Savannah, Georgia-based five-piece Vatican will issue their explosive new album, ULTRA on June 17 via UNFD, now available for pre-order. They are celebrating the album’s imminent release with the video for “Where Heavens Collide.”
The track is alternately moody and full of metallic maelstrom, effectively showcasing all sides of the band’s sonic personality. The accompanying visual finds the band in performance mode, alternately obscured and in full view, which mirrors the quiet vs. loud nature of the song.
Frontman Mike Sugars has this to say about the track:
“This was the first song I ever sang on for the band or in general. Thankfully, I had the help of my band, my wife Maddy, and our producer Randy in the trenches with me to make this song and record what it is. The song is about recognizing yourself in someone you hate, and occasionally remembering that you once loved them as well.”
After developing a name for themselves, Vatican stormed out of the gates hard in 2021, when they signed to UNFD and released their knockout double single effort, Become A New God. Featuring singles “Absolute Reality” and “Fractured God,” Become A New God saw Vatican tackling the complexity of the human experience and all its brokenness, uncertainties, strangeness, and need for constant self-reflection and improvement. They followed with “Decemeta,” which dropped late last year at Brooklyn Vegan.
Vatican turned things up to 11 with ULTRA, crafting an album that uncompromisingly brutal, musically forward-thinking, and lyrically poignant. “ULTRA is everything that the individuals in this band wear on their sleeves, but pushed to the highest levels,” Sugars shares. “It results in a lot of different sounds, but they all have their place on the record. Everyone involved in the process of this record really put themselves in the mud for this. We have a lot of pride and gratitude surrounding this record, and I can’t wait for everyone to experience it for the first time. I think it’s truly special.”
Vatican is currently on tour celebrating their new release. Catch them in your city this summer!
Vatican 2022 Summer Tour Dates:
6/15 — The Crafthouse Stage & Grill — Pittsburgh, PA
6/16 — Skullys Music Diner — Columbus, OH
6/17 — Beachland Ballroom — Cleveland, OH
6/18 — The Shelter — Detroit, MI
6/19 — Bottom Lounge — Chicago, IL
6/21 — The Annex — Madison, WI
6/22 — Cabooze — Minneapolis, MN
6/23 — Reverb Lounge — Omaha, NE
6/24 — xBk Live — Des Moines, IA
6/25 — Red Flag — St. Louis, MO
6/26 — recordBar — Kansas City, MO
6/29 — Marquis Theater — Denver, CO
6/30 — The Complex — Salt Lake City, UT
7/01 — 24 Oxford — Las Vegas, NV
7/2 — Whisky A Go Go — West Hollywood, CA
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