Lightning Bolt to issue Fantasy Empire

Lightning Bolt have signed a deal with Thrill Jockey Records and announced a new album due out in March.

The influential twosome – drummer Brian Chippendale and bassist Brian Gibson – will issue their sixth record Fantasy Empire on March 23. The follow-up to 2009’s Earthly Delights is the band’s first record in five years.

Lightning Bolt inspired a generation of bands with their improvisational style and their live shows, which see them play on the venue floor surrounded by the audience.

Fantasy Empire is the band’s first release using hi-fi studio equipment and it will be available in 2LP, CD and in digital formats.

On the new songs, Thrill Jockey Records say: “Fantasy Empire is ferocious, consuming, and is a more accurate translation of their live experience. It also shows Lightning Bolt embracing new ways to make their music even stranger.

“More than any previous album, this one sounds like Chippendale and Gibson are playing just a few feet away, using the clarity afforded by the studio to amplify the intensity they project.

“Every frantic drum hit, every fuzzed-out riff, sounds more present and tangible than ever before. This is heavy, turbulent music, but it is executed with the precision of musicians that have spent years learning how to create impactful noise through the use of dynamics, melody, and rhythm.”

A European tour is in the works for later this year, with full details to be announced in due course.

Stef wrote close to 5,000 stories during his time as assistant online news editor and later as online news editor between 2014-2016. An accomplished reporter and journalist, Stef has written extensively for a number of UK newspapers and also played bass with UK rock favourites Logan. His favourite bands are Pixies and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Stef left the world of rock'n'roll news behind when he moved to his beloved Canada in 2016, but he started on his next 5000 stories in 2022.