D...M...D... highlights from 2018

Fashionably late (As has become a reluctant tradition for me) please behold my 6 favourite records from 2018...

From The Bogs of Aughiska - Mineral Bearing Veins

Released: September 28th via Apocalyptic Witchcraft 

Producer: Ronan Hayes

Bringing together the darkest reaches of folk, Black Metal, Dark Ambient and a sprinkling of Noise, this Irish Trio of lone wolves are intent on an individual approach to their art.

In the past the group have collaborated with a plethora of extreme metal stalwarts including Mories (Gnaw Their Tongues) and Chris Naughton (Winterfylleth) as well as acclaimed Irish storyteller Eddie Lenihen (who makes a re-appearance on this album).

Opening track ‘Scubatuinne’ is a peaceful, melodic harp prelude to this noir affair, which soon becomes apparent with the arrival of the follow up - ‘Poll An Eidhneain’ which is immersed in Dark Ambient flair. A field recording of water slowly trickling down a drain drips through the heart of the track, a synth line intertwined with flairs of feedback sets the scene before giving way to chunky chords and guitar harmonies - reminiscent of Mastodon’s early work - that build up to reveal a blasting, unstoppable force that threatens to break out of your speakers. When it cuts out, the track’s final seconds leave us with only the aforementioned field recording. It’s an awesome opening gambit, and only teases us of what’s to come. 

You can watch a video for the track HERE

In ‘Wake of Buzzards’ the icy ambience looms ominously, while narration speaks of mythology, folklore and dark superstitions that only add to the overall eeriness. ‘Crataegus’ continues the previous track’s work, with the bird calls remaining audible we’re presented with a new narrator now speaking old Irish tongue. Blasting drums hail the arrival of heaviness, distorted vocals howl over a searing Black Metal passage. 

Although this section does admittedly sound a little squashed, I personally feel it works in the band’s favour as it requires the listener to really prick up their ears if they are to gain anything from it at all. 

But it’s ‘The One Whitethorn Bush’ that really is the album’s crowning glory, storyteller Eddie Lenihen warns of the danger of disrupting the abodes of fairies who dwell in common hawthorn bushes, meanwhile the group’s spine-tingling synths embellish the darkened soundscape. For me it harks back to my early adolescence, up late at night with my old battered cassette copy of Edgar Allan Poe’s ‘Tales of Mystery and Horror’ (narrated by Christopher Lee) whirring away in my walkman, wide eyed and far too terrified to sleep.

‘The Devil is an Irish Man’ leads us through wails of noise, droning chords, blasting drums and screaming guitars that pick up blazing speed and accelerate toward ‘An Speadaladoir’ where the final notes bleed into a layered vocalising of a traditional Irish folk tune.

Finally we are met with epilogue soundscape ‘Lios Duin Bhearna’ comprised of eerie synth choirs and severe blasts of noise, it’s an unforgettable closer to an unforgettable album.    

The fact that this was all assembled on basic computer software just goes to show that the only limits creators place on themselves is their own creativity, not the amount of money available to splash out on pricey audio equipment. Lesser bands take note!

Inspirational, Cinematic and at just under 30 minutes, ‘Mineral Bearing Veins’ is over before you know it, but every step down it’s cold dark path is an incredible audio trip and fully destined to become a future cult classic. 

photo by Nina Kristin

POLIVOKS - Origin of Species 

Released: August 28th via Spider Baby

Producer(s): Death Tape Super Bass, Angel Marcloid, Dennis Jaymes and LessThanOne

“A man is like a computer. He is programmed by heredity and environment.”

Curated by Alex Steinmetz (Death Tape Super Bass) ‘Origin of Species’ features contributions from LessThan One, Angel Marcloid and Dennis Jaymes - as well as Alex’s own audio experiments - this 30 minute is a shining example of old school electronic industrial mixed with dark ambience swirled through a kaleidoscope of progressiveness while aptly commenting on humanity’s unstoppable downward spiral into automation.

On the opening and title track, a disembodied voice (sampled from an IBM advertisement) and a sputtering effect set the scene while warped field recordings are dialled up to screeching point before disappearing beneath a sea of static. 

‘Id Machine’ drives home the point of automation with more voice samples, (who seem to be caught up in an argument) next, ice cold synth tinges on ‘Structure’ brush against a pulsating beat interspersed with spacey sound chimes.

‘Recorded Time’ is a whirr with bleeps and whirrs while short interlude ‘Surviving’ brings together an air-raid siren, clanging metal and some unidentifiable eastern percussion instrument at first beginning life as a soft soundscape but soon the atmosphere turns very threatening, with bombs dropping overhead making me recall groups such as Test Dept but on a more minimalist scale.…

Feedback invades the hearing space on ‘Dream Machine’ before warping into a buzzing drone noise wall, meanwhile ‘Cognitive Electronic’ features a manipulated recording of a piano, our bodiless narrator returns, his voice warped to a slow yet still decipherable jumble. Sound effects squeak away before quickening in pace, giving way to a warped synth pulse works it’s way through a series of filters before emitting short bursts of noise at random.

Closing soundscape ‘Integrated Lunacy’ is a ritualistic feast of dark ambient electronic, feedback looming in-between metallic banging, it’s reverberations bubbling against one’s eardrums make for an ethereal ending.

With a very vintage feel it’s a must listen for older electronic fans but there is plenty here to satisfy any newcomers and I look forward to seeing what the POLIVOKS team put their hands to next!

I briefly caught up with Alex Steinmetz to shed some light on the project as well as his work…

DMD: What was the catalyst in bringing all the different composers together for POLIVOKS?

Alex Steinmetz: My primary recording project and moniker DEATH TAPE SUPER BASS is a very solo-ish recording output. Sometimes I do a one off collaboration with other artists but not often enough. I wanted to create a project where I collaborate with others as kind of a band. Some of my best noise music I’ve made has also come out of collaborations and I wanted to come back to that.

Graham Williams (LessThanOne) and I had collaborated 50/50 on an album called “Eyes Without A Face” after I remixed one of his early albums. It turned out really well and I wanted to continue collaborating with him.

