Canadian hardcore punk heavyweights Cancer Bats will release their new album ‘Psychic Jailbreak’ on April 15th, 2022 through their own label Bat Skull Records in partnership with New Damage Records in Canada. ‘Psychic Jailbreak’ is Cancer Bats’ seventh studio album but is the band’s first album to be written and recorded by the current lineup of Liam Cormier (lead vocalist), Jaye Schwarzer (bass and guitar) and Mike Peters (drums), following the departure of founding member and guitarist Scott Middleton.
The follow-up to 2018’s critically acclaimed, commercially successful, and Juno-nominated album ‘The Spark That Moves,’ their new record sees the beloved metal stalwarts stepping up their game once again, eagerly pushing themselves both musically and lyrically beyond what they have achieved as a band to date – a record that is destined to invigorate fans with its punishing drum patterns, memorable riffs, and infectious choruses.
To give fans a little taste of what they can expect on their forthcoming album, today, Cancer Bats have shared the title track and first single ‘Psychic Jailbreak,’ and its accompanying video. Lead vocalist Liam Cormier had this to say about the track: “We needed to kick things off with a total banger of a track that makes you want to pump your fist in the air, smash your head to the beat, all while screaming the call to action REJECT THE FALLACY OF TIME!” Cormier continues, “The concept of a ‘Psychic Jailbreak’ is to completely change one’s perspective on something, in this case, it’s our ideas of fixed linear time.”
Filmed by Sid Tang and edited by Mitch Barnes, the video is a collection of footage capturing the recording process for their latest release. It features performances of all 3 members tracking their parts, behind the scenes shots of what life in the studio entailed, as well as Cormier’s handwritten lyrics animated over top of each scene. “My goal was to capture the intensity and power of the band, while still showing how relaxed and fun the whole recording session was,” shares Sid Tang.
For ‘Psychic Jailbreak’, Cancer Bats once again enlisted the watchful eyes and ears of producer JP Peters (Propagandhi) at his studio Private Ear Recordings in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Over the course of three weeks, Cormier, Schwarzer, and Peters saw their rough ideas exchanged in emails evolve from Garage Band home demos into thundering songs. One after another, boxes were being ticked, Mike’s signature powerhouse of drums laid the foundation, as track after track of Jaye’s guitars were layered on top of another, all while they referenced their favourite Entombed, Metallica, and White Zombie guitar tones. All of this fuelling Cormier’s vocal fire, inspiring him to fully push what he had to offer both in lyrics and screams.
“We knew this album had to be special,” shares Cormier. “Our band has never been one sole member tasked with all the writing. Over the last 15 years of releasing albums, it’s been a collaboration of the 4 of us forming all musical ideas. That being said, we knew that the 3 remaining Bats would have to prove our worth with this next album. We wanted to show Cancer Bats fans that an exciting new future was in store for us. To say the stakes were high on this album, would be an understatement. We were all feeling a mix of excitement and nerves as we began tracking the 11 songs that would form this record.”
‘Psychic Jailbreak’ tracklist:
01. Radiate
02. The Hoof
03. Lonely Bong
04. Friday Night
05. Hammering On
06. Crocodiles
07. Shadow of Mercury
08. Keep On Breathin’
09. Pressure Mind
10. Rollin Threes
11. Psychic Jailbreak