NEW CATASTROPHISM (2xCD) / PROFOUND LORE
INFINITE DISSOLUTION (CD & CASSETTE) / RELAPSE RECORDS
RETURN TO ANNIHILATION (CD) / RELAPSE RECORDS
COLLABORATION w/ CHRISTOPH HEEMANN (CD) / HANDMADE BIRDS
COLLABORATION w/ CHRISTOPH HEEMANN / TEST PRESS ART EDITION / (LP)
DORT IST DER WEG (7") / FSS
TERRITORIES (CD)
TERRITORIES / TEST PRESS ART EDITION / (LP)
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NEW CATASTROPHISM (PROFOUND LORE)
"“New Catastrophism”, the first LOCRIAN release in seven years sees the iconic experimental music trio return back to their roots through four immersive tracks that signal towards the band’s signature expressions through dark ambient, experimental music, drone and post rock. Massive dystopian soundscapes through the intricate, layered, and spacious sound palette LOCRIAN unveil."
2XCD COMES IN DIGIPACK
Comes with the "Ghost Frontiers" EP as a second bonus disc. 2xCD package a six panel digipack with spot gloss. CD edition limited to 500 units.
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INFINITE DISSOLUTION (Relapse Records)
"Experimental, avant-black metal artisans LOCRIAN return with Infinite Dissolution, another dark and cinematic work of exceptional aural artistry. More epic and foreboding than anything in the prolific trio's catalog, Infinite Dissolution was produced by Greg Norman (Pelican, Russian Circles) and is a multi-part concept album dealing with the struggle of extinction. A seamless and harrowing blend of dark ambience, drone, black metal, post-rock, and experimental electronics, Infinite Dissolution is the perfect manifestation of modern, forward-thinking experimental music." - From the label
CD in Jewel Case from RELAPSE RECORDS
Cassette Issue from ANTI-MATTER RECORDS
4 Copies in stock of the cassette
To purchase a digital version of this release through Bandcamp, please visit the Locrian bandcamp page at: www.locrian.bandcamp.com
credits
released December 12, 2015
All music composed and performed by Locrian
André Foisy: Guitar
Terence Hannum: Keyboard/Vocals
Steven Hess: Drums/Electronics
Additional Musicians:
Erica Burgner-Hannum: Vocals
Dana Schechter: Guitar
Recorded, mixed, and arranged in August of 2014 by Greg Norman @ Electrical Audio in Chicago, IL.
Mastered in 2015 by Jason Ward @ Chicago Mastering Service in Chicago, IL.
Artwork by David Altmejd.
Design by Jacob Speis
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RETURN TO ANNIHILATION
"Chicago’s blackened noise geniuses LOCRIAN spent the second half of 2012 crafting ‘Return To Annihilation’, their Relapse debut. Locrian have been creating their own brand of epic noise drone for close to a decade, but ‘Return To Annihilation’ is the culmination of their sound. Equal parts black metal, noise and drone, LOCRIAN’s ‘Return To Annihilation’ is a terrifyingly beautiful vision of bright menace. The soundtrack of the bright white lights we’ll all see before the very end of days." - From label.
In three panel digipack
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Collaboration with Christoph Heemann
Part of HANDMADE BIRDS: Dark Icons Series
Artwork by Sean Dack
1 Left in stock
“When I first heard that Chicago-based post-metal trio Locrian and German sound-collage artist Christoph Heemann had teamed up for a record, all I could think of were Felix Ungar and Oscar Madison having it out in a recording studio. But the recorded evidence indicates that this wasn’t such an odd couple after all. While Heemann has never dabbled in rock of any stripe, he’s certainly messed with pop music; on his recent LP, The Rings Of Saturn, he electronically manipulates snatches of song as well as his own instruments and recordings of the great outdoors. And Locrian’s roots are sunk as deeply in the clay of drone as they are in the loam of metal.
