Rings of Saturn is a progressive, technical deathcore outfit from the Bay Area. The band was originally conceived as a studio project by high school friends Lucas Mann (guitars, bass, and keyboards), Peter Pawlak (vocals), and Brent Silletto (drums). Mann remains the lone original member.nnMelding an extremely busy, labyrinthine meld of thrash and technical death metal with lyrics about alien life forms, the band issued its first track, "Abducted," as an internet-only single and gained attention across the globe.nnThey followed it with the self-released full-length Embryonic Anomaly in May of 2010. The set was recorded with engineer Bob Swanson at Mayhemeness in Sacramento. It was picked up for distribution internationally and attracted the attention of the Unique Leader label, who signed them later in the year. In 2011 (the year they graduated from high school) the group added second guitarist Joel Omans and began to tour. Their new label re-released Embryonic Anomaly for the occasion. By the end of the year, both Pawlak and Silletto had left the band and were replaced by a series of bass players and drummers.nn Singer Ian Bearer came aboard in early 2012 in time to record the band's sophomore effort, Dingir. It was also engineered and produced by Swanson. Originally scheduled for release in December of 2012, the leak of an unmixed version prompted Bearer to upload the finished version on his YouTube channel and Unique Leader to advance stream it on Total Deathcore. The set was issued in physical form in February of 2013. Despite the leak, the album reached the industry charts and earned international attention for the band on its subsequent tour. Lugal Ki En, Rings of Saturn's third album, was announced in July of 2014. Produced by Brette Ciamarra, it was released in October on Unique Leader and preceded by the issue of the video single "Senseless Massacre." The album appeared in October and entered at number three on the Billboard Heatseeker chart, hit various metal charts in the Top Five, and won a spot on the Top 200 list. The band toured relentlessly over the next year-and-a-half. In July 2016, Rings of Saturn announced that they had finished writing a new album and would be entering the studio. In early June of 2017, the band released the album Ultu Ulla, as well as a video for the single "Inadequate." Mann explained the concept: "The album name Ultu Ulla means 'Time Immemorial' in Sumerian Cuneiform. Ultu Ulla is about aliens transcending space and time and uncovering an ancient incomprehensible entity that threatens the fabric of universal existence." The cover artwork by Mark Cooper of Mind Rape Art was made up of a triptych painting that continues the story from Lugal Ki En. He commented that "the general idea was to create a scene where gods from beyond time and space are invading 3-D reality and taking over. They are chaotic beings that can take any form at will and manifest anything with their imaginations." Ultu Ulla was released by Nuclear Blast in July. ~ Thom Jurek