OBSCURE CELEBRITIES Microatlas E.P (Gooom) cd ep 11.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

OBSCURUS ADVOCAM Verbia Daemonicus (Battle Kommand) cd 14.98
Another warehouse find (which in our case actually means closet find, since our 'warehouse' is in fact, more like a closet, well, it actually IS a closet, anyway...), we discovered a stash of the 2007 full length from black metal horde Obscurus Advocam, whose name might not be all that familiar, but the members of OA have done time in a couple other black metal groups we've raved about in the past, Glorior Belli and Wolfe. And c'mon, they're French, and we have a serious thing for French black metal, and as one might expect, fans of Deathspell Omega would do well to check out OA's swirling darkened black metal progginess, not nearly as next level and head spinning as DSO, OA nonetheless weave sprawling epics rife with tangled riffage, sinister moodiness, mathy intricate arrangements, LOTS of bass, and some killer grim vox, all wound into slow burning blackness, that tends more toward the creep and the midtempo, than the all out blast, but fear not metalheads, some serious buzz and blast is peppered throughout, but it's what's between that makes this stuff so cool, moody and murky, haunting and creepy, melodic and sorrowful, but still seriously and satanically grim. Had we reviewed this back in 2007, this would most definitely have been a contender for black metal record of the year, as it is, if you somehow missed this, now's the time to right that wrong.
MPEG Stream: "Bounded Artefact"
MPEG Stream: "Verbia Daemonicus"
MPEG Stream: "Starlight To Twilight"

OBSEQUIAE Suspended In The Brume Of Eos (Bindrune) cd 12.98
Though we spend a lot of time toiling over our carefully worded, expertly-informed, well-thought out (ahem) reviews, we realize that a lot of folks probably just scan 'em looking for a few keywords that might jump out, and to see whether we are giving something the thumbs up or not (and furthermore, if we seem particularly enthusiastic in doing so, by like, using all-caps or something). So... here's some keywords for you: CELESTIIAL, FOLK-METAL, AWESOME. Working those terms into sentences, results in the following: this blackened but not necessarily black metal (they say "melodic dark metal") band from Minnesota, who started back in the '90s as a demo-only band under the moniker Autumnal Winds, is a duo featuring guitarist/vocalist Blondel de Nesle, aka Tanner Reed Anderson of fellow Bindrune recording artists Celestiial. Suspended In The Brume Of Eros is Obsequiae's debut full-length, and while we don't know what Obsequiae means (help, Heavy Latin blog!) nor are we sure what a "brume" is, let alone just who or what "Eos" might be, we do know we like this. A lot. And we didn't even know they were related to AQ frosty, forest-y funeral doom faves Celestiial when we first heard this and dug it, though we did know it was on Bindrune, almost always a sign of quality pagan metal with a weird or avant garde bent.
We said Obsequiae play folk-metal, that's right, it's real medieval /madrigal sounding for sure, but with the emphasis on METAL, despite an assortment of minstrel-like acoustic interludes. So the melodic, intertwined twin guitars are heavy with fuzz, and their harmonies more twisted than twee. Likewise, the vocals are harsh, and rhythmically the band gallops like true metal ought to, propelled by the other half of the Obsequiae duo, drummer/bassist/guitarist "Neidhardt von Reuental".
In other words, it's something that even those of us a bit burned out on "another grim black metal band" found quite compelling. Lots of (autumnal) atmosphere, lots of actual music, Obsequiae doing justice to both halves of the folk-metal equation, mixing acoustic guitars in with weird, killer riffage and soloing for an album that's epic and interesting and, as we said, AWESOME.
There, 'nuff said?
MPEG Stream: "Altars Of Moss"
MPEG Stream: "In The White Fields"
MPEG Stream: "Suspended In The Brume Of Eos"
MPEG Stream: "Estas Redit"

OBSERVATORY, THE Dark Folke (self-released) 2lp 36.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
NOW ON VINYL, super deluxe gatefold sleeve, 12" x 12" booklet of beautiful artwork from Justin Bartlett, 180 gram vinyl, LIMITED TO 250 COPIES, each one hand numbered...
We should probably stop being surprised when we discover records we dig and groups we love are in fact made by or made up of long time aQuarius customers. It makes sense after all. People who are obsessed with cool weird music are often the same ones who make it. We should also probably stop marvelling about what a small world it is, similar to the above sentiment, it makes sense that people into the same sort of weird shit would gravitate toward each other.
So thus, it makes perfect sense, that The Observatory, who hail from Singapore, count at least one long time aQ mailorder customer as a member, and thus it should also make perfect sense, that The Observatory's eye popping, ultra deluxe silver inked gatefold packaging was designed by none other than Justin Bartlett, another aQ customer, and the man responsible for the first bad ass installment in our Artist Edition t-shirt series. So now that we're no longer surprised, and all finished marvelling, we can get to the music.
The Observatory are difficult to describe. Their sound is lush, and dark, and mysterious, woozy and softly psychedelic. The core traditional band instruments are augmented by what sounds like a whole mess of other random instruments. The songs sprawl, the seem to ooze and creep and drift. Mark Ribot like angular guitars are draped over a Bohren like dirge, sunshiney almost Beach Boys harmonies are woven into a slowly swirling synthscape, drums are minimal and spare, the songs shift into soft mysterious dreampop, with Theremins, steel string guitars, and hushed crooned vocals, more of those glorious harmonies, before drifting back into something more croonsome, until some crunchy guitars come in, and the song splinter into a dizzying grinding circus gone haywire sort of psychedelic freakout, finally slipping back into something much more tranquil and soft and poppy.
At their core, these guys (and gals) are definitely a pop band, but their tendencies definitely lean toward something much more avant and out. Jangly, shimmery, poppy, and folky for sure, in fact, this is most definitely 'dark folke', but it's informed by much more than just folk music. Dramatic strings sing and soar, ethereal female vocals drift over spidery strum and buzz, strange bits of shortwave interference, reverbed piano plinks, all draped over the band's lush dark folky almost chamber pop, so dreamy and divine.
And again, let's mention the packaging again, WOW, 12" x 12" booklet of lyrics and beautiful artwork from Justin Bartlett, gorgeously creepy pen and ink drawings, like some nightmarish children's book, perfectly suited to the haunting mysterious sound within.
MPEG Stream: "Omicron"
MPEG Stream: "A Shuffler In The Mud"
MPEG Stream: "Blood Rising"
MPEG Stream: "Ephemeron"

OBSERVATORY, THE Dark Folke (self-released) cd + book 17.98
We should probably stop being surprised when we discover records we dig and groups we love are in fact made by or made up of long time aQuarius customers. It makes sense after all. People who are obsessed with cool weird music are often the same ones who make it. We should also probably stop marvelling about what a small world it is, similar to the above sentiment, it makes sense that people into the same sort of weird shit would gravitate toward each other.
So thus, it makes perfect sense, that The Observatory, who hail from Singapore, count at least one long time aQ mailorder customer as a member, and thus it should also make perfect sense, that The Observatory's eye popping, ultra deluxe hardcover silver inked book packaging was designed by none other than Justin Bartlett, another aQ customer, and the man responsible for the first bad ass installment in our Artist Edition t-shirt series. So now that we're no longer surprised, and all finished marvelling, we can get to the music.
The Observatory are difficult to describe. Their sound is lush, and dark, and mysterious, woozy and softly psychedelic. The core traditional band instruments are augmented by what sounds like a whole mess of other random instruments. The songs sprawl, the seem to ooze and creep and drift. Mark Ribot like angular guitars are draped over a Bohren like dirge, sunshiney almost Beach Boys harmonies are woven into a slowly swirling synthscape, drums are minimal and spare, the songs shift into soft mysterious dreampop, with Theremins, steel string guitars, and hushed crooned vocals, more of those glorious harmonies, before drifting back into something more croonsome, until some crunchy guitars come in, and the song splinter into a dizzying grinding circus gone haywire sort of psychedelic freakout, finally slipping back into something much more tranquil and soft and poppy.
At their core, these guys (and gals) are definitely a pop band, but their tendencies definitely lean toward something much more avant and out. Jangly, shimmery, poppy, and folky for sure, in fact, this is most definitely 'dark folke', but it's informed by much more than just folk music. Dramatic strings sing and soar, ethereal female vocals drift over spidery strum and buzz, strange bits of shortwave interference, reverbed piano plinks, all draped over the band's lush dark folky almost chamber pop, so dreamy and divine.
Did we mention the packaging? WOW. A 7" x 7" black clothbound hardcover book. The front and back printed in metallic silver ink, inside 14 pages of lyrics and Justin Bartlett's gorgeously creepy pen and ink drawings, like some nightmarish children's book, so over the top and deluxe, not sure how they manage to sell it for so cheap, needless to say, grab one quick before they realize they can't and the price goes way up, or more likely, they sell out!!
MPEG Stream: "Omicron"
MPEG Stream: "A Shuffler In The Mud"
MPEG Stream: "Blood Rising"
MPEG Stream: "Ephemeron"

