CVLT Nation is wizard high to announce that the Sonic Cathedrals Mixtape Series Vol. XIX Curated by PLANKS goes live today! This band is really something special because of the depth and emotion that their music packs. Planks are a band that has been able to weave darkness into their sound in an indirect way, which is evident on their The Darkest of Grays release. I'm really excited about the breadth of bands that are featured on both sides of this mixtape, and how well they complement each other. Read what PLANKS has to say about their mixtape below, download Sonic Cathedrals Vol. XIX after the jump & blast this audio battle beyond loud…TURN YOUR GREY DAZE BLACK & YOUR BLACK DAZE INTO THE PAST!
I started listening to Black Metal in 1992. When the churches in Norway burned to the ground I was 14 and just fascinated by such vicious acts. But more than their doings, the music appealed to me and kept me intrigued ever since. I was raised in the 80s by the radio and pop music, preferably the darker, melodic tunes. An exchange partner from France introduced me to The Cure and Sisters Of Mercy in 1990, and that changed everything. So this is where my roots are, in dark, haunting, gloomy and melodic music that incorporates both harmonies and dissonance. Dark Wave/Post Punk as well as Black Metal deliver these attributes.
This mix features 120 Minutes (god, how I loved that show) of Dark Wave & gloomy Indie/Punk on one side, Black Metal and cold “heavy” music on other. The bands are mostly more contemporary. I love classics but there have been a bunch of very good bands in recent years. These bands helped me to survive a heavy phase of my life and left trademarks on my songwriting. The results were the words and riffs that became “The Darkest of Grays” and “Solicit To Fall”.
Thanks to the CVLT for letting me do this.
-Ralph/PLKS-
Sonic Cathedrals XIX Curated By PLANKS Stream SIDE A
[audio:http://www.cvltnation.com/wp-content/audio/A01 Glorior Belli - Severed From The Self.mp3,http://www.cvltnation.com/wp-content/audio/A02 Breach - Old Ass Player.mp3,http://www.cvltnation.com/wp-content/audio/A03 Weakling - Cut Their Brain And Place Fire Therein.mp3,http://www.cvltnation.com/wp-content/audio/A04 Shora - Arch & Hum.mp3,http://www.cvltnation.com/wp-content/audio/A05 Ascension - Grey Queen (Demo).mp3,http://www.cvltnation.com/wp-content/audio/A06 Circle Of Ouroborus - Flight Of Lucifer.mp3,http://www.cvltnation.com/wp-content/audio/A07 Do Tremble And Fall Silent - I Will Rot (Pt.II).mp3,http://www.cvltnation.com/wp-content/audio/A08 Gorgoroth - Sign Of An Open Eye.mp3,http://www.cvltnation.com/wp-content/audio/A09 Behexen - Cathedral Of The Ultimate Void.mp3,http://www.cvltnation.com/wp-content/audio/A10 Amen Ra - De Dodenakker.mp3|titles=Sonic Cathedrals XIX Curated By PLANKS Side A]
Sonic Cathedrals XIX Curated By PLANKS Stream SIDE B
[audio:http://www.cvltnation.com/wp-content/audio/B01 Have A Nice Life - Bloodhail.mp3,http://www.cvltnation.com/wp-content/audio/B02 The Cure - The Figurehead.mp3,http://www.cvltnation.com/wp-content/audio/B03 Versoma - Black Train.mp3,http://www.cvltnation.com/wp-content/audio/B04 Cocteau Twins - Blind Dumb Deaf.mp3,http://www.cvltnation.com/wp-content/audio/B05 Slowdive - Outside Your Room.mp3,http://www.cvltnation.com/wp-content/audio/B06 New Model Army - Waiting.mp3,http://www.cvltnation.com/wp-content/audio/B07 Depeche Mode - To Have And To Hold.mp3,http://www.cvltnation.com/wp-content/audio/B08 Die! Die! Die! - 155.mp3,http://www.cvltnation.com/wp-content/audio/B09 My Bloody Valentine - Lose My Breath.mp3,http://www.cvltnation.com/wp-content/audio/B10 Joy Division - Heart & Soul.mp3,http://www.cvltnation.com/wp-content/audio/B11 Therapy - Turn.mp3,http://www.cvltnation.com/wp-content/audio/B12 Blessure Grave - Learn to Love the Rope.mp3,http://www.cvltnation.com/wp-content/audio/B13 Killing Joke - Adorations.mp3,http://www.cvltnation.com/wp-content/audio/B14 Junius - Blood Is Bright.mp3|titles=Sonic Cathedrals XIX Curated By PLANKS Side B]
Today CVLT Nation releases Vol. V of our Blackened Everything mixtape series. This volume is a sonic cyco robot on a blackened murder spree of audio homicide! From the time you press play, the terror will rain down on your skull! CVLT Nation Vol. V highlights many extra rad unsigned bands that will totally smash your brain, plus gnarly signed bands that bring the rage as well. No more words, just fucking listen to this mixtape! Make sure to peep the tracklist after the jump & scroll over the image for the DOWNLOAD option…
MISHKA recently featured an interview with Sean on their "Bloglin," so I wanted to re-share it with you on CVLT Nation! With all the interviewing we do of other people, it's kind of nice when someone else asks us a question. What follows is the "5 Questions" from Mishka...
