https://www.high-endrolex.com/18

Descendants of Crom IV Tickets On Sale; Lineup and Schedule Announced

Posted in Whathaveyou on February 17th, 2022 by JJ Koczan

descendants of crom logo

Nearly two years ago, Descendants of Crom IV did a full unveiling of its lineup for a fest set to take place that October. You know the story from there. That’s the bad news. Good news is that many of the acts announced for that lineup are carrying over to this one. And as that includes the likes of RebreatherHeavy TempleHorseburnerHorehound (yeah that’s right; I know it’s her festival; I actually think her band is good), Orodruin and Evoken, the news is even better. The roster of acts was announced the other day, but the schedule is new info — I happen to be somebody who appreciates a good timetable — and tickets are on sale as of right… now.

Hey, you know what? You go right ahead and you have yourself a great day. Maybe that means buying tickets for a thing? Don’t you kind of want to get it all in as quickly as possible before the next variant hits and we’re huddled down again, desperately hoping Costco has the Scott back in stock while trying not to breathe or to inhale from the side of our mouth that that person is standing way too close on? I do. Spend that fucking money.

From the ticket page:

descendants of crom iv poster

DESCENDANTS OF CROM IV

A GATHERING OF THE HEAVY UNDERGROUND

Tickets: https://www.eventcreate.com/e/dociv

Event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/437759083832580

The fourth annual Descendants of Crom, A Gathering of the Heavy Underground, will be held again this year in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on both floors of Cattivo Nightclub. The events begin early Friday evening and are followed by an all-dayer Saturday.

The underground scene of heavy music is healthy and Pittsburgh is the perfect location to host such an event. We’re feeding great regional bands to a hungry crowd and utilizing legendary, international fan-favorites to entice music fans in the door with the support of our amazing local artists. Descendants of Crom began in 2017 and has been a strong contender among other established underground music festivals. We aspire to become the premier music event of the Northeast and I invite you to become part of the 2022 event! After all, we are all Descendants of Crom.

This event is 21+, ID Required
Your commitment now helps us prepare better so, mark your calendars and get your tickets today!

LOCATION
Cattivo
146 44th St, Pittsburgh, PA 15201

DATE & TIME
June 3, 2022, 6:30 PM – June 4, 2022 – 11:30 PM

SCHEDULE

6:30 PM
FRIDAY, JUNE 3
Makeshift Urn 7:00 PM
Pillars 7:45 PM
Heavy Temple 8:30 PM
Howling Giant 9:15 PM
Rebreather 10:00 PM
Orodruin 10:45 PM

4:00 PM
SATURDAY, JUNE 4
We, the Creature 4:30 PM
Quiet Man 5:05 PM
Tel 5:40 PM
The Long Hunt 6:15 PM
Witching 6:50 PM
Ironflame 7:25 PM
Horehound 8:00 PM
Foehammer 8:35 PM
Bridesmaid 9:10 PM
Frayle 9:45 PM
Horseburner 10:20 PM
Evoken 11:00 PM

https://www.eventcreate.com/e/dociv
https://www.facebook.com/DescendantsOfCrom/
www.instagram.com/descendantsofcrom/
http://descendantsofcrom.com

Rebreather, “Drown” (feat. Frayle) official video

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The Obelisk Questionnaire: Zach Germaniuk of Pillärs

Posted in Questionnaire on September 1st, 2021 by JJ Koczan

pillars zach germaniuk (Photo by Little Blackbird Photo)

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: Zach Germaniuk of Pillärs

How do you define what you do and how did you come to do it?

I define what I do as trying my best to help people and do something meaningful with my time here. That attitude came directly from exposure to DIY underground heavy music and hardcore punk that laid the blueprint for my life out at a fairly young age, like 14-15. I know that sounds cliché, because our society demands that our identity be solely determined by how we earn a living. I reject being put in that box. The core driving force of all the things I’m involved in now, which include bands and touring, working at a nonprofit that helps people with housing issues, teaching at Cleveland State University – it all stems back to that initial exposure to a different view of how things could or ought to be, as envisioned by the community of bands and activists that blazed the DIY path. Having that music in my life really helped me to stay grounded and focused on my goals. Playing, touring, all of it helps me to stay connected with this path that I’m on. It guides my work and I’m grateful to have it in my life.

Describe your first musical memory.