OBSESSED, THE Incarnate (Southern Lord) cd 14.98
You know an artist has special 'cult' standing when not only do their actual albums get reissued but so do their outtakes and rarities. Actually we're still waiting on The Obsessed's album reissues (coming soon we're told on Southern Lord) but the Lord has first blessed us with this enhanced reish of Incarnate, a collection of demos, seven-inch tracks, and so forth from the infamous doom metal (pre-stoner rock) trio The Obsessed. You know, the band led by guitarist/vocalist/recent Arthur 'zine cover star Scott "Wino" Weinrich both before and after he was in Saint Vitus. After The Obsessed folded for the second time, Wino bounced back with Spirit Caravan, and now does time in both the Hidden Hand and Place Of Skulls. But you DO probably know all that or you wouldn't have read this far in this review...
Anyway, what we said about it the original edition released in '99 still holds true: in the still ongoing stoner rock boom/glut, this stands out as fairly essential. They've managed to put together stuff from various eras (1983-1994 or so) and line-ups (some including members of Kyuss and the Melvins, and our friend Guy who's in Acid King now: dig the pictures of him here w/ long hair!) and got it all to sound excellent and flow well, more like an actual album than the odd-n-sods comp that it is. The highlight is perhaps their rulin' cover of Eric Burdon's "Inside Looking Out" (perhaps inspired by the Grand Funk Railroad version). Originally this came out semi-simultaneously with Spirit Caravan's debut, now it follows up Meteor City's 2003 Spirit Caravan compilation The Last Embrace. Oh, we said it was 'enhanced' didn't we? Yep it's got five bonus tracks (four more demos and one live cut) and a mpeg video ("Streetside") not found on the original! So all true Wino fanatics (we know you're out there) now have the opportunity to give their old copies to unenlightened friends and buy this new edition for themselves. Double LP version coming in May...
MPEG Stream: "Yen Sleep"
MPEG Stream: "Inside Looking Out"

OBSESSED, THE Incarnate (Southern Lord) 2lp 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Now on vinyl, as promised. You know an artist has special 'cult' standing when not only do their actual albums get reissued but so do their outtakes and rarities. Actually we're still waiting on The Obsessed's album reissues (coming soon we're told on Southern Lord) but the Lord has first blessed us with this enhanced reish of Incarnate, a collection of demos, seven-inch tracks, and so forth from the infamous doom metal (pre-stoner rock) trio The Obsessed. You know, the band led by guitarist/vocalist/recent Arthur 'zine cover star Scott "Wino" Weinrich both before and after he was in Saint Vitus. After The Obsessed folded for the second time, Wino bounced back with Spirit Caravan, and now does time in both the Hidden Hand and Place Of Skulls. But you DO probably know all that or you wouldn't have read this far in this review...
Anyway, what we said about it the original edition released in '99 still holds true: in the still ongoing stoner rock boom/glut, this stands out as fairly essential. They've managed to put together stuff from various eras (1983-1994 or so) and line-ups (some including members of Kyuss and the Melvins, and our friend Guy who's in Acid King now: dig the pictures of him here w/ long hair!) and got it all to sound excellent and flow well, more like an actual album than the odd-n-sods comp that it is. The highlight is perhaps their rulin' cover of Eric Burdon's "Inside Looking Out" (perhaps inspired by the Grand Funk Railroad version). Originally this came out semi-simultaneously with Spirit Caravan's debut, now it follows up Meteor City's 2003 Spirit Caravan compilation The Last Embrace. This vinyl reissue includes six bonus tracks (one more than the cd, but no mpeg video of course).
MPEG Stream: "Yen Sleep"
MPEG Stream: "Inside Looking Out"

OBSESSED, THE Lunar Womb (MeteorCity) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Scott "Wino" Weinrich. Ok, he's maybe a -wee- bit overrated, but after all these years definitely deserving of his status as stoner metal's number one guitar hero and favorite frontman, a true "lifer", going strong today in not one but two bands, Place Of Skulls and The Hidden Hand. His career stretches back into the '80s, when he fronted SoCal doom legends Saint Vitus for a spell, a job he got on account of his reputation from his original, also now legendary band The Obsessed from Maryland. He then left Vitus to reform The Obsessed, recording this album, Lunar Womb, in 1991 for the German doom label Hellhound, which somehow led to Wino, incredibly enough, winding up on major label with The Obsessed's next album, The Church Within (Columbia, 1994). The post-grunge major label indie rock feeding frenzy of the early nineties somehow swept a lot of surprising signings, and I guess it helped that the harDCcore scene was always singing Wino's praises (in fact, a blurb from Ian MacKaye appears on this reissue), funnily enough considering his tattooed, drug-fiending, dirtbag heavy metal biker persona. Anyway, The Church Within is out of print, and with Hellhound long since defunct as well, so too has Lunar Womb been unavailable. Now Meteor City and 20 Buck Spin (who handle the vinyl) step in to rectify the situation in regards to that album, much like Southern Lord did with Saint Vitus's V (another lost Hellhound release featuring Wino).
Well served by Wino's distinctively gruff, authoritative vox and lead guitar prowess, Lunar Womb is a tuneful, mid-tempo slab of chunky head-nodding heaviness that should have all heshers (and closet-heshers) happily rockin' out. Almost as prescient of QOTSA as it is derivative of Sabbath, this is a post-punk, more-metallic variant on the grunge of its era, with plentiful and catchy riffola, some tricky parts, and a definite downer vibe overall -- though not quite so wasted and psychedelic as was Saint Vitus. Maybe it does make sense that Lunar Womb would lead some LA label suit to think The Obsessed could take it to the next level. CoC did after all.
'Nuff said, really -- if you like any of Wino's current outfits, or were a fan of the several albums he released with his post-Obsessed comeback band Spirit Caravan, and you don't already have this, you'll want it for sure!! (Likewise if you're into Kyuss and/or Goatsnake, which also have familial connections with The Obsessed...)
Oh, and this cd reissue boasts liner notes by Joe Carducci of "Rock And The Pop Narcotic" fame.
MPEG Stream: "Brother Blue Steel"
MPEG Stream: "No Mas"

OBSESSED, THE Lunar Womb (20 Buck Spin) lp 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Scott "Wino" Weinrich. Ok, he's maybe a -wee- bit overrated, but after all these years definitely deserving of his status as stoner metal's number one guitar hero and favorite frontman, a true "lifer", going strong today in not one but two bands, Place Of Skulls and The Hidden Hand. His career stretches back into the '80s, when he fronted SoCal doom legends Saint Vitus for a spell, a job he got on account of his reputation from his original, also now legendary band The Obsessed from Maryland. He then left Vitus to reform The Obsessed, recording this album, Lunar Womb, in 1991 for the German doom label Hellhound, which somehow led to Wino, incredibly enough, winding up on major label with The Obsessed's next album, The Church Within (Columbia, 1994). The post-grunge major label indie rock feeding frenzy of the early nineties somehow swept a lot of surprising signings, and I guess it helped that the harDCcore scene was always singing Wino's praises (in fact, a blurb from Ian MacKaye appears on this reissue), funnily enough considering his tattooed, drug-fiending, dirtbag heavy metal biker persona. Anyway, The Church Within is out of print, and with Hellhound long since defunct as well, so too has Lunar Womb been unavailable. Now Meteor City and 20 Buck Spin (who handle the vinyl) step in to rectify the situation in regards to that album, much like Southern Lord did with Saint Vitus's V (another lost Hellhound release featuring Wino).
Well served by Wino's distinctively gruff, authoritative vox and lead guitar prowess, Lunar Womb is a tuneful, mid-tempo slab of chunky head-nodding heaviness that should have all heshers (and closet-heshers) happily rockin' out. Almost as prescient of QOTSA as it is derivative of Sabbath, this is a post-punk, more-metallic variant on the grunge of its era, with plentiful and catchy riffola, some tricky parts, and a definite downer vibe overall -- though not quite so wasted and psychedelic as was Saint Vitus. Maybe it does make sense that Lunar Womb would lead some LA label suit to think The Obsessed could take it to the next level. CoC did after all.
'Nuff said, really -- if you like any of Wino's current outfits, or were a fan of the several albums he released with his post-Obsessed comeback band Spirit Caravan, and you don't already have this, you'll want it for sure!! (Likewise if you're into Kyuss and/or Goatsnake, which also have familial connections with The Obsessed...)
Oh, and this cd reissue boasts liner notes by Joe Carducci of "Rock And The Pop Narcotic" fame.
MPEG Stream: "Brother Blue Steel"
MPEG Stream: "No Mas"

