Some very interesting news just arrived from our pal Mick Barr... Ocrilim is releasing a CD trilogy of entirely new material! And the only way to get your hands on this thing is from the man himself! Below are the details from Ocrilim's Myspace Page:

Our man from Ocrilim, Mick Barr, has just been named one of the 50 fastest guitar players of all time according to the new issue of Guitar World. Here's what they had to say about him in case you can't read the tiny type in the jpeg above:

"He may look like some geek from a Tolkien fest who has an unhealthy obsession with Gollum, but precious few players can match Mick Barr's intensity and speed, which has reportedly been clocked at up to 24 notes per second. The music the Barr records under pseudonyms Octis, Ocrilim, and Orthrelm is challenging."

No shit.

Mick was listed between Trey Azagthoth (Morbid Angel) and some guy named Michael Angelo Batio, which is pretty sweet. Congrats Mick! Ocrilim will be hittin' the road soon so catch him if you can - he's lightnin' fast!

CLICK HERE to pre-order

For this pre-order we've made up a batch of 50, and only 50, Ocrilim coffee mugs. These flagons of darkness will hold 11oz of your favorite beverage. Bonus features include a handle. For real, though, there are only 50 and it's an Ocrilim mug, you can't beat that. The mugs will be available during the entirety of this pre-order, or until they sell out. If there are any left over after the dust settles we'll put them up by themselves in the new Hydra Head Shop "Housewares" category.

There’s a man that goes by the name Mick Barr - he's a man of many talents and many masks, and a master of them all. Mr. Barr has performed in a number of groups, as well as a solo artist under such banners as Orthrelm, Octis, Crom Tech, The Flying Luttenbachers, Zach Hill & Mick Barr, and most pertinently Ocrilim. The Wikipedia entry on Mr. Barr marks him as an "american avant-garde metal guitarist", and while this may not be entirely accurate, it's probably as close as anyone will come to paraphrasing the genre defying compositions made by Barr and his occasional collaborators. It can be said without hesitation that the content of "Annwn" (comprised entirely of pieces for multiple electric guitars), is his crowning achievement, and a considerable achievement in the larger scope of modern music. Though Mr. Barr may be in some way categorized as a metal guitarist, this album has as much to do with modern classical composition as it does with anything associated with the term "heavy metal". Daunting as that may sound to some, "Annwn" is an album that will appeal to anyone with ears and a true sense of musical adventure.

Track Listing (listen to Ocrilim at http://www.myspace.com/ocrilim):

1. Part 1 (13:05)
2. Part 2 (15:22)
3. Part 3 (8:59)
4. Part 4 (10:18)
5. Part 5 (13:05)
6. Part 6 (11:25)
7. Part 7 (7:23)

some of you might imagine us whiling away the hours over here, stuffing our faces with sweet treats, inhaling copious amounts of drugs, laughing at your demo submissions, and rolling around in piles of cash, and while you might be right about most of that stuff (except for the piles of cash part), we do perform other duties from time to time. one of the more important functions we serve is bringing to your attention music of all forms, styles, and origins, but always of the highest caliber. and so it is with hearts bursting with mirth and generosity that we announce to you our latest alliance, and 'tis a mighty one at that....

....many of you may have heard of a man known as mick barr - he's a man many of many talents and many masks, and a master of them all. over the years mr. barr has performed in groups and as a solo artist under such banners as orthrelm, octis, ocrilim, crom tech, the flying luttenbachers, and zach hill & mick barr to name but a few. in these various guises he has released records with labels such as ipecac, troubleman unlimited, 5RC, tzadik, gravity, and a host of others. his wikipedia entry marks him as an "american avant-garde metal guitarist", and while this may not be entirely accurate, it covers most of the bases. it may seem strange that hydra head and mick have never before teamed up for an official release (aside from an orthrelm contribution to the "where is my robotic boot" vol. I compilation), especially considering the mutual territory of interest shared by both entities, but as we like to say (often in response to a question about a long delayed vinyl version of something or other), better late than never.

with that said we'd like to make this union official by commemorating it here and now, before your very eyes. though we have long admired the work of this kindly and talented individual, and though many of you might accuse us of being biased in our opinions, we can safely say without hesitation that the content of the ocrilim album entitled "annwn" (which has been designated for release on HHR inc©), that this is his crowning achievement, and considerable achievement in the larger realm of music. you may scoff and mutter something about our hyperbole in reference to this piece, but once you hear this monstrous work you won't be able to help but agreeing. though mick may be in some way considered a metal guitarist, this album has as much to modern classical composition as it does with anything associated with the term "heavy metal". don't let that scare ya' though, this is something that will appeal to anyone with ears and a true sense of musical adventure. the album is now complete and we shall announce an exact release date shortly...

...and while we're on the topic, ocrilim isn't the only surprise in store for 2008 - stay tuned for further transmissions....