DEJECTION "FINALLY, INTO EMPTINESS" 2CDR (AOW 345)

My newest recording as Dejection, a double album of thick, depressing, stagnant and supremely bleak HNW dealing with life's myriad and seemingly infinite miseries.  Things never really seem to get any better in this existence, and it becomes tiring.  This work tries to deal with some of those feelings.  This is some of the most despairing HNW i've done-it is cavernously empty.
Packaged in a DVD case and released in a limited edition of 5 hand-numbered copies.  $15 ppd. in the United States, $28 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

DEJECTION "TORMENT" CDR (AOW 344)

This Dejection recording is part of an ongoing series of releases from the project based on HBO's Game Of Thrones (three more tapes in this series will soon be released by Mitchell Rotunno's Knife With A Smile label.)  This particular album works off of Joffrey's torment of Sansa throughout season two of the series, and showcases Dejection's synthesizer compositions.  The four pieces here are all deep, John Carpenter-inspired excursions into bass tones, cinematic atmospheres, and sorrowful explorations of degradation.
Packaged in a DVD case and released in a limited edition of 5 hand-numbered copies.  $10 ppd. in the United States, $23 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

DEJECTION "MISERY" CDR (AOW 333)

Material based on one of my favorite novels, Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights.  As might be expected, the four pieces here are all extremely despondent, yearning, anxiety-ridden, and hopelessly depressing.  Lots of different directions here, yet they all intertwine seamlessly to create a bleak portrait of gloom and despair.  One forlorn synthesizer improvisation, two slabs of empty, haunting ANW, and a lengthy minimalist guitar piece to close things out.  This album is one of my favorite things I've ever recorded.
Packaged in a DVD case and released in a limited edition of 5 hand-numbered copies.  $10 ppd. in the United States, $23 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

SHURAYUKI-HIME "YUKIBANGO" 6CDR (AOW 336)

New immersive album from Liam McGeorge's (D.S.W.A.C.V.) excellent Shurayuki-Hime project.  Usually working in a pretty blistering HNW mode, "Yukibango" sees the project veering away from the caustic violence of previous works and exploring a more meditative and gentle mode of noise.  The pieces here are dripping with detail and depth but are incredibly unique in their pursuit of a softer space.  It's incredibly minimalistic and lovely; the six hour long pieces here sound like various rainstorms captured in different locales.  A masterful exercise in thoughtful composition, truly relaxing to listen to and immerse yourself in.  Definitely one for headphones and high volumes.
Packaged in a DVD case and released in a limited edition of 10 hand-numbered copies.  $30 ppd. in the United States, $43 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

CORY STRAND "I'M SORRY I TURNED YOU ON" 2CDR (AOW 335)

New double disc set featuring two new gargantuan glacial mutations of Paris Hilton's song "Turn Me On."  Nothing even remotely close to the original remains here; what you get is two epic-length pieces (both near 70 minutes) focused on stagnant, despondent textures, with one disc veering more towards the death ambient/drone end of the spectrum and the second trafficking in more HNW/ANW modes.  Both are unnerving and severe in their own way.  One of the darker Paris reworks I've done, but still meditative and strangely relaxing to zone out to.
Packaged in a DVD case in a limited edition of 5 hand-numbered copies.  $15 ppd. in the United States, $28 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

CORY STRAND "GUMMO: REVISITED" CDR (AOW 334)

A single disc companion piece to my lengthier ambient rework of Gummo's soundtrack.  This disc presents the soundtrack as 5 blazing slabs of brutal, deep HNW in full-on holocausting mode.  Totally nihilistic and unforgiving.  It just seemed wrong to not do some super violent HNW for this film!
Packaged in a DVD case in a limited edition of 5 hand-numbered copies.  $10 ppd. in the United States, $23 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

CORY STRAND "GUMMO: A REINTERPRETATION" 5CDR (AOW 332)

A rework of the soundtrack to Harmony Korine's study of nihilism, boredom, terminal despair, and unending adolescent angst, Gummo.  Korine's work is hit and miss for me; some of it is brilliant and some of it is self-indulgent, but it's almost always interesting.  Gummo is certainly the former, a disturbing slice of a certain sort of midwestern existence, draped in malaise and wandering towards nothingness.  The soundtrack, comprised mostly of black and death metal, is well-curated and suits Korine's focus perfectly.  My rework here transforms the soundtrack into some eerily lovely slices of death ambient and stagnant drone, perfect for pondering life's aching emptiness.
Packaged in a DVD case in a limited edition of 5 hand-numbered copies.  $25 ppd. in the United States, $38 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

THE EBONY TOWER "THE BROTHERS KARAMAZOV" 12CDr DELUXE EDITION (AOW 330)

A massive new release from The Ebony Tower, working off of Fyodor Dostoevsky's equally massive philosophical tragedy The Brothers Karamazov.  As always with The Ebony Tower, the HNW material here is meticulously crafted and masterfully executed, a perfectly bleak accompaniment to Dostoevsky's epic tale of personal destruction, rot, and redemption.  Twelve gargantuan slices of tonally varied HNW, ranging in mood from rage to sorrow to purgatorical despair. 
Presented in two editions:
1) The regular edition, with all twelve CDs housed in an oversize DVD case.  Released in an edition of 10 hand-numbered copies.  $45 ppd. in the United States, $58 rest of world.

2) The deluxe edition, with each CD housed in its own DVD case, each with their own artwork sourced from a 1949 edition of the novel published by the Limited Editions Club and housed in the University of Minnesota's rare book archive, utilizing Fritz Eichenberg's stunning woodcut illustrations (personally photographed by me.)  Released in an edition of 5 hand-numbered copies, only 2 of which are available through Altar Of Waste (the rest will be available through The Ebony Tower.)  $120 ppd. in the United States, $133 rest of world.

This release is a stunner, and the deluxe edition is probably one of the loveliest releases on the label to date.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

THE EBONY TOWER "THE BROTHERS KARAMAZOV" 12CDr REGULAR EDITION (AOW 330)

A massive new release from The Ebony Tower, working off of Fyodor Dostoevsky's equally massive philosophical tragedy The Brothers Karamazov.  As always with The Ebony Tower, the HNW material here is meticulously crafted and masterfully executed, a perfectly bleak accompaniment to Dostoevsky's epic tale of personal destruction, rot, and redemption.  Twelve gargantuan slices of tonally varied HNW, ranging in mood from rage to sorrow to purgatorical despair. 
Presented in two editions:
1) The regular edition, with all twelve CDs housed in an oversize DVD case.  Released in an edition of 10 hand-numbered copies.  $45 ppd. in the United States, $58 rest of world.

2) The deluxe edition, with each CD housed in its own DVD case, each with their own artwork sourced from a 1949 edition of the novel published by the Limited Editions Club and housed in the University of Minnesota's rare book archive, utilizing Fritz Eichenberg's stunning woodcut illustrations (personally photographed by me.)  Released in an edition of 5 hand-numbered copies, only 2 of which are available through Altar Of Waste (the rest will be available through The Ebony Tower.)  $120 ppd. in the United States, $133 rest of world.

This release is a stunner, and the deluxe edition is probably one of the loveliest releases on the label to date.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

PHANTOM CADAVER "MAZE OF MORBIDITY" CDR/C68 (AOW 328)

Cassette cover.