I must have been about 3 years old: my first musical memory was a music box my Mom had. Every time it played, the music sounded just so sad, so lonely. It was a haunting song and it kind of freaked me out as a kid. I would love to find it again, it’s probably buried in her house somewhere. I think it might be interesting to re-record it and put it on an album at some point.

Describe your best musical memory to date.

The spring 2017 tour I did playing guitar with the Cleveland noise-punk band Rubber Mate and our buddies Nag is the BEST that sticks out, out of a lot of good ones and a few bad ones. It was just an absolute blast every single night, which is rare because usually on tour there is at least one or more nights where something fucks up: van issues, gear trouble, personality conflicts, burnout, whatever. But that tour was flawless from first show to last, and was a really memorable time.

When was a time when a firmly held belief was tested?

There was a moment when the whole belief of music being a positive experience and driving force in my life stopped being real for me. My Dad died on the last day of the Pillärs 2018 tour, literally just hours before we were set to play; at the same time work stress pushed me to a place therapists sometimes describe as ”the call of the void” – as I understand it from my own journey that means not thinking about the “how” of suicide directly, but starting to think about the concept. Would it really be that bad? What would that be like to just not exist? It was a dark place to be, and I stayed there for a long time, almost two years. I divorced in that same time period, and as I peeled back the layers of where I was in my own life through those moments it revealed a level of toxicity in my life that made music, and everything that flowed out of that, seem like it was no longer a worthwhile activity or a meaningful part of my existence. I guess you could say I got hollowed out by it all. Without a doubt the time from his passing in April 2018 to just before the start of COVID lockdown in March 2020 was the worst period of my life. I didn’t even touch a musical instrument from November 2019 to April 2020. My musical life fell apart, and I was in a pretty bleak place. Then about a year ago, right around April into May 2020, ironically just as shit was really shutting down and it seemed like the musical world was collapsing, my longtime friend Chadd B. (Mockingbird, Cultist, Enhailer, among others…) reached out asking if I wanted to jam. Then another friend reached out, and another, and before I knew it not only was Pillärs writing a new record but I found myself in a gnarly DIY punk band called TV Drugs with another longtime friend. As I kept cutting the toxicity out of my life, I found work stress became more manageable. I was blessed to find myself in a much healthier relationship with my partner, who is also an active artist and performer. If I have to look for bright spots on the otherwise bleak canvas that has been the last few years, this whole period has been a huge test for my belief about music really truly being something that gives me meaning and purpose.

Where do you feel artistic progression leads?

For me, artistic progression (and that includes music, visual art, film, theatre, etc.) should lead to an understanding of this thing we call life and how to communicate ideas and experiences. It’s like the difference between listening to a piece of music that you just appreciate as well executed versus a song or album that makes your hair stand up or give you some kind of emotional response, if that makes sense. I think just like kids learn how to speak, then make words, then move forward to be able to articulate themselves, that’s kind of how I look at artistic progression. I always remember the story about Lincoln and the Gettysburg Address: There was a speaker before him at the battlefield who spoke at great lengths, using all this complex vocabulary, etc. OK fine, great. Then Lincoln got up and spoke for 3 minutes. Nobody remembers the dude who gave the long-winded exhortation, but Lincoln’s simple words are universally recognized as one of the greatest speeches of all time. So I mean, as that relates to artistic progression, it just tells me that it’s not always about technical complexity. It’s about expressing an idea. Some ideas might take whole symphonies full of intricacies to express. Some ideas can be expressed in ninety seconds using two chords.

How do you define success?

Having the personal freedom to do what you love to do; and make the area around you a better place while having a way to pay your bills that doesn’t kill your creativity.

What is something you have seen that you wish you hadn’t?

The “two girls one cup” video. That was fucking gross.

Describe something you haven’t created yet that you’d like to create.

We need more DIY spaces, especially in the Rust Belt, and I would love to be a part of some project that makes DIY spots in Cleveland more permanent and protected from gentrification. These places are incredible incubators for awesome music, art of all kinds, and largely responsible for creating the community and network that keeps our little alternate universe running. We’ve lost so many spaces over the last 20 years due to the fact that the people doing amazing things in those spaces had no control over the buildings. We need to own the spaces where we create, or else we are going to be forever on the losing end of battles with landlords and the powers that be, and having to constantly rebuild from scratch every time some developer wants to put up $500k condos and kick out all the freaks and weirdos who are creating the very art and music that these gentrifying motherfuckers try to appropriate and then colonize.
Ownership of land is the first step towards fighting back and drawing that line in the sand. And helping to build spaces that are protected from or resilient in the face of those kinds of forces; that’s a dream I would love to have a hand in creating.