But this record is as much about the process of its creation as it is about any shared aesthetic. All four tracks start with Locrian’s sounds. On ‘Loathe The Light’ and ‘Edgeless City,’ Heemann began with elements extracted from Locrian’s “Extinction, while guitarist Andrew Foisy and singer/keyboardist Terrence Hannum recorded fresh tracks to kick off ‘Hecatomb’ and ‘The Drowned Forest.’ The nascent pieces were volleyed back and forth between the three men, and when they were done Steven Hess (of Haptic and On as well as Locrian) added percussion and tapes. It bears noting that Heemann stuck to synthesizer and electronics; any outdoor and appropriated sounds come from Hess, and were added later. Last word gets first impact on the opener ‘Hecatomb,’ which begins with snatches of traffic and orchestral sounds sliding in and out of some spaghetti Western guitar strumming. Give that guitar a close listen; what first sounds like a single instrument reveals itself to be a fractal expansion, layered and juxtaposed so that one guitar transforms into a honeycomb mass. Then a kick drum comes in, as if escaping from the sound hole of one of those guitars, and we’re led into a new section in which sounds come and go around a heartbeat rhythm and a single, elongated tone that sounds like the output of a Leslie speaker.
The process yields a particularly three-dimensional kind of music, one which moves purposefully forward with a narrative thrust at the same time that it seems to be branching at right angles to the left, right, up, and down from the sonic through line. Not every foray is successful; a little bit of the back-of-the-throat snarling that surfaces in ‘Loathe The Night’ goes a long way. But it’s just one stop on a trip that also takes you though solemn chants, glacial drones, and cymbal washes electronically warped until they give off a low radioactive glow. Each sound grows outward as it moves forward, making Locrian & Christoph Heemann a singularly head-expanding trip.” – Dusted
“Locrian has spent the better part of the last four years distinguishing themselves from the also-rans of the post-Sunn O))) drone scene, crafting their own distinct sound and identity amid many less engaging acts. While much of their recent work has been focused on the deconstruction of metal symbolism, paired with a more conventional rock bent, here the trio go back to their dissonant, abstract roots, with help from legendary audio and visual artist Christoph Heemann.
On their most recent albums and collaborations, the trio of Terence Hannum, Andre Foisy and Steven Hess demonstrated a distinct turn in shaping the heavily treated synths and rapid guitar work into more traditionally song-like structures, without ever fully embracing conventionality. Here that is not quite as much of a noticeable feature, with the album divided into four 11 to 15 minute tracks that lead to longer, more experimental compositions.
Even the artwork shows some variance from the norm: the band’s penchant for using the signifiers of metal are all but gone, replaced by what more closely resembles a corrupted jpeg file. The sound, however, is clearly the work of Locrian, though the contributions from Heemann expand on their shared themes and approaches to sound.
‘Hecatomb’ is perhaps the most familiar sounding. The drums are notable but low in the mix, with electronic loops and acoustic guitar strums almost giving a Morricone like soundtrack vibe to the sound. The layers are piled on, each one more complex and intertwined with the one before, all the while generating an almost imperceptible melody hidden in the detritus. Eventually it focuses on the droning guitars and keyboards, feeling more in league with the earlier, more abstract Locrian works.
One characteristic Locrian has never traded in is the intentional, and usually overwrought, evil sound that other artists have embraced. Which is, I have always felt, a good idea. It helped them to develop their own identity without letting cliché overshadow content. However, on ‘Loath the Light,’ there is a horrifying sensibility via the crashing cymbals and bent synths, magnified by Hannum's tortured, guttural screams. Do not be mistaken: this does not come across as pseudo demonic high school metal bullshit. This is much more in league with Nature Unveiled/Dogs Blood Rising era Current 93, a hallmark of terrifying recordings, and transcends any corniness usually associated with such approaches.
The second half of the album is less visceral and more reflective, such as the layered guitar and propulsive low-end parts of ‘Edgeless City,’ which is by no means a lighter piece, but just feels dark, rather than overtly malignant. ‘The Drowned Forest’ takes on a more monastic feeling, with chanted vocals starting out as the focus, with a subtle amount of musical accompaniment that eventually peaks into a complicated wall of sound. There is no sense of movement or propulsion to be heard, it instead makes for a slowly decaying piece that just looms imposingly.
