review

A lot of times, these days, 'reviewers' don't really listen to the things that they review, but people still do.
I think one listener really got the idea with 'other worlds of the mind', and I'll post his review instead:

Tom Heather, UK writes:

got your album man spent the weekend listening to and i gotta say if i didnt already know nocturnal poisoning and xasthur were made by the same musician i never would have believed it.
your guitar work sounds so much better and skillful, its like xasthur was some how holding you back (strange to say cos i still love xasthur) 

such an epic album man already cant wait for the next one

first Nocturnal Poisoning CD

Nocturnal Poisoning first CD, 'Other worlds of the mind' is now available.
Do you want one?
Well, tell any label, store or distro that you like to shop with to carry it!
They all took off running and went into hiding once I quit doing the previous band.

some info, interview...

Here is a new Nocturnal Poisoning/death of xasthur interview. In English...
http://www.metalholocaust.gr/component/content/article/39-synenteuxeis/1422-nocturnal-poisoning-ex-xasthur-english.html

And here it is in Greek...
http://www.metalholocaust.gr/component/content/article/39-synenteuxeis/1423-nocturnal-poisoning-ex-xasthur.html

I found this today, totally by accident, I haven't heard this in many years now, the ending of the song has one of the best riffs I'd ever heard and still is amazing to this day.

NO

No, I will not be appearing or participating in any side-projects anymore, no 'collaborating', no 'all-star' bands either. I don't have the time for it!

nocturnal poisoning interview

first nocturnal poisoning interview:
http://forestofnihilism.tumblr.com/interviews

Gravesideservice- masters in lunacy

Check this out, this is a new album by the band GRAVESIDESERVICE. I played bass for this band a few months ago. It is NOT your typical black metal band, it is probably the only band with a full time, full on piano player and not just a keyboardist, there is a difference. I might have some copies available next week, but for now, you can contact the band about the CD at: http://www.facebook.com/GRAVESIDESERVICE  or raandruchuk@ccri.edu

Nocturnal Poisoning (band)

So, the new band I'll be spending time on is NOCTURNAL POISONING, a segue if you will, yet a very misleading band name at the same time. I might as well just say it already. At this time, and on my own, I've recorded three out of about twelve new songs for this, songs that prove I don't need to "hide behind some wall of distortion". So far, it's another one person band, but there are folks here and there around the country that'll get involved because I care much more about playing shows rather than making an album and throwing it to the cyber wind.
Ok, well, I'm not going to continue talking about this a lot until there is more music and happenings to back up!

Official Video- Horizon of Plastic Caskets

1). This is a new video for Xasthur, even though the band is dead.
There was a ton of leftover scenes, footage and ideas that were not used by the director during the last video that were used for this "Horizon of Plastic Caskets" video.
Interesting artists can get in touch with the director at: spacerage@hotmail.com
(please have a reasonable budget)





2). Because there were a few people that wondered what happened to the tons of previously unreleased songs that I had, Avantgarde (Italy) is pressing a collection of those songs on an album called 'Nightmares at Dawn' coming out very soon.

The album will have some odd songs and strange surprises. You'll probably hate it though, that's not one of the surprises. Avantgarde will also be pressing some older ep reissues and those too will have some extra songs from a few years ago, before the ending.

3). There will be some other news soon. The new post-Xasthur band is taking forever due to a lot of disappointments, in people, myself being one of them.
But in all due time; I'm not in a big hurry.

Official Xasthur Video

Yeah, well I fucking hate 'self-promotion' most of the time and I've usually found ways not to do it, but in this case, if something is official then it's official and I'd better speak up about it, right?

A friend who has had an interest in film making for quite some time had a vision that he wanted to capture for the song "Walker of Dissonant Worlds", I thought it was an interesting idea and I agreed to it because I wanted to help with this experimentation. It's not all nice and pretty like most "black metal" videos, sorry. All we had to work with was our own backyard. By the way, I'm also in the video here and there to help make it official.
Yes, I know... the timing is strange because I have nothing to promote and I am very sick and tired of Xasthur, but I never had an official video, so what the hell...




credit where credit's due: robert, julio, ian.

out now and ending now

Part 1
Out Now: Portal of Sorrow CD- Xasthur. DV001 First album from Disharmonic Variations. I’ll be wholesaling off several copies to labels and distros that you shop with... if you're looking for it, you’ll find it.

I do not have a ‘shopping cart’ because I’m not a professional black metal internet wheeler and dealer, but if you want to buy single copies go look on ebay. In a couple weeks or so, I will have a limited amount of 11x17" posters signed by both participants of the album. In a few months or so, you can look for the vinyl LP edition on Hydra Head, they'll do nice job with it.
Also, here is a picture

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part 2
This album, "Portal of Sorrow", is the last Xasthur album, period.
The honorable thing to do is to end the band and not hang around too long, like so many metal/black metal bands do. Enough is enough, right?

I'm not able to make it work anymore. I don't want to turn into one of those bands who rely on too many guests and session musicians to make people interested in their music again. Some help is fine but more than some help is very cheap and it becomes others, not the roots of the band that makes the difference and the music work. I don’t want to fall into that pattern.
The motivation and inspiration used to be there full time and now it's not there at all, not for doing Xasthur at least. It is a role or persona that I have simply outgrown. I’ve been saying I’m sick and tired of it all for too long... and now, I’m going to back it up. There are or have been literally 18,000 black metal bands; it does not matter if there's one less.

Just like in the nineties, I made a few recent attempts to put a real line-up together and it still failed; another sign that said “give it up already”.

However, I wanted to end on a better note with this 'Portal of Sorrow' album because the album that came before it, 'All reflections drained', was not up to par and I couldn't finish up with an album that I was less than satisfied with. Now, I suppose any or all goals have been reached and there is nothing more I wish to try with Xasthur and it's time to move on...

Since it would be foolish to give up music all together, I have something else to fall back on that is beginning to take shape. It's a new beginning that I'm quite excited about.

Instead, I'm going to do something different by not performing any kind of metal at all!
There's no use in trying to reinvent black metal or turn it upside down, it's all been done and in the end, it's still metal and will remain within those circles, stereotypes and boundaries no matter what. Overall, I need a bigger change in my life and with music than just trying to change metal.

There isn't anything to lose.

I would ask you to stay tuned for my next project and give it a plug but there's no need to. It's probably of no interest to you and again, it has nothing to do with metal and I'm not trying to keep any connection or ties to it.
I will not name influences, genres or anything of the sort.

Believe me when I say this decision has been well thought out for months and doesn't come out of frustration.
Something I usually hate is comebacks, reunions or reformations of bands. You can be rest assured (for even relieved) that this will not happen.

I would like to say fuck you to so many people it’s not even funny, but that would be just another way of not washing my hands and hanging around, so I won’t bother.
Instead, I would like to say thank you to a handful of people who took an interest in the music over the years and had the patience to (slowly but surely) watch it grow and develop. I'm more grateful than you think; you know who you are and I know who you are.
I'd also like to say thanks to Marissa Nadler for taking her voice to another level, to Ron for helping design the album and to Hydra Head for the hospitality over the last few years.

Disharmonic Variations (label):
It will most likely continue, even though Xasthur will not. I’ll get into talking about this later.