Dhampyr - White Fire Laudanum AVAILABLE NOW 4/30

Out now and perfect for your Walpurgisnacht giving, riddled as it is with misanthropy, opiate abuse, and absorbing, possessing songs composed at the very darkest corners of the human soul—White Fire Laudanum, the new full-length (and first physical release) for RI's Dhampyr.

Purchase yours here.

jesus, william, i'm trying to do some work here...

Here in this archival photograph, one A. "Pop" Phagus seems to be saying, "you think you got me? No, I GOT ME!" A reclamation of one's own demise, of such pulchritude, has rarely if ever been seen. A man already possessed of nothing left to lose cannot really ever be "bested" in battle, only exterminated.

We waxed, unflinchingly for two hours, accelerator stuck, and then a glorious wane for the final hour, which included the outstanding new Shingles tape (our friend Jesse from Grasshopper; on the 905 Tapes label), and a live track by Demonologists (indeed, SiHV!) from a compilation on Teen Action Records.

Which brings this thought to mind (as a Demonologists record on the Prison Tatt label lurks somewhere in the future) >>> in order to preserve my ability to do a WFMU show, and WFMU's not-for-profit status in general, I need to keep the business of the radio show and that of Prison Tatt records as separate as possible. I will not be airing my own releases, nor will I discuss Prison Tatt-related matters on the air. See the site linked at the start of this paragraph for information on Prison Tatt (and yes, the Dhampyr CD, White Fire Laudanum, is newly released and available.)

I'm off now to play a set with Terrier, on a bill that includes the great Sick Llama, at Port d'Or in Brooklyn, USA. Gotta make time for the traffic (now there's horror!) and I'll see you all next week! More info here.

And oh yeah, click on A. Phagus to get to the playlist and audio archive of our three-hour weekly horrorcast™.

Riff on all you young dudes, RIFF On! Rage against the coming of the day. Ply your trades of musicianry!

Agreed.

And I would add... that in their wisdom, Castevet have not ignored or shunned any of the potential arteries that might empower them. Yes, it's definitely black metal—but when you've heard as much music as myself, and the members of Castevet—it's also Yes, Magma, Ligeti, and post-hardcore apocalypse rock like Fugazi and Godspeed You Black Emperor!, among so many other things. The portions feed a new whole. To the listener go the spoils, I guess, and the more prepared you are for the rhythmic twists and turns, and the fluid complexities of rhythm and timbre, that a band like Castevet offer, the more enjoyment for your ride and bang for your buck.

Castevet played to a praiseful playlist, and their set is sure to be a favorite on the Free Music Archive and WFMU's Beware of The Blog, where the tracks will post as mp3s in less than a fortnight. Deepest thanks to Ian, Josh and Andrew for whipping it out, and for engaging me in one of the more esoteric discussions I've had on black metal in some time. For now, you cna hear the entire 3-hour horrorcast™ by clicking on that sad pier above.

The boats they go, then come back empty. The polished hair and porcelain skin of the young maidens that travel out—never to be seen again. They have worn their finest, every nuance of their youthful perfection in place, and for what??? TO WHAT?!?!?!

Also a big hit with Castleheads last night were the lengthy orchestral/synth piece by the multi-talented Moloch, quickly becoming one of the most interesting one-man BM projects on the globe, as well as tracks by Demons (reissue from 2007) and the hypnotic pounding in the dark of Clandestine Blaze.

Past the windmills lie a world no young woman should have to endure ... a horror beyond belief.

Castevet LIVE and ON BLACK FIRE tonight, on My Castle of Quiet

Once one has grown accustomed to fielding as much underground metal as I have, it becomes a process akin to panning for gold (or silver?)—eyes and ears become acutely tuned to the good stuff, what bears the true stamp of originality and innovation, which artists lead rather than "follow" or "carry on" sonic traditions established by others. NY's own Castevet are one such powerful frontrunner.

