For all you underground maniacs here is the Sept/Oct issue of Cryptic Inscriptions:
Interviews with:Recreant,Igorrr and Atrium Carceri
Reviews of: Recreant "Split 7 inch" LP,Igorrr "Nostril" LP,Les Sentiers Conflictus vs Andrew King "1888" Collaboration and E.V.P. "Postmortem Canticles of Necromancy" LP
Enjoy currently working on the Nov/Dec Issue.That's all for now!
Joe and Ashley
Saturday, October 15, 2011
E.V.P. "Postmortem Canticles of Necromancy" LP Review
E.V.P. Postmortem Canticles of Necromancy
The band E.V.P., who originates from Kusel, Germany, can be ranked in the top for me as far as ambient acts with the exception of Atrium Carceri, Beyond Sensory Experience and Collapsar. E.V.P. paints a paranormal soundscape with the mixing of trance esque industrial, neo classical and dark ambient. The opening track “Left Hand of Glory” begins with a trance drone opening followed by neoclassical instrumentation then transitions smoothly into a haunting dark ambient interlude that draws you in. “Flesh Boiling from Bone” gives you the essence of human sacrifice and ritual, while the “Ever Downward Journey” and “Full Moonlight upon Dead” and “Frozen Soil” almost sound like the perfect soundtrack to a horror film particularly the movies Puppet Master and Creep Show. “The Undertow of Styx” is my personal favorite with its neo classical composition that will bring the dead back to life. The haunting Gregorian monk chants on “Consecration De Profundus” add a ritualistic feel to the albums already haunting undertone. I’m actually really anticipating a follow up to this album. I would like to see where EVP will take us next. This one I recommend for the living as well as the dead.
Les Sentiers Conflictus vs Andrew King "1888" Collaboration Review
Les Sentiers Conflictuels and Andrew King 1888
I found out about this release on a blogspot, and when I read that it was a concept album based on the letters of Jack the Ripper I was drawn in. The album, which is the collaboration between France’s Les Sentiers Conflictuels and England’s Andrew King, takes the listener back to when it all happened. The haunting soundscapes courtesy of Les Sentiers Conflictus consist of eerie voices, the sounds of people walking the streets, horses galloping and music playing on the streets. Andrew King who does the vocals on this creates the very un-nerving persona of Jack the Ripper himself with every haunting letter that’s being read on this album. In my opinion the movie “From Hell” was the best visual depiction of this time period and this album is undoubtedly the best audio depiction of this time period. Along with marvelous artwork courtesy of Skyhigh this is definitely one for hardcore fans of dark ambient. In my opinion this is one of the best dark ambient/spoken word pieces I’ve heard this year.
Igorrr "Nostril" LP Review
Igorrr Nostril LP
The third release by France’s Igorrr has once again proved to be a twisted deranged journey into the mind of creator and madman behind the project (Gautier Serre). On Nostril their seems to be more of a mix of death metal influence along with the usual baroque and electronic music that lacked on his second release Moisissure. Long story short even though Moisissure was weird and eccentric Gautier has somehow managed to top that album with this new opus of depraved and insane material, from the opening track “Double Monk” with its weird tripped out ambience to “Tendon” with its trip hop undertones mixed with its intense breakcore/death metal breaks, to “Excessive Funeral” which has an almost cartoon vibe to it, while “Caros” and “Pavor Nocturnus” mixed elements of classical and trip hop. This album has so many twists and turns there’s no way in hell that you’ll be bored listening to this. Along with bizarre artwork as usual this is definitely one to add to your record collection. Long live the depraved and bizarre!
Recreant/Dawn Split LP
Recreant 7 inch LP
Tampa’s Recreant( features former members of noted local punk bands Unholy War, Bum Charge and The Filthy Nomads among others.) is the perfect example of not abandoning your musical roots, but taking it in another twisted crazy direction. The album Musical Core is laden with guitars, bass, drums, vocals and the most out of place instrument a violin? Yet these guys make it work and do a damn good job at it. The bands lyrical themes dabble in the typical social political themes, but the band’s musical influence branches off from crust punk, to old school screamo, to black metal and some elements of classical music. Which makes the release an interesting ride for anyone who wants to listen, this release might be too experimental for some, but for anyone with an open mind I definitely recommend picking this up.