It is hard to tell where the separations are between Locrian's and Heemann's contributions, and that is one of the hallmarks of an effective collaboration. Neither artist seems to overshadow the other, but both retain their own identities perfectly, with Heemann's gloriously concrete tones and post-industrial chaos matching with Locrian's metal tinged guitar and electronic layers. Both artists step a bit out of their comfort zones on this album, and the result is a glorious success.” – Brainwashed
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LOCRIAN "Dort Ist Der Weg" 7" (FSS)
A Dort Ist Der Weg (Popol Vuh)*
B Frozen In Ash (Locrian)
2011
Limited Edition of 500 w/ Letterpressed covers.
* Features Erica Burgner-Hannum (The Holy Circle) on vocals.
"Dark metal crawlers Locrian pretty much nail this Popol Vuh cover." - Tiny Mix Tapes
"Taken as a whole this is Locrian at their most epic, and it is hard to believe that a simple 7″ can contain such a massive statement in sound. Although combined these tracks make up a mere twelve minutes and thirty-five seconds, this feels like a proper album, if only because of the emotional and sonic ground covered. Few, if any, bands could achieve what Locrian have achieved here. Successful Popol Vuh cover aside, the real accomplishment is a recording that contains more variety and depth in less than a quarter hour than most bands can produce in an entire career. Absolute highest recommendation possible." - Skeletons and Candy
Mastered At – Chicago Mastering Service
Lacquer Cut At – Chicago Mastering Service
Recorded At – Minbal
Mixed At – Minbal
Letterpress Printed By – Dexterity PressA Dort Ist Der Weg (Popol Vuh)*
B Frozen In Ash (Locrian)
2011
Limited Edition of 500 w/ Letterpressed covers.
* Features Erica Burgner-Hannum (The Holy Circle) on vocals.
"Dark metal crawlers Locrian pretty much nail this Popol Vuh cover." - Tiny Mix Tapes
"Taken as a whole this is Locrian at their most epic, and it is hard to believe that a simple 7″ can contain such a massive statement in sound. Although combined these tracks make up a mere twelve minutes and thirty-five seconds, this feels like a proper album, if only because of the emotional and sonic ground covered. Few, if any, bands could achieve what Locrian have achieved here. Successful Popol Vuh cover aside, the real accomplishment is a recording that contains more variety and depth in less than a quarter hour than most bands can produce in an entire career. Absolute highest recommendation possible." - Skeletons and Candy
Mastered At – Chicago Mastering Service
Lacquer Cut At – Chicago Mastering Service
Recorded At – Minbal
Mixed At – Minbal
Letterpress Printed By – Dexterity Press
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TERRITORIES:
"Co-released by BloodLust! Territories is the second studio full-length from Locrian. The album was recorded in January 2009, at Phantom Manor Studios in Chicago, IL, and it features a group of collaborators including Blake Judd (Nachtmystium, Twilight), Bruce Lamont (Yakuza), Andrew Scherer (Velnias), and Mark Solotroff (Anatomy of Habit, BLOODYMINDED). André Foisy and Terence Hannum have spent the last several years honing the Locrian sound and they have taken elements from noise, power-electronics, drone, and black metal to come up with a truly unique approach that reflects the sprawling urban decay that surrounds them in Chicago. After nearly two dozen releases, they have found themselves in the world of "Territories." For this release, Locrian has pulled out all of the stops and they have fleshed out the band with the help of Mark Solotroff on vocals and synthesizer, Blake Judd on guitar, Bruce Lamont on saxophone and vocals, and Andrew Scherer on drums. The results of this massive collaborative effort are apparent from the moment that the album starts. The textures run darker and deeper; the vocals -- sometimes three layers deep -- seem to be conjured from the decrepit muck of a failed civilization; the feedback takes on a more pronounced presence; and the augmented line-up allows for full-on black metal assaults that burst out of the tortured drones that Locrian have come to be known for. Truly a case of the whole being greater than the sum of the parts, "Territories" may well be the most fully realized form of Locrian’s dystopian vision. As with their previous album, "Drenched Lands" (2009, At War With False Noise and Small Doses - CD; BloodLust! - LP), "Territories" was skillfully mastered by Jason Ward at Chicago Mastering Service, and the sound could not be more monumental. The limited edition LP version of "Territories," released in March 2010, garnered extremely strong critical attention (see selected reviews below) and we expect to reach even more ears and eyes with this new, handsome six-panel digipak compact disc edition."