What do you believe is the most essential function of art?

The expression of some idea and emotion that leads essentially to some shared understanding between the creator of the artistic piece and the audience. Art is the vehicle for the creation of empathy.

Something non-musical that you’re looking forward to?

Since saying the end of COVID is almost cliché now I will instead say getting through the last few years of public service loan forgiveness at my job to wipe out these student loans and then hopefully be in a position to start helping to build something.

https://pillrs.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/PillarsOHIO/
https://www.thetruetapehaus.com/
https://www.facebook.com/thetruetapehaus/
http://www.instagram.com/tapehaus
https://tapehaus.bandcamp.com/

PILLÄRS & Wallcreeper, Split (2019)

PILLÄRS, Abandoned (2018)

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Doomed or be Doomed: A French Tribute to Cathedral Due Aug. 13

Posted in Whathaveyou on July 17th, 2019 by JJ Koczan

Just the other day I was thinking about how underrated Cathedral are. Really, that’s the kind of thing I think about. Not only were they groundbreaking in terms of setting the tone for what doom metal became in the ’80s and ’90s, but they had that whole rock period too, and yeah, there were some ups and downs along the way, but they never compromised at all on doing what they wanted to at any given moment, and right up to the end, they delivered quality doom. The idea of a French tribute to a quintessentially English band is a cool bit of cultural nuance, but the point here is Cathedral deserve to be talked about in league with the heavyweights of their generation, and I know Lee Dorrian‘s work with Rise Above sometimes seems to pull focus away from that, but there’s an awful lot he did first musically that’s worth discussing.

Kudos to Sleeping Church Records for putting this one together. Take a few minutes and stream the Ataraxie cover of “Reaching Happiness, Touching Pain” at the bottom of the post. I don’t think you’ll regret it.

Doom on:

doomed or be doomed a french tribute to cathedral

Doomed Or Be Doomed : A French Tribute To CATHEDRAL to be released on August 13th via Sleeping Church Records!

Pre-orders: Shop – https://sleepingchurchrds.com or Bandcamp – https://sleepingchurchrecords.bandcamp.com/

If you have not known CATHEDRAL at Forest Of Equilibrium, you may not be able to understand the huge impact this album has had on the Hard Rock scene of the day. Certainly, we knew a little Doom Metal thanks to CANDLEMASS … But that was something else. Heavier, slower, more morbid. In a time when it was the race to speed that prevailed, this disc took everyone back on the road. And the band did not stop there: for each album, CATHEDRAL evolved, jostled new barriers, and established new rules of the game, both musical and pictorial thanks to the tormented and psychedelic covers of Dave Patchett. So, from a simple idea launched on the internet, then relayed by social networks, patiently, slowly, this double-album was built to bring together what the French Doom has produced better and pay homage to the most influential bands of English Doom Metal. Each of them has entered the world of CATHEDRAL to re-interpret, sometimes re-invent. Do you dare to follow them on this journey?
– Laurent Lignon –

Two-headed project, this tribute album was imagined and possible thanks to the passion of Laurent Lignon and Stéphane Le Saux who know very well the French Doom scene. Thank you to them, without these people, this tribute would certainly never have emerged.

Mastered by Frederic Patte-Brasseur (ATARAXIE) / Artwork by Kax Nivore

Track-listing:
PILLARS – Morning Of A New Day
GOAT RIVER – Ebony Tears
LUX INCERTA – Serpent Eve
MISANTHROPE – Soul Sacrifice
PRESUMPTION – Equilibrium
ATARAXIE – Reaching Happiness, Touching Pain
BARABBAS – La Cathédrale De La Sainte Rédemption (Ride)
MONOLITHE – Enter The Worm(Hole)s
CONVICTION – Stained Glass Horizon
NORTHWINDS – Voodoo Fire
FATHER MERRIN – Congregation Of Sorcerers
DIONYSIAQUE – This Body, Thy Tomb

https://sleepingchurchrecords.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/sleepingchurchrecords
https://sleepingchurchrds.com

Ataraxie, “Reaching Happiness Touching Pain”

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Descendants of Crom III Preliminary Lineup Announced