PLEASE NOTE: The CDr version is available NOW; the cassette version is available for preorder.  I expect the cassettes to be in stock and shipping early January 2016.

Monstrous, dense, crushing wall release from the mighty Phantom Cadaver, one of the genre's true modern pillars.  Those in the know are well aware of the project's utter mastery of HNW form; across a bevy of self-released albums, Phantom Cadaver has demonstrated just how flattening, detailed, destructive, and transcendent/transformative HNW can be when in the hands of a skilled practitioner.  I am very happy to be unveiling this new, massive piece (66 minutes!) from the project; without going too much into hyperbole, I'll simply say that this is some serious shit.  If you're into black hole gravity style HNW, then you absolutely need this record.  The cover art should tell you all you need to know about the record's inspiration, and once you throw this on and isolate yourself with darkness and headphones, you will feel its oppressive weight.  In the best possible way.
Released in two formats: as a CDr, with the piece unbroken, and as a C68, with the piece split into two sections.  I don't often do dual format releases at AOW, but this one deserves it.  Both the CDr and the cassette have different artwork.  Each format is released in a limited edition of 10 hand-numbered copies.

CDr cover.

CDR: $10 ppd. in the United States, $23 rest of world.
CASSETTE: $10 ppd. in the United States, $23 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

CORY STRAND "A YOUNG DOCTOR'S NOTEBOOK: SEASONS ONE AND TWO" 8CDR SET (AOW 329)

A collection of HNW "Totality" reworks for each episode of the first two seasons of "A Young Doctor's Notebook," one of my favorite new television shows from the BBC.  Extremely morbid humor combined with intense gore effects and morphine addiction gives "A Young Doctor's Notebook" an almost unbearable weight of absurdist dread and terror; think Steven Soderbergh's "The Knick" without such deathly seriousness and you're almost there.  "A Young Doctor's Notebook" succeeds largely in part to the casting; both Jon Hamm and Daniel Radcliffe have no issue severing ties to their respective images (Hamm as Don Draper and Radcliffe as Harry Potter) and are willing to go as far as they need to for their roles here.  They make a fine comedic pairing, floundering as they drown in existential despair.
This rework utilizes the full audio tracks of each of the eight available episodes (like my "True Detective: Season One" set from last year) and transforms them into short (each piece is between 20 - 24 minutes) bursts of dense, psychedelic harsh noise, hopefully evoking the torturous winter weather of the bleak Russian countryside the series calls home.  Packaged as 8 separate albums, with near-uniform layouts and a very minimalist design.  Released in a limited edition of 5 hand-numbered copies.  $50 ppd. in the United States, $63 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

A QUICK UPDATE ON UPCOMING CASSETTE RELEASES

Just a brief note to let folks know where things are at regarding AOW's recent barrage of cassette releases:

OUR LOVE WILL DESTROY THE WORLD "Sol Airborne Pyramid": the tapes are en route to me now and should arrive this week.  I will assemble preorders this weekend and mail them out next week.

DEJECTION/BIG HOLE "Split": duplication will be completed by 12/02 and mailed to me then.  I expect them to arrive early December.  As soon as they do, i will mail out the preorders.  Again, my sincerest apologies for the delay on this one.

FANTOME DE SANG tapes: duplication order was placed this week.  I expect the tapes to be in hand early January.

CORY STRAND "A SERIOUS MAN: THE EXPANDED EDITION" 14CDR + DVD-R SET (AOW 57)

When i satrted doing large format sets based on individual films earlier this year, I knew I wanted to go back and revisit Joel and Ethan Coen's A Serious Man.  It is easily one of my very favorite films ever, as well as the work which i feel best defines the Coens' thematic obsessions.  It also features incredibly beautiful cinematography from the untouchable Roger Deakins and a haunting, elegiacal score from Carter Burwell.
My original rework of the score was a bit "reigned in" and I wanted to create something meditative and expansive this time out, as well as adding some audio that reflected the violence lurking in the subtext of the film.  "A Serious Man: The Expanded Edition" contains:

The original 3CD rework of the score
A 3CD HNW version of my rework
An all-new 8CD expansive drone rework of the score
An HNW "Totality" recording made from the film's audio track

As usual with these "prestige" sets, it's packaged as 15 separate albums, each in their own DVD case utilizing my favorite images from the film (I did my own screen grabs for this one.)  It's a thing of menace and beauty, and I am very proud of it.  Here's my original write up of the first rework, from 2013:

"The Coen Brothers are easily placed amongst my favorite filmmakers.  Their ability to interweave total absurdity, nihilism, and extreme violence into their films without sacrificing the rich and deeply poetic philosophical inquiries at their heart is nothing short of masterful.  Alongside No Country For Old Men and The Man Who Wasn't There, A Serious Man explores the bizarre interconnectedness of the universe and mankind's growing realization that nothing ultimately matters, and moreso than either of the above mentioned works, A Serious Man attempts to take philosophy itself to task for its failure to provide any sort of feasible answers to life's perplexities and complications.  The ridiculous equation Larry Gopnik attempts to explain to his bewildered students may as well be a map of the universe as a whole, vast and full of complexities, myriad roads and paths all leading nowhere.  Existence is vacuous, devoid, a glacial collapse of meaning.
I wanted to work with Carter Burwell's score because it so beautifully articulates the themes of the film: the repetitious and cyclical nature of being, the failure to find meaning in any action, and the ethereal and haunting beauty of the mysteries we entwine ourselves in throughout our meandering lives.  There is no noise here, only a calm and inquisitive stagnant stillness, and maybe even a sliver of beauty peaking through the cracks."

Released in a limited edition of 5 hand-numbered copies.  $150 ppd. in the United States, $163 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

FANTOME DE SANG "NOIRCI ET DAMNES/FORET NUIT D'HIVER/L'ABIME" BOX SET EDITION (WITH BONUS CASSETTE, BONUS 2CDr, BONUS CDr, AND BONUS CDr EP) (AOW 325/326/327)

PLEASE NOTE: This is currently being offered as a preorder, to help offset the cost of production.  I expect to have the cassettes in hand and shipping in early January, 2016. 

A limited, deluxe box set release collecting the three new Fantome De Sang cassettes, with a wealth of bonus material included.  Complete contents of the box set:
"Noirci Et Damnes" C66 (AOW 325)
"Foret Nuit D'Hiver" C44 (AOW 326)
"L'abime" C60 (AOW 327)
"Dans Le Forets Denses Et Fonces" Single Sided C12 (bonus)
"Sauvagarie Nihiliste" 2CDr (bonus)
"Tourment Eternel Dans Le Cercle Le Plus Bas" CDr (bonus)
"La Puanteur De L'allure Decadente" CDr EP (bonus)

The three tapes have different artwork than the stand-alone editions (box set artwork on the tapes is by John Bauer.)  "Dans Le Forets Denses Et Fonces" is a recent FDS track in the black metal approximation style; "Sauvagarie Nihiliste" is a collection of material culled from splits and compilation appearances; "Tourment Eternel Dans Le Cercle Le Plus Bas" is an early FDS record released digitally through Batwings Creations; and "La Puanteur De L'allure Decadente" is a 70 minute, three song EP (!!!) focused on ambient minimalist textures.  This is the first time any of this material has been released physically.  All told, the box set contains about seven hours of music-it's truly exhausting!
Released on noble gold, silver, matte black, and smoky tinted cassettes.  All CDr bonus materials are housed in fold-over covers in clear plastic bags.  Released in a limited edition of 5 hand-numbered copies.  The box set is $75 ppd. in the United States, $88 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

FANTOME DE SANG "L'ABIME" C60 CASSETTE (AOW 327)

PLEASE NOTE: This is currently being offered as a preorder, to help offset the cost of production.  I expect to have the cassettes in hand and shipping in early January, 2016.

