Review Source:Profane Existence

Label:Inimical

Of course, MISERY needs no introduction, having been prophesizing the end times while blasting our ears for the last 25 years now. 25 years and only three full-lengths. For many bands, after such a huge gap between releases (it’s been 9 years since their somewhat lacklustre splits with TOXIC NARCOTIC and PATH OF DESTRUCTION; 16 years since the now-legendary “Who’s the Fool… The Fool is Silence” LP), the original spark isn’t there anymore, or the band merely splits up. Thankfully, neither of these are the case with MISERY. In fact, it is safe to say that this is the best thing the band has recorded in their entire history, and this seems to be the start of a whole new exciting chapter for the band.

Recorded in their own studio on their own time, this record has been slowly taking shape over the last five years or so. I still remember the day when I was in Minneapolis hanging out and went over to the House of Misery to drink beers and watch the band practice. Before anyone else showed up, Jon played me a couple of tracks they had just recorded a couple days prior – the two earliest tracks recorded for this album. At that point, I knew that this was destined to become a classic record… if it ever came out.

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I’m not even going to write that much, just know that right here and now, you can download a full set of MOTÖRHEAD, recorded live in Vienna, Austria, in 1982. I will say this – if you are a MOTÖRHEAD fan, get this, blast it ultra loud and bang your fucking head!!!

MOTÖRHEAD LIVE IN Vienna, Austria 1982 DOWNLOAD LINK!!!

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Portland’s Aldebaran have had quite the prolific career thus far, in what has been a fairly short amount of time. Having formed in 2004 Aldebaran have consistently produced some of the most intoxicating and downtrodden funeral death doom this side of diSEMBOWELMENT and Asunder, yet they have only released one full length in their time together. Besides the many splits the band have to their name and a lauded EP from last year (Buried Beneath Aeons), Aldebaran now stand on the precipice of a new release. Embracing The Lightless Depths is wondrously majestic and the two twenty five minute plus tracks committed to this record are surrounded by three graceful passages which envelope the album in a sheen of mystical splendour.

Sweet and gently struck notes usher the melancholic dawn of Embracing The Lightless Depths, slowly giving way to distorted and electricity-laden strikes of guitar. “Occultation of Hali’s Gates” hits deeply with an embedded gloom, lacing the record with a knowledge of the deep-seated despair to come. Pouring into “Forever In The Dream Of Death” seamlessly, Aldebaran waste no time in pulling the atmosphere through shades of dusk and misery. Measured and processional beats cut the air, thick with dense and deliberate funereal tones. The almost fathomless vocal hits with crashing precision, striking in the hollows of the soul and each instrumental element is given space to coil and surround with a monolithic power. Moments of calm permeate the twilight offsetting the moving and commanding builds to exaltation. Rolling drum beats pound with an almost militaristic essence before sliding back to make room for husky breaths of doom.

Aldebaran take flashes of peaceful magnificence and counter them with depth and a sensation of hypnotic beauty. Horror lies veiled in echoing caverns of bass and subterranean roars and shadowy whispers. Embracing The Lightless Depths is a journey into the abyssal yawning pits of a vast universe. Aldebaran’s affecting and altogether destructive force is consistently compelling; the extended running time of each track holds natural progression and sublimely concealed chaos bleeds through the snarls of sludge and dirt during “Sentinel Of A Sunless Abyss.” Segueing into the final instrumental piece, “Occultation Of Dim Carcosa,” Embracing The Lightless Depths closes on a droning and soft pulse. Reminiscent of the opening work, the tender breeze of grief works through the tranquility opposing the depressive strength of the two colossal tracks.

In a cosmic sense, Aldebaran is one of the brightest stars in the known sky. Here the aptly named band burns through celestial clouds of devastation and ruin, seizing each lamentable instant and crushing with a potent authority.

Embrace the lightless depths.

Pre-order from Profound Lore Records.

Joe Yanick of Masakari/Little Sister/Trespasser has curated a special mixtape for CVLT Nation entitled From Cleveland With Hate… that gives you the nitty gritty of this city’s rich punk history! Now read what our homie has to say about this audio history lesson he put together to fuck with your head! Respect to Cleveland & Joe, good looking out!