Interview with Simon Heath of Atrium Carceri
Atrium Carceri Interview:
Joe/Cryptic Inscriptions: I like to thank you Simon for taking the time to take part in this interview. Give a brief history of Atrium Carceri, the name bio etc. What made you decide to form the band and are you involved in any other musical projects besides Atrium Carceri?
Simon/Atrium Carceri: Atrium Carceri has from the start just been an outlet for me to express my inner vision and experiences from the start. I am involved in quite numerous acts besides Atrium Carceri, but we are in a point on the timeline where single-mindedness is cherished and so I refrain from guiding anyone to my other projects. Those who are free of mind are free to experience my ups and not just my enlightened downs.
Joe: I noticed that most of your albums were released yearly with the exception of the gap between Kapnobati and Pthail. I noticed you took another almost 2 year gap to release your newest album Reliquaie, was there a particular reason for this? Also why did you choose this title for the record?
Simon: Well CMI was on ice for awhile, but I actually completed a shorter album last year but after much consideration and listening I decided that I would have to release longer or album to fully portray my experiences. When nearing completion I felt that I could either release a double CD with 43 minutes on each CD, or fine-tune the album down to one fully packed CD. I did the latter and Reliquiae now spans 19 tracks. This decision felt the most fair to everyone. I also had to wrap my head around the entire theme of the album quite a bit. The title Reliquiae seemed fitting for an album revolving around the destruction of time, beliefs and the ego.
Joe: Do all of your albums have different concepts or do they all follow each other in one long strange bizarre story?
Simon: Both, they are all part of the same dwindling storyline and each album is set after the previous one in "time" if you will. The earlier albums were more physical and horror like I guess, because the physical senses are the first wall that needs to be razed to reach the next level of awareness and the more we move down the timeline (as do I personally, as this is in much a reflection of own journeys) we come to the acceptance of reality as an illusion and breaking down of the lies that surround us, accepting the true shattered self, being reborn into a higher state and seeing the worlds in a completely different light and so on. If you listen to the albums in order there is this sense of progression of thought, like an unveiling of your own mind. At least for me.
Joe: I love the artwork to all your releases they really coincide with the actual soundscapes being portrayed. Apocalyptic, dark and leaving you with a feeling of loneliness and depression. Do you put the artwork together or does someone else do the art for the albums?
Simon: I put the artwork together, they are as important to me as the music in many ways and there are a lot of hints on to what is going on in the music in the artwork. For example in one booklet there is a depiction of Sumerian statues looking up at a cross, the new replacement symbol of power. "The pupil is now the master"
Joe: What gear have you been using to create your soundscapes? Has the gear usage changed over the years or did you stick to the same basic setup? Are you more into hardware based gear or software based gear or both?
Simon: I have used a wide variety of gear over the years; I think that the hardware-software discussion has been over for years as almost every piece of music nowadays are converted to digital bits in the end. What can be discussed is the emulation of hardware through software, which I think is getting pretty good as of late. But the most important part of gear for me are microphones which I use a lot.
Joe: If you could put your soundscapes in a movie which movie would it be and why?
Simon: My own…
Joe: Has Atrium Carceri ever played live, and if so has it been easy or difficult to recreate the soundscapes live?
Simon: I have played live a long time ago, I did not find the soundscapes that hard to recreate but the setting is just wrong when playing live sets with AC. On stage with spotlights and a crowd drinking beer, that is not how I myself enjoy experiencing music, I prefer a darkened room with no visual interference. I know a lot of my listeners share this kind of escapist tendencies and while other forms of music might be taken lightly, AC is not meant to be. It is meant to be dissolved carefully and whole. My test listeners are forbidden to use most senses except hearing when I do my experimentations and studies.
Joe: What’s the future of Atrium Carceri? Also what do you hope to achieve with the new album, and if you could change something on one of the past releases what would it be?
Simon: Although I have a good perspective on the future, I cannot really know what lurks around the corner but let's say this, I have yet more to tell. I hope to awaken peoples’ minds and greet both the sleepers and the ones already awake in the collective mind. If I could change something on my past releases I guess maybe go back and re-master Seishinbyouin and Cellblock, but then again they are what they are and reflect my experiences in their place in the crooked timeline.
