-(16)- Premiere New Single & Music Video "Proudly Damned"

Veteran Los Angeles sludge metal outfit -(16)- is set to release their latest album, “Guides For The Misguided,” on February 07th via Relapse Records. Ahead of the release, the band has unveiled a Carlos Wright-directed music video for the track “Proudly Damned,” which you can watch below.

Speaking on the upcoming album, the band shared:

“The album came together after we wrapped the final mix of our last one ‘Into Dust‘. It’s all about harnessing creative momentum when it strikes and we’ve been in a kind of creative autopilot for about a decade. When inspiration is there, the rest seems to fall into place effortlessly. Thankfully, we’re still driven to write and perform even after all these years. There’s no grander meaning behind it than simply following that primal urge to create—put your head down and just make something.

Age has of course given us a fresh perspective. In the 8 years Since ‘Lifespan of a Moth‘ our lineup has shifted. We lost a singer, gained Alex Shuster on lead guitar/producer, and founding member Bobby Ferry slid into the lead vocalist rhythm guitarist spot. Lyrically, we’ve moved beyond the personal and inward grievances of our earlier work and embraced broader themes of conflict, like the hypocrisy of religion and its negative effects on the psyche.

On the new album, there’s a song called Blood Atonement Blues that delves into the story of Ervil LeBaron, often referred to as the “Mormon Manson,” while Proudly Damned explores addiction and how it turns into a Pagan Ritual with a witch-like character posing as the opiate — both in substance abuse and the spiritual realm— in parallel. In many ways, this album might be the closest we’ve come to creating a concept record. Including the two covers on the album is meant to lessen this heavy hand and lighten the focus.

Musically, we are still grasping for the perfect riffs married to the most ideal arrangements. We’re not afraid to lean into the stuff we love: noise, classic rock, hardcore, doom metal, and thrash. We are well aware we are not reinventing the wheel but lovingly fashioning something from us and basically for us, first and foremost.”

“Guides For The Misguided” track-list:

01 – “After All”
02 – “Hat On A Bed”
03 – “Blood Atonement Blues”
04 – “Fortress of Hate”
05 – “Proudly Damned”
06 – “Fire and Brimstone Inc.”
07 – “Desperation Angel”
08 – “Resurrection Day”
09 – “Give Thanks And Praises” (Bad Brains cover)
10 – “Kick Out The Chair”
11 – “The Tower” (Superchunk cover) (bonus track)

-(16)- 2025 tour-dates:

01/31 Pescara, ITA – Scumm
02/01 Bolzano, ITA – Pippo Stage
02/02 Bologna, ITA – Freakout
02/03 Zero Branco, ITA – Altroquando
02/04 Zagreb, HR – Vintage Industrial
02/05 Graz, AUT – Explosiv
02/06 Bmo, CZE – Kabinet Muz
02/07 Wroclaw, POL – Liverpool Club
02/08 Salzburg, AUT – Rockhouse
02/09 Mannheim, GER – 7er Club
02/10 Rotterdam, NET – V11
02/11 Goppingen, GER – Gasttatte Ziller
02/13 Helsinki, FIN – Kuudes Linja
02/14 Savona, ITA – Raindogs House
02/15 Torino, ITA – Blah Blah