LABEL ON INDEFINITE HIATUS; CLOSED TO SUBMISSIONS

It is with a heavy heart that i write this post.  Running a small label is very much a labor of love and sacrifice.  In the past I have been able to put my own money into this venture and keep the label operating at a financial loss to myself, but that is no longer possible.  Continually rising international postage rates, the severe cost of sending out artist copies internationally, and lack of support/interest from the noise community have forced me to close the label for the forseeable future.  I put out a goodly amount of releases over this summer, many of which have not sold a single copy.  This makes me deeply sad, and things really are not getting any better.  Combined with the entitled attitude i am encountering from people demanding releases or that their tapes be pushed to the forefront of my schedule has turned what was once a passion for me into a horrible obligation that i now dread dealing with.  I do not want it to be this way, and i do not want this thing i loved to be destroyed by others views' and opinions of how i should operate.  I do not owe anyone anything.  This label is MINE.
In light of all this, i am closing Altar Of Waste for an unknown time.  I just don't want the hassle anymore.  The fun has been destroyed, the joy erased.  I am tired of working hard for absolutely no gain.  My only goal for this label was for it to be self-sufficient, and i am far from attaining that goal.
The AOW store will remain open, and I will still put out the occasional new release.  But it will be on my time, and i will be releasing what I want, when I want. 
The label is also now CLOSED to submissions.  If i want to work with your project, I will get in touch with you and ask you.  That's it.
If we have an agreement in place for me to release your work, then that work will still be released.  Again-it will be on my time frame, so please do not write to me asking me when your album will come out.  I just don't know anymore.  It all depends on when i have the money.  I'm sorry, but that is the reality of it.  i am not independently wealthy-far from it.  I do not have the means to operate the label without sales.
Mostly i just want a break.
I feel like Oscar Issac in the Coen brothers Inside Llewyn Davis: I'm so fucking tired.

CORY STRAND "THIS WHOLE WORLD IS SHIT, VOL. I & II" 8CDR SET (AOW 531)

Final installment of a trilogy of DNW and drone/ambient recordings.  This one is a fairly large scale set of lengthy drone compositions focused on the torment of existence.  Nearly 9 hours of glacial, hollow drone and vaguely melodic ambient horror.
Packaged as a two volume set, with each volume housed in a quadruple oversized jewel case.  Released in a limited edition of 5 unnumbered copies.  $40 ppd. in the United States, $62.50 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

CORY STRAND "WHISPERED EVERYTHINGS" 4CDR (AOW 532)

Massive new recording of hollow, glacial, melodically depressing ambient drone pieces.  This is the second album in a trilogy of DNW and drone recordings; the first album will be out through a different label later this year, and the third album will be released through AOW shortly.
The album can be streamed in its entirety here:

https://corystrand.bandcamp.com/album/whispered-everythings

Packaged in an oversized quadruple jewel case.  Released in a limited edition of 5 unnumbered copies.  $20 ppd. in the United States, $43 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

CORY STRAND "FINALLY THE SHADES ARE RAISED" C60 (AOW 528)

Beautiful and depressing drones, crafted from audio sourced from a very moving moment to me.
The album can be streamed in its entirety here:

https://corystrand.bandcamp.com/album/finally-the-shades-are-raised

Released in a limited edition of 8 hand-numbered copies.  $8 ppd. in the United States, $31 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

EUGENE CRITCHLEY/...weeping "SPLIT" C60 (AOW 526)

Despairing and broken split of necrodrone wall philo-obscurity from Eugene Critchley and the monolithic, churning, suffocatingly dense and violent wallcraft of ...weeping.  Each project turns in a 30 minute wall void of hope and resigned to a yawning emptiness.  Super heavy downer stuff here.
Released in a limited edition of 10 hand-numbered copies.  $8 ppd. in the United States, $31 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

(A)SEX/EUGENE CRITCHLEY "SPLIT" C30 (AOW 519)

