OCTOBER! 'Tis the season of the witch and all that dark stuff we all love so much is now on display at your local big box stores, making the occult accessible to the impressionable youth (Marilyn Manson had an accident, I find myself wondering how many fundamentalist christian weirdos think that space jeebus answered their prayers).
It's perhaps appropriate that I recently completed work on Lovecraft's THE CALL OF CTHULHU, coming later this year from CADABRA RECORDS, timed almost simultaneously with the release of the Lovecraft-inspired UNIMAGINED SPACE by SKINCAGE which officially comes out on October 10 (copies of the digipak CD-R are in stock and shipping this week). We've announced preorders for an UNIMAGINED SPACE cassette version, and a bundle which includes the cassette, a copy of the CD-R, as well as a t-shirt featuring art by Josh Yelle (printed by FOREST PASSAGE), and a one-sided picture disc 7inch lathe single, containing an all-new track. These items are in various (early) stages of production, and probably won't be released before the end of this month.
Speaking of CADABRA RECORDS, Jonathan has posted a few previews of the new FUNGI FROM YUGGOTH vinyl editions on Instagram.
Derek Rush has submitted the the final mix for FORCED UTOPIA, a 60 minute cassette on DANVERS STATE RECORDINGS (the label run by Andy Grant of THE VOMIT ARSONIST), which will be released to coincide with the THEOLOGIAN performance at the INTO THE AETHER FESTIVAL in Portland, Maine October 13-14, now with a collaborative set by KINTAAN and THE VOMIT ARSONIST taking the place of recently-defunct ANNIHILVS project LONGPIG (Andy Grant and Josh Yelle will continue as DHIM, and will be playing at the upcoming WHITE MICE reunion show on Halloween).
On October 21, ANNIHILVS presents the AUTUMN ELECTRONIX FESTIVAL at the GARNER ARTS CENTER in Garnerville, New York. Twenty days from now, this fantastic collection of artists will be welcomed to one of the Hudson valley's most important locations for contemporary art.
Digital filmmaker Tom Rotenberg commissioned THEOLOGIAN for a new original score to his short film, Digitally Ascendant, which will be shown as part of IDENTITY 0.0, on November 2, and screened again on November 8 as part of the ENDE TYMES FESTIVAL.
By the way, SICK ROAD by WORMS IN WOMEN AND CATTLE, released by ANNIHILVS in August, is a perfect soundtrack for gathering at a crossroads and summoning those from beyond the veil.
Cassette and Bundle versions of UNIMAGINED SPACE by SKINCAGE are now available for preorder. The bundle includes a cassette edition, a t-shirt featuring artwork by Josh Yelle, a one-sided picture disc 7inch single lathe, containing an all-new track recorded specifically for this release, and a copy of the digipak CD-R.
While copies of the CD-R are in stock, and begin shipping this week, the additional items are in the very early stages of production, and most likely won't be completed before the end of this month.
SKINCAGE is Jon Ray, a purveyor of a unique brand of darkly ambient experimental soundtracks, often employing amplified found objects and handmade electro-acoustic instruments to construct epic pieces of bone-chilling bleakness. Following 2000's AXON, the amazing debut album on MALIGNANT RECORDS' MALIGNANT ANTIBODY imprint, SKINCAGE sank further into obscurity until returning, seven years later, with the brilliant THINGS FALL APART, which was initially self-released and then reissued on Belgian label SPECTRE.
Now SKINCAGE returns, with a release both inspired by and dedicated to the works of H.P. Lovecraft, available in a 4-panel Digipak CD-R edition, with a 4-panel insert.
Gaze through the window into a obscured mirror world, where flying creatures screech and squawk, held at bay only by the frantic sounds emanating from a lonely room in the attic.
Mastered by James Plotkin.
Digipak artwork by André Coelho (SEKTOR 304).
