If you’re prone to getting headaches from things like flashing lights, jumpy video or — I guess? — hard riffs, you’ll probably want to skip Rebreather‘s new video. The song is “Sicksicksick,” and it’s telling as to the ethic of the Ohio trio generally that it doesn’t even come up for air until more than two minutes into its total 3:13. The punk-rooted Youngstown sludgers made the clip, one assumes, to remind any and all of the righteousness of their late-2021 return long-player, The Line, its Width and the War Drone (review here), which was released through Aqualamb Records as their first full-length offering since 2009.
By all accounts, the world missed Rebreather more than Rebreather missed the world during that time. “Sicksicksick” opened the album with the decisive thud of Steven Gardner‘s drumming setting the foundation even before Barley Rantilla started in with the guitar or the bite of the first verse lines. Given necessary and appreciated density by Steve Wishnewski‘s bass, a later piece like “Residual Madness” offered despondent nod following the punker fuckall of “Choke on It,” and while you may have already seen the video for “Drown” (posted here) with Gwyn Strang of fellow Ohioans Frayle (who are, like, a big deal now) sitting in on vocals, or caught the “Choke on It” clip when it premiered here, well, this is some shit you haven’t seen yet, and until they do one for “Silent H” or “It Comes in Threes” — by the way, please do — it’s my excuse to put the album on for this afternoon and anything else is a bonus.
I’ve got a Rebreather shirt in my Bandcamp cart. I think The Patient Mrs. gets paid on Friday. Gonna make that happen. So I guess that’s why bands put out videos. Maybe you should check it out too and see if maybe you also want to upgrade your wardrobe. There’s also the A Brief History Remastered compilation that’s $10 whether you buy the disc or just the DL. At that point, the plastic is its own excuse for being.
Enjoy the clip. I asked Rantilla for a few words on making it and he was kind enough to offer some comment, which you’ll find below the player.
Here goes:
Rebreather, “Sicksicksick” official video
Barley Rantilla on “Sicksicksick”:
This video is for the track “sicksicksick” from our album The Line, Its Width, and the War Drone. We shot it in our old practice space with three cameras fastened to one tripod. Our friend Johnny Eckard stood in the middle of the room rotating the cameras as we played through the song. It was my first time ever editing video, so it was a huge learning experience for me. I leaned on Steve Wishnewski (bass) for his editing knowledge to get me through all of my wrong moves. Overall, it was a pretty fun puzzle to put together.
Rebreather is: Barley Rantilla – Guitars and Vocals Steven Gardner – Drums Steve Wishnewski – Bass
Rebreather, The Line, its Width and the War Drone (2021)
Posted in Whathaveyou on November 9th, 2022 by JJ Koczan
Frayle just wrapped the UK portion of their Fall 2022 European tour, and are currently kicking around the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and more Germany to wrap up. No doubt Damnation Festival was a highlight, but it inevitably would be. As they go, continue to go, the Cleveland, Ohio, witch doomers and apparent light-bondage aficionados — not shaming, judging, particularly caring; it’s just a thing to mention as it’s clearly a part of their aesthetic and live presentation, like the one dude’s dreadlocks — further announce they’ll re-press their two full-lengths, the latest of which, Skin and Sorrow, was released in September, to rectify prior sell-throughs. That’s the EP, The White Witch, Skin and Sorrow, and their debut LP, 1692. Sometimes a band moves records. Kind of nice when it happens, actually.
Info, preorder links and whatnot all came down the PR wire:
Frayle announces the repress of The White Witch, 1692 and Skin & Sorrow for their European tour
Cleveland based Heavy Witch Doom coven are excited to announce that they will re-pressing all 3 of their albums on vinyl to co-coincide with the band’s European Tour which they are currently on.
Formed in Cleveland in 2017 by Sean Bilovecky and Gwyn Strang they band made their debut with the ‘The White Witch’ EP in 2018 released on vinyl by Lay Bare Recordings. The White Witch was followed by two full length albums: ‘1692’ and ‘Skin & Sorrow.’
Frayle’s “lullabies over chaos” approach to songwriting allows them the freedom to explore what is possible with heavy music. They strive to balance the heaviest of riffs with the approachability of Gwyn’s haunting vocal melodies. Complex layering and tone stacking is a hallmark of their music. Each musical element is thoughtfully composed resulting in a unique combination of midrange-heavy guitars, syncopated rhythms, and unexpected vocal progressions. Gwyn tells stories of heart break, anger, hypocrisy and resolution, asking the audience for empathy, and in turn inspiring vulnerability.
