Heavy metal mainstays Extortionist have today released their latest banger “Dissociate“ and the accompanying visualizer (via Unique Leader Records). The track can be found on the band’s forthcoming full-length album ‘Devoid of Love & Light’ out on Friday, May 18. Speaking about the track, vocalist Ben Hoagland shared:
“‘Dissociate’ has a self explanatory title in regards to the meaning of the song but it is a very real & honest representation of what I frequently struggle with on a daily basis. Not only does it touch base on the struggles of “dissociation” but also the effect that my way of being has had on my personal relationships & those around me.“
Prior to today, the band released the titular album title track “Devoid of Love & Light“. Stream “Dissociate” here, watch the visualizer in the thumbnail below, and pre-save ‘Devoid of Love & Light’ here.
DEVOID OF LOVE & LIGHT
Extortionist
Track Listing:
1. This Is What Haunts Me
2. Out Of Touch
5. Stockholm
6. Invisible Scars
7. Desynchronized
9. Dissociate
10. When It All Goes Dark
Extortionist are gearing up for their upcoming run with Born of Osiris, Attila, Traitors, and Not Enough Space on The Angels & Villains Tour kicking off on April 12. For ticket information, please click here.
The Angels & Villains Tour USA 2024:
4/12 – Louisville, KY @ Mercury Ballroom
4/13 – Fort Wayne, IN @ Piere’s Entertainment Center
4/14 – Columbus, OH @ King of Clubs
4/15 – Buffalo, NY @ Iron Works
4/16 – New Kensington, PA @ Preserving Underground
4/18 – Worcester, MA @ The Palladium (Upstairs)
4/19 – Brooklyn, NY @ The Brooklyn Monarch
4/20 – Reading, PA @ Reverb
4/21 – Sayreville, NJ @ Starland Ballroom
4/23 – Richmond, VA @ The Broadberry
4/24 – Charlotte, NC @ The Underground
4/25 – Nashville, TN @ Brooklyn Bowl
4/26 – Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse
4/27 – Tampa, FL @ The Ritz
4/29 – Baton Rouge, LA @ Varsity Theater
5/01 – Corpus Christi, TX @ House of Rock
5/03 – Oklahoma City, OK @ 89th St. Collective
5/04 – Austin, TX @ Come and Take It Live
5/05 – San Antonio, TX @ Paper Tiger
5/07 – Albuquerque, NM @ El Rey Theater
5/08 – Mesa, AZ @ Nile Theater
5/09 – San Diego, CA @ House of Blues
5/10 – Pomona, CA @ The Glass House
5/11 – Los Angeles, CA @ 1720
5/12 – San Francisco, CA @ Regency Ballroom
5/14 – Portland, OR @ Bossanova Ballroom
5/15 – Seattle, WA @ The Showbox
5/17 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot
5/18 – Englewood, CO @ Gothic Theatre
5/20 – St. Lous, MO @ Red Flag
5/21 – Lincoln, NE @ Bourbon Theatre
5/22 – Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theater
5/23 – Davenport, IA @ Capitol Theater
5/24 – Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave II
5/25 – Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge
5/26 – Pontiac, MI @ Crofoot Ballroom
Band names go a long way in helping paint a figurative picture in the listener’s mind of what to expect before one ever hits “play.” When it comes to Extortionist, you think crime—you think gritty, raw, merciless and unsavory and maybe, just maybe, a little sprinkling of suaveness. When it comes to the Pacific Northwest’s resident moshslingers, those premonitions from their name are exactly what you get. As a band who have proven themselves exemplary at styles of heavy music ranging from downtempo deathcore to grunge-tinted metal, Extortionist are more than just a jack-of-all-trades; they’re masters. Utilizing bold, roaring guitars overtop crushing, steamrolling percussion and vocals that run the gamut from guttural to grating, pitched singing and topped off with—you guessed it—a now-infamous dodgeball-smack snare, Extortionist have proven that not only are they incredible at what they do, they’re a band that the heavy scene just can’t go without.
Emerging from the relatively understated pastures and prairies of Coeur d’Alene in early 2013, to say Extortionist have been on a journey since their inception would be an understatement. With “The Black Sheep” instantly earning them notoriety with its combination of feral grooves and eviscerating breakdowns, Extortionist proved themselves early on as prodigal masters of all things punishingly heavy. As the band grew and gained more experience on the road in light of the success of their debut EP, their style and dynamic grew as well. After nearly four years of touring and writing, Extortionist would unleash ‘The Decline’ in 2017, a band that saw their breed of brutalizing deathcore hybridized with riff-heavy metalcore and more introspective lyrics that tackled suicidal ideation and substance abuse. ‘The Decline’ was met with immense critical praise and continued to open up larger opportunities for the Northwestern act, ultimately earning them multiple co-headlining tours from coast to coast, and a spot on Stay Sick Records, alongside other up-and-coming heavyweights like SPITE and Bodysnatcher. Barely a year and a half after their signing, the band announced their sophomore full-length release, ‘Sever the Cord’, which saw them experimenting with the inclusion of grunge and alternative influences, adding even more depth and grit to their dynamic. Their sophomore album earned them not only critical acclaim, but nationwide tours alongside The Browning, Betraying the Martyrs, Lorna Shore and First Blood. ‘Sever the Cord’ was followed shortly thereafter by an eponymous EP which saw them diving deeper into a more exploratory realm of metalcore, colliding ferocious riffs into moments of warm, nostalgic melody. While their self-titled release was widely heralded as the band’s strongest work to date, was declared their Swan Song, as in the weeks that followed towards the back-end of Summer 2019, Extortionist announced their dissolution.
That isn’t the end of Extortionist’s story, however. As 2019 gave way into 2020 and the chaotic months that followed, the heavy music community felt the band’s absence all too strongly. In the early months of 2021, Extortionist announced their return with a series of shows in Spokane, Washington alongside AVOID and Seconds Ago as well as a new single, “Once More in Torment”. Once more highlighting the seamless blend of raunchy aggression and groove-heavy catchiness that only Extortionist can provide, the band’s comeback track is a strong reminder of just how missed they were throughout their nearly two-year absence. Frontman and founding member Benjamin Hoagland states “This is the best place we’ve ever been in as a band…Extortionist lives, and we’re here to stay.” Indeed, with a full-length record in the works and a ferocious return to live performance already underway, it would seem that Exortionist’s relative break was only a brief moment with which to collect themselves before reasserting their dominance over the contemporary metalcore scene. – Connor Welsh