Monday, June 27, 2016

DEJECTION "BODYCOUNT" C20 (AOW 369)

New tape from my depressive ANW/HNW/synth drone project Dejection, part of my ongoing series of recordings based on "TMNT," my favorite comic book series.  "Bodycount" is an odd one in the TMNT universe, a hyper-violent, ultra-bloody one-off story that sees Raphael and Casey Jones getting deep into guns.  It's beautifully ridiculous and the level of violence is astonishingly absurd.
The two pieces here are probably some of the most ominous Dejection recordings i've done.  It's best termed ANW, but really, the work here sounds way more like some of the extended guitar drone pieces of "Earth 2" or Sunn 0)))'s "The Grimrobe Demos."  Thick, sludgy, stagnant, deep drones to zone out to.
Released on green cassettes in a limited edition of 10 hand-numbered copies.  $8 ppd. in the United States, $24 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

Friday, June 17, 2016

NAUGHTY "MY KING" 6CDR REGULAR EDITION (AOW 401)

Proper AOW debut for France's fantastic HNW project Naughty, here turning in an absolutely massive and wholly majestic six disc set based on Maiwenn's emotionally devastating 2015 film Mon Roi.
Naughty is the newest project of Charlotte Skrobek; already she's been leaving a trail of totally untouchable and flawless HNW releases in her wake, demonstrating a true mastery of crushing textures and beautifully monolithic tones, all dense bassed-out fuzz and beautifully droning distortions, creating an astounding wall sound that has taken my breath away with each and every new recording.  To say that i'm psyched to release this huge set from Charlotte is an understatement; for me, the sounds she's crafted here pretty much lay waste to the idea of what a wall can and should be.  Bleak and suffocating, and perfectly capturing the enervating and vampiric tone of the film.  Utter despair and devastation.
From the artist herself:

"I wanted to work on the theme of mental domination / submission, and when I watched the movie Mon Roi by the French director Maïwenn, it inspired me a lot, so I decided to base my release on this movie. It’s a devastating love story, about a woman who falls madly in love with a narcissistic pervert. He totally breaks her but she keeps on fighting for their love. It’s an explosion of emotions, all the feelings related to love are expressed, from the sweetest and the most delightful to the most destructive...Sound-wise, the tracks are very stripped-down, with the focus on the low end. There is always one or two layers of modulated static on top, but never a real “crunch”. I have seen mentions online about a new subgenre called Drone Noise Wall, I’m not sure what it is, but in my mind, 'My King' could be called that." (from an interview with Musique Machine)

This record is certain to be in my top ten of 2016 noise releases as well, if not at the VERY top.  Charlotte is a master.  Do NOT miss this record.
Packaged in a six-disc DVD case, in a limited edition of 15 hand-numbered copies.  $25 ppd. in the United States, $41 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

NAUGHTY "MY KING" 6CDR DELUXE BOX SET (AOW 402)

Proper AOW debut for France's fantastic HNW project Naughty, here turning in an absolutely massive and wholly majestic six disc set based on Maiwenn's emotionally devastating 2015 film Mon Roi.
Naughty is the newest project of Charlotte Skrobek; already she's been leaving a trail of totally untouchable and flawless HNW releases in her wake, demonstrating a true mastery of crushing textures and beautifully monolithic tones, all dense bassed-out fuzz and beautifully droning distortions, creating an astounding wall sound that has taken my breath away with each and every new recording.  To say that i'm psyched to release this huge set from Charlotte is an understatement; for me, the sounds she's crafted here pretty much lay waste to the idea of what a wall can and should be.  Bleak and suffocating, and perfectly capturing the enervating and vampiric tone of the film.  Utter despair and devastation.
From the artist herself:

"I wanted to work on the theme of mental domination / submission, and when I watched the movie Mon Roi by the French director Maïwenn, it inspired me a lot, so I decided to base my release on this movie. It’s a devastating love story, about a woman who falls madly in love with a narcissistic pervert. He totally breaks her but she keeps on fighting for their love. It’s an explosion of emotions, all the feelings related to love are expressed, from the sweetest and the most delightful to the most destructive...Sound-wise, the tracks are very stripped-down, with the focus on the low end. There is always one or two layers of modulated static on top, but never a real “crunch”. I have seen mentions online about a new subgenre called Drone Noise Wall, I’m not sure what it is, but in my mind, 'My King' could be called that." (from an interview with Musique Machine)

This record is certain to be in my top ten of 2016 noise releases as well, if not at the VERY top.  Charlotte is a master.  Do NOT miss this record.
 