I made this mix not necessarily of my favorite bands but of some of the ones I feel most accurately chronicle Cleveland’s impressive history in punk rock. I couldn’t begin to cover everything but I feel like it’s adequate in introducing you to some bands you love, some bands you may have not even heard of, and some bands that helped shape the sound of punk in America. Cleveland’s never been nice. It’s never been easy, but it has always been great. Love them or Hate them, these are among some of the most important punk bands.

Stream From Cleveland With Hate…

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Photographer: Max Hale

Site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/maxhalephotography/

Based in: Sydney, Australia

These images have been taken through various venues in Australia over the past four years. In that time, I have been drawn to the dark alternative scene and found my roots in local black metal. There are a lot of great bands and, as a photographer, they appeal due to their presence on-stage. My mission has been to connect with these Australian bands’, and some international ones, in a way that presents the reality of their performances.

ONE

Portal, 2010, The Bald Faced Stag, Sydney

I have shot Portal a few times now and they are a treat to shoot because of how they dress and perform on stage. Some people may not think there is much to taking a good gig shot but it is all about the moment. Being so immersed within the music to feel that moment and know when to shoot. This photo was taken when Portal played inSydneyat the start of 2010. The reason I picked this particular photo is the lighting. Given the fact that they were all wearing black robes, I feel it added colour to what was a darkly brilliant performance.

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On the triple real, it’s fucking hard to describe how gnarly the Bay Area’s Negative Standards are. From the very first time I heard them, I was like, these humans must drink we-are-out-to-destroy-all juice for breakfast! The killer news is that they have just released a full-length on Vendetta Records entitled VI-XI, and it’s all that and a bag of crusty chips. Negative Standards are champions when it comes to creating tunes that are thick and extra heavy with power. When I listen to this band, I feel like Popeye after he eats his spinach – my muscles are growing as the baselines move through my bloodstream. Negative Standards’ vocalist has a style that is all of his own, and that’s another reason why they must be recognized as one of the sickest bands in America. The tunes that this band comes up with are fucking unreal, but it’s the hidden black magic under the riffs that is the caustic glue. I can’t forget that these humans are wizards at beating the song down until it becomes a breakdown that you never want to end. Negative Standards will poke you in the eyes with swords of emotion dipped in mayhem. This album is straight classic, and it’s my job to let the world know about this band! Check this out – the band have just started a 2012 U.S./Quebec Tour, peep the tour dates after the jump. Also, stay tuned for a Negative Standards Sonic Cathedrals dropping any day now. VI-XI is streaming below, press play, and crush kill destroy stress!!!

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The fanzine f666 Number 3 Spring 2012 is photo filth in the best sense of the word. All of the flicks are shot by one of our favorite photographers, Suren Karapetyan. What makes this fanzine so awesome is that when you look at the photos, they actually make you feel like you are inside of them. You know for a fact that f666 Number 3 was created by someone who is a part of the scene, not an outsider looking in. This epic zine is on sale HERE now…plus read what Suren has to say about what inspired this issue below and peep some flicks of f666 Number 3 after the jump!

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From the ashes of the 80′s hardcore band Deep Wound arose one of the most influential bands of the late 80′s and 90′s – the mighty Dinosaur Jr. What we have here is extremely rare footage from a 1986 show at UMass, plus it’s professionally shot, so the sound is awesome. I really get a kick out of watching this video, because something about the whole vibe feels pure. J. Mascis and Lou Barlow are really talented humans that created music that still makes me happy to this very day. It’s cool to see where these two went musically after being in hardcore bands – they went a different direction from most of their peers, who went down the thrash metal road. So kick back, puff a joint and let Dinosaur Jr. Live in 1986 be the guide for your THC voyage. Check out this killer footage after the jump!

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CVLT Nation is proud to present our first two limited edition silkscreened poster prints, Death Trip and Hell Awaits, now available in our webstore! Both prints are illustrations by Cub of the Woods, and are a part of our upcoming Solstice summer season, which will be released next week. We printed them at Seattle’s own Broken Press, and Andy handcrafted these beauties on 18″ x 24″ Pegasus Midnight Black heavyweight paper. It is a very limited run of 50 pieces worldwide, and far less than that is available in the CVLT Store. After the jump, check out an up-close gallery of Death Trip and Hell Awaits, and make sure you pick one up for yourself! Also, stay tuned for the Solstice release coming soon…

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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.

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