Hydra Head Records: 03/01/2009

Khanate: Clean Hands Go Foul
"So after years of smashing the shit out of everything, Khanate broke up in 2006. They ruled and they were very different from bands that were around when they were, and they really came correct with the dark plague of sounds that defined them as the unpredictable doom supergroup that they were. These dudes for real are the lords of creepy sound [I reviewed them last year with their self-titled LP] and without question they really came through on this one with some different shit. The whole thing is that a bit before they split in 2006, they recorded this record. I feel like it deafens whatever anticipation has surrounded it an appropriate way. It is cool 'lost record,' it wraps up their chronology in a way that adds to their story. This album goes lots of places and completely satisfies Khatates whole aesthetic- it is frustrated, it is tense, and it is wicked, but this time what it does not do is rip. It does not melt your head off and flood your apartment with black ooze or whatever like their previous records. Instead the anti-climatic way that the four songs on here toss and turn through their restless, ambient creepy shadow sounds leave me with a tired and confused aftertaste, which I can appreciate. Because they totally wrecked through the records that came out while they were still a band and thus created the whole allure of their whole experience and shit, this new joint spurred a quality dialogue at home base during the listening ceremony that raised some interesting points about these dudes."- read the rest on The Articles

Kayo Dot: Blue Lambency Downward

"Kayo Dot’s Blue Lambency Downward isn’t really a collection of songs insomuch as it is a single composition. Sure, the music is divided into tracks (I prefer to suggest they’ve divided the music into movements), but the overall sense of this 2008 recording from the masters of experimental psychedelic metal is that it demands to be heard as one inclusive work.

To say that Kayo Dot bridges the gaps between genres is quite accurate, as defining one tangible sound to slip the Boston band into is a awkward proposition at best and a fruitless operation at least. Hell, when their 2003 debut record is released on John Zorn’s label, you know there’s going to be trouble at the henhouse when it comes to traditional genre placements."- read the rest from Blog Critics

DeadBands just put up a nice retrospective sort of thing on Botch....check it:

"It is very rare for a band to have such an impact on rock music that they end up inventing a new sub-genre. Creativity and ingenuity are hard qualities to come by in an art that has been so historically defined by plagiarism. Tacoma, Washington's Botch single-handedly created and perfected the "mathcore" genre. The band seemed perfectly in synch with each other on their 2 LPs and countless EPs, but their 2002 breakup revealed that each member had the capability to develop their own unique sound, without drawing any direct comparison to Botch.

Botch formed in 1993, when guitarist Dave Knudson and drummer Tim Latona were still in high school. Early on, they spent most of their time attempting to play Helmet covers in their newly-discovered drop-D tuning. These two chose the name by simply opening a dictionary. Bassist Brian Cook and vocalist Dave Verellen soon joined the band, and they played their first show in Verellen's garage on Halloween of 1993. They released a demo tape in 1994 (of which all of the members are embarrassed), and eventually did a mini-tour of Canada, with Verellen's father as tour manager/chaperone.

The band finally got a break when they went on tour with Ink and Dagger and nineironspitfire in 1997. That same year, they played a show in Buffalo, NY with Snapcase for over 1,000 people, which was by far the biggest live exposure that they had recieved. Around this time, they were approached by Hydra Head CEO and ISIS vocalist, Aaron Turner, to contribute a cover of Black Sabbath's "The Wizard" for a 7" series. The band ended up sending him an entire album's worth of songs, and Turner decided to sign them to Hydra Head. They re-recorded these songs with Matt Bayles (ISIS, Mastodon) in Pearl Jam guitarist Stone Gossard's studio in 1998. The resulting product was American Nervoso. While very rough around the edges, this album re-invented hardcore, neglecting the typical "chugga-chugga" riffs for mercurial guitar shredding, and completely abandoning the tough-guy mentality.

After the release of their first full-length, Botch toured relentlessly and released several split EPs with nineironspitfire, the Murder City Devils, Cave In, and Knut. However, it was not until 2000 that they truly perfected the "mathcore" sound, with the release of We Are The Romans. This album still stands as the pinnacle of the genre, and has been emulated by literally hundreds of bands today. Latona's odd time signatures are matched perfectly by Knudson's unprecedented guitar riffs, while Verellen's vicious bark continually increases the ferocity of their songs. This album was beloved in the underground hardcore/metal scene, but went mostly unnoticed in the big picture..." read the rest of the article here.

And if after reading this article you're feeling a need to replace that American Nervoso Reissue, the one you lent your ratty ex-girlfriend and never saw again, visit the Hydra Head shop.

From HeadBangersBlog.com, Like Tool, Neurosis and Pelican, Boston-bred post-metal band Isis creates sprawling, droning metal that’s both brutal in impact and transcendent in delivery. Whether performed with screamed or softly sung vocals, dense or spacious guitars, storming beats or featherlight cymbal strokes, the songs spiral, twist and dive in both narrative and instrumental story arcs, unraveling like epic poems or multi-layered film soundtracks.

Isis songs aren’t constructed with traditional verses or choruses and they’re not willfully oblique, instead blossoming like computer fractals into something beautiful and mysterious. Only, they’re not randomly generated — not at all. Each swelling crescendo, every billowing cluster of tones is carefully examined, analyzed and assembled to be as emotional and revelatory as possible. Sometimes they tumble in jagged, rhythmically complex shards, other times they drift in sparse, simple waves, yet however they reveal themselves, they do so with purpose and passion. (Click “more” to hear our podcast interview with Isis frontman Aaron Turner.)

Isis’ seventh album since 1999, Wavering Radiant (our May 5), is paradoxically unsettling and embracing. The songs are some of the band’s most progressive and structurally demanding to date, yet they’re easy to slip inside and become lost in. And unlike 2006’s In The Absence of Truth which sometimes seemed overly studied, the new batch of tunes — although crafted over a longer, more work-intensive period of time — somehow sounds freer and more spontaneous.