OBSKURIA Burning Sea Of Green (World In Sound) cd 23.00
Strange but kinda cool department: This is the second album (we missed the first) from this international, intergenerational hybrid kraut/psych/spacerock band, featuring members of Peru's La Ira De Dios, the USA's Dragonwyck, and Germany's Karmic Society and Treacle People. Well, we're fans of rockin' fuzzpunks La Ira De Dios anyway, don't really know the others. Apparently, inspired by residual '60s psychedelic vibrations, these likeminded folks got together to do some jamming, and that's what this is, all improvised, each track edited down from one-take jam sessions! Well, except for the surprise SLAYER cover, they do "Black Magic" from Show No Mercy! (Or, had we been paying attention, maybe not such a surprise, as apparently they also did Metallica's "For Whom The Bell Tolls" on their first album, we'll have to look into that...)
Otherwise, it's all in the realm of spacey stoner rock jamming with lots of fuzz guitar, Hammond organ and Hawkwindy FX, also wailing female vocals dubbed in over top (someone channelling their inner Grace Slick). Not the hippest band in the world, no, but fun and far out. Their unexpected speed metal obsession sure helps heavy it up, keeping this from totally retro tie-dyed hippiedom, while at the same time, they manage to make Slayer fit in with their spaced-out sound. Some parts remind us of Circle, some parts remind us of Jex Thoth!
MPEG Stream: "Somewhere"
MPEG Stream: "Black Magic "
MPEG Stream: "Memories Of Mysteria"

OCCASION, THE Cannery Hours (Say Hey ) cd 15.98
The Occasion set their cauldron of somber psychedelia on the fire to simmer, and the slowly spiralling vapors wafting up into our ears are quite a pleasure. Much of Cannery Hours' beautiful smoldering embers may easily be aligned with the shadowy, expansive likes of Black Heart Procession, Destroyer as well as Godspeed You Black Emperor, and seem to draw ample inspiration from Pink Floyd and perhaps even This Heat. Subdued yet emotive male vocals and contemplative picked guitar lines give way to the fevered piano, crashing cymbals, and swelling waves of guitar distortion.
MPEG Stream: "Register My Complaint"
MPEG Stream: "The Maiden"

OCCASIONAL DETROIT The BEST In Abstract Ent. (Resipiscent) 2xcd-r 11.98

OCCULARIUM s/t (Sycorax Multimedia) cd-r 9.98

OCEAN Here Where Nothing Grows (Important ) cd 14.98
This band from Portland, Maine is the latest to lumber into the realm of the uber-heavy. Now, don't confuse 'em with the band called THE Ocean, from Germany, whose uber-heavy Fluxion album we listed not too long ago. Although you certainly could confuse them, as uber-heaviness has its hallmarks. Indeed, this line from our review of The Ocean's cd actually describes this Ocean quite well, as well: "The basic sound will be familiar for sure, massive guitars, pounding drums, propulsive, relentless riffing, blissed out, post rock parts that build and build and build into huge squalls of gargantuan guitarnoise, throbbing and pulsing, minor key and epic." Yep, another one of those bands, here we go again. Just how much single-riff repetition and down-tuned sludge trudge can we take? Quite a lot, really! Ocean's Here Where Nothing Grows debut consists of three long songs, each one an ultra-slow doomful dirge ridden with gutturally growled vocal angst. Yet, there's a sorta melodic post rock thread running through this, for a sound somewhere betwixt Corrupted and Isis. You could file this alongside the likes of Buried At Sea, Mare, Indian, Pelican, Tides, Yob and Conifer, too. If you're a fan of all that sort of stuff you'll like this. It's nothing you haven't heard before but it's exactly what you like. Extreme sludge, but droning and artful enough to catch the ears of a non-metal label like Important... and on the more soothing side of the sludge spectrum, not so nasty and harrowing as something like Khanate, Bunkur or Graves At Sea. We'll admit that this took a little while to seep in, but as the waves of this Ocean wash over you, you'll happily sink beneath its depths (sorry, it's hard to avoid such aquatic metaphors with these guys, as you'll see the cover sticker blurb writer also found).
MPEG Stream: "Salt"

OCEAN Here Where Nothing Grows (Important) 2lp 24.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Now available as a SUPER LIMITED, ultra deluxe double lp. Packaged in a gorgeous black on black embossed, textured sleeve, pressed on 200 gram vinyl, limited to 500 copies. Also includes a side long live bonus track!
This band from Portland, Maine is the latest to lumber into the realm of the uber-heavy. Now, don't confuse 'em with the band called THE Ocean, from Germany, whose uber-heavy Fluxion album we listed not too long ago. Although you certainly could confuse them, as uber-heaviness has its hallmarks. Indeed, this line from our review of The Ocean's cd actually describes this Ocean quite well, as well: "The basic sound will be familiar for sure, massive guitars, pounding drums, propulsive, relentless riffing, blissed out, post rock parts that build and build and build into huge squalls of gargantuan guitarnoise, throbbing and pulsing, minor key and epic." Yep, another one of those bands, here we go again. Just how much single-riff repetition and down-tuned sludge trudge can we take? Quite a lot, really! Ocean's Here Where Nothing Grows debut consists of three long songs, each one an ultra-slow doomful dirge ridden with gutturally growled vocal angst. Yet, there's a sorta melodic post rock thread running through this, for a sound somewhere betwixt Corrupted and Isis. You could file this alongside the likes of Buried At Sea, Mare, Indian, Pelican, Tides, Yob and Conifer, too. If you're a fan of all that sort of stuff you'll like this. It's nothing you haven't heard before but it's exactly what you like. Extreme sludge, but droning and artful enough to catch the ears of a non-metal label like Important... and on the more soothing side of the sludge spectrum, not so nasty and harrowing as something like Khanate, Bunkur or Graves At Sea. We'll admit that this took a little while to seep in, but as the waves of this Ocean wash over you, you'll happily sink beneath its depths (sorry, it's hard to avoid such aquatic metaphors with these guys, as you'll see the cover sticker blurb writer also found).
MPEG Stream: "Salt"

OCEAN Pantheon Of The Lesser (Important Records) cd 14.98
When talking about this band Ocean, there's always an obvious temptation to liken their music to giant waves crashing upon the shore, which we shall indeed succumb to here. 'Cause of their name, which they share with another heavy band, The Ocean from Germany (this Ocean is the one from the coastal city of Portland, Maine) and 'cause of their massive, relentlessly cycling sound. Large rocks, over the aeons, would easily be turned to tiny grains of sand, by the action of Ocean. Even within the limit of the running time of a compact disc, Ocean surely hints at such power. Over the course of these two loooooong tracks here (35:50 and 23:04), Ocean's repetitive riffs and percussive detonations surge and crest, washing in and out with regularity and ponderous force, slowwwww and steady, building up almost imperceptibly. Beautiful to our ears, or to those of anyone else equally as enamored by crushing, moody, majestic sludge-metal!
The anguished vocals, guttural gasps, oftimes like gasses escaping from a subterranean crypt, or (a more appropriate analogy) the final cries of drowning men from a sinking ship intermingled with the bellowings of some leviathan of the depths, put us in mind of the ultra-doooom of Khanate, as do the varied levels of carefully sculpted feedback and distortion. There is some guest singing (in Japanese, we believe) from Yoshiko Ohara of fellow doombringers Bloody Panda on the first track, but even her cleanly-sung lamentation eventually gives way to "vokill" style throat-abuse.
During much of her turn at the mic, as well as at other junctures on this disc, (the) Ocean calms and quiets, yet the listener remains adrift at sea. Doomed to drown, sinking down into into the stillness of the deeps, an undersea abyss where of course the darkness and pressure make this even heavier! Not so good for actual shipwreck victims, but metaphorically excellent for those of us into this sort of music - a combination of dirgey funereal doom and loud/soft post rock prettiness, truly elegant -and- extreme. If you liked Ocean's earlier effort for Important (Here Where Nothing Grows), and/or the likes of Bloody Panda, Conifer, Lesbian, Khanate, Thou, Pelican, etc., this is probably for you! And we must also mention the packaging; a white digipack, with text and engraving-style artwork in metallic silver ink. Very classy-looking.
MPEG Stream: "The Beacon"
MPEG Stream: "Of The Lesser"

