As Savannah, Georgia-based VATICAN prepares for the August release of their brutalizing Ache Of Eternity EP through Sorrow Carrier Records, an official video for the track “Slit Of Creation” has been issued.

VATICAN’s Ache Of Eternity was recorded by Kris Hilbert at Legitimate Business (Advent, Torch Runner, Red Death, Joy) in May of 2017, after which it was mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege (Integrity, Nails, Xibalba) and completed with artwork by Spencer Guerrero and photography by Nathan Fitzgerald. While some tracks meld corrosive vocals somewhere between Zao, Caliban, and Carcass, with the unhinged aggression of Martyr A.D., the barely-controlled chaos of Converge and Burnt By The Sun, the groove of Machine Head, and the bloodthirsty beatdown of One King Down, others open the heart as much as the pit, a la Poison The Well and It Dies Today.

VATICAN vocalist Jonathan Whittle issued a statement on the new track and its deep-rooted meaning, “The ‘Slit of Creation’ video depicts an individual mentally battling depression and suicidal thoughts. In the beginning, it shows her going to bed alone at night, with a killer appearing when she hits the lights (not necessarily a physical being, but more so a figment of suicide in the conscience). In her subsequent dream state, she is trapped in a room to face the killer/suicide, from whom/which she runs while mourning at a close friend’s gravestone. That’s similar to what we fought through while mourning our close friend’s passing. This track and ‘Boundless Image’ go hand-in-hand and were written within a three-week span while grieving. ‘Boundless Image’ is more so about his struggle and the image burnt into our minds. ‘Slit Of Creation’ is focused on finding a new sense of life through the experience — hence creation.

In the past, I’d always kept suicide as an option in the back of my head, if all else fails. That was a terrible way to live, but losing a friend put everything into perspective and kicked that thought out of my brain because of the damage I know it would cause those I love. Somehow, the tragedy saved my life. The video shows multiple shots of the killer standing nearby, getting closer each time, as a representation of that stagnant thought growing. Towards the end it shows the character giving in and letting the killer/suicide catch up to her, torment her to the point of torture, before ultimately resorting to suicide with a slit wrist/throat in the bathtub. Whether she’s still dreaming or that it’s actually taking place is up to the viewer.
I would urge anyone thinking of ending their life to not let that dream become a nightmarish reality. There is help out there for you, no matter how dark it seems; please seek it out. I know it’s cliché, but it will get better.”

Ache Of Eternity will see release through Sorrow Carrier Records on August 25th; preorders for the record’s three color variants – black with screen-printed b-side, red with black smoke, and purple – are now posted HERE.