HeadbangersBlog.com recently hooked up with frontman Aaron Turner to talk about the creation of Wavering Radiant, why he won’t discuss his lyrics, recent challenges and obstacles in his life and the influence of drugs — or lack thereof — on good psychedelia. Turner also addressed his kinship with Tool and Neurosis, his experimental music label Hydra Head and the benefits and drawbacks of music filesharing.

HBBPodcastIsis.mp3 - Isis

Click here for a direct MP3 download of the Isis podcast.
Click here to subscribe to the HeadbangersBlog.com Podcast Series (iTunes).
Click here to subscribe to the HeadbangersBlog.com Podcast Series (RSS).

"You recorded some new material for the upcoming 12" for Hydra Head. Is there any material that didnt make it on to the 12" or Meanderthal that you are working on for the next release? When can we expect a new record?

The two extra tracks on the 12" EP were written and recorded in a few days last September before we went back on tour. We did a few covers too, but decided not to release 'em. We discovered playing other peoples songs aren't our thing. We prefer the original to any covers we attempt to do. haha. We're currently writing material for the next LP, which will be out sometime next year.

What were the circumstances behind Juan Montoya's departure? Amicable? Creative differences?

It was personal and professional between Juan and the other members of the band. So, unless you're in the band or touring with us, most people wouldn't understand. Our relationship with him was unhealthy, so we let him go. Juan's a talented and lovable guy otherwise, so we hope he finds a band that's more on his page." Read the full interview here

Check out Torche on these dates and also pick a copy of Healer/Across the Shields at the Hydra Head Shop. Pre-order is up now.

2/28 Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade (Atlanta Metal Festival) w/ Harvey Milk
4/3 Portland, Oregon @ Hawthorne Theater w/DREDG, MAPS & ATLASES
4/ 4 Bellingham, Washington @ Nightlight w/DREDG, MAPS & ATLASES
4/ 5 Seattle, Washington @ Neumo’s w/DREDG, MAPS & ATLASES
4/ 7 Salt Lake City, Utah @ Avalon Theater w/DREDG, MAPS & ATLASES
4/8 Denver, Colorado The Marquis Theater w/DREDG, MAPS & ATLASES
4/10 Minneapolis, Minnesota @ Varsity Theater w/DREDG, MAPS & ATLASES
4/11 Des Moines, Iowa @ Vaudville Mews w/DREDG, MAPS & ATLASES
4/12 Chicago, Illinois@ Empty Bottle w/DREDG, MAPS & ATLASES
4/13 Pontiac, Michigan @ Eagle Theater w/DREDG, MAPS & ATLASES
4/15 Boston, Massachusetts @ Middle East Downstairs w/DREDG, MAPS & ATLASES
4/16 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania @Theater of Living Arts w/DREDG, MAPS & ATLASES
4/17 Lancaster, Pennsylvania @ Chameleon Club w/DREDG, MAPS & ATLASES
4/18 Baltimore, Maryland@ Sonar w/DREDG, MAPS & ATLASES
4/19 New York, New York @ Highline Ballroom w/DREDG, MAPS & ATLASES
4/21 Raleigh, North Carolina @ The Brewery w/DREDG, MAPS & ATLASES

Xasthur hasn't done interviews for a while now, but we just came across this one today and figured we'd post it for ya'll.

Xasthur's new full length "All Reflections Drained" will be available through us next week on Cassette and 2xLP.

"Xasthur's reclusive and asocial Malefic gave us a few moments of time to ask some esoterica and rewarded his listeners with the following interview, in which he gives some analysis of the interconnectivity of thoughts inside and outside of the black metal "scene."

when you first started xasthur, what factor of the project made you most uncomfortable?

Hmmm, that's a real good question. There were two times when I 'first started Xasthur', the first time was a failure...constant losers,liars,trendies for bandmates; I was very upset. I felt that nobody believed in how serious I was in bringing forth a horrifing aura of blackness. The second time was just the same, but on the other hand better. I had totally given up on people, I admit I was uncomfortable when I decided to get a drum machine and do it all on my own, I didn't know if it was possible,and still alot of poser fuckers didn't believe in me, they thought their party heavy metal parking lot bands were more meaningful..well,the good news is that I'm planning on, and will have the last laugh!!! Another factor was the vocals, I had never done that before, but I knew that I would have to force myself to...it was never in my plans, but as a one person band, it had to be; other than that, everythng fell into place and I learned how to overcome certian difficulties such as drum programming, vocals, humans etc...

had you been in any bands or musical apparati before xasthur?

Yes, a couple death metal bands, back in 94-95 here in So.Cal..didn't really work out. There was always some differences, they wanted to be unoriginal, and at the time I thought it would have been quite possible to mix death metal with darkness and doom. I can't really get along with anyone in a band-like environment.

at the time, what bands inspired and/or motivated you? writers? visual artists? movies?

Mütiilation and the black legions, Burzum, Graveland (Thousand Swords), Manes, Shining, Forgotten Woods, Funeral Winds and too many to mention. Hmmm, I don't watch movies much...my favorite movie is Carrie (the old one from the 70s) as far as Visual Artists are concerned, whoever made the Aphex Twin video, what a perfect vision of the remains of an apocalypse, I always have that video in my head...but like I said ,I don't watch TV really...

where were you when you first thought the project had longterm potential for you?

In my house, as usual...looking out my window and there was nothing there, When I was finishing a song and it actually disturbed me. That was like looking into a mirror and not liking what I saw....when it refected a nightmare, I thought it had some potential...but for what?"
- Read the full interview byMartin Heidegger, Being and Time

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