NEWS UPDATE

HARASSOR - new full-length "Night On My Side: The Bruno Sessions" LP and Cassette editions are in production. This batch of songs was produced and recorded fall 2010 by Bobb Bruno (BEST COAST) in his downtown LA studio, and mastered by Roskva from LIGHTNING SWORDS OF DEATH. LP is limited to 300 copies on black vinyl, cassette limited to 200. Featuring some old songs and a bunch of new ones, this stands to be the best representation of HARASSOR thus far. Meanwhile, we've been busy working on new material for the next release, which we plan to start recording soon. We still have copies of the "Self-Titled" and "Hater of Man" cassettes, although they won't last much longer...

DARGAR - recording is well underway for a planned split with DEMONOLOGISTS (label and format TBD) as well as a new full-length on Rising Beast. The new material is different from the debut release...some of the harsh noise and chaotic elements remain but the sound has greatly evolved and expanded into funeral doom, death metal, shoegaze, post-punk and more...we are eager to reveal more about this exciting project...

MOONKNIGHT - "Ligeia" CD edition is nearly sold-out. Cassette edition just released on Universal Consciousness and is now available. New full-length "Valinor" has been in the works for some time, to be released on Chondritic Sound later this year. Basic tracks are recorded and awaiting vocals and final mix. The new material has more in common with "Toplov" than "Ligeia", with depressive black metal, straight up thrash songs, more shoegaze/post-punk, and even elements of death metal creeping in.

LORD FOUL - we still have copies of the CD and LP editions in stock, as well as t-shirts. Production is underway on the cassette replica version. I've had many people over the years ask about getting an original copy of the cassette demo from 1993. These are very scarce and hard to come by. So I decided to "re-create" the demo exactly as it was done before. Everything is done by hand, from dubbing the cassettes to applying the labels, photocopied covers, and hand-numbering each copy myself. Nothing "professional" about it! This is strictly limited to 50 copies, just for the die-hards! Coming very soon...

http://www.risingbeast.bigcartel.com/

MOONKNIGHT "Ligeia" Cover Art Revealed

Work has been completed on the forthcoming MOONKNIGHT release titled "Ligeia". We can now reveal the cover art and the brilliant dark surrealism of artist William David Pollard. More details to come...

REVIEW: TOXIC HOLOCAUST "Conjure and Command" (Relapse Records)

"Conjure and Command" is the fourth album from Portland, Oregon thrashers TOXIC HOLOCAUST. The release follows 2008's "An Overdose of Death..." and sees the band returning with a new look and a new logo (to the chagrin of some die-hard fans). But what to expect musically? Main man Joel Grind clearly has a love affair with 80's thrash metal, especially the blackened kind, like VENOM, SLAYER, KREATOR, and SODOM. Since 1999, each TOXIC HOLOCAUST release plays like a love letter to those bands, with Joel paying tribute with solid songwriting, chugging riff after chugging riff, and an evil, raspy growl. The band also tours relentlessly, and their DIY blue-collar work ethic has surely aided their ascension to prominence.
However, by their fourth album I admit I was hoping TOXIC HOLOCAUST would venture out creatively a bit more. "Conjure and Command" comes right out of the gate with opening track "Judgement Awaits You", a fast, galloping thrash anthem that could draw comparison to "Reign In Blood"-era SLAYER. From there, the band rips through song after song, varying tempos up occasionally ("Red Winter" and "I Am Disease") all the way through the closing track "Sound the Charge". This is a totally solid album, in fact in my opinion if you liked the last one ("An Overdose of Death...") you'll probably like this one too. It's just that by now I was hoping for a few new ideas here and there, as the band isn't really deviating from what they've established thus far. The other issue I have is the production. Each TOXIC HOLOCAUST album has been an "improvement" over the last in terms of sound quality, but to me this is detrimental to their recordings. For me, a large part of the charm on the debut album "Evil Never Dies" is the raw, evil production and filthy, reverb-effected vocals. It gives the music a dirty edge and a sinister atmosphere that I crave in my metal. I think you can put "Evil Never Dies" next to KREATOR's "Endless Pain" and they sound very close in sound, style, and production. So, to me the polished production takes away from that, with an album that's a little more sterile and a little more "safe".
In closing, this is a solid, well-crafted album of retro-thrash metal, sure to please die hard fans, but in my opinion I'd like to see TOXIC HOLOCAUST start to evolve and take a few risks with their sound, stepping off the beaten path and adding a little something new to the genre. 7.5/10

