Misha Mansoor and Mark Holcomb revive Haunted Shores for new album Void – hear thrashy first single Hellfire now

Haunted Shores – the instrumental side project of Periphery guitarists Misha Mansoor and Mark Holcomb – have shared a playthrough of their new single Hellfire – their first material since 2015 EP, Viscera.

The track is the first single from second album Void, which is due March 11. Born out of the duo’s pandemic downtime, the record was produced across a combination of home studio sessions and in-person collaborations, where circumstances allowed.

Hellfire was reportedly the first track Holcomb wrote when the pandemic hit, and it's full of thrash-y frustration and hectic, entangled riffing – all played in drop-G on a six-string guitar. 

“Haunted Shores is an escape ladder from Periphery in every way,” says Mark Holcomb. “Creatively, politically – Periphery takes a lot of time to get things done because we all have an equal say – and that’s a wonderful thing. But in Haunted Shores, when Misha and I push for something, it’s instantly there… We don’t have rules or restraints. The music flows freely.”

Void was formed around this concept and has been assembled almost entirely by the two guitarists, who co-wrote, recorded and co-produced the album, including the drum programming. Mansoor then mixed the record, before it was mastered by Ermin Hamidovic, who has previously worked with Plini and Protest The Hero. 

“We went into the writing sessions with no expectations,” says Mansoor. “It’s easy to get carried away by all that – especially the mechanics of making music. We often remind ourselves that Haunted Shores needs to be fun. It’s not supposed to feel like work. If it does, then it doesn’t work.” 

If you like what you hear from the new single, you can pre-order or pre-save Void here and keep an eye out for more information via Haunted Shores' Facebook and Instagram.