Beyond The Gates

I record my own stuff not because I have to, but because I WANT to do it myself. I like to record music. It's just one of my hobbies. I have total control and can take my time to do it the way that I want. And the result is that I can make any kind of noise I want to. I'm under no obligation to sell records or get anyone to like my art. It's completely selfish in many ways, but fuck it. I spend MY time and energy creating whatever the hell I want and it is totally freeing. It feels amazing. The only reason I release albums at all is because I want a finished copy of the album for myself to kick back someday and enjoy. 

Now, it's not that I feel that I know every damn thing and can do it better than a professional, because that is totally false. I actually admit that I'm not a great recording engineer. I hear a lot of new stuff coming out that sounds incredible. The guitars and drums are crisp and perfect and the mix is so loud that you turn down the CD when it first starts playing. 

I'm not into that at all. Some of my favorite albums of all time are considered badly recorded by today's standards, but I grew up on them and to my ears they sound perfect. Take Possessed's "Beyond the Gates" album for example that was supposedly ruined in the mix. Now, I didn't know that it was "ruined in the mix" until the internet came along to tell me so in many reviews. If it was SO bad, why did I go to sleep with it every single night for years? True, it's a murky mix, and it was probably an accident or oversight or whatever. History has shown us that when artists create something totally new, recording engineers struggle to capture that sound at first. Usually, someone comes along that figures out how to do it. Regardless, Possessed's "Beyond the Gates" album is incredible. It doesn't sound anything like their previous works or the EP that came after, but it is still a masterwork of songwriting and musicianship and atmosphere. 

Oh yes, that atmosphere! That's probably because of the murky mix. There was so much reverb and it blended the edges of everything together in a big gnarly manner. Now, I like my dark creepy music to sound dark and creepy. And this worked perfectly. I wonder if "Beyond the Gates" had sounded like "Seven Churches" which a lot of fans claim to be their favorite album of Possessed, if I still would have liked it so much. Probably not, because "Seven Churches" is so intense, mainly because of the chainsaw sound of the guitars, I needed to be "in the mood" to listen to it. That sharp, nasty sound was not something that I could listen to while I kicked back in bed. However, "Beyond the Gates" had a warm, dark sound that kept my ears pleased and kept me listening over and over.  

So, the question arises: Do you want music that feels good in your ears? Or do you want something that cuts them and makes them bleed? Personally, I love my music heavy and atmospheric and most of my favorite albums are dark and smooth sounding. Those are the ones I keep coming back to over and over. Therefore, I suppose those songs stick with me because I listen to more. 

Jeff Becerra's incredible vocal performance on that album is also what makes it so special to me. It's a wailing gritty moan most of the time, but he still seems to carry a tune sometimes. A lot of you young-uns may not know this, but when Possessed appeared on the scene at that time, critics bitched incessantly about his "broken-glass in my throat" vocal style. They found it tiresome and distracting. I completely embraced his vocal style because it was extreme and angry but still made music. Really, Motorhead was one of the few bands with a style like that at the time. So, sure, Jeff still sounds a bit like Lemmy and who has the courage to complain about that?  And what the hell do you hear so many death metal vocalists doing now? Yep. 

Anyway, I never intended this to be a review of my favorite metal album of all time, because I don't feel reviews are even necessary anymore. Everything is on youtube for you to sample and make your own decision. If anything, a review should just save you some time in looking for music. Then again, why not find your own music? Why not MAKE your own music. I did.

When Bitter Spring Sleeps "Transmigration" is available now at PaganFlames.com and Bandcamp.

Get "When Bitter Spring Sleeps" official merchandise.

Thanks for those that deserve it

Before I continue ranting about how I did this and that on Transmigration, I want to make sure everyone who helped is properly thanked. Thank YOU for reading this and for your support! I know your time is valuable, so I want you to know I appreciate every second of your time that I get for my art. 

First, I dedicate the new "When Bitter Spring Sleeps" album "Transmigration" entirely to my amazing father in law, GEORGE SYTSMA, who died recently from a long war against cancer. He was the sweetest dude on Earth and always asked me about my music. He would do anything for anyone and always had time to help. We joked that you should never tell George you liked something because he would give you a dozen of them next time you saw him. And for gawd's sake, NEVER say you liked his shirt, because he would take it off and hand it to you. Heck, he even built the shelves that hold all of Pagan Flames Productions inventory! George, you will be greatly missed and may you forever reign in the eternal Hall of Kings.

George Sytsma - greatest dude ever

The audio mastering on TRANSMIGRATION and the DUNGEON METAL EP was performed by the amazing Jori Apedaile, owner/engineer at Black Lodge Studios as well as member of the awe-inspiring beautiful metal act ENEFERENS. Jori had to master DUNGEON METAL twice since I put it on tape once then asked him to use his great audio skills by making DUNGEON METAL sound similar to the TRANSMIGRATION songs I recorded quite awhile later to put on CD. He is also an incredible musician with top-notch songwriting skills to boot, and somehow can still bring out all the instruments of my awful mixes.