OCEAN Pantheon Of The Lesser (Important Records) 2lp 37.00
NOW ON VINYL! And super fancy too, even nicer than the cd version which itself was hella fancy.
When talking about this band Ocean, there's always an obvious temptation to liken their music to giant waves crashing upon the shore, which we shall indeed succumb to here. 'Cause of their name, which they share with another heavy band, The Ocean from Germany (this Ocean is the one from the coastal city of Portland, Maine) and 'cause of their massive, relentlessly cycling sound. Large rocks, over the aeons, would easily be turned to tiny grains of sand, by the action of Ocean. Even within the limit of the running time of a compact disc, Ocean surely hints at such power. Over the course of these two loooooong tracks here (35:50 and 23:04), Ocean's repetitive riffs and percussive detonations surge and crest, washing in and out with regularity and ponderous force, slowwwww and steady, building up almost imperceptibly. Beautiful to our ears, or to those of anyone else equally as enamored by crushing, moody, majestic sludge-metal!
The anguished vocals, guttural gasps, oftimes like gasses escaping from a subterranean crypt, or (a more appropriate analogy) the final cries of drowning men from a sinking ship intermingled with the bellowings of some leviathan of the depths, put us in mind of the ultra-doooom of Khanate, as do the varied levels of carefully sculpted feedback and distortion. There is some guest singing (in Japanese, we believe) from Yoshiko Ohara of fellow doombringers Bloody Panda on the first track, but even her cleanly-sung lamentation eventually gives way to "vokill" style throat-abuse.
During much of her turn at the mic, as well as at other junctures on this disc, (the) Ocean calms and quiets, yet the listener remains adrift at sea. Doomed to drown, sinking down into into the stillness of the deeps, an undersea abyss where of course the darkness and pressure make this even heavier! Not so good for actual shipwreck victims, but metaphorically excellent for those of us into this sort of music - a combination of dirgey funereal doom and loud/soft post rock prettiness, truly elegant -and- extreme. If you liked Ocean's earlier effort for Important (Here Where Nothing Grows), and/or the likes of Bloody Panda, Conifer, Lesbian, Khanate, Thou, Pelican, etc., this is probably for you!
MPEG Stream: "The Beacon"
MPEG Stream: "Of The Lesser"

OCEAN, THE Aeolian (Metal Blade) cd 14.98
This is THE Ocean, not to be confused with Portland, Maine's Ocean, just Ocean. While Ocean is pretty darn heavy, The Ocean out heavy them in a way that seems impossible. THE Ocean is a German eight piece (that's right, EIGHT piece) now calling themselves the Ocean Collective. Lots of guitars, multiple vocalists, upping the heaviness quotient exponentially. The world, or at least our little underground rock corner of it, has gone nuts for this new metal / post rock hybrid, so much so that there's even a documentary in the works (which, if the footage makes the final cut, will feature Andee and Allan opining on all things metal and post rock). And we have to say we're digging it all too, Isis, Pelican, Cult Of Luna, Conifer, Minsk, each band doing their own version of that hybrid, adding their own unique particulars.... We seem to lean a bit toward the more metallic end of the spectrum (big surprise there) and the Ocean are right there at the extreme metal end, more a full on crushing metal band, with a bit of post rock weirdness mixed in insted of the other way around. This is massive pummeling extreme metallic brutality. The Ocean's riffs are huge, we mean HUGE, swirling and snarling, downtuned and so so so heavy. Pounding near industrial drums, and a phalanx of vocalists including Coalesce's Sean Ingram, mean this is a fucking shitstorm, in the best possible way. Everything we loved about their last record, Fluxion, is here, but expanded, heavier parts are heavier, weird parts are weirder (including some truly haunting German film music interspersed here and there). The basic formula is the same, massive crushing teutonic sludge / death metal, with all manner of post rockisms tossed in, blissy ambient interludes, grooved out rhythmic breakdowns, there are definitely hints of Isis, Neurosis, Dimmu Borgir, even Rammstein, as well as nods to more dramatic outrock outifts like Godspeed and Mogwai. But Aeolian is just so much more complicated and multilayered, convoluted and complex, dizzyingly so. One of the coolest, weirdest, heaviest metal records so far this year for sure.
MPEG Stream: "The City In The Sea"
MPEG Stream: "Austerity"

OCEAN, THE Fluxion (Throne) cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
With everyone freaking out about Isis, Pelican, Neurosis, Cult Of Luna, and all things massively and epically metal, all churning riffs and pounding majesty, it's hard to believe that most people have never heard, or even heard of German outfit The Ocean. Because in some ways, hard as it may seem to believe, they've almost managed to sonically outdo their obvious influences. The basic sound will be familiar for sure, massive guitars, pounding drums, propulsive, relentless riffing, blissed out, post rock parts that build and build and build into huge squalls of gargantuan guitarnoise, throbbing and pulsing, minor key and epic. But, in the case of The Ocean, they manage to add all sort of extra weirdness and not-so-subtle nuance than really makes Fluxion stand out. The presence of a full on string section (as well as some clarinets and other decidedly non rock instruments) is the first thing, which obviously lends the whole thing a much more stately, mournful feel, making them sound at times like a heavy metal Godspeed You Black Emperor. There's also a whole bunch of melodic flourishes scattered throughout, just here and there, that make what could be standard metal riffs become something a little bit out of the ordinary. The order of the day though is definitely metallic pummel, growled gutteral vocals over ultra thick Teutonic riffs, their German-ness shines through a bit in those instances, reminding us a bit of Rammstein, and when the keyboards kick in, there's definitely some Dimmu Borgir going on. And there is definitely a black metal vibe throughout, although it's bent and twisted to fit into The Ocean's moody metal framework. But the sound is so much more expansive and epic than most black metal, or most metal in general, especially when the guitars bliss out a bit, and strings are soaring, guitars picking out arpeggiated minor key melodies, everything eventually erupting into full on metallic bombast. And even in the midst of TOTAL METAL, the melodies are still moody and intense, the riffing is weird and the overal vibe is super dramatic and ultra intense. Fans of the 'new mood metal', a la Pelican, Isis, Cult Of Luna, as well as fans of the new metallic post rock (Conifer, Tides, Mouth Of The Architect, etc.) will be totally blown away!
Some of the most amazing packaging we've seen, a multi panel digipak, depicting a huge shcool of fish, with the band name and random spatters printed in a glossy varnish. The gatefold is a huge two panel spread of dead gutted fish, and inside all the liner notes and lyrics are printed glossy black on matte black. Wow!
MPEG Stream: "Nazca"
MPEG Stream: "The Human Stain"
MPEG Stream: "Comfort Zones"

