Mysterious masked British rock outfit PRESIDENT, rumored to be fronted by Charlie Simpson of pop-punk band BUSTED and post-hardcore act FIGHTSTAR, has announced the release of its debut album, “Blood Of Your Empire”, arriving on September 4 via Atlantic Records.
Ahead of the album’s release, the band has unveiled a visualizer for the track “Dark Heaven”, offering another glimpse into their enigmatic world. Watch the video below.
PRESIDENT says: “‘Dark Heaven’ is a reflection on the contradictions of faith, and how something intended to unite humanity has so often been used to justify division, violence, and power. It’s about the way greed can wear the mask of righteousness. It isn’t an attack on belief itself; it’s about searching for something real beneath the noise, and asking what remains when certainty begins to crumble.”
“Dark Heaven” can be viewed as a deeply personal statement from PRESIDENT, almost like a musical state-of-the-union address. The track opens with disorienting, distorted textures before shifting into a more uplifting groove driven by an 808-heavy beat throughout the verses. The song reaches a dramatic peak in the pre-chorus with the commanding line, “Gather ’round children, sing Hallelujah,” before a glitchy, detuned riff takes center stage and leads into a striking moment of vulnerability: “I used to stare at the cross and cry out for God, but I’m not the person I was.”
The accompanying visualizer captures the genuine first reactions of fans experiencing “Dark Heaven” for the first time inside a church setting. Their emotions are reflected through their expressions, adding another layer of intensity to what emerges as a powerful and captivating anthem from one of alternative metal’s most intriguing new forces.
“‘Blood Of Your Empire’ was born out of my own struggle with existential crisis and trying to make sense of belief, mortality, and humanity’s relationship with faith,” PRESIDENT says. “Religion has inspired incredible compassion, purpose, and beauty in the world — but it has also been responsible for unimaginable suffering and bloodshed throughout history. This album lives in the tension between those two truths. Writing it became a way for me to confront the fear, confusion, and questions I’ve carried for years, and turn them into something I’m truly proud of.”
The album artwork features Eugène Delacroix’s iconic painting “The Battle Of Poitiers”, a masterpiece that is housed in the Louvre Museum in Paris.
“Blood Of Your Empire” track listing:
01. Angel Wings
02. Doom Loop
03. Dark Heaven
04. Pink Noise
05. Mercy
06. Sleepwalker
07. Dionysus
08. This Will Divide Us
09. Hate Figure (feat. Ando San)
10. White Devil