The coloured vinyl comes with full colour inlay (300pcs). A repress of the ‘White Witch’ CD (300pcs) will be available at Lay Bare Recordings and on Frayle’s bandcamp (300 vinyl, 200 CD) and available EXCLUSIVE on their EU/ UK tour.
In this 2nd repress version of 1692 ‘Ring of Fire’ from Johnny Cash is added. Frayle delivers their own epic version of the song written by June Carter Cash and Merle Kilgore and popularized by Johnny Cash in 1963.This version comes in a/ side b/side: white/ gold colored vinyl.
This is the first repress of the critically acclaimed album that was released 23rd of September 2022.The new version come on heavy weight 180g 12” coloured vinyl (grimace purple / sea blue) in a gatefold cover.
Tour Dates 9th November 2022 – Alte Meierei – DE 10th November 2022 – Stengade – Copenhagen – DK 11th November 2022 – Plan B – Malmo – SE 13th November 2022 – Revolver – Oslo – NO 16th November 2022 – Backstage – Munich – DE 17th November 2022 – Comma Club – Gera – DE 18th November 2022 – Zolkatine – Bremen – DE 19th November 2022 – Gloomar Festival – Neunkirchen – DE 20th November 2022 – MTC – Cologne – DE
Posted in Whathaveyou on October 11th, 2022 by JJ Koczan
In what I seriously doubt will be their last trip abroad supporting their new album, Skin & Sorrow, Ohio witch doomers Frayle have announced a stretch of European tour dates for next month. That includes a stop at Damnation Festival in Manchester, UK, and the Gloomar Festival in Neunkirchen, Germany, for which I’ve no doubt they’ll be suitably gloomy. They’re fresh off a run with Cradle of Filth, and I could be wrong, but I think that officially puts them in the realm of ‘kind of a big deal,’ so as their audience increases thanks to crisp songwriting and striking visuals like those in the video for “Bright Eyes” at the bottom of this post, the chance to see them at spots like The Black Heart in London and Backstage in Munich — these venues very much on the circuit for heavy underground touring acts — may be limited. That is to say, the rooms are only going to get bigger.
I don’t know that I’ll review the album or not — I’m challenging myself on why I wouldn’t, other than the usual crunch of time and space — but Frayle have a thing and are clearly making a go of it and from where I sit you have to respect the hustle. Safe travels and well wishes, and so on. The dates came from the PR wire:
Heavy Witch Doom quartet Frayle set to embark on a European tour in November
Frayle makes music for the night sky.
Hot off the heels of their latest release Skin & Sorrow, Cleveland’s Frayle have announced a European tour kicking off on November 1st, 2022. The tour will see the band playing shows and festivals in the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, UK, and Germany.
The group was formed in 2017 by guitarist Sean Bilovecky (formerly of now-defunct Man’s Ruin recording artists Disengage) and vocalist Gwyn Strang, a singer with an alluring voice and an equally compelling flair for imagery. Frayle’s “lullabies over chaos” approach to songwriting allows the group the freedom to explore what is possible with heavy music; its gorgeously ominous sound a result of complex layering and tone stacking while simultaneously overseeing the perfectly delicate balance between heaving, heavy riffs and haunting vocal melodies.
“We look forward to seeing everyone again in the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium as well as meeting new fans and friends in the UK, Denmark and Sweden. This album has been a long time in the making and we can’t wait to share these new songs with our fellow Heretics.” – Frayle
Tour Dates 1st November 2022 – Willemeen – Arnhem – NL 2nd November 2022 – Patronaat – Haarlem – NL 3rd November 2022 – VII – Rotterdam – NL 4th November 2022– Ragnarök – Bree – BE 5th November 2022 – Damnation Festival – Manchester – UK 6th November 2022– Black Heart – London – UK 8th November 2022 – Simplon – Groningen – NL 9th November 2022 – Alte Meierei – DE 10th November 2022 – Stengade – Copenhagen – DK 11th November 2022 – Plan B – Malmo – SE 13th November 2022 – Revolver – Oslo – NO 16th November 2022 – Backstage – Munich – DE 17th November 2022 – Comma Club – Gera – DE 18th November 2022 – Zolkatine – Bremen – DE 19th November 2022 – Gloomar Festival – Neunkirchen – DE 20th November 2022 – MTC – Cologne – DE
Posted in Questionnaire on March 14th, 2022 by JJ Koczan
The Obelisk Questionnaire is a series of open questions intended to give the answerer an opportunity to explore these ideas and stories from their life as deeply as they choose. Answers can be short or long, and that reveals something in itself, but the most important factor is honesty.
