Pharmakon and Vår LPs from Sacred Bones

Both of these records have been getting a lot of press, but there's good reason for that - they're both fantastic, and deserve every bit of exposure that they receive.

First is the debut (sort of) LP from NYC's Margaret Chardiet, also known as Pharmakon. She's been making power electronics and noise for about 5 years, and after a handful of well-received CDrs and cassettes on smaller labels, this is her first studio album and first work that will see wider distribution. The mainstream press has even been doing their due diligence in looking into Pharmakon - I think NPR even did a short piece on her - and it's good to see someone who has worked so hard having some degree of success, on her town terms. The LP contains 4 songs - about 27 minutes worth of new material that is all wonderfully brilliant. Evocative atmospheres over well-crafted, textured noise collages (which often include her scathing vocals) that never become overly harsh or overwhelming. The songs - and these are actual songs - are downbeat, somewhat dramatic, and absolutely satisfying in every way. It's tough to be emotionally moved by noise music sometimes, but this record does the trick, and it's more magnificent every time I hear it. I can't gush enough about how good this record is. If you're going to buy one noise record this year, this should probably be it. You might even consider getting the limited edition of this, which comes with a cassette with another 27 minutes of killer music.

Second is the new record from Copenhagen's Vår, which started as a project featuring just Loke Rahbek (who runs the excellent label Posh Isolation) and Elias Rønnenfelt, but has since evolved into a more mature 4-piece. The 9 songs on this LP are influenced by everything from noise, to pop, to punk, industrial and other forms of electronic music. The sound is gritty and edgy, and even though the album seems to alternate between melancholy inflections and more upbeat tones, the songs are devastatingly catchy and memorable. I honestly didn't think I'd be into this record all that much, because there are all of a sudden a hundred thousand bands trying to do this, but this record is really well-done, and has earned a very high recommendation. I'd prefer the layout, at least in terms of the cover art, to be a little less... formal, but the music makes up for the unimaginative design. And again, there is a special limited edition, if you're willing to shell out twice the price of the standard edition.

Both of these records should be shipping now from Sacred Bones.

News from the Ash Borer & Fell Voices Camps, and the debut Lychgate LP

These fine gentlemen of the West Coast of the US have several treats on the horizon, and it's high time I fill you in on exactly what is coming. First, Arcata, Califiornia's Ash Borer have two vinyl releases coming very soon. First, the vinyl issue of the album Cold of Ages, previous only available from Profound Lore on CD, will be released on a glorious double LP, complete with all the various deluxe trimmings (heavyweight gatefold jacket, embossed and spot-printed, with two different vinyl options) on May 27th by our friends at Pesanta Urfolk. It's an increidble album, and has been specially remastered for vinyl, with a heavier and more aggressive mix. If you're on Pesanta's mailing list (to get the physical mailer through the actual mail, rather than email), you should be able to pre-order this now. The deluxe edition comes on 200 gram vinyl, so that's what I will be grabbing once I get my mailer.

Also coming from Ash Borer is the EP follow-up to Cold of Ages, titled Bloodlands. At nearly 35 minutes in length, it's quite an impressive EP, eclipsing, in terms of time, what some bands would call a full-length. Two tracks total, recorded live to tape, and featuring a more raw sound than some of the band's more recent recordings. The songs here are two of the highlights of the entire Ash Borer catalog. Though I can't say that either of these tracks are as heavy or punishing as "Convict All Flesh," from Cold of Ages, there is a dynamic on the songwriting not previously heard on any Ash Borer release in great abundance. The band continues to grow, exploring different sounds and evolving, as any band should, and it's really tough to be disappointed with any of the results. Ash Borer is simply one of the best young black metal bands, proving that fact yet again with this terrific EP. Bloodlands is a split release between Gilead Media and Kyle from Ash Borer's own label, Psychic Violence, and features great cover art by the renowned Timo Ketola. You can preorder it here or here.

Also available from Psychic Violence is the first full-length from Ruin Lust, who also saw their demo tape issued on Psychic Violence. At one point, Ruin Lust consisted of members of Ash Borer and Fell Voices, but outside of Fell Voices' Michael Rekevics, who now lives in NYC, I'm unsure of the present lineup. Regardless of who makes up the band, this LP is fucking crushing. I liked the demo tape well enough, but it really didn't stick with me for any significant period of time; I don't go back to it that often. This LP will be an entirely different story. A raw and punishing blend of black and death metal, Ruin Lust have really amped it up for their first vinyl release. These songs are clearly better than those on the demo, and the performance of the material is markedly better as well. The guitar work, riffs and vocals on this would be the highlights if I had to pick parts that impressed me the most, but the whole is more than the sum of the parts; intensity is the key. I can't stress enough how good this is. Fans of HSS should really dig this, and I'd honestly be shocked to hear from anyone who wasn't really impressed by it. Comes on black vinyl and is limited to only 300 copies. Order it now here.

While on the subject of Fell Voices, it would be criminal for us not to bring up the amazing new 2xLP from these guys. I've been a huge fan of Fell Voices since the 2008 demo tape, often referred to as In the Hands of the Blind God came out on Featherspines, and it's safe to say that they've only gotten better with time. Still playing a very raw, highly intense, fast-paced style of black metal that at times borders on all-out chaos, they've managed to incorporate new levels of heaviness into their sound. "Dawn," the third and final track from this double LP (with hand-screenprinted etched D-side) titled Regnum Saturni (the first Fell Voices release with a true title), is by far the heaviest thing the band has recorded and released, and still maintains the all-consuming, impassioned psychedelia that has become the band's signature sound. This is a vinyl-only release; the European pressing has been handled by Vendetta Records, and has been out for a couple of months, while the North American release, split by Gilead Media and Antithetic Records, is available for preorder here or here. (Note: the Euro pressing and North American pressing are a bit different; the Euro pressing comes in a fold out cover, while the Gilead/Antithetic release comes in a gatefold sleeve and is available with a t-shirt. Both, however, are pressed on 180 gram black vinyl.)

