Today we have the pleasure of premiering one of the most striking apocalyptic-tinted heavy rock debuts of the year in RUMOURS‘ nihilistic four song EP ‘Neither Innocent Nor Wavering‘. The German quintet shake post-punk and classic rock blood from their hands throughout, alight with the old spirit of bewitched 70’s heavy rock boogie yet swinging their hook-hearted and heavy-headed existential summons within every breath and chord alike. Connecting the dots between The Hellacopters at their most pensive and Beastmilk at their most impassioned turns out to be entirely apropos and brimming with dour-yet-emotional rock elegance. Set your sights upon ’em! Or better yet, your ears. Before you flick that burning wheel down to the stream check out the LP and cassette versions of the EP via Lupercalia Records [BigCartel], a division of Sepulchral Voice Records intending an entirely different bout of daring darkness that is yet equally as tasteful. The digital version can likewise be had over on Bandcamp. Thanks goes to Lupercalia Records, the band, and their representation for the opportunity to take an early spin of this immediately gratifying experience.

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Per the press release:

LUPERCALIA RECORDS, a new division of SEPULCHRAL VOICE, is proud to present RUMOURS‘ striking debut mini-album, Neither Innocent Nor Wavering, on 12″ vinyl and cassette tape formats.
 
A new promising light-dome of grand heavy rock and the sharpshooter of dirty nihilistic energy, Neither Innocent Nor Wavering marks the first sign of life of this emerging German band, containing the first four songs ever written & recorded by them. RUMOURS consists of young and experienced members, a band that has the guts and might to start a career. Their sound hits the target without any forced extras or any bullshit.
 
All tracks here follow the simple rules and formulas of the Devil’s beloved music. On Neither Innocent Nor Wavering, you get bitter disillusion and cynical bleakness packed into four grandly blistering smashers. A colorful blackness in savage major and blood minor: pumping, driving, and focused rock music with a point-blank hatred and sometimes even an apathy for this world. Far away from proggy meandering, tense vintage nostalgia, and today’s “occult” razzle-dazzle, RUMOURS just walk the path of simple-but-urgent ROCK history. They deliver a perfect symbiosis between classic and fully straight-ahead heaviness, a somehow punkish rawness combined with an urban street poetry.
 
Lyric-wise, they destroy every glimpse of hope for a better world without hailing a dystopia for the sake of being “anti,” a weltanschauung seen through glasses of pure disappointment and cynicism. RUMOURS reflect a mindset somewhere in between resignation, lust, and vomit. Because really, optimism and pessimism only differ in the date of Armageddon.
 
Thus, RUMOURS succeed in finding an electrifying tension between permanent temptation music-wise and imminent depression lyric-wise. Brilliant musical skills and performance plus a top-notch production bolster airy and catchy verses and choruses, which all effectively screw into your mind and definitely kick ass.
 
For all those who ran dry since the rawness of Climax, the darkness of Sister, and the magick of Come Reap and yearn for something special…RUMOURS bring sour rain and fuel the fire. In the end, just grab this record, turn up the volume, let loose, take the diamonds for glass splinters, and break your spine! Over & OUT.

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