Booklet art by Josh Yelle (KINTAAN)
RELEASED AUGUST 25: APEX2017-03
WORMS IN WOMEN AND CATTLE. SICK ROAD
The band previously known as MASTER OF PUSSY was fronted by Pippi Zornoza (RECTRIX, VVLTVRE, BONEDUST) between 2009 and 2011. Defunct for some time now, they nevertheless made an indelible impression on me during their time, and it has been my hope for years to present an official edition of this material. Included in this release is the original full-length album SICK ROAD, as well as live material recorded at AS220 in Providence, Rhode Island on July 16, 2011, all remastered by John Stillings/STEEL HOOK AUDIO, and new art by Josh Yelle (LONGPIG, KINTAAN, LVMMVX)
Sonically, WORMS IN WOMEN AND CATTLE exist in the uncharted void between doom, sludge, and black metal, featuring a lo-fi and gritty sound brimming with guttural bass, searing guitar, and Zornoza's terrifyingly haggard shrieks.
"The emotional turmoil of Sick Road’s second half is unparalleled – it isn’t so much bleak as it is jubilantly maniacal. Though its whirring guitars and turbid drumming may owe a debt to other US black metal acts, Sick Road hammers away with an irreverence and furor rarely seen in more popular releases. By balancing the album’s extravagant bookends with a series of more focused compositions, Worms in Women and Cattle remains potent even while touching upon the post-metal elements that can drag down similar releases. There’s something about Sick Road that screams “cult classic”... more likely, it will remain one of those fascinating enigmas forever stuck in the purgatory of underground metal."
- Muzik Discovery, 2014
The weekend of October 13 and 14, THEOLOGIAN joins COME TO GRIEF, FALLS OF RAUROS, HAXEN, UNEARTHLY TRANCE, and many others in the lineup for INTO THE AETHER, a festival in Portland, Maine, presented by LAST MERCY EMISSIONS (Jon Morse of NYCTERENT).
On Saturday October 21, ANNIHILVS POWER ELECTRONIX proudly joins forces with the Garner Arts Center for the GARNER ARTS AUTUMN ELECTRONIX FESTIVAL, a specially-curated selection of acts representing many varied facets of electronic music.
We are pleased to announce the full lineup of live acts performing at this event:
VOID VISION - Analog Darkwave
A Philadelphia-based electronic project helmed by Shari Vari, it began around 2009 at a time when a wave of synth-revivalists were materializing, but the quality of the songwriting and intense vocals set the band apart from the pack. In a rare instance, VOID VISION has managed to combine vintage dance elements with melodic structures, haunting melancholy, and lyrics that have a palpable soul. The songs themselves are dynamic, referencing a cross-section of the last 30 years of electronic music, while simultaneously retaining a uniqueness all their own.
SNOWBEASTS - Cold Synthesis
Robert Galbraith (aka Raab Codec) and Elizabeth Virosa (also of PATTERN BEHAVIOR) create haunted synth-experimental electronics, blending ominous cinematic ambience and darkly moving harmonies with intermittent but powerful modular squelches and lumbering beats. With five releases on Component Recordings and two on France's M-tronic Label, they are vital to the burgeoning Providence electronic scene.
BASTET - Ambient Techno BASTET is a Baltimore based dj and producer, and member of the Vague Output label, which hosts monthly events. Her live set, a search for transcendental moments, is hypnotic, coarse-grained, and atmospheric.
ARIADNE - Sacred Electronics
An A/V experimental sacred music duo comprised of Christine L. Papania and Ben Forest. With a focus on interspersing the ritualism of ancient spirituality and the secular iconography of the postmodern, ARIADNE flawlessly bridge the two worlds through their intricate musical compositions, striking digital visuals, and captivating live performances.
COMPACTOR - Rhythm & Noise COMPACTOR is an interconnected set of mostly obsolete machinery that is manipulated by an anonymous figure known as The Worker under orders from a faceless corporation. The sounds of industrialized society are repurposed into a soundtrack to the urban wasteland. Systems administrator Derek Rush also runs the Chthonic Streams label, and both projects have recently been putting a greater emphasis on social, cultural and political messaging.