Posted in Whathaveyou on March 4th, 2019 by JJ Koczan

descendants of crom iii banner

The first lineup announcement from Pittsburgh-based Descendants of Crom III is a doozy. The headliners are apparently still to be announced — though would anyone complain if Solace or Valkyrie headlined a night? — but between them and the likes of IrataArgusBackwoods Payback and Foghound, it’s already shaping up to be a killer three-dayer this September. Awesome to see Sun Voyager on this bill and the likes of Void King and Fox 45 getting a look. Pale Grey Lore might even have their new record out by then — Solace too, for that matter — but either way, there’s a lot here to dig immediately, and of course for this kind of announcement that’s the whole point.

They’re selling early-bird tickets this month, so you know, get out that calendar and add another one to your already-absolutely-slammed festival schedule. It’s madness, but, you know, the good kind of madness. Here’s hoping the universe doesn’t collapse between now and then.

Thus-far confirmations follow, as per social media:

descendants of crom iii poster

DESCENDANTS OF CROM III – Announces 2019 Event For Sept. 20-22; Bands Incl. VALKYRIE, BACKWOODS PAYBACK + More!

– A GATHERING OF THE HEAVY UNDERGROUND –
– SEPTEMBER 20-22, 2019 –
– STEEL CITY, USA –

The third annual DESCENDANTS OF CROM will be held once again in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, spanning the weekend of September 20th. The PGH underground scene of heavy rock and metal is healthy and thriving and the location is perfect. Feeding great regional bands to a hungry crowd and serving up internationally legendary fan-favorites to entice music lovers in the door to experience these amazing local artists.

Descendants of Crom came out of the gates running with the first event in 2017, becoming a strong contender among other established regional music festivals. The 2019 events begin on Friday, September 20th, with a Pre-Gala evening at Howlers, followed by two full-day events on Saturday and Sunday at Cattivo.

Shy Kennedy has once again hand-picked and curated a beautiful mixture of acts for Descendants Of Crom III. While a few more updates will complete the lineup for the full schedule of events over the weekend, a most incredible roster of bands is included today. All are invited to become part of the experience at the 2019 Pre-Gala and Weekend Events!

After all, we are all DESCENDANTS OF CROM.

Remember to visit our site www.descendantsofcrom.com and to the official event pages on Facebook!

https://www.facebook.com/events/216035832675553

Lineup so far:
Solace
Valkyrie
Argus
Irata
Backwoods Payback
Enhailer
Icarus Witch
Brimstone Coven
Foghound
Kingsnake
Sun Voyager
Witchkiss
Leather Lung
Frayle
Tines
Spacelord
Pillärs
PALE GREY LORE
Lightning Born
NIGHT VAPOR
Pyrithe
Riparian
Fox 45
Void King
Official: COMA
Action Camp
White Alice
Old Dream
Motometer

https://www.facebook.com/DescendantsOfCrom/
www.instagram.com/descendantsofcrom/
https://www.facebook.com/events/216035832675553/
www.descendantsofcrom.com/Tickets.php
http://descendantsofcrom.com

Solace, Live at Descendants of Crom 2017

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Pillärs Announce East Coast and Midwest Tour Dates for April

Posted in Whathaveyou on March 6th, 2018 by JJ Koczan

Ohio-based purveyors of raw scathe Pillärs are heading out on a run through the Midwest and the northern part of the East Coast next month, supporting their full-length Abandoned, which was released earlier this year via Tape Haus to a vicious impression. The three-piece skirt the lines between sludge and hardcore punk and raw heavy riffing in that way that used to just be called “noise rock” until it got even madder. I’m sure the kids have a new name for it, but whatever it is, to hear the band blast their way through cuts like “Through the Storm” and the oh-here’s-a-little-black-metal-squibbly-action-for-good-measure “Beneath the Ice,” I’m not sure there’s a name that’s angry enough to cover the punishing vibe itself.

At least not yet. Someone clever will come up with something. They always do. It’s just never me.

Pillärs play some pretty venerable rooms on this tour, from Now That’s Class in Cleveland and The Bug Jar in Rochester to Saint Vitus in Brooklyn and O’Brien’s in Boston, so yeah. Good to know at least that it’s well-respected venues looking to be destroyed.