OCEAN, THE Fluxion / Aeolian (Throne) 3lp 35.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Both amazing releases from Germany's The Ocean, last year's Fluxion, and the brand new Aeolian, now available on vinyl, a super limited triple lp set which includes each one of the three lps in a different color, packaged in a gorgeous silver inked 8mm-spine gatefold jacket, with a full color fold-out poster. Limited to 472 copies, already out of print, we have about 30 so act fast.
Here's what we think about Aeolian:
This is THE Ocean, not to be confused with Portland, Maine's Ocean, just Ocean. While Ocean is pretty darn heavy, The Ocean out heavy them in a way that seems impossible. THE Ocean is a German eight piece (that's right, EIGHT piece) now calling themselves the Ocean Collective. Lots of guitars, multiple vocalists, upping the heaviness quotient exponentially. The world, or at least our little underground rock corner of it, has gone nuts for this new metal / post rock hybrid, so much so that there's even a documentary in the works (featuring Andee and Allan opining on all things metal and post rock). And we have to say we're digging it all too, Isis, Pelican, Cult Of Luna, Conifer, Minsk, each band doing their own version of that hybrid, adding their own unique particulars.... We seem to lean a bit toward the more metallic end of the spectrum (big surprise there) and the Ocean are right there at the extreme metal end, more a full on crushing metal band, with a bit of post rock weirdness mixed in insted of the other way around. This is massive pummeling extreme metallic brutality. The Ocean's riffs are huge, we mean HUGE, swirling and snarling, downtuned and so so so heavy. Pounding near industrial drums, and a phalanx of vocalists including Coalesce's Sean Ingram, mean this is a fucking shitstorm, in the best possible way. Everything we loved about their last record, Fluxion is here, but expanded, heavier parts are heavier, weird parts are weirder (including some truly haunting German film music interspersed here and there). The basic formula is the same, massive crushing teutonic sludge / death metal, with all manner of post rockisms tossed in, blissy ambient interludes, grooved out rhythmic breakdowns, there are definitely hints of Isis, Neurosis, Dimmu Borgir, even Rammstein, as well as nods to more dramatic outrock outifts like Godspeed and Mogwai. But Aeolian is just so much more complicated and multilayered, convoluted and complex, dizzyingly so. One of the coolest, weirdest, heaviest metal records so far this year for sure.
And here's what we had to say about Fluxion:
With everyone freaking out about Isis, Pelican, Neurosis, Cult Of Luna, and all things massively and epically metal, all churning riffs and pounding majesty, it's hard to believe that most people have never heard, or even heard of German outfit The Ocean. Because in some ways, hard as it may seem to believe, they've almost managed to sonically outdo their obvious influences. The basic sound will be familiar for sure, massive guitars, pounding drums, propulsive, relentless riffing, blissed out, post rock parts that build and build and build into huge squalls of gargantuan guitarnoise, throbbing and pulsing, minor key and epic. But, in the case of The Ocean, they manage to add all sort of extra weirdness and not-so-subtle nuance than really makes Fluxion stand out. The presence of a full on string section (as well as some clarinets and other decidedly non rock instruments) is the first thing, which obviously lends the whole thing a much more stately, mournful feel, making them sound at times like a heavy metal Godspeed You Black Emperor. There's also a whole bunch of melodic flourishes scattered throughout, just here and there, that make what could be standard metal riffs become something a little bit out of the ordinary. The order of the day though is definitely metallic pummel, growled gutteral vocals over ultra thick Teutonic riffs, their German-ness shines through a bit in those instances, reminding us a bit of Rammstein, and when the keyboards kick in, there's definitely some Dimmu Borgir going on. And there is definitely a black metal vibe throughout, although it's bent and twisted to fit into The Ocean's moody metal framework. But the sound is so much more expansive and epic than most black metal, or most metal in general, especially when the guitars bliss out a bit, and strings are soaring, guitars picking out arpeggiated minor key melodies, everything eventually erupting into full on metallic bombast. And even in the midst of TOTAL METAL, the melodies are still moody and intense, the riffing is weird and the overal vibe is super dramatic and ultra intense. Fans of the 'new mood metal', a la Pelican, Isis, Cult Of Luna, as well as fans of the new metallic post rock (Conifer, Tides, Mouth Of The Architect, etc.) will be totally blown away!
MPEG Stream: "The City In The Sea"
MPEG Stream: "Austerity"

OCEAN, THE Monument / Fork Lashing Eye (43rd Parallel) lp 14.98

OCEAN, THE Precambrian (Metal Blade) 2cd 14.98
Germany's THE Ocean, not to be confused with Ocean from the US, have always been a pretty impressive proposition, their soaring epic post Godspeed Neur-Isis style metallic grind, their phalanx of guitarists, their triple vocal attack, the fact that they're a sort of musical commune, but more importantly, the sound they make is MASSIVE, thick and churning and so so so so HEAVY. It boggles the mind how a band can sound this heavy, on record even, we fear for the brave souls that subject themselves to this sort of crushing brutality live.
A lot has changed in The Ocean camp since 2006's Aeolian. Where that record was moody and nuanced, majestic and cinematic, Precambrian is much more immediate, more furious and intense, the guitars downtuned and crunchy, even heavier than before, the vocals a metal howl, bordering on hardcore bark. The drums swinging wildly from monstrous pound to lightning fast blast beats. And the compositions, holy shit! Mathy and complex and convoluted, Much grindier than before, relentless and maniacal. But wait! That's only the first half of Precambrian. Ultra high concept, separated into two discs (or three lps), the first disc, if we're going by the cd (nicely designed as a 3" cd embedded in a 5" plastic disc) is short and sharp and fast and furious and is the first movement. But the second disc (the third and fourth lp) is much more of the Ocean we're used to. Beginning with some abstract clean guitar shimmering in an expanse of distant drones and mournful melodies, quickly shifting into some mathy post rock, all noodly melodies and jagged harmonies, some seriously dark riffing, even some clean vocals, piano, strings, this is epic shit, wound around gnarled bursts of furious intensity. The record is super strange, shifting from almost gypsy sounding folk, with moaning fiddles, and chime like melodies, to dens chunks of Neurosis style sludge, from expansive shoegaze-y bliss outs to full on Eyehategod howl and chug, tripped out almost-jazz to straight up chamber music, and back to punishing ultra heaviness.
Makes no sense to us that The Ocean guys are not as huge as Isis or Pelican or Neurosis. And if you dig any of those bands you owe it to yourself to get into these guys. The cd comes in a double jewel case, one normal 5" disc, one 3" disc in a 5" plastic disc, with multiple booklets, packed with lyrics and woodcut illustrations. Wow.
But if any record was one for the vinyl nerds it's THIS ONE. So over the top. A triple lp, gatefold, the whole thing black on black, with silver and white ink, spot varnish flourishes, diecut front and back with amoeboid shapes so the inner sleeves are visible, metallic ink on matte black inserts feature lyrics and illustrations, each lp a different color, orange, dark swirled red and swirled grey. LIMITED TO 1000 COPIES. Holy shit!!! It weighs a ton, and is so beautiful and damn if it wouldn't be worth buying just for the packaging. Thankfully the record is definitely worthy of the packaging. WAY recommended. ESPECIALLY the limited vinyl!
MPEG Stream: "Hadean - The Long March Of The Yes-Man"
MPEG Stream: "Eoarchaean - The Great Void"
MPEG Stream: "Palaeoarchaean - Man And The Sea"

OCEAN, THE Precambrian (Throne / Garden Of Exile) 3lp 45.00
Germany's THE Ocean, not to be confused with Ocean from the US, have always been a pretty impressive proposition, their soaring epic post Godspeed Neur-Isis style metallic grind, their phalanx of guitarists, their triple vocal attack, the fact that they're a sort of musical commune, but more importantly, the sound they make is MASSIVE, thick and churning and so so so so HEAVY. It boggles the mind how a band can sound this heavy, on record even, we fear for the brave souls that subject themselves to this sort of crushing brutality live.
A lot has changed in The Ocean camp since 2006's Aeolian. Where that record was moody and nuanced, majestic and cinematic, Precambrian is much more immediate, more furious and intense, the guitars downtuned and crunchy, even heavier than before, the vocals a metal howl, bordering on hardcore bark. The drums swinging wildly from monstrous pound to lightning fast blast beats. And the compositions, holy shit! Mathy and complex and convoluted, Much grindier than before, relentless and maniacal. But wait! That's only the first half of Precambrian. Ultra high concept, separated into two discs (or three lps), the first disc, if we're going by the cd (nicely designed as a 3" cd embedded in a 5" plastic disc) is short and sharp and fast and furious and is the first movement. But the second disc (the third and fourth lp) is much more of the Ocean we're used to. Beginning with some abstract clean guitar shimmering in an expanse of distant drones and mournful melodies, quickly shifting into some mathy post rock, all noodly melodies and jagged harmonies, some seriously dark riffing, even some clean vocals, piano, strings, this is epic shit, wound around gnarled bursts of furious intensity. The record is super strange, shifting from almost gypsy sounding folk, with moaning fiddles, and chime like melodies, to dens chunks of Neurosis style sludge, from expansive shoegaze-y bliss outs to full on Eyehategod howl and chug, tripped out almost-jazz to straight up chamber music, and back to punishing ultra heaviness.
Makes no sense to us that The Ocean guys are not as huge as Isis or Pelican or Neurosis. And if you dig any of those bands you owe it to yourself to get into these guys. The cd comes in a double jewel case, one normal 5"s disc, one 3" disc in a 5" plastic disc, with multiple booklets, packed with lyrics and woodcut illustrations. Wow.
But if any record was one for the vinyl nerds it's THIS ONE. So over the top. A triple lp, gatefold, the whole thing black on black, with silver and white ink, spot varnish flourishes, diecut front and back with amoeboid shapes so the inner sleeves are visible, metallic ink on matte black inserts feature lyrics and illustrations, each lp a different color, orange, dark swirled red and swirled grey. LIMITED TO 1000 COPIES. Holy shit!!! It weighs a ton, and is so beautiful and damn if it wouldn't be worth buying just for the packaging. Thankfully the record is definitely worthy of the packaging. WAY recommended. ESPECIALLY the limited vinyl!
MPEG Stream: "Hadean - The Long March Of The Yes-Man"
MPEG Stream: "Eoarchaean - The Great Void"
MPEG Stream: "Palaeoarchaean - Man And The Sea"

OCEAN, THE / BURST split (Garden Of Exile) 7" 5.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Super limited split between these two heavyweights. In this corner, Burst, with their Meshuggah-like stop start riffing, super precise and machinelike, downtuned guitar chugs like pipes to the side of the head, all getting more and more tangled until it's a dizzying metallic swirl. There's also some weird warped melodies, the guitars and vocals doing something bizarre together, making it sound like the record is warped or something. Cool. And in the other corner, Germany's Ocean, not to be confused with THE Ocean, a massive metallic collective, who tone back the metal just a bit this time around and explore some post rock weirdness. Serene stretches of sweet blissed out prettiness, finger picked guitars and angelic female vocals, before a monstrous sledgehammer groove kicks in, all HUGE riff and harsh demonic vocals. Killer!
Packaged in a gorgeous fold out sleeve designed by Seldon Hunt and pressed on blue vinyl. Super limited and we only got a few.