Severely bleak, caustic, visceral, violent, grimly self-reflective split between Mitchell Rotunno's incredible (A)sex project and my own Eugene Critchley project.  This pairing makes perfect sense to me; (A)sex traffics in heavy tormented power electronics and noise destructionism born from dark feelings and emotions, and Eugene Critchley is all my awful shit and patchwork existential pessimism woven together in a quilt of self-loathing and despair.  Both projects point toward a similar vision of life.
The resulting 30 minutes is a deeply cinematic, jarring journey through harrowing emotions.
Released in a limited edition of 12 hand-numbered copies.  $8 ppd. in the United States, $24 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

EUGENE CRITCHLEY/COSMIC SILENCE "SPLIT" C60 (AOW 484)

Truly massive and depressive split of drone noise wall beween Eugene Critchley and Cosmic Silence, a project of Casper Van Der Veen (Uitgeschakeld).  Each project turns in one crushing thirty minute drone wall, seeking to shine a light on the anxiety and despair of being.  No hope, just tedium.
Released in a limited edition of 15 hand-numbered copies.  $8 ppd. in the United States, $24 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

ADAM BIEL/CORY STRAND "SHADOW REWORKS" C43 (AOW 513)

Very pleased to offer up this new split between myself and my friend and fellow Minneapolis droner Adam Biel.  As we've talked back and forth while working on Adam's last release for AOW, we discovered a deeply shared affinity for both Twin Peaks and David Lynch's sound design work; we decided to pursue our mutual interests on a split themed around the new season of Twin Peaks and the Chromatics' performance of "Shadow" from the debut episode.
For this release both Adam and I took apart the song in our own manner and reconstructed it into two massive pieces of Lynchian and Badalamentian dronescapes.  Adam's piece uses tape manipulation to build up a somewhat terrifying hellscape of deep-ocean and oppressive Lynch drone; my piece uses echoes, reverbs, delays, and my own guitar work to craft a slightly more melodic and stagnant drone.  I feel that we truly succeeded in our goal to do justice to Lynch's oppressive soundscapes.  Not to be missed for fans of the show!  Watch for more collaborative Lynch-themed work from me and Adam in the future!
The album can be streamed in its entirety here:

https://corystrand.bandcamp.com/album/shadow-reworks

Released in a limited edition of 24 hand-numbered copies, with two different covers.  $8 ppd. in the United States, $24 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

CORY STRAND "SKETCHES OF LLEWYN DAVIS-EXPANDED REISSUE" C60 (Self-released)

Very limited reissue of my long sold-out 8-track release "Sketches Of Llewyn Davis."  This reissue was due to be released through a different label but for reasons beyond the label's control it is no longer scheduled, so i was given permission to do a small run myself.
This version of the release features an all new layout and an additional 30 minutes of material.
The reissue can be streamed in its entirety here:

https://lsdinducednightmaresrecords.bandcamp.com/album/sketches-of-llewyn-davis

Released in a limited edition of 5 hand-numbered copies.  $8 ppd. in the United States, $24 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

N0123NOISE/URBAN DECAY "SPLIT" C40 (AOW 520)

Very pleased and honored to be releasing this new split between my friends N0123NOISE and Urban Decay (Mitchell Rotunno of The Ebony Tower and (A)sex).  Each project turns in a bleak and haunting slab of choking ambience and drone; N0123NOISE's piece is one of the finest and most moving drone works from Zachary that i've heard, full of ghostly melodies and a deep sense of dissatisfaction and yearning.  Urban Decay's piece continues the project's distant, lost in the ether style of wallcraft, beautifully dusted over with gloom and ominous mystery.  This is an absolutely beautiful release-don;t miss this one!
The album can be streamed in its entirety here:

https://n0123noise.bandcamp.com/album/n0123noise-urban-decay-split

Released in a limited edition of 15 hand-numbered copies.  $8 ppd. in the United States, $24 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

