Land of Decay

Daniel Menche Interview Locrian at CvltNation.com

2012-02-01T13:15:00.000-08:00

Check it out here.

Word Sound and Power are all alive in this very thought altering interview/conversation between Daniel Menche, Mamiffer and Locrian. It should be noted that this was Menche’s first time very coming up with questions for someone to answer and from my point of view they were honest and induced some really real answers from Mamiffer and Locrian. Actually the words you are about read have very special quality about them and it’s CVLT Nation’s honor to share them with you. So after the travel into the minds of Daniel Menche, Mamiffer and Locrian…Bless Them That Curse You.

Live Video from This Weekend

2012-01-30T11:28:00.000-08:00

You can check out a live video of André Foisy's performance this weekend at the co-prosperity sphere with Sun Splitter, Rabbid Rabbit and One.

Here's Sun Splitter's great set:

Sat. Jan. 28th in CHICAGO: Ono, A. Foisy, Sun Splitter, Rabbid Rabbit

2012-01-26T11:34:00.000-08:00

I almost forgot about this show until now. I'm playing on Saturday in Chicago with some great bands. Come and check it out if you can.

New Track Stream from Locrian & Mamiffer Album

2012-01-26T09:38:00.000-08:00

Check out "Corpus Luteum" from the upcoming Locrian & Mamiffer album at Cvltnation.com

As far as I know, the CDs are almost finished and the test presses for the 2xLP version were approved so everything is on schedule. Nice.

CvltNation Mixtape and Cleared (S. Hess) Tour

2012-01-25T10:52:00.000-08:00

Brave Mysteries just released a mixtape on cvltnation that features a track by Eolomea (André Foisy and Davie Reed). Download it now and check it out! I totally missed this until now.

You can find the tour dates on Steven's Tumblr site.

Also, if you're in the area, then be sure to check out Steven Hess's group Cleared on tour soon.

Locrian and Mamiffer Photo by Rik Garrett

2012-01-19T06:55:00.000-08:00

Here's a photo from Rik Garrett.

This will be out very very soon. Read about it at Profound Lore.

KFJC Broadcast of Utech Records Fest 2xCD

2012-01-13T11:05:00.001-08:00

You can order a 2xCD of the KFJC broadcast of the Utech Records Festival now. There's some great stuff on there and here's what's on the release:

CD A
Ithi "Go Forth and Die"
RM74 "Followed by a Swirling Cloud of Smoke"
Ural Umbo "Telescoped"
William Fowler Collins "Walk Calmly in the Outer Darkness"
Gog "Labyrinth in Perfect Black"
James Plotkin/Jon Mueller TBA

CD B
House of Low Culture "Perverted Scripture"
Mamiffer "Cloey/DeadSettlers"
Locrian "The Crystal World" "Elevations and Depths"
Horseback "The Invisible Mountain"

Keith Utech, Aaron Turner and Viral Graphics did the artwork and it looks really amazing. All of the sets at the fest were amazing so you'll definitely want to pick this up.

Order here and support a great radio station.

Profound Lore Announces the Locrian & Mamiffer Collaboration

2012-01-12T12:01:00.001-08:00

Link here.

Streat a Track from LOD's Upcoming Release: Ithi "NoWhere"

2012-01-12T11:25:00.001-08:00

Link at Brooklynvegan.com

Check it out! If you're around NYC then check them out at St. Vitus on 1/14!

ITHI - Go Forth and Die by brooklynvegan

André Foisy "Seven Thrones" on Bandcamp

2012-01-11T10:41:00.000-08:00

I decided to put my "Seven Thrones" release that Twilight Luggage originally released on bandcamp since it's been out of print for a while.

Check it out here.

Pictures of the Locrian & Mamiffer 2xLP: GET EXCITED!

2012-01-10T09:05:00.001-08:00

Here are some early images of the 2xLP of the Locrian & Mamiffer album.

Amazing design and white gloves courtesy of Faith Coloccia!

Aidan Baker "The Spectrum of Distraction"

2012-01-10T08:28:00.000-08:00

Steven Hess played on the new Aidan Baker album "The Spectrum of Distraction."

Other guests include: David Dunnett, Thor Harris, Rich Baker, Bruno Dorella, Victor Cirone, Jakob Thiesen, Ted Parsons, Kevin Emil Micka, Mac McNeilly, Simon Scott on drums (+ others). Artwork by Matt Smith.

Get it here.

Information on Locrian & Mamiffer "Bless Them That Curse You Release"

2012-01-09T12:47:00.000-08:00

Here's some information about the album. Keep your eyes peeled for the Land of Decay tape version!

Be sure to check out the first track from the album here.

Another track from the album will be debuted at cvltnation.com very soon!

---------------------------------------

CATALOG NUMBER: SIGE 013/UTECH 069
RELEASE DATE: Feb 21, 2012
FORMAT: 2xLP
PRICE: This item is non-returnable
GENRE: Rock/Metal/Experimental
FILE UNDER: Locrian, Mamiffer

TRACK LISTING:
1. In Fulminic Blaze
2. Bless Them That Curse You
3. Corpus Luteum
4. Second Burial
5. Lechatelierite
6. Metis/Amaranthine/The Emperor

ABOUT THE ALBUM:
Bless Them That Curse You captures an unprecedented balance of claustrophobia and solace. It’s a strange alchemy to render something both inviting and alienating; it requires a special kind of skill to create music that sounds like it’s rattling apart at its seams, unraveling in a torturous but compelling fashion. It demands an acknowledgement of the fine line between noise and racket, between tension and tedium. Finding an interpersonal chemistry to pull it off can take years of searching and refinement. Initiated by a history of record swapping and mutual admiration, Chicago’s Locrian and Seattle’s Mamiffer managed to accomplish such a feat.

Since their inception in 2005, Locrian’s sound has thrived on harnessing emotional resonance through texture and space. Highlighting a specific melody or beat in their music is unnecessary; their ability to trigger unease, fear, despair, and paranoia by playing with dynamics in timbre and timing is the central fixture in their work. While the Chicago-based trio’s approach is certainly unorthodox, they are not without sonic peers. Seattle-based duo Mamiffer similarly explores new territories in sound by marrying fragmented elements of neoclassical, drone, and proto-industrial dirge into compositions that are beguiling, haunting, and occasionally violent. Originating as a solo project for pianist Faith Coloccia in 2007, the project grew to encompass husband Aaron Turner and a rotating cast of guest musicians. Coloccia’s work, by nature, is malleable and suited towards the collaborative process.