Dates follow, courtesy of the band via the PR wire:

pillars spring tour 2018

PILLÄRS NORTH AMERICAN SPRING TOUR ANNOUNCED

Fresh of the release of their debut full-length “Abandoned” earlier this year, Cleveland Ohio’s sludge / crust powerhouse PILLÄRS have announced dates for their spring tour.

2018 SPRING TOUR DATES:
4/11: Cleveland, OH @ Now That’s Class
4/12: Rochester, NY @ The Bug Jar
4/13: Toronto, ON @ Sneaky Dee’s
4/14: Montreal, QC @ Atomic Cafe
4/15: Boston, MA @ O’Brien’s
4/16: New York City, NY @ St. Vitus
4/17: Philadelphia, PA @ Century Tavern
4/18: Pittsburgh, PA @ Black Forge
4/19: Columbus, OH @ Rhumba Cafe
4/20: Canton, OH @ Buzzbin

PILLÄRS has been busy over the past year establishing themselves as one of the must-see bands in a resurgent Rust Belt music scene that has long played a pivotal role in the heavy metal and hardcore punk underground.

This tour will find the band covering ground far outside its usual territory, and will be PILLÄRS’ first time into Canada. For those not close to the East Coast this spring, merch and music are available at pillrs.bandcamp.com and through the Tape Haus label.

PILLÄRS are:
Zach – Guitar/Vocals
Beth – Bass/Vocals
Mike – Drums

https://pillrs.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/PillarsOHIO/
https://www.thetruetapehaus.com/
https://www.facebook.com/thetruetapehaus/
http://www.instagram.com/tapehaus
https://tapehaus.bandcamp.com/

PILLÄRS, Abandoned (2018)

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Quarterly Review: Godflesh, Serpents of Secrecy, Vymaanika, Zong, Vitriol, Pillars, Lamp of the Universe & Kanoi, Azonic, Thousand Vision Mist, Arcadian Child

Posted in Reviews on January 12th, 2018 by JJ Koczan

Lodewijk de Vadder (1605-1655) - 17th Century Etching, Landscape with Two Farms

Today is the last day of The Obelisk’s Quarterly Review, and it’s kind of hard to believe it’s gone so fast. Before I put the Big Boot to the proceedings like Hulk Hogan getting ready to call it a day with an elbow drop at Wrestlemania — yup, just like that — I have to take a special moment to thank The Patient Mrs. for allowing me the time this week to bang out all of these reviews and get everything sorted on the back end, etc., for these posts. She, of course, as always, perpetually, has been unbelievable, and especially with The Pecan to manage, she’s earned her title more than ever. It is thoroughly, deeply, appreciated. Much love, baby. Thank you.

Okay, Big Boot time. Let’s do this thing.

Quarterly Review #41-50:

Godflesh, Post Self

godflesh post self

Guitarist/vocalist/programmer Justin K. Broadrick and bassist BC Green return with Post Self, their second post-reunion full-length behind 2014’s A World Lit Only by Fire (review here) and a collection of churning electro-noise hymnals that work in a sphere that should by now be well familiar to their multi-generational fanbase. The groundbreaking industrial pioneers sound decidedly led by the guitar on the chugging “Parasite” and the airy, almost Jesu-style wash of “The Cyclic End,” but the intensity of the beat behind “No Body,” bass and noise onslaught of “Be God” and synth-driven soundscaping of “Mortality Sorrow” recall the sonic diversity that’s always been as much a part of Godflesh’s approach as their signature cyclical rhythmic style. More perhaps than ever, Broadrick and Green seem to be aware of what defines Godflesh as a band in terms of sound, and as they make the crucial move from a “reunion” band to a working one, they seem as glad as ever to push those boundaries once more.

Justin K. Broadrick on Thee Facebooks

Avalanche Recordings on Bandcamp

 

Serpents of Secrecy, Uncoiled: The Singles

serpents-of-secrecy-uncoiled-the-singles

This two-song single may end up bring the only offering Serpents of Secrecy ever make public, and it was years in coming together. In December, the Chesapeake region group with members of Foghound, Borracho and King Giant suffered the loss of bassist Jim Forrester, who was murdered in Baltimore, and while a debut long-player was in discussion, to-date the five-piece have only issued “Warbird’s Song” and “The Cheat” as Uncoiled – The Singles, and obviously now any kind of follow-up is in question. Whether it’s the raucous burl of “Warbird’s Song” or the bluesy, organ-topped fluidity of “The Cheat,” the J. Robbins-produced tracks demonstrate the potential at heart from the lineup of vocalist Mark Lorenzo – who wound up in the role after members of Alabama Thunderpussy and Mister Bones vacated – guitarists Steve Fisher and Todd Ingram, Forrester and his former Sixty Watt Shaman bandmate Chuck Dukehart III. The only question at this point is whether that potential will ever see further realization. Right on as these songs are, I’m torn on the idea, to be honest.

