Hydra Head Records: 04/01/2009

Week after week Aquarius Records pump out newsletters like Sears, Roebuck once did catalogs...and just as those catalogs once did for Christmas wish-lists nationwide, Aquarius now does for record geek want-lists worldwide...which is why, even though they don't seem to like anyone here but Aaron, we still gotta give 'em mad respect. You don't become a tastemaker overnight, instead, in the case of Aquarius anyway, you do it the slowly-but-surely way....year after year and review after review...make that 39 YEARS and, easily, THOUSANDS of reviews. This recent review for Xasthur is one of 'em...there are plenty more reviews where that one came from at www.aquariusrecords.org...once you start browsing you'll have a shopping cart for of shit you never heard of...seriously...

XASTHUR "All Reflections Drained" (Hydra Head) 2lp 21.00
Originally released as a super limited cassette, now available as an equally limited and even more deluxe double lp, housed in an unbelievably swank and ultra thick gatefold jacket, with printed inner sleeves and pressed on super heavy vinyl! WOW.
But packaging aside, FINALLY, a new record from Xasthur, aka Malefic, a one man doom-ed depressive black metal machine, whose last release, Defective Epitaph was a huge hit around these parts, due in no small part to the shift from drum machine to actual drums, no programmed beats, actual kit bashing rhythms courtesy of Malefic himself, and the result was pretty stellar, creating a sound even more raw and murky and lo-fi than past efforts, but no less bleak or introspective or amazing. So now comes All Reflections Drained, soon to come on double lp, and we would assume cd, but for now available only in the very old school, very metal, and very kult kassette format. And it's very much a continuation of Defective Epitaph, from moment one, the sound boomy and reverb drenched, echoey and WAY lo-fi, loping doomy guitars, stumbling midtempo drums, and then WOAH, the sound shifts, and the drums double time it under a layer of thick low end dramatic piano, creating some strange Skepticismy drift, over the relentlessly buzzing blackness below. The mix is REALLY weird, fractured and gloriously fucked up, the sounds shifting and merging into one another, the songs too, woozy and warped and seasick sounding and a bit waltzy, the drum sound super raw and distant and for the most part buried in the mix, minus some flurries of kick drum that practically explode. The guitars are washed out and melancholic, lumbering doomily through hazy clouds of muted buzz and soft focus hiss, lots of creeped out ambience, and dark soundscaping, way less of a focus on vocals, in fact several songs in, and we barely noticed any, minus some far off clean crooning and some rumbled mutterings, the usual blackened harsh rasps seemingly lost in the swirling off kilter mix.
If anything this record is a logical extension of the direction Malefic had been taking the sound of Xasthur, like a Defective Epitaph part two maybe, but somehow quite a bit doomier, and WAY weirder, more spaced out and experimental, with a serious focus on dark brooding non-metal parts, hints of slowcore and drone abound, some parts are downright orchestral, and the sound is definitely even murkier and mysterious than ever, dripping with buzz and tape hiss, blown out low end (that sounds like a tuba or something similar) and thick crumbling distortion, but fear not troo grim hordes, it's still plenty depressive and dolorous, minor key and epic, miserable and moody, gorgeously buzzy and bafflingly brilliant.

Consider it the sonic equivalent of a beautiful case of seasonal affective disorder during a locust invasion ("it's raining murder!"). To create that patented quicksand cocoon, he uses sundry effects and pedals, cello, guitar (classical acoustic and electric) and bass, keyboards, an army of drum machines, and some mics to capture his brilliant howl. - Pitchfork Media

When I close my eyes and listen, I think of a heartbroken demon sitting beside these ashes in hell and really missing his girlfriend. It's like romantic death metal. The aggressiveness of his guitar riffs can be quite brutal. It's not for the faint of heart, but it's really clever. His flow is so authentically black metal; he knows how to make it orchestral and gothic. I don't know all the rules to metal, but he seems to kind of be above them. - Ryan Adams for the NY Times

All Reflections Drained is another step in Xasthur's slowly evolving descent into psychic isolation and misanthropic darkness. All of the usual symphonic contempt is present; bordering on blurred beauty and solitary misery. Recorded in 2007/08, All Reflections Drained marks yet another crucial transition for Xasthur, with the inclusion of guest vocalist M.H., but to say it is the next logical step would be an uneducated statement.

