New song!
...Well, a demo, really. I'm working on a small batch of new songs to fill out the live set (hope to play some shows in 2008), and this is one of my favorites so far. Since this isn't really anything final apart from the arrangement (it is a demo, after all), it's a fair bit rougher than usual. The vocals I feel are a bit weak, both in performance and mix, but eh.. I'm still a fairly newbie vocalist so I can just say I'm still learning.

Song link... clicky! (also available on my Myspace)

The song's called Adumbration. Used a really cool tuning for it... B B E G# B E. Open E (my usual tuning) with the low e tuned down to an octave below the second string (b). Some huge grooves indeed.

~Josiah

EDIT: Lyrics, since the vocal mix is a bit weak:

one day, the shadows in the sky
fell to the ground and the trees sprouted eyes
creating his own difficult times,
the child in the city heaved an underserving sigh
pen in hand, and hand in mine
the ghost of a forgotten part of mind was only half the sign

tidal waves
of mental sound
crashed all around
and shook the ground
couldn't find
myself at all
why was I there and
how did I fall

sometimes, I really can't say
black and white or go or stay or left or right or straight or gay
three falls, one save
the boy had only just begun but everything had run away

welcome
run into the ground
trying to find the pieces
before it comes crashing down
couldn't find
myself at all
why was I there and
how did I fall

one day, the shadows in the sky
left their place and began to conspire
the concept of an innocent lie
grew and grew and grew into an underserving sigh
content to keep secrets from himself
the child grew into a man encased in a self-made shell

tidal waves
of mental sound
crashed all around
and shook the ground
couldn't find
myself at all
why was I there and
how did I fall

I couldn't break
the barrier
I drove away
my caretaker
I felt the waves
assaulting my core
I knew the battle
had become a war

Whee, triple post.

Oh by the way, I can make you a torrent for Borerer too if you want, I have the CD at home.

I totally missed this before! Are you still up for it? It'd be awesome if you could.

~Josiah

EDIT: If you do make a torrent for it, just be sure to include the newer album art, found here. <-- click
You can use the mp3s there as well, if you don't feel like ripping and tagging it all from the CD.

Haha well the point is, I used Demonoid as the tracker for the couple of torrents I made. But they're kinda dead right now...

Haha well the point is, I used Demonoid as the tracker for the couple of torrents I made. But they're kinda dead right now...

Ahh! Right, didn't make the connection, sorry.

If anyone knows a good tracker I'm more than happy to fix you up with a torrent though

[Blazingmonga]

Listened to Adumbration again today...really dig it!

Definitely the grooviest thing you have ever done, for sure! The best bass sound I have heard too, thick and clear. I think your guitar sound is slowly creeping better and better with each recording too, but that was always exceptionally good to begin with. As usual I am amazed at the sounds you come up with, putting big budget famous band recordings to shame!

Your vocals are good too, as I have said before I don't think they are your strongest point yet, but like everything else they get better with each song I hear. I really dig them on this song! I don't know if you have improved your singing/recording technique in any way but you sound much better on this song.

I'm gonna have the main riff from this song stuck in my head for a long time now. It's huge!

Also, the download link you give didn't work. I want the MP3 of this for my collection. Can you help?

What does "Adumbration" mean anyway?

Cool stuff dude!!!

PS: When is the new Swimfail coming out?

Monga comments! Awesome! (Mongaments? No, that sounds like Condiments... Mangoments? Mango mints?)

I think your guitar sound is slowly creeping better and better with each recording too, but that was always exceptionally good to begin with. As usual I am amazed at the sounds you come up with, putting big budget famous band recordings to shame!

This track (vocals aside; couldn't do them right at the time) is actually a leftover from Self-Centered Tales, but I chopped up the guitars into loops and rearranged it a little bit. So the guitar sound is technically the same amp, recording, etc. as I used for SCT, but the mixing and mastering is different-- I think I tweaked the guitar tracks a bit, as well. The sound isn't as scooped and compressed as that album, at any rate.

As for putting big budget famous recordings to shame, I'm honored to hear that! I don't quite agree, but that is quite a compliment. I still have a ton to learn (and hopefully I will this year, taking an apprenticeship program etc), but at the moment I do think I have a rather solid sound going on, even if I do have room for improvement in many areas.

Your vocals are good too, as I have said before I don't think they are your strongest point yet, but like everything else they get better with each song I hear. I really dig them on this song! I don't know if you have improved your singing/recording technique in any way but you sound much better on this song.

Thanks! That's actually really good to hear, seeing as this is only a demo recording. And yeah, I seem to have found a 'spot' where I can get the most out of my limited vocal abilities. Hopefully I'll keep expanding it, too.