POLIVOKS started as just a collaboration between me and Graham, then I added some other tracks that I requested from my friends Angel and Dennis for the project but Graham and I did most of the recording.

DMD: Will there be another POLIVOKS release in the future? And if so, will it follow a similar concept to ‘Origin of Species’?

AS: Yes! Graham and I are working on a new album. Things are still kinda coming together and in their early stages, but speech synthesis/computer voice and radiophonic sounds are playing a big role in this album. The concept is definitely technology, more about computer sentience and the history of computer voice than anything. If anyone dug the last one they should dig this more.

DMD: Where there any particular releases from 2018 that you enjoyed and would like to elaborate on?

AS: The new Firetoolz album was dope. I also really enjoyed Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe’s “Kulthan”.  Aaron Dilloway’s “Gag File” came out in 2017 but it’s still in regular rotation as well as all new Wolf Eyes and Wolf Eyes side projects. Also always blasting this years new Oh Sees/OCS releases at my graveyard shift job.

DMD: What does the name POLIVOKS mean?

AS: Polivoks means ‘mutli-voice' in Russian. It’s also named after the Polivoks synthesizer that was developed in the Soviet Union. It was made under a lot of constraints and sounded very harsh and heavy and was a pretty unique instrument.

DMD: Finally, what does 2019 hold for you and Death Tape Super Bass?

AS: I make films as well as recording for Death Tape Super Bass. Weird experimental and messy animation. So hopefully more of that. I’m trying to do more fleshed out concepts with my sound recording output rather than “Oh shit this sounds rad”. I’m also hoping to score another short film that my girlfriend Gaby is doing. I’ll be relocating back to Chicago and I'm hoping to do more live shows.

Also Recommended: Death Tape Super Bass - Screamer

A short but intriguing sonic scrapbook made up of with dark synth ambient (‘Born Again’) musique concrete (‘Rubber and Wood’) and Harsh Noise Wall (‘Empty Room’).

A definite highlight for me is the longest and closing track ‘Creature Feature’ featuring garbled, looped vocals over a batch of audio wreckage that swiftly transforms into a sharp ‘ready-for-take-off’ power drone reminiscent of the old school THX Movie sound intro! 

It’s jarring, schizophrenic, and over before you know it, but it’s still a fine showcase of Alex’s all encompassing dark, altered sound-verse. 

Listen HERE

The Wyndham Research Institute (LessThanOne with JG Sparkes) - Selected Notes Vol 3

A beautiful tape. 

This is some finely tuned deep space ambient / drone that sounds like it’s just been uncovered from the bottom of the ocean and is - at regular intervals - being brought back up to the surface. 

Best enjoyed while contemplating the universe and regretting every wrong turn you’ve ever taken.

Listen HERE

Goshen - Self titled

Released: June 9th via From Corners Unknown

Producer: Erol "Rollie" Ulug

It’s always exciting to follow a band since their first release (+ 9,000 hipster points!) and seeing a band advance, morph and transform is always a pleasure to witness and Goshen are no exception. The West Coast quartet who mix together Grind, Mathcore, Noise and Metallic Hardcore influences into a hellish abyss of contorted sound have had my undivided attention since I reviewed their 2017 demo as part of the DMD Discovery Channel...

This self titled release marks their sophomore recording, with the 4 piece upping their game but keeping their output as synapse-boiling as the California heat they’re no doubt forced to endure while rehearsing in their sweltering garage.

Opener ‘G.A.B’ starts as a glitch-ridden mass of noise then repulsive riffs twisted into dissonant stabs force their way through the ether before transitioning into a quieter, more forgiving sounding passage. 

Not keen to stay in this limbo too long, the group slowly rebuild the monster, upping the tempo in every whistle-stop section until finally navigating their way into a Thrashing Mathcore tirade before they jump to a blistering speed bringing the track to a pummelling end with all the subtlety of a beer bottle thrown at your face. 

‘Sabateur’ sounds built for the mosh pit without resorting to predictability (often a rare occurrence these days) it’s vicious grooves mesh furiously with the ever present time changes while not sounding forced. 

On ‘Cave’ (the first of two revved up re-visits to the demo) the chaos feels unleashed tenfold and amplifies the tension in the bridge section. Although I admittedly can’t shake the soft spot I hold for it’s first incarnation, this new edition of ‘Cave’ gives the track a whole new lease of festering life.

‘Man of Gauze’ is a force of nature in itself, a dizzying mathy display married with primal breakdowns that transitions well into Terminal’ (another re-recorded track from the demo) but this is a much dirtier affair than it’s ancestor, engulfed in an indescribable darkness that compliments the clarity (for lack of a better term) of the original track heard on the demo. 

Closer ‘Cities’ is a Doom-laden riff-scape that soon becomes flooded with abstract noise and booming detonations of bass and cymbal hits. As the band make a swift exit we’re left with vocalist Kyle Ferguson’s possessed screams that are enough to make the hairs on your neck fall off. Judging by his panting you’ll be damn sure he means every word that falls from his lips. 

As a release, ‘Goshen’ is yet another display of brilliance from the group that was well worth the wait, to me it’s slightly longer material offers a deeper gaze into the abyss, not to mention a better chance to indulge in the group’s more complex and brutal patterns. 

At 13 minutes long, (only 5 minutes longer than the demo!) it’s a hell of a ride that threatens to derail any second. This is 103 degree garage Hardcore searing at it’s finest!

***Thankfully ‘Goshen’ was picked up by Ryan Knapp at From Corners Unknown (Link) who released it as a beautiful tape which you can purchase here

You can also listen to an excellent interview Ryan conducted with GOSHEN HERE:

Also Recommended...

More Fine 2018 offerings available From Corners Unknown...

Tired Lord (Black Metal)

Barren of Shape (Jazzy Grindcore)

Hacksaw (Old School Death Metal)

Dylan Carlson - Conquistador

Released: April 27th via Sargent House

Producer: Kurt Ballou 

For decades we’ve been blessed with many a classic album from solo guitarists such as Steve Vai, John McLaughlin and in recent times Guthrie Govan who channel their inner voice through the medium of their trusty six string they bought at the five and dime.

