Toss tinctures of Enya, The Cranberries, and Chelsea Wolfe into a blender, add dark, heavy textures and hit frappe. The resulting concoction will be the band Silent Mass, who release their new single, “Land of Heart’s Desire,” taken from their upcoming debut long player, The Great Chaos, out on June 21 in honor of the Summer Solstice.
Songwriter/vocalist Ammo explains, “I wrote the song while reading W.B. Yeats who was a member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Yeats wrote a play entitled ‘The Land of Heart’s Desire’ about unfulfilled aspirations and how they can inadvertently affect those around you. This led me to consider the consequences of avoidant behaviors in my own life and uncover the source of my escapism.”
Silent Mass began as the solitary project of Ammo Bankoff in Los Angeles. In 2020, she released her debut single, a cover of “Total Recall,” as part of the charity compilation Do You Feel That Way Too? A Tribute to Adrian Borland & The Sound. The following year, Silent Mass released two more singles, “Rose + Crown” and “A Cold War City.”
Ammo eventually relocated with audio engineer and guitarist Robert Duncan to join drummer and producer Alex Posell in NYC. With demand for live performances, bassist Kevin LoBiondo completed the band’s final incarnation. Silent Mass has shared the stage with occult rock outfit True Widow and performed at NYC’s five-day New Colossus Festival.
Drenched in eerie shadows, “Land of Heart’s Desire” rides a primal rhythmic pulse topped by layers of Goth-like shoegaze surfaces. Juxtaposed against the tribal beat, Ammo’s dreamy, Delphic vocals imbue the lyrics with bewitching tones, giving the song the sensation of syrupy oil poured on water. It’s a wickedly haunting voice, revealing silhouettes of unseen ghosts and an elusive, lingering isolation.
“Land of Heart’s Desire” induces the feeling of sinking into the murky haze of distance, a feeling both surreal and breathtaking.
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