Macabre modernists Frayle have unveiled their most recent presentation in Heretics & Lullabies, a potent meld of dreamy dread and the eagerly awaited follow-up to their well-received 2022 LP, Skin & Sorrow. Propelled by the haunting harmony of vocalist Gwen Strang and the consuming composition of Sean Bilovecky, the band's stylistic amalgam sources elements of post metal and contemporary doom in what amounts to the soundtrack of the occult. 

Constructing an album that personalizes the darkest corners of human experience, Frayle's atmospheric take on heavy music is brimming with emotion and executed with pristine production. Combined with dynamic songwriting and commanding performances preserved on record, Heretics & Lullabies is an emphatic offering of the band's prowess as heavy music progressives. 

Marking the arrival of the album and preparing for their upcoming run of live dates supporting occult unit Dogma, Gwyn Strang and Sean Bilovecky offered a detailed assessment of the album with a track-by-track analysis. Revisiting the moments that contributed to the magic of the music, the duo share insights and observations of each track, illuminating the creative process and providing a glimpse into the psyche of Frayle. 

“WALKING WOUNDED”

Strang - Walking Wounded is about how women make themselves smaller to live in a world filled with toxic patriarchy. In today’s environment I think this message is growing more and more important. Being aware of the problem is the first step to fixing it, but unfortunately sexism is still very much alive.

Bilovecky -  I challenged myself to write a riff that bounced but was still heavy. It really started coming together when we started adding layers that allowed the song to have an atmosphere while retaining its heaviness.

"SUMMERTIME SADNESS”

Strang - We knew that we wanted to include a cover on this album and demo’d a few. Lana is the queen of melancholy so it seemed natural to include Summertime as one of the choices. Once we stripped down the opening and added the pause before the chorus, we knew that we had something special.

Bilovecky - This song was a bit of a challenge to maintain the integrity of the original while adding our own take on it. The verse was probably the hardest part musically and actually took a few attempts to get it to the point where both Gwyn and I were happy with it.

"BOO”

Strang - Boo was probably one of the first songs that we wrote for this album. Sean came up with the idea and I thought it sounded like fun, so we wrote it with the idea that it would be fun and creepy at the same time. We played this song a few years ago and people were singing along by the middle of the first chorus.

Bilovecky - The chorus riff is one of the heaviest risks we’ve ever done. It has a bounce, but it’s also super super heavy. I also like the way that Jason‘s parts never repeat themselves. It keeps the song fresh.

“DEMONS”

Strang - As someone who has suffered from thoughts of inadequacy, Demons is my way of personifying rumination in the demons and the strength to overcome those demons in being a monster. It’s a way to speak strength to those going through something by telling them “you’re stronger than those overwhelming thoughts.”

Bilovecky -I really like when Gwyn sings “they don’t know what I know. “It’s an affirmation that you have the power to overcome anything that you put your mind to.

“SOUVENIRS OF YOUR BETRAYAL”

Strang - Souvenirs is a song of heartbreak and betrayal. I wanted to work through some scars from a past relationship and really be able to convey the hurt and pain I felt. I wanted others going through it to know that they are not alone.

Bilovecky - This is by far my favorite song to listen to on this record. Music has always been a form of medicine for me in this song is just that the lyrics are just so powerful.

“GLASS BLOWN HEART”

Strang - if you’ve ever been in a relationship where you’re more involved than the other person, this song is about that. It’s a song of longing and wanting and trying to make that person love you. Sadly, usually the more you pull, the more the other person pushes you away.

Bilovecky - This was probably the most fun song to record with John in the studio at the end of the breakdown. You can hear him playing the Roto Tom with one stick while pushing into it with the other. The more you push the higher the note becomes, so he was actually changing the tuning of the drum while playing it in real time. Thats something that’s really important, the organic drums and the human performance

“HYMN FOR THE LIVING”

Strang - During the dark days of Covid in 2020/2021, I experienced a lot of loss. Most of our last album, Skin & Sorrow was an expression of that grief. Hymn for the living is touching upon that grief and maybe exorcising the remaining demons from that time. It’s sung from the point of view of someone who has transcended trying to comfort their loved ones still living.

Bilovecky - Musically this song has an interesting sway for me. The drums almost remind me of “We will rock you” by Queen. I think it’s fun and interesting to contrast tribal Poppy drums with super creepy heavy guitars.

“RUN”

Strang - Run was a song I wrote to myself. It’s me stepping outside of myself and telling myself things I need to hear. Exploring the pain that I carry and giving myself hope. Vocally, I tried to do something a little different so that it would come across a little darker or creepier.

Bilovecky - This one has a pretty cool Easter egg in it. I was messing around in our studio one day and started throat singing. The original recording of that can be found in the intro of our video from our last record, “Treacle & Revenge”. I kept thinking about that sound over and over again. I thought “Run”would be the perfect place to give it a second life, so underneath the breakdowns and at the very end, you can hear that throat singing.

“HERETIC”

Strang - This is one of my favorite songs on the album. I wanted it to be somewhat anthemic for those who have been marginalized or made to feel “lesser than.” You don’t have to follow the brainwashed masses to be a good or spiritual person. Find your own way.

Bilovecky - This is definitely the fastest song we’ve ever done. I really love the aggression that Jason‘s vocals add when mirroring Gwen in the chorus. I also really enjoy playing the song live because of the guitar swells that happened in the verses. We are all heretics in one way or another.

“ONLY JUST ONCE”

Strang - Only Just Once is a song of overwhelming longing. Wanting to be everything and do everything, and letting the knowledge that you can’t possibly do that absolutely destroy you.

Bilovecky - Although the guitar is on this song sound huge I actually used the smallest Amp that I own to make them. My friend made me a replica of a 1950s 5 W fender amp that would definitely was not designed to have drop tuned or super sludgy guitars ran through it but funny enough these small amps actually end up having a lot of personality when you put the right combination of sound into them for heavy music.

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Heretics & Lullabies, the new album from Frayle is now available via Napalm Records. Order the album - HERE

Catch Frayle on tour with Dogma starting October 23rd in Anaheim, CA. The tour stretches through November 8th with stops in Las Vegas, Denver, Houston, Orlando and a finale in Atlanta, GA. See the list of dates below.