L-R – Chris Szymankiewicz – Guitar, Nick Smith – Vocals / Guitar, Jeremiah Maynard – Drums, Erik McEwen – Bass
Photo Credit – Vance Valenzuela

Texas’ High Fells goes against the grain in regards to live blackened metal performance, they are longtime listeners of all different walks of music, and together they are proudly releasing their debut album “Catharsis” with they claim to be a journey between pure agony and anger, with a dash of hopelessness. It’s an emotional journey with sick riffs in which the lyrical content and the overall feeling of this album hit on a ton of mental and emotional wellness topics and the lack thereof. The band continues to explain:

“We are incredibly excited to debut our album “Catharsis” – the first of many to come. We’re excited to share it for many reasons, but primarily because it’s been such fun to write and perform, experimenting with styles and genres we’ve never fully committed to in other bands. The journey you’ll be taking over the course of 40 minutes will be a thought-provoking, visceral experience that will shed some light on mental illness and depressive episodes, something still a stigma in our current society.”

High Fells hopes that listeners can find something to relate to, something that will inspire them or helps convey emotions into words. They aim to shroud their lyrics with punishing riffs and blast beats that will ideally charm the listener.

Initially, High Fells set out to be a melodic black metal band, but as time has passed on and as they have played with more bands they love, the direction steered back towards death metal with that blackened flavor. Across the nine tracks, they bring ass-beating riffs with high-quality recordings.

Melodic, depressing, and angry, “Catharsis” is recommended for fans of Hath, Decapitated, and Sorrow Plagues.

Digital streaming and download are available on Highfells.bandcamp.com, Spotify.

Track Listing:
1. Lingering – 3:56
2. Strangled – 4:04
3. Apparition of Fear – 3:38
4. Hypoxian – 4:08
5. A Summon – 3:22
6. Hiraeth – 6:52
7. Fall With the Sun – 3:01
8. Reaping Discontent – 4:31
9. Where They Call My Name – 5:45
Album Length: 39:14

Album Credits:
• All songs performed by: High Fells
• All songs written by: High Fells
• Produced by: Nathan Wackett / Clay Schroeder / Nick Smith / Michael Briggs
• Mixed and Mastered by: Nathan Wackett
• Album Artwork by: Dawid Figielek

Album and Live Band Lineup:
Nick Smith – Guitar / Vocals
Chris Szymankiewicz – Guitar
Jeremiah Maynard – Drums
Erik McEwen – Bass / Backing Vocals
For more info: Highfells.com | Facebook.com/highfellstx | Twitter.com/highfellstx | Instagram.com/highfells

About:
Birthed during a particularly cold winter, High Fells grew to something more than a jam session over the first year of our COVID nightmare. The uncertainty and tumultuous nature of these times allowed fears and pains to fester. Expressing and letting go of our greatest sufferings through music is all we seek – a catharsis in audible form.
Having shared the stage with multiple international acts, High Fells goes against the grain in regards to live blackened metal performance – whether it be colorful guitars or an emphasis on having FUN, expect to have a good time among the shrieks, riffs, and blast beats.

“There’s warmth and beauty to be found beyond the expected genre conventions if you know where to look.” – Eric Grubbs, CentralTrack magazine

“The song… “Where They Call My Name” proves that High Fells are worth taking very seriously indeed (even if the band clearly don’t take themselves too seriously)… The passion that floods through the searing screams and ravaging roars adds to the song’s wrenching severity.” – NOCLEANSINGING

“I have seen their name pop up a lot recently due to them being on a good number of local shows as well as being opening acts for national tours. These dudes play some killer blackened death that got the crowd into right from the first note… “Even for a newer band, these guys were tight and on point.” – VOX AND HOPS