Fallujah - Fallujah *Pre-Order

Release Date Friday 13th June 2025
All pre-orders will be dispatched/made ready for collection on that day.

TRACK LISTING
1. In Stars We Drown / 2. Kaleidoscopic Waves / 3. Labyrinth of Stone / 4. The Crystalline Veil / 5. Step Through the
Portal and Breathe / 6. A Parasitic Dream / 7. The Obsidian Architect / 8. Xenotaph

"Tech-metal outfit FALLUJAH expand horizons and solidify their position as one of America’s most exciting artists on their
new album, Xenotaph, through Nuclear Blast. The Bay Area-based quintet’s confidence in the lineup that made their
previous album, Empyrean (2022), such a resounding success—earning high marks from Metal Injection, New Noise, and
Guitar World—has been reconfigured slightly, with guitarist Sam Mooradian (INHALE EXISTENCE, SAM MOORADIAN)
and drummer Kevin Alexander (DISEMBODIED TYRANT. BROUGHT BY PAIN) bringing their jaw-dropping musical
proficiency to the fold, as vocalist Kyle Schaefer, guitarist Scott Carstairs, and bassist Evan Brewer enter a new chapter
with FALLUJAH. Moored by singles ‘Kaleidoscopic Waves,’ ‘Labyrinth of Stone,’ and ‘Step Through the Portal and
Breathe,’ Xenotaph is FALLUJAH personified, reinvigorated, and re-imagined. “Having numerous self-sufficient writers in
the band who all agreed on a shared vision allowed us to work as a team to make sure every song was intense, detailed and dynamic but not overbearing in any aspect, at least to our tastes,” Carstairs says. “We spent many hours trying out
different arrangements and had a goal from the beginning to keep the song structures fast-paced and dense with tons of
different parts in each song. We also tried to push the music in a simultaneously more melodic and more
technical/progressive direction—even crazier riffs and solos balanced out by atmospheric moments and more prominent
clean vocal hooks.”
As a details-oriented record Xenotaph benefits from moments of low tension, atmospheric delight, and Schaefer’s winged
clean vocals.
This dynamic isn’t particularly new to Fallujah, but the group spent considerable time honing what each song
needed—from blast-laden speed runs and jazz-fusion solos to vocal restraint and brutality—which resulted in a brighter,
more exhilarating experience. Musically, it truly feels like the listener is embroiled in the album’s sci-fi concept and Peter
Mohrbacher’s stunning cosmogonic cover art, which is aesthetically in line with his previous covers (Dreamless and
Empyrean) for FALLUJAH. Close encounters with ‘Step Through the Portal and Breathe’, ‘Labyrinth of Stone,’ and
‘Kaleidoscopic Waves’ spark wonder and stimulate the soul. “‘Kaleidoscopic Waves’ was the first song we began working
on,” recalls Schaefer. “The song changed a lot before it ended up in its current form. ‘In Stars We Drown’ came together
the most quickly, and was the first song I wrote vocals for. The last song we completed together was the title track
‘Xenotaph,’ which was also the most collaborative song with a good balance of everyone’s ideas and contributions. We
spent a lot of time going back and forth on what the singles should be, and even though ‘Kaleidoscopic Waves’ might
seem like the obvious choice due to length and structure, we actually weren’t planning on releasing it as a single at all for
the vast majority of this process. It’s brighter and more upbeat than most of the other songs, and we were originally
planning to debut the record with something darker, heavier and more ‘Fallujah-y.’ In the end, we decided to lead with
‘Kaleidoscopic’ and then trust the subsequent singles to give people an idea of the full range of what to expect.” For
Xenotaph, Schaefer was influenced by Frank Herbert’s Children of Dune novel, as well as other Dune stories and
theatricals, as well as impressions from Mohrbacher’s cover art, illustrated for his The Watcher’s series. From there,
FALLUJAH’s frontman went into “a pretty psychedelic & complicated sci-fi story.” Each song on Xenotaph represents a
chapter or section of the whole, starting with ‘Kaleidoscopic Waves,’ a tale of the main protagonist in a post-death wake
state meeting the ‘guide,’ who may be angelic in appearance but is intently malevolent. Wrought with twists and turns,
Schaefer’s per-song arc engrosses and enthralls. “I wanted everything to feel very sci-fi and abstract rather than
resembling any traditional human ideas of heaven or hell,” Schaefer says. “This ‘guide’ accompanies the narrator on a
journey through incomprehensible new worlds as well as the inner working of their own psyche and memories, leading the
narrator to develop a profound sense of enlightenment and attachment to this new plane of existence. The twist that
comes later, though, is the realization that this character isn’t dead, that the entire experience has been a lie, and that the
angelic guide is really more like a parasite inside the character’s mind, trying to trap and deceive them into surrendering
their soul instead of waking up from this dreamlike state.” Xenotaph was produced by FALLUJAH, engineered by Dave
Otero (CATTLE DECAPITATION, ARCHSPIRE) and Mike Low (VITRIOL, ABORTED) at Flatline Audio in Denver,
Colorado and Top Track Studios in Nashville, Tennessee.
Otero also mixed and mastered Xenotaph. The main goal was elevation, building upon yet soaring upward from
Empyrean, one of the group’s strongest productions to date. The team focused the separation of FALLUJAH’s breakneck
pace, meticulous songcraft, euphonious leads, and unrivaled intensity, creating an experience pulls the listener into
Xenotaph’s high-caliber music and concept. ‘Kaleidoscopic Waves,’ ‘Labyrinth of Stone,’ ‘Step Through the Portal and
Breathe,’ and ‘The Obsidian Architect’ engage instantly—their depth and oh-wow moments offer endless replay power.
“The recording process ended up overlapping with the writing and demoing process to some degree,” reveals Schaefer.
“Generally, tracking occurred from roughly January-April 2024. We spent about two-three days with Dave at his studio in
Denver in mid-April. Most of our parts were recorded individually at home, including all guitars, vocals and bass. Drums
were tracked with our friend/Dave’s assistant Mike Low here in Nashville, and then mixed and mastered remotely by
Dave.”

