Progressive black/death metal band Ashen Horde has released a new standalone single, “Archaic Convictions”. The single is a tie-in to a new fantasy novel, “City of Iron and Dust” by J.P. Oakes.

Says Ashen Horde founder Trevor Portz, “J.P. had heard about our collaboration with Markisan Naso on his story “To Mega Therion,” (resulting in the limited cassette release, “Black Curse”), and asked if we’d be interested in doing something for his novel. After reading a synopsis of the story, in which the fae seek to rebel against their goblin oppressors over one long bloody night, we knew it had to happen.”

“Archaic Convictions” delves into the struggles of those fighting against oppression and tyranny in any form, the central theme of the novel. Written by Portz, the song contains all the elements Ashen Horde is known for: technical riffs rooted in black and death metal, but stretching beyond either; brutal-yet-emotional vocals from Stevie Boiser (Inferi, Equipoise); controlled chaos drumming from Robin Stone (Norse, Virulent Depravity), and prog-inspired bass via Igor Panasewicz. The artwork for the single was done by the insanely talented Jonathan La Mantia (jonathanlamantia.com).

“We hoped to capture the essence of the novel in four minutes of metal insanity, and I’m pretty confident we did it” notes Portz.

Ashen Horde was formed in 2013 by Portz, and the band has released three full-length albums and a number of singles and EPs since then. Their most recent album, “Fallen Cathedrals,” was released by Extreme Metal Music in 2019 and received widespread critical acclaim.

“Archaic Convictions” is available on all major digital platforms, as well as on Ashen Horde’s Bandcamp page (http://ashenhorde.bandcamp.com). The band recently signed to Transcending Obscurity Records, with their fourth full-length album slated for release in 2022.

“City of Iron and Dust” is available digitally and in print wherever books are sold, courtesy of Titan Books.