The most recent Fantome De Sang full length, completed summer 2015 and originally released as part of DeathSex Electronics' four-way "Baudelaire" split.  Since that release was incredibly limited and available only via trade with the label, I have decided to make the Fantome De Sang portion available as stand-alone album.  I am very proud of this work; it represents the culmination of virtually everything of done with the project, hearkening back to the very first releases of the project's formless blackened noise as well as touching on the current incarnation, with blistering drum patterns and live instrumentation.  This is probably the densest, most layered FDS release I've created; the process of making this record wiped me out pretty completely.  It is true sonic overload, with tons of shit going in every track.  It deserves to be heard by the project's fans.
Released as a C60, noble matte black cassettes.  Artwork by Jan Toorop.  Released in a limited edition of 5 hand-numbered copies.  $10 ppd. in the United States, $23 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

FANTOME DE SANG "FORET NUIT D'HIVER" C44 CASSETTE (AOW 326)

PLEASE NOTE: This is currently being offered as a preorder, to help offset the cost of production.  I expect to have the cassettes in hand and shipping in early January, 2016.

This was a Fantome De Sang full-length completed around the same time as my double CD release for Occult Supremacy Productions, "Une Obscurite Vampirique Dans Les Etoiles," with some additional production work completed in 2015.  As it was recorded and written during the same period as "Une Obscurite..." its sound is very similar: raw, chaotic, thrashy/punky occultish black metal approximations choked with atmosphere, a mixture of live instrumentation and computer processing.  Scathing noise and obliterating drum patterns dedicated to deep winter nights in the forest and the relentless hunger of wolves.
Released as a C44, noble silver cassettes.  Artwork by Arthur Rackham.  Released in a limited edition of 5 hand-numbered copies.  $10 ppd. in the United States, $23 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

FANTOME DE SANG "NOIRCI ET DAMNES" C66 CASSETTE (AOW 325)

PLEASE NOTE: This is currently being offered as a preorder, to help offset the cost of production.  I expect to have the cassettes in hand and shipping in early January, 2016. 

Crushing, super extreme new cassette from my black metal/noise project Fantome De Sang.  I began this album in the latter half of 2013 and finished it this year; it is meant to stand as Fantome De Sang's evocation of pure black metal fury.  Relentless screaming psychedelic noise, thick bassy sludge vomit textures, and buried torturous melodies alongside a constant stream of blastbeats and hyperspeed drum patterns.  This album offers no respite and makes no apologies.  Cold, cruel, wintry destructionism in homage to the great old masters: Mayhem, Satyricon, Thorns, Emperor.  Utterly intense!
Released as a C66, noble gold cassettes.  Artwork by Theodor Kittelsen.  Released in a limited edition of 5 hand-numbered copies.  $10 ppd. in the United States, $23 rest of world.

ORDER HERE:www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

CORY STRAND "PSYCHO: A REINTERPRETATION" 14CDR SET (AOW 324)

Massive drone/ANW rework of one of the most famous film scores in cinema history, Bernard Herrmann's masterful exercise in tension and volatility - the score for Alfred Hitchcock's legendary Psycho.  I'm not going to waste space writing about the film-i'm guessing anyone with a passing interest in my work understands Psycho's influence and place in the Western Canon of cinema.  I've studied Psycho pretty intensely in my academic career, and it's a joy to finally be able to cut loose with it and view it through a different prism.  My rework is 14 discs of crushing ambient/ANW-style power drone, meant to evoke the grey areas of Norman Bates' fractured psyche.  Intensely orchestral scores always translate really well into drone and noise, and this one is no exception.  If you've enjoyed my work with other Hitch scores, then this will be right up your alley.
Packaged as 14 separate albums, each in their own DVD case with their own artwork utilizing images from and ephemera associated with the film.  Released in a limited edition of 5 hand-numbered copies.  $130 ppd. in the United States, $143 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

CORY STRAND "I AM BEYOND YOUR EXPERIENCE: THE NIGHT STALKER" 5CDr (AOW 154 - SECOND PRESSING)

A reissue of one of my most oft-requested out-of-print works.  "I Am Beyond Your Experience" is my take on the life and crimes of Richard Ramirez, rendered into five discs of death ambient, HNW, drone, and Carpenter-esque synth compositions.  The original edition was a somewhat lavish box set and sold out almost imemdiately; this new version collects everything into a more compact form.  There's no new material, but the package has new artwork - more minimalist, less sensationalist.  Here's my original write-up:

"With Richard Ramirez's death in 2013, the serial murder cult of celebrity lost one of its most vocal and strangely charismatic figureheads.  His passing was felt in the noise scene as well, with many of my contemporaries openly lamenting his death.  Ramirez's exultation was (and still is) incredibly bizarre to me; compared to other serial murders (like Edmund Kemper or Ted Bundy) Ramirez had difficulty expressing himself and explaining the motivations for his crimes, and it seems to me his murder journey wasn't so much driven by true psychological compulsion as it was focused and considered courses of action manufactured to bring about a certain image.  Perhaps Ramirez's true disregard for society is what draws so many people to him; perhaps his alignment with a self-created Satanic path allowed him a feeling of actualization that rendered him beyond any real explanation. 
I personally find Ramirez tedious and incredibly self-serving (as all serial murderers are at heart); his crimes were pointless and callously brutal, and his reflections on his life, if you can call them that, add up to little more than an endless cloud of noxious hot air void of insight.  With other serial murderers an intellectual/psychological blueprint can be created and some sort of understanding can be reached.  With the Night Stalker, there is only a roaring emptiness.
These recordings were created using elements of interviews with Ramirez and snippets of his favorite album, AC/DC's "Highway To Hell," which he would listen to prior to his murders.  I hope these compositions illustrate the intensely violent nothingness that Ramirez projected."

