From the ancient, mist-shrouded peaks of the Adirondack Mountains, a powerful howl echoes—primal yet carefully crafted, fierce yet deeply spiritual. This is the sound of Blackbraid, the solo Indigenous black metal project led by Jon Krieger (also known as Sgah’gahsowáh), and it is set to reach a thunderous new height with the upcoming release of Blackbraid III on August 8.
Emerging with striking force in 2022, Blackbraid quickly established a unique place within the extreme metal scene, blending the icy intensity of atmospheric black metal with deeply personal Native American themes and traditional instruments. Now, with this current release, Krieger cements his role as a distinctive, essential voice, delivering a record that is both the culmination of his journey so far and a bold step forward—an album born from steadfast independence, a deep connection to nature, and pure, unfiltered creative energy.
Krieger’s journey to becoming a defining force in modern black metal is as unique as his sound. Coming from the rugged wilderness of upstate New York, Blackbraid didn’t emerge from a lifetime of touring bands but from a carpenter’s soul stirred by powerful, internal melodies. “I never really expected to be big, or, even thought we’d play shows,” Krieger reflects on the project’s humble, almost accidental beginnings. “I was actually a carpenter and just had these tracks floating around in my head, and recorded one or two for fun.” What started as a solitary “hobby side project” created for platforms like Bandcamp quickly took off, resonating strongly with an audience eager for fresh perspectives within black metal’s often rigid boundaries. This unexpected trajectory, launching Krieger from building sites to headlining tours and critical acclaim, is closely tied to one core principle: unwavering independence.
Fierce Independence: The Bedrock of Blackbraid
The music industry, especially within niche genres, often considers the major label deal the ultimate goal. Krieger faced this expectation head-on as Blackbraid’s profile soared. “As a small artist, you grow up with the idea that to make it big, you need to be signed to a label, that signing is the next level of success,” he admits. But the reality of the offers he received was a harsh wake-up call. “I was shocked by how poor they were. After doing more research, I realized this is actually common. All the bands on labels are saying yes to this. And I’m like, holy crap, did these guys read these contracts and realize they’re just getting robbed?”
The exploitative nature of many deals—”They’ll fund your album, but you gotta pay it back to us. Ten times over is pretty much what it was”—strengthened Krieger’s resolve. “I’m still not signing to a label,” he states with unwavering determination. “I’m just going to make it work.”
This DIY ethos isn’t just a business choice; it’s the core of Blackbraid’s artistic integrity. For Krieger, independence means complete creative control. “I have a strong vision for what I want Blackbraid to be at any given moment,” he states clearly. “That vision shapes every part of Blackbraid—including the shows, the tours we do, the bands we collaborate with, the music videos I release—It is 100% centered on what I want to do.” Handling everything from songwriting and recording logistics (with crucial support from his wife on the business side) to merchandise and tour routing, Krieger ensures that Blackbraid remains an unfiltered reflection of his unique vision.
The challenges of scaling independently, especially for the significant task of Blackbraid II, were tough, but overcoming them only reinforced his belief. “The hard part was figuring it out at first,” he says, “And now that that’s done, being independent feels easier than ever for me.” The result is music that feels urgent, authentic, and completely uncompromised—a direct connection from artist to audience.
Photo Credit: Moshmallows
The Solitary Forge: Empowerment and Isolation in Creation
Blackbraid is, at the core, Krieger’s brainchild—a solo project where he writes all the music (except drums) and handles every artistic aspect. “Blackbraid, because it’s just like my baby, I guess. I’m very controlling over how it is,” he admits. This setup gives him a lot of power. Having experienced the creative friction that comes with traditional bands—”When writing with other musicians, you’re always going to butt heads over something. I prefer just having the ability to not deal with that and have 100% control over everything”—the solo route allows Krieger to have complete freedom.
There’s no dilution, no compromise; the music is created exactly how he envisions it. Yet, this independence has its challenges. “It can be really nice or really awful, depending on the day,” Krieger admits. The lack of collaborators means dealing with creative blocks alone. “It can get pretty depressing when you’re stuck on something. Sometimes I work on songs for months and get caught on a part. In a regular band, that’s when you’d bounce ideas off your guitarist or get help from the others.” Without that support, the pressure is solely on him.