The collaboration between the two groups yielded some of the most beautiful material Locrian has ever recorded, and inversely pushed Mamiffer into the most caustic of new territories. Composed and recorded in Chicago at the renowned Electrical Audio studio, the album is the result of two disparate approaches arriving at one cohesive voice. It’s at turns contemplative and reserved, unnerving and unsettling, thunderous and feral. Aided by the engineering prowess of Greg Norman, the mixing skill of Randall Dunn, and the auxiliary instrumentation of Alex Barnett (Oakeater) and Brian Cook (Russian Circles), Bless Them That Curse You is a richly textured study in an unconventional creative process, blending fine-tuned synchronicity with spontaneous brute force.

NOTES:
• Limited to 550 copies, packaged in deluxe LP fold out designed by Faith Coloccia with hand stamped labels .
• A studio collaboration between Mamiffer and Locrian, recorded by Greg Norman at Electrical Audio in Chicago, and mixed by Randall Dunn (Earth, Jesse Sykes, Wolves In The Throne Room, etc.).
• A co-release between SIGE and Utech Records. CD version being released by Profound Lore, cassette version by SIGE/Land of Decay.
• Locrian and Mamiffer have released previous recordings with labels such as Small Doses, Utech, Hydra Head, Conspiracy, Land of Decay, etc.
• Mamiffer and Locrian have and are collaborating with artists such as Horseback, Merzbow, Daniel Menche, Chistoph Heemann, Eyvind Kang, etc.

Update

2012-01-09T08:28:00.001-08:00

So the tape sale at our bigcartel shop will only be for a few more days. Thanks to everyone for ordering!

We've made some progress on our Locrian/Christoph Heemann album that will be coming out on Handmade Birds this year. We plan to finish the music by the end of the month and to have it mastered at Chicago Mastering Service soon afterwards. It's going to be a real droner, but it's really turning out quite nicely.

Next, we'll be working on some material for an upcoming Coil release. Our source material will be a recording that John Balance and Peter Christopherson made of Taylor Mead reading his poetry. This is going to be a real challenge, but it's very exciting!

and next for Land of Decay will be one of the last Number None recordings as well as a live recording of our friends from across the pond, Wraiths.

Number None were one of the first groups that Locrian performed with and they greatly impacted us. Get excited!

Cvlt Video for Locrian "Chalk Point"

2012-01-09T07:16:00.000-08:00

Check out this video that someone made using the first track off of "The Clearing":

Pitchfork Streams Locrian/Mamiffer "In Fulminic Blaze"

2012-01-05T08:34:00.000-08:00

Ok, well today Brandon at Pitchfork streamed the first track from the upcoming Locrian/Mamiffer album. The track is called "In Fulminic Blaze" and it might be one of the most optimistic sounding tracks that we've recorded.

Check it out! I'm very proud of this track.

You'll be hearing more very soon!

Check it out here.

Shoot Me Again (Belgium) Interview Re: The Clearing

2011-12-31T11:09:00.000-08:00

I recently spoke with a nice Belgian writer from Shoot Me Again. Follow the link and practice your French.

-------

Peu connu encore par chez nous LOCRIAN gravit progressivement les marches d'une reconnaissance. Le groupe originaire de Chicago n'a pas encore eu l'occasion de venir sur le vieux continent, alors espérons que cette petite interview aidera le groupe à se dévoiler par chez nous, afin qu'il puisse un jour prochain traverser l'Atlantique et tourner en Europe.

More here.

Ordering Update! and André's End of 2011 Thank You's!

2011-12-22T09:45:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone,

I (André) just wanted to let everyone know that if you ordered something from us, then your order is shipped and on its way to you now. I'll be out of town until January 1st, so if you order from us before then, your package won't be shipped until after the 1st.

We really appreciate all the support from everyone who picked up something from us this year. If you did order from us, then you rule. I know that I've been sending out a lot more orders this year than any other year before it.

I'd also like to send out a big thank you and happy holidays to all of my girls working at the downtown Chicago post office and for all of the people that I've crushed on the CTA train because of my big bags of packages.

I'd also like to send a big thank you to all of the musicians and labels that we've worked with in the last year in particular and in no particular order: Chris, Sean, and Tracy at Fan Death, Keith Utech at Utech Records, Chris at Profound Lore Records, Rich at Handmade Birds, George at Turgid Animal, Bruce and Annie Adams at Flingco Sound, Daymare Recordings Japan, and anyone else involved with releasing Locrian stuff this year (or next year). Personally I'll also thank Brave Mysteries, and Stunned Records for their work on my solo stuff this year too!

Also a big thanks to Jenks (Horseback); Aaron, Faith, Travis, and the others of Mamiffer; Greg Norman (Electrical Audio), Randall Dunn, and Jason Ward for their work on the upcoming Locrian/Mamiffer album; Erica Burgner-Hannum for her work performing with Locrian this year during a couple live shows and on the "Dort Ist Der Weg" 7"; Denis Forkas Kostromitin, Scott Treleaven, and Brian Ulrich for the amazing artwork; and to all of the other people that we've worked closely with this year! Another thank you to all of the writers who've written about our Land of Decay releases, our Locrian releases, and about creative music in general.

Happy New Year!

-André

Locrian "The Clearing" on iTunes Now! For Real

2011-12-20T09:17:00.002-08:00

Link here. Some of the meager profits from purchases actually help us to make more music which is cool. Some goes to Apple.

Speaking of Apple. You like blackened visions? Well, read about the blackened working conditions of the Apple employees in China in an interesting article called "I Didn't Mourn Steve Jobs" by Mike Niman.

I often wonder if we should take our music off of iTunes and other digital distributor sites altogether?

"

2011-12-20T09:17:00.001-08:00

Skeletons & Candy's Best of 2011: Locrian "Dort Ist Der Weg" 7"

2011-12-19T08:01:00.000-08:00

"Technically a 7" release, this is one of the finest releases in any format that I heard all year....." More here.