Five discs, packaged in a DVD case.  Released in a limited edition of 5 hand-numbered copies.  $30 ppd. in the United States, $43 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

TWELVE SUICIDES: NIGHTTIME IN THE ABYSS (AOW 175H)

I am very pleased to announce the eighth installment of the "Twelve Suicides" series, from longtime AOW ally Nighttime In The Abyss.  This recording marks the project's return after a considerable length of silence: all of the hallmarks of NITA are present here (persistent eerieness, suffocating atmosphere, visceral emotionalism), but the sound is clearer, more haunting, fuller, more gargantuan than it has been on any other NITA piece.  Across thirty harrowing minutes, Christopher Ropes explores matters of death and the immateriality of flesh, the persistence of being, and ideas of the beyond.  Tinged with eastern philosophy and the vision of a poet, this album casts echoes and queries into the aether.  It's a thing of beauty - tortured, wrecked beauty - and I could not be more happy to be releasing it.  Includes a remix prepared in alliance with Invoke Aether Often that stretches the piece to its melodic and ambient limits.  I would also like to add that Christopher recently had his first book of poetry published through Dynatox Ministries; if you enjoy his work as NITA and his intense lyrical content, you'll enjoy his poetry as well.  Interested parties can check it out here:

http://dynatox.storenvy.com/collections/240632-all-products/products/14066268-the-operating-theater-by-christopher-ropes-standard-edition

This release is packaged as a fold-over cover, housed in a clear plastic bag (the same as the previous volumes in the series.)  Released in a limited edition of 15 hand-numbered copies.  $7 ppd. in the United States, $20 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

BIG HOLE/SEE THROUGH BUILDINGS "SPLIT" CDR (AOW 323)

A massive, crushing split release between two of the most interesting HNW projects currently in operation, Big Hole and See Through Buildings.  AOW has worked with both artists prior (both have releases in the "Blue Velvet" series, and Big Hole has a double CD released through AOW, as well as an upcoming split with Dejection in the very near future), and when I was offered the chance to release the CD version of this split, I jumped at it.  Those looking for intensity and volume in their WALL will not be disappointed by either project's contributions here, as the volume levels are near obscene: white-hot, city-leveling destructionism spread across 70 monolithic minutes.  Both projects excel at minute textural changes within their walls, slowly mutating lakes of sound that expand and despond ever further outward, until total blackness is reached.  This is the true harsh that should satisfy even the most jaded HNW ear; no respite and no remorse.  Absolute annihilation.
Packaged in a DVD case and released in a limited edition of 20 hand-numbered copies.  $10 ppd. in the United States, $23 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

CORY STRAND "ED WOOD: A REINTERPRETATION" 13CDR + DVD-R SET (AOW 322)

My rework of Howard Shore's glorious, beautifully quirky but mostly despondent score to Tim Burton's finest film, the chiarascuro drenched masterpiece Ed Wood.  Burton's homage to the delusional but visionary Ed Wood features stunning cinematography, one of Johnny Depp's finest performances, and an array of awesome actors portraying the various eccentrics that weave themselves around Wood's mess of a life.  It's simply a brilliant film that memorializes both the 1950s horror/sci-fi that Burton so obviously loves, as well as eulogizes a Hollywood that used to be, where an ambitious wide-eyed maverick like Wood could still get films made.  Perhaps Ed Wood is a fitting cinematic funeral for the Dream Factory, and a warning of the creative desert Hollywood would become in just a few decades.
My rework of the score goes all in for the sadness that permeates the film, a set of long, deep, mournful drones full of existential yearning and anxiety-ridden dissatisfaction.  Thick, unctuous tones envelop and eventually suffocate, creating an atmosphere at once comforting and terrifying.
Packaged in 14 separate DVD cases, each with their own artwork utilizing scenes from and ephemera associated with the film.  Twelve CDs of the rework proper, a short "Coda" piece, and an HNW "Totality" recording of the film's entire audio track make up the work.  Nearly 18 hours.  Released in a limited edition of 5 hand-numbered copies.  $130 ppd. in the United States, $143 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

OUR LOVE WILL DESTROY THE WORLD "SOL AIRBORNE PYRAMID" 3XC60 BOX SET (AOW 289)

PLEASE NOTE: This is currently being offered as a preorder, to help defray the costs of production.  If all goes well, I expect the cassettes to be in stock and hopefully shipping out late November/early December.

Finally unveiled, the long-awaited triple tape live retrospective from Campbell Kneale's freeform genre-eradicating noise/drone "OHM" unit, Our Love Will Destroy The World.  I have been a fan of Kneale's since forever and being able to put this release together has been nothing less than an utter privilege for me-the emotion and power inherent in Kneale's output (OLWDTW, Birchville Cat Motel, Ming, Black Boned Angel, and a thousand others), along with its unwavering quality and inventiveness, is something most of us working in this genre of "noise" can only dream of achieving.  The fact that Campbell makes it seem so damn effortless fills me with even more bewildered wonderment.
"Sol Airborne Pyramid" is comprised of six live performances, captured in all their beautiful, ragged, overloaded, white-hot glory.  The performances run the gamut of audio extremism, from hushed windy uberdrone to vomitous torrents of distorted sludge corruption to lovely yearning barely-there melodic powerdrone clouds to metallized dreamcrush and back again, creating a tower of sound that reaches to the heavens, storms their gates, and burns them to the fucking ground.  This is OLWDTW unhinged, communing with the ether, reaching for the beyond, dragging outer dimensions into ours and bending them to Kneale's sonic will.  It's a thing a of rare beauty, and I am beyond psyched to release it through AOW.  I could easily end the label with this one and die a happy human being (but i won't-don't worry!)
Packaged as a triple cassette set; nearly three hours of magnificent, expansive sturm und drang.  Artwork by Campbell himself.  Released in a limited edition of 30 hand-numbered copies.  $30 ppd. in the United States, $43 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

AN UPDATE.

Just a quick note to let people know what's going on with AOW, recent orders, etc.  Gina and I have finally gotten everything moved into our new home, and the move was physically agonizing on both of us.  We're trying to take some time and get our shit together before commencing work on artistic projects.  That said, I am going to try and fill current outstanding orders this week; if you're waiting on stuff from me, I will do my damndest to send it out to you this weekend.  I apologize for the delay; moving just really wipes you out, especially when you have mountains and mountains of media and you're moving it up and down staircases for a period of three weeks.
So, here's what I'm still trying to put together:

WALKING DEAD BOX SETS-these are assembled on my end; still waiting for Gina to cut down the linos and make the slipcases.  Sorry for the delay; it's just very physically demanding to make the cases, and Gina's exhausted.  They're coming-SOON-i promise.  I know some people have preordered them, and i'll try and get those out as soon as I can.

DEJECTION/BIG HOLE split cassette-should be putting in the order for duplication sometime in October.  Sorry for the delay on this as well, but it IS coming, and I hope to have the tapes in stock by Halloween or thereabouts.

A RAJA'S MESH MEN "Sleep Of Death" BOX SETS-these are coming along nicely; if you order one, I should be able to get it out to you in about a week's time.

Thanks all.  Hopefully we'll be back to a normal schedule in a month or so.

-Cory

A RAJA'S MESH MEN "SLEEP OF DEATH" 10CDR BOX SET (AOW 304)

A Raja's Mesh Men returns to AOW with a massive follow-up to the project's contribution to my "Blue Velvet" series, coming in the form of a gargantuan 10 CD box set.  "Sleep Of Death" is a study in true organic staticism, an HNW recording begun by its creator using diseased/failing electronics and allowed to unfurl of its own accord over the course of a full evening.  The result is an exploration of duration (nearly 10 hours), meditative audio structures, and ultimately, transcendence delivered via crisp waves of trebly, nervous HNW narcolepsy.
Packaged in six DVD cases (2 singles and 2 doubles) and housed in a hand-painted box with paste-on covers.  This release features some of the most breathtaking and beautiful artwork of any AOW release thus far-I really wanted to make this one special, and I feel its a lovely piece to behold.  Released in a limited edition of 10 hand-numbered copies.  $65 ppd. in the United States, $78 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

ALTAR OF WASTE CLOSED SEPTEMBER 14th - OCTOBER 31st.