And while we're talking about great releases on Gilead Media, I cannot in good conscience fail to put a good word in for the forthcoming self-titled Lychgate LP and CD. Lychgate is indeed a unique entity, originally started by one man but now consisting of G.A. Chandler (from Esoteric), Aran (from the now-defunct Lunar Aurora, one of my favorite black metal bands ever), and Tom Vallely (of Omega Centauri and Sanctus Nex). That lineup will give you an idea as to what you'd think the album sounds like, but whatever that notion is, erase it from your mind and prepare to be blown away. Indeed, elements of doom and black metal are prominent here, but I've honestly never heard anything like this. The atmosphere is incredible, the songs are epic and progressive in their composition and scope, and the melodies are electrifying, grand, and  very memorable. This is another album that will always be greater than the sum of its parts, no matter how impressive those parts are on their own. It's only one track, but listen to the track below and get a better idea of what this album is all about.



Now, I'm hoping you're ready to buy this, because I think you'll seriously come to regret it if you don't. This album has grown on me immensely since I first heard it, and I'm dying to have the vinyl in my possession. If you're a CD person, you can order it from Mordgrimm, but if you'd rather get the 180 gram vinyl (and perhaps the t-shirt that goes with it), you can pre-order it now from Gilead Media.

This is a lot to take in on one post, but the connections are obvious. Do what thou wilt.

Label Feature: Altar of Waste Records

This might not appeal to a lot of the metal fans that reads our site, but I know there are a lot of fans of noise out there, so I'd urge all of you to check this label out.

Many of you will remember the Dreamless CD, All This Sorrow, All These Knives, put out by Handmade Birds a couple of years ago, which for some unknown reason, is still available (here). In fact, a lot of people have just recently been turned on to this album, and to the band. That's great. It's criminal how few people know about that album, considering how absolutely amazing it is. Listen to it once and it will have your head spinning for days.

One of the members of Dreamless, a fellow named Cory Strand (who is also a member of Yog-Sothoth and Kafka Dreams), also has this label called Altar of Waste. He has issued some other Dreamless material on his label - for example, just a day ago he released the Dreamless split with Planning for Burial, which sold out just about instantly - but for the most part, the label focuses on HNW (harsh noise wall, for the uninitiated), drone, and dark ambient recordings. The editions are highly limited, but are always fantastic - if you like this sort of stuff, and maybe even if you don't. I'm personally very selective about the HNW and dark ambient that I listen to, but I've got almost every Altar of Waste release, and I have not been let down, not even once. This is one label that I am always sure to support - once a new release is out, I buy it, whether or not I've heard of the artist and whether or not I have any money, because I've come to trust Cory's taste by now.

Some of the best recordings on Altar of Waste are Cory Strand's solo albums, which are obviously nothing like his band's material. Two things that I have found to be especially poignant are his soundtrack reworkings (on such films as The Thin Red Line, Halloween, Hellraiser, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, The Shining, A Serious Man, and many others), and his reconstructions and deconstructions of the works of quite a few pop starlets, including Pink, Ellie Goulding, Avril Lavigne, and Lindsay Lohan (the Lindsay Lohan reworking, Punishment Will Be Severe, came out on Occult Supremacy, a fine HNW label in it's own right, though Cory has copies for sale as well). I'm particularly excited for the just-released album Cory did with Love Katy, a HNW project that breaks down and celebrates the work of Katy Perry, and a project that I think has inspired Cory a good deal. Cory's exploration of the sounds of Weezer's Pinkerton is pretty amazing too. He's got a bunch of other really outstanding works as well - some under his name, some not - but suffice to say they're all pretty damn genius.

Besides his own works, Cory has put out albums by Crown of Bone, Love Katy, Clive Henry, Dead Body Collection, Culver, Burial Ground, Vomir, and a whole host of others. It's also important to note that there is an aesthetic and presentation common to all Altar of Waste releases. They're all CDrs, and all come packaged in DVD cases, with layouts and artwork often done by Cory himself. Many of the albums are multi-CDr packs as well - the Thin Red Line reworking was 6 CDrs, and a coming Cory Strand box set will be 12 CDrs. The most important part, though, is the music, and I can't emphasize enough that the music (and non-music) coming out on this label is fantastic. Across the board - I can think of few other labels who's releases are consistently this amazing.

 

Like I said, if you're not into noise, drone, or dark ambient stuff, you might not be into this label, but if you're looking to explore the genres, this is a great place to start, as the label releases only the highest of quality. And if you're already a fan of any of those genres, you've got to pick up some of the fine stuff Altar of Waste has to offer. Some of my favorite releases are Lindskold's The Majesty of the Lidless Eye (sold out, sorry), Dead Body Collection's This is My Home, Carrion Black Pit's Necronomicon, Culver's Circle of Scars, Crown of Bone's The Serpent and the Rainbow, and any and all of the Cory Strand releases. I highly recommend the Lindsay Lohan reworking that just recently came out on Occult Supremacy - there's a great variety of sounds at work on that release and I seriously cannot get enough of it.

More info on Altar of Waste can be found here. The webshop can be found here.