DARGAR CASSETTE AVAILABLE NOW

DARGAR from Los Angeles is the black metal/noise side project of Pete Majors and James Brown III, who are both members of bloody black metal thrash band HARASSOR. This dissonant, crusty, and atmospheric recording was achieved using unconventional techniques, as the band members never actually performed together on the tracks. Under the ethereal blanket of kittens and candlelight, Pete's vocals and guitars were recorded at Major's Headache studios. James then meticulously cut, pasted and edited the raw recordings into tiny components, which were then re-arranged and looped to accompany newly programmed drum tracks. The results are dense, filthy and chaotic metal songs, with discordant moments of beautiful sorrow, and Pete's evil, unnatural vocals tying it all together.

This cassette was released on James's sub-label Rising Beast Recordings, in a limited edition of 100 copies. Order here:

www.risingbeast.bigcartel.com/product/dargar-self-titled-debut-cassette

LORD FOUL SHIRTS ARE HERE

UNTIL THE LIGHT TAKES US DVD/BLU-RAY REVIEW by ROACH [[[HORUS]]] JAMES

Until the Light Takes Us is a feature-length documentary from filmmakers Aaron Aites and Audrey Ewell. The film was assembled from footage shot over a two-year period in which the filmmakers lived and hung out in Norway, the “birthplace” of black metal. The infamous history surrounding the genre is covered in detail through interviews conducted with guys like Fenriz from DARKTHRONE, Abbath and Demonaz from IMMORTAL, Frost from SATYRICON, Varg from BURZUM (interviewed from prison) and Hellhammer from MAYHEM. For people unfamiliar with the Norwegian scene and the major players, the documentary might seem to be lacking in key details, as well as unfocused and vague as far its true intention and purpose. At the same time, for fans and people who have followed the genre’s past, many of the stories and information will be redundant, from the rise of MAYHEM and visionary member Euronymous, who opened the first black metal record store in Oslo called “Helvete”, to the rash of church burnings in the early 90’s, leading to Varg’s murder of Euronymous and subsequent incarceration. In addition to treading mostly familiar ground that’s been covered many times over, the film’s production values are evident right away. It’s obvious the filmmakers didn’t have a large budget to work with. Nonetheless, the film has a rugged, ad-hoc charm that’s engaging. Often times utilizing a light electronica score featuring bands like MUM and BOARDS OF CANADA, the film has a melancholic tone and seems to come across as nostalgic for the simpler and purer era in which the music was born. Several times the filmmakers use music and montage to make points; during one segment a raw black metal track is heard while the footage cuts between corporate logos, fast food chains, and trendy retailers around Norway, emphasizing the dichotomy between the roots of this fringe music and the antithesis of what it stands for: global corporate infiltration and takeover.
Perhaps the most engaging aspect of the film is the casual, “fly-on-the-wall” nature of the footage. From the cameras point of view, we hang out with Fenriz in a candid, day-in-the-life type of manner; we follow him at home, riding a train, visiting an art gallery, and having a drink at the bar. Also compelling is Varg Vikernes, who at times is charismatic, funny, thoughtful, and very articulate, and other times seems cold, calculating, and without scruples, particularly when he describes the night he murdered Euronymous.
For me however, the most riveting and shocking moment comes late in the film, when we journey to Italy with Frost for a “performance” at an art gallery. It’s humorous to see Frost get on a plane looking very menacing with his black leather jacket and long black hair, and a small boy next to him looking terrified as Frost maintains a stoic and psychotic expression. When Frost arrives at the gallery and the performance begins, things get more serious. He states in his interview that he is not afraid to be self-destructive for a project he is interested in, and that he intends to give the audience “a sign that something is wrong”. After breathing fire and setting ablaze all of the art and drawings in the gallery, he uses a large butcher knife and begins hacking and stabbing a couch while the crowd of 100 or so watch. He then sits on the couch and places the tip of the knife on his wrist, and with apparent force he slices up the length of his forearm and begins bleeding profusely. Then he does the same thing to the side of his neck before sliding lifelessly into the couch, saturated in his own blood which has formed a large puddle on the floor. It’s totally gut-wrenching and difficult to shake, as the scene just stays with you long after the film ends.