Based on the Proust Questionnaire, the goal over time is to show a diverse range of perspectives as those who take part bring their own points of view to answering the same questions. To see all The Obelisk Questionnaire posts, click here.
Thank you for reading and thanks to all who participate.
The Obelisk Questionnaire: Barley Rantilla of Rebreather
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How do you define what you do and how did you come to do it?
I turn my guitar amps up and holler a bunch. It feels real good the whole time I’m plugged in. Super glutinous, masturbatory, self-serving… but incredibly cathartic. I’m going deaf, my head hurts when I stop, and sometimes I’m a little sad afterwards. But, while its happening, it’s the best and I never want it to stop. When I was a little kid, my cousin let me hold his electric guitar while it was plugged into some tiny practice amp and the amount of feedback and noise screaming out of that speaker completely captivated me. It would be years later that my dad ended up getting me my first guitar and several years after that I got ahold of my first tube amp. From that point on, it’s been a challenge to harness that feedback and noise and try to turn it into music.
Describe your first musical memory.
My parents were really into a wide range of music and my dad always had piles of records to dig through. On Saturday mornings, my brothers and I would wake up early and spin Nilsson albums or Rick Wakeman’s “Journey to the Centre of the Earth” as the soundtracks to us destroying our Star Wars action figures in the living room. I feel bad for how many scratches we probably put on all those albums. Fortunately, my parents were less concerned with the safety of the albums and more stoked on us enjoying them.
Describe your best musical memory to date.
Too many “best music” memories.
Being a little kid and staying at my grandparent’s house. They had basic cable, so I was gonna get to watch MTV all day long… YES!!! So stoked on music videos as a kid. The Clash, Van Halen, RUN DMC, fucking Thriller! Michael Jackson’s Thriller! Holy shit! A horror music video… nuts!
Seeing my first “underground” punk shows in a dirty basement bar… crazy looking people everywhere… the smell weed, stale beer, and patchouli. I still wear patchouli because it reminds me of those nights.
Playing shows with my friends. Watching them go on stage and destroy the place… what could be better than that? I’ve been lucky enough to witness that an unbelievable amount of times. So crazy to be so proud and so jealous at the same time haha.
When was a time when a firmly held belief was tested?
Anytime you see someone rise to the top after working themselves to death. Believing in yourself is the most important part. I don’t think you’ll get anywhere without that.
Where do you feel artistic progression leads?
Man… ahhh… to Death. I think that’s where everything leads… haha. So… practice makes perfect, right. I think the more you do something, then obviously you should become more comfortable doing it. Therefore, I would assume that your comfort should allow you more freedoms with whatever you are doing artistically. So, hopefully it would lead to more depth, better expression, and more of an ability to convey whatever it is you are trying to convey.
How do you define success?
If you are happy and humble, then you have won. Feeling content is tough. If you can step back and be thankful for whatever you have, then you’re moving in the right direction.
What is something you have seen that you wish you hadn’t?
Well, I took my daughter to see Justin Bieber for her birthday… that was pretty bad. Also, I got roped into seeing some bible thumping Christian rock band when I was a little kid. The Christian rock band kept asking the crowd not to have premarital sex. Justin Bieber just kept talking about how sore his ankle was. I wish I hadn’t seen either of them, but I guess the Christian rock band seems worse. At least my daughter enjoyed Bieber. But shit… if I hadn’t had premarital sex, then I would have never had to see Justin Bieber… those christian rock band might be wiser than I thought.
Describe something you haven’t created yet that you’d like to create.
I’ve had this idea for a board game floating around in my head for years. Someday I will for sure embarrass myself by mocking up a prototype haha.
What do you believe is the most essential function of art?
To communicate emotion, mainly. It can be super subjective, but if you’re on the same wavelength, you can pick up on the intent, or even discover an intent that suits you. I think art can do a lot of things… it can teach, it can distract, it can provoke. But, in my opinion, inspiring some sort of feeling or emotion would be the most essential function of art.
Something non-musical that you’re looking forward to?
I’m always looking forward to hanging with friends and family. Whether it’s a vacation, a party, a night out, or just a chat… I’m always down.
