Psalm 135 Prayer

 

The original Gothic/Doom musick.

Pentagrammaton (2020)

The period between Dec. 2019 - Feb. 2020 has been ... very strange, very difficult, a death-and-rebirth moment (ironic in this time of so-called 'pandemic,' with its unrest; I feel as if I'm coming alive while the rest of humanity is concerned with the threat of pestilence and imminent death). 

I had stopped drinking in late Jan. 2020, switching to CBD-dominant cannabis instead, which has been nothing short of a miraculous 'game-changer' for me (a subject I've touched upon in other entries, but have yet to make detailed post about it specifically).

The reason I mention it at all, is because of the influence it has been having in musical direction as of late.

I never thought I would, but have begun enjoying the Psychedelic Rock of the 60's and 70's (but please... no Beatles!). The curiosity struck me as I was reading about Genesis Breyer P-Orridge's work with Psychic TV, his devotion to Brian Jones, and his experience of the Rock n' Roll scene in his youth.

Realizing that I'd never investigated into much of this style (beyond whatever 'Classic Rock' I was into as a kid), it seemed like uncharted territory. I have long grown weary of the 'extremity' of Metal music, so often just loud, brash, and "Rah-rah-rah! Look at us, we're so brutal with our art! Arrrrghhh!"-type of mentality presented in the great majority of Metal music made for its own sake

[Note: A comparison can be made within Rap/Hip-Hop, where the very artform exhibits attitude and braggadocio as a prerequisite, often making for music that is unnecessarily angry, and in-your-face. Having said that, watch for my next insanely brutal and unnecessarily extreme 'War Metal' project: OXSHHATTGH (coming out next week)].

For those reasons, among others, I've been increasingly interested in alternate forms of music which are more meditative, reflective, spiritual, etc. (whether dark or light... or both). 

Enter Pentagrammaton, which is what happens when I try my hand at Psych-Rock/Blues, with an 'Occult' flair.  

I guess most of this article is just filler at this point, because Pentagrammaton (as a project) was literally put together cohesively within the last 2 days.
The material presented in the two albums made under this project concept is stuff that I've been working on for the last two weeks, pretty much.

("iii" album cover, a demo... sort of.)

iii - The three songs on this album were my first attempts at 'Psychedelic'-whatever, and since they led to the material on the next album it seemed appropriate to release them as a demo, or at least a precursor. I really didn't know what to do with these songs after I'd made them. At first I thought of putting them under Rotting Serpent, but that didn't seem right (even though they would've fit as extensions of musical/ideological themes stemming from "Breath of God," and other songs on Legends of the Sawyerville Cult). "iii," is, of course, a reference to the 3 songs that make up the album, and the font was chosen because it makes two crosses. 

(Rock for warding off evil.)

Apotropaic Rock - Regardless of whether or not the songs on "iii" go with it, this album stands alone on its own merit, in my opinion. It's quite unlike anything I've ever done, at least in more recent years. Musically, it hearkens back to my own roots of primitive guitar-playing. If one remembers that my primary influences have always been Danzig, Type O Negative, Dissection and Xasthur, what is offered here shouldn't come as much of a surprise.... even if it sounds relatively like nothing from any of those bands. Songs on this album are literal embodiments of my own spiritual philosophy, and the challenges I have gone through lately. As such, the very process of making the music itself is for the purpose of 'keeping the darkness at bay,' and a chronicling of what went into that process. Of course, it just sounds like music, doesn't it? 

Download at 'Name Your Price' (free or donation): 

https://pentagrammaton.bandcamp.com/

deCRYPTed - ...When The Dead Rise (2018)

 

(Logo by me; album art, I believe, by Benjamin (ex-Vociferator), if I'm not mistaken.)

Wow, this is one I had forgotten about!

Recorded so very long ago at the start of 2018, this recording is part of a large portion of albums made around this time that I just deleted one day, on a whim.
Those were strange and turbulent days, and saw the start of my alcohol habit. I was still making Christian music at this time though.   

Some semblance of a back-story can probably be gleaned from random anecdotes on other albums featured on this blog, which were created around this time.

Whatever the case, I had totally forgotten deCRYPTed was picked up by Vociferator Entertainment. I figured it had been lost like so many others, when I received an email from 'Coleiosis B.' from Coleiosis Media letting me know that he still had a few of my albums.
That is pretty cool.

Now, about this record: It's weird, pure, sloppy Death/Grind/Crapcore. That last descriptive is apt, because my vocals at points really sound like a constipated walrus... but in a good way.
I relistened to the album earlier, and I'm surprised. For all it's ridiculousness, the vocals are pretty diverse, swtiching appropriately between choked gurgles and growls, walrus-core grunts, moans, and slushy babblings of the random insane. 

The musical portion is probably best described as a guitar (and bass maybe?) interpretation of whatever the vocals are doing. 'Discordant Approximations.' That's the idea behind the style of playing here. The whole thing is chaotic mush. 

Whatever it is, it still exists, and you can find it here, courtesy of Coleiosis Media.

Download:

https://coleiosis.bandcamp.com/album/when-the-dead-rise

Hated - Comfort (2014)

Hated is another one-off project that I always meant to do more with. There have been times when I almost released, or half-released, some songs under this project, but in the end they never felt right. One of the reasons for that might be because of the difficulty in following such a strong first album.

