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The Body Have a New Video for “An Altar or a Grave” and US Tour Dates

Posted in Bootleg Theater on September 25th, 2013 by JJ Koczan

Oppressive, claustrophobic and unremittingly dark, I’d say the new video for “An Altar or a Grave” from Portland-via-Providence ultra-doomers The Body makes a fitting complement to the song itself. Their new album, Christs, Redeemers, is available now for pre-order through Thrill Jockey — it’s due out Oct. 15 — and while I won’t pretend to have any grasp of exactly what the hell is happening in the clip, directed by Richard Rankin, the visual of drowning as part of some terrifying ritual likewise makes sense with the audio on hand.

The Body have announced a US tour for October into November that starts the same day the record is out. Dates for that and the Christs, Redeemers pre-order link follow the video below, courtesy of the ever-vigilant PR wire:

The Body, “An Altar or a Grave” official video

The Body Announces US Tour & Shares Haunting Video

Watch the murky, disturbing video for The Body’s “An Altar or A Grave” now
The Body announces fall US tour dates
Christs, Redeemers is out October, 15th on Thrill Jockey

The Body have shared a characteristically macabre video for “An Altar or A Grave” from their upcoming Thrill Jockey debut, Christs, Redeemers, which is out October 15th. Earlier today Invisible Oranges premiered the video, which was directed by long-time collaborator Richard Rankin. Through blurry underwater footage, disturbing and morbid images float in and out of focus until the situation becomes devastatingly clear in the video’s final moments. “An Altar or A Grave” prominently features Providence’s Assembly of Light Choir, who provide morose vocal incantations over the duo’s merciless plod.

Pre-order Christs, Redeemers from Thrill Jockey mailorder. Mailorder customers can also purchase an exclusive “Nullify My Life” long-sleeve t-shirt designed by The Body:
http://www.thrilljockey.com/thrill/The-Body/Christs-Redeemers

The Body will be bringing their message of misanthropy and horror to a town near you as they embark on a comprehensive US tour this fall, including a special Halloween show at Saint Vitus in Brooklyn and a hometown Portland show November 23rd with Neurosis, Tragedy, and Atriarch. More dates will be announced soon.

The Body on Tour:
Oct. 15th – San Francisco, CA – Thee Parkside
Oct. 16th – Arcata, CA – Mex n’ Wow
Oct. 17th – Portland, OR – The Know
Oct. 19th – Seattle, WA – The Highline
Oct. 23rd – Minneapolis, MN – Hexagon w/ False
Oct. 24th – Chicago, IL – The Empty Bottle w/ Oozing Wound
Oct. 25th – Milwaukee, WI – Riverwest Free Space
Oct. 26th – Columbus, OH – The Summit
Oct. 27th – Pittsburgh, PA – The Shop
Oct 29th – Philadelphia, PA – Kung Fu Necktie w/ Pissgrave, Krieg, Drums Like Machine Guns
Oct. 30th – Providence, RI – Machines With Magnets
Oct. 31st – Brooklyn, NY – Saint Vitus
Nov. 3rd – New Orleans, LA – The Mushroom
Nov. 4th – Baton Rouge, LA – Spanish Moon
Nov. 5th – Little Rock, AR – Whitewater Tavern
Nov. 10th – Phoenix, AZ – Wall St.
Nov. 12th – San Diego, CA – The Soda Bar w/ Author and Punisher, Diamond Lakes
Nov. 13th – Santa Monica, CA – Almost Heaven
Nov. 23rd – Portland, OR – Roseland Theater w/ Neurosis, Tragedy, Atriarch

https://www.facebook.com/pages/the-body/334047229514
http://thrilljockey.com/

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audiObelisk Transmission 030

Posted in Podcasts on September 21st, 2013 by JJ Koczan

Click Here to Download

 

Here is the Music Player. You need to installl flash player to show this cool thing!

With no slowdown in the music coming out as we move into the fall, it’s time for another audiObelisk podcast. Like last month, the idea here was to keep it super-simple, not go too long or get lost too much in including stuff just for the hell of it. Whether it’s a big band or someone you’ve never heard of in this tracklist, it’s all quality, and most of it is new. A couple of these albums haven’t even come out yet.

