MELLOWDEATH: German Nightmare Jazz Outfit To Release Their Eponymous Debut Album November 14th
Mellowdeath - Photo by Sebastian Gesch
MELLOWDEATH: German Nightmare Jazz Outfit To Release Their Eponymous Debut Album November 14th; “Omacore” Premiered At The Obelisk + Preorders, Cover Art, And More Posted’’
“‘Omacore’ is three minutes long and you could very easily spend the rest of your day picking it apart…” – The Obelisk
Stream MELLOWDEATH’s "Omacore" HERE.
Berlin/Bielefeld, Germany-based MELLOWDEATH presents their eponymous debut full-length album, announcing it for release in November alongside a premiere of the lead single courtesy of The Obelisk.
MELLOWDEATH is formed by Sara Neidorf (Sarattma, Mad Kate | The Tide, Hypnodrone Ensemble, ex-Brian Jonestown Massacre) on drums and Isabel Merten (No Chronicles) on bass. Founded in 2017, the duo has since toured Germany, Austria, The Netherlands, Poland, and Czechia.
In 2018, MELLOWDEATH released their debut EP, Deadly Stares, introducing their captivating style of nightmare jazz—an eerie cinematic soundscape, a haunted circus intercut with a David Lynch western—equal parts menace and mischief. The EP was met by positive acclaim from exploratory and open-minded media outlets and grew them a solid fanbase.
Now, 2025 sees the MELLOWDEATH crew eager to release their long-awaited debut album, simply titled Mellowdeath. The album arrives with ten instantly immersive new songs that expand the duo’s sonic palette on every level, sending listeners through a ghost surf cyclone, a haunted hayride through unsettling, yet hypnotic grooves and doom-twang dirges fit for a clown’s funeral. Mellowdeath was recorded by Jan Oberg at Hidden Planet Studios in Berlin, after which it was mixed and mastered by Steve Roche at Permanent Hearing Damage Studios in Philadelphia, and completed with cover art by Chloe Grove.
Mellowdeath also sees the core duo of Neidorf and Merten joined by a cast of guest musicians who help round out its sonic delivery, with synths from Rachel Glassberg (Matching Outfits, Dusty Houseplants), cello from Jackie Perez Gratz (Grayceon, Giant Squid), trombone from Florian Juncker (Berlin String Theory, Ensemble LUX:NM, Hannes Zerbe Jazz Orchester), theremin from Hekla Magnusdottir, and guitar from Marco Bianciardi (The Somnambulist) and Matt Hollenberg (Cleric, John Zorn, Titan To Tachyons, Sarattma).
Fans of Man Or Astro Man?, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, Stinking Lizaveta, Earth, Tera Melos, Breadwinner, Doctor Nerve, Sarattma, and similar free-thinking cross-genre artists will find themselves immersed in the diverse flow of Mellowdeath.
The lead single from the album arrives as “Omacore,” which makes its debut through a premiere hosted at The Obelisk, who writes in part how the song, “…welcomes singer-songwriter/multidisciplinary artist Rachel Glassberg‘s synth and the cello of Jackie Perez-Gratz (Grayceon, Brume, Giant Squid, et al) to the fold with a sound that takes off about a minute in from the slow-bop bounce set by Merten and Neidorf, emblematic of what’s at root in all the songs and what ultimately ties them together… ‘Omacore’ is three minutes long and you could very easily spend the rest of your day picking it apart to figure out just what’s happening at any given second. Sounds like a killer day, actually. I hope that’s how it pans out for you.”
The band reveals, “‘Omacore’ (granny-core) is an anthem to our own aging bodies and our desire to keep playing music, even when we're old and decrepit. It was a big theme for Isabel and me as we were writing music for this album, as evidenced by other song titles like ‘Krankenstation’ (hospital ward), written when I had a broken foot and she had a thyroid disorder that was messing with her whole system. It's about a sort of forward motion and spunk even when the body is struggling or dealing with chronic dysfunction, particularly in relation to playing and writing music. Life can be a rickety and wonky ride, but we're prepared to limp or use our walkers to get where we need to go. The song is also being released on September 18th, which is the birthday of my grandma Mo, a tough and hilarious lady who died in 2023 at the age of 95. This song is for all current and future grannies and hags.”
Stream MELLOWDEATH’s “Omacore” first at The Obelisk RIGHT HERE.
Mellowdeath will be released by the band digitally on November 14th, with a cassette version coming via Cruel Nature Records. Find digital preorders at Bandcamp HERE and watch for cassette preorders and digital presaves to post alongside additional singles shortly.
Mellowdeath Track Listing:
1. Demon Slither
2. Omacore
3. Krankenstation
4. 1772
5. Atemlos
6. Wermut
7. Verfolgungsjagd
8. Metal Country
9. Verhallt
10. Trotziges
Following the release of Mellowdeath, the band will release a stripped-down version of the album, void of all outside guest collaborators’ music, showcasing the band’s usual duo setup of bass and drums.
A release show for the album has been booked for December 11th in Berlin. MELLOWDEATH is also booking new tour dates for the Fall and Winter months.
MELLOWDEATH Live:
12/11/2025 3xter – Berlin, DE *album release show
Review copies of Mellowdeath will be issued shortly. For interviews and coverage of MELLOWDEATH, please contact dave@earsplitcompound.com.
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Mellowdeath - Album Cover Artwork
Mellowdeath - Photo by Sebastian Gesch
