In the 13 years we’ve been doing CVLT Nation, we’ve seen major highs and lows in our lives. I think it comes through in our writing here; sometimes this blog feels like my diary. The music we listen to and write about often acts as a portal to thoughts and emotions we can’t escape, and our only way of getting through them is to write them here. Australian doom band GHOSTSMOKER’s guttural, diabolical new single “Incarnate” may seem like an odd choice for me to emote to. But when I read their inspiration for this track (below) and their album as a whole, it struck a chord with me. We recently lost Sean’s mom, Saundra, and we’re deeply grieving her loving presence in our lives. After losing my mom in 2017, I learned that this kind of grief, the loss of the person who carried you into the world, is an abyssal, enduring sadness that can leave you untethered to life. “Incarnate” is about that despair, that feeling of endless sorrow that can engulf you at any moment every day. Now I’m supporting Sean as he navigates this bottomless pit, and it’s scary and depressing and painful. “Incarnate” takes that overwhelming, terrifying grief and holds it up to the light, illuminating it with earth-shattering percussion, gut-wrenching vocals, and massive, mournful riffs. It’s somehow healing to hear these feelings of cavernous despondence laid bare.
GHOSTSMOKER’s “Incarnate” is off their record Inertia Cult that comes out March 21st, 2025, via Art As Catharsis — pre-order it here. They’ve got live shows coming up in Melbourne, Sydney, and Adelaide in November and December, so if you’re down under check those out below. Now watch our premiere…
Incarnate is about being stuck in a loop of despair and not being able to move forward through your grief and trauma. During the very early stages of writing for the album, my brother passed away suddenly which had a significant impact on the lyrical themes on the record. Our drummer Brayden’s father also passed away while we were in the studio recording the album, and the rest of us rallied together to finish the job in dedication to our friend who was going through such a painful time in life, and his father, who was his biggest supporter. The above, the hurdles of everyday life, relationships failing, new ones forming etc all ultimately fed into making this album what it is.
– Nathan Brunning
Filmed by Justin Chia at Fuz Visuals: www.fuzvisuals.com
The style and concept was inspired by the movie Skinamarink, written and directed by Kyle Edward Ball.
‘Incarnate’ single launch tour:
1 Nov: Bergy Bandroom, Melbourne
16 Nov: The Burdekin Hotel, Sydney
28 Nov: Northcote Social Club, Melbourne
7 Dec: Crown & Anchor, Adelaide