Tonight, My Castle of Quiet radio is proud to welcome Castevet to WFMU's airwaves. The band creates introspective, complex black metal, with gutsiness intact—that is to say, they're neither as oppressively brainy as Deathspell Omega, nor as lunkheaded as Carpathian Forest, with force aplenty. Their debut full length on Profound Lore, Mounds of Ash, is a loaded document, with one great song after another, songs that take you through the band's considerable chops, with that extra touch that comes only when the musicians can really manage their instruments with expertise. Death/grind heads often make the blanket statement that all black metal is overtly simplistic, but you'd be hard-pressed to make that accusation with Castevet. Without question, the songs on Mounds of Ash are grimy, riff-laden and monstrous—making Castevet somehow "pro" and "dirty" at the same time. What more could one ask of their black metal?

As with the overwhelming percentage of My Castle of Quiet guests, Castevet have also opted to play absolutely live and in the moment, no pre-recording, do-overs or alt-takes. Don't miss a night of groundbreaking, modern black metal, as MCoQ continues its trend of bringing great local underground metal to the airwaves.

Thanks to Diane Kamikaze Farris, who'll be lending her considerable expertise to engineer the session, and to Johanna Lenski, for putting me in touch with the band, arranging their appearance tonight, and baking a damn-fine peanut-butter cookie.

Tear gas canisters rain from the heavens at midnight tonight.
Castevet @ 12:30 a.m. approx.
WFMU 91.1 FM (NY/NJ)
WMFU 90.1 FM (Hudson Valley)
wfmu.org live on the Web

SO GOOD THIS PLAYLIST! BRING THE HARSH

"You just caaan't believe me, when I show you what you mean to me. Confusion! Confusion!"

When I first came to WFMU and Upsala College in 1983, everyone, stalwart veterans of our airwaves even, were leaning hard on this new New Order single, and the endless remixes and versions. Wow! Even I, in my very un-jaded state, new to virtually everything, could tell that it SUCKED. I'd been listening to WFMU since 1979, and it was in fact this remarkable oasis, this seemingly bottomless conveyance of oddball artistry that led me to apply to Upsala as a student. But hell, "Confusion"? What a shit song. So what that it was New Order, who had been Joy Division? What a trite lyric; it sounded like a dumb dance song that someone had dreamed up in 30 seconds; like I'd heard it before, and didn't need to again. If this indeed was the same personnel (I regarded even that fact with some skepticism), it was a rapid and perilous downhill slide from "Atmosphere." Shit. I just had to get that said; it's been so long I've been holding that in. My bullshit detector is set on "ridiculously intolerant," and I never, not ever, worship my idols blindly. You're only as good as your last achievement. I expect no less in return.

Last night's show was a blast, always fun, a hammering of hardcore, grind and black metal basically accounted for the first two hours, and then things got loose. No one really commented on specific artists, they did so only on the music in general (and that they enjoyed it.) Some notable highlights of the horrorcast™ include Cthulhu Youth, Butcher Cover, Psychic Limb, Cumming Jehovah, Dhampyr, Haare, Flesh Coffin, and Isa Christ.

Personal note, to listener Rory >>> I can't say that the Texas Chainsaw Massacre soundtrack is really worth owning; I got it this week as a burn, and I'd say "good," but not "great." See if you can get it cheap. It's sort of an artifact, as much or more than an OST. I didn't want you to think that my playing it was necessarily an endorsement to purchase, and then be left shouting "Bergerrrr!" on a street corner, your fist shaking at the clouds.

Next week, My Castle of Quiet is proud to welcome Profound Lore recording artists Castevet live to the airwaves. Outstanding NY black metal!

My Rear Bumper and Trunk

As I tool around Northern NJ and NYC, my car reflects wanton lust for all manner of transgressive culture. It's a wonder that I'm not subject to random stops and beatings by the local authorities.

The oldest stickers are on the far right and left; Blasphemy's man-goat and Obituary's pile of skulls. What remains are two nods to Relapse Records, and one apiece to Robot vs. Rabbit (the Rasputin image), FUN, The Rita, Harrassor, Hivesmasher, WFMU, a very thin strip that says "PIG DESTROYER," Regimental Records, The Free Music Archive, Sissy Spacek, aTelecine, Bastardised (now Universal Consciousness), Tasty Soil, Gnaw Their Tongues, Important Records, Rainbow Bridge, blackmetal.com, Pendu.org (Pendu NYC), and Baked Tapes.

I still have room! Send me your sticker!

