Arcade Messiah launch new Hell By Default EP

By Scott Munro
( Prog )
published

John Bassett’s KingBathmat side project Arcade Messiah release three-track EP - songs will feature on upcoming fourth album

John Bassett (Image credit: StereoHead Records)

Arcade Messiah (opens in new tab) have released a new three-track EP titled Hell By Default.

It’s the first material from John Bassett’s KingBathmat side project since 2017’s Arcade Messiah III (opens in new tab) album, with the new songs set to appear on Arcade Messiah IV, which is set to arrive towards the end of 2019.

Bassett says: “After a couple of very difficult years, I've finally managed to get back to making music. 

"The new Arcade Messiah sound is more song focused with vocals and will be a blend of the sound of KingBathmat combined with Arcade Messiah – so more melody, more hooks, while hopefully maintaining the proggy, instrumental doom laden sound that Arcade Messiah has become associated with.”

Hell By Default is available as a free/pay what you want download from Bandcamp (opens in new tab), while the title track can also be streamed via YouTube.

(Image credit: StereoHead Records)

Arcade Messiah: Hell By Default EP
1. Hell By Default
2. Death X-Ray
3. Hell By Default (Instrumental)

Scott Munro
Scott Munro
Louder e-commerce editor

Scott has spent more than 30 years in newspapers and magazines as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. After initially joining our news desk in the summer of 2014, he moved to the e-commerce team full-time in 2020. He maintains Louder’s buyer’s guides, scouts out the best deals for music fans and reviews headphones, speakers, books and more. He's written more than 11,000 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog and has previous written for publications including IGN, the Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald covering everything from daily news and weekly features, to video games, travel and whisky. Scott grew up listening to rock and prog, cutting his teeth on bands such as Marillion and Magnum before his focus shifted to alternative and post-punk in the late 80s. His favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Ned's Atomic Dustbin and Drab Majesty, but he also still has a deep love of Rush.