If you’re wondering what the hell I’m doing posting a morose, string-laden doom track about wintertime when it’s high summer, take a moment to consider that Promethean Misery — the one-woman project of multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Samantha Kempster — hails from Australia, and while it’s certainly a miserable humid swelter here on the Eastern Seaboard of the United States, a heat-wave causing old people to drop like the proverbial flies except that the flies aren’t at all dropping, they’re pretty much taking over the universe because ecosystems everywhere have gone haywire and that’s just how life is now, it’s winter in the great Down Under. Opposite side of the planet and all that. So if you’re the type to quibble as regards the seasonal appropriateness of your vibe, remember that in all cases context is everything.
Now then, Promethean Misery, which was founded by Kempster — whom I imagine calling “The Kempster” if we worked in an office setting; “Kempsterama” à la Rob Schneider on ’90s-era Saturday Night Live, and I’d be doing it in a friendly way though I assume Ms. Kempster actually wouldn’t be amused and I’d be reported to human resources sooner or later and duly admonished — ahead of a debut EP release in 2016, though her pedigree goes further back to joining the gothic death-doom outfit Lycanthia on cello for 2006’s Within the WallsEP and co-founding Myraeth in 2009. The key element that seems to tie her work together regardless of what outfit it’s with or the actual arrangements in play. The aforementioned 2016 EP, Before My Eyes, was largely piano-based, where the forthcoming Tied up in Strings LP from whence “In Winter, We are Lost” comes replaces guitar with violin, but either way, the brooding vibe proves worthy of Kempster‘s moniker for the project — you remember the story of Prometheus, right? “thanks for the fire, sorry about your entrails” — and the patience with which she brings her material to bear comes through masterfully in the 12-minute track.
The new album, out Sept. 22, will hit via PRC Music on a pretty quick turnaround less than a year from its sometimes-deathly predecessor, late-2017’s Ghosts, but if Kempster is working quickly to develop Promethean Misery, one can already hear the fruits of that labor in the progression from Ghosts tracks like “Hateful Red” and “Spirit’s Requiem” to the graceful unfolding of “In Winter, We are Lost” as heard in the new video below.
The quick announcement of the album’s release date follows. Please enjoy:
Promethean Misery, “In Winter, We are Lost” official video
We are very happy to offer you the brand new video / first single from the upcoming new album from Australia’s Doom Metal solo artist Samantha Kempster released under the PROMETHEAN MISERY moniker.
Pure doom melancholia… There are NO guitars on this new album… You’ll find a massive wall of distorted violins, drums, piano and wonderful vocal arrangements.
“Tied up in strings”, Your soundtrack for the Fall of 2018, will be unleashed on 09.22.2018.
This album will be available on CD and Digital, distributed worldwide by MVD / Planetworks.
Posted in Whathaveyou on December 4th, 2015 by JJ Koczan
From Merlin‘s theatrical doom rock through the instrumentally-minded prog of Montgolfiere, to the swaggering riffery of Saturna and the Zeppelin punch in the face of Electric Hoodoo, newcomer imprint 4one8 Records is starting out with a pretty solid range in its first four acts. The label is recently spun off from Canadian imprint PRC Music (Ice Dragon, Alunah, and a whole lot of more extreme fare), and a new sampler with tracks from each band makes a suitable way to get introduced.
Info on bands and audio follows, which is just the way it should be:
4ONE8 Records is born!
We’re happy to announce that PRC MUSIC is branching out to new realms of heavyness! 5 years after our humble beginnings (our first release being the debut BEYOND CREATION “The Aura” album in early 2011) as a Heavy Metal record label, we are starting 4ONE8 Records, an imprint focusing on Hard hitting distorted psy blues heavy rock bands and music. PRC MUSIC will be releasing 18 new albums in 2016 including 3 out of the the first 4 scheduled 4ONE8 releases on March 11.
ELECTRIC HOODOO Electric Hoodoo CD
This German 5 pieces is knee deep in the good old 70’s heavy blues and is highly recommended for fans of LED ZEPPELIN, GRAVEYARD, WOLFMOTHER and THE DOORS. Their first single, “The Phoenix”, is available in the player below. Coming out on March 11.
SATURNA Saturna CD
A great 3rd album for this heavy & bluesy Doom-BLACK SABBATH / DEEP PURPLE-hybrid Catalan Heavy Rock band from the wonderful city of Barcelona. This is addictive, be warned. Enjoy the first single entitled “All has been great”. Coming out on March 11.