N0123NOISE/...weeping "SPLIT" C40 (AOW 521)

Devastating and gloomily depressive new wall split between AOW friend and artist N0123NOISE and Josh McCue's (of M15H4P) HNW project ...weeping, a paean to life's miseries and endless self-doubt.  Screaming, eviscerating, and caustically violent material from both projects here; truly crushing and heavy as fuck.   ...weeping is one of my favorite new wall projects; watch for more from him on AOW in the future!
The split can be streamed in its entirety here:

https://n0123noise.bandcamp.com/album/n0123noise-weeping-split

Released in a limited edition of 15 hand-numbered copies.  $8 ppd. in the United States, $24 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

M15H4P "THIS SUCKS" C50 (AOW 510)

Insane and hyper-aggressive cut-up harsh noise and depressive power electronics from this newer project.  M15H4P's "This Sucks" has already seen a CD release through Big Pharma and a very limited and long gone 8-track release through H8 Track Stereo; AOW is handling the cassette version.  There is so much violence, aggression, and depression going here that it's hard to make sense of.  One of the more blistering and viscerally and obviously intense AOW releases in awhile.
The album can be streamed in its entirety here:

https://bigpharmarecords.bandcamp.com/album/this-sucks-xd

Glorious and very colorful artwork adorn the cassette.  Released 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

USHINAWARETA TAMASHI "UTSUKUSHI FUKEI" 4CDR (AOW 503)

Third of three physical releases from France's Ushinawareta Tamashi, a relatively young HNW project that deeply impressed me with its huge, meditative, bass-heavy drone noise walls.  Very much in the vein of Naughty and Eugene Critchley, UT has a defined aesthetic and a colossal sound.
"Utsukushi Fukei" features four massive walls, giant slabs of meditative gorgeousness and drift that will absolutely pull you under.  This album is a masterwork by a very exciting new voice in the HNW world.
The album can be streamed in its entirety here:

https://ushinawaretatamashi.bandcamp.com/album/utsukushi-fukei

Packaged in an oversized quadruple disc jewel case and released in a limited edition of 10 unnumbered copies.  $20 ppd. in the United States, $36 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

USHINAWARETA TAMASHI "TSUKI TO KUROI SORA" 2CDR (AOW 505)

Second of three physical releases from France's Ushinawareta Tamashi, a relatively young HNW project that deeply impressed me with its huge, meditative, bass-heavy drone noise walls.  Very much in the vein of Naughty and Eugene Critchley, UT has a defined aesthetic and a colossal sound.
"Tsuki To Kuroi Sora" is comprised of six shorter wall pieces, each with its own depth and sonority.  A bit more violent, a bit less restful, but still heavy and meditative.  Brilliant stuff here.
The album can be streamed in its entirety here:

https://ushinawaretatamashi.bandcamp.com/album/tsuki-to-kuroi-sora

Packaged in an oversized double jewel case and released in a limited edition of 10 unnumbered copies.  $15 ppd. in the United States, $31 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

USHINAWARETA TAMASHI "DENSETSU NO SAKANA" 2CDR (AOW 504)

First of three physical releases from France's Ushinawareta Tamashi, a relatively young HNW project that deeply impressed me with its huge, meditative, bass-heavy drone noise walls.  Very much in the vein of Naughty and Eugene Critchley, UT has a defined aesthetic and a colossal sound.  "Densetsu No Sakana" is a large scale wall split into 2 movements.  Truly gargantuan.
The album can be streamed in its entirety here:

https://ushinawaretatamashi.bandcamp.com/track/densetsu-no-sakana

Packaged in an oversized double jewel case and released in a limited edition of 10 unnumbered copies.  $15 ppd. in the United States, $31 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

EUGENE CRITCHLEY/HARSH NOISE MOVEMENT "SPLIT" C60 (AOW 518)