But as far as guitar records go, Dylan Carlslan’s ‘Conquistador’ is much more of a steady ode to the universe than a showboating note salad full of bends, sweeps, taps and whammy bar squeals.

The third solo album from the Seattle based Earth-ling doesn’t wander too far from from his usual stripped down blueprint of warm, haze ridden, luring guitar-scales except this time around he’s reined in any excess jamming, resulting in a reduced running time comprising of only the truly necessary ingredients. 

From the hypnotic, Spaghetti Westernesque tones of the opening title track to the evocative ender ‘Reaching The Gulf’ it’s an inspirational experience, Carlson picks his way through misty pentatonics (‘When The Horses Were Shorn Of Their Hooves’) behind canvases of dazed, bluesy melodic drone with sparingly used noise and sinister, ritualistic percussion (‘With Scorpions In Their Mouths’  / ‘And Then The Crows Descended’) and thus paints a wonderfully layered, blissful exhibition.

Wiegedood - De Doden Hebben Het Goed III

Released: April 20th via Century Media

Producer: Christophe Dexters

I wouldn’t have disagreed with anyone who claimed Atmospheric Black metal had grown a little stale in recent years, that is until I discovered East Flanders based Black Metallers Wiegedood (‘Death in the Cradle’). 

Together since 2014, the trio boast members of Post-Black Metal act Oathbreaker and the Post Metal titans Amenra.

‘III’ marks another in a series of 4 track albums under the same title of ‘De Doden Hebben Het Goed’ - which roughly translates to ‘The Dead Have it Good’ - this third instalment cuts right to the core, utilising forward thinking yet straight up arrangements laced with many twists and turns that are undeniably infectious.

‘Prowl’ opens with a hair-raising scream and brutalising guitars kept in check with razor sharp drumming is a fist pumping call to arms stuffed with memorable guitar leads, chin stroking arpeggiated sections and red-eyed, sharpened thrashy breaks.

Up next, ‘Doodskalm’ races into action, it’s shining moment lying in the fantastic midsection which features some truly harrowing clean guitars until all comes crashing down into a slow, distorted section that is nothing short of heavenly. 

Just when I thought they couldn’t outdo themselves, the band counter with the dynamic and primitive-yet-progressive title track, the video for which can be viewed here:

Finally the closing track ‘Parool’ scratches itself into being, and it’s a dizzyingly fast array of musicianship, tense riffing embedded against a tornado of drums. 

Even it’s slightly slower sections that allow the band to gather their burning speed once again still feel like they are in danger of catching fire rapidly making it’s way toward a frenzied climax.

The song’s visual accompaniment brilliantly captures the degradation of the Downtown Belgian Red Light District and the waste it creates.

Watch the Video for ‘Parool’ Here: (SEIZURE WARNING)

While many of the usual Black Metal elements are at play here (treble soaked riffs, screeching vocals, pounding blast beats) their use is coldly calculated, carefully sidestepping any cliche and no seconds are wasted.

In closing, DDHDGiii is a magnificent masterclass in modern Black Metal, and well worth your time. You can stream or purchase the album here, but if you like it then you should buy a physical copy. You cheapskates!!!

YOB - Our Raw Heart

Released: June 8th via Relapse Records 

Producer: Billy Barnett

Shaking the trappings and breaking the boundaries of Doom Metal by employing the use of more psychedelic and progressive qualities, Oregon’s YOB have been on the cutting edge of the genre for nearly a quarter of a century. 

'Our Raw Heart' Official YouTube Stream

‘Our Raw Heart’ the group’s 8th album was marred by singer, guitarist and YOB founder Mike Sheidt’s well documented brush with deathbed (caused by a nasty staph infection amongst other misfortunes) resulted in the vocalist penning many of the lyrics from a hospital bed. 

While it is a record wrapped in a sweet, dreamy sludge aesthetic, it doesn’t fall short on crushing heaviness (‘Ablaze’) clashing dissonance (‘In Reverie’) soaring vocal melodies (‘The Screen’) cavernous ambience (Lungs Reach) or intense emotional outpour (‘Original Face).

One of the many high points here is the ever expanding, winding peaks and valleys of the mammoth ‘Beauty In Falling Leaves’ that hits all the right spots, while the epic, I-never-want-this-to-end jam of ‘Our Raw Heart’ that cues the credits to roll on this breath-taking listening affair.

Whilst many (myself included) were in agreement that YOB’s last effort - 2014’s ‘Clearing The Path To Ascend’ (Neurot Recordings) - was the band at their creative pinnacle, ‘Our Raw Heart’ sees the group surpass all expectations, embodying the ultimate form of triumph over tragedy and a reminder to us all to never take life for granted. 

Thank you for reading

Wishing you all a prosperous 2019

LOA

xxx

Fakebook link

Daniel Cornejo: The Grey Man

"So much of who we are as people is built up by these sounds and imagery we take in...we want to help build people who enjoy our sounds into the fullest person they can be."

In order to keep extinction at bay, the underground music scene has a constant need for extremely dedicated & focussed individuals prepared to invest a lot of their time, money, blood, sweat and tears into releasing music with almost no financial gain to be had down the road.

Thankfully we have people like Daniel Cornejo, a passionate youth hailing from Santa Barbara, California whose hard efforts with record label Grey Matter Productions have paid off. In less than a year, GMP has established their name as one of the most formidable in the scene. 

With tapes flying off the GMP bandcamp shelves, Daniel has been putting out a range of mind blowing releases, some of the newest have been: ‘Agyptiaká’ by Doom Jazz quartet Shambhala, a live session by Death Industrialists Destruktionsanstalt, ‘I Hurt Because I Must’ from Harsh Noise maker Misery Ritual and 'Neath The Cerulean Abyss...’ by Dark Ambient/Soundtrack artist Noctilucant. 