MERLIN Electric Children CD
From Kansas city, MERLIN is the latest band to join 4ONE8. Heavy and distorted Psychedelic Occult Doom is the name of the game here and this obscure band will be in all your prayers if your daily summoning includes UNCLE ACID, BLACK SABBATH or HAWKWIND! Coming out on March 11.
MONTGOLFIERE Montgolfiere CD
From Sweden we are proud to welcome MONTGOLFIERE! This heavy psych progressive rock trio of astounding musicians is over the top brilliant! Think of it as the new breed of prog jam bands… let the music speaks for itself and enjoy “… Farther out”! Coming out on May 13.
Posted in Reviews on October 15th, 2014 by JJ Koczan
Especially listening to them one into the next, it’s hard not to try to string a narrative between Ice Dragon‘s albums The Burl, the Earth, the Aether (2010), The Sorrowful Sun (2011) and Tome of the Future Ancients (2012). All three — plus side-project Tentacle‘s 2013 sophomore offering, Ingot Eye— have been given a sturdy jewel case CD treatment from Canada’s PRC Music, each with a four-panel liner with the original covers plus lyrics, recording info and/or other art, and right away the intent feels archival, the label having stepped in to release these albums to give them some form outside the crowded nebula of their digital incarnations. To my knowledge, the only one of these three Ice Dragon records to have been pressed at all was The Sorrowful Sun, which Acid Punx released on tape alongside the Boston band’s 2007 self-titled debut (review here), but either way, these feel official and the ability to hold them and explore their art and liner notes gives each one that much more of its own personality. Ice Dragon have taken to putting out new music at such a prolific rate, sometimes it can be hard to keep up.
All the more reason to explore the releases individually, then, since they each have something different to offer, as has proven a big part of the appeal of Ice Dragon‘s work these last few years. We’ll start at, or at least near, the beginning:
The Burl, the Earth, the Aether (2010)
Their second. Working as the trio of bassist Joe, guitarist Carter and drummer/vocalist Ron, Ice Dragon began a run with The Burl, the Earth, the Aether that’s still going on. To date, they’ve released nine albums in the four years since, not to mention singles and splits and side-projects, but more than just the quantity of their output, the standout is the quality of it, and The Burl, the Earth, the Aether stands as a beginning point there as well. Comprised of eight tracks totaling in a 53-minute runtime, the album boasts the classic doom of “Squares inside Squares” and “The Watcher,” recorded with the raw and blown-out sensibilities of US black metal, but still riff-led in a stonerly tradition, and while Ron gets into some rougher shouts on “The Watcher” and “Alucard” — the Castlevania reference there fits with the record’s dark intent — far more prevalent are the echoing howls that resonate from the album’s overarching murk. In “Spellpouch,” “Meddoe” and “Winged Prophet,” Ice Dragon show their propensity for working with acoustics, and in the context of what they’ve done since, moving into psychedelic, psych-pop and folk influences, the ultra-quiet finish of “Winged Prophet” seems like a forebear of future adventurousness, while the ultra-distorted grandiosity of 11-minute closer “Aquageddon” and its blend of malevolent swirl and lumbering riffage with a slow descent into abrasive noise come across like a direct line to what Tome of the Future Ancients would have in store two years later.
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The Sorrowful Sun (2011)
Both The Sorrowful Sun itself, which divides its concise 38 minutes into two roughly equal halves, and its Adam Burke artwork seem to be begging for a vinyl release, but no less on CD, what Ice Dragon achieves on their third album is a standout in their catalog. Aesthetically, there’s a cohesion and a confidence in the presentation of what just a year prior seemed to be experimentation, the swing of songs like “Interspecies Communication” and “Flowers” having solidified into the beer-soaked garage doom on which much of their current take remains based. Likewise, they begin to explore folkish material on “Light Years” — underscored by some righteous bass fuzz — and add several interludes in “Dusk,” and the intro “Sunrise” to give a more complete album-concept feel. The obscure psychedelia of “Poseidon’s Grasp,” with its mix-consuming leads, the drearier churn of “White Tusks” and the subdued exploration of “Near Sun, on Earth” make for as satisfying a three-track run as any Ice Dragon have yet conjured as they round out The Sorrowful Sun, the three-piece not only engaging a multitude of styles but successfully commanding all of them so that the songs flow well one into the next even as the sprawl grows wider. Particularly with a few years of hindsight, one can hear a lot being figured out on The Sorrowful Sun that seems like a foundation for where Ice Dragon would go creatively, but like its predecessor and even more than its predecessor, it stands on its own accomplishments as well and continues to resonate even three years later. If you needed a starting point for the band, The Sorrowful Sun might be it.