Things get pretty dark in the second of the two hours, but I figured what the hell? It starts off rockin’ with Sasquatch and The Freeks and so on, so it seemed there was room to doom out for a while, and once I threw in The Body, there was nothing to do but plummet even further. As it winds down, there’s some transition back to more rocking fare though with Earthless, so it’s not like it gets totally lost and drowns in the mire of dark tones and sonic abrasion. I know you were worried. I was too.

Like last time, it clocks in at just under two hours long. I hope you download and enjoy the tracks. Here’s the full rundown of what’s included:

First Hour:

Sasquatch, “The Message” from IV (2013)
Monster Magnet, “Mindless Ones” from Last Patrol (2013)
The Freeks, “The Secret Pathway” from Full On (2013)
Red Fang, “Blood Like Cream” from Whales and Leeches (2013)
Pyramido, “Tiden är Kommen” from Saga (2013)
Hollow Leg, “Ride to Ruin” from Abysmal (2013)
YOB, “Ether” from Catharsis (2013 Reissue)
Seremonia, “Suuri Valkeus” from Ihminen (2013)
Aqua Nebula Oscillator, “Human Toad” from Spiritus Mundi (2013)
Jesu, “Everyday” from Everyday I Get Closer to the Light from Which I Came (2013)
Ayahuasca Dark Trip, “To the Holy Mountain” from Mind Journey (2013 Reissue)

Second Hour:

All Them Witches, “Born under a Bad Sign” (2013)
The Body, “Prayers Unanswered” from Christs, Redeemers (2013)
Primitive Man, “Antietam” from Scorn (2013)
Windhand, “Cassock” from Soma (2013)
Atlantis, “Omen” from Omens (2013)
Earthless, “Violence of the Red Sea” from From the Ages (2013)

Total running time: 1:59:33

Hope you dig it. Thanks for listening.

Download audiObelisk Transmission 030

 

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The Body Start West Coast Tour on Sunday

Posted in Whathaveyou on June 28th, 2013 by JJ Koczan

Portland-by-way-of-Rhode Island abrasion specialists The Body commence a run of West Coast ritualizing this weekend. Fresh off the release of their Master, We Perish EP on At a Loss and a round of East Coast and Midwestern dates in support of it, The Body‘s next album will be released on Thrill Jockey, who’ve apparently decided they like it extreme. Fair enough.

Here’s the news:

THE BODY: West Coast Live Excursion Begins This Weekend

Hot off of their recent tour through the Central and Northeast US regions following their recently-released Master, We Perish EP, nomadic duo THE BODY is set to embark on their newest auditory warfare excursion this weekend.

This Sunday, June 30th, THE BODY will join Los Crudos, Iron Lung, Talk Is Poison and more at This Is Not a Step Fest in Berkeley, California. Just a few days later, THE BODY will converge with Subservient Fuck for a counter-clockwise slice of touring, beginning in Arcata, California, crossing North to Portland and Seattle and then south through Western Cali with stops in Oakland, La Puente, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Diego and Sacramento confirmed.

THE BODY Live:
6/30/2013 924 Gilman – Berkeley, CA @ This Is Not a Step Fest
7/01/2013 Mex n’ Wow – Arcata, CA w/ Subservient Fuck
7/02/203 The Laughing Horse Book And Film Collective – Portland, OR w/ Subservient Fuck
7/03/2013 Black Lodge – Seattle, WA w/ Subservient Fuck
7/04/2013 1234 Go Records – Oakland, CA w/ Subservient Fuck
7/05/2013 Bridgetown – La Puente, CA w/ Subservient Fuck
7/06/2013 East 7th – Los Angeles, CA w/ Subservient Fuck
7/07/2013 Blood Orange – Riverside, CA w/ Subservient Fuck
7/08/2013 Che Café – San Diego, CA w/ Subservient Fuck
7/09/2013 The Press Club – Sacramento, CA

Preaching three anti-life messages, Master We Perish takes the distinctive, matchless attack of earthmoving cult THE BODY to its most corrosive and ominous yet; blackened bursts of noise-drenched, doom fueled by hypnotic, tribal rhythms and penetrating vocal torture. Recorded at Providence, Rhode Island-based Machines With Magnets (Battles, Daughters, Lightning Bolt, Chinese Stars). THE BODY also recruited Leslie Weitz (Otesanek), Chrissy Wolpert (Assembly Of Light Choir) and Reba Mitchell (Whore Paint) for vocal contributions throughout the torrid endeavor adding an array of eerie dynamics to the songs.