THE HOLY CIRCLE - Ethereal Pop
A relatively new project formed by professor, writer, visual artist, and synthesis wünderkind Terence Hannum (LOCRIAN), featuring vocalist Erica Burgner-Hannum (UNLUCKY ATLAS/LOCRIAN), and drummer Nathan Jurgenson (SCREEN VINYL IMAGE).
While the phrase, “dark pop” is easily applied here, it doesn’t begin to describe the complexities of THE HOLY CIRCLE’s sound. At times, one feels as though this music could have come straight out of 1983, and at others, the forlorn keyboard strains and heartbreaking chorals are achingly modern. Existing beyond the constraints of designations such as “goth” or “synthwave,” while the sonic palette may be—broadly speaking—downtempo and sombre, THE HOLY CIRCLE defies simplistic genre definitions, projecting a numinous aura of pure light.
Their full-length debut album was released in June 2017 by Annihilvs Power Electronix.
We also proudly present a special guest appearance by ambient guitarist SAM JOHNSON
Annihilvs is an independent underground record label founded by Rockland County native Lee M. Bartow in the Summer of 1997. Specialising in a broad spectrum of obscure forms of music, the label has since expanded to include several artists from around the globe. A great many live events in New York, and beyond, have been organised under the label's aegis, featuring acts reflecting many facets of the international underground music community. In August 2017, the label celebrated its twentieth anniversary.
Special guests _Floor_Funktion_ and Pope Joan II, from Nyack DJ collective {decompress} provide interludes between performances, while Bartow himself will open the event in his DJ incarnation Le Bourreau.
Combined with these live performances, we also present WORLDS WITHIN SHADOWS, an exhibition of visual art curated by Nyack-based photographer, performance artist, and videographer Gretchen Heinel.
The event takes place in the Garner Center's DYEWORKS building, an almost 8,000 square foot space with a towering wood-beamed ceiling.
"GARNER Arts Center is an interdisciplinary arts center that advances the creation and presentation of contemporary, experiential art within a repurposed 19th century textile mill complex. By providing access to a wide range of art forms, the organization strives to enrich, educate and connect diverse audiences. GARNER Arts Center is committed to igniting and realizing artistic ideas that emerge as a response to societal, economic, historic and environmental stimuli."
Advance tickets for the festival will be available via the Garner Center's website for $13.50, discounted from $15 at the door on the day of the show. Doors are at 6pm.
Detail of Alan Brown's art for H.P. Lovecraft's The Call of Cthulhu, coming from CADABRA RECORDS later this year...
THEOLOGIAN provided the score for Digitally Ascendant, a short science fiction film by Tom Rotenberg.
This digital video art piece also features imagery by Jorden Haley/BIRD OV PREY.
The film will be presented on November 2, as part of IDENTITY 0.0, "a collaborative video and sound program exploring the changing meanings of “self” and “individuality.” Digital reality has allowed for enhanced communication, thus the possibility of easier integration, between individuals from cultures near and far. What was foreign is now only a keystroke away. Gender can be manipulated through science and philosophy, just as intentions for good or ill can be disguised easily through a variety of avatars and aliases. Nationalism and religious identities strain to remain powerful and effective versus the strong tides of this evolution of the self. All heading towards a further integration of humans (the terrestrial) and artificial intelligence, aka “The Singularity.”"
The film will then be screened again on November 8, as part of Bob Bellerue's ENDE TYMES FESTIVAL.
The score, created by THEOLOGIAN, mixed and edited by Tom Rotenberg, is available for download at our Bandcamp.
