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The Artificials (sometimes known as tHE/\RTificials) are a pretty killer progressive metal band founded in 2007 by ex-ERRA guitarist Alan Rigdon and Aaron Surratt. These guys just put out a record in March 2017 on Tragic Hero Records called Heart, and the story behind it is a sweet one.

Guitarist Alan Rigdon and vocalist Sarah Rigdon joined forces in music and in love to bring this album to fruition. Yeah that’s right, they’re married and wrote a record together. That might just be the most romantic thing we’ve ever heard. On the writing process of the album, Alan explains that “Heart was written over a two year period when we thought all hope was lost. Plenty of sleepless nights were spent trying to make sure not one part of this album was dull. It’s been a blessing and a pleasure to work with my wife, Sarah, on this record. I honestly think it saved our marriage a few times. If you can’t hear it, you’ll definitely be able to feel it.” That’s true love, folks.

The album also features Travis Wilburn on guitar, Brent Stanley on bass, and Shelton Summersgill behind the kit. In this exclusive playthrough, Alan and Travis shred through the track “Stormwolf” which showcases their super diverse and energetic style. The sound is super clean and polished, but with the aggression of modern progressive metalcore. Throw in some insanely catchy melodies and hooks and you’ve got a recipe for a really, really tight sound. If you’re into bands like ERRA, Misery Signals, or August Burns Red, you’re definitely gonna wanna give these guys a solid listen.

Everything about these guys just screams “feels”, which can be a pretty scarce thing in the world of metal. If you’re feeling the love, you can purchase Heart now on MerchNOW and Merchbucket. Good luck holding back those tears of joy.