Joe: If Atrium Carceri’s music was a painting what would it look like?
Simon: The imploding big bang.
Joe: Would you describe Atrium Carceri as the ruins of a city with no survivors or would you describe it as wandering the icy cold winter night?
Simon: Definitely a ruined city, the survivors are there though... they just don't know it yet.
Joe: Once again thank you Simon for taking part in the interview. Any last words to the readers about recordings, releases, shows etc?
Simon: Be free brothers and sisters!
Joe/Cryptic Inscriptions: I like to thank you Simon for taking the time to take part in this interview. Give a brief history of Atrium Carceri, the name bio etc. What made you decide to form the band and are you involved in any other musical projects besides Atrium Carceri?
Simon/Atrium Carceri: Atrium Carceri has from the start just been an outlet for me to express my inner vision and experiences from the start. I am involved in quite numerous acts besides Atrium Carceri, but we are in a point on the timeline where single-mindedness is cherished and so I refrain from guiding anyone to my other projects. Those who are free of mind are free to experience my ups and not just my enlightened downs.
Joe: I noticed that most of your albums were released yearly with the exception of the gap between Kapnobati and Pthail. I noticed you took another almost 2 year gap to release your newest album Reliquaie, was there a particular reason for this? Also why did you choose this title for the record?
Simon: Well CMI was on ice for awhile, but I actually completed a shorter album last year but after much consideration and listening I decided that I would have to release longer or album to fully portray my experiences. When nearing completion I felt that I could either release a double CD with 43 minutes on each CD, or fine-tune the album down to one fully packed CD. I did the latter and Reliquiae now spans 19 tracks. This decision felt the most fair to everyone. I also had to wrap my head around the entire theme of the album quite a bit. The title Reliquiae seemed fitting for an album revolving around the destruction of time, beliefs and the ego.
Joe: Do all of your albums have different concepts or do they all follow each other in one long strange bizarre story?
Simon: Both, they are all part of the same dwindling storyline and each album is set after the previous one in "time" if you will. The earlier albums were more physical and horror like I guess, because the physical senses are the first wall that needs to be razed to reach the next level of awareness and the more we move down the timeline (as do I personally, as this is in much a reflection of own journeys) we come to the acceptance of reality as an illusion and breaking down of the lies that surround us, accepting the true shattered self, being reborn into a higher state and seeing the worlds in a completely different light and so on. If you listen to the albums in order there is this sense of progression of thought, like an unveiling of your own mind. At least for me.
Joe: I love the artwork to all your releases they really coincide with the actual soundscapes being portrayed. Apocalyptic, dark and leaving you with a feeling of loneliness and depression. Do you put the artwork together or does someone else do the art for the albums?
Simon: I put the artwork together, they are as important to me as the music in many ways and there are a lot of hints on to what is going on in the music in the artwork. For example in one booklet there is a depiction of Sumerian statues looking up at a cross, the new replacement symbol of power. "The pupil is now the master"
Joe: What gear have you been using to create your soundscapes? Has the gear usage changed over the years or did you stick to the same basic setup? Are you more into hardware based gear or software based gear or both?
Simon: I have used a wide variety of gear over the years; I think that the hardware-software discussion has been over for years as almost every piece of music nowadays are converted to digital bits in the end. What can be discussed is the emulation of hardware through software, which I think is getting pretty good as of late. But the most important part of gear for me are microphones which I use a lot.
Joe: If you could put your soundscapes in a movie which movie would it be and why?
Simon: My own…
Joe: Has Atrium Carceri ever played live, and if so has it been easy or difficult to recreate the soundscapes live?
Simon: I have played live a long time ago, I did not find the soundscapes that hard to recreate but the setting is just wrong when playing live sets with AC. On stage with spotlights and a crowd drinking beer, that is not how I myself enjoy experiencing music, I prefer a darkened room with no visual interference. I know a lot of my listeners share this kind of escapist tendencies and while other forms of music might be taken lightly, AC is not meant to be. It is meant to be dissolved carefully and whole. My test listeners are forbidden to use most senses except hearing when I do my experimentations and studies.
Joe: What’s the future of Atrium Carceri? Also what do you hope to achieve with the new album, and if you could change something on one of the past releases what would it be?