His solution is a visceral, almost primal test rooted in metal’s core energy: “When it comes to writing, because I do it alone, it can be hard to make decisions sometimes without a band. In the end, I ask myself, ‘Does this make you want to bang your head fucking crazy hard?’ If the answer is no—if it doesn’t make you want to fucking punch a wall or some shit—I get rid of it.” This headbanging rule goes beyond mere aggression; it’s about capturing the essential, galvanizing spirit of metal. “With a lot of songs, whenever I’m struggling during the writing, I say, if I was watching this live, would it make me fucking want to go crazy?” This relentless self-critique, born of isolation, ultimately fuels the music’s undeniable power.
Blackbraid III: The Culmination Pours Forth
Following the critically acclaimed success of Blackbraid I (2022) and Blackbraid II (2023), excitement for the third chapter is very high. Krieger initially considered shifting toward rawer atmospherics but found that the creative flow was guiding him in a different, yet familiar, direction. “These songs that are on the album now kind of just started pouring out of me,” he reveals.
While he aimed for a new conceptual approach, the music that emerged felt deeply connected to the established Blackbraid sound, possibly more aligned with II than the debut. “I realized I wasn’t done with this sound yet. To me, this album is a culmination of the first two. It’s a little bit of both, drawing on each of them, but it feels more like a complete, carefully crafted project than either one.” The outcome is a record Krieger values highly: “It’s definitely my favorite album. I feel more confident than I did when releasing the previous two. I’m more excited, and I like the songs overall more. I feel like I did better; it definitely feels like an improvement to me.”
Blackbraid III features 10 powerful tracks, ending with a fiery cover of “Fleshbound” by second-wave black metal veterans Lord Belial. Staying true to the project’s style, the album skillfully employs its signature dual approach. Intense black metal assaults—characterized by rapid, atmospheric riffs, relentless blast beats, complex tremolo picking, and Krieger’s wide-ranging vocals from piercing shrieks to guttural growls—are contrasted with deeply reflective sections.
These interludes incorporate acoustic guitar, traditional Native American flutes, and percussion, creating moments of peaceful calm and atmospheric richness woven into the intense soundscape. Krieger considers these acoustic parts essential storytelling tools: “I use the acoustic passages as a segue to change directions on the album—to mark the end of a chapter.” They serve as breathing spaces, reflections, and connectors, guiding listeners through the album’s emotional and spiritual journey. This isn’t just an aesthetic choice; it’s a structural storytelling device, dividing the album into stages that mirror its themes of nature, spirit, and mortality.
The Sonic Alchemy: Collaboration Within Independence
While Blackbraid represents Krieger’s vision, one vital partnership remains consistent: his collaboration with drummer, engineer, and producer Neil Schneider. Schneider, who has managed drums and production since the first album, returns once again for Blackbraid III. Their meeting was serendipitous, born from mutual passion at an Opeth concert in Albany. “We hit it off right away,” Krieger recalls about their initial connection over black metal. “I mentioned that I have these tracks I’ve been working on, but I’m really dropping the ball on the drums. He said, ‘Oh, well, you know, I do drums, and I record too, so I could help you record them.’ It was a no-brainer.”
Within a week of that chance meeting, they started recording demos in Schneider’s home studio, forging a creative bond that lasts. “Neil Schneider engineered and helped mix the album,” Krieger notes, “It’s just me and him, and he’s super easy to work with.” This trusted partnership offers essential support without infringing on Krieger’s solo control. Schneider translates Krieger’s vision into powerful drum performances and a polished yet raw production style, allowing the multi-instrumentalist to concentrate fully on composition and performance. The collaboration shows how strategic partnerships can empower independence, ensuring high-quality results while maintaining the core artistic identity. Adding a special touch to the track “God of Black Blood” is a searing guitar solo by Randy Moore of Spiritworld, bringing a unique flavor within Krieger’s curated universe.
Lyrical Landscapes: Nature, Mysticism, and the Eternal Wild
Thematically, Blackbraid III deepens and refines Krieger’s core themes. “With album three, a lot of it’s more about nature and mysticism,” he emphasizes, shifting focus further toward the spiritual and elemental. The natural world isn’t just a backdrop; it’s the central character, the source of awe, terror, and profound wisdom. Tracks like “The Earth is Weeping” and “Traversing the Forest of Eternal Dusk” vividly portray ancient woodlands, celestial cycles, and the raw power of untamed landscapes. Sacred animals play a key role, symbolizing spiritual ideas—the poignant sorrow and sacrifice in “The Dying Breath of a Sacred Stag” serve as powerful metaphors.