Master, We Perish is out now on 12” EP, CD, cassette and digital download via At A Loss Recordings.

http://www.thebody.bigcartel.com
http://www.facebook.com/pages/the-body/334047229514
http://www.atalossrecordings.com
https://www.facebook.com/atalossrecordings

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The Body’s Master, We Perish EP Due April 30

Posted in Whathaveyou on March 22nd, 2013 by JJ Koczan

Just when you thought you might get through April without buying yet another record, here come Portland-by-way-of-Providence malevolent doomers The Body with a new EP. The duo-plus will deliver their latest work, Master, We Perish, through the venerable At a Loss Recordings on April 30 — which is sure to be a dark day for humanity and a good day for the doomed.

The PR wire has the grim and gory details:

THE BODY: New Scourge From Apocalyptic Duo Set For Release Via At A Loss

In an ongoing pilgrimage towards the apocalypse and perpetual hatred for humankind, earthmoving doom duo THE BODY will dispense their latest scourge upon the masses in the coming weeks.

The newest wave of abhorrence from the nomadic family, Master, We Perish shows THE BODY’s nihilistic audio terror ever-forward with three new tunes sure to cause birds to fall from the sky and traumatize nonbelievers, once again recorded at Providence, Rhode Island-based Machines With Magnets (Battles, Daughters, Lightning Bolt, Chinese Stars). Blackened bursts of noise-drenched, low-fi doom are fueled by percussionist Lee Buford’s hypnotic, tribal rhythms via thunderous macaroni drums, the melee infiltrated by guitarist/vocalist Chip King’s penetrating vocal screech. The clan also recruited Leslie Weitz (Otesanek), Chrissy Wolpert (Assembly Of Light Choir) and Reba Mitchell (Whore Paint) for vocal contributions throughout the torrid endeavor adding an array of eerie dynamics to the songs. Saddened confessions of mental anguish are ended with a pump of a shotgun, a sludgy foreshadowing of the coming explosion of tortured screams. Feedback and noise erupt into the slow crush and the bellowing of an end to beliefs and an end to these truths…

With mangled-human cover art by Manifester, Master, We Perish is to be released as a 12” EP, CDEP, cassette and digital download on April 30th. The new hymns are to be disbursed once again by At A Loss Recordings, the group who also claimed responsibility for previous attacks from THE BODY including last year’s reissue of the band’s self-titled LP, their collaborative release with Braveyoung, and most notoriously, their revered and feared 2010-released All The Waters Of The Earth Turns To Blood. Preorders of all formats are available here.

Stay tuned to your trusted media sources for further updates as transmissions from THE BODY and their latest endtime message are broadcasted in the coming weeks.

Master, We Perish Track Listing:
1. The Ebb And Flow Of Tides In A Sea Of Ash
2. The Blessed Lay Down And Writhe In Agony
3. Worship

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Buried Treasure and the Mountains Underground

Posted in Buried Treasure on March 14th, 2012 by JJ Koczan

There’s always something special about a basement record store, so I was only too glad to descend the flight of stairs leading to Boston’s Armageddon Shop during my recent trip there to see Black Pyramid, Gozu and Infernal Overdrive at Radio in Somerville. I’d been to the Providence location before, and found it much to my liking, so the Boston one seemed an obvious choice to pass some time before the show.

From what I understand, it’s relatively new, and it looks it. The walls, but for a large cork bulletin board overflowing with flyers, were painted bright white — very neo-black metal — and the floor was clean and unscuffed, kind of emphasizing a minimalist look. It wasn’t cramped, as a lot of record stores are, and the entire right side of the store and most of the left as well was devoted to well-spaced bins of vinyl. A shelf directly across from the entrance had some tapes on it, so I went there first.