Here he is again, Sean Reveron, harbinger of the awesomely vile clothing line CVLT Nation, returns to the Bloglin, not in the form of a brutal Blackened Everything mixtape, this time in the flesh. Sean is an entrepreneur, underground music enthusiast, and purveyor of all that is heavy. Fortunately, he was able to answer five big ones on the intent of his new brand, the creative process that brought him to this point, and the state of metal in general. Escorting the public into a new epoch of foulness, this guy is on the cutting edge of fringe culture. Listen up.
Is Cvlt Nation something you do all on your own? You put out a lot of material outside of the design stuff such as mixtapes, album reviews, and all-around media articles, I can’t imagine you do that all by yourself?
Sean Reveron: No way…I couldn’t do it all on my own! My wife, Meghan, and I spearhead the project and do the majority of the blogging, like 60% of it. But we also have contributors from all over the world who are a part of the metal and punk scenes in their own areas, like in Ireland, Germany, Indonesia, England, New York, Texas, Cali – so we get a wide variety of coverage.
We don’t micromanage our bloggers at all, so they bring a lot of different perspectives and opinions to the blog. It’s really amazing that we have been able to connect with so many awesome and talented people from around the world, whether in music or art. The metal communities worldwide have been so supportive of what we are doing, and we see the site as a way to support creative people in the communities as well.
So I know you were working previously with Rockers. What happened with that? Was Cvlt something you’ve always wanted to do or a new concept that rose from the ashes of Knights of The Vampire Killers?
Sean Reveron: Working with Rockers NYC made up some awesome years of my life, but it was time to move on, and it was just natural for me to gravitate towards punk and metal imagery and music because of my background as a part of those scenes in the 80s. CVLT Nation is a culmination of ideas I have had for years, all wrapped into one brand, and the first season we paid tribute to KVK with one of our shirts, Legion. KVK will always have a special place in my heart, but it was more of an art project than a real clothing brand.
Yeah, I’ve heard you’re a veteran of sorts in the early L.A. punk/hardcore scene. Did you grow up listening to the SST guys like Black Flag and The Minutemen or skate punk type stuff like Suicidal Tendencies or The Adolescents? Had any interesting experiences with the bands themselves or at the shows? I mean you must’ve seen some shit.
Sean Reveron: I was into all those bands as a youth…it wasn’t either or for me. Being that I’m a Venice local, when we all got into punk in the 80′s it was natural that I became a Suicidal Boy. They were our local band, so we had to rep our hood. More than that, everyone in Suicidal Tendencies were our homies. Some of my favorite moments happened hanging out at Suicidal Park (Mar Vista Park) before shows, plus all of the leagues we had, like the Suicidal Golf Club, Suicidal Softball League & Suicidal Bowling League. One of my favorite memories was New Year’s Eve, 1983 – Suicidal played a house party in Santa Monica & played all Sabbath covers. It was a huge kegger, and the cops came & tried to smash our heads in, but we escaped, jumping over fences, running wild in the streets!
I saw Black Flag play mad times in all sort of places. I remember seeing them at their reunion show at the Santa Monica Civic, that was rad…everyone who was ever in the band performed that night, it was pretty epic, & The Misfits opened up. The next day, The Misfits went into the studio in Los Angeles & recorded their last album, Earth A.D.. Another gnarly Black Flag gig was seeing them perform outside the federal building in Westwood. What made this gig extra special is that for once the L.A.P.D. could not fuck with us because we were on federal property, so we could do whatever the fuck we wanted to do. I was super lucky to have grown up in the LA punk scene, but one thing I want to stress is that we were the outsiders, the weirdos, the freaks – & we were one huge punk rock family.
I’m a hardcore punk and metal nerd myself and love the fact that you post reviews of underground releases that a lot of so called “headbangers” would have no clue about otherwise. Is extreme music just as much a part of the brand as the t-shirt designs and diy items you sell? What do you think about those who don’t listen to the music but embrace spikes, leather, and satanic imagery as a fashion statement?