Malefic's musical progression is as reclusive and unsettling as the man himself, and that's a good thing.
* All Reflections Drained marks the first Xasthur release with guest vocalist and ambient afficionado M.H. The CD version includes a second disc of bonus material, tracklist to be released shortly but includes alternate versions, unreleased song and several covers. Though the extra songs should not be confused as supplement to the album proper, they do provide a rare glimpse into the process. The 2xCD is housed in DVD style digipack, with cover art provided by Tim Lehi and photography by Faith Coloccia.

All Reflections Drained Tracklist
1. Dirge Forsaken (5:42)
2. Maze of Oppression (5:16)
3. Achieve Emptiness Part II (4:59)
4. Masquerade of Incisions (15:53)
5. Damage Your Soul (4:53)
6. Inner Sanctum Surveillance (7:03)
7. Obfuscated in Oblivion (5:26)
8. All Reflections Drained (7:58)

Malefic's tortured roar, stacked against the head-hanging guitar melodies here, crescendos to an absurd extreme. Muffled shrieks of the asphyxiated at Pompeii. The hacking deathrattle of a peat-bog mummy. Puzzling, barely audible narration, like an obscene phone call from hell's fifth circle. - Dusted

An oppressive haze of mournful guitars, trudging drum-machine rhythms and super distorted vocals. - Time Out NY

Combining traditional black metal elements with forward thinking progression, Malefic has firmly cemented his place at the forefront of experimental, dark music. - Mouth For War

Los Angeles heavy-hitters Big Business have just kicked off a massive US tour with friends Tweak Bird in support of their blazing new album, Mind The Drift, out May 12th on Hydra Head. In anticipation of the new release, we have made the first single, "The Drift," available to purchase through iTunes as we speak.
* Scroll below for the complete list of tour dates and streaming Mind The Drift commentary direct from the band, and stay tuned for more Big Business news coming soon!

* Click here for "Mind The Drift" streaming audio and commentary straight from the band themselves!
"Mind The Drift" Tracklist
1. Found Art
2. Gold and Final * Download exclusively @ Spin.com!
3. Cats, Mice
4. I Got It Online
5. The Drift
6. The Ayes Have It
7. Cold Lunch
8. Theme From Big Business II

The Drift * digital single / buy it now @ iTunes!

Big Business US Tour w/ Tweak Bird!
Apr 24 2009 Warehouse Live-Studio Houston, Texas
Apr 25 2009 Spanish Moon Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Apr 26 2009 Alabama Music Box Mobile, Alabama
Apr 29 2009 Common Grounds (formerly Covered Dish) Gainesville, Florida
Apr 30 2009 City Limits Delray Beach, Florida
May 1 2009 The Social Orlando, Florida
May 2 2009 Jack Rabbits Jacksonville, Florida
May 3 2009 The Drunken Unicorn Atlanta, Georgia
May 5 2009 Cat's Cradle Carrboro, North Carolina
May 6 2009 The Ottobar Baltimore, Maryland
May 7 2009 Rock & Roll Hotel Washington DC, Washington DC
May 8 2009 The Note Westchester, Pennsylvania
May 9 2009 Union Pool Brooklyn, New York
May 10 2009 Mercury Lounge New York, New York
May 12 2009 Middle East Downstairs Boston, Massachusetts
May 13 2009 Grog Shop Cleaveland, Ohio
May 14 2009 The Basement Columbus, Ohio
May 15 2009 Headliners Music Hall Louisville, Kentucky
May 16 2009 Small's Detroit, Michigan
May 17 2009 The Bottom Lounge Chicago, Illinois
May 18 2009 Triple Rock Social Club Minneapolis, Minnesota
May 20 2009 Larimer Lounge Denver, Colorado
May 21 2009 Bar Deluxe Salt Lake City, Utah
May 22 2009 Neurolux Boise, Idaho
May 23 2009 Dante's Portland, Oregon
May 24 2009 Neumo's Crystal Ball Reading Room Seattle, Washington
May 25 2009 The Big Room Olympia, Washington
May 27 2009 Bottom of the Hill San Francisco, California
May 28 2009 Detroit Bar Costa Mesa, California
Jun 1 2009 Troubadour Los Angeles, California
Jun 2 2009 Casbah San Diego