EXTRAS
The Special Edition 2-Disc DVD and Blu-ray are packed with bonus materials, including much more documentary and interview footage with the above mentioned musicians, as well as a number of them not featured in the film. One of the highlights of the bonus content for me, however, is a 45-minute “History of Black Metal” class with Fenriz. Taking place in a bonafide classroom, Fenriz uses text and diagrams on a very large chalkboard to outline the roots and origins of the sub-genre, beginning with BLACK SABBATH, 1970. For non-fans, this is a massive amount of information to plod through, but for people into the music it’s a fascinating lesson and got me seeking out lots of bands that I had missed or wasn’t aware of. You have to give Fenriz props; the guy knows his shit.

CLOSING SUMMARY
I would recommend this film to anyone interested in black metal and the Norwegian scene. The film strides forward bravely as it takes on the difficult task of appealing to fans of the music while also bringing the uninitiated up to speed. Again, for fans much of the history covered here will not be anything new, and the low-budget quality is obvious but perhaps appropriate for the subject matter. The opportunity to get a glimpse into what daily life is like for these Norwegian musicians is worth it, however, and the closest most of us will come to experiencing their world. It conveys a listless sort of longing without becoming depressing or overly sentimental, and whether you agree with the attitudes and actions of these individuals or not, you cannot deny the profound impact their music continues to have.
I suggest not screwing around and picking up the 2-disc DVD or Blu-ray. Chances are if you are curious about the film or have seen it and have decided to buy, you’ll find the extra content worth the purchase.

Recent Activities

Lots going on around here. We've been very busy with gradual but steady developments on a bunch of new releases.

HARASSOR - vinyl edition of the first self-titled demo is in the process of getting mastered and released via Ovrcast here in Los Angeles. We've got some vinyl-exclusive tracks to add created just for this release.
We also just wrapped a killer recording session with the great multi-faceted Bobb Bruno of Best Coast. Next is the mixing stage and coordinating for release...

LORD FOUL - CD edition of "Killing Raping Burning" is available from Forever Plagued Records. Vinyl edition coming soon from Dais Records in LA with new cover art. Master is ready and art/layout is currently being assembled...
The first official LORD FOUL t-shirts are also being prepped, with new art created by VICE cartoonist Johnny Ryan...

PICKLE - CD-R of "I Have Come To Cum" demo 1994 reissue available now at the Rising Beast webstore. PICKLE was an ultra-retarded noisecore band I did from 1993-1994. This CD-R release has not only the never-before released demo #2, it includes demo #1 as a bonus, with all-new art by yours truly.

MOONKNIGHT - "Toplov", the first release from my new jackhammer shoegaze black metal project almost available. Cassette edition from Universal Consciousness, CD-R edition from Rising Beast. 40 minutes of raw, distorted, and hateful black metal with punk and thrash elements, and occasional shoegaze guitar riffing. Like ILDJARN or BONE AWL crossed with ALCEST or MY BLOODY VALENTINE. Very excited about this one!

PRAY FOR NOW - "Inheliopic" debut album...cassette and CD-R editions

DARGAR - side project of Pete Majors from HARASSOR and myself coming soon...

Also, new website for Rising Beast will serve as a portal to all our activites, coming soon. Please check out www.risingbeast.bigcartel.com to get some of the above releases and alot more.

Thanks and stay evil,
Roach [[[HORUS]]] James