Posted in Bootleg Theater on January 14th, 2022 by JJ Koczan
It was five years ago this week that Columbus, Ohio, heavy rockers Lo-Pan released their In Tensions EP (review here) through Aqualamb Records. It was the first collaboration between the band and the label, as Lo-Pan had reissued their 2007 sophomore full-length, Sasquanaut (review here), and their third album, 2011’s Salvador (review here), on Small Stone Records, with years of hard touring in between. In Tensions also marked the band’s first offering to feature vocalist Jeff Martin, bassist Scott Thompson and drummer Jesse Bartz without guitarist Brian Fristoe, who’d been in the band since their self-titled debut in 2006 and whose last release with them was 2014’s Colossus (review here), which found them moving beyond their mid-tempo fuzz beginnings on songs like “N.P.D.” and “Relo,” adopting a more straight-ahead, all-out, harder-edged approach that In Tensions would in part continue.
Their progression isn’t to be understated across those outings. Martin made his debut with the band on Sasquanaut and they toured extensively in the US across the years between 2007 and 2014, with their earned growth evident in their craft and performance across Salvador — one of the best heavy rock albums of the 2010s — and Colossus alike. More and more, they became the band they wanted to be, refused to be anything else, and if you didn’t like it, they were happy enough to steamroll your ass on the way to the next set of ears. Like others of the late-’00s/early-’10s Small Stone set — see also Wo Fat, Freedom Hawk, Gozu, and so on — Lo-Pan helped define American heavy rock for a new generation of listeners, and they did it resolutely on their own terms. In Tensions brought marked changes to their approach.
As I recall it was supposed to be an album, but its five songs and 22 minutes offer plenty of depth even as an EP, whether in the layered vocal harmonies from Martin, the thing-to-be-cherished grooves from Thompson and Bartz or the guitar work of Brujas del Sol‘s Adrian Lee Zambrano. The latter was announced as the band’s new guitarist in Nov. 2014 and would tour Europe with the band the next Spring — I was fortunate enough to catch their set at Roadburn 2015 in the Netherlands, which I still wish had been released as a live album and might’ve been had this lineup worked out — but was out of the band by the time In Tensions surfaced in Aqualamb‘s established art-book/DL and vinyl pressing modus. Thus, In Tensions was both ‘intensions’ and tense. Personality conflicts in Lo-Pan were nothing new. Even watching them on stage, they’ve always struck me as a band ready to put any and everyone in their place, including each other. That’s not a dig on Zambrano, just noting that Lo-Pan might require a particularly thick skin.
But these songs. God damn. From the opener “Go West” careening through “Sink or Swim” and “Long Live the King” into the emotive urgency of “Alexis” and into the six-and-a-half-minute “Pathfinder,” which half a decade later stands up as some of the best work the band have ever done, there was nothing but potential here. Zambrano not only held his own in place of Fristoe, but brought nuance and attitude to his style of play on “Long Live the King” to match Bartz‘s rolling crash, captured with due breadth by Joe Viers‘ recording job and the mixing by Jonathan Nuñez of Torche, who did the first three songs while Ryan Haft (Psychic Mirrors, etc.) mixed the latter two. That shift too is somewhat discernible, if not immediately palpable, between “Long Live the King” and “Alexis,” and I don’t know why the mix was divided between Nuñezand Haft, but they’re different songs with different atmospheres as well. Just “Sink or Swim” sets its terms quickly and in thudding but still melodic fashion, “Alexis” begins with a quieter stretch of guitar and Martin‘s vocals far back in the mix before the bass and drums enter about 30 seconds into the song.
And “Pathfinder,” frankly, is a beast unto itself. I’ve long been a sucker for Lo-Pan‘s slowdowns — see also “Bird of Prey” from Salvador or “Eastern Seas” from Colossus — but if you were going to distill the potential of this lineup of Lo-Pan into a single song, it would be “Pathfinder,” beginning patient with hints of progressivism behind the verse and then sweeping into a build, the bass warm, the drums propulsive, the guitar precise but no less able to swing and the vocals heartfelt and melodically sure. A tempo shift at three minutes in leads to a break of toms and a fuzz-toned solo — nearly psychedelic but not so willing to relinquish control — before, at 4:55, the song quickly switches gears into its crescendo, gorgeously executed by the band as a whole, from Bartz‘s perfect, absolutely-nailed-it switch to half-time to Martin‘s call-and-response layering, Thompson‘s flourish in kind with Zambrano‘s guitar. When people talk about a band “clicking” or “all-cylinders” or some such, they’re talking about moments like the ending of “Pathfinder.”