I will be suspending AOW activities for a bit while my lady friend and I move into our new residence.  It's too much to have to do the label on top of moving and returning to school, so i'll be putting the label on a brief hiatus until everything is squared away.  Any orders received prior to September 14th will be filled; after that, the AOW store will be closed until Halloween.  Here's a brief update on a few in production releases:

Cory Strand and Gina Newman "The Walking Dead: Impressions" 3-cassette box set: the tapes are on the way to me and should arrive very soon.  All pre-orders will ship out shortly after (still some assembly we need to do.)

Dejection/Big Hole "Split" cassette: heading into production soon.  These will most likely now be out sometime in October; all pre-orders prior to Sept. 14th will be filled.

Our Love Will Destroy The World "Sol Airborne Pyramid" 3-cassette box set: I will most likely put the pre-order for these up in October, and am hoping for a late November release.

When the label reopens, there will hopefully be some new Dejection cassettes and some other epic solo releases.  I have a lot of stuff I want to do!

CORY STRAND "GHOSTBUSTERS: A REINTERPRETATION" 23CDr + DVD-R SET (AOW 319)

This one is purely for fun.  My parents took me to see Ghostbusters in the theaters, when it originally came out; I was very young, but the film left a very vivid impression on me and has since been one of my very favorites.  Few films so effortlessly combine spectacle-driven effects work and biting, cynical humour: Ghostbusters today is a cinematic anachronism, a memory of a now-dead style of classical Hollywood production, a reminder that even the simplest of films could still have thematic heft.
There's nothing remarkable about the score or the soundtrack; it's pretty standard fare, with Elmer Bernstein's orchestral themes complemented by Ray Parker Jr.'s cultural marker of a title track and augmented by a selection of lesser, far more forgettable cookie-cutter pop songs.  In reworking these pieces, i've sought to drag out some stasis and darkness; the result is a truly engulfing set that explores the film's more shadowy implications and moods.
This set consists of the score/soundtrack reworked in empty ambient mode across 10 discs, another 10 discs of the score/soundtrack reworked in HNW/noise mode, and three additional discs of ambient material crafted from various elements of the score/soundtrack.  Also included is an HNW "Totality" rework of the film's audio track.  The entire set is housed in 10 double DVD cases and 4 single disc DVD cases, each with their own unique artwork utilizing images from and ephemera associated with the film.
Released in a limited edition of 5 hand-numbered copies.  $175 ppd. in the United States, $188 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

CORY STRAND "THE BROOD: A REINTERPRETATION" 2CDR (AOW 321)

The second of a pair of Cronenberg-themed soundtrack reworks, based off the recent LP reissue of Howard Shore's scores for Scanners and The Brood.
This set takes Shore's "The Shape Of Rage" suite and transforms it into two twin reworks, one a drone version, the other a dense and sludgy HNW version.  Unnerving but also quite lovely and meditative at times.
Packaged in a DVD case in a limited edition of 5 hand-numbered copies.  $15 ppd. in the United States, $28 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

CORY STRAND "SCANNERS: A REINTERPRETATION" 4CDR (AOW 320)

The first of a pair of Cronenberg-themed soundtrack reworks, based off the recent LP reissue of Howard Shore's scores for Scanners and The Brood.
This release transforms Shore's score into three expansive, very long-form drone pieces focused on emptiness and ominous ambience, with faint whisps of melody occasionally rising to the fore; the set ends with a scalding HNW rework of the score.
Packaged in a DVD case in a limited edition of 5 hand-numbered copies.  $25 ppd. in the United States, $38 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

DEJECTION/BIG HOLE "SPLIT" C48 (AOW 315)

PLEASE NOTE: This is currently offered as a preorder, to help offset the cost of manufacture.  I expect the cassettes to be in stock and shipping by the end of September.

A crushing split cassette between my new project Dejection and Denton, Texas's stellar Big Hole.  Each project turns in a massive 23 minute track, two monolithic slabs of depression, anxiety, unease, and disgust.  Dejection's side is a creepy and discordant synth piece that gives way to leveling HNW texturalization, a despondent journey into a fraught and overworried mind (my own!)  Big Hole's side is an enormous, deeply bassy and unrelenting HNW excursion into memories of a life wasted, with subtle shifts in mood and texture as the piece progresses.  Christopher (of Big Hole) and I both agree that these pieces complement one another extremely well, adding up to 48 minutes of sheer mental torture and exhaustion. 
Released as a grey C48, with full colour artwork.  Released in a limited edition of 20 hand-numbered copies.  $10 ppd. in the United States, $23 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

CORY STRAND "SUSPIRIA: A REINTERPRETATION" CDr (AOW 318B, SINGLE DISC EDITION)

This is a single disc edition of "Suspiria: A Reinterpretation, Volume II"-the NOISE half of my large Suspiria rework (just recently released.)  I created this version because I felt there'd be people that would like to hear this work, but might not be able to afford the "artsy" 12 disc original version.  This version contains all the same music, just packaged as a single disc (in the 12 disc version, each reworked track is its own, short disc.)  It also has different artwork.
Packaged in a DVD case, with full colour artwork.  Released in a limited edition of 5 hand-numbered copies.  $10 ppd. in the United States, $23 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

CORY STRAND "BLACK SWAN: A REINTERPRETATION" 9CDr + DVD-R SET (AOW 319)

My drone rework of Clint Mansell's score to Darren Aronofsky's 16mm psychosexual Bergman-esque nightmare Black Swan.  Mansell's score is already pretty deep into drone territory (as is his style), but Black Swan really ups the ante in terms of empty, nihilistic menace; my rework has preserved this quality and the result is an immense journey through vast spaces of numbing terror and dread.
Packaged in ten single disc DVD cases, each with their own unique artwork utilizing images from and ephemera associated with the film.  Discs 1-9 are the score reworked in drone mode; disc 10 is an HNW "Totality" recording of the film's audio track.
Released in a limited edition of 5 hand-numbered copies.  $75 ppd. in the United States, $88 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

CORY STRAND "SUSPIRIA: A REINTERPRETATION, VOL. II" 12CDR SET (AOW 318B)

Secondvolume of a two-volume rework set dedicated to perhaps the most stylish horror film of all-time, Dario Argento's masterpiece Suspiria.  Goblin's score for the film is equally famous; i've wanted to work with this film/score for years, but have always felt intimidated by the sanctity of the film and the music.  I feel this rework set aptly pays tribute to both.
Volume Two is the HNW side of the rework, with the score transformed into relatively short, violent blasts of audio holocaust.
Packaged in an oversize DVD case, with a decidedly "old school" vibe (much like my recent "Fright Night" and "Hellraiser" sets).  Released in a limited edition of 5 hand-numbered copies.  $50 ppd. in the United States, $63 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

CORY STRAND "SUSPIRIA: A REINTERPRETATION, VOL. I" 9CDR + DVD-R SET (AOW 318A)

