Hello Jenks, thank you so much for doing this interview. How is everything in the Horseback camp?

Great, thanks Bryan.

The Invisible Mountain was the album that really put Horseback on the map, and you’ve released a lot of material since then. Your offerings on splits and collaborations since that release have been very different sonically. Did you intend to distance yourself from the sound of that record a little bit to avoid repetition?

I try to keep the process open. I’m not as concerned with whether or not I’m repeating myself as I am with pursuing ideas as they come. I try to avoid molding these ideas to fit any particular genre — some suggest a “rock-band” approach to realization, while others work best in more abstract arrangements.

The follow up to Mountain was a release called Forbidden Planet which was released initially very quietly on cassette by Brave Mysteries. That release was highly textural and an exploration of drone and soundscapes that focused primarily on guitar. Listening to it on tape adds an extra layer of hiss and noise. Do you see that record as lending itself specifically to the format of cassette?

I did, after it was finished. Listening back to Forbidden Planet is a challenge because there are so few concessions to listenability on that one. Like many harsh noise records, it’s to be endured — maybe even “beaten” — so that completion is an accomplishment. Records like that seem to benefit from an explicit layer of physicality between the listener and the sounds themselves. Cassettes provide that sense of confrontation: they are physical things that the listener must wrestle with, unlock. As you suggest, there’s a layer of hiss that won’t allow you to forget there’s a machine whirring away behind the music. Tape gets tangled in players, sometimes it tears. Cassettes demand a certain level of physical interaction that you don’t get from the digital medium.

Still, I don’t like obscurity for the sake of obscurity. I’m happy to reissue cassette releases in more accessible and widely-distributed formats, should the opportunity arise. The listener can choose which format is right for him or her.

Rest of the interview after the jump…
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Last Saturday, French shoegaze metal band Alcest made their second-ever appearance in San Francisco at the Elbo Room in support of their new album Les Voyages de L’ame. Despite being a show that started at 4 and was over by 8, the crowds turned out to catch these elusive dreamweavers of blissed-out metal. I was there to capture these photos of Neige & co. Check out the full color gallery of Alcest after the jump!

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Horseback’s career path has been as unusual as the music itself. 2010 game changer The Invisible Mountain was followed up almost silently by a cassette release of full length Forbidden Planet that December. In the meantime, Horseback signed with Relapse Records, released a split with Voltigeurs , a collaboration LP with Locrian, and an LP + CD with Pyramids. Relapse reissued Forbidden Planet on cd along with the first Horseback album, the drone masterpiece Impale Golden Horn. Fans of the band have been anticipating Half Blood since mastermind Jenks Miller first mentioned it in an interview, and now its release is imminent. Horseback (aka Jenks Miller), however, couldn’t resist releasing a bit more material into the world with the On The Eclipse 7 inch. Because of this unconventional release schedule, Half Blood feels like the first proper full length since Invisible Mountain, even though it’s LP number four. Half Blood is an amalgamation of the previous three records and also steers Horseback into new and exciting territory. Read the rest of the review after the jump!

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The long awaited 7 inch from California powerviolence/grind act DNF is finally here. The Hurt EP is a collection of 8 bruising songs available for the first time in a physical format. DNF has been flooring crowds playing on bills with the likes of Thou, Nails, Deafheaven and Lake of Blood. Their shows always turn into a maelstrom of limbs as vocalist Kyle stirs the audience into a frenzy with his confrontational stage presence and powerful roar. The intensity of their live performance is now etched into the grooves of vinyl. Each song is a short burst of energy that makes you feel like you just stepped in front of a jet engine. Grind and powerviolence bands have a knack for for choosing incredibly succinct titles (Wormrot’s “Abuse” and Weekend Nachos “Unforgiveable” come to mind). “Hurt” will leave you feeling just that. Each of these songs feels like a physical assault, and it’s almost impossible to sit still while listening to it. While most of the songs are incredibly fast paced, the band brings the sludge for a bit on “Most Few” when the grindcore pace gives way to a doomed-out dirge, back to grind all while keeping the length under two minutes. “Homesick” is another song that brings the doom, and you think this will be the record’s slowest jam, when the blast comes out of left field and destroys your ear drums all over again. Press releases will all mention that the band includes members of Trash Talk and Touche Amore, but DNF is an entitey unto itself. Hurt sounds nothing like either of the other bands that the members are a part of. Don’t sleep on this band, order Hurt here and catch the band live whenever you can. Stream “Homesick” and check out some live photos of DNF after the jump!
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This mix tape is a collection of songs relating to the ambient and experimental genres as well as black metal and doom. These are all songs that I have immensely enjoyed over the past few years while drawing, studying, or staring out bus windows. All of these songs take me to a different place in my mind, and there are specific memories and emotions attached to each one. I hope you all enjoy it.

Stream The Bottomless Night

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Zola Jesus wasn’t judged by a celebrity panel on a reality tv show. Her powerful and operatic vocals are not what flavor of the week hit radio singles are made of. For these reasons, a lot of people in the United States will never know the musical excellence that is Zola Jesus. But how success is measured depends on the individual. Zola Jesus is building a fanbase that will stick with her throughout her career, fans like filmmaker David Lynch. In a relatively short amount of time, she has gone from playing small clubs to larger venues and theaters. On March 1, 2012 she played one San Francisco’s finest venues: The Great American Music Hall. Last time I saw her, she had a live drummer with her that brought a new energy to her songs. On this run, she brought with her a live violinist which helped bring a human touch to music otherwise made up of computerized and electronic sounds. Her set consisted of her new album Conatus in its entirety along with older songs like “Night,” “Stridulum,” “Sea Talk,” and “Poor Animal.” The highlight of the evening was when Zola came out to play the first encore, the song “Skin” with her on keyboard and vocals accompanied by violin. There is an energy and honesty to her performances that are nothing short of captivating. Throughout the course of four songs I captured these images. But the only real way to know what Zola Jesus is like live you need to experience it firsthand. See a full color gallery of Zola Jesus after the jump!

