turian

Turian have been a staple of the Pacific Northwest’s much lauded but nationally underrated hardcore and powerviolence scene since 2016. Originally consisting of guitarist Ryan Moon, Bassist Cris Sanchez and drummer Andrew Nyte with all three sharing vocal duties. The prolific band released their debut album Voiceless in 2017 followed by two more albums and an EP on their own Buster Room Records.  A staple of the Seattle gig circuit, the band has been cheekily dubbed, “New Future Heavy Metal.”

When the COVID-19 pandemic scuttled a planned tour with Harsh Realm to promote their then-new and self-titled album in 2020, Turian took the opportunity to rethink their approach and bootstrap their artistic evolution. Originally a power trio, the group added dedicated vocalist Vern Metzli, who delivers with a ferocious snarl. Their contribution liberated the other members of Turian to plumb their influences more deeply and focus on more intricate instrumentation.

Turian spent most of 2020 writing the songs that would become No Longer Human before decamping to The Unknown studio in Anacortes, WA to record the album with Nicholas Wilbur. No Longer Human was then mixed and mastered by compatriot Alex Farrar at Drop of Sun studios in Asheville, NC. Farrar collaborated with Turian earlier on their 2018 album The Near Room, and his experience with their genre-agnostic songwriting accentuates the depth and breadth of this new material.

The result, No Longer Human is their most ambitious record to date. The anxious grinding of their earliest Discordance Axis worship songs remains, but takes a back seat to angular riffs a-la Voivod and the post-punk-but-sucker-punched groove of Prong, all delivered through a kaleidoscope of rich, heavily distorted tone that would make Steve Austin proud. At times even the gloom and melodic leanings of Siouxsie and The Banshees sneaks in at the edges. The added space makes songs like “Judas Tree” and “Snakehead” some of the most infectious songs in Turian’s discography.

In 2023, Turian went back to the unknown to track their latest album Blood Quantum Blues. IF no longer human was a step towards embracing a diverse palette, Then blood quantum blues is a bounding leap, and one that the band is immensely proud of. Mixed By Jamie Uertz of silver cord studios, turian is currently preparing the album for release.