Some groups — most, maybe — go an entire career without pulling off something like that. Lo-Pan have done it a few times over. With an almost siren affect in the last few measures, they cap “Pathfinder” and In Tensions with no loss of intensity, willfully setting heads spinning before they end sharp and sudden, like closing a show. Even as a short set, In Tensions stuns with its force and with the sheer ability of the band to make their songs what they want them to be. As noted, by the time it came out, Zambrano was already out of the band, and with his replacement, Chris Thompson (no relation), they would offer the full-length Subtle (review here) in 2019 and return to the road to support it, leaving one with the feeling that, after half a decade since parting ways with Fristoe, they had hit a point of new beginning, sounding refreshed but still the beneficiaries of the work put in developing their chemistry over their years together. I saw them support that record a few times. They killed in a way that wasn’t a surprise, but damn sure was satisfying.
As always, I hope you enjoy. Thanks for reading.
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So, I put up an Author & Punisher review this morning and sent it to the publicist only to learn that there was an embargo on writing about the record until Feb. 1. Damnit. I knew I was early for a digital review ahead of a Feb. 11 release, but didn’t see there was a prescribed day it was cool to post. I offered to take it down and as of me writing right this second, I’m waiting to hear back on whether or not I should. I feel like an ass either way.
Small stakes, I know, right? Dude has a massive following and very, very few people (all appreciated) see anything I post, but still, I’m not out to break rules like that or anything. If someone trusts you to get a release early, they should be able to depend on you not to fuck up their promotional plans. Yeah, I think I just talked myself into taking it down. Hang on…
Yeah, it’s down. I’ll post when I’m supposed to post. I just got stoked on it, which if you saw the review in the approximately 45 minutes that it was live, you already know.
That’s life. It was the best thing I’d written since I did that in-studio a few weeks ago. Can’t post that yet either. February’s gonna kick some ass around here, I guess.
Next week, meanwhile, is the continuation of the Quarterly Review from December. Another 50 records, 10 per day. I might’ve done the two weeks right in a row last month, but the truth is there was too much coming out and I needed to get the year-end stuff done and, as you’re aware, there are only so many days on the calendar. Like the A&P thing, I sincerely doubt it matters to anyone other than me.
But, yeah.
I’ve got a mountain of email to answer and a Quarterly Review to continue setting up, so you’ll pardon me if I check out. Tomorrow I’ll be traveling to the great unknown land that is Southern New Jersey along with Kings Destroy’s Steve Murphy to record some guest vocals on the next Clamfight record, and I expect that will be a great refreshing brodown/love-fest, that will completely rejuvenate my spirit and wash away all my burnout with a spirit of gratitude and contentment.
I figure as long as I don’t hang too much on it in terms of expectations I’ll be fine. Really though, it’ll be fun and I’ve been looking forward to it for weeks, even if it means I need to work on the Quarterly Review today after I finish this post instead of spreading it over Saturday and Sunday as I otherwise might.
Great and safe weekend. Have fun, wear your mask — who are these people not wearing masks? why is that a thing? — and don’t forget to hydrate. I hope you find something you dig in the Quarterly Review.
Ohio noisemakers Rebreather return with their first full-length in 13 years, The Line, its Width and the War Drone, on Dec. 3. Out through Aqualamb Records, the offering was first announced in August, and at that time, a video was unveiled — also it involved actual veils — for the song “Drown” that saw the band collaborate with fellow Buckeye Staters Frayle, whose Gwyn Strang brought extra-witchly vibes to the intermittently bursting aggression of the atmospheric sludge behind her. By answering back now with “Choke on It” — premiering below — the three-piece of guitarist/vocalist Barley Rantilla, bassist Steve Wishnewski and drummer Steven Gardner bring into emphasis two essential truths about their cumbersomely-titled comebacker. First, it is a multifaceted beast of a record. Second, this band can fucking wail.
In both these things, The Line, its Width and the War Drone is largely consistent with where Rebreather left off, and hints of where they’re at today have been dropped since they started playing again, both with their 2018 self-titled EP (discussed here) and their earlier-2021 covers two-songer, Pets / Orange Crush (review here), for which they brought their spin to tracks by Porno for Pyros and R.E.M., respectively. The former shows up on the full-length as well — not so much “Orange Crush” — and it’s one more in the melee of shifts the trio present across the entirety, from the beginning punk-grown-up urgency of “Sick Sick Sick” through the languid, heavy post-rock unfurling of “It Comes in Threes,” which follows immediately, and down through the aptly-titled closer “Closer,” runs comes through like some kind of rawer Youngstown edition of the Desert Sessions crashed into indie rock whateverism. I thought it might be another cover. Maybe it is. It’s a big world. There’s a lot of songs in it. In any case, coming after “Pets,” as “Closer” does, the ’90s vibe runs strong, but again, Rebreather are not at all a do-one-thing kind of outfit, and nearly 20 years on from their debut, their fifth long-player is a welcome refresh of their particular approach.