Still Single on "Dort Ist Der Weg" 7"

2011-12-19T08:00:00.000-08:00

"RECOMMENDED

In which we come to that one 7” in the stack that will follow me to the grave … strong words I rarely stand by in the long (or short) run. Liner notes claim that the best side is influenced by Popol Vuh, but David Copperfield couldn’t turn what I’m hearing into Krautrock. Maybe some of you know that feeling when a Kranky release doesn’t have the teeth that you had hoped for. This is the record you wanted to experience. A-side is truly heavy, and the flip is balls-out noisy AND employs “voice” to do so. It’s a miracle the parts created a sum that I’m trying to sell to readers…but for fuck’s sake, this is a solid and forward-looking little record and I just read an equally-confusing review of their full-length in the latest Decibel. Get excited. On black vinyl, letterpressed sleeves, edition of 500. (http://www.flingcosound.com)
(Andrew Earles)"

More here.

Tokafi on "The Clearing": Terrifying: Trauma Without Kitsch

2011-12-13T14:50:00.000-08:00

"There’s no doubt that Locrian is a group that has mastered the art of imbuing their art with maximum psychological charge. The songs of The Clearing wouldn’t be out of place in a B horror movie or spine-tingling sci-fi flick. That said, the band manages to pull of its sense of extreme trauma without sounding kitsch or derivative of a bygone era of leather jackets and spiked collars. These guys mean every bit of what they’re playing. And that’s terrifying." More here.

I'm really happy that some people are scared by this album, but really, if there's anything to be terrified about it's that Canada has dropped out of the Kyoto Protocol and that the recent agreement on climate change from the UN Climate Change Conference in Durban, South Africa is weak....really weak: leaders agreed to agree on something later. Too bad there's not much time to avert significant climate changes....you can hear about it on Democracynow.org

Blackened Slugs on "The Clearing"

2011-12-09T11:20:00.000-08:00

"If you're into noise, drone, ambient, or even avant-garde black metal, you NEED this release. "The Clearing" is not as disturbing as "The Crystal World", but I love the progression with this LP." More here.

Montreal Mirror on "The Clearing"

2011-12-08T07:30:00.003-08:00

Link here.

LOCRIAN
The Clearing
(Fan Death)
Last year’s epic The Crystal World was a true piece of majestic beauty, but instead of trying to rise beyond the watermark, this Chicago trio veers in different directions on this four-song offering. Shades of Ummagumma-era Floyd emerge as opener “Chalk Point” lays down the melancholy and takes its sweet time to unfold. And when Locrian have the legroom to stretch out, on the 20minute drone/psych-fest of the title track, real magic happens. 9/10 Trial Track: “The Clearing” (Johnson Cummins)

Montreal Mirror on "The Clearing"

2011-12-08T07:30:00.001-08:00

New Reviews for "The Clearing"

2011-12-08T07:18:00.000-08:00

For all the Frenchies out there, you can read a review at Shootmeagain.com here

There's also an interesting review at Avantegarde-metal.com:

"I was walking back to the parking lot where I usually leave my car. A free parking lot, away from the city center. Once there, I clearly heard a phone ringing. A high-pitched, vibrant ringing, like those of old fashioned phones.
I looked around. I could perceive I was alone, even if my eyes didn’t reach every angle of the parking area. At first, I wasn’t able to visualize the source of that ringing.
It came from a public telephone, without any booth, fixed on a wall.
I’d never noticed it before.
I knew a blind alley used to lie behind that wall, always deserted and abandoned. Now to use as a dump for the surrounding factories.
I drew near the phone, and took the receiver. "You know what time is it?” – a familiar voice answered, but I couldn’t recognize it.
"I’ve got no watch with me.”
"Sounds bad.”
"Who’s speaking?” I kept perceiving those words as if I heard them before, semantically and physically.
"You know me better than anyone else.”

I started thinking it was a joke. Maybe some worker, hidden in a factory nearby, having fun in front of his colleagues.
I hung up. Few seconds, then the phone rang again. I took the receiver again.
"It’s seven o’ clock.” He told me.
"So?”
"Time flows, G.” He knew my name, and the thing roused my suspicions.
I looked around, and all I could see was parked cars, the covered sky and the darkened windows of the factories.
"Come back tomorrow, it’ll be the same time again. Come back the next day, and it will still be the same time. It’s that what you’re thinking, isn’t it?”
Quite annoyed by the trick, I looked around again.
"I’m behind this wall” – he said – "and it’s up to you, to decide when I can get out of here.”
I hung up. And I went to my car, regardless that persistent ringing."

Cokemachineglow Streams Locrian "Chalk Point"

2011-12-07T08:08:00.000-08:00

They said:

"Like all of The Clearing, “Chalk Point” has a strong inclination toward the same sort of romantic, organic spirituality that has found success among the recent works of contemporaries like Wolves in the Throne Room and Sunn O))). Along with lots of other notable bands either confidently emerging or honing themselves in captivating fashion this year, Locrian are staying true to their title and keeping things dissonant not only in literality, but also by crafting accomplished examples of some of metal’s most interesting new permutations and by strongly exemplifying 2011’s ringing challenge to the standards of the genre. The euphoric ruination Locrian puts on display here is all but guaranteed to ensure a continued evolution full of engaging metamorphosis." Read the rest here.

Servile Sect & Cedars of Lebanon Tapes OUT TODAY!!!

2011-12-06T11:48:00.001-08:00

Link here.

-----------

Artist: Servile Sect

Title: Demos 2005/2006

Format: Cassette

Catalog Number: LOD 022

Edition Size: 100 Copies
Artwork: Kevin Gan Yuen
Mastering: Zz

Track Titles:

Side A: Manifesting Starships to Destroy the Vatican (14:49)

Side B: Nouranihar/Kings of Saturn (14:58)

Artist: Cedars of Lebanon

Title: Archive II

Format: Cassette

Catalog Number: LOD 018

Edition Size: 125 Copies
Members: A Couri, Jamie Drier, Mikey Ricketts

Track Titles:

Side A

1) Lament (4:35)

2) Place Me Underneath My Mother’s Breast Underneath the Cedar Tree (8:25)

3) I Was There At The Moment of the Beginning (9:31)

4) Nerves (14:22)

Side B

1) At The Grasp Of Death We May Sing (7:37)

2) Opium Tone 2 (24:25)

New Reviews for "The Clearing"

2011-12-05T07:26:00.000-08:00

From The Sleeping Shaman:

"Allow me, if you will, to get esoteric and mystical on your collective ass. Indulge me. Listening to The Clearing within the wider context of Locrian’s career thus far puts me in mind of the Qabalistic Tree Of Life." more here.

