band Fistula, on vocals, channels that legacy into something darker and more fully realized.
The Darkness. The Dread. The Suffering. is the product of two years of grim inspiration: a blistering collection of songs that captures the band’s original ferocity while pushing deeper into blackened experimentation. Blending the hallmarks of their past – speed, intensity, and viciousness – with a renewed creative drive, this incarnation of Spread The Disease honors its underground roots while forging forward with sharpened purpose. Decades later, the darkness remains.
Comments guitarist Dave Buschemeyer:
“Since [guitarist] Trev [Trevor Dykstra] and I had remained friends after all these years and had both been a part of the short-lived New Day Rising reunion where we recorded a bunch of new songs, the idea was floated around to potentially do a new Spread The Disease recording. As the two main songwriters, we knew that we could revisit the blackened hardcore style material with some fresh vigor. I had been keeping my chops up with that style of music with Die In The Light and Trev had been playing in multiple projects on his own as well.”
He continues:
“The songs came together relatively easily. but it took a long time to come to fruition. This is the reality of being older, with families, careers, etc. You put in the time when you can. In the end, we’re stoked on how they turned out and we’re excited to play them live!”
Adds Post:
“When Dave approached me about the possibility of singing for Spread The Disease, I jumped at it. I was very familiar with STD from the ‘90s and was excited for the chance to get to write with them and sing on a new record.
All of these songs are related to the pressure cooker that we are living in these days. Constant strife. Continuous denial of facts. All while leaning on the fallacy of religion just to get through the day and not be afraid. These songs are speaking to the need to stand up, speak out, and care for your fellow man no matter who it is.”
Of the record’s lead single, “Gods And Politics”, Post elaborates:
“The song speaks to how religion is destroying lives through hatred, lies, and deception.”
Stream Spread The Disease’s “Gods And Politics” here:
The Darkness. The Dread. The Suffering. was recorded and mixed at Bravo Studios by Dave Buschemeyer and mastered by Greg Dawson at BWC Studios. All music is by Dave Buschemeyer and Trevor Dykstra, lyrics were penned by Shane Post, and bass on this recording is by Ryan McInturff.
The record will be released on CD (Ltd. 200 – pro-pressed, 4-panel digipak), vinyl (Ltd. 200 – Dreadlight Yellow), and digitally.
Find pre-orders at the Hypaethral webshop and Bandcamp.
The Darkness. The Dread. The Suffering. track listing:
- “Light Opaque”
- “Intermezzo I”
- “Gods And Politics”
- “Indoctrinated”
- “Intermezzo II”
- “Summer Wanes”
- “The Blight In Their Eyes”
- “Outro”