Simon: Although I have a good perspective on the future, I cannot really know what lurks around the corner but let's say this, I have yet more to tell. I hope to awaken peoples’ minds and greet both the sleepers and the ones already awake in the collective mind. If I could change something on my past releases I guess maybe go back and re-master Seishinbyouin and Cellblock, but then again they are what they are and reflect my experiences in their place in the crooked timeline.
Joe: If Atrium Carceri’s music was a painting what would it look like?
Simon: The imploding big bang.
Joe: Would you describe Atrium Carceri as the ruins of a city with no survivors or would you describe it as wandering the icy cold winter night?
Simon: Definitely a ruined city, the survivors are there though... they just don't know it yet.
Joe: Once again thank you Simon for taking part in the interview. Any last words to the readers about recordings, releases, shows etc?
Simon: Be free brothers and sisters!
Interview with the bizarre Igorrr
Igorrr Interview:
Joe/Cryptic Inscriptions: I want to thank you Gautier for taking the time to do this interview. To get things started give a brief history of the monstrosity that is Igorrr?
Gautier/Igorrr: This is a really hard question, can you answer it for me?
Joe: What made you decide to combine genres that were completely different from one another from death metal to trip hop to Baroque style music? Was this always how Igorrr was intended to be?
Gautier:What made me decide to do it? I wanted to hear something that I couldn't find anywhere else, I'm just making the music I want to listen to.
That's a bit selfish, indeed.
From the beginning, Igorrr intended to be the place where I connect different universes. That is a really funny thing for me. It's like a huge party with all of your friends, but really different.
Joe: The one thing that draws me to the band besides the music is the artwork itself. Do you feel that the art really gives a great visual sense of the band itself?
Gautier: Definitely, really often, the visual makes the first impression of the music; it gives an idea about the way of understanding the music.
Imagine a suite of Baroque tracks on a CD with a True Black Metal cover, the point of view of the listener on these tracks will be totally different.
Joe: With every band the goal is to top the next release and I can definitely say you did that with your recent album “Nostril”. Did you feel that to make an album even crazier than the prior release “Moisissure” was going to be a challenge or did it just come to you?
Gautier: In Nostril, I just wanted to get the album which was the closest possible to what I was thinking about music in that time.
It came to me, but it was a really long way, I was making myself sick of my own tracks, forced to listen them over and over again. I was improving the tracks until the moment they sounded "perfect" to my ears. There was no challenge with any other albums, the only challenge was to make the ideas the most precise possible.
Joe: What inspires you as far as Igorrr is concerned; is it music, themes, experiences, life or is Igorrr a bizarre figment of your imagination?
Gautier: I don't know really, I think, the chickens inspire me a lot recently, but i don't know why.
Joe: Would you say Igorrr is more Salvador Dali or Pablo Picasso or a little of both? Explain.
Gautier: I'd rather say that Igorrr is more a mix between Julio Iglesias and Johnny Hallyday, watch carefully their haircut, you'll understand.
Joe: I know you play live with Igorrr, is it hard to recreate these bizarre recordings live, and what do you use in live scenarios?
Gautier: Yes it's quite hard to play it live, there are thousands of instruments everywhere, coming, disappearing, coming back again, and all of this, often at the same time.
As I’m alone on stage, it is impossible to recreate exactly everything, so I'm playing live, like with a puzzle, bringing the right sample in the right moment.
Joe: What’s going on with the other project your involved in called Whourkr? Any new recordings in the works with that band/project?
Gautier: There were some changes recently in Whourk, the singer ( -i snor ) left the band to spend his time on his own project, as the first singer of Whourkr did for Öxxö Xööx some time ago. There is a brand new singer here known as "Mulk" and we are working hard on the new album which hopefully will see the daylight at the beginning of 2012.
Expect mental breaking and pigs, but much worse than everything else.
Joe: Are there any other genres of music that you haven’t touched on with Igorrr that you would like to use on future recordings or have you already touched on everything that you desire as far as Igorrr is concerned?
Gautier: I haven't touched everything I wanted yet, there will be some new explorations, but the main vs. I wanted to express is already existing, the Baroque / Breakcore stuff.
Joe: If you could collaborate with another artist who would it be? How do you think the recording would turn out?
