Black Daggers Share Their Debut Album, Phantasmagoria
Red Deer, AB, Canada’s BLACK DAGGERS debut album Phantasmagoria is now available as of October 31st. The concept record is about a Faustian Bargain gone awry. With its protagonist character making a deal with the Devil, it quickly goes wrong when he sees his life unraveling. The album is as much about struggling with vices as it is dealing with depression and addiction. The band wanted to really dig into the idea of drug-induced psychosis and explore where that might lead to paranoia and further self-destruction. They think in some ways the character will be relatable to people who’ve dealt with battling their inner demons with mental health issues or lived with addictions.
The band comments:
“We’re excited for people to listen to Phantasmagoria and to see everyone’s reactions to the story we’ve put together. This album was a labour of love with many hours of work put into it trying to make it the best we possibly could. We want fans to experience this record by putting on their headphones, closing their eyes and just imagining themselves drifting into this world where nothing is off limits and excess is the norm. The character struggles to cope with their newfound euphoria and it leads them down a dark path of self-destruction. If anything, after listening to this record people get a slightly deeper understanding of the struggles some people face.”
To celebrate the full-length’s release, the band shared their video for the track “City Limits”. The song tells the final chapter for the character of the album’s story where they realize they have made a mistake by making the deal with the Devil and try to run away and escape from their fate. Unfortunately, by this point, it is already too late and the Devil comes calling.
“This song is kind of a warning about addiction and the path it can lead you down and the destruction it can inevitably cause.” adds the band
First off, care to introduce yourself to our readers?
Howdy! I’m Spencer, drummer for Black Daggers. You could also say I’m the engineer of the record “Phantasmagoria” and one-quarter part of the producer and writer team. I like long walks on the beach… by myself… because I’m an introvert.
Tell us a bit about your most recent release.
It’s a concept album about a character who has given his all but is ready to give up. So he makes a deal with the devil and of course, things start to take a turn for the worse.
If you’ve ever dealt with mental health and/or addictions issues then you will probably find parts of it quite relatable. I was diagnosed with clinical depression and anxiety in high school and I’ve battled it off and on ever since. So there are aspects of this record I can relate to on a deeply personal level.
Do you have any upcoming shows you’d like to tell us about?
At the moment we don’t have any notable shows coming up, however, we expect that to change in 2024. We’re in talks with booking agents and promoters. Nothing concrete to tell you yet, unfortunately!
If given the chance, which Canadian artist would you love to work with in the future?
I know there are some Alexisonfire fans in this band so that would likely be a consideration. I really like Dallas Green’s voice. I also think if we ever did something with a classic artist like The Guess Who, BTO, or members from the Tragically Hip that would be something to get excited about!
What’s your goal for 2024?
Release more music and do a few shows. Mainly more music would be my preference. We are just getting started as far as I’m concerned and we intend this record to only be the first part of a four-part series of albums. There’s so much more music in our vault this record is only about ¼ to ⅓ of it.
Connect with Black Daggers:
Website
Facebook
Twitter/ X
Instagram
TikTok