OCEANS OF SILVER AND BLOOD Live At Cafe OTO (Confront) cd-r 9.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Oceans Of Silver And Blood is an awesomely unexpected collaboration between Joachim Nordwall and Mark Wastell. The Swedish half (i.e. Nordwall) is one of the members of The Skull Defekts and the Alvars Orchestra; he also runs the exceptional label Ideal Recordings. The Englishman (Wastell) is a preeminent improviser of longform tones and disgorged acoustic drones; and he runs the highly impressive Sound 323 shop / label out of London. With Nordwall on a modular synth and Wastell on his 32" gong (I guess it's technically a tam-tam), the two broadcast sheets of heavy, heavy deep-wave minimalism. At first, Nordwall's synth produces an ominous throb of dark oscillating electrical pulses, matched with thrumbing acoustic drones from that massive gong of Wastell. Their trajectory glides into a hushed din echoing with Wastell's slow and rhythmic chiming of his gong, but gradually they couple the paranoiac sound design of analogue synthesis with the reflective, yet dark shimmer of the gong. When Wastell drops what seems to be a small motor onto the surface of his gong, the darkened drone explodes with an metallic squeal. Imagine the Jean-Francois Laporte vibration studies of what we thought to be a Zamboni remixed by Deathprod. Great stuff and limited to 200 copies!
MPEG Stream: "Live At Cafe OTO"

OCEANSIZE Effloresce (Beggars Banquet) cd 10.98

OCHS, MAX Hooray For Another Day (Tompkins Square) cd 14.98
The sticker on the shrink-wrap for this Max Ochs cd says it all: Cousin of Phil Ochs. Poet. Schoolmate of John Fahey and Robbie Basho. Friend of Mississippi John Hurt and Skip James. Social Activist. Takoma and Fonotone Guitarist. Composer of "Imaginational Anthem". That last one seems to bear the most weight as it exemplifies Ochs influence on the Tompkins Square label as they have named three volumes of solo guitar anthologies after his song. But he is also a kind of poster boy for the label that has spent much of the last few years digging through the cracks of the solo guitar genre to find those who should have been more renowned. Hopefully this collection, most of it newly recorded, will shine a brighter light on this semi-obscure figure. Inspired by deep eastern ragas and dense open blues forms, Ochs was more of a writer and performer than a studio musician, so he doesn't have as deep a discography as his contemporaries, John Fahey and Robbie Basho. But the recordings here are stellar and on a par with the best of the genre. There are also a few examples of his poetry, including one about his cousin, folksinger Phil Ochs, who succumbed to drugs and suicide way too young, adding a tinge of heartbreak to this amazing collection.
MPEG Stream: "Hooray For Another Day"
MPEG Stream: "Imaginational Anthem"
MPEG Stream: "Phil"

OCRILIM Annwn (Hydra Head) cd 14.98
Winsome pop melodies that gently caress the ear, relaxed and lovely--WHOOPS. N-n-n-n-nnoo, wrong review. Anybody familiar with insectoid, techy guitar playing of Mick Barr (of Ocrilim, Orthrelm, Octis, and Crom Tech fame) knows that we had to be pulling your collective leg with the beginning of this paragraph. Not a chance in heck that Ocrilim's latest release, on Hydra Head, would be anything less than a completely nerve-wracking, possibly aggravating, virtuoso six string mindfuck. And is it ever. Unique as well, 'cause nothin' else sounds quite like this. It's insane ear candy for those of us who like the concept (put forth in a previous Mick Barr review on the AQ site) of Ygnwie playing Metal Machine Music!
Divvyed up into seven parts, the all-instrumental Annwn is a tour-de-force of repetitive yet complex high-end trill, incorporating spiralling sixteenth note fretboard frenzies that burrow into your skull like a trepanist's drill. These trance-inducing pieces are all long ones, upwards of ten minutes or more, most of 'em, and take that time to build into truly grandiose symphonics, that (if the listener can, um, hear the forest for the trees) are indeed melodic, if not poppy. Never before has anything so trebly also sounded so majestic! Barr's swarming sounds somehow hint at John Williams' Star Wars/Death Star theme music... and very much makes us think, Black Metal. It's not, but comes pretty close indeed. And in fact, if this WAS a black metal band, we'd be all, "best/most fucked black metal of the year so far." Albeit one that's all-guitar (consisting entirely of the notes, noise, and drone that Barr can call forth from his mystic, multitracked axe), no vocals or drums or drum machine or nothin'.... and owes as much to no-wave and minimalism and 20th c. classical.
MPEG Stream: "Part 2"
MPEG Stream: "Part 6"

OCRILIM Anoint (I & Ear) cd 13.98
Ol' Crazy Fingers (not really what they call him) Mick Barr is baaack. He of Orthrelm, Octis, Crom Tech, etcetera fame, a true fretboard wizard for the punkish underground avant-core set. If Lightning Bolt were Metallica, Mick Barr'd be Yngwie. Or something like that... y'know, it's hard to make a lot of sense when your brain is being subjected to the bumblebee chamber metal sounds of Ocrilm, so cut us a break. This latest Mick Barr masterpiece is a solo project, all three of its overdubbed Gibson SG guitar tracks laid down by Mick hisself in a maddening density of notes and harmonies, droning sheets and shards of sound. This is massive, and maniacal. Anoint is a seven-part composition for excited strings, a one-man Glenn Branca-esque guitar symphony done shred style. A beautiful, beautiful thing... though you can imagine it being recorded, and listened to, in the confines of a padded cell!
MPEG Stream: "Anoint pt. 1"
MPEG Stream: "Anoint pt. 7"

OCRILIM The Purging Trilogy: Sacreth / Ixoltion / Hymns (Rock Is Hell) 3lp box 45.00
Any one familiar with Mick Barr, most likely knows all about his dense, insane shredding axework and super obtuse metalisms in groups like Crom-Tech, Orthrelm, Octis, Krallice and of course Ocrilim. This super deluxe, super limited boxset collects three out of print cd-r's, and presents them on vinyl, and all three taken as a single body of work might just comprise the most listenable stuff we've ever heard from Barr.
Annothrith Hymns is the prettiest of the bunch, a collection of short form solo guitarscapes, ostensibly black metal, but just the guitars, loosed from any griminty and instead allowed to soar majestically, layered and lush and lyrical, the sounds pulse and undulating, the tremolo picked riffs blurred into sweet soaring ur-drone epicness. Somehow buzzy and metal but still ethereal and mesmerizingly dreamy, even the Xasthur cover is transformed into something more crystalline and lovely.
Ixoltion immediately sounds like some epic, Norwegian style black metal, until you realize, that once again, it's just guitar, and the sound is not so much buzzy, so much as again, like the first lp, soaring and majestic, single riffs expanded to fill up a whole side, sprawling riffscapes that manage to remain black metal, while becoming something completely other, some sort of mesmerizing, looped, minimal blackened riffdronebuzz bliss out. Heavy sure, maybe, but more hypnotic and trancelike.
Finally, Sacreth, which complete the trilogy, and in some weird way, sounds like the first two combined, this is actual black metal, blasting and buzzing, but still minimal, the programmed beats proggy and intricate, matching the unlikely riffing, super hypnotic, the arrangements quite strange as well, lots of stop/starts, super mathy and complex, but still remaining epic and majestic, and weirdest of all, seriously melodic and poppy. It's almost like the three records are a slow build to Sacreth's black metal, but each part functioning fantastically on its own. So good. And even those of you who might have been put off in the past by Barr's gnarled noisy metallic tangle, this might surprise you as much as it did us.
LIMITED TO 200 COPIES. Hand screened, hand glued silkscreened sleeves in a silk screened cardboard box, the records pressed on 180 gram vinyl, with a silkscreened insert, handnumbered.