I don't really care what anyone else says (although the commentary on this album has always been positive), "Comfort" is one of my best albums. As had become the norm for me at that time, none of the songs were 'written.' Rather, they were constructed as I recorded the album. I'd figure out a riff, and then record it.

(alternate cover)

As a result of 'improvising' my songs and recording so many albums of material in this way, I actually can't remember how to play any of the songs on this record, or the other records. The story of this process would deserve its own separate article though. I'm too lazy to write a book, so this blog is going to have to suffice.

Anyways, back to the album... the influences will probably be instantly recognizeable: Abyssic Hate, Velvet Caccoon, and Dodenstorm, in addition to all the other usual suspects.

Though lyrically based on the Biblical book of Nahum, musically this album is just pure DSBM.

Mediafire Download:
Hated - Comfort (2014)

Photosynthesis - Turning Toward The Light (2013)

Photosynthesis is/was a Post-Black/Blackgaze sort of project. Always meant to do more albums with this project, but it hasn't materialized yet. It has garnered a bit of recognition in the Christian Metal underbelly, which is cool. I often get better criticism on it.

"Turning Toward The Light" is dedicated to my two children.


Download it for free or donation:

Photosynthesis - Turning Toward The Light (2013)

Mourning Woods (2010-Present)

 

Mourning Woods was formed out of the chaotic ash-storm that was the dissolution of +AnHero+, a 'Comedic-Depressive' Black Metal band I was a part of from 2008-2010.
AnHero turned into Molesters, and then Mothers Of Depression (or M.O.D. for short). My bandmate and long-time friend, Rémi Bilodeau, and I parted ways for a while, but I later approached him with the concept of Mourning Woods in 2011. Naturally, he loved it from the start, because it was obviously a bad dick-joke.

Unlike AnHero, Mourning Woods was to be a Depressive/Post-Black Metal project, or 'Blackgaze,' if you prefer. However, much like our former projects, Mourning Woods was to have a bit of humour about it, albeit more subtle than with AnHero.

Rémi and I recorded a few songs on a practice cassette around Sept. 2011, he on drums, and I on guitar and vocals. I had tried to get some songs recorded in time to do a split with the now legendary Annorkoth, but unfortunately that fell through. Even more unfortunate, is that the practice tape eventually got lost with no hope of recovery.

Some of those original Mourning Woods songs, however, would later be used for other projects. Among others, there is:

• "Serotonin Syndrome," eventually was featured on Photosynthesis - "Turning Toward the Light," (2013)

• "Gazing at the Altar of Souls" (originally, it was "...Shoes"), was featured on Rotting Serpent - "Suicidal Ministries"

I decided to resurrect Mourning Woods in 2017, following a relapse into DXM abuse. Finding the best version of an early MW logo from at least 2012, I released "The Refreshening." Actually, it was supposed to be "The Refreshing," but I changed it at the last minute, and it has always bothered me.

Since I've always felt Rémi to have a place in this project, I tried to get him involved again. As a result, the next EP, ''Water/Breath of Life,'' is priviledged to have the track ''Horripilation,'' which, aside from the vocals, is composed entirely by Rémi. It is arguably the best track on the album.

Unfortunately, due to complicated life circumstances on both of our sides, Rémi and I were never able to make Mourning Woods work as a duo, at least not yet. The third release on the MW bandcamp is a cassette recorded in the interim period between AnHero and MW, when we were loosely going by the name M.O.D.

Long live Brown Metal! Long live Beige Metal!


Mourning Woods on Bandcamp, albums 'Name Your Price' (free or donation):

https://mourningwoods.bandcamp.com/


Mediafire links: 

Mourning Woods - "The Refreshening" (2017)

Mourning Woods - "Water/Breath of Life EP" (2017)

Exalted Saviour (2013-2018)

Exalted Saviour overlaps somewhat with Rotting Serpent. I had decided that I would lay RS to rest, and continue in a new direction, with a new sound. There is a lot of sonic familiarity between the RS albums "Breathless Mourning," and "Christian Funeral," and the first ES album, entitled "Tetrad." I imagine they'd flow well into one another. 
Indeed, what was supposed to be, at that time, the last Rotting Serpent song ("Casualties of the Cosmic War"), appears as the sixth track on the Exalted Saviour album "Tetrad."

The project was intended to be an excercise in more "symphonic" (read as "synth-driven") territory, something which I hadn't experimented with very much up to that point, due to lack of proper instruments and technology.
Continuing with the Christian focus of previous work, it has garnered at least a bit of recognition and (possibly?) appreciation within the Christian Metal scene, for which I am grateful.

On the last album, "Blood Sacrifice," I was joined by Noizen on keyboards, and he is a person who will show up in more of these posts later on. He has some projects of his own, so I will try and get permission to perhaps include them here on this blog, in future entries.

"Blood Sacrifice," was picked up by Bearded Dragon Productions, and a physical release distributed (or whatever) by Black Mark (?).
You can see I have no idea what I'm doing, and I can't even find good links to their pages, so I'll do the bast I can. I know they both have a presence on Facebook, but I no longer do, and therefore can't provide links to those places. I'm sure they're findable though.

Bearded Dragon Productions on Bandcamp: https://thebeardeddragon1.bandcamp.com/

Exalted Saviour on Bandcamp (all music 'Name Your Price,' free or donation):

https://exaltedsaviour.bandcamp.com/