Portland progressive sludge masters LORD DYING transform tragedy into triumph. A pair of albums powered by skull-crushing riffs and confrontational howls introduced the doom dogs to the world. In 2019, they delivered Mysterium Tremendum, a record Kerrang! declared a “prog-metal masterpiece.”

The heady and adventurous existential meditation on death kicked off a trilogy. That story continues in 2023 with an increasingly ambitious follow-up, the aptly named Clandestine Transcendence.

Lord Dying cofounders Erik Olson (guitar, vocals) and Chris Evans (guitar) are joined by Alyssa Maucere (former bassist for Eight Bells) and Kevin Swartz (current drummer of Tithe). Worldwide converts headbang in devotion, catching the band at festivals and on tours with genre giants like Crowbar, Black Label Society, Corrosion Of Conformity, and fellow Portlanders Red Fang.

Chicago Reader called Mysterium Tremendum “a beautiful meditation on tragedy.” Produced by Converge guitarist Kurt Ballou (High On Fire, Code Orange, Kvelertak) at his God City Studios, Clandestine Transcendence steps even further into the great unknown, filled with riffs and vibes.

As with the previous album, Olson and Evans composed all of the music and demoed it before arriving at the studio. “Kurt is fantastic. It was a real pleasure working with him,” Olson says. “He was very familiar with the demo as he’d listened to it a lot. We knew where we wanted to go with it.”