RISE TO THE SKY - Per Aspera Ad Astra (Album Announcement & Track Premiere)

Look, if you're tired of us talking about Rise To The Sky, you're gonna be disappointed with this one. Apologies, but so it goes. We can't help gabbing about the good stuff. It's a curse, really.

In any case, as ye may recall, this Chilean one-man project recently put out Let Me Drown With You, an album so nice we talked about it twice. Said album came out, like...four months ago. Needless to say, it feels remarkably early to share good word of a new effort from this talented (and evidently prolific) individual, but here we are, album announcement clasped in white-knuckled grasp. So, hear ye: Per Aspera Ad Astra will be released Sept. 3rd, 2021, via GS Productions. Color us excited.

Given the success and acclaim garnered by this year's earlier effort, we slumbering scribes are frankly pretty psyched to observe the heights to which Rise To The Sky will climb by benefit of this (stellar!) forthcoming release. But, lest we scare you away with excess chatter, we're very happy to present here today the lead single and title track. Give it a listen below, and, as always, we'll meet ye on the other side!

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​Like unto Rise To The Sky's very best work, Per Aspera Ad Astra is a somber yet delightfully dramatic affair. The track in question carries itself with a deep sense of tangible grief and melancholy, for reasons detailed below in Sergio's statement. However, much like his previous work, the songwriting is defined in many ways by a general feeling of upward momentum. Rather than dwelling in the dank and the dark like the majority of its atmospheric death doom brethren, Per Aspera Ad Astra stretches into the light with a tenderness that is swiftly becoming a bit of a trademark. While the track feels heavy, both emotionally and sonically, it doesn't seek to crush the listener into the ground. Indeed, the last minute feels more like a lullaby than something I would classify as "metal" in the traditional sense.

The symphonic elements layered throughout give the track a lush and vibrant aesthetic--once again, a stark contrast to the expectations of genre convention. There is no cold earth here, and to my ears, that intrinsic warmth allows Sergio to stand in a class of his own. Back in our premiere of Rise To The Sky's "Leibestod," we stated that "this is a truly thoughtful, intense, and immersive track, and if that isn't an accomplishment in the atmospheric death doom arena, I don't know what is." The same can be said in the case of  Per Aspera Ad Astra, but here, it rings even more true. More than simply an accomplishment, this track feels like an honest and personal illustration of the grieving process, free of any melodramatic tarnish or gravitas. It's a beautiful thing to witness. 

Says Sergio in regards to this album: “Upon death, the remaining body is disposed, the person is transformed and keeps living through the ones who remain, in the form of memory, image, and blood. Their past, and the way it molded our lives and destiny, is an enduring reflection of their existence. On Wednesday January 6, 2021 my father, Sergio González Bombardiere, passed away suddenly. We buried my father on Friday, I went home afterwards with certain relief that he had already received a proper funeral and that it was now time for us to grieve. On that weekend, while trying to cope with this new reality, I went to my studio, and having no idea what to say or do, I wrote the song 'Per Aspera Ad Astra​.'"

​Rise To The Sky - Per Aspera Ad Astra will be released Sept. 3rd, 2021, via GS Productions. Grab that preorder here!​

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​Rise To The Sky can be found:
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