photo credit: Sean Ageman of Washed Up Media
Patterns of Decay recently teamed up with Metal Insider to premiere a video for their latest single, “House of Doors.” The track is taken from the group’s upcoming self-titled album, which is scheduled to arrive on April 15th. We asked the band to share five things they learned recording new music during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
Over these last few years we’ve had more time than ever to look inward and discover our truest selves; to analyze our demons and our fears. In isolation, our doubts and suspicions take hold, and we learn to come to terms with the darker corners of our own minds. It’s the “new normal”, in a world forever changed by circumstances beyond our control. These were the themes to our upcoming self-titled album even before the pandemic cast its shadow on everything. Recent years have only proved to us that it was more important than ever that we record this album and share it with the metal world.
We entered the end of 2019 with about 7 songs written, and we were eager to jump in the studio. We had assumed that we would write some more songs down the road, but we were kind of dragging our feet. As much as the pandemic stole time from us, it also gave us time to become more comfortable with who we were as musicians. Had the pandemic not occurred, and we entered the studio when we first planned to, we would have considered this album incomplete. We were given the benefit of being able to take our time, and write songs that had lasting impressions on each of us, which was a thin silver lining to a pretty dismal global situation.
Liquid Studios in Vermont has been at the helm of each Patterns of Decay release. It was a no-brainer that we would return to the capable mixing hands of Dan Thabet. “But how do we do this? Do we wear masks the whole time? Do we stay 6 feet apart? How are we going to do vocals?!” Needless to say; we got it done. After countless hours spent behind microphones and computer screens, we were proud of what we had accomplished. We were recording this album in spite of the pandemic, and we took it as a challenge to produce our most mature work as a team. With our best interests in mind; Dan & Liquid Studios got us in touch with Alan Douches of West Westside Studios to master the album. This would give the album the finishing touches that it deserved.
Knowing when to release this album has been a bit of a challenge in itself. Eventually you have to stop waiting for the right time to present itself and just seize the moment. This is why we are releasing our new music video for our song “House of Doors”. The song’s themes revolve around being caught up in one’s own past and the dangers of not moving on. The video, directed by Tom Flynn, encapsulates this subject matter with the story of a doomed romance. It’s a sober lesson, to learn just how quickly life, with all its opportunities, can pass you by.
So here we stand. On the razor thin edge of our new album’s release. One more step and we see if our labors will bare any fruit. If this pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that we’ve learned to become more than a band by becoming a family. During the most uncertain times, the five of us were there for each other, creating a support system built on trust. We made sure that none of us felt abandoned. That we all felt safe and heard. To us; it doesn’t matter where we go from here. It only matters that we stick together. Let’s hope more people catch on.