First volume of a two-volume rework set dedicated to perhaps the most stylish horror film of all-time, Dario Argento's masterpiece Suspiria.  Goblin's score for the film is equally famous; i've wanted to work with this film/score for years, but have always felt intimidated by the sanctity of the film and the music.  I feel this rework set aptly pays tribute to both.
Volume One is the ambient/drone version of the score rework, done in my recent "prestige" style.  And as you'd expect, these are some deep, heady ominous drones.  Also included with this set is an HNW "Totality" recording of the entire film's audio track.
Packaged as a 10 disc set, with each disc housed in its own DVD case with unique artwork using images from and ephemera associated with the film.  Released in a limited edition of 5 hand-numbered copies.  $75 ppd. in the United States, $88 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

CORY STRAND "RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK: A REINTERPRETATION" 14CDR + DVD-R SET (AOW 317)

Pure, joyous nostalgiah on this one.  Being in my mid-thirties, I was the perfect age to fall under the spell of Steven Spielberg's "Indiana Jones" series; i remember seeing the films in the theaters with my parents and today the films still hold a special place in my heart.  While my personal favorite film in the series is The Last Crusade, it's obvious that, from a purely cinematic/theoretical perspective, Raiders of the Lost Ark is the best film.  I'm not going to say too much more other than this one is just meant to be fun, and that for some reason, John Williams scores make AWESOME drone and HNW.
This set contains some of both: some hugely empty ambient drones (they're huge and sound more like ANW made out of windstorms) and some crushing, assaulting HNW horror.  Adventure never sounded so...adventurous.
As always with these "prestige" film reworks, each of the 14 discs is housed in its own DVD case, with unique artwork culled from the film's imagery.  Also included is an HNW "Totality" recording of the film's audio track, also packaged in its own DVD case.
Released in a limited edition of 5 hand-numbered copies.  $110 ppd. in the United States, $123 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

CORY STRAND "PULP FICTION: A REINTERPRETATION" 18CDR + DVD-R SET (AOW 316)

Another Tarantino soundtrack rework, this time for the brilliant Pulp Fiction.  Do I need to tell anyone about this film?  It changed everything circa the mid-90's and was very much one of a handful of films that got me thinking seriously about film as an artistic medium (my parents rented this for me in 1995, knowing i'd enjoy the violence and the labyrinthine nature of the plot-they know me so well!)  Even if you hate Quentin T. (and lots of people do, for various reasons), there's no way to downplay this film's status as a stone-cold fucking masterpiece.
My rework of the equally famous soundtrack shucks away most of the violence and goes straight to the film's cold, nihilistic heart, an unforgiving excursion into frigid, empty death ambient textures.  Eighteen discs of big, monotonous DRONES-there's a stagnant beauty to them that I didn't expect, and as usual in my work, a sense of yearning.
In addition to the soundtrack reworked in ambient mode across 18 discs, there's also an HNW "Totality" recording of the film's audio track, just for good violent measure.  Each disc is housed in its own single DVD case with its own unique artwork, culled from the film's imagery and associated ephemera.
Released in a limited edition of 5 hand-numbered copies.  $175 ppd. in the United States, $188 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

CORY STRAND "KILL BILL: A REINTERPRETATION" 25CDr + 2 DVD-R SET (AOW 314)

Another massive set exploring a single film's soundtrack in intense and expansive detail, this time for Quentin Tarantino's formally experimental masterpiece Kill Bill.  This rework is all HNW and noise this time out: no ambient diversions, no melancholy drones, no shoegazey atmospheres (except for the double disc "workprint" pieces included).  It's all harsh, it's all loud, and it's all NOISE.  Super chaotic bursts of highly psychedelicized noise, the sort of shit i was making about two years ago (as of late my noise work has been intentionally monotonous and tonally dense-this record is far from that!)  I can't think of a better way to reimagine such an absurdly violent, beautiful, daring, and nihilistic film.
The set consists of the soundtrack reworked noise style across 23 discs, a very special double CD of the "workprint" ambient textures made by me (from which i created the noise pieces) and two HNW "Totality" recordings of the film's audio track, each on their own DVD-R (divided as the film is, into Volumes I and II.)  Each disc is packaged in a single DVD case (except the "workprint" set, housed in a double DVD case) with unique artwork utilizing images from and ephemera associated with the film.  This is one of the most gonzo sets I've done-it's insane!
Released in a limited edition of 5 hand-numbered copies.  $225 ppd. in the United States, $238 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

CORY STRAND AND GINA NEWMAN "THE WALKING DEAD: IMPRESSIONS" 3xC40 BOX SET (AOW 295)

PLEASE NOTE: This is currently being offered as a PREORDER to help offset the cost of manufacture.  I expect the sets to be in stock and shipping mid-September.

This one has been in the works for well over a year!  When i decided i was going to start doing tapes through AOW, this was the first project, suggested to me by Gina (The Walking Dead is her favorite television show and she had been after me for awhile to do a record based on it.)  Fast forward to the now and the set is finally complete, a collaborative effort between Gina and me.  The music is by me, seven different compositions crafted from audio elements of both The Walking Dead's soundtrack (by Bear McCreary) and the show itself, showcasing a variety of sounds: some pieces are extreme HNW, some are empty death ambient, some are Hecker-style ambient roars, and some are lovely, yearningly melodic drones.  It's a very sonically varied set, hopefully capturing fleeting moments of violent atmospheres and eerie calm and crushing sadness as in the series.  Gina's contribution comes in the form of two beautiful lino cut prints, one a large slipcase housing the entire set, the second a smaller and more obscure piece of imagery relating to the show, housed inside the box as a sort of "insert" (kudos to you if you can place where the image is from!)  All three tapes are contained in a large clamshell box, with full colour artwork (different from Gina's lino cut prints).  This one has been a labor of love from both of us, and I am very pleased to finally offer it up.
Released in a limited edition of 10 hand-numbered copies.  $35 ppd. in the United States, $48 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

CORY STRAND "THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD: A REINTERPRETATION" 38CDR + DVD-R SET (AOW 311)

This may be the most insane, over-the-top thing i've ever made, but fuck if it isn't achingly beautiful.  This is my rework of Nick Cave and Warren Ellis's masterful score for Andrew Dominik's woefully underappreciated revisionist Western The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.  I saw the film when it was released to theaters years ago and was moved by the awesome, Malick-like poetry of its imagery; since then, I've seen the film many times over and studied it intently (it was my cinematography professor's favorite film), both for its theoretical implications and technical prowess.
In working with the score, I've applied the same sort of techniques as were utilized during my rework of Neil Young's Dead Man score; this set is a relative to that one in terms of structure, more an art object honoring the film than a straight musical object.  Sonically it references Tim Hecker and Troum in the ambient sections and My Bloody Valentine in the noise/HNW sections.  All told, the set contains roughly 7 hours of music.
This set includes the score reworked in ambient mode across 19 discs, the score reworked in HNW/noise mode across 19 discs, and an HNW "Totality" recording of the entire film's audio track (almost three hours.)  Packaged in 19 double-DVD cases (the score) and a single DVD case (the 'Totality" recording), each with their own unique artwork using images from and ephemera associated with the film.  As said, this is one of my craziest, largest-scale projects, but I think the results are well worth it.
Released in a limited edition of 5 hand-numbered copies.  $200 ppd. in the United States, $213 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

CORY STRAND "IT FOLLOWS: A REINTERPRETATION" 12CDR + DVD-R SET (AOW 310)