Cornejo also plays guitar in his band Pale Hands who have been touring almost non-stop up and down the west coast. Not only content for band life and being head of a label, so far he has put out 3 tapes of his ANW/HNW project hermit (listen to hermit’s debut release below) as well as occasionally teaming up with his cousin for their Ambient Noise duo Unborn Insekt. 

I caught up with Daniel to find out about his early influences, the future of GMP and what it truly means to be 100% DIY…

DMD: Growing up, what artists/bands made you want to play music?

Daniel Cornejo: That’s a little difficult for me to recall honestly haha. I remember being into a lot of artists unknowingly that probably inspired my subconscious. My parents would play different types of music all the time, and on top of that my older brother and sister would play even more different artists so I was always influenced by that whether I was aware of it or not (all of my family plays music as well). 

The very first artists I think about fondly are bands like Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath and AC/DC. Iron Maiden is just perfect in pretty much every way and everyone knows it. In my first "band" I wanted to cover Black Sabbath and when I got my first guitar I got an SG because I wanted to be Angus Young haha. 

When I was in 5th grade though, I got my brother's old iPod and that changed everything. At that point for me it was Green Day, Avenged Sevenfold and As I Lay Dying haha. I really discovered music through my brother and he was into all of the "screamo" and metalcore at that time so that was my introduction to it. And of course the classic heavy metal records.

DMD: How did Grey Matter Productions get started? What is the label’s ethos?

DC: I remember the day specifically. My cousin Sebastian and I had been hanging out with each other non stop the whole past year and a half and had really just been building each other up, musically/spiritually/mentally/whatever, but we had never made music together. It kind of reached a culmination point I guess.

I was at work and for whatever reason I felt extremely inspired to release music as a label. I get in these modes where I'm extremely enveloped and involved in an idea and it becomes so much a part of me. I was in one of those modes and so I texted Sebastian just going off, letting loose all the ideas in my head and it totally snowballed. 

I got home and we created it that night. I forget the exact date, but I know it was in February - which is perfect because late February is my birthday and early March is his birthday and for us we were at a peak of creativity. It started as a way to release our music and really push us to constantly be creating. 

We didn't think people would want to release with us initially, but we wanted the label to be serious and real so the idea was that we would have to each come up with albums to release under different pseudonyms at least once a month. 

While we could probably do that for a bit, that's pretty intensive and luckily for some reason the label kind of took off in its own way. Massive thank you to Liam of Shurayuki-Hime, Nemanja Nikolic of Dosis Letalis and Patrick Flynn of Olm for being our first real releases and for some reason wanting to work with a couple of random losers. 

Those 3 releases mean a lot to me. Not only because each release is beautiful in its own way, but all of those people are fantastic people as well. Sorry this is such a long answer. 

The ethos behind Grey Matter is fairly simple. We want to release sounds that affect and inspire us so that maybe we can affect and inspire others the way our favorite artists have inspired us. The intention of the label is to spread all of the facets of life that we're interested in through art. 

So much of who we are as people is built up by these sounds and imagery we take in, whether it be from just listening to music we enjoy or deliberately seeking out the extremities in art. We want to help build people who enjoy our sounds into the fullest person they can be. Regardless of all the "dark", "brutal" or "evil" concepts our releases deal with, our intention is not dark or evil. 

Maybe brutal, haha. But what I'm getting at is in the name - GREY MATTER. Not black, nor white. Not dark, nor light. A balance of the two. Because whatever you believe, dark and light are just terms that mean nothing. What makes it "dark" or "light" is the intention you put behind your art. Same goes for every action we make daily.

DMD: As a guitarist who are your main influences? 

DC: Honestly, I’m not sure. I have many influences, but I don't necessarily think of it that way. I get inspired by the music, not the guitarist, or even what the guitarist is doing. I hope I don't sound like a dick, I just am actually not sure. 

I even looked through all of my music trying to find something, but no luck.. If I had to make a decision, I guess I'd say Jef Whitehead of Leviathan, just because he's without a doubt one of my favorite artists overall (music, tattoos, paintings, etc), and he creates some extremely complex and beautiful sounds with his guitar.

DMD: Is guitar your only instrument? Do you play any other instruments? 

DC: I play guitar, bass guitar, a little bit of piano, and I'm okay with a synthesizer! I also play distortion pedals and noise boxes real nice though!

DMD: When was your first encounter of noise/HNW etc and what attracted you to it? 

DC: My first introduction to noise was in junior high now that I think about it. My sister's boyfriend at the time was a part of a local noise group called something I honestly forget, but he gave me a couple of tapes and a cd of his project. I remember having friends over and being stoked to show them the cd because of how bizarre it was to me. 

The album name was perfect and I still wanna re-use it but probably never will - Sensory Deprivation Techniques. I also remember going and seeing a live noise show with them around that time. I had no idea noise would become such a big part of my life. 

With that said, my TRUE introduction was via a drone blog I followed called dronemuzak haha. 

The guy who ran the blog had a noise blog as well (obviously called noisemuzak for those interested) and he reblogged a post of an advertisement for Vomir. All it was was a black background with VOMIR HNW in bold letters and below it "No Dynamics, No Change, No Development, No Ideas." 

I had no idea what it was so I immediately looked it up because the design was minimalistic, but I could tell the purpose was very heavy/grandiose, which is something I'm always drawn to in art. 

I listened to a few of his sounds and made my first wall that night - The Slow & Inevitable Heat Death Of The Universe, which is a serious title, but I took it from a Cards Against Humanity playing card haha. By the way (shameless plug), I'm continuing that wall series so be on the lookout for parts 3 and 4 coming soon through Endless Landscapes Of Decay (another fantastic label).

DMD: What’s currently going on with your Progressive Power Violence band Pale Hands right about now? 

DC: Progressive Power Violence? Wow, that's a wild term but I'm not opposed! Well after our recent CA tour with Stoic (who unfortunately had to drop because their van broke down), our drummer and vocalist both moved down to LA (my cousin and I both live a couple hours north of LA. My cousin plays bass and I play guitar.) so we haven't practiced in a bit but we have about 6 new songs that we're pretty excited about and are currently figuring out how to record them. 

