Killer Be Killed has debuted the second single from their upcoming sophomore album Reluctant Hero. The track, called “Dream Gone Bad,” is accompanied by a music video co-directed by Jim Louvau and Tony Aguilera, according to Theprp. 

The heavy metal supergroup, which consists of current and former members of Soulfly, Mastodon, The Dillinger Escape Plan and more, will release Reluctant Hero on Nov. 20 via heavy metal label Nuclear Blast. 

“Dream Gone Bad” starts with a quick feedback tone then jumps into fast-paced drums and guitar and the band’s bassist and vocalist Troy Sanders starts singing in his signature deep tones lines such as “We carry on with tradition/ With clouded thoughts in the mirror / Another hidden misdirection/ Until the worn reflection becomes clear.”

Greg Puciato, who plays guitar and sings for Killer Be Killed, jumps in with a softer, ballad-style chorus with lines such as “Never too late/ Time to turn it all around/ Never too late/ And you’ll never walk alone.”

The song features screaming vocals from guitarist and vocalist Max Cavalera intermixed with Puciato’s chorus vocals. Near the end of the song, Puciato gradually shifts from his softer vocals into high-pitched screams before the song abruptly ends with the line “Walk into the light.”

Sanders said of the song: “Dissecting the idea of uncertainty and how you pull from that to find your way. ‘Dream Gone Bad’ was initially spearheaded by Max and I, and as I listen back, through the collaborative process this creation’s final form has now become a dream-come-true,” according to Theprp. 

The accompanying video flips between scenes of the band performing on a dark stage with videos of flames on screens surrounding them to them then playing in a dark, blue-lit alley in front of a brick wall. In between them performing are scenes of the band members appearing to have nightmares while laying on a pillow and surrounded by smoke.

Killer Be Killed have been working on Reluctant Hero since 2018 and it will be their first album since their self-titled debut album in 2014. The 11-song album was produced by Josh Wilbur.

The band teased that new music was coming in a 24-second trailer released in early September. They then announced that the album would be coming out in November and released the first single, “Deconstructing Self-Destruction.”

Sanders, who also plays bass and sings in Mastodon, spoke with mxdwn in September about the band’s latest release, a compilation of live recordings, B-sides and covers from unexpected artists called Medium Rarities. 

Sanders said of Mastadon: “We were supposed to spend the month of June touring across Europe playing a lot of festivals, but once that got scrapped back in April, we realized that we got the whole year to start working on all the ideas we’ve collected over the last few years.”