DELUXE BOX SET EDITION

This version of "My King" is packaged in a wooden box, hand-lettered by me.  Each of the six walls is presented as its own disc; each is packaged in a heavy fold-over cover with full colour exterior and interior artwork utilizing images from Mon Roi, with each disc then housed in a clear plastic bag.  The images used were selected by Charlotte Skrobek and myself and the screen grabs were done by me from a high definition transfer of the the film.  The box set also includes an informational insert.  The box set version is released in a limited edition of 5 hand-numbered copies.  $35 ppd. in the United States, $51 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com


PROSTITUTES OF THE 19TH CENTURY "THE VICTORIAN IDEAL" 2CDR (AOW 399)

Massive double album from Denmark's Prostitutes Of The 19th Century, following up the project's stunning debut cassette released earlier this year on Carnal Void.  "The Victorian Ideal" presents six dense, crumbling, hollow-sounding walls, beautifully far away sounding and epic in their bass-driven almost-ambience.  There is both a violence and a calm present in these compositions, a numbing and belligerent focus on texture and atmosphere as opposed to blind rage.  The six walls here present a truly erotic aura, a haze of sound that recalls late nights of absinthe-induced orgies and clouded perceptions, of desires unhindered and darknesses unforeseen.
An absolutely astonishing listen, a journey into history's forgotten pornographies.
Packaged in a double DVD case, with gorgeous artwork utilizing old Victorian erotic photography, in a limited edition of 15 hand-numbered copies.  $12 ppd. in the United States, $28 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

PAHA HENKI "SPACEBASE 666/A TRAVEL TO SPACE AND BACK" 2CDR (AOW 403)

Seering, bleakly psychedelic double CD album of bizarre outer space transmissions and wall permutations from the mysterious Paha Henki.  "Spacebase 666/A Travel To Space And Back" more than lives up to its title, with the first disc trafficking in some seriously intense and hyper-destructive harsh noise that will slash knives across your mind and make all manner of shades of black flash before your eyes; the second disc presents a more stagnant and monolithically static wall, a troubling blast of white noise that brings to mind the absolute void terror of floating through endless swathes of nothingness, waiting to die in the giant surrounding emptiness of outer space.  This is a very severe and disturbing journey into the anti-kosmiche, meditation through total obliteration.
Packaged in a standard double CD jewel case at the artist's request, with extremely minimal artwork, in an undisclosed number of copies.  $12 ppd. in the United States, $28 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

CORY STRAND "GUMMO III: FULL OF BEAUTY AND ILLUSIONS" 3CDR (AOW 407)

A return to the nihilistic scorched earth of Harmony Korine's Gummo, this time using all of the tracks from the film that were not included on the official OST release.  This is maybe the absolute bleakest of my three Gummo reworks to date, a massive exploration of grey ambience and droning wall crushery that threatens to overwhelm at every moment.  Truly fucking monolithic and despairing, and shot through with the occasional rare moment of eerie, transfixing beauty.  I think this is one of the best projects i've done in awhile; with beautiful minimalist artwork.
Packaged in a heavy fold-over cover, with each of the three discs in a black sleeve, and the entire set housed in a clear plastic bag.  Released in a limited edition of 5 hand-numbered copies.  $20 ppd. in the United States, $36 rest of world.


ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

HEAVY METAL VOMIT PARTY "(GROUPIES SNORT UP ALL THE BLOW IF IT ISN'T KEPT) UNDER LOCK AND KEY" CDR (AOW 404)

Heavy Metal Vomit Party returns to Altar Of Waste for a third outing detailing the ridiculous excesses of the 1980s hair metal lifestyle, this time laying waste to Dokken's 1985 cassette "Under Lock and Key."  As usual, HMVP absolutely obliterates the source material, turning arena rock posturing and bloated mid-80s production values into a scathing, screaming collection of eight destructive walls that numb your brain faster than a mountain of cocaine laid out on a table backstage at Hammersmith.  I love the whole aesthetic of this project, from the hilarious song titles to the don't-fuck-with-me intensity of the walls; i'm always happy to release HMVP through AOW.  Once again, Joe the Stache has reached back in time and turned excess into even more excess.  True sonic severity.
At the artist's request, and in keeping with the project's aesthetic, this release is packaged in a standard DVD case in an unnumbered edition of 10 copies.  $10 ppd. in the United States, $26 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

Saturday, June 4, 2016

CORY STRAND "JOHN WICK: A REINTERPRETATION" DELUXE EDITION 19CDR + DVD-R SET (AOW 397)

Very pleased to present my rework of Tyler Bates' score to the gorgeously shot revenge epic John Wick.  Equal parts Tarantino and Carpenter, John Wick boasts an outstanding performance from Keanu Reeves and some of the most exquisite widescreen compositions i've seen in a film in years.  The lighting is perfection, the camera work phenomenal; the film itself is a parade of relentless violence and destruction, human lives squandered in a bloody quest for vengeance, an attempt to fill a void left aching by the loss of two loved ones.  Bates' score is composed of beautifully extended and droning synth tones, again evoking the spirit and aura of Carpenter.  My rework plays off of those drones, creating a series of EP length ambient compositions that enhance both the dread and the beauty present in the work.  These are some of my loveliest ambient pieces as of late, a perfect marriage of Hecker-esque blurgaze and Carpenter-influenced hyper-foreboding minimalism.  The set also features and extended coda piece and four HNW pieces crafted from the soundtrack; they're fucking massive.
This is the deluxe edition of the rework, with each of the 19 compositions housed in its own DVD case, each with their own artwork utilizing my favorite images from the film.  Screen grabs were done by me personally from the blu ray of the film.
This version also includes an HNW "Totality" rework of the entire film's audio track, exclusive to this set.  Released in a limited edition of 3 hand-numbered copies.  $175 ppd. in the United States, $191 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

CORY STRAND "JOHN WICK: A REINTERPRETATION" REGULAR EDITION 6CDR (AOW 396)

Very pleased to present my rework of Tyler Bates' score to the gorgeously shot revenge epic John Wick.  Equal parts Tarantino and Carpenter, John Wick boasts an outstanding performance from Keanu Reeves and some of the most exquisite widescreen compositions i've seen in a film in years.  The lighting is perfection, the camera work phenomenal; the film itself is a parade of relentless violence and destruction, human lives squandered in a bloody quest for vengeance, an attempt to fill a void left aching by the loss of two loved ones.  Bates' score is composed of beautifully extended and droning synth tones, again evoking the spirit and aura of Carpenter.  My rework plays off of those drones, creating a series of EP length ambient compositions that enhance both the dread and the beauty present in the work.  These are some of my loveliest ambient pieces as of late, a perfect marriage of Hecker-esque blurgaze and Carpenter-influenced hyper-foreboding minimalism.  The set also features and extended coda piece and four HNW pieces crafted from the soundtrack; they're fucking massive.
This is the stand-alone, regular version of the rework; a deluxe edition is also available.  Packaged in a DVD case in a limited edition of 5 hand-numbered copies.  $30 ppd. in the United States, $46 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

THE EBONY TOWER "THE TWELVE CAESARS" 12 CDR (DELUXE EDITION) (AOW 342)

Latest set of literary-themed walls from longtime AOW ally and label favorite The Ebony Tower, this time dedicated to Suetonius' epic biography/history of Rome's twelve Caesars, a slog through years of degradation, tyranny, perversion, and the occasional act of kindness and goodwill.  As usual with Mitchell's work, this is extreme and speaker-shredding wallcraft, meticulously crafted for maximum destruction and void contemplation.  Incredible volume, epic length walls, and hyper-caustic tones make for nearly 14 hours of majestic tonal and textural wipeout, the sort of complete and total obliteration the project has become known for.  It is always a privilege to release Mitchell's work; "The Twelve Caesars" stands as another untouchable notch in a rapidly growing discography of equally untouchable wall recordings.
This is the Deluxe Edition of the set, with each of the twelve discs housed in their own DVD case, each bearing the portrait of one of the twelve Caesars.  It is an absolutely stunning set, one of the most beautiful AOW releases that stands equally alongside the project's "The Brothers Karamazov" set from a few years back.  Very proud of this one!
Released in a limited edition of 5 hand-numbered copies; only 2 are available through AOW (the rest are with Mitchell).  $120 ppd. in the United States, $136 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