Mortality remains a constant shadow, faced not with nihilism, but with a sense of honor and spiritual potential. The pulsing, warrior spirit of “Wardrums at Dawn on the Day of My Death” is a rallying cry to face the end with courage and purpose, while “God of Black Blood” alludes to transcendence and mythic transformation. Instrumentals like “Dusk (Eulogy),” and “Like Wind Through The Reeds Making Waves Like Water” offer atmospheric interludes, evoking dawn’s quiet power, whispering wind, and flowing water— vital elements in Krieger’s wilderness story. The album includes a cosmic ascent hinted at in “And He Became the Burning Stars…,” pointing toward dissolution into the vast, eternal universe.
Existing Beyond the Modern Fray: The Essence of Blackbraid
Krieger has consistently asserted that Blackbraid is not a political project. However, writing from an Indigenous perspective about history, connection to land, and identity inevitably intersects with political realities, especially in a genre often scrutinized for its thematic content. “We still often get called a political band just on the basis that I have brown skin and write black metal, as if that alone is enough to make it political for some people,” Krieger observes, highlighting a frustrating reductionism. His focus, however, remains steadfastly elsewhere. “Blackbraid has always kind of been about existing outside of the realm of society and outside of, you know, modern culture.”
He envisions the project as a conduit to a primal, pre-modern state of being: “I want it to represent a time before modern humankind did what we’re doing now. It’s really about living in nature and the way humans lived for tens of thousands of years before we started making cities and driving cars. I want it to be the way I write it; I want it to be its own thing, like stuck away in the wilderness, away from everything.” This conscious retreat from contemporary societal noise—politics, trends, digital overload—allows Blackbraid to tap into timeless themes of spirit, nature, and human existence in its most fundamental forms. It’s an artistic sanctuary, a howl from the mountains untouched by the clamor below.
From Studio to Stage: Celebrating the New Chapter
The transition from a solo studio project to a powerful live force has been a significant part of Blackbraid’s journey. Krieger assembled a live band of trusted friends, finding the process smooth and the results impactful, recognizing that the live version offers a unique energy different from the albums. The celebration of Blackbraid III naturally continues into this live experience. A key moment occurred with Blackbraid’s participation in the highly anticipated return of the Fire in the Mountains Festival (FITM) in Cut Bank, Montana, on the Blackfeet Nation Reserve in July 2025.
This performance meant a lot to Krieger: “That’s the fest I’ve wanted to do since I started. It was my dream,” he says, clearly excited. FITM served as an ideal platform for a special pre-release event. Festival attendees received an exclusive early listen to the entire Blackbraid III album, followed by a live Q&A with Krieger that offered deep insights into the making of this highly anticipated release. Along with this intimate preview, Blackbraid also played a full set that night, featuring songs from their entire catalog, including powerful new tracks from Blackbraid III. This combination—the reflective listening experience and the energetic live performance—perfectly captured the dual nature of Blackbraid itself.
The album’s release on August 8 marks just the beginning. To bring the power of Blackbraid III directly to fans, the project launches a major 19-city North American headlining tour this fall. Starting September 19 in San Diego, CA, the tour will travel through the U.S. and Canada, visiting key cities like Phoenix, Dallas, Atlanta, Baltimore, Brooklyn, Montreal, Toronto, and Chicago, before wrapping up on October 11 in Los Angeles, CA. Supporting acts include the mysterious black metal band Lamp of Murmuur and the atmospheric/crust-influenced Dödsrit, with Gudsforladt filling in for the Canadian dates. This tour aims to create a strong connection, turning the album’s intense energy and deep mysticism into an unforgettable live experience. It’s the next step in bringing Krieger’s raw vision from the solitude of the Adirondacks to stages across the continent.
A Howl That Endures: The Unmovable Force
Blackbraid III is more than just an album; it’s a testament. It shows the power of unwavering artistic vision, built in independence and refined through both the empowering solitude and the strict isolation of solo creation. The album represents a deep connection with the natural world and ancestral spirits, expressed through a unique mix of intense black metal fury and peaceful, folk-inspired reflection. Blackbraid III highlights Krieger’s growth as a songwriter and storyteller, confidently calling this album his strongest and most fully realized work yet. “It definitely feels like an improvement to me.”
In an age where authenticity feels rare and artistic voices often blur into sameness, Blackbraid remains a steady presence. Originating from the soil and blood of the Adirondacks, reaching for the stars with spiritual longing, and driven by a purpose that is both ancient and urgently modern, Blackbraid, through Jon Krieger’s distinct vision, continues to carve its path. With Blackbraid III, the cry from the wilderness grows louder, more precise, and more vital than ever. Get ready for transcendence, ferocity and an uncompromising vision. The rising force arrives on August 8.
Photos courtesy of Blackbraid