It doesn’t appear in the picture above, but that’s only because I’ve been so unwilling to remove it from my car since I made the purchase. For $3.99, I got a cassette of C.O.C.‘s Wiseblood, and of all the money I spent that night, that was hands-down some of the best. CDs took up a whole section of the back wall (there were some dollar boxes as well that I glanced through) with the discs positioned sideways so you had to crane your head even as you bent down to look at the bottom rows.

Turned out to be worth the effort. I bought The Body‘s Anthology, because hey, it’s New England, and Paracletus, by Deathspell Omega, because I figured I’d want it eventually and I might as well spend the money there rather than give it to Amazon or whoever. There was a cheapy copy of last year’s Aphotic by Novembers Doom, and I’ll probably never listen to it, but I got that anyway, just to have it, and a used version of The Late Great Planet Earth by Mos Generator that I figured (rightly) would do my rockin’ soul some good.

The finds of the trip, though, were an original CD issue of Parliament‘s Funkentelechy vs. the Placebo Syndrome — which fucking rules — and the first Witch Mountain record, Come the Mountain. I’m sure I could find all kinds of reissues of Funkentelechy if I wanted to, but it was cool to hear a first-run pressing (cooler still because it too was $3.99) and Cordell Mosson‘s bass and Bernie Worrell‘s keys make the whole thing. And the Witch Mountain I just figured I’d missed the boat on and would never find, what with it being released over a decade ago, the label Rage of Achilles being defunct and the band being on the other side of the country.

I guess you never know what you’ll find, which is probably the reason I keep going to these places even as they seemingly all start to phase out CDs in favor of vinyl. General compulsion you could consider as a secondary factor, but either way, I was glad I had the chance to hit up this Armageddon Shop, because like the other one in Providence, it was a cause definitely worth supporting. Check out their website here.

 

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Live Review: Black Cobra, Zoroaster and The Body in Brooklyn, 12.11.11

Posted in Reviews on December 14th, 2011 by JJ Koczan

Sunday inevitably rolled around after seeing Kyuss Lives! on Saturday and Cortez/Mighty High on Friday, and where one tour was ending, another was just getting started. This time it was Black Cobra, emerged from under the Kyuss banner’s black sunbow/bird color scheme, taking on the role of headliner on a bill that teamed them with two of modern doom’s most formidable names: Zoroaster and The Body. I was exhausted, and had the show been just about anywhere else in Brooklyn but the Saint Vitus bar, which is unbelievably easy for me to drive to in non-rush-hours, I probably would’ve sat it out.

But I’d never seen The Body, and between last year’s All the Waters of the Earth Turn to Blood and this year’s Nothing Passes collaboration with Braveyoung, I’d been inundated enough with their fucked up sonics that I thought it worth my time and further wear and tear to show up and catch it in-person. Plus, I hadn’t seen Zoroaster since Mike Morris joined on bass in replacement for Brent Anderson and it had been nearly 24 hours since Black Cobra made my eyes bleed with the sheer force of their thrashing righteousness, so I had to go! I DVR’ed the Boardwalk Empire season finale (haven’t watched it yet, don’t tell me what happened) and hit the road.

Gang Signs opened, and I missed all but the last 30 seconds — literally — of their set. I barely had time to look up at the stage to see who it was before they said “thank you, good night.” Some you win, some you lose. There was a break while The Body positioned their strange tube-like drums and wall of bass cabinets, so I had plenty of time to stand there and obsessively check my email on my phone, send The Patient Mrs. text messages about how tired I was, check the forum for spambots and run through all the usual crap people do while pretending to look busy. When The Body, their sampler set and ready to roll, finally got going, they would be probably the loudest band of the night.

If it’s any indication of the kind of volume I’m talking about, guitarist/vocalist Chip King plays out of two sideways-stacked Ampeg 8x12s. The only other person I’ve ever seen pull that off is Dickie Peterson of Blue Cheer, who, of course, was playing bass. King ran his line through a Peavey combo amp and a bass head that had “Bastard Noise” on a plaque on the front, either in reference to the band or the sound it made. In combination with the distorted noise and samples from drummer Lee Buford, The Body‘s sound was huge low-end malevolence. King‘s screams rested far back in the mix as he stood away from the mic, and it was heavy enough that I was glad I left the house to see it. Their atmosphere is as pummeling as anything they actually do on stage.