Cassette version of the split between Eugene Critchley and Harsh Noise Movement, recently released on CD through HNM records.  Each project contributes one twenty five piece: a deep and necro drone noise wall of philosophical obliqueness from EC, and a crunchy overdriven mass of dense wallcraft from HNM.  Emptiness and violence.
The split can be streamed in its entirety here:

https://harshnoisemovement.bandcamp.com/album/split-29

Released 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

CORY STRAND "SLAUGHTERHOUSE: A REINTERPRETATION" 4CDR (AOW 512)

Sprawling, drifting, glacial drone rework of my favorite album from Ty Segall.  Rawness transposed into tar and oppressive bloat, sludge rendered down into an echoed mass of oceanic despair.
The album can be streamed in its entirety here:

https://corystrand.bandcamp.com/album/slaughterhouse-a-reinterpretation

Packaged in an oversized quadruple disc jewel case, with a small informative insert.  Released in a limited edition of 4 hand-numbered copies.  $20 ppd. in the United States, $36 rest of world.


ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

CORY STRAND "HIT TO DEATH IN THE FUTURE HEAD: A REINTERPRETATION" 4CDR (AOW 501)

A massive drone rework of my very favorite Flaming Lips album.  This, to me, is the Lips at their most raw and unadorned, bringing the rock in a very Sonic Youth manner, with songs brimming over with confusion and melancholy.  I've tried to bring out those emotions in my drone reworks.
The album can be streamed in full here:

https://corystrand.bandcamp.com/album/hit-to-death-a-reinterpretation

Packaged in an oversized quadruple disc jewel case and released in a limited edition of 4 unnumbered copies.  $20 ppd. in the United States, $36 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

ZYXOMN 13CDr BOX SET (AOW 508)

Incredible compilation collecting a number of oppressive drone recordings from the mighty Zyxomn, a project of J. Gardner of Phantom Cadaver.  Just as in his approach to HNW, Gardner's work as Zyxomn is meticulous and thoughtful, showcasing his usual mastery over electronic textures and sounds.  The 13 discs here are simply some of the finest electronic drone i've heard in a long, long while; the atmospheres are almost inconceivably thick and suffused with dread, the haunted remnants of so many dead factories and crumbling electrical towers.  A distinct Lynchian aura hangs over the recordings collected here, a trip through severely dark spaces where sounds usher themselves in and fill all the surrounding spaces with their very physical presence.  Total industrial waste and collapse, with a few of the pieces venturing into ANW style territories as the drones choke the life out of their environments.  Astonishing material.
A goodly amount of Zyxomn's work can be streamed here:

https://trangsao.bandcamp.com/

The release is packaged as thirteen separate albums, each housed in a thick fold over cardstock cover, each of which is then housed in a plastic bag.  The discs themselves are all individually sleeved as well.  The entire set is housed in a wooden box with a paste-on cover.  The set also includes a small title card detailing each set's individual number.
Please note that this item is made to order; please allow a little extra time for delivery upon ordering.
Released in a limited edition of 10 hand-numbered copies.  $65 ppd. in the United States, $81 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com

WATER BEAR "CRYPTOBIOSES" 5CDR (AOW 476)

Incredible collaborative HNW project between Clive Henry and James Shearman, the product of their studies together in HNW construction.  Those two names are really all you should need to know; this is definitely one of the finest wall releases of the year, and I could not be more happy to be releasing it through AOW.  Five discs of thoughtful, masterful, deeply textured and rigorously structured HNW, with all the subtle tonal shifts one could ask more.  Utterly crushing and transfixing; pure audio hypnogogia painted in shades of brutality.  Get this now.
Packaged as five individual oversized fold-over covers, with each disc having a unique art piece created by James Shearman.  Each disc is sleeved, and the entire set is housed in a plastic bag.  Released in a limited edition of fifteen unnumbered copies.  $25 ppd. in the United States, $41 rest of world.

ORDER HERE: www.altarofwasterecords.storenvy.com