All of the Pale Hands albums so far have been recorded or mixed by myself and our drummer so chances are, we'll do it that way again. Because it's cheap and easy, but also because there's always a DIY ethic behind what we do. If we can do it ourselves why wouldn't we? All of our tours have been set up via our drummer, our old bass player had the van we toured in (I drove my jeep on this last tour), we recorded our sounds and - hell, we even WROTE THE MUSIC! 

That last one was a joke, because obviously we did that, I was just trying to knock myself down a bit I guess because I started to sound egotistical in my head. Anyway, we want to record our new songs and will likely release them as a couple of splits. 

DMD: Do you know who the Pale Hands splits are going to be with?

DC: We’re unsure of who we're going to do the splits with. A few bands have been talked about but nothing very concrete. We were supposed to do a split with a hardcore band called Akira from Portland, OR a while back so we might still do that.

DMD: For hermit, what is your recording set up? 

DC: Well, hermit is an interesting concept. hermit is who I am and so all of my ideas and sounds and influences are a part of it. Not necessarily on every album, but that's always been my idea behind it. So for the past noise releases I've done, it's just been pedals. Distortion, delay, loop, reverb, and a pitch shifter.

That ran through a broken 8 track to a working 4 track. I run through the 8 track because it has a solid set of EQ controls that can completely shift the sound. Sometimes I'll run through all that and through the 4 track into my audio interface if what I want is more complex and I'm gonna need to mess with the sound in post more. For other albums I'm working on but haven't released, it's changed though. 

I have a black metal split I'm supposed to release soon with Moloch of Depressive Illusions Records as hermit and the setup for that was a Korg Poly-800 Mk II (an 80's synthesizer that has some pretty great dungeon synth vibes), my guitar through a practice amp (KVLT) and an electric drum set. 

Go check out Depressive Illusions if you haven't before. Amazing label and distro webstore that was actually one of the first black metal labels I found when I was first delving into that world. There's a lot more coming from hermit though and I'm not even sure what yet.

I just recently got a Moog and a Pittsburgh Modular desktop synthesizer, because I've been extremely into acid house and techno lately, but knew it would also work perfect for where I want to go with hermit and for any noise ideas I might have.

DMD: Do you have any live noise shows planned for hermit? 

DC: No hermit live shows yet. If there ever are any, ideally I wouldn't be there haha. But realistically, there will probably be a few shows. At the moment what I want to do is have a wall of amps with me behind it making the sounds in a pitch black setting. 

It's not about me or what I do or how I do it. Listen and feel the sounds and you can understand the purpose behind what I do. The experience I want people to have is discomfort and uncertainty. Not because of how intense the show is or anything like that (Misery Ritual comes to mind) but because I don't want what I do to be something they've experienced before. 

As for the sounds I'd make.. I'm not sure - it'd vary show by show because as I said, hermit is every facet of my musical tastes. At the moment, I imagine it as a blend of harsh noise, synthesizer sounds (think the main theme for The Thing or the intro sounds in The Shining), and multiple voice samples and drum samples to keep things moving a bit. Really inspired by what The Haxan Cloak is doing live though.

DMD: Any other projects of yours we should know about? 

DC: Occultus is a Black Metal project I'm hoping to release on Grey Matter soon. UNBORN INSEKT is obviously my collaboration project with my cousin (who's primary project is INSEKTOID). Lots of other projects going on but nothing solid yet - just some sounds.

DMD: Since GMP is primarily a tape label currently do you have any plans to expand into vinyl or CD?

DC: Yes! The hermit/Moloch split album I mentioned earlier should be a vinyl release. Also working with Pale Hands' old bass player who has a band called Trash that we made tapes for and we're trying to get that pressed as well. That's all we have planned at the moment, but now that that door is open in my mind, I'm sure there will be more. 

As for CD, that might happen someday (I assume it will), but personally I've never been a big fan of that format. No disrespect to anyone who enjoys them, as the physical format of music can be extremely personal and important to some, but it was never in the intentions of the label to work with CDs.

Something I'd like to stress here is the 100% DIY ethic behind the label.  Trust me, you don't have to be DIY to get respect from me, but sometimes I wonder how many "DIY" labels use massive companies to produce t shirts, stickers, or whatever it may be. I never want someone to think of Grey Matter like that. 

We made an extensive discography release for Sword Suicide a while back and I hand cut and glued every single box for that box set and my cousin, myself and the Pale Hands vocalist all made the patches for it ourselves as well at 4am the day before the release! I like that and I like memories like that and that's why I use the term 100% DIY rather than just DIY. 

I bring it up with this question because I've deliberated in my mind a bit about how "100% DIY" it is to have another company press your vinyl for you. Yes, I'd still be funding it but in a sense, the magic of what I love about dubbing tapes and cutting each cover by hand would be lost.

That said, I've been able to find a couple of companies that hold the DIY ethic and one that even has a massive arm in the noise world, so my qualms about pressing vinyl have dissipated a bit. I think I'm also thinking into it too much haha.

DMD: What equipment do you use for dubbing the tapes? Also what is your personal favorite physical format?

DC: I have a Telex Copyette and a Technics tape player/recorder that I use together. The Technics records the masters and the Telex duplicates the master into 3 separate tapes at a time. Although I just had some issues with it and so now it only does 2 tapes at a time but that's still good enough for me.

By the way - this setup was only about 250 dollars total and I bought both the Telex and Technics off of eBay. If anyone reading this is toying with the idea of starting a tape label, I think it is absolutely the way to go if you're doing everything DIY. 

With that said, my favorite format is vinyl. It probably has a lot to do with the size of the album artwork haha and not so much with the supposed "better quality" that vinyl can give you. Most of the time people don't realize that the records they're buying are pressed from digital masters just the same, so it's not necessarily "better quality" the way most people think about it. But regardless, it's a hell of a fun format to collect, so I get why it's gotten popular again.

DMD: How did Tomhet getting his tapes onto GMP happen? Did he contact you or was it vice versa?

