John Carpenter releases a new visualizer for “The Ferryman”

John Carpenter, the renowned director and composer of “Halloween” and “Escape From New York,” has released a new song called “The Ferryman,” which comes with a brand-new visualiser, as per theprp. That song will be on the movie icon’s upcoming metal-themed album, “Cathedral.” His debut graphic novel will be released on August 4th as part of that multi-media effort, and the music will follow on August 7th. Daniel Davies (formerly of Karma To Burn/CKY) and Carpenter‘s own son Cody are working on this project.

Designed as a fully immersive project, Cathedral functions as both soundtrack and narrative engine: each track aligns with a chapter of the graphic novel, with liner notes guiding listeners through the story. As a result the story unfurls like a film and is certainly the closest approximation to a new movie from Carpenter since 2010. “It was so cinematic and vivid,” Carpenter says of the dream that inspired the story. “I thought, ‘I have to score this.’ It’s kind of our first heavy metal album.”

‘Inspired by a vividly cinematic dream he had in 2024, the story centers on an abandoned church in downtown Los Angeles that shifts from a forgotten building to the site of a waking nightmare. After the killing of a police officer draws attention to the long-ignored cathedral, Lieutenant Christine Marks and detectives Paul Hernandez and Steve Mayfield are pulled into an investigation that leads them deep into its catacombs and toward a centuries-old evil imprisoned within. Both the album and graphic novel are previewed today with the release of “Lord of the Underground,” accompanied by a visual that features animated versions of illustrations from the book.

“The story informed everything,” says longtime musical collaborator Daniel Davies of the album. “John would describe a scene and say, ‘We need a heavy riff here.’ We didn’t set out to make a metal record, but it evolved that way.” Carpenter is joined by Davies and Cody Carpenter, continuing a partnership that spans the Lost Themes album series, the recent Halloween films, and multiple reworkings of Carpenter’s classic scores. On Cathedral, the trio leans into a heavier, more aggressive palette without losing the tension and atmosphere that define Carpenter’s sound.