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Tome of the Future Ancients (2012)
Including Tome of the Future Ancients, Ice Dragon released four full-length albums in 2012, and to date it was their most productive year, also resulting in Dream Dragon (tape review here), greyblackfalconhawk (discussed here) and the moody Dead Friends and Angry Lovers, initially released as a side-project called Slow Heart but later brought into the Ice Dragon fold. Of the bunch, Tome of the Future Ancients is by far the most expansive, and the intent of the 12-track/75-minute offering feels clearly bent toward the overwhelming. On CD, it is a beast. Half the songs top seven minutes, and whether it’s “The Black Book of Hours” or the opening “Manuscript 408,” Ice Dragon seem to be taking the drone lessons of Earth and applying them to their own brand of doom, thudding and struggling with various impulses along the way, be it the where-did-this-come-from boogie-to-noise onslaught of “Illuminations Foretold” or the excruciating plod of “Night” or the sitar-laced 10-minute blowout of “The Bearded Mage.” What unites the material is the fact that it’s all over the place, but “tome” is right as Ice Dragon prove that fuckall still rules the day on their fourth album. Relatively peaceful psychedelics on “Adoration of Ra” and non-abrasive experimental guitar sweetness on “Infinite Requiem” round out, but the campaign to get there is wearying, the trio merciless in crafting a path that seems to cut further and further into a clouded abyss of distortion and foreboding, where even the drone-noise of “Astronomical Union” pushes downward into a pervasive void of silence. It is lung-filling doom.
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Tentacle, Ingot Eye (2013)
Like the manifestation of all of Ice Dragon‘s darkest tendencies, Tentacle ooze forth four tracks of abrasive, cavernous regression on their second outing, Ingot Eye. Originally released early in 2013, it’s another two-sider folded into a linear mass on the PRC CD — the back cover divides the songs, each “side” starting with a 10-plus-minute monster — and what it shares in common with Ice Dragon aside from the lineup and raw vibe is its immersiveness. As much as Ice Dragon push and pull in various directions, Tentacle swallows you whole, and Ingot Eye‘s four pieces — “The Blackness of My Soul will be so Great as to Make the Night Weep” (11:26), “Dull Ache (I Hate Myself Today)” (4:59), “(Revenge) Dust for Blood” (12:46) and “Our Serpent Mother’s Kiss” (9:53) — comprise a lumbering mass. The second cut, “Dull Ache (I Hate Myself Today),” is the only real point of letup, taking on a more shuffling groove and cleaner vocal, but “Our Serpent Mother’s Kiss” arrives at a downer moment of accessibility as well, the its vocals buried deep in gleefully farty low-end and preceded by devolved noise that’s emblematic of how unfriendly these guys can get when they feel like it. What distinguishes Ingot Eye most from Ice Dragon‘s output is how much Tentacle turns the band’s ambitions on their head. And then stomps that head into a muddy goo from which no light can escape.
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Ice Dragon continue a multifaceted progression. This year, in addition to a split with Space Mushroom Fuzz (info here) and other singles, they’ve issued two full-lengths, Seeds from a Dying Garden (review here) and Loaf of Head (review here). PRC has a preorder available for a CD edition of Dream Dragon, so it seems safe to say that if the label and the band wish to continue their affiliation, there will be fodder for releases for years to come.
Posted in Whathaveyou on April 29th, 2014 by JJ Koczan
With an apparent swath of labels waiting to work with them and as they get ready to record their third album and debut for Napalm Records, UK doomers Alunah have announced a reissue of their 2010 Call of Avernus debut (review here) through Canada’s PRC Music. You might recall the label is also behind the upcoming Ice Dragon CD reissues which are due next month, and with Call of Avernus, they’ll join Cosmic Tomb Records, who are handling a tape version of the release. No word on whether they’ll both have the same updated artwork or if the tape will use the original or what, but in a couple weeks, Alunah will be hitting the studio for the aforementioned third outing — and they’ve also got UK dates coming up, which you can see in the poster below — so they’re plenty busy one way or another.
