Northern California’s Black Map sign to Spinefarm

Author Benedetta Baldin - 25.9.2024

Spinefarm is proud to announce the signing of hypnotically heavy Black Map to its roster. Having formed in 2014 from the bands Dredg, Far, and The Trophy Fire, Black Map has generated critical acclaim from the press as well as their musician peers.

Pivoting around a nimble balance of post-hardcore, alternative, and hard rock, the trio of vocalist and bassist Ben Flanagan, guitarist Mark Engles, and drummer Chris Robyn convene, congregate, and commune to power up Black Map. Their union teems with emotion and electricity—which the musicians harness to craft immediate and raucous anthems underscored by unpredictable musicality and undeniable hooks.

To celebrate the signing announcement, Black Map shares their first new music in over two years entitled, Disintegrate,” alongside a visualizer.

Our vision for the song was for it to be super immediate and just slam from the first hit. It made sense for us as our first release in a couple of years to just have something that really hits from second one. It’s a song about persevering through whatever is holding you back. Not running away from it; facing it head on.

Black Map has two festival appearances this fall: Louder Than Life on September 29th in Louisville, KY and Aftershock on October 11th in Sacramento, CA.
 

Watch the Visualizer for “Disintegrate” HERE

We started this band with a great sense of communication. So, the interplay between us has stayed consistent. We see the potential in the ideas we each bring to the table, and we know what we’re collectively capable of. Ben Flanagan

The guys have been on the same page since day one. The players had respectively come up in other bands, with Mark in Dredg, Chris in Far, and Ben in The Trophy Fire. However, they unlocked a distinct sound upon forming Black Map during 2014.

They captivated with ‘…And We Explode’ [2014], ‘In Droves’ [2017], and ‘Melodoria’ [2022]. PROG hailed ‘In Droves’ as “a punchy and thrilling collection of songs” and Westworld applauded ‘Melodoria’ for its “catchy tunes with enough pop sensibility for radio play but with the technical prowess one would expect from a post-hardcore band.”

Black Map are:
Ben Flanagan – vocals, bass
Mark Engles – guitar
Chris Robyn – drums