In 2023, the fresh-faced Connecticut metalcore band Balmora made a truly impactful debut with an EP called With Thorns Of Glass And Petals Of Grief. Right away, Balmora were serious. The record evoked the epic, grand-scale metallic hardcore of the early '00s. The band might've just been starting out, but they weren't afraid to let loose with a wailing, skyward melody, and they could pull that off because their heavy parts were heavy. Closing track "A Dagger To The Heart Of Finality" -- gotta love those titles -- was more than seven minutes long, a bold move for a band from the hardcore underground.
Since that first EP, Balmora have grown into an influential force and a festival draw. After With Thorns Of Glass And Petals Of Grief, they teamed up with the like-minded Texas band Since My Beloved for the split EP Six Pacts Etched In Blood. Right now, Balmora are on the DAZE tour with Torture, Sanction, Final Resting Place, and Azshara. Today, they've released a frantic and uncompromising three-song EP called Prelude.
Prelude was released with no advance notice. It must be a prelude to something, since the band's full-length debut is coming later in the year. All three songs are absolutely brutal, though closer "Bloodlord," which previously appeared on the One Scene Unity compilation, has some sick clean-singing moments, as well. The band describes the EP as "what the Black Dahlia Murder sounded like if they had Irate mosh parts." Below, stream Prelude and check out Balmora's tour dates.
TOUR DATES:
4/01 - Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church *
4/02 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Preserving *
4/03 - Cleveland, OH @ No Class *
4/04 - Detroit, MI @ Sanctuary *
4/05 - Chicago, IL @ Beat Kitchen *
4/06 - Des Moines, IA @ Lefty’s *
4/08 - Denver, CO @ D3 Arts *^
4/09 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Publik Space *^
4/10 - Las Vegas, NV @ American Legion Post 8 *^
4/11 - Los Angeles, CA @ 1720 *^
4/12 - Tuscon, AZ @ Urbxn *^
4/13 - El Paso TX @ VFW Post 10354 *^
4/14 - San Antonio, TX @ Paper Tiger *^
4/15 - Denton, TX @ Rubber Gloves *^
4/16 - Memphis, TN @ Hi Tone *^
4/17 - Knoxville, TN @ Karns Community Center *^
4/18 - Winston Salem, NC @ Hoots Beer Co *^
4/19 - Richmond, VA @ The Warehouse *^
4/20 - Lakewood, NJ @ Maggie’s *^
5/04 - Norwalk, CT @ District Music Hall %
* with Torture, Sancton, & Azshara
^ with Final Resting Place
% with Pain Of Truth, Sunami, & Haywire
The Prelude EP is out now on DAZE/Ephyra.
