Vacuous share new song ‘Stress Positions’ from upcoming album

Hailing from the withering depths of the UK, VACUOUS make their Relapse Records debut with their new album, In His Blood, out February 28.

Today, VACUOUS shares the second single “Stress Positions” and announce the In His Blood UK headline tour through April.

Listen to “Stress Positions” on YouTube HERE and listen on all streaming services HERE.

Pre-Order In His Blood on LP/CD/Digital via Relapse.com HERE.

VACUOUS comment on “Stress Positions”: 

“Equal parts unhinged aggression and mournful gloom, Stress Positions is a perfect snapshot of what we aimed to accomplish with this record. By far the most challenging song for us to perform and record. This is us pushing ourselves to our breaking point.”

An overdose of death metal, In His Bloodis a compelling mix of blazing speeds, chilling atmospherics, and angular riffing that bring the band into their own unique space. 

“We’ve talked about having different influences, and it felt like a bit of a dare to push things further,” guitarist Michael Brodsky says. “Back in death metal’s formative days, with bands like Autopsy, Obituary, Incantation, none of those bands sounded like each other: they were just pushing their collective influences together to the extreme. I think we’re still doing the same thing, just from the point of view of people who grew up in the 2000s.”

Michael Brodsky and Jo Chen formed Vacuous at the end of 2019. They started out as a trio but when the pandemic hit, they hunkered down to write and realised their ambitions demanded a bigger band. They’re now a five-piece, joined by Max Southall on drums, Ezra Harkin on guitars and Zak Mullard on bass. Their debut album, Dreams of Dysphoria, came out in 2022, but it’s with their new, second album In His Blood that they’ve really hit their stride. 

From the roaring, quick-fire intensity of the title track to the haunting atmospherics of “Hunger” and the cinematic rumbles of “Contraband”, with In His Blood Vacuous push the limits of what listeners might expect from death metal. 

Under the overarching idea of violence and voyeurism, in the album’s lyrics Jo explores a number of topics including horror films, serial killers, school shootings, toxic masculinity, and the Global North and South divide. “The song ‘Contraband’ is about the 39 Vietnamese migrants who were suffocated in a lorry trying to come over to England,” Jo says. “It was such a tragedy, but it was blink and you miss it; news today and gone tomorrow. 

“I was born in London but my family are from Malaysia, which is historically a poor country,” he continues. “There’s such a juxtaposition when I go back there. Here in the West, generally, people are often so comfortable. The only access that some people have to extreme poverty and violence is online.” 

The album was recorded at Holy Mountain Studios in Hackney with Stanley Gravett, who Jo and Michael agree was crucial to the finished product. “This was the first time we’ve had any external help with arrangements which has been really good,” Michael says. “He was super invested in the record and helped us to unify everything. I’m really proud of how it sounds.” 

VACUOUS tourdates:

01 March – London, UK @ Life After Death Fest @ Walthamstow Trades Hall
(In His Blood Record Release Show) 

11 April – London – Moor Beer Vaults
12 April – Ashford – The Star Inn
13 April – Brighton – The Hope & Ruin
14 April – Bristol – The Gryphon
15 April – Nottingham – Billy Bootleggers
16 April – Newcastle – The Lubber Fiend
17 April – Glasgow – The Flying Duck
18 April – Leeds – Damaged Goods

VACUOUS is:
Michael Brodsky – Guitar
Jo Chen – Vocals
Max Southall – Drums
Ezra Harkin – Guitar
Zak Mullard – Bass