Attn Distros Re: Locrian "The Clearing" LPs

2011-12-02T09:31:00.000-08:00

A bunch of people have been asking us about where they can pick up "The Clearing" LPs for distro. Looks like Revolver has copies in stock so please get in touch with them or order it from their site at http://www.midheaven.com/item/the-clearing-by-locrian-lp

Doommantia on "The Clearing"

2011-12-01T07:25:00.001-08:00

There is a lot to be said about what passes as "experimentation" these days. Black metal bands are the quickest to call themselves experimental and then when you hear them you get nothing but cheesy noises and bland sound effects that sound like they were made by a 3-year-old in mommies' basement. Then you get the other end of the spectrum, bands that take the "experimentation" angle and actually do something with it that is interesting to the listener. Locrian are one of those bands, they are a band that shows their influences often but use their "experimentation" to take it to a whole other level, creating something that is uniquely theirs. The sound on their latest album 'The Clearing' is ominous and cold and full of suspense and truly frightening moments. The band blend drone, noise, doom, ambient, black metal, and electronica and make soundscapes that build in atmosphere and never lack cohesion. More here.

Kwaidan (Foisy, Jendon, and Weis) Perform in Chicago Tomorrow; 12/1/11

2011-11-30T13:39:00.000-08:00

Thursday, Dec. 1st
Location: Impala Gallery, 1768 Greenleaf (Clark and Greenleaf),
Cost: $5
BYOB

take the 22 Clark bus or Morse Red Line
Time: 9pm

Kaleid Series

Horseback Vs. Locrian Interiew at Cvltnation

2011-11-30T13:38:00.000-08:00

Today, CVLT Nation is ultra hyped to share with the world our artist to artist interview series, featuring Jenks Miller of Horseback interviewing the all of the members of Locrian. I’m impressed at the depth of this interview – both parties really opened up. I know that Horseback and Locrian have both recently released projects that have reshaped music, so to be able to hear where they are coming from is awesome! After the jump, check out the many different thoughts that go through the minds of Locrian, and the kind of energy went into creating their new album, The Clearing!

More here.

"The Clearing" LPs

2011-11-30T13:34:00.000-08:00

"The Clearing" LPs arrived in Chicago this week. All orders will go out as soon as possible.

LAND OF DECAY RELATED: The Unholy Bow (Book)

2011-11-18T21:50:00.000-08:00

For 2011 LOCRIAN member TERENCE HANNUM has been making a publication every other month. January's NEGATIVE LITANIES was the compendium documenting the monthly 2010 series and exhibition. March's ABLATION. was a clandestine dissection of some video footage featuring BLOODYMINDED. For May HANNUM joined forces with frequent collaborator SCOTT TRELEAVEN and made DEATH POSTURE. For July he collaborated with ALEXANDER BINDER and they made DARK MATTER/DUNKLE MATERIE while for September he created PURIFICATION. For his final publication of the year he teamed up with 5NAKEFORK RECORDS and published his first bound book, THE UNHOLY BOW.

Slowly the crowd gathers, heads hung as the musicians pick up their instruments. Upon the first note of feedback the heads start moving. Both performer and witness begin a ritualized dance in a flurry of hair, a profane genuflection. An unholy bow.

THE UNHOLY BOW is the final publication in artist TERENCE HANNUM's bi-monthly publication series for 2011. This issue focuses on the group ritual of the headbang ubiquitous in heavy metal culture, by cropping drawings and digital photo collages into a printed cadence and features a brief musing cadence from the artist. Printed in an Edition of 150

4.25" × 6.88"
Perfect Bound Pocket Sized Book
White interior paper (60# weight), black and white interior ink, white exterior paper (100# weight), full-color exterior ink
50 pages

PICK IT UP HERE!

PRESS:
Hammer Smashed Sound
Cvlt Nation

Metal Sucks on "The Clearing"

2011-11-18T11:11:00.001-08:00

"Is The Clearing a metal album? Absolutely not. Even the two minutes of blastbeats and howling in the middle of “Augury in an Evaporating Tower” are just another part of the song’s stew. But there’s a reason why Locrian collaborate regularly with members of Nachtmystium, Yakuza and Velnias. They access the alienated moods and harsh outlook of metal’s blackest wings in distinct but complementary ways. Their sound accesses terror without rubbing our faces in it. Accessible? Not unless you listen to Merzbow on your way to work. Riveting? Completely." More here.

Roadburn Album of the Day: Locrian "The Clearing"

2011-11-17T13:42:00.000-08:00

Link here.

The Shape of American Metal to Come?

2011-11-17T12:08:00.000-08:00

Grayson Currin wrote an interesting review of the Blut Aus Nord album and had this to say about the state of American metal:

"One of the year's biggest threads in heavy music has centered on the loose enclave of American metal bands reshaping black metal and, in turn, introducing it to fresh faces. From Liturgy and Locrian to Horseback and Atlas Moth, they've each manipulated the decades-old, forever-infamous strain in their own identifiable ways. Whatever your views on Hunter Hunt-Hendrix's verbosity or Krallice's kinetic cascades, it's inarguable that they've all passed the sounds of corpsepaint and battle axes to bigger, more generalized crowds not overly concerned with someone's respective KVLT credentials. One reason for this, of course, is that these bands generally look and talk mostly like your average rock dudes; they give interviews, tour, and generally wear band T-shirts and tattered jeans. They're not the first North Americans to mutate black metal, neither by a long shot nor by a decade, but they are distinctly identifiable people manipulating a sound that, compared to the indie mainstream, feels exotic and perhaps a tad dangerous." More here.

Tiny Mix Tapes on "The Clearing"

2011-11-17T09:13:00.000-08:00

A really nice, well written, and thoughtful review of "The Clearing" on Tiny Mix Tapes today.

"[O]n The Clearing they are masters of economy, and have formed their album into an utterly unique and precise sound-work that, even as it evokes so much, feels remarkably original — in particular, amid the bland ‘experimentation’ that happens in so much US black metal — and continuously draws this listener, entranced and amazed and a little frightened, back into itself as a singular, haunted entity."

More here.

Locrian & Mamiffer "Bless Those That Curse You" Update

2011-11-16T11:35:00.000-08:00

Aaron Turner posted an update about our upcoming Locrian/Mamiffer collaborative album "Bless Those That Curse You" here.