Sean Reveron: I have always been into underground music; I think it stems from supporting my local bands and artists as a kid. Plus, one of my favorite things to do is to look for and listen to new or obscure music on the internet, and I am so happy I’ve been able to incorporate that into my blogging. CVLT Nation is all about heavy music, art, clothing & cultures, so heavy is pretty much integral to the brand.
For the CVLT Nation clothing brand, we work with artists who have ties to the music community through their artwork on albums and band merch, so the clothing itself is inextricably tied to the music. It’s really important to us to make clothing that speaks to people who are into the blog and the music and art we cover. As far as the “fashion” of looking dark, I try not to judge people for it, but I think maybe they should give the music a try so people don’t mistake them for posers.
Fair enough. If you could name one artist/band, or even a few, that are currently performing and putting out new material as an inspiration for the work you do now and how your musical tastes have evolved over time, who would it be and why?
Sean Reveron: The rad thing about CVLT Nation is that through our blogging, we are finding so many inspiring bands and artists. The underground is literally teeming with creative people, so it’s hard to point to just one or two. With music, we have some projects we are working on with bands that we find inspiring, like our Sonic Cathedrals mixtape series, where a band curates a mix of the music they find inspiring. We put one out last week with Altar of Plagues, and we have some in the works with bands like The Secret, Young And In The Way and Coffinworm.
As far as art goes, when we find artists that inspire us, we find a way to work with them on graphics for the CVLT Nation clothing brand. There are so many talented artists out there in the world, and we are trying to provide another platform for showing their work through the clothing and the blog. The great thing is that we have gotten so much good feedback from artists who want to be a part of what we’re doing.
How have my musical tastes evolved? I’ve always listened to dark music, I am just allowing more of it into my life than I used to. I still like a huge variety of music, but I am exploring heavy music and finding out how many different layers and textures there are.
Dark Castle has changed the shape of sound to come with their most recent Profound Lore release, Surrender To All Life Beyond Form. This album is a journey into a universe of pure radness, where space & time melt your speakers. Dark Castle flipped the script with this release, & created an album that is all their own. CVLT Nation had chance to interview Dark Castle's Stevie Floyd about the band's creative process etc., & she broke everything down to the nitty gritty. So after the jump, check out this mind-altering read, so tune in & do not tune out!
Photo By Samantha Marble
Yes yes Dark Castle, how are things in your universe?
Our universe is always overflowing with life loving!
Congrats on creating an epic album, Surrender To All Life Beyond Form...was the creative process different for this album than for Spirited Migration?
The creative process is constantly growing for us...but at the same time has a certain consistency. We write music, riffs, lyrics etc around the clock, whether were outside laying in the grass, on a plane or in a dirty garage practicing somewhere. When it comes time to compose an album...we bring all of these ideas together and see how they blend. Some flow well together and some are left behind. Our individual influences and writing processes are always growing and evolving, but they seem to have always moved in a similar direction...no matter how weird they get. It is so important to truly feel every riff and every note that is being played, recording and especially live. As far as recording, it is a collection of music that has been written in lots of different moments, movements and environments since our last album was recorded. That's probably why we have so many different things going on our albums. Transitioning it all together in a smooth consistent way is always the most important thing to us. And no matter how different one part is from another part... tying it together with an underlying rhythm and vibe.
In what way do your life experiences shape the music you create?
The atmosphere in which you create determines the outcome more than anything. The amount of stillness and focus in your mind as well. Life experiences are the space from which the music flows from, the foundation. Some of our most influential musicians have the craziest lives! Rob and I have very different upbringings/ family situations, etc....but I would say that traveling as much as we have is probably the biggest factor for our music. Traveling has changed my life more than anything, I'm sure I could speak for Rob on this as well. It just has opened our minds so far to where you can't look back. I can't imagine writing music before it, or wanting to go back to any past moment...although there were good ones. Only moving forward in growth.
Photo By Richard Ostrom
Did you have an event or emotion that drove the lyrical direction of this album?
There are so many enlightening events and emotions that happen every day for me. The more in tune I am with them...the more synchronicity that happens, and the more aware of these moments I become. Just working towards creating more space in my life, breathing and becoming more and more minimal. Needing less and having less expectations. Not wanting more than just pulling in inspiration and channeling it through music and art. Surrendering to all life beyond form. The more that we detach from form, the more we can truly feel life, music, anything for that matter.
How do you think that collaborating with your friends impacts the sound of the music that you create with them? What joys do get from collaborating?
I love collaborating with as many others as possible. I wanted so many more on this album as well. Mike Scheidt, Nate Hall, Blake Judd and Sanford Parker are such talented, influential and special people to me/us. I also wanted Ct from Rwake, Kirk Weinstein, Bruce Lamont and others on this album. Its so hard to bring everyone together with our busy lives. I have tons of other collaborations that I am working on. There are just so many talented musicians that I would be honored to write music with...and not enough time in the day. Wish we didn't have to sleep.
