interviewing Schizoid (digital hardcore meets true black metal)

I first encountered Schizoid in the early Kill Eat Exploit the Weak days on CKMS. Between his solo work, digital hardcore collaborations and time fronting black metal band Dead of Winter, Schizoid and I crossed paths many times. I reviewed numerous recordings, interviewed him, had both Schizoid and Dead of Winter perform live on the radio, and even presented a conference paper on D-Trash Records at an international popular music studies conference outside Nashville, Tennessee.

Now Schizoid has a new record out - The Next Extreme - and we had a chance to catch up a bit. The resulting Q&A is up at hellbound.ca.

free music: farsot's insects

The album isn't out until early next year, but you can hear the whole thing already:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1D98C4F322A0640A

Not familiar with Farsot? Maybe you are, but I wasn't, though I'm kind of digging their new record on first listen. They're German, vaguely black metal (assuming you have a flexible sense of what that might mean).

Insects (Lupus Lounge) is only their second full-length release, following two demos. They credit Kafka, among others, with some atmospheric and thematic inspiration, although I'm not sure I would have picked that out on my own.

Also of note - I haven't heard it, but they covered Katatonia's "I Break" on the December Songs tribute album (Northern Silence, 2006), or so the Encyclopaedia Metallum tells me.

metal events for the scholarly-inclined

For world travelling metal fans and scholars, this fall could be a busy time, with events taking place in Germany, Austria, and the US. None of this is in my budget or schedule, but perhaps some of you other folks have the money, interest and time.

The international congress "Heavy Metal and Gender" will take place at
the University of Music Cologne, 8 to 10 October 2009, with 'celeb' guests Robert Walser, Deena Weinstein, Doro Pesch, Angela Gossow (Arch Enemy), Sabina Classen joining a slew of academic presenters.

A month later, things move south a bit with Heavy Fundamentalisms: Music, Metal and Politics (part 2) in Salzburg, Austria, 10 to 12 November 2009.

And to put you in the Christmas spirit... Hideous Gnosis †: Black Metal Theory Symposium (Metal. Theory. Mutual Blackening.) December 12, 2009 in Brooklyn, NY. Expect papers, art, and ideas.

Canadian black metal and environmental refugees

No, there's no actual connection, unless Wolves in the Throne Room manage to pull one out of their gear when they play Hamilton and Toronto next month.

The second half of my heading refers to a documentary TVO aired tonight: The Refugees of the Blue Planet. The film followed the story of a large and growing group of people displaced from their homes and their livelihoods because of climate chaos, ravenous industrial/agricultural development, and the environmental destruction that ensues from both. Reminds me a bit of some of the material in Hope’s Edge by Frances Moore Lappe and Anna Lappe, though with more focus on the effects of a wider range of processes and practices on the people most disadvantaged by the wealth of the West.

[if you're interested, I shared some of my thoughts on industrial agriculture with Echo readers after reading Hope's Edge - one of my more outspoken rants]

As for Canadian black metal, last night my friends and I were among one of the smallest concert audiences I've been part of in Toronto. Like maybe two handfuls of other people, we showed up at the Wreck Room to see two Quebecois black metal bands - Csejthe and Monarque - and an Ontario opener - Pagan Ritual. Before the show I knew I liked what I'd heard by all three bands but what I'd heard wasn't all that much. Live all three acts surpassed my expectations, performing tight, entertaining sets despite the small turnout. I hear they may return. I would definitely see them again. If you get the chance to check them out, don't let it pass you by. In the meantime, here's a taste of their visual atmosphere.

Recent exclaim! contributions, in case you're short of reading material:

Soilwork / Darkane / Warbringer / Swallow the Sun (plus a few low-res photos)
Borealis

Hellveto

Forest of Shadows

Gates of Winter