FORBIDDEN Releases First New Song In 15 Years, 'Divided By Zero'
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Resurrected San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal veterans FORBIDDEN have returned with the official music video for their first new song in over 15 years, "Divided By Zero". The track marks the band's first recording with FORBIDDEN's current lineup, consisting of founding guitarist Craig Locicero, alongside longtime bassist Matt Camacho and the group's latest additions, Norman "Norm" Skinner (vocals) and Chris Kontos (drums),plus VOIVOD guitarist Daniel Mongrain, who stepped in as a replacement for Steve Smyth in July 2024. Watch the official video here.
FORBIDDEN comments: "The opening riff for 'Divided By Zero' was the first thing Craig brought to the table as a new FORBIDDEN song. The lyrics address the erosion of civility and society through divisive control of institutions, cultures, religion, and government. Without picking sides, 'Divided By Zero' points to anyone and everyone that partakes in this mass manipulation, willingly or unwittingly."
The band adds: "The video for 'Divided By Zero' is the stuff of dystopian nightmares, depicting how influential words and propaganda of the few have power to sway the many. Robots and monsters — how most of us unwittingly end up being one or the other through the multiple institutions' relentless brainwashing and beating us down. All of the disturbing imagery, created by Ethan Renoe at Crumb Hill, visually captures the story perfectly, haunting, powerful, and poignant."
"Divided By Zero" represents the bridge between classic and modern FORBIDDEN. It was recorded similarly to FORBIDDEN's debut album, 1988's "Forbidden Evil", in approach: no samples, no triggers and no over-editing.
In a recent interview with The Metal Command podcast, Skinner, who has previously fronted such acts as NIVIANE and IMAGIKA, stated about how his vocal approach is different from that of former FORBIDDEN singer Russ Anderson: "I kept in mind, I'm, like, 'I've gotta throw a little bit of Russ in there on some of this. I can't just be, like, 'Okay, well, now here's a new song done completely in the style of Norm now.' So, yeah, it's a balancing act with some of these songs.
"It's a little different and there's a bit of a learning curve for me because I'm so used to singing a certain way and recording a certain way and everything, and now with this group of guys, it's, like, 'Well, we don't do it that way. We do it this way,'" he explained.
"I just finished a powwow with our guitar player Daniel Mongrain and found out that I sing a lot of 'happy chords', a lot of majors, he says. So we're going on ways to — I don't know — maybe make it sound a little more evil. But then when you've been singing power metal for 10 years, that tends to happen.
"But I'm definitely keeping it in the back of my mind that, as we roll out these new tunes, to make sure I still stay true to what I think the FORBIDDEN fans will like while staying true to myself at the same time," Norm added.
On the topic of the musical direction of the new FORBIDDEN music compared to that of the band's previous efforts, Norm said: "The music itself, I've heard Craig [say] that it's very a mixture of [2010's] 'Omega Wave' and [1990's] 'Twisted Into Form'. That's the cross where vocally I'm doing the more modern-sounding singing like I do — I'm throwing in my harsh screams and growls sprinkled throughout, which Russ really didn't do until 'Omega Wave'. 'Omega Wave', all of a sudden it's, like, 'Oh, wow.' I mean, [1997's] 'Green' was an angry album, and Russ was just more just like raw scream and just anger. 'Omega Wave' was a more polished, some more death vocal stuff thrown in and stuff. So I'm bringing a lot of that in these songs here and there, because that's something I like to do. But then at the same time I'm taking a lot of the kind of phrasing that Russ would do on those old thrash songs. And, of course, I'm keeping the high notes in there, here and there. Not overdoing it, just placing them where they need to be. So you get that little, 'Yeah, there it is.' We're just trying to really balance these songs as best. And, for me, those are my two favorite FORBIDDEN albums: 'Twisted Into Form' and 'Omega Wave'."
FORBIDDEN's new songs are being recorded at Sharkbite Studios in Oakland, California with engineer/co-producer Zack Ohren.
FORBIDDEN will perform at Teragram Ballroom in Los Angeles, California on July 25 with NASTY SAVAGE, before embarking on a European tour, starting on August 1 at the Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany. The "40 Years Of Twisted Evil" European trek will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the band's formation and the 35th anniversary of the release of FORBIDDEN's second album, "Twisted Into Form", which originally came out in March 1990 via Combat Records.
(Source: www.blabbermouth.net)