DC: Tomhet actually contacted us which is kind of bizarre to think about haha! He was supposed to release Nightmares In Damask with another label, but unfortunately they couldn't fund it at the time which is how he ended up coming to us. 

We hadn't really done a black metal release before that so I'm not sure why he contacted us in particular, but it was perfect because I've been trying to expand the palette of Grey Matter as much as possible and Black Metal is probably my favorite style of music.

DMD: On that note, what are your favourite Black Metal albums?

DC: Haha I'm kind of excited to answer this one, because I'm a nerd. In no particular order - Aske EP by Burzum, Panzerfaust by Darkthrone (The unholy trinity as well, but that's a given) Bergtatt and Nattens Madrigal by Ulver, Verrater by Leviathan, self-titled album by Lurker Of Chalice, and the self-titled album by Paysage d'Hiver (but also Das Tor and Die Festung because it's hard to choose).

Triumph.Genocide.Antichrist & Superion.Command.Destroy by Revenge, Two Hunters by Wolves In The Throne Room (Malevolent Grain EP is beautiful as well), Il Était une Forêt by Gris, Defective Epitaph by Xasthur (again its hard to choose.. honorable mentions for Nightmares At Dawn, Subliminal Genocide and Telepathic With The Deceased), Phantom by Lustre because I'm not trve kvlt, and if we're gettin' wild then anything and everything from Gnaw Their Tongues. 

I also consider some of The Body's work to involve black metal and they're great artists so I'm just gonna sneak in I Shall Die Here by them on this list. It's not really black metal at all but the feeling I get from that album reminds me of black metal sometimes. Not sure if this is a good list or not, but it's what I often find myself listening to the most.

DMD: Apart from music, what else inspires you? 

DC: Life. Obviously, I mean life in the sense of what we all go through day to day and the chaos that takes us wherever it is we end up, but what I really mean is life at its most basic form. Nature. What really does it for me is trees, the sun and the moon. 

So this is also kind of a cop out answer because by saying life I can also say I'm inspired by all art because the experience of art is a part of life. To answer your question in a less vague and douchey way, films are extremely important to me. As are all visual aesthetics of course, but that's more my cousin's thing.

DMD:  Any more exciting releases from GMP this year that we should be aware of? 

DC: All of them hopefully! Haha we have some cool things coming soon - some powerfully charged noise/powerviolence from the mind behind Lilith. Some post black metal from the man behind Mademoiselle Bistouri. Some black metal from Moloch. A great industrial electronic album from the guy behind N0123NOISE and honestly too many more to mention haha.

DMD: As 2016 is almost at an end, which noise/HNW releases this year did you really enjoy?

DC: I really enjoyed seeing the HNW compilation come together, thanks to James Shearman and the

HNW Netlabel. Since we talked about him already, I might as well mention his other netlabel SSN Technologies, which has seen some awesome releases (SOMA by ADD.ICT and Destination by Gesis come to mind). Dosis Letalis and Lilith have also had releases through that label. 

The Climate Refugees was good to hear come together as well, thanks to Altar Of Waste. Some of my favorite wall-makers collaborating not just to make walls, but with the intention of spreading awareness of natural and societal decay? Yeah, that was probably one of my favorite releases of the year. 

The latest BoneMagic release from Cruel/Corrupt Recordings was pretty heavy. Oh, and I can't compliment Building Castles Out Of Matchsticks' work enough. Haven't worked with her yet, but if/when it happens, I'll be stoked!

DMD: Have you got any advice for any people out there wanting to set up labels of their own?

DC: Hm..My answer to this could be pretty long so I'm going to limit myself to 3 things:

1) If you're going to do anything like this and take it seriously, do it because you love doing it over any other reason: and if you don't love music or sharing people's music, then I don't know how to help you haha.

2) If you don't like people in any  sense and don't enjoy interacting with unique human beings on at least one or two levels then this probably won't be for you. The sounds you'll be releasing are someone else's deep thoughts or emotions or whatever, but the point is that it's something important to them and you're endorsing that.

You have to like and know those people at some level as well and aside from that aspect; if you're a one or two man show, then think of all the people you're going to have to connect with to listen to your releases, share or promote your releases, etc.

3) Keep this one basic - In this day and age what i think is most important (aside from having a decent flow of income, unfortunately) is to be good on social media. So much music is listened to and so many connections are made via the internet now. Everything is done online. Your music scenes are as present online as they are in real life - Sometimes even more prevalent online.

If you can't reach your audience via the internet these days, it's going to make it nearly impossible for you to reach half or more of the people you can and should be reaching.

*KEEP IN MIND* I'm really bad at practicing what I preach sometimes (particularly in reference to social media).

DMD: Is there anyone you want to give a shout out to?

DC: YOU! You're the man, Ed. Thank you so much for being interested in the nonsense I have to say and thinking other people will be interested as well. It really means a lot to me. Shout out to Kyle Ferguson of Misery Ritual, that guy's on another level and I'm stoked to work with him more and hopefully help him progress in the future somehow.

Nemanja Nikolic again, for being someone I feel I can relate to and for always 110% supporting every artist and label he enjoys. Patrick Flynn of Olm needs a shout out because his music is some of the most beautiful I've had the privilege of releasing - sorry we haven't talked lately, man! Haha. 

Liam McGeorge is a pretty awesome human being as well and I have to say thank you to him for being our first real release and for putting in all the hard work I know he does for our scene. James Shearman is also the man, but I think everyone knows that. Never spoken to Cory Strand of Altar Of Waste to be honest, but I'd like to give him a shout out because that label is DENSE. In every sense of the word. 

I'd also like to thank anyone that's released with the label before and anyone who's contacted us for a release, regardless of whether it's worked out or not. Thank you to my family and my brothers - you know who you are. There are too many things and too many people to be grateful for, so I'm going to cut this short and end with this: The biggest thank you of all to anyone who's ever listened. That's all that this is for. 

