SHRINEBURNER have unveiled "Bodies Dragged To Sunlight", the third track from their debut album Hymns Of Despair and the first music video the Chicago trio has ever made. Decibel Magazine is hosting the exclusive premiere.
This is the record at its bluntest. "This track is brutal, raw, and heavy as nails," says guitarist/vocalist Peter Norman. "Leaving traditional song structure behind, the idea was a song that just kept getting heavier with each part that hits you like a ton of bricks."
The video was written and directed by Liam Jennings and Norman, with Jennings also filming and editing. It was shot entirely DIY over roughly thirty-six hours. "We had a blast making this video," Norman says. "All DIY over the course of a day-and-a-half and everyone did such an amazing job. When I was thinking about who would play the lead, Clinton from MR.PHYLZZZ and GATTA MORTA was a no-brainer. The basic idea was a chilling narrative centered around his character with zero budget and limited time, and we're extremely grateful to all of our friends for putting in work and giving awesome performances."
Decibel's own read on the pairing: the song "is performed with gusto and melody. It makes for an interesting juxtaposition, especially with the violent music video that accompanies the new song."
That juxtaposition is the band's whole operating principle. Lyrically Hymns Of Despair circles worthlessness in a dying world, organized religion as an ever-growing plague, and the ordinary anxieties of simply existing. Musically SHRINEBURNER stay melodic throughout, occasionally even uplifting — dregs of genuine hope carried along inside an earthmoving collapse. Live, at full volume, it tips into something closer to trance.
The album was recorded and mixed by Matt Russell at Altered States in Chicago, mastered by Edward Hamel at Identity Mastering, and wrapped with cover art painted by Joshua Hondros. Recommended for anyone who lives with CONAN, UFOMAMMUT, AMAROK, HUSH, EVOKEN, BLACK SHAPE OF NEXUS, USNEA and IRON MONKEY.
SHRINEBURNER formed in 2023 as an outlet for Norman and drummer Brent Favata, built on a wall-of-sound approach to mantra-like riff writing, and issued the debut EP Solitude in 2024. When Favata's other projects took over, Norman expanded the band to a trio — CJ Johnson on bass, Edward Hamel behind the kit — and 2025 turned into a year of fast growth. The fuller, more dynamic version of the band wrote Hymns Of Despair almost immediately.
Having shared stages with CONAN, RIFFLORD, TELEKINETIC YETI, STINKING LIZAVETA, MODERN LIFE IS WAR, MINSK, JUNIUS and ASEETHE, the trio is currently booking dates behind the album.
SHRINEBURNER live:
- September 2, 2026 — Beat Kitchen, Chicago, IL (record release show with ASEETHE and BARREN HEIR)
Hymns Of Despair arrives September 11.
Watch "Bodies Dragged To Sunlight": Decibel Magazine
Order & Stream Hymns Of Despair: Bandcamp
Follow SHRINEBURNER: Bandcamp