It's rare that a band truly leads by example, particularly in metal, where stylistic and genre parameters are strictly patrolled. The New York City avant-doom quartet Khanate, though, followed its own path from 2001 to 2006, combining a crushing musical and spiritual heaviness with a mastery of silence that created and sustained suspense without any of metal's usual horror-movie theatricality. - The Village Voice

If your standards of musical beauty are confined to things like melodies, beats, tracks that are less than 10 minutes long and lyrics that aren't about sharp objects and their application to human flesh, bone, and other tissues, KHANATE indeed is ugly. And if the molten-aluminum sheets of feedback and magma waves of minorseventh power chords aren't dark enough for you, KHANATE's poor vocalist shrieks like he's being sacrificed, a centimeter at a time, to some particularly grim, bloodthirsty power. - EQ Magazine

Dubin and company aren't aiming for easiness, but they offer patient listeners the chance to burrow into a seductive cocoon, into a sound as chilling and ominous as a pool of black icebergs. After a healthy brainstorm-- The Cure and Current 93's ouevres included-- I can't think of a three-minute pop song offering a similar effect. - Pitchfork Media

Clean Hands Go Foul represents the final nail in the KHANATE coffin, and a more fitting ending could not have been devised. Having left hordes of imitators in their wake there is and will only ever be one KHANATE.

Below are excerpts from our initial comments to the band after finally hearing the completed mixes: "...I can safely say that it is some of, if not your most interesting material and certainly telepathic in it's cohesion... ...While I've always enjoyed the oppressive nature of past KHANATE output, as well as it's generally forceful approach, the delicacy, restraint, and implied, rather than overt horror and violence inherent in the recording is tremendous... ...I'm a sucker for tragic music as you well know, and this air of tragedy in the tracks is quite a satisfying new element that's been injected into the mix - apparent in the first two tracks especially. It seems the emotional current in past KHANATE recordings really only went from hate to anger to overt violence, but this stuff has almost a resigned and tender sadness to it - really resonates with me in a way that I hadn't expected. The last track is nice too - lots of tension, but no easy cathartic release is given... ...There's a crescendo, but it's short lived and leaves the you feeling more tense rather than relieved. A nice closer for the band as well as the album..."

* Clean Hands Go Foul has been made available on black, gold, and vanilla bean swirl vinyl starting NOW through BlueCollarDistro.com and upon its release, the initial 1000 copies of the CD edition will include the limited DVD release "End: Capture & Release Live DVD"...but more on that later... In the meantime, check out Phil Freeman's amazing Khanate retrospective in New York's Village Voice newspaper.

Clean Hands Go Foul Tracklist
1. WINGS FROM SPINE (6:47) * click to download song excerpt here
2. CLEAN MY HEART (11:05)
3. IN THAT CORNER (9:13)
4. EVERY GOD DAMN THING (32:52)

Each swipe of the guitar, pound of the drum, and pluck of the bass is offered up individually, left to burn slowly as the band plots a sparse course throughout the span of their lengthy tracks to assemble all of these sounds into one massive fist that slowly (but insistently) sets about punching the listener in that gray matter that exists in between the ears. - Dusted

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