Shagohod Crimson Rain Single Premiere

Hartford, Connecticut based Heavy Prog duo Shagohod started as a joke in 2015. Long-time buds and frequent musical collaborators Drew Bligh and Dave Coffey thought it’d be neat to drink 40s and play MGS:3 for the PS2 for 12 hours straight. They did that. Then, they formed Shagohod.  Bound by a DIY ethic and a love for musical risk-taking, Shagohod recorded a couple of albums – like the amazing “Tin, Gold, Lead & Blood” in 2021, picked up some very talented bandmates (Adam Schmidt and Ryan Wantroba) for a bombastic live act, played a ton of shows (from “basements” to “bars that look an awful lot like a basement”) and regretted nothing.

With their third record, “A Curse that Hides the Door“, slated for release on April 24, 2026, Shagohod hopes to chart a new course with a unique and yet somehow equally unmarketable album as their last two. Only this time it’s about mummies. And listen – they know that sounds dumb. But if you’ve heard Shagohod before, you know it’s more than that. There is no irony in this. They care a LOT about this concept. From composing a live string quartet to an all-in synth-wave song, from belting a frantic two minute punk tune to crafting a patient 11 minute prog epic capped with emotive saxophone, Shagohod left no stone unturned. This record represents their most ambitious and personal work yet.

Today, they present ‘II. Crimson Rain‘, which is not only the second single leading up to the release of “A Curse that Hides the Door”, but also the second movement of the central multi-part suite of the album. Shagohod shared the following thoughts about it:

“Crimson Rain” serves as the second movement in the suite that anchors the emotional core of the narrative concept behind our upcoming album “A Curse That Hides the Door.” Musically, this song showcases our affections for synthwave-adjacent artists like The Midnight and Gunship and more guitar-driven modern progressive fare like Periphery and Cloudkicker. Lyrically, it’s about navigating the loneliness of loss and the mercilessness of time while oscillating between the ascension and descension in the search for meaning.

Check out the exclusive premiere of ‘II. Crimson Rain’ right now:

Song written, arranged and produced by Drew Bligh and Dave Coffey.

Dave Coffey: Vocals, Drums, Piano, Programming
Drew Bligh: Guitars, Synths, String Arrangement, Bass

String Quartet by Invoke (Austin, TX)
Saxophone by Jeff Boratko

Engineering and Mixing by Andrew Oedel
Recorded at Ghost Hit Recording, West Springfield, MA
Mastering by Brian Lucey at Magic Garden Mastering

Album Art by Angela Casey