Premiere: I Klatus ‘Opium Cyborg’ – Taken From New Album ‘Targeted’ That Drops April 1st

When a band states it features members who’ve plied their trade in Lair Of The Minotaur, Earthen Grave, Yakuza, and Indian, along with a renowned artist whose artwork has been used by the who’s who within the doom, sludge, and stoner genres, you really need to sit up, take a deep breath then take heed.

I Klatus
I Klatus

That band is of course I Klatus who, after a short hiatus, are back and preparing to release their new album Targeted, but before it’s unshackled to the masses, we at The Shaman are elated to bring you the third cut in the form of Opium Cyborg.

Bassist and vocalist John E. Bomher explains the tracks meaning, Opium Cyborg is about losing your humanity and your soul to the opiates. Injecting the flesh with some sort of synthetic that replaces the viability of human consciousness. Thus, overriding any sense of humanity and replacing it with a cybernetic high of mind. No longer capable of independent thought. No longer viewing the abilities of human empathy or emotion. It is about literally being transformed into a robot while trying to find God, through substances.’

He continues, ‘As if to say this attempt to find solace transforms you physically, mentally, and spiritually into a cybernetic automaton, going through the motions of being human but vacant of those sacred aspects which make up your ‘soul.’ As I sit here writing this, I’m looking over my brother’s ravaged and mangled body, destroyed by years of abuse, wires and tubes coming out of everywhere, limbs lost… a casualty of this opioid crisis.’

What else is there to add except click play below…

More On I Klatus & ‘Targeted’

Chicago, Illinois-based esoteric sludge/doom metal trio I Klatus is embodied by drummer Chris Wozniak (Lair Of The Minotaur, Earthen Grave), bassist John E. Bomher (Yakuza, Indian), and guitarist/vocalist/visual artist Tom Denney (renowned artist for Soilent Green, Kylesa, Weedeater, Black Cobra, Rwake, Samothrace, among countless others).

I Klatus Logo

I Klatus began as a college basement noise project just after the twin towers fell. Like the blob, the project consumed other artists, digesting their talent. It slowly grew in scope, embellishing the fundamentals of musicianship rooted in sonic exploration with down-tuned guitars. The subtle frequencies, hums and grinding synthesizers have always reminded its members of the sounds of madness, the type of white noise that comes to mind through transcendental meditation.

It is at the core of their beliefs that sonics are the foundation of the universe and by exploring the sounds of noise, they further delve into the expanse that is universal creation, and they challenge the listener to join them on the journey and find the songs within the sounds. This is the fundamental groundwork by which I Klatus’ songs take root and find expansion; like a tree growing through the floorboards of an abandoned society. Noise in a very real sense is a type of deity in itself; one that they take a knee to and worship wholeheartedly.

I Klatus
I Klatus

Immediately on the heels of their 2017-released Nagual Sun album, I Klatus went into seclusion the cold mountain town of Snoqualmie, Washington to write and record a follow-up. Fourteen sunless days went by and in stark contrast to the Summer-sun-filled experience of Los Angeles which inspired Nagual Sun, and the band forced themselves to write without any distractions from jobs or family, without any sunshine or warmth. Just cold rain and troll spirits.

The entire concept of I Klatus’ new album, Targeted, is about fear, addiction, and psychosis, confronting the self-obsessed fears often faced by those with mental health challenges such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Often, these unfortunate victims of their own minds are terrorized by unseen entities which cause them to turn to drugs and other strange behavior to cope with the daily horrors which plague them. An irrational fear of being followed, tracked, and hunted. Fear of being implanted with microchips while unconscious; injecting shadow entities into their nightmares; nightmares which bleed into daytime realities. The psychosis is infectious, affecting who you’re able to trust.

I Klatus 'Targeted'
I Klatus ‘Targeted’ Artwork

Here, the band confronts the harsh reality that we’re face-to-face with when these kinds of struggles affect our loved ones, and we find ourselves in a position of needing to protect ourselves from these unseen forces which are very real to the victims of such maladies.

Mixed and mastered by John E. Bomher at Berwyn Recording, with layout/artwork by Tom Denney, Targeted also features guest performances by Alison Chesley aka Helen Money (cello on Solstice Of Wind), Valentina Levchenko (vocals on Solstice Of Wind), Joseph Starita (violin, cello on Shitback And Halfway Damned), Patrick Hamilton (gongs, robots on Opium Cyborg and Targeted), and guest lyricist Michael McEvoy on Dance With The Skulls In The

Targeted Tracklisting:
01. Solstice Of Wind
02. Shitback And Halfway Damned
03. Opium Cyborg
04. Dance With The Skulls In The Church
05. Targeted

I Klatus is:
Tom Denney – Guitar, Voice, Noise
John E. Bomher – Bass, Voice, Noise
Chris Wozniak – Drums, Voice

I Klatus presents their fourth full-length, Targeted, confirming the album for release through their own Dead Sage label on April 1st and pre-orders are available now over on Bandcamp.

Label: Dead Sage
Band Links: Facebook | Bandcamp | Twitter | Instagram