We are mastering the album today with Jason Ward at Chicago Mastering Service. A few minutes ago, Jason finished the audio mastering for the first track and it sounds immense!

This album will be out in March 2012 on CD, 2xLP, & tape! The labels working on these include: Profound Lore, Daymare, Sige, Utech, and Land of Decay.

Here are the track titles:

1. Bless Them That Curse You
2. In Fulminic Blaze
3. Corpus Luteum
4. Second Burial
5. Lechatelierite
6. Metis/Amaranthine/The Emperor

Don't Count On It Reviews Interviews André Foisy on "The Clearing"

2011-11-15T15:00:00.000-08:00

"If you're into underground experimental music, it's pretty likely that you've encountered Chicago's own Locrian. The trio has been pushing boundries for extreme music since their inception back in 2005 mixing drone, noise, ambient, krautrock, black and doom metal, and other genres into their own unique sound."
More here.

Skeletons & Candy on "The Clearing"

2011-11-15T11:00:00.000-08:00

"Locrain are at the top of the dark experimental music heap these days. Although their songs lack traditional form and structure, there a visceral quality to their music that recalls some of the most potent and powerful metal and post-rock. Last year's stunning genre-smashing "The Crystal World" made Locrian the band to pay attention to, while raising the bar for everyone else. Since then, they have produced a collaborative LP and single with the like-minded Horseback and the "Dort Ist Der Weg b/w Frozen in Ash" 7", which, for my money, is one of the best releases in any format this year. So to say that "The Clearing" was one of this year's most anticipated releases for me is a bit of an understatement. Even without hearing the whole thing, this was already a must have album among discerning music fans. Naturally, "The Clearing" not only lives up to expectations, but exceeds them to an extreme."

More here.

Philadelphia Weekly on Locrian "The Clearing"

2011-11-15T07:37:00.000-08:00

"The Clearing is a lonely affair; it’s a desolate world of permanent night, permanent rain, perfect void. The nearly 18-minute-long self-titled closing track’s a commitment, evolving from minimal John Carpenter synth bounces to reverb ecstasy to the pits of screeching, agonizing, alienating nothingness. With Christmas coming, this album’s the perfect gift for an overly sunny loved one."

More here.

Locrian "The Clearing" Vinyl

2011-11-14T13:05:00.001-08:00

It sounds like Fan Death Records now has the vinyl for "The Clearing." We should be getting our copies of the album very soon. I'm sure that anyone who ordered the album from Fan Death so far will be getting their copies very soon.

Locrian & Mamiffer "Bless Them That Curse You" [2012] Cover

2011-11-09T07:28:00.000-08:00

Pitchfork on "The Clearing"

2011-11-02T07:17:00.000-07:00

"Plenty of bands play music that sounds dark, but few can make every note bleed black and breathe smoke. Count Locrian as part of that select circle. Something about the Chicago trio's sound is inherently ominous-- it's hard to imagine them playing "Chopsticks" without turning it into an earth-threatening thunderstorm. That effect is obvious in their noisier, more chaotic moments, where metallic noise and intense howls coalesce into scary crescendos. But it's just as strong in their quieter, more ambient stretches, when they build tension not from heightened climax but from sustained nuance."

-Marc Masters

More here.

And also....

2011-10-27T11:35:00.000-07:00

Cedars of Lebanon

Check out a jam here:

Cedars of Lebanon "At The Grasp of Death We May Sing" by Landofdecay

Also coming Next WEEK

2011-10-26T14:29:00.000-07:00

Yes!!! Thanks to Viraloptic.

Coming Next Week!

2011-10-26T12:38:00.001-07:00

The Inarguable on "The Clearing"

2011-10-26T07:42:00.001-07:00

"Like Fennesz covering black metal beneath a mountain of ash, or a warped krautrock LP played at 78 RPMs with the volume only halfway up, The Clearing shows Locrian at their most disparate and unusual, eliciting sensations of dread and unease. What a perfect time of year for such wretchedness. Pre-orders are still available from Fan Death Records." More here.

New Reviews of "The Clearing"

2011-10-24T07:48:00.001-07:00

Gumshoe Grove on "Chalk Point" here

A full review from American Aftermath here

Fan Death are out of pre-orders of the album, but you'll be able to order the LP as of November 1st.

Tiny Mix Tapes Debuts "Chalk Point" from "The Clearing"

2011-10-20T08:05:00.000-07:00

link here.

"Opener “Chalk Point” is the perfect track to don a black cloak and stand in fog to...."

Anti-Gravity Bunny on "The Clearing"

2011-10-20T07:04:00.000-07:00

Link here.

Pre-order here.

Tiny Mix Tapes "Locrian to release new LP on November 1, Halloween likely to suck until then"

2011-10-17T07:28:00.000-07:00

Link here.

Pre-order here.

The Making of "The Clearing": Bowed Cymbals

2011-10-12T13:55:00.001-07:00

Black Online (Germany) On Locrian "The Clearing"

2011-10-12T13:52:00.000-07:00

Link here.

Terence Hannum: AMIDST OUR THRONG @ Chicago Cultural Center

2011-10-06T14:28:00.000-07:00

TERENCE HANNUM
Amidst Our Throng

Oct 8, 2011 - Dec 28, 2011
Gallery Talk and Performance: Thursday, October 13, 6 pm
Opening Reception: Friday, October 14, 5:30 - 7:30 pm

Chicago Cultural Center
78 E. Washington St., Exhibit Hall
Chicago, IL 60602

Terence Hannum's paintings, drawings, video and audio installations employ the imagery, sounds and rituals of underground music subcultures as a means of exploring the transcendence and impermanence of sound and performance, and the group catharsis experienced by those who surrender to them.

Hannum, who holds an M.F.A. from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, is also a musician, and will give an artist talk followed by a solo musical performance on October 13.

Brooklyn Vegan Chicago Talks To Locrian (André)

2011-10-05T08:56:00.001-07:00

Link here

----------
"On the occaision of the release of a new Locrian track from a new LP ("Chalk Point" from The Clearing, available now at BrooklynVegan), we cornered the Chicago dark ambient trio [actually just André ] about some of their [André's] favorite Chicago haunts."

SSG Music on "The Clearing"

2011-10-04T10:42:00.000-07:00

Link here.

Very few of the limited flexi disc w/ pre-orders still available. Get one soon!