Beyond releasing Xenotaph to an anticipating fanbase, FALLUJAH take aim at the road, drawing upon the success of
their Empyrean runs. Indeed, attendees to the group’s live performances have witnessed some of Xenotaph’s songs
already, namely the shimmery prog-bounce and inner world horror of ‘The Obsidian Architect.’ FALLUJAH are in a
perpetual state of evolution, and Xenotaph demonstrates the group’s hard-won, if profound journey. For there is no
reverse—only forward progress, and the path ahead is illuminating before them. Step through the portal if you dare…
“Hopefully fans will be surprised and excited by some of the new directions we’re pushing in,” Schaefer says. “They will
also still recognize the core elements they’ve grown to love in the past. There are some moments where we wanted the
music to feel completely new and even out of character for us, and then other moments where we wanted to lean into
what we already know the band can do well. It’s all about keeping things dynamic and exciting, while hopefully still feeling
like a fully cohesive piece of work held together by the lyrics and storyline. We’d love for this music to eventually impact
our fans in the way our favorite music has impacted us.”

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thank you for looking at our listing, below are a few points to consider before making a purchase:

- All records we sell are Brand New - pre-orders will normally come sealed but if you are purchasing in stock items, please note the copy may have been unsealed for display in the shop. Please email straight after purchase to enquire if this is of importance to you.

- Orders won't ship until all items are released, so keep this in mind when purchasing multiple pre-orders or a mix of in stock and pre-order items.

- The 'Product' page will show the most up to date info we have with regards to the item and its release date, but this information is subject to change so check in with us if you have any questions.

- We unfortunately don't offer tax/vat outside of the UK via the website so please keep in mind that when the items arrives in your country you may be liable to pay a further charge before delivery. (all UK orders the price you see is the price you will pay). Please also note that we are unable to adjust the declared value on items sold internationally.