The insidious black metal screams on new WBSS song "Tachyon Spell" were performed by Syntax A, who many may know as lead vocalist / drummer from Satan's Almighty Penis and ruler of the youtube underground metal realm as Brainsmasher. Check out his channel where he spends way too much time - but still not enough - talking about underground metal albums that need your immediate attention. 

The samples that I used with permission on WBSS song "Descent" were created by the incredible dungeon synth master ERANG. He was making dungeon synth while the Balrog was still a twinkle in the mailman's eye. If you are interested in checking out Dungeon Synth in general, start right here, because his work is immense and absolutely essential.

The incredible new WBSS logo art was created by Moonroot Art. If you listen to any metal in the last several years, you've probably seen one of his fine logo artworks. Seriously, this gentleman is the new Christophe Szpajdel. His work is pure intricate beauty and style.

The "Transmigration" cover artwork was created by artist Ze Burnay When I first saw his work, I thought it was one of the old masters since he used a painstaking ink and brush technique that speaks of true dedication and love of the art. He has created a multitude of incredible masterpieces that you need to check out NOW.

The artwork for the "Dungeon Metal" EP (which is also presented on the new CD) was created by Hellish Maggot. He has a strikingly original / creepy / murky style that blew me away by it's utter metal godliness. His designs are pure gold that also make some killer shirts. Hit him up for your metal artwork needs!

The Transmigration CD digipack layout was made by the fine gentleman at StndGraphics who has done many layouts for me in the past. His work is impeccable and flawless. 

When Bitter Spring Sleeps "Transmigration" is available now at PaganFlames.com and Bandcamp.

Get "When Bitter Spring Sleeps" official merchandise.

Thanks for reading!

- Lord Sardonyx

 

 

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THESE GLEAMING SHORES

A lot of crazy stuff has happened since I started work on TRANSMIGRATION. A worldwide pandemic, A city-wide Derecho (nasty unpredictable storm with winds of 120 MPH), the disintegration of our democracy due to the worst president we've ever had (hint: he wouldn't leave even when we impeached him), and the death of my father-in-law, one of the only people to always ask how my new music was coming along.

The first track on TRANSMIGRATION is entitled THESE GLEAMING SHORES. Below you'll find the lyrics. It is heavily inspired by H.P. Lovecraft's Dream Cycle stories. Now, I know most are familiar with his CTHULHU Mythos stories, but he spent an equal amount of time traversing the dream world in his stories and they opened my impressionable young mind many a time.Lovecraft often spoke about the dream world as a completely different reality and dimension. When you fall asleep, you are just awake in a different place and time, even as a different person. 

 

I've always taken a lot of inspiration from my own dreamworld for my music and art. I can recall times in my life when my dreams became very powerful. I went through a period where I learned to fly in my dreams and in each subsequent dream I was able to improve the skill. Upon waking, I could describe the sensation perfectly but of course could not repeat it in real life, haha! It was less a feeling of weightlessness and flying as it was a force that I could project away from myself to attain flight and even hover and swoop about almost like a fish swims in the sea. 

Anyway, this track has several vocal styles that I wanted to experiment with like the chants in the beginning that are inspired by ULVER's early works and the lead vocal which is sort of a distorted, harmonized, alien kind of sound achieved with several different vocal effects and the way it was mixed with the music. Sometimes it almost sounds like an old computer modem is transmitting the sound from a distant place. I also used some raw growls / black metal vocals on this track that I don't usually like to do because I feel that I have a decent singing voice and don't want to resort to growls. But, dammit, sometimes the song just gets in a nasty mood and the only thing that seems intense enough is a growl or scream. Usually I have my best bud Syntax A do these shrieks because he is so damn good at it, but the pandemic kept us apart.

These Gleaming Shores - By Lord Sardonyx of When Bitter Spring Sleeps

Once more I pass away
beyond this hollow world
Part skies that hold behind
the mystery of dream
Fine lyrical melodies
that conquer walls of time
aetherial entities vibrate
with souls alight

curtain drawn aside
see through veils of morning
darkened tides of longing
reveal these gleaming shores

dread portents
will fade away
sorcerous winds
erase my fears
rising high'r
between the stars
sailing moments
astral fires

nebulous
with sister suns
bleeding chaos
blissful light
seething heartbeats
without end
blazing memories
tides descend

each night I pass away into the world of dream
surreal dark fantasy that stillness brings to life
no wings of majesty need I to hover high
Mere will and sorcery unveils my hidden pow'rs 

 When Bitter Spring Sleeps "Transmigration" is available now at PaganFlames.com and Bandcamp.

Get "When Bitter Spring Sleeps" official merchandise.

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