Shroud of Despondency-Tied to a Dying Animal

Self-Release/Independent
2014

Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based Shroud of Despondency have always been a hard act to wrap your head around. On one hand they are a black metal collective hell-bent on offering up some of the most extreme metal that you can find while on the other hand they have been known to flex their creatively into the realms of acoustic/melodic rock. The thing is that sometimes within the boundaries of just one simple number! So, when this apologetically unique act takes on a double album like this when, well, anything and everything can and does happen! Active since the later part of the nineties, with the two-hour "Tied to a Dying Animal" serving as their fifth full-length endeavor (with demos, splits and two live albums now filling out the rest of their back-catalog!), Shroud of Despondency tries their hand at (pretty much) two separate emotional releases. As such it might be better to look at these two albums as entirely different albums and split-up the time you listen to both (as let's admit it here folks, but two hours of music, black metal or not, can be a bit much to listen to in one setting!). For moments when you just want to witness angry, disconnected and jarring material be sure to plug yourself into the the first half of "Tied to a Dying Animal". For moments that pass by a bit more "calmer" then try the more acoustic side of this double-album. While it would seem to be an odd pairing (bleak and desperate, extreme black metal angst and then calm and collected acoustic material!) it does work...although perhaps better if taken one at a time at different moments of the same day. Otherwise a release like "Tied to a Dying Animal" might just leave you feeling lightheaded and faint! So, be warned....

 http://shroudofdespondency.bandcamp.com/album/tied-to-a-dying-animal-3

Interview with Echelon

Recently I tossed a few questions towards Austrian avantgarde black metal act Echelon. Having previously (and also just recently) reviewed their first full-length album, "Vivito! Creato! Moritor!" (link provided below of course!), I had hoped to be able to gather more insight into the strange and compelling mindset that lies at the core of this deeply-philosophical collective. Of course nothing is that simple when you're talking about an act as complex as this one! Read on to see what I mean!  

Andy-How did Echelon come about?

Echelon-Scene: A smoky room somewhere at the city limits of Vienna. There is a laptop on a huge wooden desk and its light glimmers through the thick smoke.

Time: 19:11

Person: M.X.: Guitar, Backing Vocals, Programming

*The light of the laptop gets brighter, you can hear the clicking of the mouse and soon you can hear the high pitched clattering of a keyboard*

About ten years ago I had my first guitar and by hitting the pick harsh on the strings, uncoordinated, with full distortion, I tried to create something that sounded like Transilvanian Hunger. I wanted to make music to replay the stuff I liked. The seasons passed and I found myself playing in a band with my friends, who also play on ECHELON today. The longer you keep playing with others the greater the need gets, the need for creating something on your own, something which is more like yourself. And that is how ECHELON works. It is a distillate of our creativity.

Andy-How would you describe the band's sound for someone who has never had the pleasure of hearing you guys?


Echelon-Time: 19:18

*Another cigarette emits the strong odor of tobacco and burned paper. Now there is a mug on the desk and M.X. takes a sip, only to lay his hands on the keyboard again shortly after*

How do we sound? 

*He is looking in the air and takes a puff, his left leg is hammering on the floor* 

How do I describe our music to someone who has not heard it yet? 

*Another puff from the cigarette, the leg is shaking up and down erratically* 

Our music is definitely rooted in Black Metal, it contains various stylistic elements of this genre. Most likely it is the vocals which are harsh and restless alt-hough they remain clear. The drums have a slight tendency to blast beats and are mostly playful and jazzy. The guitars indulge in melodies which are rhythmically interrupted by the bass. Sometimes they are in the background to give space to the bass and to portrait acoustic patterns into the minds. Sometimes we charge forward, sometimes we stop abruptly to immerse into a state of deep mental reflection only to charge forward again moments later to lead the listener into a direction he would not have dreamed about.

Andy-For those of us who might be "philosophically challenged" could you explain the lyrical-content of "Vivito! Creato! Moritor!"?


Echelon-Time: 19:40

*The cigarette has followed its predecessors into the ashtray, the smoke gets lesser and exits the room through the open window where simultaneously the sounds of a city at eve enter the scenery*

*Clicking, typing, hammering of the leg* 

Another question arouses my attention, namely, which topic we should use for our LP. A painter, not as impressive as his work, crossed my path. His portrayal of war caught me. How does war look like? What is war actually? 

* The hands get of the keyboard, the legs stop...* 

Is there a picture which catches war as he actually is? The idea in a platonically way? The archetype of war? This abstract thing which is contained in every war? Let us take a look on this ex-ample: think of a picture of a thing, anything. Now start to dissect the picture layer by layer, reduce it to details. 

