Austin Lunn’s black/folk metal project Panopticon remains extremely prolific–he released two albums last year and has a new one coming this May–but his live shows are a little rare, especially here on the East Coast. Even more rare, though, are shows for metalcore legends Catharsis, who recently reunited and released the new album Hope Against Hope (their first in 26 years) last year. This makes it especially epic that Panopticon and Catharsis are doing a short co-headlining East Coast tour together this fall!
The tour kicks off in Boston on October 8 before hitting Brooklyn’s Market Hotel on October 9 and then shows in Philly and Baltimore. Tickets go on sale Friday (3/6). Find the tour flyer with all dates below.
Panopticon’s upcoming album Det Hjemsøkte Hjertet arrives on May 8 via Bindrune Recordings and a clip of its song “The White Cedars” is streaming now. Here’s info on that from the label:
In anticipation of “Det Hjemsøkte Hjertet”, Panopticon presents a 12-inch single built around one of the upcoming album’s most evocative compositions: “The White Cedars”. Here, the distinctive timbre of guest vocalist Jan Even Åsli (Vemod) becomes an ideal counterpoint to Charlie Anderson’s sweeping string arrangements, deepening the track’s sense of mist-shrouded melancholy and spiritual suspension.
The B-side is what makes this release particularly significant: a new interpretation of “Stream Keeper”, the most beloved piece by Kentucky atmospheric doom project Seidr – the former collaboration between Panopticon main man Austin Lunn and W. Crow of Wheels Within Wheels. Written in 2007 in the aftermath of one of Lunn’s parents passing away, the song has long held a special place within his body of work.
Reimagined through Panopticon’s current aesthetic, the original dirge is transformed into a hypnotic blend of blackened atmosphere and brooding post-metal. It retains the emotional gravity of its source while fitting seamlessly within the musical landscape of “Det Hjemsøkte Hjertet”, making this single not only a compelling prelude to the album but a meaningful addition to Panopticon’s wider discography.
Austin Lunn commented:
“The White Cedars” is the moment in the album’s narrative when the solitary protagonist confronts the consequences of his chosen life. He reflects on his decision to withdraw from others, avoiding the risks and vulnerabilities that come with emotional bonds – the very risks his parents and grandparents once embraced, which allowed him to exist in the first place. Reaching the end of his life without meaningful connections, he recognizes the cost of that path. The song becomes a lament for what might have been, and a meditation on the chances we never take.
Panopticon also released a track on a split with Uprising this year and you can hear that below too. Also, Catharsis’ new album is extremely worth hearing if you haven’t done that already. Check that out below as well.
