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Glory in the Shadows Premiere “Babalon” Video; Self-Titled Debut EP out Jan. 25

Posted in Bootleg Theater on January 14th, 2019 by JJ Koczan

glory in the shadows

Glory in the Shadows seem to be immediately intent on realizing their name. The Portland, Oregon, trio is comprised of guitarist/vocalist Alyssa Maucere, also of Grigax, whose debut album, Life Eater (review here), came out in 2017, as well as Eight Bells as of the last year or so, guitarist/vocalist Taylor Robinson of Bastard Feast and Elitist, and drummer Chuck Watkins, whose CV includes responsibility for the lumber of Uzala and Graves at Sea, among others past and current. Between Maucere‘s experimentalism, Robinson‘s extremity and Watkins‘ plod, Glory in the Shadows clearly lack nothing for diversity of influence on their self-titled four-song debut EP, set to release Jan. 25.

Checking in at a densely-packed 25 minutes, it is an initial salvo that spans styles as one might hope while remaining consistently weighted in its atmosphere and tonal impact. With Maucere channeling her guitar through bass as well as guitar amps, there’s nothing missing from the low end, and the overarching sound is cavernous enough to convey the thematic intensity with which it’s working.

“Lyrically, it takes from [J. Robert] Oppenheimer’s obsession with the Bhagavad Gita, Dante’s Inferno, Book of Revelations interpreted by Aleister Crowley, and the invention of the nuclear bomb,” explains Maucere. Not exactly minor considerations for a 25-minute offering — seems more like three semesters’ worth, at least — but the theme feeds into the ambience across “Kurukshetra I,” “The Seventh Circle,” “Babalon” and “Kurukshetra II: Oppenheimer,” which gracefully meld a post-black metal sensibility with elements of drone and bleak, expansive psychedelia.

From “Kurukshetra I” onward, there’s an immediacy of expression that bleeds through the material whether or not a given part is loud, glory in the shadows glory in the shadowsand while drift is a factor as well, as at the end of the opener, or in the cosmic chants that emerge out of the screams in “The Seventh Circle,” and a swirling murk that seems to cast a pall over Maucere and Robinson‘s vocals. “Babalon,” at a little over four minutes, is the shortest track on Glory in the Shadows, and solidifies around a push of low-end wash and interplay between melody and harsher elements set to a rhythmic nod that holds sway for the duration. It would be undercutting it to call “Babalon” straightforward, but in terms of an initial demonstration, it shows clearly that the three-piece are working from more than one songwriting modus.

“‘I don’t want to play in another metal band,’ was the theme,” Maucere recalls. “I’m not sure if we strayed from our paths, or if we found another way to be heavy; it’s for others to decide. I do know it’s my favorite project to-date, and the fact that we live recorded in our studio, mixed it down ourselves, and managed a good master was amazing. This was my first time running that portion of the recording process, and I borrowed lot of influence from Steve Albini and Butch Vig.” That impulse toward live recording can be heard as “Kurukshetra II: Oppenheimer” blends cave growls and an encompassing surge of guitar tone drops to standalone growls from Robinson soon joined again by Maucere and the total slow-motion instrumental onslaught.

A more studio-type approach, working in layers, etc., would clean that up, and Glory in the Shadows may indeed get there, but they benefit aesthetically from the rawness of the sound and finish with a long stretch into noise and drone to once more highlight their will to use structure as a departure point rather than a cage for their craft.

Or, as Maucere puts it: “Musically… it’s just as strange and creepy. Not sure what to say about it otherwise.”

Fair enough, even if one might add “promising” as a third descriptor for the list.

One doesn’t imagine at all that Glory in the Shadows are settled completely into their sound on their first EP — nor should they be, frankly — but there is a clear will to defy expectation and genre in these four tracks, and that can only bode well as they move forward to whatever might be next.

If you’re sensitive to flashing lights, go warily into the premiere of the video for “Babalon” below, and otherwise, please enjoy:

Glory in the Shadows, “Babalon” official video premiere

Psychotropic Death Songs from the Profound Abyss

Digital release January 25th 2019 on Gloryintheshadows.bandcamp.com.

Also streaming on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon Music, Pandora, starting January 25th 2019.

Guitars/Vocals: Alyssa Maucere
Guitars/Vocals: Taylor Robinson
Drums: Chuck Watkins
Recorded/produced/mixed: Alyssa Maucere at Fremont St

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