Having combined through a joint passion for heavy music, songwriting & the pursuit of pushing their personal creative boundaries, Citadel are today officially unveiling their prolific lineup & debut single ‘Sundered Souls’.
Joining forces after a multitude of shows, tours & sessions together in previous acts (Osaka Punch, Wildheart, & Bayharbour), the esteemed Brisbane creatives combine to form a quintet, poised to unleash their talent & vision before spreading their progressive metal & melodic brawn fusion across borders and throughout Australia.
‘Sundered Souls’ floats through an ambient & mysterious introduction, building underneath Russell Miller’s immaculately clean vocals, before dropping into a djent-influenced, riff laden chorus – sparking urgency & trepidation in listeners, before ultimately resolving in a wave of purifying catharism. Whilst blending post-metal and metalcore elements, Citadel also nods towards the work of composers Nobu Uematsu (Final Fantasy OST) & Jack Wall (Mass Effect OST).
Working closely with renowned Brisbane local Gareth Hargreaves (Polaris, Windwaker, The Brave) the band were able to channel their individual influences, before combining and being flawlessly guided by Hargreaves, who has a guiding hand for creating alternative-rock & progressive-metal masterpieces. Taking lessons from each of their previous individual projects & releases, the five-piece were able to work to combine their collective experiences to create ‘Sundered Souls’ a song that stands as an impressive debut release.
“Lyrically, I wanted to express a few emotions based on a previous relationship. The song began with blaming myself for everything because I was told that it was my fault, progressing on to realising that I was also a victim, and ending with a decision to seperate myself from the drama and move on. I chose to use art metaphors partially to tell a story differently to how I’d heard it told before, but also to acknowledge the good & the bad simultaneously, rather than a simple “Boy good, girl bad” outlook because it’s rarely that simple.”
Russell Miller, Citadel
“Working with Gareth Hargreaves was a brilliant experience. We had put alot of work into the record leading up to this point with lock-in sessions building the framework of the record to the best of our ability, but once we had Gareth on board it was like lifting the veil off the potential each of these songs had. Sundered Souls in particular always struck me with this imagery of a sunset time slot of a festival set and a shirtless, sweaty Russ using the crowd to catch his breath. Hopefully we get that image soon.”
Liam Kelly, Citadel
Alongside the ‘Sundered Souls’ release, Citadel are today also revealing an energetic & inspired music video to pair with the single release. Shot, directed & edited by Brisbane’s Nick Hargans (Dregg, Columbus, Stepson) the film sees an interpretative dancer performing to the track, alongside interspersed shots of the band playing the track in a traditional church with stained-glass windows.
Shot in blue lighting, the dancer portrays angst, misery & pain, whilst the band’s performance shots reveal the light and hope underneath – the two contrasts operating in unison to portray the workings of a mind.
“We began working on the music video with Nick Hargans when we had all sorts of ideas stemming out from each other, and Nick helped us refine it into something more streamlined and communicable. We knew we wanted a storyline focused on a dancer to pair with the swooping melodies, as well as to create a trio of artistic mediums alongside the song and painting metaphors.”
Russell Miller, Citadel
“Once all the storyboarding was done we partnered with Rachel who had worked with both Dane & Nick before, and she was beyond incredible. She brought her own passion to the project and really owned her space which was so captivating. This allowed her to be the real lead of the video and we couldn’t have been happier with how it turned out.”
Russell Miller, Citadel
With more than just ‘Sundered Souls’ in their back pocket, this is just the beginning of the Citadel story, with the band ready & eager to share stages, new music & their journey with audiences across Australia in 2022. With a pedigree as illustrious as their own individually, combining will undoubtedly see Citadel become a name on the lips of heavy music fans across the country.