Signed Gig Poster for Boris at Spanish Moon Baton Rouge, LA July 30th 2010

Thou - Tyrant

There aren't many bands that can claim a "Magnum Opus" by their first full-length LP.

And there would be serious denial on the part of Thou (I'm sure of it) towards any claim of such being accomplished by the band itself. However, in the eyes of this humble enthusiast of all that is heavy, I must stay steadfast in my claims that A) Thou is probably the most underrated 'heavy' act we have today, as well as B) that the Tyrant LP is evident of such infantile (I use this word in a non-critical, but objective way) prodigy.

The opening title-track is most definitely an opening track. And deserving of bearing the mark of the flagship in namesake. We begin with some feedback, which, by my standards and preferences...is a clear indicator that if you're going for boldness and dramatic flair to set up your fashions of the thunderous and apocalyptic sorrows, then you're most certainly making the right decisions: more so, you're on the right wavelength of evoking and absorbing serious tantric, musical emotion. The rawness of the vocals, most similar to those of black-metal stylings, provide a rough texture of frustration, yet not childish frustration of not getting what you want, but more of an authoritative disappointment at who you once considered your peers only now merely subjects of the plight of the world. When the melody begins to submit to pulses of pretty harmonics and the drums slide into a set of modest strikes, the more "human" voices begin to echo in the distance in sublime retort...only to have it all come crawling back, gnashing it's jaws.

Early Thou is present in this LP in the form of re-recorded demo tracks that were too good to leave off of future releases. With A Cold, Life Extinguishing Elegance seems to have added the word "Cold" to it's title from the original '07 demo, and appropriately so. The album version still retains the chilling effect of that "infamous" intro...only the overall environment of the song has a far more effective presence in this vein of production. The track now sits poised in the centrifugal point of the hurricane and, this time, we can see a set of ideas in full bloom thanks to what precedes and what follows.

I highly encourage the repeated listening of this record. At high volumes and at moments of high emotional acceptance (whether this be in a state of blissful empowerment or perhaps a deep canal of sadness, it's all appropriate), this music is liberating in it's portrait of modern America (and at times, modern religious fanaticism). You'll feel more aware at once, immediately satisfied...

and ultimately complete.


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Images From "Paradise Lost" by William Blake

In honor of my first attempts at reading this most cherished of Classic Literature, I am posting some of the most beautiful artwork ever transcribed from fiction.

Enjoy!

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Boris - Demo Vol. 3 (1994)

Ladies and gentleman, BEHOLD!

The earliest Boris release that I've found online to date. There exists a Vol. 1 according to the Encyclopedia Metallum, however...it is quite impossible to find some digital copy of this release. One would assume even members of Boris would have trouble locating a hard copy.

But alas, this earliest of earlys is here for your listening pleasure (with minimal blips and audio abnormalites, but what can you do...). What incantation of Boris you are about to encounter is much like what you would hear on the Barebones and Tomsk splits. More centered around the doom aspects of the band with the original four-member lineup including Wata, not Takeshi on vocals but Atsuo and the now-former member known as Nagata on drums.

The songs, I believe, are fine examples of the beginnings of this completely unpredictable band. I reference the said splits, however these songs can be distinguished completely from those performances as much as much as could be compared. Experimental and raw, you could find amusement at the strenuously manic vocals (imagine the earliest Darwinian incantation of Atsuo's signature "WOOOO'S"), or even miss the static wails of later-Wata's screaming solos, but here is a different band evident not by missing elements of other notable releases, but portrayals of other nuances filling the spaces in the air.

Deep, heavy and darker Boris. You know it's gotta be good.

Beats Antique Gig Poster

Gotta love the Gypsies.

Thou - Baton Rouge, You Have Much To Answer For

I discovered this band's music about a week and a half ago. Needless to say, I don't have much to elaborate on here...though I really wish I did. It's not that there isn't some real substance to this EP (or any of their amazing catalog); it's not that there isn't depth and maturity to the lyrics; it's definitely not that the songs aren't masterfully executed and intelligently planned out (though at times they still feel like an authentic jam-band); and it's certainly not that this isn't heavy in the vein of Ramesses or Electric Wizard or whatever your favorite distortion-abusing ensemble brings to the table...

What brings me to this place where I completely lack the necessary vocabulary to illustrate what Thou is capable of lies at the heart of the first moments of the first track on Baton Rouge, You Have Much To Answer For: they don't let you get too far into your own head-space before incinerating every thought from your bullshit box. Upon repeated listens, I still have trouble pinning some moments down to just one emotion or expression. It's really that deep; and there will be times too where your eyes roll in the back of your head like getting fellatio from the seven tongues of God - it's really that powerful.

I chose to share this particular release over others mainly because of the variety offered here. The first song is a tour de force - starting with a slam and scream; by the third track, you're hearing drone-infused doom choruses flowing into an infinite jello-ocean of sound arriving at segments of 'evolving consciousness' banter as the beast bleeds out . It's no surprise the band offers most of it's music for free right on their own homepage; once you reach beyond this single release, you'll find every song that follows worthy of your time and consideration. Here's to new beginnings and never-endings.

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"Kurtz (from Heart Of Darkness)" - 2003 by Water Porch

Wolves In The Throne Room - Cascadian Tour 2010 Promo Poster

This is a promotional poster for an upcoming American stint on the latest Wolves In The Throne Room tour. It's a pretty sweet-looking poster so I thought I'd post it here. Enjoy!