My rework to Disasterpiece's amazing, Carpenter-esque score for David Robert Mitchell's equally Carpenter-esque film It Follows.  It Follows features some of the best cinematography i've seen in a horror film (maybe any film) in years; Mitchell's debt to Carpenter's Halloween is distinctly felt throughout the film's numerous anamorphic wide shots and daylight settings.  It's an astonishing film, certainly one of the finest of the contemporary horror movement.
In working with Disasterpiece's mesmerizing, tense, and brooding score, I've applied the same sorts of sensibilities that I bring to my Carpenter reworks: maintain the dread and get DEEP into the suffocating tones.  The result is a dense, dark set of ambient and HNW structures that demand total immersion.
This set consists of the nine discs of the score reworked in ambient mode, three discs of the score done in psychedelicized HNW modes, and an HNW "Totality" recording of the film's audio track.  Packaged in 13 DVD cases, each with their own unique artwork utilizing my favorite images from the film (I did my own screen grabs for this one!)
Released in a limited edition of 5 hand-numbered copies.  $100 ppd. in the United States, $113 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

CORY STRAND "THE COUNSELOR: A REINTERPRETATION" 11CDR + DVD-R SET (AOW 309)

An empty and droning death ambient rework of Daniel Pemberton's arid score for Ridley Scott's much-maligned and wholly undervalued nihilistic neo-noir The Counselor.  Written by Cormac McCarthy, Scott's film is essentially the spiritual sequel to Joel and Ethan Coen's No Country For Old Men and a distant cousin to Vince Gilligan's magnum opus Breaking Bad, showcasing the tiresome, illusory banality of materialism and its devastating effects on a circle of loosely associated figures on either side of the law and morality.  For me, The Counselor is a masterpiece of a film, with an astonishingly haunting score to boot.  In working with the music, I've sought to elongate the meditative nature of McCarthy's philosophical interests through audial means; hopefully the results will be transportative.
This set consists of my rework of Pemberton's score spread across ten discs, a full-length coda piece made from elements of the score, and an HNW "Totality" recording of the unrated/extended cut of the film's audio track (over 2.5 hours).  Packaged in 12 DVD cases, each with their own unique artwork.
Released in a limited edition of 5 hand-numbered copies.  $100 ppd. in the United States, $113 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

CORY STRAND "THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO: A REINTERPRETATION" 20 CDR + 2 DVD-R SET (AOW 308)

An epic rework of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross's masterful soundscape for David Fincher's superlative cinematic adaptation of Stieg Larson's The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.  Though I find the Swedish television version to be equally masterful, I prefer Fincher's vision, as he directs Rooney Mara in such a way that her portrayal of Lisbeth is more interesting and multifaceted: Fincher's Lisbeth is tough and vulnerable, her emotions locked deeply away but not gone entirely (Mara's Lisbeth feels so much more real compared to Noomi Rapace's, whose Lisbeth can be a bit wooden at times.)  And of course, Reznor and Ross's score is just a killer piece of music.
In working with the score, I've tried not to dilute it too much.  The score is suffused with a distanced grandeur and dread; my rework capitalizes on that and takes it to a more extreme and sustained place.  At times ominous, at other times achingly beautiful, but always dense and layered and full of endless cycling sounds.
As said, this set is epic; I haven't created something this substantial in a long while, and I am very proud of the results.  The rework is composed of thirteen discs comprising the reworked score, three discs of long-form ambient/drone pieces constructed from various elements of the score, three discs of HNW pieces crafted from elements of the score, a single disc featuring a lengthy improvised synthesizer composition by me inspired by the film, and two DVD-Rs: one containing an HNW "Totality" reworking of the film's audio track, the other a "Ghost Ambient" version of the same.  Each disc is packaged in its own DVD case with its own artwork, utilizing images and ephemera from the film.  It's a thing of beauty when you see it all layed out together!
Released in a limited edition of 5 hand-numbered copies.  $200 ppd. in the United States, $213 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

CORY STRAND "INCEPTION: A REINTERPRETATION" 24CDR + DVD-R SET (AOW 307)

My long in the works reinterpretation of Hans Zimmer's devastating (and seriously heavy) score for Christopher Nolan's equally devastating metaphysical masterpiece Inception, a deep exploration into the philosophical and violent undercurrents of the film.  This score just leveled me when i saw the film in the theater years ago; it was gargantuan, engulfing, droning, and forebodingly intense.  In working with the score, I've sought to retain the density and bombast without sacrificing the emotional core of Zimmer's compositions; the result is an incredible, towering set of glacial, frigid, detached drone and some seriously thick, vomiting HNW sludge.  The rework is split into twelve discs of drone and twelve discs of HNW, with an HNW "Totality" recording of the entire film's audio track on DVD-R.  I'm very proud of the work here.
Packaged in twelve double disc DVD cases and one single disc DVD case (the "Totality" recording), each with their own artwork utilizing some of my favorite images and ephemera from the film.  Released in a limited edition of 5 hand-numbered copies.  $175 ppd. in the United States, $183 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

CORY STRAND "FRIGHT NIGHT: A REINTERPRETATION, VOLUME TWO" 12CDR (AOW 306B)

Volume Two of my massive rework of the score/soundtrack to the 1985 campy vampire gorefest Fright Night, this time a cold and creepingly melodic set of long-form death ambient and drone pieces.  The twelve compositions here run from between 20 to 74 minutes in length, exploring the film's more subtle horror flourishes and gestures; again the pieces all deal in subtly different tonalities and approaches.  Some seriously deep and ominous drone. 
Packaged in an oversize DVD case, with a very minimal/"old school" layout (similar to my recent "Blade Runner" and "Hellraiser" sets.)  Released in a limited edition of 5 hand-numbered copies.  $65 ppd. in the United States, $78 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

CORY STRAND "FRIGHT NIGHT: A REINTERPRETATION, VOLUME ONE" 12CDR (AOW 306A)

Volume One of my massive rework of the score/soundtrack to the 1985 campy vampire gorefest Fright Night, an exhaustive but focused HNW assault.  The work here is composed of twelve pieces ranging in length from 10 to 40 minutes, dealing in a variety of textures and tonalities.  This one was very fun to make, and I think the results are pretty intense. 
Packaged in an oversize DVD case, with a very minimal/"old school" layout (similar to my recent "Blade Runner" and "Hellraiser" sets.)  Released in a limited edition of 5 hand-numbered copies.  $65 ppd. in the United States, $78 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

CORY STRAND "HALLOWEEN: THE EXPANDED EDITION" 9CDR SET (AOW 54)

A massively expanded reissue of one of my most-request titles, "Halloween: A Reinterpretation."  Originally released in February of 2013, this one disappeared pretty quickly and was reviewed very favorably by Musique Machine.  This new version includes a wealth of extras; in addition to the original 3 CD ambient/drone album, the reissue contains an all-new 3 CD HNW rework of the original album, my 2014 release "Halloween: Revisited" (also long out of print) and two all-new long-form drone and HNW compositions.  I wanted to make this reissue special, and I feel this set achieves that goal.  Here's the original write-up:

"What I like best about John Carpenter's seminal Halloween is his masterful use of non-horror elements and atmospherics to create an aura of almost suffocating dread and impending violence.  The film is virtually unmatched in its ability to coax horror out of the daylight, the oblique and vague infinity of night absolutely trumped by the sheer and ghastly presence of massive stretches of empty space and the gnawing horror of a lone car slowly passing through the streets.  The true terror of Halloween for me lies not in the grisly murders Michael Myers perpetrates in Haddonfield but instead in the relentless stalking he subjects Laurie to in the opening half of the picture.  His obsessive and haunting pursuit almost defines Carpenter's film and imbues it with a sense of hopelessness and nihilism not oft found in American cinema since.
In my approach to the soundtrack I have foregone any display of violence or severity, attempting to hone in on Carpenter and Howarth's desolate evocations of senseless and bloody-minded obstinance.  These are the emptiest spaces of "Halloween," given leave to walk the night and weave themselves into the fabrics of their physical presences.  Dead eyes stare back, hollow and full of the yawning bleak."