------------

“The brevity [of “The Clearing”] is a sign that Locrian has stronger command of its energized music’s abstract nature, focusing more on the compositional aspect to deliver its best album to date.”
-Nayt Keane

Zero Tolerance on Locrian "Dort Ist Der Weg" 7"

2011-10-03T13:16:00.001-07:00

This is for sale at our bigcartel site too.

Pitichfork Track Review: Locrian "Chalk Point"

2011-10-03T07:23:00.000-07:00

Link here.

-----------------

""Chalk Point" is the solemn, liturgical-seeming opener from The Clearing, prolific Chicago trio Locrian's followup to 2010's The Crystal World, out November 1 via Fan Death. As on that last record, the addition of drummer Steven Hess to André Foisy and Terence Hannum's dark, drifting atmospherics pays dividends."
-Brandon Stosuy

OMG Vinyl on "The Clearing"

2011-09-30T07:12:00.001-07:00

Link here.

"We’ve been hugely behind pretty much everything Locrian has ever done, they are one of our favorite bands in the world. From what we’ve been hearing, “The Clearing”, their new full-length album, is their best yet..."

Pre-order here.

Making "The Clearing" - Prepared Piano

2011-09-29T11:41:00.001-07:00

This was one of the last things recorded at Semaphore studios...

Act fast if you want a flexi disc: http://fandeathrecords.com/shop/

BrooklynVegan on New Locrian Stuff

2011-09-29T08:14:00.000-07:00

Link here.

-------------------

"No one does ethereal, menacing, and haunting quite like Locrian..."

MSN Entertainment Streams "Chalk Point"

2011-09-28T12:38:00.001-07:00

Link here.

"I’ve been spinning the album repeatedly, and am fascinated by just how rich its sound is compared to their previous efforts...Hypnotic and ominous, it’s the perfect soundtrack for the chilly winds, bruised skies, and bare trees of autumn."
- Adrien Begrand

New Locrian Track at Bandcamp

2011-09-27T13:59:00.000-07:00

Link here

Name your price!!! Chalk Point in high resolution.

Locrian "The Clearing" LP w/ Download; Nov. 1, 2011 Release Date: PREORDER NOW!

2011-09-27T11:34:00.000-07:00

Pre-order from Fan Death Records Here.

Label: FDR-028 - Fan Death Records
Artist: Locrian
Album: The Clearing
Format: LP w/ download
Street date: November 1, 2011

Coming up from the basements of experimental black metal, Locrian quickly made a name for themselves, laying the cobblestones for their own unique world. Through three LPs and a small stash of other releases, the group have floated ever towards a mesmerizing sound that defies classification. Dark, brooding, complex, and lush, with each release Locrian have raised the bar for their own grey sky heightened standards.

This fall, Fan Death Records sees Locrian give birth to their magnum opus. The Clearing breaks free of the “must own” list for the group itself, and transcends into a “must own” list for general fans of everything from Loveless to Goo to Black One, Touched, Through Silver and Blood, and beyond. Not quite ambient, certainly not black metal, The Clearing takes a diversity of sounds, combined with a hushed aesthetic, and folds them into a mature record that demands attention from the first second to the last. This may be the closest the group will ever come to capturing the holy communion of their live performances.

The ominous sounds that escape cognitive identity clatter through the intro of “Chalk Point” before falling into the gulf of layers that comprise the majority of The Clearing. Pushing the organic and the electronic in and out, with Augury in an Evaporating Tower and Corpolite, Locrian adds a mastery of everything from hushed acoustic guitar to near power electronics to synths that break through from a world of giallo soundtracks, penning a near symphony while never faltering from a solid path. The beacon atop this secret pyramid is “The Clearing” itself. Here you find a staggering arc of sound that may be the group’s finest hour. At nearly 20 minutes, a slowly building rite pulls the listener into a place and time that they will compulsively visit over and over again to better understand. For every person any of the above strikes a chord with, Locrian is a must-know band, and The Clearing is a must-own album.

Recommended if you like:
Yes - Relayer LP, Throbbing Gristle, La Monte Young, Hive Mind, Burzum - Aske LP

Track Listing

Side A:
1. Chalk Point (8:14)
2. Augury in an Evaporating Tower (6:39)
3. Coprolite (6:39)

Side B:
1. The Clearing (17:26)

• The follow-up to their critically acclaimed The Crystal World LP.
•The Clearing was recorded by Jeremy Lemos, who has worked with notables such as Stereolab, John Fahey, Jim O’Rourke, and Wilco, amongst others.

New Stuff!

2011-09-24T21:52:00.000-07:00

New stuff on the bigcartel.com site now.

We're still waiting on the plant to get us the next batch of Land of Decay releases:

Cedars of Lebanon and Servile Sect. Those will be on sale as soon as we can put them both up.

Look for a big announcement from us next week.

Exclaim on Locrian "Dort Ist Der Weg"

2011-09-20T09:52:00.001-07:00

Link here.

-------------------------
"....This seven-inch proves that Locrian are a trio to be reckoned with, creating some of the best heavy cerebral music around."

MSN (Adrien Begand) on Locrian "Dort Ist Der Weg"

2011-09-15T07:54:00.000-07:00

Link here.

Purchase here.

--------------------

"...It’s one of the better covers I’ve heard all year, and it ranks as one of the best things the band has recorded to date. Backed by the multilayered, alternately primal and beautiful b-side “Frozen in Ash”, which echoes both their raw 2009 debut Drenched Lands and their multihued 2010 album The Crystal World, the single is available digitally now via Flingco Sound System, and is totally worth the $3 price tag."

Locrian "Dort Ist Der Weg" Availible from FSS NOW!

2011-09-13T08:28:00.000-07:00

Order here.

Here's what Byron Coley had to say about it in the new Wire:

You can also get this from itunes for $2!

LAND OF DECAY REALTED: Purification (Zine)

2011-09-03T22:25:00.000-07:00

For 2011 LOCRIAN member TERENCE HANNUM will be making a publication every other month. January's NEGATIVE LITANIES was the compendium documenting the monthly 2010 series and exhibition. March's ABLATION. was a clandestine dissection of some video footage featuring BLOODYMINDED. For May HANNUM joined forces with frequent collaborator SCOTT TRELEAVEN and made DEATH POSTURE. For July he collaborated with ALEXANDER BINDER and they made DARK MATTER/DUNKLE MATERIE and for September he has created PURIFICATION.

