PRESS RELEASE ARCHIVE
Virologist Announces Deal with New Standard Elite
11-8-23 OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE: “One of the bands leading the brutal death metal youth movement,” Virologist signed a deal with label New Standard Elite to release a two-song demo EP in early 2024, with a full-length release to follow. The upcoming EP will be the first Virologist release to feature the complete lineup, after guitarist Emrys Mellinger released Promo 2023 in July to garner attention for the project. Mellinger is joined by Nolan Wanhala on bass, Daniel Esquivel on vocals, and Ethan Shadman on drums. Promo 2023 is now available exclusively as the re-release from Brutal Mind, titled Neurodegeneration.
Like Neurodegeneration, the forthcoming demo will be mixed and mastered by Josh Welshman, vocalist for Defeated Sanity. New Standard Elite has led in providing brutal death metal across the globe for over a decade with a roster that has included Gorgasm, Epicardiectomy, Disentomb, Molested Divinity, Internal Suffering and Ecchymosis.
Ryan Baker, owner of New Standard Elite, welcomed Virologist to their label saying, “I was very impressed with Emrys and the demo he released, and then amazed with how quickly he assembled such a talented young group of musicians. New Standard Elite is excited to add Virologist to our brutal death metal family.”
Virologist Completes Lineup
8-18-23 OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE: Akin to the bold, heat-laden hills of Southern California, Virologist has spawned onto the landscape of brutal death metal with a vengeance. In July 2023, guitarist and vocalist Emrys Mellinger released a self-produced debut EP titled “Promo 2023,” summoning other musicians to join the project. One month later, the lineup was complete. After nine straight days of practice, they played their first live show in Simi Valley, California, opening for Necrotic Infibulation.
While the "Promo 2023" EP goes into an official release from international distributor Brutal Mind, the band is working on two new tracks for a demo with the full lineup to be released this fall.
From left to right: Ethan Shadman on drums, Daniel Esquivel on vocals, Emrys Mellinger on guitar and vocals and Nolan Wanhala on bass.
Introducing Virologist
7-14-23 OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE: Virologist is a young brutal death metal band from Southern California. Founded in 2023, they are excited to announce the July 14 release of their debut EP, titled “Promo 2023.” The three-song production will be available on all streaming platforms and a limited pressing of CD’s.
Virologist is the brainchild of Emrys Mellinger, age 17, who performs all instruments and vocals, and did all composition, arrangement and recording. With this EP release, he hopes to summon like-minded musicians interested in joining the project.
The Promo 2023 EP was recorded, engineered and produced by Mellinger and mixed/mastered by Josh Welshman, vocalist for Defeated Sanity. The release will be used to garner record label interest with the goal of a full length album release.
Bio
Having played guitar for four years and performed vocals for one and a half, Emrys Mellinger is a relative newcomer to the death metal scene. He joined the progressive extreme metal band Black Moon Lilith on vocals and second guitar in 2022, recording two singles and playing over 20 live shows in Ventura and Los Angeles Counties.
Mellinger recently joined Brutal Mind Records artist Necrotic Infibulation as the second guitarist. He’s also putting the finishing touches on an EP release for a D-beat hardcore/grind project called Emesis, which will feature the punishing beats of veteran metal drummer Chris Binns (Ghost Machine, Motograter, Intrinsic).
Building Virologist
The music of Virologist defies pigeon-holing in the death metal genre. It contains technical, brutal and slamming elements, moving effortlessly among them and beyond. Inspired by death metal bands of the 90's and early 2000's, Emrys Mellinger crafts a unique sound that infuses old school style with a fresh perspective while staying true to his influences. He's seeking out other musicians who share a similar vision to complete Virologist's line-up and record a full-length album.
Defeated Sanity vocalist Josh Welshman, who mixed and mastered Promo 2023, summed it up by saying, "With Virologist, Emrys has displayed a fine ability to sculpt music that incorporates influences from across the entire Death Metal spectrum, while still delivering something fairly original. As the sole musician behind this first offering, he shows extreme promise, and I do hope that this project can be outfitted with top tier musicians to bring it to life on the stage."
Emrys Mellinger Interview
Pete's Rock News and Views Interviews Virologist Founder
"The first death metal I heard was Death’s Spiritual Healing album after having played guitar for a while, so I was inspired to try to learn the riffs and style. After exploring classic death metal I quickly discovered more brutal bands like Deeds of Flesh and Disgorge that pushed my technique further and further...." read more