“Choke on It” arrives at the probable end of a vinyl’s side A, and in a linear format is part of a crucial midsection to the record. It is preceded by “Silent H,” which runs just under five minutes and is likewise broad in echo and weighted in tone. There are guest vocals — these by Shy Kennedy of Pittsburgh’s Horehound — that add to the patient march, peppered with chugging builds and moving to a culmination marked by a higher-register feedback tone (as well as a lower one) that follows a payoff wash that, to call it noise would be doing a disservice to its intentional fullness. On the other hand, “Choke on It” is as raw and intense as The Line, its Width and the War Drone gets, and no less purposeful in that. Gardner‘s drums are furious to coincide with Rantilla‘s frantic vocals, and the low end that steps forward in the take-a-breath bridge is a subtle foreshadow of things to come as side B launches with “Residual Madness,” a song atmo-sludge enough to play slow motion off of Neurosis “Stones From the Sky” while set atop a bed of feedback that is there at the outset, runs through much of the song’s six and a half minutes, and is the final piece to end, providing a direct transition into “Drown” as the start of an even-more-dug-in side B.
What do we learn? The core lesson of Rebreather is that Rebreather are underrated. They always were. In an age before post-metal happened, they already had their own take on it, and as time has gone on, the emergence progressive heavy microgenres has only proven them right. What’s better, The Line, its Width and the War Drone has none of the pretense to which it would probably be entitled. Wishnewski, Rantilla and Gardner hit it with an attitude that’s straightforward, sans-bullshit and this-is-who-we-are enough to birth any number of wax-poetic Rust Belt analogies. No time for that garbage. There’s a song to stream.
If The Line, its Width and the War Drone is your first exposure to Rebreather, awesome. It’ll make a great place to start. Their Bandcamp has all their past work, for further investigative purposes.
Enjoy “Choke on It” below:
Rebreather, “Choke on It” video premiere
Barley Rantilla on “Choke on It”:
Steve Wish (Steve Wishnewski, bass) came up with the initial riffs and title for “Choke on It.” We needed a good finale for the song, so we pulled a riff out of a song Gardner and I had been jamming on years earlier and Frankenstein-ed it together. It worked perfectly. The lyrics are all over the place; I worked backward from the title. The dumbed-down explanation would be a theme of trying to get along better with the people around you. About listening more and thinking more about what you’re saying. Choke on those words you wanna spit out initially.
The “Choke on It” video was really a trial for a filming strategy that we had devised. Attach three cameras in a triangular pattern, aim one at each of us, and randomly turn them as we record. This way, we will all be constantly shuffling around the screen. It was kinda last minute, but we hit up a few friends, went to Westside Bowl, and set up on their patio. We asked our friends to “act as usual while we stare at these cameras.” We shot three takes and liked them all, so we decided to use nine frames instead of three. We did this two hours before we shot the “Drown” video with Frayle. Apologies to them for us showing up a bit tipsy. Such a fun day.
Produced by Rebreather and mastered by Carl Saff (John Carpenter, Bongzilla, Elder), ‘The Line, Its Width, and the War Drone’ takes trickles from both the band’s past releases and 20 years experience and coalesces the trio’s “cave pop” into a roaring river of soaring sound. Flush with oddly accessible, dazzlingly tight metalcraft, ominous, propulsive basslines, and a rampaging rhythmic verve, the record’s widescreen sheen gleams with a mercurial mystique befitting of only the most tight-knit, veteran units. Today, Rebreather releases a video for the new song, “Drown”, which is a true collaboration with fellow Ohioans and Aqualamb lablemates Frayle.
