Theres an ancient Japanese legend in which a horde of demons, ghosts and other terrifying ghouls descend upon the sleeping villages once a year. Known as Hyakki Yagy, or the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons, one version of the tale states that anyone who witnesses this otherworldly procession will die instantlyor be carried off by the creatures of the night. As a result, the villagers hide in their homes, lest they become victims of these supernatural invaders.

Such is the inspiration for the latest album from EARTHLESS. My son is really into mythical creatures and old folk stories about monsters and ghosts, bassist Mike Eginton explains. We came across the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons in a book of traditional Japanese ghost stories. I like the idea of people hiding and being able to hear the madness but not see it. Its the fear of the unknown.

Whereas 2018s Black Heaven featured shorter songs and vocals from guitarist Isaiah Mitchell on much of the albuman unprecedented move for the San Diego power triotheir latest is a return to the epic instrumentals EARTHLESS made their unmistakable name on. Night Parade Of One Hundred Demons is comprised of two monster songsthe 41-minute, two-part title track and the 20-minute Death To The Red Sun.

The scenario that allowed for this kind of exploration was a stark contrast to that of Black Heaven. At that point, Mitchell was living in the Bay Area, which made it difficult for the band to get together and work on the type of long instrumental pieces theyre known for. But in March 2020, the guitarist moved back to San Diego. More specifically, he moved back the night the pandemic lockdown kicked in. Bad timing, perhapsor maybe perfect timing.

Plus, they were all on the same page about not wanting to do another record with vocals. In a way, I think this album was a reaction to our last record, Eginton says. Black Heaven was outside our comfort zone. I think it was a good record, but it was challenging to write songs in a more traditional verse-chorus-verse format. This one was more enjoyable. Im sure well do more vocal tracks in the future, but for the time being I see that album as a one-off.

Given the records inspiration, it should come as no surprise that Night Parade of One Hundred Demons strikes a more sinister tone than the rest of the bands catalogue. It definitely has a darker, almost evil kind of vibe compared to stuff weve done in the past, Rubalcaba says. Theres more paranoia and noise, and some of Isaiahs whammy-bar stuff kind of reminds me of these Jeff Hanneman moments in Reign In Blood, where it just seems like everything is going to hell. Its pretty fun.

Night Parade of One Hundred Demons was recorded in San Diego with Rubalcabas childhood friend Ben Moore, whos worked with everyone from DIAMANDA GALAS and BURT BACHARACH to CEREMONY and HOT SNAKES. When Eginton wasnt tracking his bass parts, he worked on the albums incredible sleeve art. He really dedicated himself to the project, Rubalcaba says. Hed be drawing in the studio with, like, a coal-miners lamp on his head while we were doing overdubs. He really knocked it out of the park.

All told, Night Parade of One Hundred Demons isnt just a return to the bands traditional formatits a return to their very beginnings. This album actually has the very first Earthless riff in it, Eginton reveals. We just recorded it 20 years after we wrote it. But were really happy with how this record came out. We feel it might be our finest to date.