Packaged in three separate triple-DVD cases, each with their own artwork.  Released in a limited edition of 5 hand-numbered copies.  $65 ppd. in the United States, $78 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

CORY STRAND "A CLOCKWORK ORANGE: A REINTERPRETATION" 4CDr + DVD-R (AOW 33)

A reissue of one of my long out of print (and earliest) soundtrack reworks, Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange, featuring an masterful synthesizer score by Wendy Carlos.  This has been one of my most-requested titles; this reissue features all new artwork and additional HNW "Totality" recording of the film's audio track (so even if you have the original pressing, this new version may be of interest to you.)  Here's the original write-up:

"My second exploration of the soundtrack works of Wendy Carlos focuses on her superlative score to Kubrick's Clockwork Orange.  Carlos' compositions for the film were rooted in aristocratic classical masterpieces but also displayed her trademark darkness and sense of sonic disassociation, resulting in a perfect amalgamation of the highbrow and the severely fucked-up that fit Kubrick's vision to a tee.  If anyone could make Beethoven sound violent and menacing, it was Wendy Carlos.
I've attempted to tap into that sense of foreboding and violence with my work here.  Again, while I in no way make the statement that these pieces hold a candle to Carlos' originals, I think collectively these compositions provide a pretty excellent overview of my aesthetic in this medium; from deep bass drones to crawling walls of sludge to all-out HNW fracturing, it's all here, in copious amounts.  If nothing else, "Clockwork Orange: A Reinterpretation" serves as an overview of my myriad solo projects and a truly exhaustive listening experience.  At their best, I think they conjure up the wavering reality suggested by the film and serve as a devoted tribute to one of electronic music's finest innovators.
On a personal note, this is a favorite amongst all my releases."

It's still a fave of mine.  My work doesn't sound like this anymore; this was an older methodology possessed of a certain joyful naivete.  Packaged in a DVD case and released in a limited edition of 5 hand-numbered copies.  $35 ppd. in the United States, $48 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

CORY STRAND "THE SHINING: ANCILLARIES, VOL. XII" C94 (AOW 303)

PLEASE NOTE: This is currently being offered as a preorder to help offset the cost of manufacturing the tapes.  I expect the tapes to be in hand and shipping in 3-4 weeks.

A new installment in my ongoing "The Shining: Ancillaries" series, this time going way back to one of the most obvious objects associated with the film: its "original" soundtrack, released on vinyl before all the music clearances and legalities went through; the records were recalled very shortly after release and are incredibly rare.  Today, this LP goes for an insane amount of money and is bootlegged to death, but even the bootlegs are so scarce that I've never run across one in 20-some years of record hunting/collecting. 
This version of the soundtrack features eight tracks: some of Wendy Carlos and Rachel Elkind's synth wizardry, a bunch of Kubrick's beloved and dissonant atonal classical music, and a shmaltzy "lounge" type track.  I've taken these pieces and reworked them into severely deep gulfs of empty, droning death ambient, resulting in 94 minutes of sheer existential dread and encroaching horror.  This is one of the best installments in the "Ancillaries" series thus far; the drones are seriously DEEP and I highly recommend headphones for this one.  You'll feel like you've been here before.
Released as a C94 (mustard yellow tapes) with full colour outer and inner artwork, in a limited edition of 10 hand-numbered copies.  $10 ppd. in the United States, $23 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

CORY STRAND "THE NEW WORLD: A REINTERPRETATION" 14 CDR SET (AOW 302)

A very special release in honor of composer James Horner, who passed away earlier this week.  I started work on this almost two years ago, shortly after completing my rework of To The Wonder's score.  This is my epic rework of Horner's score for Terrence Malick's beautiful film, The New World; the score is easily my favorite of Horner's.  It seemed fitting to create something equally beautiful; my rework is a massive set of Hecker/Basinski-esque ambient disintegration.  Very, very pretty.
Packaged in 7 double DVD cases, each with their own unique artwork utilizing some of my favorite images from the film.  Released in a limited edition of 5 hand-numbered copies.  $80 ppd. in the United States, $93 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

CORY STRAND "BEYOND THE RIVER'S EDGE" 2 DVD-R (AOW 301)

An addendum to my work with River's Edge, arriving in the form of a "ghost ambient" version of the film's entire audio track alongside a deeper, denser, more hopeless HNW rework of the same (think of it as an alternate "Totality" recording.)  Both versions are extremely cold, despondent, and empty.  Death ambient and death HNW.  Nothing matters.
Packaged in a DVD case in a limited edition of 5 hand-numbered copies.  $30 ppd. in the United States, $43 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

CORY STRAND "RIVER'S EDGE: COMPLETE" 4CDr + DVD-R (AOW 36 REISSUE)

A reissue of one of my earliest soundtrack reworks, from shortly after I started the label in 2012.  This version has all new artwork and a vastly improved layout; there is also a full "Totality" rework of the film's entire audio track (new to this reissue.)  My work doesn't really sound like this anymore; my methods and techniques have changed quite a bit since this record.  Still a favorite of mine for its incredible coldness.  This record received a favorable review from Musique Machine:

http://www.musiquemachine.com/reviews/reviews_template.php?id=4442

The record can also be streamed over at my Bandcamp page (please note the digital version does NOT include the "Totality" rework):

http://corystrand.bandcamp.com/album/rivers-edge-a-reinterpretation

And here's the original writeup:

"River's Edge" has been one of my favorite films since I saw it in a hotel room late at night on HBO almost 25 years ago.  It scared the shit out of me then.  Today, I feel there are few films that have so chillingly and accurately captured the pervasive nihilism and existential horror that permeates youth, the struggle to find meaning in the void, and the sense of desperation that drives us towards other people in hopes of making some sort of connection to combat the infinite meaninglessness.
The soundtrack to the film, made up almost entirely of classic 1980's thrash metal and hardcore punk, helped reinforce the themes of a distinct negativity at work in the universe and became as much a character as any of the teens themselves.
I have attempted to preserve the severe feelings of banality that I feel define "River's Edge" in my approach to the soundtrack.  Almost every piece here was created by manipulating the source materials in exactly the same base manner; differentiations exist in the form of tonalities and structure.  If a certain strain of HNW and ambient music is about illustrating emptiness, I feel my work here succeeds.  There is an absence in these compositions that surprises me, and I am honored to share it with those interested in sound as oblivion.

This new edition comes packaged in a DVD case in a limited edition of 5 hand-numbered copies.  $35 ppd. in the United States, $48 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com