The most recent aural sizzler to come through Grey Matter Productions is by Red Forest Project,
a collaborative effort between Serbia's Dosis Letalis/Relicuum and Arizona's Go as DeatH. Self-classifying the project 'nuclear disaster noise' RFP's debut cassette is entitled 'Kyshtym Disaster' after one of the most serious nuclear accidents in history. In just under half an hour, both artists cook up an eerie post-explosion atmosphere where the air is thickly contaminated by the nuclear fallout. Intrigued? Have a listen here

GMP also have a future release planned with Seattle HNW behemoth Condo Horro called "Besieging Edith Macefield" which is currently nearing its final stages, so be on the lookout for that one!

You can also read 2 reviews of one man Black Metal project Tomhet here

Grey Matter Productions bandcamp 

hermit bandcamp

Pale Hands bandcamp

GMP tumblr

GMP soundcloud

Tomhet: EP & Album Review

Alberta, Western Canada is probably most famous for being home to the award-winning band Nickelback, but just down the road in the small town of High River lurks Tomhet.

Operating under the alias Xaphan, his music couldn’t embody a more polar opposite to the chart topping millennia rockers. 

Since forming in 2004, his one man Black Metal project Tomhet (Swedish for emptiness) has assembled a small cult  following through releasing demos, splits, and albums adding up to roughly 26 releases.

Throughout his career, Xaphan has pitted steel sharp black metal riffing against ambient minimalist synths, in the process widely exploring the styles of both Atmospheric and Depressive Suicidal Black Metal. Determined to not be stuck in the Black Metal box, his more recent efforts have seen him dabbling in Post Industrial music and Dark Electronica (both ‘Caliginous’ releases and the 2014 online EP ‘Anchorazor’).

Sometimes, his decision to dip his toe in new musical pools can draw a dividing line between his listeners. Tomhet’s last release ‘Of A Dying Star’ which was performed only on synthesisers (a concept first explored on ‘Celestial Tranquility’ back in 2009) brought him as much flack as it did praise. But despite the quality of those releases, I for one am relieved to hail the return of the axes to Tomhet’s sound.

Extinction in Time-Lapse review

The 10th Tomhet EP kicks off with a brief yet foreboding passage simply dubbed ‘Intro’ and explodes into the second track, lead by a catchy guitar riff (reminiscent of 90’s era Darkthrone) played over relentless rapid fire blasting drums draped in anguished screams. It then switches to a more sinister chord progression before returning to the main riff once again. It doesn’t stick around too long though and is replaced by a soaring lead line amongst the tornado blasting that fades into a final exhaled breath of distortion.

Third track ‘Blind To Our Demise’ serves as the EP’s mini epic, pummelling programmed drums give way to slow drifting guitar chords that mirror winter fog. A quick drum count  cues up a melody that demands you at least think about putting a noose around your neck even just for a second, soon it all spirals into a dissonant inferno and we are left with nothing but the beautiful noise it leaves behind.

The EP closer ‘This Failing Species’ contains a looped keyboard pattern which evolves into a choir of sorrow while drums pulse beneath like beating hearts, the ensemble builds up to a climax of despair before expiring, leaving a mournful atmosphere long after the music has stopped. 

Overall, ‘Extinction in Time-Lapse’ is a short but solid release that kept my intrigue throughout and had a good balance of the Black Metal and Ambient forces at play. Check it out!

8.5/10

Nightmares in Damask Review

It is difficult to sum up Nightmares in Damask in one word. Depression is of course the obvious word choice but even that doesn’t begin to describe half of it. Put simply, this album doesn’t represent a world where the birds sing joyously come sunrise. 12 years since the project began and the drum machine has been ditched, making Nightmares the first Tomhet release to feature 100% live drums. 

It is also more guitar and vocally driven, leaving the Ambient sections for the bookend tracks.

After a grainy, wind-ridden intro, ‘My Coffin in Her Arms’ saunters in on slightly slower blasts than we’ve come to expect from Tomhet. Taking the speed down a few gears to a crawling pace which sets the tone for the majority of the record, guitar triads bleed like freshly slashed wrists before another round of frantic blasting erupts (this time sounding like the kit is about to fall apart) then disappears into a whisper of amplifier noise. 

On ‘The Heavens Were Soaked In Kerosene’ arpeggiated guitar lines rain down heavily (which make me recall Austere) while grating vocals circle overhead like vultures over a battlefield, both eventually building up into a tormented frenzy. ‘Pit Of Loneliness’ begins with an overspill of feedback into Xaphan’s cries of despair, commanded by one of my favourite riffs on the album which unfortunately doesn’t stick around long enough for me to enjoy it.

‘Through A Tidal Wave Of Panic’ is the album’s angst-ridden centerpiece and certainly lives up to it’s name. Mixing together gentle swaying sections with bursts of medium speed drum blasts, for this track perhaps envision yourself having a calm walk through snow covered forests before some unspeakable terror has seized you and the walk now turns to a fearful sprint. 

Both tracks ‘Calcified, Docile And Confused’ & ‘In Darkness I Hear Their Screams’ uphold the albums’ generally unyielding misanthropic suicidal feelings. While on ‘Clawing Beneath My Sealed Grave’ the vocals bubble away menacingly and the returning guitar triads are saturated in a state of desperate urgency.

This is the first Tomhet record (to my knowledge at least) scattered with much shorter songs than he is normally known for. Upon first listen, their place in the tracklist felt questionable, but after a few spins these short interludes separate the longer tracks well. Since the pace of the album is considerably slow, they add a much needed energy boost and will keep the speed demons content for now.

‘Raining Napalm Molotovs' features a scream that sounds like Xaphan is falling down a well, meanwhile ‘Crucified and Pissed Upon’ & ’Their Shadow Kingdom Ablaze’ both feel like they are about to derail any second, arriving with a clatter of guitar and drums caught up in a Tasmanian devil like blur, both are gone in the blink of an eye.

With a strong sense of dread, ‘The Sky As An Ocean…We drown’ the album’s longest track sticks the keys in the ignition of the hearse and leads a gloomy procession while Xaphan howls in pain. Presumably during all this grey skies send down a mighty storm and the world weeps eternally, powerful stuff. On closing track ‘Exit Us’ droning blackened ambient synthesisers transport us to the very depths of his sprawling cavernous abyss. 