OCS 2 (Narnack) cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Record number two from SF scene kingpin John Dwyer's (Coach Whips, Zeigenbock Kopf, Hospitals, ex-Pink And Brown, ex-Burmese etc.) solo bedroom project OCS. The first OCS record released on tUMULt a couple years back (and still available!) was a big ol' double disc collection split right down the middle, one disc of sweet acoustic musings, and one disc of ear splitting noisy chaos. Well, for record number two Dwyer's abrasive Mr. Hyde is tucked safely away, and we are presented with his sweeter, gentler Dr. Jeckyll. 2 is a ramshackle collection of stumbling, sloppy Appalachia, Sentridoh-ish introspective mumbling jangle, and rickety 4-track folk. Dreamy and sleepy, rambling and sun dappled. Tape hiss, and amplifier buzz, snippets of found sound, and buried-in-the-mix sing-songy vocals augment ragged meandering ragas, droning acoustic dirges, and all manner of indie-rock/bedroom-folk detritus.
MPEG Stream: "Mike D"
MPEG Stream: "Banjo Sold For Rent"
MPEG Stream: "Killed Yourself"

OCS 3 (Yik Yak) lp 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Ah, the sweeter side of John Dwyer. It's always been a struggle for Dwyer, between his sweat soaked spazz rock, club smashing, instrument battering side (Landed, Pink And Brown, Coachwhips) and his lonely boy, mix tape, bedroom, acoustic and sensitive side (OCS). Well it appears, that for the time being at least, with the end of the Coachwhips, OCS is Dwyer's main focus. Dr. Jeckel has regained control and banished Mr Hyde to wait patiently in the dakness....
Like the first OCS record, released on Andee's tUMULt label, this is a massive, beautifully packaged double disc collection of beautifully ramshackle, intimate and home recorded lo-fi indie bedroom folk. However, unlike the tUMULt release, where disc two was a clattery, crunchy, crashing NOISE record, both discs here are chock full of simple strummed guitars, echoey percussiony, big empty room rhythmic clatter, distant distorted melancholy melodies, haunting reverby electric guitar, quavery falsetto vocals, drowsily affected jangle shuffling snare drums and hazy atmospheres....all occasionally peppered with swooping stuttering psych rock space effects, chirping birds, and creaking rattling soundmakers of all kinds. For fans of Sentridoh, Shrimper and all things 4-track, lo-fi, jangley, shuffley and strummy! The lp is is the OCS '3' record only, you gotta buy the double cd to get both '3' and '4'!
MPEG Stream: "If I Had A Reason"
MPEG Stream: "Second Date"
MPEG Stream: "The Pool"

OCS 3 & 4 (Narnack) 2cd 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Ah, the sweeter side of John Dwyer. It's always been a struggle for Dwyer, between his sweat soaked spazz rock, club smashing, instrument battering side (Landed, Pink And Brown, Coachwhips) and his lonely boy, mix tape, bedroom, acoustic and sensitive side (OCS). Well it appears, that for the time being at least, with the end of the Coachwhips, OCS is Dwyer's main focus. Dr. Jeckel has regained control and banished Mr Hyde to wait patiently in the dakness....
Like the first OCS record, released on Andee's tUMULt label, this is a massive, beuatifully packaged double disc collection of beautifully ramshackle, intimate and home recorded lo-fi indie bedroom folk. However, unlike the tUMULt release, where disc two was a clattery, crunchy, crashing NOISE record, both discs here are chock full of simple strummed guitars, echoey percussiony, big empty room rhythmic clatter, distant distorted melancholy melodies, haunting reverby electric guitar, quavery falsetto vocals, drowsily affected jangle shuffling snare drums and hazy atmospheres....all occasionally peppered with swooping stuttering psych rock space effects, chirping birds, and creaking rattling soundmakers of all kinds. For fans of Sentridoh, Shrimper and all things 4-track, lo-fi, jangley, shuffley and strummy!
MPEG Stream: "If I Had A Reason"
MPEG Stream: "Second Date"
MPEG Stream: "The Pool"

OCS (OH SEES) Get Stoved (4) (KSR) lp 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

OCS (THEE OH SEES) 3 (Rotted Tooth Recordings) lp 14.98
This long out of print lp (originally released on vinyl via Yik Yak, then reissued on cd by Narnack) is finally available again on wax. 3 is one of the last of the early OCS records, before the OCS became Thee Oh Sees, and this one man bedroom project became a proper band, here's our original (slightly altered) review from WAY back in 2005, long before most of the rest of the world had gone crazy for Thee Oh Sees...
Ah, the sweeter side of John Dwyer. It's always been a struggle for Dwyer, between his sweat soaked spazz rock, club smashing, instrument battering side (Landed, Pink And Brown, Coachwhips, etc.) and his lonely boy, mix tape, bedroom, acoustic and sensitive side (OCS). Well by the time 3 was originally released, Dwyer's garage rock combo the Coachwhips had called it quits, making OCS Dwyer's main focus and setting the stage for the transition from OCS to Oh Sees. Dr. Jeckel has regained control and banished Mr Hyde to wait patiently in the background....
Like the first OCS record, released on Andee's tUMULt label (And still available!), this is a fantastic collection of beautifully ramshackle, intimate and home recorded lo-fi indie bedroom folk. However, unlike the tUMULt release, which included a second disc that was a clattery, crunchy, crashing NOISE record, the sound here steers clear of that sort of noisiness, and is chock full of simple strummed guitars, echoey percussiony, big empty room rhythmic clatter, distant distorted melancholy melodies, haunting reverby electric guitar, quavery falsetto vocals, drowsily affected jangle shuffling snare drums and hazy atmospheres... all occasionally peppered with swooping stuttering psych rock space effects, chirping birds, and creaking rattling soundmakers of all kinds. For fans of Sentridoh, Shrimper and all things 4-track, lo-fi, jangly, shuffley and strummy! Fans of Thee Oh Sees who missed out on the early years, would do well to check this out, and see where it all started...
MPEG Stream: "If I Had A Reason"
MPEG Stream: "Second Date"
MPEG Stream: "The Pool"

OCS (THEE OH SEES) s/t (tUMULt) 2cd 14.98
Who would have thought that the man behind the club destroying thud rock of now defunct Pink And Brown, the sweaty, hyper chaotic garage stomp of the also now defunt Coachwhips, the minimal metallic crush of the long buried Dig That Body Up It's Alive and the no longer with us hardcore faux-homo-house of Zeigenbock Kopf actually had a soft and sensitive acoustic-y side?? Well, he does, or did, and chose to drop all the above mentioned musical endeavors to focus all of his musical energy on the mysteriously monickered OCS (which would later eventually transform into the fuzzier garage poppier Thee Oh Sees!)
The ubiquitous John Dwyer, for it is he, offers up two discs of home recorded madness, culled from random tapes/performances from way back when, and damn if this isn't an unexpected surprise. Vascillating wildy between introspective, spaced out downer folk and gritty, hissing free noise crunch, OCS is a massive and unpredicatable ride through one man's damaged musical psyche.
Disc One, 34 Reasons Why Life Goes On Without You, or the "acoustic disc" as we like to call it, is made up mostly of solo guitar, recorded in random locations around San Francisco, so the gentle strumming and dexterous fingerpicking is often barely obscuring passing cars, slamming doors, hollered instructions to other players, and noisy housemates, adding another sonic layer to the already thick brew. Think: a seriously fucked up Fahey, armed with a four track, a casio, and an old beat up guitar. Think: an old Folkways 45 being played on a Fisher Price turntable and run through a bank of cheap effects. Gorgeous and shambolic, meandering and lovely, dark and unpredictable. The acoustic passages are constantly doing battle with an array of sonic intrusions, random snippets of found sound, bursts of angry buzz, tape drop out, random ambient happenings, malfunctioning casios, and distorted crooning. Mysteriously compelling.
Disc two, 18 Reasons To Love Your Hater To Death, or the "noise disc" as we like to call it, is a much more challenging affair, channelling the spirts of Borbetamagus, Skullflower, Albert Ayler, Throbbing Gristle and 100 years of NOISE into a shifting sonic noisescape of harsh squealing feedback, gorgeously gauzy and shimmery drones, ear piercing sine waves, distorted low end rumbles, huge washes of effected guitars, rhythmic pulses, darkly muted ambience, subtle barely-there melodies, inhuman vocalisations, massive Merzbow-ian walls of pummel, hyper minimal music concrete, alien lullabies and dreamy stretches of stygian gloom punctuated by bursts of hiss and hum. Intensely beautiful and challenging.
Ah, the many moods of John Dwyer, stepping outside the realm of costume rock and drunken sweaty swagger to lay bare a sensitive, if still sometimes quite noisy, soul.
MPEG Stream: "Reason 1 Why Life Goes On Without You"
MPEG Stream: "Reason 2 Why Life Goes On Without You"
MPEG Stream: "Reason 1 To Love Your Hater To Death"
MPEG Stream: "Reason 2 To Love Your Hater To Death"

