LISTEN: Satyasena Shares New Song “Ancestral”
Debut album from eclectic new California metal band out in January
Fans of the longtime Mr. Bungle offshoot group Secret Chiefs 3 will no doubt recognize the name of drummer Pej Mon from his time in their ranks.
Satyasena is Mon’s new band, whose eponymous debut comes out on January 26th, 2024 through the Sympatry Records imprint. It was produced by Toshi Kasai, known for his longtime alliance with The Melvins as well as his studio work with the likes of Tool, Helmet, Red Sparowes and others. Additionally, three bass players are featured across this recording in Jeff Matz (High on Fire, Mutoid Man), Joe Lester (Intronaut, Secret Chiefs 3), and Rusty Kennedy (Wax People, Red Fiction), who are joined on keyboards by K.J. Karam (The Locust, One Day as a Lion), guest vocals by Sonja Selenite and acoustic/electric tar by Salmon Mohammadi.
For Mon, who also moonlit in the mysterious Oakland, CA, thrash band Ghoul, these songs – written and conspired over the course of five years while the lifelong drummer learned how to play guitar – proved to be both an arduous and enlightening project.
“I pushed myself to the brink in order to get to the truth of who I am and what I experience into this music no matter what,” he explains. “This was an emotionally brutal, but incredibly cathartic and healing experience for me. Whether I am sharing about the pains of not belonging, self doubt, struggling to find my way, hitting dead ends, falling outs, striving to heal in conflictual relationships, the anger of ancestral wounding that lingers, or the indomitable spirit to rise and heal through any pain, or spiritual themes of oneness, surrender, and trust, I strived to represent the full range of myself, not just one side. Even musically, the process of learning and writing music on new instruments especially at this point in my career kept me constantly not just technically but also emotionally challenged and pushed to the edge. I often didn’t know if I would make it to the end of this album, or if I could even handle the intensity of transformation the recording and musical re-birthing process was forcing me through.”
Rock & Roll Globe is proud to share the album’s third single and one of its most sonically advanced tracks, “Ancestral.” Here’s what Pej told us about the song.
“‘Ancestral’ was probably the heaviest song for me emotionally,” he reveals. “It goes deep into what feels like one of the most vulnerable places in romantic relationships, which is the longing to be loved unconditionally by others, and the pains and lessons that go with that. To really get the relational dynamic, it made sense to bring a guest female vocal (Sonja Selenite) in with me. This song also features a tar (Persian stringed instrument) solo by Salmon Mohammadi, an incredible instrumentalist, who I’ve been studying tar with for a few years. His playing on this track with both acoustic and electric tar really added a tone and feel that conjures intimacy unlike anything else on the album. Joe Lester from Intronaut also laid down some epic bass for this track. He and I played in Secret Chiefs 3 together, and it was awesome to collaborate again as he can lock into any complex drum part and still make your head nod.”
With a steady rhythm section of drummer Michael Malinowski and bassist Caleb Schneider assisting the guitar-playing Pej, the live version of Satyasena will hopefully be hitting the road in 2024.
In the meantime, pre-order the album here and listen to “Ancestral” below.
Satyasena LP tracklist:
Invictus
My Passion
Ancestral
South Node
Split Vibrations
Vibrational Hydration
True Core
Draconist
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