I suppose that holds true for Zoroaster as well, though the Atlanta natives are a better stage act and were greatly aided at St. Vitus as always by an extensive light show — now with lasers! Their songs themselves came across in an overwhelming wash of noise through which drummer Dan Scanlan was charged with crashing, and as their progression over the course of their three-to-date full-lengths has taken them ever further into the psychedelic reaches, so too has their live show followed suit. I can’t remember if it was for 2010’s Matador or 2009’s Voice of Saturn that I last saw them (it was downstairs at Webster Hall in Manhattan), but there’s been a marked change in their dynamic since then, and undoubtedly the addition of Morris in the bassist role is a part of that.

Could be that Zoroaster are maturing and are more assured in their aesthetic, or it could just be the new trio lineup works well together and I caught them on a good night, but either way, Zoroaster looked to be exactly where they wanted to be in terms of sound and presentation. The crowd was a Brooklyn crowd, and it was Sunday, but the room heated up quickly with the energy spent — though that could also have been the tubes driving guitarist/vocalist Will Fiore‘s Green and Orange amps. With Morris putting a Sunn head through another of the evening’s several Ampeg 8x12s, I was starting to feel like I was at a trade convention for doom suppliers. Sounded cool, either way.

The danger as I see it for Zoroaster now is not losing themselves in it. They have this massively sensory experience happening, where the sound and the light envelops you and the band really seems to be going somewhere and taking you along, but I can’t help but also feel like they’re skirting a line between engaging and indulgence. If they are, they haven’t crossed it yet, and the crowd was certainly on board for what they brought to St. Vitus. It was Sunday night, and the crowd was meh, and I was meh, but they killed it anyway, and I’m excited to see where the follow-up to Matador takes them stylistically. It’s been quite a ride so far.

As each act played and then removed their equipment to make room for the next band, whose stuff was backlined behind, the size of the stage seemed to grow, so that by the time Jason Landrian and Rafa Martinez of Black Cobra were ready to start up, there was space on either side of them and they seemed clustered together in the middle, huddled almost. Behind them, a large banner bearing the cover of their new album, Invernal, draped down to the floor and scrunched up there like poorly-measured curtains, and when they launched their set, they did so entirely without ceremony. No intro, no samples, nothing. Just the ambient sound of the crowd and then that noise eaten in an instant by the start of “Avalanche.”

Headliners, they obviously had more time than they had the night before supporting The Sword (who they blew off the stage) and Kyuss Lives!, and they put it to good use, playing every song off of Invernal with highlights from 2007’s Feather and Stone and 2009’s Chronomega mixed in. The only cut from 2006’s Bestial to make it in was “Omniscient” (can’t fault the choice), so the focus was clearly on newer material, and though “Negative Reversal” and Feather and Stone closer “Swords for Teeth” were high points, they paled in comparison to the power Landrian and Martinez showed on “Abyss” and “Erebus Dawn,” their handling of which was so precise and careful as to be awe-inspiring.

Where Landrian‘s voice, presented cavernously in parts of Invernal, had been naturally bolstered by the high ceiling of the Wellmont, in Brooklyn, in the considerably smaller room, he sounded more compressed, albeit clearer in the live mix. It did nothing to lessen the force of the material, and so wasn’t a problem. And if Martinez was at all spent by the month solid he’d just spend touring in bigger venues, he didn’t show it. Rather, Black Cobra made it perfectly clear why they were at the top of the bill (the fact that they’re the ones with the newest record and neither band wanting to follow them might also have something to do with it) and ripped through a round with their most potent material yet.

I was ready to go after “Obliteration” — how could I not be, after that? — but as Landrian and Martinez stood on stage with their backs to the crowd, waiting to start the encore, it was clear they weren’t done. “Red Tide” and “Chronosphere” wrapped the night and I was quick out the door, the wall long since hit and my eyes halfway closed before I was on the other side of the Queens-Midtown Tunnel. It’d be another hour before I got back to the valley, and I’d wind up exhausted all week from the three nights out and with a cold to boot, but screw it. If 2011’s taught me anything, it’s taught me that you’re either there or you’re not there, and I have no regrets on this one.