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US Black Metal has become it’s own separate entity from its Scandanavian forefathers. Young bands across the country have cross pollinated genres and injected unique flavors into the genre, expanding upon the potential first realized in those early bands. Oshkosh record label Gilead Media has already worked with some of the most prominent names in USBM including Fell Voices, Ash Borer and more recently Barghest and False. Now the label is set to release “I Am Legion,” a new 12″ record from Brooklyn’s Mutilation Rites. This scathing black metal band has already been winning people over with an excellent demo and a furious live show. So far the band has released a tape and a split record with fellow NYC band Batillus. Now they return with the aural and visual feast that is “I Am Legion.”

The sound of Mutilation Rites is intense. Their delivery and execution is powerful. pummeling black metal melds with thrash and solid groove. The vocals on this record more than match the ferocity of the music, burning a path through the blasting drums and shredding guitar as is displayed on opener “Cloaca Maxima.” The song effortlessly switches from breakneck speed to infectious head-bobbing groove.

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“I Am Legion” is given an impeccable visual representation by renowned illustrator Reuben Sawyer of Rainbath Visual. The cover is his darkest creation yet as the artist fully delved into the dark side when conjuring visuals for the record while keeping his trademarked detail heavy atmospheric style. The record will contain three songs running 17 minutes on the A side with an etching on the B Side. This record will surely be a worthy addition to any collection, as well as a great jumping off point for anyone starting to get into the genre.
Mutilation Rites will be appearing at Gilead Fest alongside Ash Borer, Fell Voices, False, Thou, Loss and many more. More info and tickets here.

I think they’re called Ghost because not everyone believes in them. Over the past year these shrouded Swedes have skyrocketed to the top of the Heavy Metal world, lighting up message boards and being the topic of many a heated debate. Ghost just seem to be one of those bands that people either love or hate. There are plenty of reasons on either side. People seem to dislike them for their attempt at total personal anonymity, their costumes, the catchiness of their songs or the retro quality to them, and some people don’t believe they deserve all the press that they’ve received. I like Ghost because they are pure entertainment. I saw Ghost play at Bottom Of The Hill in San Francisco as part of their ’13 dates of Doom’ US tour. Bottom of the Hill is a relatively small club and, from what I understand, sold out quickly. I can almost guarantee that this short US tour will be the first and only chance anyone will have to see this band in such an intimate setting again. Having already made huge appearances at Roadburn and Maryland Deathfest and an arena sized tour with Opeth and Mastodon on the horizon you can forget about catching this band at your local club.
More words and a full live gallery of Ghost after the jump.

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One of the heavy metal connoisseur’s greatest fears is that their their favorite underground band will get big. There is a fear that the band will no longer be their own special love, and the band will be spread across the world for squares everywhere to enjoy. Wolves In The Throne Room quickly catapulted into mainstream success, and because of this, many fans are still bitter. Even I had my reservations as I stood in the midst of the sold out crowd at Slim’s as I waited for Wolves to come on. When you’re a big band you get the big band crowd. Drunken weirdos and teenage message board lurkers surrounded me as we all waited in collected anticipation. Read the full review/see a full gallery of WITTR after the jump!

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Earth have made good on their promise of a second installment for their Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light album. The Seattle based group led by guitarist/founder Dylan Carlson released the first installment last year, and it was somewhat of a departure for the band. Carlson said he was influenced by British folk for these albums. The keyboards of Steve Moore were traded in for Lori Goldston’s cello. The songs on Angels feel far less desolate than anything found on Earth’s past two albums. Those prior compositions were dense, and filled almost with a sense of dread, as if you were lost in the desert with no water. The songs on Angels are more sparse. The instruments have room to breathe. The guitars have taken on a more clean tone, and are at times even blissful. The overall presentation of these two albums also marks a change. In the past, Earth have employed the artwork skills of Stephen O’Malley, Seldon Hunt and Arik Roper. The Angels are given a unique and colorful visual identity by artist Stacey Rozich.
The opening track “Sigil Of Brass” is a breath of fresh air. At three and a half minutes long, it’s like a nanosecond in Earth time. The song brings to mind rolling green hills and lush pastures rather than tumbleweeds and circling vultures. Goldston’s cello saws in between plucked electric guitar. Drummer Adrienne Davies is Earth’s anchor. Her steady drumming and impeccable timing holds Earth’s lengthy and repetitive songs together. It’s interesting that her percussion doesn’t make an appearance on the album until the third song, “Waltz (A Multiplicity of Doors).” The first 12 and a half minutes of this album are absent of drums, so when they finally kick in they hit hard. Goldston’s cello takes on another form in this song. You can hear the tension of the strings as her bow grinds along them. The cello goes from being an almost frantic buzz to carrying the main melody of a particular part.
The highlight of the album is the second shortest song at 8 minutes, the bass-driven “The Corascene Dog.” Karl Blau’s bass is right up front thudding away providing a solid foundation for an hauntingly beautiful guitar melody to sit atop while the cello glides mournfully in and out.
For fans of the first installment of Angels, this album goes even further with the improvised, spacious compositions. You can look forward to buying this album on Valentines this year on Southern Lord.