Serpents of Secrecy on Thee Facebooks

Salt of the Earth Records website

 

Vymaanika, Spectroscope

vymaanika-spectroscope

Multinational space rockers Vymaanika debut with the 20-minute two-songer Spectroscope EP, comprised of its 10-minute opening title-track and the subsequent “Golden Void,” which may or may not be named in honor of the side-project of Earthless guitarist Isaiah Mitchell. I’d believe it either way. The band comprises members from Catalan – guitarist/vocalist/synthesis Carles Esteban and bassist Andrés Paniagua, Chile in drummer/synthesist Jose Jünemann, and the US in guitarist/vocalist/synthesis Benjamin Mahoney, but they all seem to have come together to record in Barcelona, and the breadth of “Spectroscope” and serene psychedelic mantra-making of “Golden Void” benefit from that band-in-the-room vibe. Especially so the latter, which touches early on vocal harmonies over drifting guitar strum, steady synth drone and percussive pulsations before building to a more active apex in its second half. After the cacophony taking hold in the back end of “Spectroscope,” it’s a clear demarcation of a varied sonic persona, and while I don’t know how often Vymaanika will be able to get everyone together with the geographic spread, it’s easy to be glad they did it for this first EP.

Vymaanika on Thee Facebooks

Vymaanika on Bandcamp

 

Zong, Zong

zong zong

Flowing arrangements abound on Zong’s self-titled four-track debut full-length. The Brisbane, Australia-based heavy psych three-piece are well within their genre sphere, but from opener and longest track (immediate points) “Cosmic Embryo” (13:00) through “Arcane Sand” (8:10), the perhaps-Zardoz-referential “Giant Floating Head” (11:48) and closer “Return of the Alien King” (10:32), they demonstrate a natural chemistry, patience and warmth of tone that is no less comfortable in the march and lurch of its penultimate cut than in dug-in repetition-born hypnosis of the leadoff. Deceptively weighted from almost its beginning point with the low end of Michael Grinstead’s bass and the rolling drums of Henry Bennett, there’s also a balance of airiness from guitarist Adam Anderson that adds nuance when called upon to do so, though there are plenty of moments where Zong’s Zong seems perfectly content to cave-jam its far-out atmospheric fluidity. Not an ethic and not a result you’re going to hear me complain about.

Zong on Thee Facebooks

Cardinal Fuzz Records webstore

Praying Mantis Records on Bandcamp

 

Vitriol, Pain Will Define Their Death

vitriol-pain-will-define-their-death

Brutal tech-death pervades Vitriol’s first EP, Pain Will Define Their Death – a three-song onslaught the violence of which is writ large over every minute of its total 12. Sharing a penchant for opening to bigger-sounding choruses like that of its opening title-cut with peak-era Hate Eternal, the pummel factor, ultra-tense push and unmitigated viciousness eschews some of the more machine-like aspects of such technically-minded fare, and while Vitriol’s overarching groove, gutturalist execution and hammer-swing breakdowns are casting out their own assault on the aforementioned opener as well as the subsequent blast-laden “Victim” and “Violence, a Worthy Truth,” they’re working in service to songcraft much more than to an indulgent showcase of prowess, and that makes all the difference in terms of the material’s ultimate impact. That impact? When was the last time you were actually kicked in the face? Nothing if not aptly named, Vitriol’s death metal seethes and rages in kind and bodes remarkably well for future manifest devastation.

Vitriol on Thee Facebooks

Vitriol on Bandcamp

 

Pillars, Pyres and Gallows

pillars-pyres-and-gallows

Hailing classic doom and darker atmospheres, French four-piece Pillars debut on Seeing Red Records via the Pyres and Gallows EP. Its four songs run a gamut of traditional grooves, but lumber with a balance between their rawness and a spirit of underlying riffy nuance that adds texture beneath the gruff, dudely vocals of frontman Klem, the tones of guitarist Djé and bassist Disaster well suited to the plodding companionship of drummer JJ on a song like the problematically-titled second cut “Dirty Whoreshippers” or the 10-minute title-track that rounds out. At 33 minutes, I’m not sure what’s stopping Pyres and Gallows from being a full-length, but if that’s a hint that Pillars have more to say going forward, then fair enough. They may be preaching to the converted in these tracks, but they’re doing so in righteous fashion and with a sense of their own identity under development. Doom on? Yeah, totally doom on. By all means. Please do.