Photo by Samantha Marble
How did your upbringing lead you to the path of creating music?
Wow, where do I begin...for me, I had a pretty rough childhood, but who didn't? That part I will leave out, it is in the past and my parents and I have a killer relationship at this point. I played piano from the time I was 5 years old. Was playing Beethoven and Bach by the time I was 10, ha! Also had art shows young. My dad is an amazing artist, and had a killer record collection. My mother sang opera and played piano as well. They bought me my first guitar after I begged them and begged them when I was 11, I think. They were super supportive until I shaved my head, started playing punk and metal and tattooing! I think it shocked them a little at first, thinking it was a phase. Although they may not totally understand what it is that I do...they are very proud of me and supportive. Can't speak much for Rob about his upbringing, but I can say that he was shredding sweeps on guitar by the time he was 12. I've seen videos. I think he was writing his own scales and shredding from the womb. Never seen anything like it.
How important is it for your songs to have a sense of space & melody?
I think that the space between the music is just as important as the music being played. As far as melody...we used only Hungarian and Japanese scales for this album which naturally create beautifully decrepit melodies on there own.
I really dig the song "To Hide Is To Die," everything about it is on a different plane...what was the inspiration for this rad creation?
The song "To Hide Is To Die" did not exist pre-recording. Rob came up with this weird off time, repetitive drum beat. Then Sanford and I connected all of these Moog and synth samples to a foot pedal. It was insane, the floor was covered with cris-crossed cables. I thought that the song was complete... Then Sanford wanted me to do spoken word through a vo-coder?? I had these lyrics that kind of rhymed about being buried alive and looking toward the light. They went perfectly over the music. Then Rob wound up doing bass under it all. It was surreal how that song came together in a few hours. I think its our weirdest song by far. Just such a magical experience.
Photo by Isaac Trevino
Would you say that you have an open mind to the music that you listen to, & does this have any bearing on the way you create?
We have an open mind toward all music. It doesn't mean that we don't gravitate toward certain bands more than others, but we are always taking in all music that has soul, truth and honesty. It doesn't matter what kind of music it is, just the place that it comes from.
I have seen you live & you two really give your all...what is like for you on stage? Do you feel the huge exchange of energy between you & your audience?
Man, we feel the connection between us and other people listening and watching, through the music. We feel it deep. It is such a spiritual ritual for the both of us. Probably when we feel the most alive and real. We are both just so passionate about playing. It is not a hobby or a side thing, music is our life, all of the way. Expressing yourself through the 5 senses...visually and through audio is the most important I feel...but using an equal amount of feeling as well.
Your album covers are very striking. What is the connection between art & Dark Castle?
Art and music is all interwoven for me. Sometimes my art is more fine tuned and sometimes its raw and intense...Like I said before about the 5 senses, just filtering all of your creation through them however it happens and translates in the moment. Sort of allowing it to flow naturally and then putting it within a structure. The contrast of the 2 in balance with each other. Its a beautiful thing.
Photo By CVLT Nation
What's one question that you have never been asked, that you wish people would ask?
Heh...This question....and now I don't know how to answer it.
The song "Learning To Unlearn" has this rad dark hip hop vibe to it...are you two hip hop fans?
Hahaha! Wow umm....yes. That is so funny that you think that. Totally was feeling Portishead a little on "Learning to Unlearn." Never admitted that until now. My brother is not only one of the coolest most talented artists alive, but he is also a semi pro break dancer. He performs/ battles at hip hop jams all over the place. I've been listening to hip hop and gangster rap since I was a kid. Rob and I listened to so much Immortal Technique and Cunning Linguists its not even funny. Ask Rob about his obsession with Bootie music too! haha! He's gonna kill me for that one.
You are about to go on a massive tour with YOB...what are some of the cities that you can't wait to hit? What's a classic day off when you are on the road?
Yeah, This tour with Yob is just going to be so exciting in a billion ways. Rob is playing drums for Dark Castle and Yob. It is just such an honor. We've been huge Yob fans since their first album Elaborations of Carbon. Not to mention us just all being such good friends and so passionate about our music. We both have albums newly out that we are so excited to play live and together every night and inspire one another. Magic!
Big thanks to Stevie of Dark Castle for the rad interview!
Today CVLT Nation releases Vol. III of our Blackened Everything mixtape series. This volume is a sonic killing machine on a blackened warpath of audio terror! From the time you press play, the onslaught on your eardrums is on! CVLT Nation Vol. III highlights many super gnarly unsigned bands that will totally smash your brain, plus gnarly signed bands that bring the hate as well. No more words, just fucking listen to this mixtape! Make sure to peep the track list after the jump & scroll over the image for the download option.