OCS VS. CAROLINER At Aquarius Records, S.F. (Narnack) lp 12.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, MAINLY BECAUSE IT WAS AN APRIL FOOLS JOKE! HEE HEE! SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Handsomely packaged in a hand linocut printed jockstrap cover, OCS vs Caroliner is probably not what you would imagine. This isn't a remix collaboration between John Dwyer and Grux, but a fight (recorded surreptitiously by another Aquarius customer on their minidisc recorder) between the two battling over flyer space on the event board.
MPEG Stream: "Cardboard Pants"
MPEG Stream: "Giant Pocket"
MPEG Stream: "Highwater Pageboy"

OCSID Opening Sweep (Ash International) cd 15.98
Ocsid is a performative collective between Swedish residents C.M. von Hausswolff, Jean-Louis Huhta, and Graham Lewis (from Wire -- no, he's not Swedish, but he does live there, hence the resident qualification). Anyway, this recording is the first 75 minutes from a performance recorded late 1999 in Bavaria. The beginning of the album starts with gritty deep drones that sound like they were culled from various air ducts, water pipes, or furnaces, sounding very much like Phauss -- the early, underappreciated outfit for von Hausswolff. "Opening Sweep" moves through some misfired CD players before getting to a collage of Mika Vainio, SND, and what sounds like excerpts from Raymond Scott's "Manhattan Research Inc."

OCTAGON Artisans Of Cruelty (Autopsy Kitchen) cd 13.98

MPEG Stream: "With Hate"
MPEG Stream: "Teachings In Cruelty"

OCTAVIUS Audio Noir (Mush) cd 14.98

OCTINOMOS Fuckhole Armageddon (Baphomet / Necropolis) cd 14.98
Expect nihilistic, misanthropic one-man-band black metal on this album, the follow-up to his brilliant, raw, and catchy Welcome To My Planet opus. Fuckhole Armageddon is fast & tinny the way it's supposed to be, as Mr. Octinomos gets a really good droning buzz going over which he plays some majestic melodies. There's some breaks with clean vocals thrown in as well. Good stuff to fill that Nordic black metal need. And you've got to admit, he might have come up with the ultimate ridiculous over the top evil album title. One disappointment: track 5, "Wipeout", isn't a cover.

OCTIS Mithring (Rock Is Hell) lathe cut 5" record 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
5" lathe cut of that skronky skree we love so much. Limited to 50 copies or something insane like that. We only got a handful.

OCTIS Mithring II (Rock Is Hell) lathe cut 5" record 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Part II of the mighty Mithring cycle from screeching skronk and skree mongers Octis. Impossibly convoluted and gloriously obtuse. Utterly and completely fucking RULING!!!
The bad news is, of course, that this spiffy 5" lathe cut is ultra limited to only 50 copies, of which we were allotted about 5!! So fastest 5 get 'em, the rest of you will just have to struggle along through the rest of your miserable lives with that gaping Octis shaped hole in your heart...

OCTIS Mithring III (Rock Is Hell) lathe cut 5" record 14.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Part III of the mighty Mithring cycle from screeching skronk and skree mongers Octis. Impossibly convoluted and gloriously obtuse. Utterly and completely fucking RULING!!!
The bad news is, of course, that this spiffy 5" lathe cut is ultra limited to only 50 copies, of which we were allotted about 5!! So fastest 5 get 'em, the rest of you will just have to struggle along through the rest of your miserable lives with that gaping Octis shaped hole in your heart...

OCTIS Ocrilim (Troubleman Unlimited) cd 11.98
Fretboard brainiac Mick Barr (of Orthrelm, Crom-Tech, Quix*o*tic, and Octis) is back with a new album from his solo manifestation Octis (and is also now living here in San Francisco, playing in the Flying Luttenbachers). Ocrilim is one 33 minute track of squiggly quasi-metallic guitar and drum machine. Electro-shock therapy too expensive? Try this! A tinny drone jabbed and jarred with manic outbursts of hyper spazz guitar, with which the drum machine can barely keep up. It's, in a word, maddening. And of course we love it.
MPEG Stream: "Ocrilim [excerpt 1]"
MPEG Stream: "Ocrilim [excerpt 2]"

OCTIS Uppragn Srilimia Ixio Or Ocrilm Nollfithes Mrithixyl (Peterbilt) 2cd 13.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Solo project of Mick Barr, formerly of DC superheroes CROM TECH! Octis is the polar opposite of Mick's other current band, Orthrelm, which wields lengthy pummeling epics. Octis is seventy two tracks of lightning fast lo-fi speed metal guitar solos backed by a drum machine set at 380 bpm. Released on Guy Picciotto's Peterbilt label, this comes packaged on two five inch business card style cds. Ridiculous and fucking insane.
RealAudio clip: "Untitled"

OCTIS / CHILD ABUSE split (Forge) 7" 3.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Punishing split. One half insane technical freakout, one half chaotic noise damage. You figure out which is which...

OCTOBER COUNTRY s/t (Rev-Ola) cd 14.98
Michael Lloyd, the creative force behind October Country, might be more familiar to some AQ customers as a member of the legendary West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band. While OC is not nearly as drug addled and far out as the WCPAEB, their sunshine-y, shimmery soft pop, equal parts Beach Boys, Beatles and Byrds, is still flecked with hints of lysergic psychedelia and brief glimpses of jangly trippiness.
Lloyd was a musical prodigy: publishing deal at age thirteen, composed the soundtrack for Spielberg's first short film, played in a group called the New Dimensions as well as the WCPAEB. Through some random circumstances he began writing songs for the newly christened October Country (after a song he wrote, they were formerly the Last Two) and eventually became their primary songwriter and a sort of de facto band member.
The sound is light and breezy, sunny and care free. Think the Free Design, the Hollies, the aforementioned three B's. All bubby bouncy bass, jangly guitar, playfully honking horns, occasional sweeping strings, and lots of glorious harmonies.
Definitely not a 'weird' record at all, just a really awesome lost pop classic!
MPEG Stream: "October Country"
MPEG Stream: "Painted Sky"

OCTOMUTT Hot Stove (Drizzoletto Music) cd 14.98
Octomutt swiftly follow up their recent Pretty Side album with this pipin' Hot Stove. When the second song (the album's title track) kicked in, we imediately noticed the vocal presence and anticipated that the album was going to be quite a lively (almost feisty) affair in comparison to its considerably more gentle instrumental predecessor. Just check out that tune's thumpin' churn! The rest of the album however settles into a more loping, folky blues pace. As usual, the SF duo's fantastic musicianship is in full bloom as they spin their latest quirky musical yarns. Nice!
MPEG Stream: "Hot Stove"
MPEG Stream: "Marlene Dietrich Singing Lili Marlene"

OCTOMUTT Pretty Side (Drizzoletto Music) cd 5.98
Fine veteran SF musicians Ted Savarese and Ashley Adams refuse to follow flavor of the day trends, instead they continue to follow their own muse. This time their song selection weighs heavy on respectful cover versions which might involve sweet lullabies, old tyme waltzes, old movie and show tunes (for instance, the theme from the 1960's Tammy series which starred Debbie Reynolds) and/or outbreaks of jazz -- all beautifully performed with loving care. The entirely instrumental Pretty Side is much less obviously trippy and offkilter than their previous self titled album or Savarese's other project Drizzoletto, but it's no less whimsical. Their intimate arrangements of guitar, bass, accordion and trumpet might remind you of a bygone era when things moved at a much slower pace.
MPEG Stream: "Tammy"
MPEG Stream: "The Way You Look Tonight"