Cable will issue Take the Stairs to Hell via Translation Loss on 26 July. The band has just released “Black Medicine”, a scorching, groove-centered slab of darkness that marries dissonant tension with meditative melodic resolution. Swinging between avant-metal and the good old blues-based swing of doom, the track bodes well for the rest of the album, which may be pre-ordered and features cover art from Mark Rudolph.
Bassist/vocalist Randy Larsen says, “The song mostly follows the overall theme and vibe of Take the Stairs to Hell. It’s a personal song that comes from a dark place. Without getting into it too deep, 2018 was an extremely painful and dark year for me. I’ll leave it at that. This song was one of the first written for Take the Stairs to Hell and dates back to probably 2015/2016. I worked a good portion of this song out with the drummer that was playing in Slow Death, another band I was doing around that time. The song defiantly evolved from those early stages for sure. When Mike Hill and Graham Brooks came onboard to lend additional vocals and guitars, it made the song really come to life. Peter Farris also delivered a stunning vocal performance on the fly with a part I was struggling with. in the end I think ‘Black Medicine’ ended up being one of the strongest tracks on Take the Stairs to Hell and my personal favorite. The struggle is endless.”
Hill, who fronts the band Tombs, adds, “I’ve been friends with Randy for over 20 years; he’s been someone that I’ve looked up to for a long time and Cable is a very unique band that blends all of the stuff that I love: chaos, heavy rock, blues and a total “fuck you” attitude. I’ve been a fan since Variable Speed Drive back in the 1990s. Their whole catalog offers something new with each record.
“When Randy asked me if I would be interested in contributing vocals, I was 100 percent down from day one. It was an honor. He sent me the track and gave me direction on the vocals. I came in on the tail end of the session, and it was a total family vibe.