Bastion’s Wake unveils their new single and music video, “Willow’s Ruse.” 

“Willow’s Ruse” is a cornerstone of the Delaware-based cinematic metal band’s forthcoming sophomore album, Go Tell The Bees…, a sweeping conceptual journey through fear, sadness, and the promise of renewed hope in the face of adversity. 

The story of Bastion’s Wake began in 2016, when vocalist/12-string guitarist Sami and guitarist Ray set out “to write the music we wanted to write and play the music we wanted to hear.” That vision became the beating heart of the project: uncompromising, inventive, and fiercely personal. Without a drummer, Ray engineered a custom-programmed system, affectionately nicknamed the box, that powered backing tracks and synchronized lights and video to their performance. 

Audiences responded immediately to Sami’s soaring, ethereal vocals and Ray’s down-tuned, technical guitar playing, set against a backdrop of visuals and atmospherics that turned each show into an otherworldly event.

Sea Creatures and Sky Pirates (2019) was a self-produced labor of love that showcased Bastion’s Wake’s blend of melodic death, doom, and symphonic metal. 

In 2020, Bastion’s Wake welcomed drummer Rob Westbrook (Pessimist) and his virtuoso son, Ben, on bass, cementing the band’s lineup and expanding their vision. 

Not long after, tragedy struck when Ray suffered sudden heart failure, surviving only thanks to an emergency pacemaker at age 30. The setback became fuel, with the group writing and arranging new material that would become Go Tell The Bees…

Mixed and mastered in Norway by Øysten G. Brun of Borknagar at Crosound Studio, the new record captures the full range of Bastion’s Wake’s sound — from hard-hitting epics like “Willow’s Ruse” and “Runway” to the haunting intimacy of “Pathos” and “Tiny Box.” “Willow’s Ruse” in particular showcases Sami’s soaring, ethereal vocals, Ray’s down-tuned technical guitar work, and the powerhouse rhythm section that transformed Bastion’s Wake into a formidable live force.

Having shared stages with We Are Sentinels, Ashes of Ares, Fires in the Distance, LÖR, Tengger Calvary, and many more, the band has become a staple at Delaware’s Party Like It’s 793 festival hosted by Brimming Horn Meadery. 

With “Willow’s Ruse,” Bastion’s Wake proves that their blend of cinematic scope, emotional depth, and relentless drive is stronger than ever.

More than a song, it’s a statement of survival, a reflection of their journey, and a glimpse of what’s to come.

Watch “Willow’s Ruse” at YouTube below:

ABOUT BASTION’S WAKE

Formed in 2016, Bastion’s Wake started with just two people and a vision – combining Sami’s melodic death and doom influences with Ray’s love for playing symphonic power metal. For the first few years, Sami (vocals, 12-string guitar) and Ray (guitar) couldn’t find a drummer near enough to them in “NoWhere”, DE to play shows/record, but refused to let that keep them home. To allow them to play live, Ray built and programmed “the box” to run their backing tracks and provide audiences with a lush cinematic sound behind Sami’s soaring, haunting, and ethereal vocals, and Ray’s down-tuned technical guitar playing. It synced with a light and video show that would fill the human gap on stage, and the response was more positive than they could have imagined.

Then, in 2019, drummer Rob Westbrook came out of retirement after 25 years (ex Pessimist, Cauldron) and brought his son Ben in on bass, finally adding the missing pieces to the sound, the show, and the BW family.

In 2020, their momentum came to an abrupt halt when Ray suddenly died at home with no warning, and had to spend time recovering from getting an emergency pacemaker at just 30 years old.

Now with their combined mix of (sometimes vastly different) influences and styles, Bastion’s Wake is building off of that initial momentum granted to them by their fans to create something fresh and bewitching, yet somehow nostalgic…Prog-power-black metal…with a kiss of doom…?

Their first album, Sea Creatures and Sky Pirates (2019) was received on the local scene with great acclaim, and allowed them to continue to build their live show reach, including a tour with Jonah Weingarten and Matt Barlow’s We Are Sentinels project.

Their sophomore album, Go Tell The Bees, delivers audiences more of that sound in a conceptual album speaking stories of grief, loss, and awakening hope, with songs capable of standing on their own, and in an even bigger way. Mixed and mastered by Øystein G Brun of Borknagar and Crosound Studio, Norway, Øystein was able to take Bastion’s Wake’s huge sound and stacks of layers, highlight the intricate details, and emphasize the emotions of the songs, while adding a lush analog polish on top. With his skill and theirs combined, the team was able to balance the album’s hard-hitting tracks, like Willow’s Ruse and Runway, and the softer sides on Pathos and Tiny Box, to create an immersive audial experience.

Go Tell The Bees vinyl pressing was fully funded on Kickstarter at 100% in the first 10 days, and ended funded at 210%.

Bastion’s Wake continues to play each year at Party Like It’s 793; Delaware’s Mead, Metal and Viking Festival by Brimming Horn Meadery (featured mead maker of Decibel Beer and Metal Fest), and are regularly booking shows with their friends, previously opening for bands such as; Tengger Calvary, We Are Sentinels, Ashes of Ares, A Sound of Thunder, Empress, LÖR, OK Goodnight, Fires in the Distance, Wythersake, Dawn of Oroborus, and Ashbringer.