A Maelstrom of Hindsights and Loathings: Dhampyr - Vieillesse (2011)

A Maelstrom of Hindsights and Loathings: Dhampyr - Vieillesse (2011)1. Needles & Pitted Ski...: "Dhampyr - Vieillesse (2011)1. Needles & Pitted Skin2. Vieillesse(9:40)Here's a treat - just for you. DOWNLOAD HERE -X"

Dhampyr's newest full-length, White Fire Laudanum, goes into production this week, to be released in a digipak edition of 300 on Prison Tatt. In the meantime, here's the band's latest work, FOR FREE on the Dhampyr blog.

Ok, I see, a denial, a denial, a denial, a denial, a denial. ... Another great show, another great night on The Castle. ...

Why thank you, Rory. I align my fingertips like a Bond villain. Extremely pleased with last night's roar, rumble and shriek. I've said this before, though I often forget, and then return to it—a blast of punk, grind, sometimes archival crust punches starts the show off well each week. Must do it always, except those weeks when I feel like leading with a 20-min. Sickness album side, which might be next week. Instant contradiction. Still, this aggressive burst helps listeners and myself settle in, get charged up—ready release, instant gratification. I'm told often (by friends, family and healthcare professionals) that I obsess on instant gratification somewhat more than the average person. Part of what can make the Castle good, I guess; from the on-wall and private messages I rec'd last night, I'm doing okay.

So... Circle Jerks' Group Sex, always good for a spin. I heard this album first on WPRB's Sunday-into-Monday 12-5 a.m. punk show; must have been running when I was in Jr. High. Some of these songs still awe me. Ives, a current fave, more often than not causing a stir on the playlist—great, Florida crust-black. Australia's Portal—Swarth may be my favorite full length of theirs' thus far, Portal's deftly held-together tuberculosis chaos growing more astounding with each record. What else, what else??? The new Burmese. The theme from Sekirei. Aaron Dilloway's Spine Scavenger, always a favorite. (mta) Tony and I rapped about the growing discourtesy in our society, 'tis true.

Above hovers the doc. (Not to be confused with "The D.O.C.") This is a "licensed" physician, gripping your fate, to be decided by the sweep of a pen, mostly. That's ok, I'm too sort of not feeling good to worry right now about the gatekeeper's keys, and that door slamming shut behind me. I'll hop the fence (or hope the fence) when the time calls.

I've been turned on to so much great music of late, new and reissued, I must also note my personal favorites on last night's list >>> Solid Attitude new 7" (buy the record, it's that good) | Lake of Blood | the Lovecraft-obsessed Brown Jenkins | Hell | Occultation | Jason Zeh & David Reed | new Lussuria | Demonologists, and everything I played, really. This is what I do, every week—attempt the best possible radio broadcast, based on my own unique filter and faves of the moment, which I guess is what many of us WFMU stalwarts do.

In two weeks—CASTEVET, live!

THAN KSF OURLIS TENNIG!

SICK TRACK!!

She seems to be saying, "Yeah, I'm a zombie. Love me anyway, you big jerk." Looks like being a zombie is just one big bad hair day. 'Course, the silver crumble on her face is actually kind of cute, but, as JW once said, I'd "have anyone."

Word to Art Schnurple - you turned a few heads on the playlist this week, and that's good; when FACIALMESS comments, "SICK TRACK!!" one had better feel honored, as FACIALMESS pretty much invented sick tracks. Also noted were Norway's Detritivore, who've crafted a decidedly different kind of black metal/noise album...and that dynamite Kakerlak side of the split picture disc with Macronympha (That release is a fucking hit. Go Dada Drumming!)

Good shit. I always have fun.

That's all for now. Last week's Long Distance Poison set coming very soon, in mp3 format.

I'm old, and in need of a lie-down.
Last time? Fingers crossed.

Click on the zombie dream date above, to see the playlist and access the audio archive of this week's Castle show.

TONIGHT, IN NYACK. FOOL.

Tonight, Bob Bellerue and myself perform as Terrier, part of a flawless bill that includes Castle favorite Isa Christ, among several other mind-bending performers. Come out and see the show! The NVT is a comfortable venue with great sound, the perfect place to get your noise on in luxury! 94 Main St., Nyack, NY, 9 p.m.

More info here.

If you can't make it out, the event will be Webcast on http://www.rocklandworldradio.com/