Gautier: It would be Julien Clerc, I love his huge and fat bass drums.
Joe: Are you currently contemplating ideas for the next recording? If so what should we expect from the new recording?
Gautier: Yes, I’m totally into the new Igorrr now and the new Whourkr as well. I think you can expect some taboulé, little, thin sausages and few slices of white cheese.
Joe: Thanks for taking part in this interview. Anything else for the readers concerning recordings, shows/tours etc?
Gautier: Yes of course! …
Joe/Cryptic Inscriptions: I want to thank you Gautier for taking the time to do this interview. To get things started give a brief history of the monstrosity that is Igorrr?
Gautier/Igorrr: This is a really hard question, can you answer it for me?
Joe: What made you decide to combine genres that were completely different from one another from death metal to trip hop to Baroque style music? Was this always how Igorrr was intended to be?
Gautier:What made me decide to do it? I wanted to hear something that I couldn't find anywhere else, I'm just making the music I want to listen to.
That's a bit selfish, indeed.
From the beginning, Igorrr intended to be the place where I connect different universes. That is a really funny thing for me. It's like a huge party with all of your friends, but really different.
Joe: The one thing that draws me to the band besides the music is the artwork itself. Do you feel that the art really gives a great visual sense of the band itself?
Gautier: Definitely, really often, the visual makes the first impression of the music; it gives an idea about the way of understanding the music.
Imagine a suite of Baroque tracks on a CD with a True Black Metal cover, the point of view of the listener on these tracks will be totally different.
Joe: With every band the goal is to top the next release and I can definitely say you did that with your recent album “Nostril”. Did you feel that to make an album even crazier than the prior release “Moisissure” was going to be a challenge or did it just come to you?
Gautier: In Nostril, I just wanted to get the album which was the closest possible to what I was thinking about music in that time.
It came to me, but it was a really long way, I was making myself sick of my own tracks, forced to listen them over and over again. I was improving the tracks until the moment they sounded "perfect" to my ears. There was no challenge with any other albums, the only challenge was to make the ideas the most precise possible.
Joe: What inspires you as far as Igorrr is concerned; is it music, themes, experiences, life or is Igorrr a bizarre figment of your imagination?
Gautier: I don't know really, I think, the chickens inspire me a lot recently, but i don't know why.
Joe: Would you say Igorrr is more Salvador Dali or Pablo Picasso or a little of both? Explain.
Gautier: I'd rather say that Igorrr is more a mix between Julio Iglesias and Johnny Hallyday, watch carefully their haircut, you'll understand.
Joe: I know you play live with Igorrr, is it hard to recreate these bizarre recordings live, and what do you use in live scenarios?
Gautier: Yes it's quite hard to play it live, there are thousands of instruments everywhere, coming, disappearing, coming back again, and all of this, often at the same time.
As I’m alone on stage, it is impossible to recreate exactly everything, so I'm playing live, like with a puzzle, bringing the right sample in the right moment.
Joe: What’s going on with the other project your involved in called Whourkr? Any new recordings in the works with that band/project?
Gautier: There were some changes recently in Whourk, the singer ( -i snor ) left the band to spend his time on his own project, as the first singer of Whourkr did for Öxxö Xööx some time ago. There is a brand new singer here known as "Mulk" and we are working hard on the new album which hopefully will see the daylight at the beginning of 2012.
Expect mental breaking and pigs, but much worse than everything else.
Joe: Are there any other genres of music that you haven’t touched on with Igorrr that you would like to use on future recordings or have you already touched on everything that you desire as far as Igorrr is concerned?
Gautier: I haven't touched everything I wanted yet, there will be some new explorations, but the main vs. I wanted to express is already existing, the Baroque / Breakcore stuff.
Joe: If you could collaborate with another artist who would it be? How do you think the recording would turn out?
Gautier: It would be Julien Clerc, I love his huge and fat bass drums.
Joe: Are you currently contemplating ideas for the next recording? If so what should we expect from the new recording?
Gautier: Yes, I’m totally into the new Igorrr now and the new Whourkr as well. I think you can expect some taboulé, little, thin sausages and few slices of white cheese.
Joe: Thanks for taking part in this interview. Anything else for the readers concerning recordings, shows/tours etc?
Gautier: Yes of course! …
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