Extra pics after the jump.

Read more »

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Buried Treasure: Haul That is Heavy, Vol. 4: Mega-Sale Edition

Posted in Buried Treasure on July 29th, 2011 by JJ Koczan

A mere two weeks ago, I posted notice that the kind souls at the All That is Heavy webstore were having a mega-sale with discs and t-shirts at 25 and 50 percent off. I also confessed that I did this only after going in and solidifying my own purchase. Well, the box showed up Wednesday and I’ve been making my way through the goods ever since. Here’s what I picked up:

The Body, All the Waters of the Earth Turn to Blood
Paul Chain “The Improvisor,Cosmic Wind
Church of Misery, The Second Coming (Diwphalanx reissue)
Leif Edling, The Black Heart of Candlemass
The Gates of Slumber, Villain, Villain
500 Ft. of Pipe, Dope Deal
500 Ft. of Pipe, The Electrifying Church of the New Light
Masters of Reality, Pine/Cross Dover (American version)
Mustasch, Parasite!
OJM, The Light Album
OJM, Under the Thunder
OJM, Volcano
Ponamero Sundown, Stonerized
Raging Slab, Raging Slab (2009 Rock Candy reissue)
Sgt. Sunshine, Black Hole
Sin of Angels, In the Grip of Despair

Stuff like the 500 Ft. of Pipe and Mustasch I’d had my eye on for a long time. The psyched-up Fu Manchu fuzz of the former has been a delight long awaited. With The Body, I felt like I was finally giving into the hype, but at the sale price, decided it was now or never. Ponamero Sundown I wanted to listen to again before reviewing the new one and couldn’t find my old sleeve promo — apparently I’ve never heard of YouTube — and Masters of Reality I bought solely for the different label name on the side of the disc. It’s not the first time I’ve done that with them.

OJM I wanted to backlog since reviewing Volcano, and I included Volcano too because I didn’t have a full copy. The Raging Slab I very much enjoyed last night after work, imagining what new wave/no wave New Yorkers must have thought of them busting out those songs in 1989 and seeing the old pictures of drummer Bob Pantella, now of The Atomic Bitchwax. Sgt. Sunshine‘s a little stranger than I expected, but still pretty cool, and listening to it now, I think I might’ve already owned this Sin of Angels CD.

The rest I haven’t gotten to yet, but it’s worth noting that even with the drastically slashed prices, Dan and Melanie — the above-noted kind souls — included a freebie in the form of Black Materia, by Black Materia, which is rife with Anathema-style sorrow and metallic melody, in addition to being a Final Fantasy reference. Dig it.

The sale’s still on, but I don’t know for how long or anything like that. Hopefully I’ll have time to recoup some funds for another round before it ends, but even if not, I think I did alright the first time. If you missed the link above, check out the list of goods here.

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The Body Head South to Keep Warm

Posted in Whathaveyou on January 4th, 2011 by JJ Koczan

Rhode Island duo The Body, who made a splash last year with the avant weirdness of their At a Loss debut, All the Waters of the Earth Turn to Blood, have announced a quick run over the next week-plus that has them playing with the likes of Thou and haarp. The tour started last night in New Orleans and hits Baton Rouge this evening, and the PR wire has the rest of the dates below.

Providence‘s punishers The Body are back on the road early in the New Year, set to kick off a Southeastern US mini-tour today. The duo will devastate cities in Louisiana, Florida, North Carolina and Maryland over the coming days, appearing alongside Thou, haarp and more over the short onslaught. These dates all build up to The Body’s appearance later this month where they are scheduled to provide support for reunited hardcore icons The Universal Order of Armageddon in New York City.

The Body January 2011 Tour:

01/04 Tupac’s Bungalow Baton Rouge, LA w/ Thou, Haarp
01/05 Sluggo’s Pensacola, FL
01/06 Farside Tallahassee, FL
01/07 Wayward Council Gainesville, FL w/ Civilization
01/08 Lomax Lounge Jacksonville, FL w/ Civilization
01/10 Legitimate Business Greensboro, NC
01/11 some warehouse space Baltimore, MD
01/21 The Cake Shop New York, NY w/ Universal Order of Armageddon, Orphan

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