Which seems to be how it goes for the four-piece. Here’s what the PR wire brought forth:
Call of Avernus Gets a Re-Release and New Artwork…
We released our debut CD album “Call of Avernus” back in 2010 on Catacomb Records. It has since sold out, and we have been approached by various labels regarding getting it re-released. Until now we have declined for various reasons. Canadian label and massive doom heads PRC Music Worldwide contacted us, and after lengthy talks felt that they would do the album justice. Currently the deal is for a CD release, but it may also be making it’s way onto vinyl. The release date is still to be agreed. Don’t forget, it is also being released on tape cassette by Cosmic Tomb. We will have copies for sale online, and on our upcoming May tour.
“We are completely ecstatic to announce our collaboration with one of the best UK doom metal band ALUNAH! This awesome band is now signed to NAPALM RECORDS but [we] will be re-issuing their jaw-dropping debut full length “Call of Avernus” through PRC MUSIC worldwide. Sophie (Guitar/Vocals/Front Goddess!) is redesigning the whole package for this essential reissue. I have been a fan of doom metal ever since I have discovered Black Sabbath in 1978… fast forward 36 years later, it’s an honour to be working with such a great band, ALUNAH being one of my favourite bands for the last few years! I want to thank Sophie for the opportunity and for believing in us for that mandatory re-issue! ALUNAH is addictive, be warned! If you are a die hard fanatic of CATHEDRAL and WITCH MOUNTAIN, do yourself a favor and check the band on Facebook and bandcamp” – Rémi Coté, PRC Label Owner
Posted in Whathaveyou on March 13th, 2014 by JJ Koczan
If I have one regret about my anti-nonphysical media stance, it’s that it probably kept me from checking out Ice Dragon sooner. The Boston-based garage psych doomers will issue three of their earlier works, 2010’s The Burl, the Earth, theAether, 2011’s The Sorrowful Sunand 2012’s Tome of the Future Ancients on CD viaQuebecois imprint PRC Music on May 27, and they’re available now to preorder. Seems likely the discs won’t last long upon their release — I don’t know how many of each are being pressed, but Ice Dragon stuff moves quick from what I’ve seen — and though everything the prolific outfit puts out is a name-your-price download at their Bandcamp, for somebody who’d rather hold an album in their hands, this is a chance that doesn’t always come along.
Word from the band and the label’s notes on the records follow:
NEWS ALERT!!! Pre-Orders are up for the cd versions of “The Burl, The Earth, The Aether”, “The Sorrowful Sun”, and “Tome of the Future Ancients” through PRC MUSIC. They’ll be out on 05/27. Heads up and what not. Very psyched for these!
ICE DRAGON The Burl, the earth, the eather CD (PRC27)
This cult Americain doom metal band will finally see its first 3 albums available on CD for the very first time! “The Burl” is a masterpiece of classic Doom Metal. Heavy, Dark, disturbing… think BLACK SABBATH’s very first album on a crash course collision with a slower, noisier ELECTRIC WIZARD and you are pretty close to the perfection that is this seminal debut album. Get this now.
ICE DRAGON The sorrowful sun CD (PRC28)
Once again PRC MUSIC invites you to immerse yourself in pure classical, drug induced, doom metal. From the school of Ozzy-era BLACK SABBATH, this second album is majestic and disturbingly heavy. Here is what INVISIBLE ORANGES had to say about “The sorrowful sun”: “Imagine if Black Sabbath combined their heavy and psychedelic sides – they tended to toggle between those modes rather than combine them – and took even more drugs, and turned everything up into screaming, red-lined peaks. They then came down hard and also wrote pretty acoustic songs – not those bullshit interludes, but real, actual songs.” Enough said. Get this now.
ICE DRAGON Tome of the futur ancients CD (PRC29)
This is PRC MUSIC 3rd re-issue. The battery of torn-paged suspicions and spells this album promotes are surely divined by some great and sinister power. It masterfully blends the witchy metal of Black Sabbath, the crushing curses of Electric Wizard, and the thick dope smoke of Sleep, but it also integrates a phantasmagoria of heavy psych-drone into that formula for an all-together eerier descent into the mouth of ritualistic madness. This is beautiful. Get this now.