I'm gonna have the main riff from this song stuck in my head for a long time now. It's huge!

Also, the download link you give didn't work. I want the MP3 of this for my collection. Can you help?

What does "Adumbration" mean anyway?

Cool stuff dude!!!

PS: When is the new Swimfail coming out?

Yeah, I actually found I had the riff stuck in my fingers for awhile after playing it. It's catchy in many ways, I think!

As for the link, try again now... I had taken it down for awhile for whatever reason, but I just re-uploaded it.

Adumbration, to my knowledge, means a sort of intentionally vague description of something-- the song is rather personal, but at the same time almost nonsensical. I thought the name fit rather well.

New Swimfail... Not sure when that's gonna happen. I have a title, concept (not necessarily a story), and some songs down, but it may take awhile. I'm working on Blasted Lands again as well, so I'm not sure which will get finished first-- BL has to be the fourth release though, so even if it's done first I think I'll end up waiting until this new one is finished. However, I don't think that BL will be the first out the door... I have ridiculously high standards for anything that I write for it; I have enough material for an album and a half, but only three songs that I think are going to make the final cut-- and only one that I'm certain is. I think I have to be in a certain mindset when writing for it, and somehow capture that in the song... I don't know if that sounds silly or not, but either way it's rather difficult.

This new album should be interesting, though... Some of it might sound a bit like SCT, somewhat more traditionally-based songs with a little more accessibility, but a lot of it should be pretty weird, too. Some Borerer-esque parts, lots of voices (doing other things than just singing/yelling), a ton of mindfuckery. Going to be fun!

~Josiah

[Blazingmonga]

Monga comments! Awesome! (Mongaments? No, that sounds like Condiments... Mangoments? Mango mints?)

Mangoments! Sounds good, but maybe it is just because I am hungry.

As for putting big budget famous recordings to shame, I'm honored to hear that! I don't quite agree, but that is quite a compliment. I still have a ton to learn (and hopefully I will this year, taking an apprenticeship program etc), but at the moment I do think I have a rather solid sound going on, even if I do have room for improvement in many areas.

Well, I suppose that most, but definitely not all, major label bands have a better sound...but not really one with as much going on as yours. In terms of how enjoyable things sound, you score far higher than so many other things. Honoured, you should be!

I seem to have found a 'spot' where I can get the most out of my limited vocal abilities. Hopefully I'll keep expanding it, too.

Yeah, a spot! You really sound like you are getting close to that sweet spot. I have always thought that a vocalist doesn't need a super technical voice but needs to use it in the right way. I am thinking of Bob Dylan when I write this for some reason...can't really think of him ever singing well, but he has a neat voice. Erm, crap example, but nevermind.

This new album should be interesting, though... Some of it might sound a bit like SCT, somewhat more traditionally-based songs with a little more accessibility, but a lot of it should be pretty weird, too. Some Borerer-esque parts, lots of voices (doing other things than just singing/yelling), a ton of mindfuckery. Going to be fun!

Mindfuckery! MINDFUCKERY!!! That's all I needed to hear. Whatever you come up with I am sure it will be stellar. I might even have to give my mum a copy, if you come up with something really good.

Hmm, that's... maybe the fourth or fifth time I've been compared to Bob Dylan, actually. Still not sure if it's really a good thing, but oh well! I'm determined to keep improving, at any rate.

If anyone knows a good tracker I'm more than happy to fix you up with a torrent though

So um... Anyone have any suggestions for the man?

~Josiah

[Blazingmonga]

Hmm, that's... maybe the fourth or fifth time I've been compared to Bob Dylan, actually. Still not sure if it's really a good thing, but oh well! I'm determined to keep improving, at any rate.

Rumour has it that a lot of people like Bob Dylan and his music, so I would take this comparison as a big ol' compliment.

Having just listened through Adumbration... I like it. Catchy riff.

And I've realised that SCT is possibly the best way to get back into metal after a long time without listening to any. (Well, that, and SYL's City... which was on for most of the day. SCT for the past hour or two, though)

Also, since I totally missed the boat on Borerer... any chance of someone giving Biert a suggestion so I can listen?

Having just listened through Adumbration... I like it. Catchy riff.

And I've realised that SCT is possibly the best way to get back into metal after a long time without listening to any. (Well, that, and SYL's City... which was on for most of the day. SCT for the past hour or two, though)

Also, since I totally missed the boat on Borerer... any chance of someone giving Biert a suggestion so I can listen?

There might be another way... (click that)
Try not to spread the link much, though. A friend's hosting me and I don't wanna kill his bandwidth, that's album's a rather large download.

~Josiah

Good stuff. Not my preference of Kool-Aid, however.