Bastard Sapling, the enigmatic local black metal quintet who first drew widespread attention with their 2012 debut full-length Dragged From Our Restless Trance, are preparing to release a followup, and in order to herald its arrival, have just released a new track.

Bastard Sapling, the enigmatic local black metal quintet who first drew widespread attention with their 2012 debut full-length Dragged From Our Restless Trance, are preparing to release a followup, and in order to herald its arrival, have just released a new track. The 11-minute “Lantern At The End Of Time” is in character for the band, whose tendency towards epic song lengths led to their debut containing four songs and lasting 40 minutes.

However, this is their first use of a guest vocalist, and Windhand‘s Dorthia Cottrell adds a lot of atmosphere to the track with her crooning sighs. Her voice is most prominent during the song’s atmospheric middle section, which follows up the midtempo riffing of the opening minutes with a long segment featuring strummed, undistorted guitars and a total lack of percussion. But don’t worry, Bastard Sapling haven’t lost any of their prior fierceness, as the last half of the song explodes into a frenzy of blastbeats, distorted guitars, and brutal screaming from vocalist Mike Paparo. It’s an exciting preview for Instinct Is Forever, the band’s new album, scheduled to be released on July 18 by Forcefield Records and Gilead Media.

Head over to NPR’s All Songs Considered blog to hear “Lantern At The End Of Time.”

Bastard Sapling will be heading out on tour next month with Inter Arma (which makes sense, considering the bands share 3 out of 5 members), but before they go, they’ll be playing a show right here in RVA, with Nashville’s Alraune and locals Hoboknife, at Strange Matter on Thursday, July 10. Doors open at 9 PM, admission is $7. Come out to get a live preview of the new album. For more info, click here.