*Halt, The view seems to penetrate the display. The roaring of a truck breaks the silence and the fingers start typing again* 

Do you still recognize the thing? is the image of this thing created in your mind although the real picture does not show it anymore? Is maybe the color or geometry alone which can create the thing in your mind? This is the idea, the archetype and is there an artwork of war which is capable of doing such? 

*The mug converges to the mouth, another sip, thinking* 

We focused on this question together with the artists Callot, de Goya, Manet and Dix and described how they tried to display war. Beginning with the harsh realism of Callot up to the subtle, judgmental style of Manet. Dix follows on a parallel way and evolves nearly as the other three to create his triptych War, his masterpiece.

Andy-Please give us an idea of what a live show would be like with  Echelon?


Echelon-Time: 20:11

*The window is closed, only a dull traffic sound can be heard, mixed with the sounds of a train*

A concert has to have three columns (1) we only have one color for the light, mostly blue (2) we have interludes with parts of Dix diary entries (3) we do not make any announcements. This is how the concert becomes one single unit and it makes it possible for the audience to concentrate only on the music. 

*M.X. stands up and looks across the room. After he sat down again he continues to write* 

For me it is essential to convey the concept of the LP live as well and I think we can achieve this via this three columns.

Andy-What's next for the band in 2014?

Echelon-Time: 20:25

*M.X. is again sitting in front of the laptop, smoking. The coldness is fighting an ongoing battle with the heater and the left leg is again hammering a rhythm, copied by the right one.*

Right now we are trying to play live as often as possible and we are looking forward for the release date of our LP and the Special Edition on 24.01. We hope that we can provide something unique for everyone with this Special Edition We also started working on new songs and get slowly to the point...

*again the view across the room, smoke comes out of the nose and the mug wanders to the mouth* 

...where we can talk about acoustic patterns and ideas. But who knows where the journey is leading us?

Time: 20:32

*The mouse wanders across the display, opens the program, closes another one. One minute later M.X. is sitting on his chair with his eyes focusing the display. A nod with the head later, the mail is heading through the binary stream* 

And there you have it! "Interesting" to say the least right? But that makes sense (kind of) when you're talking about a interesting band like this one. And since I'm always going on and one...no, make that PREACHING, about the virtues of marching to the beat of your own drummer "interesting" is essential if we are to continue to evolve (music-wise) as a species and fully-expand the concept of experimental black metal. If you find yourself in need of something new, more creative and yes, a release that will help flex those brain muscles (so to speak), then be sure to check out "Vivito! Creato! Moritor!". 

Review of  "Vivito! Creato! Moritor!":
http://metalmark.blogspot.com/search?q=Echelon-Vivito!+Creato!+Moritor! 

Eschatos-Hierophanies

Tridroid Records
2013

Eschatos, who shouldn't be confused with the disbanded Polish black metal act of the same name, are a 4-piece band that hails from Latvia. The band, who were formed in 2012, features several former members of Ocularis Infernum. Now, just as in Ocularis Infernum, things start off with sick black metal and burn forward from there. The Metal Archives lists Ocularis Infernum as melodic black metal and, while I'm not 100% sure if that's the case or not, there's some melodic black metal here as well, but with the added addition of some progressive moments things get both evil and epic. Speaking of evil and epic, and all things sinister and shock-worthy, the band is fronted by one Kristiāna Kārkliņa. Female-fronted black metal? Honestly I can't recall hearing one before, but it doesn't much matter as she takes center stage and pulls you in with her emotional performance. By emotional I mean soul-ripping black metal shrieks! Women in rock and metal is no big thing anymore obviously, but it's still simply cool to hear someone like Kristiāna Kārkliņa stand in front of the mic and unleash hell upon the listener. Backed by guitarists Hellgar and Hellhurl Caligula (Jānis Bušs) this talented front-woman helps carry what is a really solid debut-album. Eschatos churns out black metal that features layer upon layer of interesting and intense movements that keep the listenr entranced. For example the title cut opens with session musician Jānis Kaņeps on keys (and beautiful ones at that!) before it tears into your eardrums with blacker then black metal that's both worthy of acknowledgment and worthy to stand side by side with any great Polish black metal act. "Hierophanies" is a wicked album that might have originally been a self-release, but it has a grade A production and a grade A delivery. If it wasn't for how short this release is it would be receiving my highest marks. It's short length though left me wanting more so hopefully we'll hear more from this new group before too long!

https://www.facebook.com/eschatos.band
https://www.facebook.com/TridroidRecords