PURIFICATION is an inversion, a reversal of corruptions, a necessary portion to complete the profane and a process toward attaining another state. This publication, which is the least dark of Terence Hannum's publications, is not only on white paper but it exploits this ground and comes tucked inside of a white envelope that is embellished with a laser etched white acrylic plate. PURIFICATION takes, as its base, a set of drawings that are then inverted and edited alongside more graphical elements such as a variable pentagonal grid shattered like a monochromatic stained glass window, the disembodied fragment of a drawings' edge acting as a frame echoing towards the light. No text, just image.

Edition of 100
36 Pages | 8.5" × 11"
B&W Color Copies
Comes inside a white 9" × 12" envelope with a 2.75" x 5.25" laser etched white acrylic plate adhered to the cover

$30 (US) / $35 (World)
PayPal - unluckyatlas (at) gmail (dot) com

Byron Coley (Wire Magazine) Reviews High Aura'd/André Foisy Tape

2011-08-30T08:33:00.001-07:00

Brainwashed on Locrian "Dort Ist Der Weg"

2011-08-29T14:12:00.000-07:00

Link here.

"...While 2010 was an insanely productive year for Chicago's Locrian, 2011 has been relatively quiet: other than the two releases with Horseback, this single is the only thing that’s been released. Mixing a Popol Vuh cover on one side with an original piece on the other, the result is an all too brief example of the band excelling at what they do best."

Per-order here.

Black Magazine on Cultus Sabbati

2011-08-29T12:10:00.000-07:00

Link here.

Get a copy while you still can here.

Musical Warfare on Locrian "Dort Ist Der Weg"

2011-08-29T07:07:00.000-07:00

Link here.

Epitonic on Locrian 7" - Download It Here!

2011-08-24T14:16:00.000-07:00

Epitonic.com on Locrian here.

Looks like you can download the 7" there so please check it out!

Horseback/Locrian LP SOLD OUT

2011-08-17T11:32:00.000-07:00

We are totally sold out of the Horseback/Locrian LP.

It seems as if Utech Records still has a few copies.

We shipped out the last few orders for this release today. If you're interested, then hit up Utech quickly!

We will have some rare, out of press, Locrian items for sale in early September, but I don't expect that we'll have any more of these LPs...ever.

Mixing Locrian/Mamiffer Album w/ Randall Dunn

2011-08-16T09:19:00.000-07:00

Doommantia on Locrian "Dort Ist Der Weg" 7"

2011-08-11T11:02:00.002-07:00

Link here.

Have you Pre-ordered this yet? Do it here: http://www.flingcosound.com/

---------------

The guys in Locrian seem to be on a roll right now as everything they touch turns into gold and this 7" continues with the run of exceptionally good mind-bending music. This 7 inch has only 12 minutes worth of music on it but you can flip it over again and again for repeated listening pleasure. The sound of the band has always been stripped-naked, bare to the bone sonic experimentation and this is atmospheric music at its most stark. On the A-side, they reconstruct Popol Vuh’s 'Der Ist Der Weg' and give it the blackened Locrian treatment. The track is an abstract, metaphysical track with metronomic rhythms and a kind of vibe that reminds of when The Grateful Dead asked for the sound of thick-air during the making of one of their early psychedelic freak-out albums. The track here is constitutionally delicate meaning that it threatens to break-apart at any moment under the sound of the guitars and electronic noises.

Locrian are one of the few bands on the planet that can make repetition sound astute and this is perhaps their finest example of it thus far. Turn it over and you get treated to a track titled 'Frozen In Ash' which is chilling ambience at its very best. There is haunting piano, acoustic guitars and a drum-roll that is slowly building the tension. The track builds by spreading harm in a subtle, stealthy way and it is beguiling but alluring. The vocals are nothing more than blackened screams but that only adds to the tracks creepy atmosphere.

Yet again Locrain have released something monumentally impressive and it further proves that they are one of the leaders of this kind of sub-genre of doom and ambient music. They have a individuality and uniqueness that is all their own and they just seem to be getting better and better. If you dig this stuff, this is essential.................10/10

CVLT Nation posts Cultus Sabbati Video

2011-08-08T13:48:00.000-07:00

Link here.

Check it out. The tapes are going fast so you'd better snag one if you want one.

Cultus Sabbati - Mouth of the Beast from Cultus Sabbati on Vimeo.

Letters from a Tapehead on Locrian "Dort Ist Der Weg" 7"

2011-08-08T09:11:00.001-07:00

Link here.

The Quietus on Locrian/Horseback 7"

2011-08-08T08:16:00.001-07:00

Link here.
-----------------------------

"We at the Quietus (well, me, as far as I know) love a bit of Locrian – mostly due to the fact that the Chicago drone outfit have produced some stunning slabs of disorientating, glitch filled noise, meant to ruin your speaker cones and your relationship with your neighbours due to it causing their cat to turn itself inside out. Here, with only one side of a 7" to fill, the creeping grandeur of The Crystal World is replaced by the sort of noises that Sunn O))) banished to the bottom of the Mariana trench lest anybody be foolish enough to attempt to plunder them. Over on the other side, North Carolina's Horseback have deposited the musical equivalent of that brief second of panic when you're caught in a wave and you think you're going to drown and a bit of piss comes out. Except it goes on for five odd minutes and is accompanied by what sounds like Alan Dubin straining for a shit in your ears. Not for everyone then. See you at Bloodstock, ya bastards!"

Cultus Sabbati "Mouth of the Beast" Video

2011-08-05T09:56:00.000-07:00

Check it out!

Cultus Sabbati - Mouth of the Beast from Cultus Sabbati on Vimeo.

Pitchfork on Cultus Sabbati

2011-08-05T08:10:00.000-07:00

Link here.

You can purchase a tape here.

------------------

The first thing you're likely to hear about Cultus Sabbati is that the drone-noise-metal trio is mysterious; no one knows the actual names of the band members, where they are from, how they met or where they prefer to record. But the band is otherwise completely forthcoming about their occult beliefs, their ritualistic approach to recording, and the way they feel about many of their contemporaries. Indeed, in an interview with The Quietus, they blasted the evil posturing of fellow doom benders Sunn O))); below, they put both the controversial black metal band Liturgy and the detractors who can't seem to stop loving to hate them on notice. As it turns out, Cultus Sabbati have plenty to say, even if their names aren't part of the banter or backstory.