Pillars on Thee Facebooks

Seeing Red Records on Bandcamp

 

Lamp of the Universe & Kanoi, Split

lamp-of-the-universe-kanoi-split

Among the fascinating factors at work on this cross-continental Clostridium Records split release between long-running New Zealand acid folk outfit Lamp of the Universe and Austrian psychedelic fuzz purveyor Kanoi is the fact that both parties involved are solo-projects. For Lamp of the Universe’s Craig Williamson (also Arc of Ascent), he brings three tracks of his signature drenched-wet lysergism in “In the Beginning,” “The Cosmic Body Track,” “Father” and “Space Chant,” while Kanoi’s Benjamin Kantschieder revisits two cuts from 2016’s Mountains of the Sun full-length in the extended “I’m Gone (I’m Gone)” and “Mountains of the Sun” itself. The novelty of having two single parties match wits on such fluid arrangements – my head always begs for collaboration in these instances – is offset by the quality of their work itself. Neither is new to their sphere, but both seem keen to continue to experiment and explore, and it’s from that commonality that the split most benefits.

Lamp of the Universe on Bandcamp

Kanoi on Bandcamp

Clostridium Records website

 

Azonic, Prospect of the Deep Volume One

azonic-prospect-of-the-deep-volume-one

The first Azonic offering since the mid-‘90s finds Brooklyn-based experimentalist Andy Hawkins reviving the project alongside his Blind Idiot God bandmate Tim Wyskida as a melding of drone/noise and percussive ideas. Released through Hawkins’ own Indivisible Music, Prospect of the Deep Volume One – pretty ambitious to put a “volume one” in the title of your first record in 20-plus years – presents two expansive works in “Oblivion of the Deep” (18:53) and “The Argonauts Reckoning” (18:42) as well as the CD bonus track “Voices of the Drowned” (10:12) that brim with atmospheric intent and have an underlying sense of control on the part of Hawkins that speaks to some measure of steering what might in other hands simply feel like sonic chaos. You can hear it early into “The Argonauts Reckoning,” as the layered wash seems to want to fly off the rails and swell and Hawkins’ guitar simply doesn’t let it go, but it’s true elsewhere on Prospect of the Deep Volume One as well, and in listening, it’s the difference between the album being a joy in the immersion, which it is, and a self-indulgent misfire, which it very much is not.

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Indivisible Music website

 

Thousand Vision Mist, Journey to Ascension and the Loss of Tomorrow

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Named for the lone 2002 full-length from Maryland doomers Life Beyond, in which guitarist/vocalist Danny Kenyon also featured, newcomer trio Thousand Vision Mist debut with the progressive-leaning edge of Journey to Ascension and the Loss of Tomorrow, a 52-minute 10-tracker. Yes, Rush are a factor in terms of influence. However, propelled by the drumming of Chris Sebastian, whose frenetic snare adds a Mastodonic feel to “Headstones Throw,” the otherwise classic-vibing “Final Flight of Fall” and the later “Darklight,” among others, the cumbersomely-titled offering sets its balance between modern prog metal, doom and classic heavy rock, with bassist Tony Comulada adding vocal harmonies alongside Kenyon and providing a needed anchor to keep songs like the penultimate “Skybound and Beyond” from actually taking off and leaving their audience behind. Reportedly long in the works, Journey to Ascension and the Loss of Tomorrow isn’t a minor digestion process at its busy and extended runtime, but while the recording is raw, there’s no shortage of fodder for engagement throughout its swath of choruses and head-spinning turns.

