MATRIARCHS Tease Upcoming Album Out 6/6/24 The Divinity Of All Things – Anthems For The Neurodivergent
Frontman K Enagonio shares insights to Matriarchs’ upcoming third album The Divinity Of All Things – Anthems For The Neurodivergent:
Matriarchs has always been a project that allows me to get my ultimate aggression out. The team has always been supportive of me going all out for these songs, lyrically speaking. This record highlights that, because a lot of these tracks serve as call outs to those who doubted us as artists and as people. This album was written for the underdogs like us.
It starts out with that call out style with the intro track and then jumps straight into ‘All Hail the Underdog’, our anthem for the misfits.
Then we put ‘Man Up’ next on the track list, which is one of my favorite Matriarchs song. That song is a thank you to all those who paved the way for us to get into music. Having Tom Barber feature on that song was unfathomable to me at first, but all it took was a DM and after he heard the song he hit me back almost instantly and said he loved the song.
After that we switch gears a bit with ‘The Day You Slipped Away’. I’ve been working a lot on my singing since joining Matriarchs. Previous bands I was in told me that I should ‘just stick to screaming,’ but all I’ve ever wanted to do was sing. I had the hook for this song stuck in my head before I even wrote anything for screams.
Oooo next is ‘Shatterproof’! This one is groovy as hell and I love the more metalcore style of this track. Another one where I got to highlight my melodies in the chorus. I also love the breakdown in this song so much. Any chance to throw a long scream in a song I’ll take!
‘Gravity’ is a song that I know really touched the guys in the band…we went through a lot during the writing process of this album and this song is an expression of that. Getting a badass like Layla to feature on this song enhances it so much more. I’m so grateful for the amazing humans that we’ve gotten to collaborate with.
‘It’s Sex Work Vs Human Trafficking’ is a major call out to those who exploit humans for their own gain. I dropped in the Human Trafficking hotline to maybe help even one person escape that darkness.
Ooooo ‘Whiskey Tango’! Taj is the goat!! She’s supported Matriarchs from the jump and we’ve had the pleasure of sharing the stage with her band many times. She absolutely slayed her feature on this song! All love to Taj!
‘Bodybag’, another call out song!!!! This time with my boy Norman Ragan III of Nashville based band Hard Reset! When Ben hit me up asking if we should get Norman on the song I immediately called him and he gave me an instant ‘yes!’ His vocal style makes me want to be violent in the pit at a show!
And then we have ‘Prejudas’, a song written from my perspective as an LGBT youth growing up in the Bible Belt and the struggles with trying to find where I belonged in the world. Brad added so much to this piece with his melodies. I’m obsessed with this song.
‘Let it Go’ was a concept song that Ben had. He will often send me ideas in the form of content that really makes me dive deep into topics that we both find quite facilitating or confusing and he gives me the challenge of writing a song about those concepts. The video reference he sent me sent my head into a wild spin, which inspired the lyrics of this piece.
And lastly, ‘Everything I Love Dies’…the perfect conclusion to this record, in my opinion. It’s fast, chaotic, and full of energy! Billy from Biohazard was an integral part of the writing of this song and I let him take the lead on this one. It is always cool writing along to a concept someone else has. I love the challenge of putting the puzzle together.
This album means a lot to all of us and it kind of serves as our collective call out to the industry, the shitty bookers, the friends who turned out to be snakes, and the dark parts of society. We hope you enjoy your journey through this record.”
Watch the Album Teaser for The Divinity Of All Things – Anthems For The Neurodivergent here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMQWC879_pw
About Matriarchs:
Matriarchs is a metallic hardcore band formed in Los Angeles CA in 2014. It started out as strictly a studio project by founding guitarist Ben Levi.
The project was inspired by his affinity for modern European Beat Down and 90s New York metallic hardcore. Ben had played with drummer Alfred Santa Cruz, bassist Miguel Vasquez, and guitarist Marty Cole in several other projects throughout the last decade so they were no strangers to getting creative together. After playing their first show to a packed house the boys never looked back.
They’ve gone on to play with bands like Soulfly, Harm’s Way, Disgrace, Bane, Backtrack, Sworn Enemy, and Vision Of Disorder. An ambitious release produced by Nick Jett of Terror, and Mastered by Matt Hyde, (Lionheart, Hatebreed, Deftones) Scandalous Jointz fuses together the visual aesthetic and presentation of more thought-provoking heavy acts with the sonic ferocity and energy of hardcore.
A few national festivals and two tours later saw the band taking a hiatus and reflecting on what the general direction and purpose of the band would be. In 2018 Matriarchs parted ways with vocalist Richard Barthel.
After teaming up with Jeremy Valentyne and Brandon Wolfe to produce their new release, and meeting new vocalist K Enagonio during the pandemic, the band found the new fire it needed. In K the band finds its truest voice. Over the quarantine, they wrote their 2nd full-length Year of The Rat.
2022 saw a more experimental and melodic release from the band, The Shape Of Cunts To Come,
a cheeky play off of the legendary post hardcore masterpiece by Refused. The album displayed a broader range of musicianship from everyone involved, including longer, more complex songs, more focus on melodies and composition and explorations into more experimental territory. The stand out single being “Edgelorde” which features Atlanta rapper Jarren Benton.
The band will release its third full length record. The Divinity Of All Things – Anthems for the Neurodivergent on June 6th through their label KnucklehedzInc, which includes features from up and coming local artists as well as some heavy hitters in metal and hardcore including Aaron Heard of Jesus Piece, Tom Barber of Darko and Chelsea Grin and Billy Graziadei of Biohazard.
Matriarchs lineup:
K Enagonio – Vocals
Joe Kenney – Guitar
David Rubenhold – Bass
Ben Levi – Drums
Matriarchs online:
http://open.spotify.com/album/1Cjhob6gzsUMdYrlVKlSft
https://music.apple.com/us/album/edgelorde-single/1602327938