Identity 0.0 is a collaborative video and sound program exploring the changing meanings of “self” and “individuality.” Digital reality has allowed for enhanced communication, thus the possibility of easier integration, between individuals from cultures near and far. What was foreign is now only a keystroke away. Gender can be manipulated through science and philosophy, just as intentions for good or ill can be disguised easily through a variety of avatars and aliases. Nationalism and religious identities strain to remain powerful and effective versus the strong tides of this evolution of the self. All heading towards a further integration of humans (the terrestrial) and artificial intelligence, aka “The Singularity.” Curation & concept by Leo Kuelbs with Aaron Riedel. Featuring new work from: Radka Salcmannova + Alex Hamadey, Sarah Mock + Daniela Imhoff, Thomas D. Rotenberg + Theologian, Sarah Trouche, Naormi Meijia Wang, Mai T. Segura & Harald V. Uccello + Alex Hamadey, Kinga Toth + Normal Gergely, Vadim Schäffler, and Richard Jochum + Xiren Wang Special preview at Fata Morgana in Berlin on 9/13/17. Opening in Brooklyn as part of the Light Year series on 11/2/17.
DANVERS STATE RECORDINGS will release FORCED UTOPIA, featuring eight tracks by THEOLOGIAN, as a 60 minute cassette. Derek Rush mixed and mastered the album, and provided new photos for the artwork. This will be out in time for our appearance at the INTO THE AETHER FESTIVAL.
RELEASED JULY 1: APEX2017-CS01
CASAS. S/T
The fantastic new self-titled cassette release by NYC-based Noise/sludge outfit CASAS was released on July 1 via ANNIHILVS.
Somewhere within the venn diagram of doom/sludge metal, harsh noise, and power electronics, lies CASAS. Uncompromisingly heavy, and shocking as the subject matter which spawned it, CASAS is the tale of white European colonialism, and what it has cost the world.
"...the formation of CASAS, wasn’t an attempt to be an advocate to social justice, or a figurehead in any kind of human rights movement. It is simple empathy in its most natural state. A person disgusted with the darkest evils of mankind that needed to scream out, to release.
I don’t have the answers, but I do know that regardless of what you believe, release is necessary. And that is why CASAS is necessary."
RELEASED JUNE 6: APEX2017-999
THE HOLY CIRCLE. S/T
ANNIHILVS is very pleased to present the debut self-titled full-length by THE HOLY CIRCLE, a relatively new project formed by professor, writer, visual artist, and synthesis wünderkind Terence Hannum (LOCRIAN), featuring vocalist Erica Burgner-Hannum (UNLUCKY ATLAS/LOCRIAN), and drummer Nathan Jurgenson (SCREEN VINYL IMAGE).
The trio have previously released the Polaris one-sided 7inch on Anathemata Editions, which was followed by a limited cassette/digital EP from Accidental Guest Recordings. The forthcoming album was recorded in the summer of 2016 by J. Robbins (JAWBOX, CLUTCH), at Magpie Cage in Baltimore, and is being produced in an initial run of 300 digipak CDs.
While the phrase, “dark pop” is easily applied here, it doesn’t begin to describe the complexities of THE HOLY CIRCLE’s sound. At times, one feels as though this music could have come straight out of 1983, and at others, the forlorn keyboard strains and heartbreaking chorals are achingly modern. Existing beyond the constraints of designations such as “goth” or “synthwave,” while the sonic palette may be—broadly speaking—downtempo and sombre, THE HOLY CIRCLE defies simplistic genre definitions, projecting a numinous aura of pure light.
CLRVYNT calls the album, "a moveable synthgaze feast," while BRAINWASHED says, "The perfect balance of the familiar and the fresh, it is an exceptionally captivating album."
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"The thought had made his breath quick. He had anticipated this moment so keenly, planned with every wit he possessed this rending of the veil. In moments they would be here-the ones Kircher had called the Cenobites, theologians of the Order of the Gash. Summoned from their experiments in the higher reaches of pleasure, to bring their ageless heads into a world of rain and failure."