THE EBONY TOWER "THE TWELVE CAESARS" 12CDR (REGULAR EDITION) (AOW 342)

Latest set of literary-themed walls from longtime AOW ally and label favorite The Ebony Tower, this time dedicated to Suetonius' epic biography/history of Rome's twelve Caesars, a slog through years of degradation, tyranny, perversion, and the occasional act of kindness and goodwill.  As usual with Mitchell's work, this is extreme and speaker-shredding wallcraft, meticulously crafted for maximum destruction and void contemplation.  Incredible volume, epic length walls, and hyper-caustic tones make for nearly 14 hours of majestic tonal and textural wipeout, the sort of complete and total obliteration the project has become known for.  It is always a privilege to release Mitchell's work; "The Twelve Caesars" stands as another untouchable notch in a rapidly growing discography of equally untouchable wall recordings.
This is the Regular Edition of the recording.  Packaged in an oversized DVD case with an insert and released in a limited edition of 10 hand-numbered copies.  $45 ppd. in the United States, $61 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

SMITHEREEN PANES "VACILLATION" 6CDR (AOW 390)

New collaborative wall project between Christopher Charles Robinson (Big Hole) and James Killick (Small Hours, Love Katy.)  For most of you those two names should be more than enough for you to just buy this outright; for anyone yet unconvinced, i'll say that these six walls will absolutely slaughter you.  Smithereen Panes sounds distinctly different from either members' primary projects; the sounds and tones here are far more abrasive, caustic, and unrelenting (which is saying a lot considering the pedigree and discographies of these two gentlemen!), a trebly swarm of intense electric buzz and crackle that eviscerates eardrums and slices deep into brain matter.  Imagine a hornet's nest being shaken and then dropped into your skull; that's the sound of this record.  A horrific assault of shredding, scathing HNW terror.  Do not miss this; you WILL regret it!
Packaged in a DVD case and released in a limited edition of 20 hand-numbered copies, with amazing psychedelic artwork hinting at some of the inspiration behind the project.  $25 ppd. in the United States, $41 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

RRR "BACK AT HOLE" 4CDR (AOW 394)

Crushing set of dense and oppressive walls from RRR, exploring the beauty of sexual predilection and desires unspoken.  "Back At Hole" trafficks in some intensely thick and bass-heavy wallcraft that brings to mind the works of James Killick and Naughty, amongst others; the sounds here are thick with tone and monstrous in their density.  Four 30 minute pieces that will pull you down into the deeper recesses of lust and forbidden wants, a descent into yearning and an evocation of the pornographic heart of true excitement.  Suffocating and engulfing in the best possible way.
Packaged in a DVD case in a limited edition of 15 hand-numbered copies.  Beautifully minimalist artwork on this one, as well...$20 ppd. in the United States, $36 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

SHADOWPIERCER "BLUE VELVET, VOL. 23" CDr (AOW 216W)

Newest installment in AOW's ongoing series of recordings exploring David Lynch's masterful film Blue Velvet.  Volume 23 in the series comes from Shadowpiercer, the outstanding project of Lynch-obsessive and aficionado Dakota Snaketail.  If you picked up Shadowpiercer's last record for AOW, "Martyrs," then you've got a bit of an idea of what to expect: seriously thick, burbling fuzzed-out noise, struggling to rise to the fore amidst a severely unnerving but eerily beautiful synthesizer drone, an extended tone that threatens to consume the noise but never quite does, creating an uneasy harmony between violence and serenity.  This record captures the atmosphere of Lynch's film perfectly; a masterful and epic composition, and an excellent addition to the series.  Not to be missed!
Packaged in a fold over cover housed in a clear plastic bag, with the disc in a blue sleeve.  Released in a limited edition of 10 hand-numbered copies.  $7 ppd. in the United States, $23 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com