After recently announcing that they have signed to a major label, Nottingham black metallers, Underdark have finally announced their second full length record, Managed Decline. The band have also shared a new, lead off single called, “Enterprise (1st November 2004).”
It is an exciting time for Underdark, who look set for announcing themselves onto the bigger stage with “Enterprise (1st November 2004),” but also unveiling details of their second album-the first to be released with label Church Road Records. After announcing the jump to a major, recognisable label in July, Underdark are poised to share their music with the masses and bring their brand of black metal to a far more wide-reaching audience.
After drawing critical praise for their debut album, 2021’s Our Bodies Burned Bright On Re-Entry, Underdark managed to turn the head of many labels, with Church Road winning the opportunity to represent the band and help set them on their way to the top of the genre’s lists of acts to watch out for. The new record, Managed Decline, is due for a release on 24th November and will see the band exploring themes of what they describe as political decline over the course of a few generations in Britain.
Front-woman Abi Vazquez said of Managed Decline, that it is a “‘story told over three generations about the degradation experienced by the residents of a post-industrial town in the Midlands. I wanted to explore the long term effects of Thatcherite neoliberalism and the slow-burning disaster they’ve caused for people here. Each generation has to make do with less, and turns to more extreme vices to cope as the loss of purpose and community sets in.”
Amidst the political and economic issues facing Britain and the wider world today, many fans will undoubtedly find common cause with the lyrical content of Underdark’s message. The band are certainly not holding back both lyrically and sonically for their new album, with “Enterprise (1st November 2004)” described by the band as being one of the heaviest songs on the record.
Speaking of the new single, Abi described the song as, “the most aggressive song on the album so it’s fitting that it’s the darkest part of the story. A father and daughter are earning money – by pimping the kid to buy dope. I wrote it to also serve as a metaphor for the fetishisation of entrepreneurship in neoliberal society.”
In anticipation of the album’s release, the band have shared the track list and artwork which can be viewed on the band’s social media platforms. Pre-orders for the album can be found here.