None of us this really matters, though, when listening to last year's excellent Garden of Forking Ways or the new Descent into the Maelstrom. Both LPs put Cultus Sabbati's demanding sense of dynamics and total tonal control in brilliantly grim focus and place the band squarely at the center of the recent pack of acts who have been turning several shapes of extreme music-- power electronics, doom metal, black metal, harsh noise-- into aggressive new varieties. Descent into the Maelstrom is one of the more brutal but balanced records we're bound to hear all year. We talked to Cultus Sabbati via e-mail.

[More at Pitchfork]

Locrian "Endless Plains/Flat Horizon" CS on Ebay [RARE]

2011-08-04T14:03:00.000-07:00

Someone is selling a rare OOP Locrian tape on ebay here.

OMG Vinyl on Neige & Noirceur and Cultus Sabbati CS

2011-08-02T07:16:00.000-07:00

Link here.

"Land of Decay has got a couple of new editions out, new tapes from Neige et Noirceur and Cultus Sabbati to be precise. You know the label, run by the lads from Locrian, so you know what to expect. Neige et Noiceur provides a one man blackened assault, and Cultus Sabbati projects darkened rituals directly off of the tape reel. You are urged to purchase, and soon, each edition is less than 100 – landofdecay.bigcartel.com."

Mix-Tape from André Foisy at Workin' Night Blog

2011-08-01T12:27:00.000-07:00

Link here.

Check it out!

LOD 021: Cultus Sabbati Image

2011-07-29T07:48:00.001-07:00

Looking good, eh!

LOD August 2011 Update: New Releases!!!

2011-07-28T08:48:00.000-07:00

New Releases Available for Order Now:

LOD 018, Niege Et Noirceur “Philosophie des Arts Occultes,” and
LOD 021, Cultus Sabbati “Descent Into The Maelstrom”:

Available for pre-order now and will be shipped beginning on Tuesday, August 2nd, 2011.

We are really excited to have two new releases out this month from two of our favorite artists that we don’t hear enough about: Neige et Noirceur and Cultus Sabbati. These are both very limited cassettes and professionally dubbed on chrome, high bias, tape.

The Neige et Noirceur release ranges from very frozen ambient passages to full on black on black blackened black metal. The release captures the out-of-print Philosophie des Arts Occultes on side A, and Thanatonaut, a piece inspired by a science fiction novel by Bernard Werber titled Les Thanatonautes, on side B.

Cultus Sabbati is a not a group of musicians, but a group of people possessed and ultimately absent from any location, time, or space. “Descent Into the Maelstrom” is a batch of tracks intuitively and mystically linked, each track ebbing and flowing into the next. It’s an album documenting a band possessed, an album that draws you in and forces you into a similar state, or rather, another dimension. You can download their first release “The Garden of Forking Ways” for free at The Quietus.

All new orders will be shipped starting Tuesday, August 2nd.

Artist: Neige et Noirceur
Title: Philosophie des Arts Occultes
Format: Cassette
Catalog Number: LOD 018
Edition Size: 100 copies

Neige & Noirceur "Rituel Incantatoir du grimoire du sorcier " [Excerpt] by Landofdecay

Tracklist:

Philosophie des Arts Occultes
A1) Loudon (5:40)
A2) Rituel incantatoire du grimoire du sorcier (10:43)
A3) Oija (8:03)

Thanatonaut
B) Thanatonaut (18:10)

---------------

Artist: Cultus Sabbati
Title: Descent Into The Maelstrom
Format: Cassette
Catalog Number: LOD 021
Edition Size: 93 copies

Cultus Sabbati "Adrift At Sea" by Landofdecay

A1) Adrift at Sea (3:55)
A2) Tempest’s Edge (10:03)
A3) Mouth of the Beast (8:46)
B1) Walls of the Abyss (12:56)
B2) Beneath the Waves (3:00)
B3) Descent Into the Maelstrom (8:12)

Locrian 7" Pre-order at Flingco Sound

2011-07-22T10:59:00.000-07:00

You can now pre-order the upcoming Locrian "Dort Ist Der Weg b/w Frozen in Ash" 7" with digital download on the Flingco Sound website.

Link here.

Also, get ready for next week. We'll have some rare Locrian stuff in the LOD store along with some great new LOD tapes.

The Inarguable on "Persistence In Mourning"

2011-07-21T14:15:00.001-07:00

Jon at The Inarguable reviewed the Persistence In Mourning tape. If you haven't been reading this blog then you definitely should start since they are writing about some of the more interesting releases out there.

Link here.

Lurkers Path on Locrian "Dort Ist Der Weg b/w Frozen in Ash" 7"

2011-07-20T07:13:00.000-07:00

More kind words on our upcoming 7".

Link here.

Pre-order will be available here soon.

HSS on Locrian "Dort Ist Der Weg b/w Frozen in Ash" 7"

2011-07-19T09:49:00.001-07:00

A very early and very kind review of our upcoming 7" on Flingco Sound System.

Link here.

-------------------

Locrian/Mammifer Recording Notes

2011-07-18T14:17:00.000-07:00

Here are some of Aaron Turner and Faith Coloccia's notes from the Locrian/Mammifer collaborative recording that took place in June.

Randall Dunn will be mixing the recording the release in August and it will be out someday via Profound Lore (CD) and Utech/Sige Records on LP (or possibly 2xLP?).

Nice Locrian Feature Article in Fucinemute.it

2011-07-18T09:25:00.000-07:00

Link here.

--------------------

Fucinemute wrote, what seems to be, a very kind article about Locrian so if you understand Italian then please check it out.

LAND OF DECAY RELATED: Dark Matter/Dunkle Materie Zine & DVD w/ Alexander Binder

2011-07-15T13:22:00.000-07:00

DARK MATTER/DUNKLE MATERIE is now available in the LAND OF DECAY shop. Here is a video flip through of the zine with some preview material of the DVD that comes with it.

Locrian "Dort Ist Der Weg b/w Frozen in Ash" 7" Coming in Fall 2011

2011-07-11T09:02:00.001-07:00

This will be the cover for the upcoming Locrian "Dort Ist Der Weg b/w Frozen in Ash" 7"/digital single that Flingco Sound System will be releasing in Fall 2011.

Territories LPs

2011-07-06T13:53:00.001-07:00

Just got some copies of the Locrian "Territories" LPs in stock. These are sold out from just about everywhere.