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Thousand Vision Mist on Bandcamp

 

Arcadian Child, Afterglow

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Though not at all without its more driving aspects, some of the most satisfying moments on Arcadian Child’s debut album, Afterglow, come from a soothing hook like that of “Rabbit Hole,” which finds the Cypriot four-piece more fully embodying a laid back desert rock atmosphere that underpins the Fatso Jetson-esque opener “She’s on My Mind” and subsequent “Little Late for Love.” As the feels-short-at-29-minutes record unfolds, “Electric Red” blends fuzz and Mediterranean rhythmic push, “Irresistible” toys with layered swirl beneath a solidly-weighted verse and chorus, “Run” makes itself a highlight around a post-Lullabies to Paralyze atmospheric lead and start-stop riff, and the title-track casts momentum in melody and groove into closer “Used,” which pays one more welcome visit to the more serene side of their personality before they’re done. It might be a sleeper, but I’d be surprised if someone didn’t pick Afterglow up for a vinyl release sooner or later; the songwriting, performance, presentation and potential for future growth are all there waiting to be found by the right ears.

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Arcadian Child on Bandcamp

 

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Pillars Premiere “Pyres and Gallows” Official Video

Posted in Bootleg Theater on November 21st, 2017 by JJ Koczan

pillars

Based out of Nice, France, and given every now and again to throwing in a Celtic Frost-style ‘ough!’ to signal a turn toward more extreme and shouted fare, the four-piece Pillars recently issued their debut EP, Pyres and Gallows, and with its four tracks began an exploration of traditionalist doom marked out by its overarching sense of atmosphere in the guitar. Setting its own context in the growls of “Cult Seeker” or the classic-horror vibes that persist in opener “Green Magik Ritual” — somewhere between Goatsnake and Cathedral, that one is — the EP knocks on the door of full-length territory at 33 lumber-prone minutes, and particularly in the early unfolding of “Dirty Whoreshippers” and the more patient, slower 10-minute closing title-track, calls to mind the earliest output by now-defunct UK outfit The Wounded Kings.

Now, that’s not a comparison to be made lightly, either in terms of the band The Wounded Kings started out as, the band they became, or the many tumultuous steps they had to undertakepillars pyres and gallows to get from one to the other, but as the throaty but melodic echoes of vocalist Klem tops JJ‘s crashing drums in “Pyres and Gallows,” with Djé‘s guitar and Disaster‘s bass ensuring that the mournful arrangement is delivered with due viscosity, I think it’s a fair enough line to draw, and it speaks as well to the progressive potential in general from Pillars, which would only seem to offer further avenues of possible exploration with the more extreme elements put to use at various points throughout. The darkness of the ambience and the nuance that Pillars discover within traditional doom could very well lead them on their own path over time, but wherever that might end up, they’ve sent a clear signal with this first offering that it’s going to be worth finding out.

Today I have the pleasure of hosting “Pyres and Gallows” as a video premiere to coincide with the EP’s official limited cassette release on Seeing Red Records. The label is also hosting the full stream of the tracks via Bandcamp, and they’re at the bottom of the post as well, for further digging.

Enjoy:

Pillars, “Pyres and Gallows” official video premiere

Disaster on “Pyres and Gallows”:

“Pyres and Gallows” is essentially about the Middle Ages, the Inquisition, no rules, and chaos everywhere. In the end, everything ends up burning… “Pyres and Gallows” is our favorite song to play live: epic, massive and chaotic ending. Our new material is definitely more in this vein, less ‘stoner rock’ than older songs… darker and heavier.”

Harnessing the powers of anguish and majesty simultaneously, PILLARS carve a tortured place in the psyche of doom and sludge with an unshakably focused assault on the senses. Harsh, brooding, and calculated, the music drags your soul through the muck and buries you, your screams a part of the choir of devastation. Sacrificing the vintage and retro flare commonplace in the genre as of late and replacing it with the vile discomfort of a forgotten past, Pillars bring only agony and promise only torment. Prepare your grave.

Pillars was formed in 2014 by ex-members of extreme bands from the South of France such as SVART CROWN, IMPERIAL SODOMY, ADDICTED and UNCLEMOSH. When the band began, their sound displayed more of a dark stoner vein, but when Clément (vocals) joined the band in March 2015, they chose to alter their path towards slow crushing doom. “Pyres and Gallows” contains a bit of the old style while teasing their newer direction, both a promising look at what is to come in 2018.

PILLARS is:
Disaster – Bass
Djé – Guitars
JJ – Drums
Klem – Vocals

Pillars, Pyres and Gallows (2017)

Pillars on Thee Facebooks

Pillars on Bandcamp

Seeing Red Records on Thee Facebooks

Seeing Red Records on Instagram

Seeing Red Records website

Seeing Red Records on Bandcamp

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