Brisbane progressive-metal prodigies, Citadel make their mark with their epic second release, ‘Parasyte’ - a cathartic and stirring track that follows up on their debut release, ‘Sundered Souls’.

Having a debut show sharing stages with Redhook, and The Dead Love under their belt, Citadel, a local supergroup comprising of members (and former members) from heavy hitters such as Osaka Punch, Wildheart, and Bayharbour, are already proving they are ones to watch in the heavy scene.

‘Parasyte’ establishes a haunting feel with a lone piano, and vocalist Russel Miller’s gentle delivery, making for a fragile moment. Swelling strings enhance the theme, with drummer Dane’s building rhythms in swing. The use of one of U2’s lines from one of their most famous songs assists in bringing the melancholy, but this is all short-lived. The mood shifts from sorrow, to rage, with an operatic metal moment, before we are bludgeoned by the abrasive, deep modern progressive heavy tones, guttural screams, and an overall horns up second act. Citadel have shown that we have a serious supergroup contender in Brisbane, and we’re keen to see what they can pull off next.

The new track details the harrowing slew of emotions guitarist Nat Patterson death with during the ending of his engagement, coinciding with the death of a close family member. Force to return to his parent’s home, it details the breadth of emotions he felt during this period; ranging from deep sadness, to bring frustration.

‘Parasyte’ was recorded with Gareth Hargreaves (Polaris, Young Lions, The Brave), who helped to mold the song from a barebones idea, to the fleshed out & layered piece heard today. Trusting his ear, Hargreaves also handled the track’s mixing & mastering.

Nat Patterson explains the process of how ‘Parasyte’ came together.

“Parasyte was written at a very dark time in my life, following the end of an engagement and the death of a close family member as well, and is one of the only songs we have where I also wrote the lyrics. Parasyte tackles the complex and harrowing feelings I felt directly after my fiance and I broke it off. I had moved back to my parent’s house to kind of “start over”, and was enduring feelings ranging from deep sadness to burning frustration and anger at how things had turned out,” he said.

Having now introduced themselves to the audiences throughout Brisbane & Australia, Citadel has a string of upcoming performances, sharing stages with Voyager, Semantics & more in the coming months. With more music in their back-pocket, it is only a matter of time before they become a household name across the Australian heavy music landscape.

‘Parasyte’ is streaming now on all digital platforms.

Catch Citadel on July 14 at The Zoo (Brisbane) with Glass Tides, Shangrila, and Grizzlyshark

And on August 21 at The Triffid supporting Voyager, with Acolyte, The Stranger and more.