It is heavily apparent that either Xaphan’s drumming still needs to catch up to the drum machine but that still remains to be seen if that is his final goal. I am sure most fans will find it in their blackened hearts to forgive him, either way the addition of live drums certainly will play a large dictating role in how the next release will sound. At times I felt I was missing some cleaner guitar parts which I personally feel could have added more dynamics to the album’s overall aesthetic, but nothing’s perfect. 

I wouldn’t be surprised that come next release another sonic change will have occurred Seeing how often Xaphan has been noted to switch musical paths. As much as I found a lot to love about this full length I would definitely be lying if I considered this to be Tomhet’s strongest work yet considering the quality and diverse material he has released before it. It certainly remains a transitional statement of a record marking a re-birth of the Tomhet sound.

But if you like your Black Metal steak cathartically raw, there can be no doubts in my mind that Nightmares in Damask will satisfy your (Transylvanian) hunger. 

8/10 

Visit Tomhet’s official bandcamp here

A limited number of cassettes for Extinction in Time-Lapse and Nightmares in Damask are available from Californian label Grey Matter Productions get ‘em while they’re hot!

Also keep those tired eyes peeled for a Tomhet CD release planned with Italian Black Metal label war against yourself

Ancient Forest Zagast Interview

When people normally think of ‘Black Metal’ they immediately have visions of a dark, ice cold Scandinavia… One of the last places they would think to find it in is a small country in the heart of Central America. 

Self-releasing the 2015 demo entitled ‘Presence’ in 2015 via his own label ‘Ascending to Death Records’ as well as recording local metal bands, DMD caught up with multi-instrumentalist Zagast from Salvadoran one man black metal artist: Ancient Forest…

*For my personal thoughts on AF check out the review of Presence here*

DMD: How would you describe the music of Ancient Forest?

Z: It is a mix of subconscious feelings and music

 DMD: What inspires you to write your music?

 Z: I just want to make something of my own, when someone writes a book they look at it and think "I am happy of MY work" so I do the same with AF. On the other hand, when I was in other bands I noticed the lack of interest of my partners to record something in a physical format, so these were my two biggest reasons to start making music on my own

DMD: What are the pros and cons of being in a one man project?

Z: Well the Pros are: There’s no one telling you what to do.

   You don’t have to look at the time and be in a hurry to finish recording.

The Cons are: It’s very hard work when its your first time as a one man band plus you have to do all the recording stuff, plus Laziness can be a problem (haha) when you picture yourself writing drums, guitars, vocals etc      

DMD: Are there any plans to add more members in the future or are you going to keep AF strictly solo project?

Z: AF is and I hope always will be a solo project.

DMD: It mentions on AF’s Metal Archives page that you don't plan to play live with AF, why is that?

Z: I want to keep that idea because I am very jealous with AF, so I want to keep that essence and not play live.

DMD: What bands do you listen to the most?

Z: I listen a lot of bands. My favourite genres are: Doom, Death, Black, Avant Garde and Gothic but the bands I hear most frequently are: Emperor, Burzum, the Sins of Thy Beloved, the Gathering, Sirrah, and Artrosis

DMD: Tell me about Ascending to Death Records 

Z: ATD Records was born because of the need to record local bands and of course AF in a homemade way

DMD: What other bands have you recorded?

Z: Since I was in my first band (Tears in Moonlight) I started  recording stuff and my first real recording was that demo. Later, I joined Norsk Sed and we recorded "Embrace the End" a two-song demo which was the first release from my label. 

DMD: How many physical copies of the demo did you have made?

Z: Only 5 physical copies were first made and given away  for free to my friends but if someone wants a copy I can just burn a disc for sale.

DMD: Do you plan to have a lot more physical releases with AF in the future- not just on CD but also on vinyl and cassette tapes?

Z: I don't think so because there is no one who owns something to listen on it at least in my location.

DMD: What is your current recording set-up? and what brand instruments and recording software you use?

Z: Like I said, I like to record my songs in a very home-made way so this is my gear:

    - Juggs Starmaster 5 drumset

    - Ibanez- GIO GRG270 guitar with a digitech death metal pedal

    - A 4 way mini-mixer with generic microphones

    - Adobe Audition 5 to mix everything

    - A self-made guitar in a jackson style

DMD: What is your opinion on the state of metal today?

Z: Everything is changing progressively and metal is not the exception, I hear a lot of new bands just to see the changes and I have seen some very good new bands and some very bad ones… but I have to admit that I don’t like the way metal is going with all that "core" stuff.

DMD:How would you describe the metal music scene in El Salvador?

Z: Bad, not because of the bands but for the lack of interest to actually record something. A lot of the active bands in my country just decide to sell t-shirts, stickers, posters etc… I mean come on, I want to hear your songs in my mp3 player, not to wear your shirts. But at the end of the day, it’s about music, not fashion and I’m not saying the merchandising  is bad, but I will always say put music first, then merchandising!

DMD: If you could only listen to five albums for the rest of your life what would they be?

Z: That is a question I was waiting for for so long and I don’t know why, haha! There are more than 5 but this is my top 5 right now:

      "Silence - Sonata Arctica"

​      "Mandylion - The Gathering"

      "Vovin - Therion"

      "ACME - Sirrah"

      "Songs of Battle - Hin Onde"

DMD: Would you say the Environment here and your surroundings (in Sonsonate, El Salvador) have had an effect on your music?

Z: No, because in my lyrics I don’t talk about anything from my surroundings but I would like to be in a place where I can be closer with       the natural things I like (forests and mountains) 

DMD: Do you think anything about your music change if you lived anywhere else?

Z: Maybe, because the place you live in affects you directly in your creativity

DMD: Do you like using Bandcamp to showcase and sell your music or do you plan on expanding into Spotify, iTunes and other music streaming platforms?

Z: I do want to expand the way my music is heard by others-

 its just a matter of time until I release a new demo or full length, then I will upload it to another streaming platform

Presence is streaming on Bandcamp now you can buy it here

To contact Zagast for more information you can email him: atdrecords@gmail.com