‘The Line, Its Width, and the War Drone’ track listing: 1.) Sicksicksick 2.) It Comes In Three’s 3.) Silent H 4.) Choke On It 5.) Residual Madness 6.) Drown 7.) Pets (Porno for Pyros cover) 8.) Closer
Rebreather is: Barley Rantilla – Guitars and Vocals Steven Gardner – Drums Steve Wishnewski – Bass
Rebreather, The Line, its Width and the War Drone (2021)
Posted in Whathaveyou on October 7th, 2021 by JJ Koczan
Kudos to Cleveland’s Frayle on getting out of the country. I didn’t even know the EU was taking us filthy, disease-spreading Americans at this point, and now that I think about it, it’s kind of a surprise they ever did. Nonetheless, supporting last year’s 1692, the witchly outfit head abroad starting at the end of this month for shows in Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium, where they’re set to make a return to Desertfest Belgium at its first Ghent edition — they also played in 2018. I guess Sean Bilovecky and Gwyn Strang have a knack for paperwork as well as atmospheric heavy. Fair enough.
They also have a new cover of Bauhaus‘ best known track, “Bela Lugosi’s Dead,” which was posted last week to go with this announcement. Yes, I’m still getting caught up after the Quarterly Review. Sue me. That’s a lot of paperwork too, you know.
Hey, Frayle. Safe travels and have a great time for all us poor bastards who don’t currently have flights booked.
From the PR wire:
Cleveland Heavy Witch Doom Act FRAYLE Announces European Tour Dates For This Fall!
In support of their latest 2020- album, 1692, Cleveland, USA- based heavy witch doom act FRAYLE has announced a series of European tour dates, and no, not for 2022 but kicking off THIS October!
FRAYLE makes music for the night sky. The group was formed in 2017 by guitarist Sean Bilovecky (formerly of now-defunct Man’s Ruin recording artists Disengage) and vocalist Gwyn Strang, a singer with an alluring voice and an equally compelling flair for imagery. Ever since their 2018- debut EP The White Witch, FRAYLE’s “lullabies over chaos” approach to songwriting allows the group the freedom to explore what is possible with heavy music; its gorgeously ominous sound a result of complex layering and tone stacking while simultaneously overseeing the perfectly delicate balance between heaving, heavy riffs and haunting vocal melodies. With its first full-length, 1692 (Aqualamb Records, Lay Bare Recordings), FRAYLE pushes the immense intensity and gorgeous ache of its unique sound and style through to uncompromising new plateaus. While there is much darkness on the record, it’s also contrasted superbly with beauty, both fragile and fierce, in a way that feels weightless rather than plummeting, as if release truly is a possibility.
Complex layering and tone stacking is a hallmark of their music. Each musical element is thoughtfully composed resulting in a unique combination of midrange-heavy guitars, syncopated rhythms, and unexpected vocal progressions. Extraordinary vocalist Gwyn tells stories of heart break, anger, hypocrisy and resolution, asking the audience for empathy, and in turn inspiring vulnerability. Drawing inspiration from bands like Sleep, Portishead, Beastwars, Blonde Redhead, Kyuss, Massive Attack, Down, Chelsea Wolfe, and many more, FRAYLE exists at the intersection of doom and dream pop.
Today, the band has not only announced to hit the European roads in just a couple of weeks, but also released a gripping cover version of “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” by British dark wave giants BAUHAUS. Says vocalist Gwyn Strang:
“I was nervous to cover “Bela Lugosi’s Dead”.
It’s what I consider a perfect song; ambient and creepy and it crawls along, keeping your attention the entire time. I wanted to make sure we did it justice so we took some extra time with it to make it something we’re happy to share. The first half of our version pays homage to the original while the second half is definitively “Frayle”.
“We are excited and eager to get back to Europe,“ The band comments. “The past few years were spent crafting our sound and building upon what was started with our debut release “The White Witch”. The pandemic halted our plans to tour our most recent record “1692” so this will be the first time we have been able to fully support our record. Also expect some surprise material that we have been working on.”
Make sure to catch FRAYLE live on their upcoming Isolation’s End Tour at the following dates this Fall:
27-10-2021 Cologne DE @ Sonic Ballroom 28-10-2021 Nijmegen NL @ Merleyn* 29-10-2021 Utrecht NL @ DB’s* 30-10-2021 Ghent BE @ Desertfest 31-10-2021 Breda BE @ Mezz* 1-11-2021 Bilzen BE @ South of Heaven* 4-11-2021 Stuttgart DE @ Club Cann* 6-11-2021 Terneuzen NL @ The Pit* 7-11-2021 TBA * with THE FIFTH ALLIANCE + MOULD
Posted in Whathaveyou on August 27th, 2021 by JJ Koczan
It’s all fun and games until the hypnotized backyard-pool baptism turns sinister. So it goes in the new Rebreather video for the atmospheric and heavy “Drown,” a first single from the band’s first full-length since 2008’s Sunflower. They’ve come a long way in that time, and following the 2018 self-titled EP (discussed here) that marked the Youngstown, Ohio, trio’s return to activity and their earlier-2021 covers two-songer (review here), the cumbersomely titled The Line, its Width and the War Drone will see release on Dec. 3 through Aqualamb in the imprint’s established art-book format. Sign me up.
