Cult Of Divine Mercy - Hempgnosis (2017)

2017's "Hempgnosis" is probably the most musically interesting album from this project, Cult Of Divine Mercy.
Originally, CODM was a Catholic-oriented noise project, following the earlier noise created under the Harsh Noise Wall (HNW) project Escape From Hell. The latter still exists today, albeit in a different form.

The first CODM releases were styled as 'funeral noise,' a sort of cavernous, reverberating extension of the Harsh Noise Wall genre. This, of course, was not even picked up on by most who criticised it in the beginning, probably having no idea at the time what HNW even was, let alone an attempted variation of it. Ah well, such is the plight of the artist, to rarely, if ever, have his art understood. Semper fudge.
The albums themselves focused thematically on the divine mysteries of the Holy Rosary; one can hardly say that it's a common concept in the noise scene.

"Hempgnosis," by contrast, is an excursion in Funeral/Stoner Doom Metal. I had thought, even early on, that CODM would make a good Doom Metal project. It's one of the albums I'm more proud of and satisfied with over all. The title, aside from the obvious, is a play on the word "hypnosis."

After relapsing into heavy DXM abuse for a few months between late 2016 through to Spring of 2017, I started to think maybe weed was a better alternative. How I feel about cannabis, and my history/timeline of drug use and abuse in general, is a story in itself. I'll probably end up making a separate post about it at some point, but I digress...
I had considered using cannabis, and just going full stoner, but upon trying to smoke weed again, I quickly realized why weed had become my least favorite drug over the years: panic attacks.

So, I started drinking instead around this time. In spite of its cannabinoid theme, "Hempgnosis" was created entirely under the influence of alcohol (much like practically every release since then, up to present time). Plot twist: at time of writing I haven't had a drink in a month, ironically because I started smoking cannabis again, after learning the importance of CBD in regulating and reducing the negative side-effects of THC. This revelation has been nothing short of miraculous. I used to look disfavourably on people who praised CBD as a miracle drug, but damn if I haven't become one of them. I was wrong. 

Interestingly enough, this post ended with an actual hemp-gnosis.

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

https://cultofdivinemercy.bandcamp.com/album/hempgnosis

Sun Won't Rise (2012-2018)

Back in 2012, after years of being limited in available equipment an/or technology wherewith to create music at my leisure, I finally got a cheap PC, installed a demo version of FL Studio, Audacity freeware, and plugged my guitar directly into the computer (line-in).
This newfound freedom to experiment musically, in combination with amphetamine/2c-b abuse and benzodiazepine withdrawal, gave birth to Sun Won't Rise. I guess one could say I used this project as practice, or a test. Once I became more familiar with the overall process, I would eventually decide that I should be doing music with more purpose behind it.

It should be noted that, despite my drug abuse/withdrawal, I was struggling to quit and get my life in a more stable place. For that reason, there is overlap between personal issues behind all of these projects, no matter what their intended spiritual focus (or lack thereof, in some cases) may be.

 

(photo taken by Jewel, in Sawyerville QC @ my dad's place circa 2012) 

It may not be much of a surprise, to those who know about me, that the first three SWR albums were recorded within days of one another, and all intended for different projects. It occurred to me that the sound was similar enough, yet the music diverse enough, to give the impression of a single project with an evolved progression across albums.
I took some time trying to find a name to unify them under. I spent days (no lie) high on amphetamines, scouring the dictionary, looking at words and definitions, noting the ones that I found interesting.
None of them were satisfactory, they all sucked. At some point, in my conundrum, I looked at the sun shining outside, and with typical Black Metal sarcastic cynicism I blurted out "Sun won't RISE!" as a joke. It made me laugh, but upon reflection I thought it sounded pretty cool, so it worked.
I used the artist name 'Michelle Massacre,' which was a name I had been using since 2010 post-AnHero.

Music on the first three albums was entirely improvised, essentially me making up riffs on the spot as I recorded guitar over the drum tracks. Vocals were screeched into a cheap microphone, consisting of me just 'throat-growling' morbid crap and overlaying the vocals with a bit of distortion afterwards. I wasn't able to do my regular Black Metal screams and wails (due to living in an apartment).

Not wanting the neighbors to call the cops for suspicion of violent murder-victims screaming, I developed a method whereby I could growl softly into the mic, but modify it later to make it sound like loud screams. This was done simply by adding a bit of distortion and echo/reverb, and finding the desired tone.

At this period, I was spontaneously creating albums left-and-right. Being constantly high on speed alternately with 2c-b, I'd often create about 2-3 albums per week.
Boom. That's an album. "I feel like playing guitar." Boom. That's another album. "I've been up for 5 days straight."

(photo from 2012, taken by (now wife) Jewel in Montreal QC, wearing both cross and baphometic sigil)

Eventually, I decided that my music should be used to greater purpose, rather than just give vent to my strange whims and nihilistic emotions. Ever striving to strive toward a spiritual focus, I put SWR aside in order to resurrect Rotting Serpent.

Many albums (and several projects) later, I brought SWR back in 2018 with the album "Not Here, Not Now." (Note: I honestly had no idea there was a Swans release of the same title, I've never heard it, nor listened to them... although, I've heard things.)
This album, while showing a continuity from the raw post-black sound of 2012's "Hang In There Baby!", undoubtedly also has better production and sound quality. It even sounds like the songs were written in advance (which they were not, they almost never are).

Musically, it's probably best described as a mixture of Post-Black Metal, and Sludgy Doom Rock riffs. At this time, I was influenced by Jesu and 'slowcore' music in general.
Instead of amphetamines, or other drugs, 2018 saw me developing an alcohol problem as a response to certain physical and emotional ailments (which I've been battling pretty much all my life). I hope some of that pain translates into my music at least, making some thought-provoking art, and possibly turning something negative into something positive..... or just negative. Whatever.

(photo taken by Jewel circa 2014, rare meetup and jam session with former bandmate and longtime friend Rémi Bilodeau)

Finally, the Metal-Archives Bio has been outdated for years. 'White Zion PRDKSHNZ' hasn't existed for a long time, and my 'girlfriend' is now my wife. It was a long road from 2012-2018, strange and interesting. It continues to be, even now, and that is fine.

Download from Bandcamp 'Name Your Price' (free or donation):

https://sunwontrise.bandcamp.com/

Mediafire links: 

"Ballads to Beckon the End" (2012)

"Hang In There, Baby!" (2012)

"Not Here, Not Now" (2018)

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/