“Drown” brings a collaboration with Frayle, who are also signed to Aqualamb, and whose Gwyn Strang drowns Rebreather in the aforementioned video. I guess there are worse ways to go? Either way, the track unfolds over seven minutes with an impact-minded chorus and a patience in craft and melody prefaced by the prior covers (one of which is included on the LP as well) that makes me all the more curious to hear what they’ve come up with elsewhere on the release. A December arrival puts The Line, its Width and the War Drone just a month shy of the 2022, which will be the 20th anniversary of Rebreather‘s 2002 debut, Need Another Seven Astronauts, which one continues to remember fondly.
The years pass.
Video and song are awesome and at the bottom of the post. Looking forward to the album. Here’s details from the PR wire:
Rebreather to Release New LP, ‘The Line, Its Width, and the War Drone’, December 3
Ohio Noise Rock Trio Teams Up with Labelmates Frayle on Stunning New Song/Video “Drown”
Youngstown, Ohio noise rock / sludge metal band Rebreather creates punishing, tenacious, and metallic music that seethes and breathes. More than a barrage of stark noise and earthen sludge, Rebreather creates songs; glorious, winding songs that allow dissonant, harmonic guitar/bass tones to soothe before they strike, drumming that builds and then batters, and vocals that display a powerful, shimmering vulnerability. On December 3, Rebreather will release its fifth full-length LP, ‘The Line, Its Width, and the War Drone’, via Aqualamb Records. Pre-orders are live atAqualamb.org.
Produced by Rebreather and mastered by Carl Saff (John Carpenter, Bongzilla, Elder), ‘The Line, Its Width, and the War Drone’ takes trickles from both the band’s past releases and 20 years experience and coalesces the trio’s “cave pop” into a roaring river of soaring sound. Flush with oddly accessible, dazzlingly tight metalcraft, ominous, propulsive basslines, and a rampaging rhythmic verve, the record’s widescreen sheen gleams with a mercurial mystique befitting of only the most tight-knit, veteran units. Today, Rebreather releases a video for the new song, “Drown”, which is a true collaboration with fellow Ohioans and Aqualamb lablemates Frayle.
“We finished recording “Drown” and got through the overdubs, but there was a sense that it felt like just a little something was missing,” says Rebreather guitarist/vocalist Barley Rantilla. “We ended up shooting what we had finished over to our friends Sean and Gwyn to see if they were interested in adding some of their “Frayle” magic to it. When they sent back the demo of what they wanted to add, we were blown away. This was not only “our” song anymore…it was totally possessed by Frayle. Gwyn’s vocals added such a great dark melody and Sean’s guitar layers pushed everything into the right space. A couple weeks later, Sean hit us up with an idea to film a video for the song. Shooting was cool. We definitely inhaled more than enough water being drowned by Gwyn, but we all survived in the end.”
Frayle vocalist Gwyn Strang adds, “We were excited when Rebreather asked us to collaborate with them on their song, “Drown”. Adding our layers of vocals and guitars over another band’s song was a new experience for us. It was interesting to combine our approach to sounds and songwriting with Rebreather’s aggressive and stripped-down composition.”
Rebreather’s new LP, ‘The Line, Its Width, and the War Drone’, will be released on December 3 via Aqualamb Records.
‘The Line, Its Width, and the War Drone’ track listing:
1.) Sicksicksick 2.) It Comes In Three’s 3.) Silent H 4.) Choke On It 5.) Residual Madness 6.) Drown 7.) Pets (Porno for Pyros cover)
This Friday, August 27, Rebreather and Frayle will share the stage at the Westside Bowl in Youngstown, Ohio for a celebration of the bands’ collaboration. Noted Brewery, Noble Creature, who brew small batch Wild Ales & Lagers in a former church in Youngstown, has brewed a special limited-edition beer — also named Drown — in honor of the release of the new song and video.
Rebreather tour dates:
August 27 Youngstown, OH Westside Bowl (w/ Frayle) August 28 Cleveland, OH Grog Shop September 3 Akron, OH Musica September 4 Columbus, OH Spacebar
Rebreather is: Barley Rantilla – Guitars and Vocals Steven Gardner – Drums Steve Wishnewski – Bass
