photo by Veronika Reinert
Pax Aeternum announces the December release of the eponymous debut album from SLOW BURNING RAGE, a new musical project formed by drummer Ryan Parrish, who here acts as a multi-instrumentalist. The album’s cover art, track listing, and long list of guest contributors has been issued alongside preorders and the lead single, “The Slow Burn Of Madmartigan.”
While Ryan Parrish might be best known through his drumming for heavier artists like Bleach Everything, City Of Caterpillar, Suppression, Mammoth Grinder, Iron Reagan, and Darkest Hour or to a lesser extent through his gentler, more experimental work with Years and Harmonic Cross, his first release as SLOW BURNING RAGE manages to draw on both the visceral and cerebral halves of his output, fusing them in unpredictable configurations that produce something far greater than the sum of its respective parts.
A quick listen to SLOW BURNING RAGE’s eponymous debut might produce a few vague points of reference – Painkiller’s tormented free jazz sludge, This Heat’s uneasy post-punk, the brutal prog of Ruins or Guapo, the shredded ambience of early Tim Hecker – but the album taken as a totality becomes an immersive experience full of sharp twists and turns, never resting on one approach or aesthetic for long. From the harsh eruption of free jazz sax on the opener “Agonal Gasp,” to the rumbling madness of “Dark Thunder…” (provided by a drum orchestra that includes members of Inter Arma, Municipal Waste, Windhand, Avail, and Suppression amongst about a dozen other percussionists), to the radiant drone of “Transience,” to the placid harp-driven atmospheres of closer “…Crystal Nebula,” no tidy summation of this album could possibly capture the unbridled creativity contained therein.
Parrish is adamant that this not be considered a solo album and, with the list of contributors being what it is, one can see why. But through an expansive and eclectic set of influences and collaborators it stands as a testament to both his curatorial abilities and his unique ear for sonic world-building. As a concise statement of purpose that still manages to contain multitudes the album acts as a reminder to listeners that, in a world full of uninspired genre-molded imitators, the possibility for new and captivating approaches to sound still exists.
SLOW BURNING RAGE’s debut features Ryan Parrish playing drums, guitar, bass, keyboards, and electronics on all tracks in addition to providing arrangements and percussion. Sean Cassidy’s saxophone playing graces opener “Agonal Gasp.” Parrish’s former Darkest Hour bandmate Paul Burnette contributes organ, bass, and percussion to “The Slow Burn Of Madmartigan.” Chris Barron, Graham Scala, and Jonathon Moore add guitar textures to “A.L.A.S.” and “Scaphism (Two Boats).” A percussion ensemble consisting of Robley Ball, TJ Childress, Alex Copeland, Bram Crowe-Getty, Richard Gibson, Jason Hodges, Erik Josephson, Erik Larson, Jon Rice, Johnny Ward, Brandon Whittaker, Dave Witte, Ryan Wolfe underpins “Dark Thunder…” while closer “…Crystal Nebula” features harp by Marie Gist. The album was recorded by Ricky Olsen at the Ward with additional tracking by Tommy Gunn at Hammerhand and by Ryan Parrish at Roach Floor, mixed by Jeff Kane and Ryan Parrish at Roach Floor, mastered by Marshall Wieczorek at MP Productions, and completed with photography by Veronika Reinert, art by Matt Boyle, and design by Graham Scala.
With the album’s lead single, Parrish reveals, “With no previous discussions or rehearsals, the foundation for the song ‘The Slow Burn Of Madmartigan’ was an improvised dynamic rhythmic frenzy spawned in the studio by a talented bassist named Paul Burnette and myself. Later additions of electronics, organ, bass and synthesizers were layered on top to fill out the overall construct, producing hidden elements the listener can catch with every play.”
Tune in and listen to SLOW BURNING RAGE’s “The Slow Burn Of Madmartigan” now at THIS LOCATION.
Pax Aeternum will release Slow Burning Rage through all digital providers on December 17th. Find preorders HERE and watch for additional audio previews and more to post over the weeks ahead.
Slow-Burning Rage Track Listing:
1. Agonal Gasp
2. The Slow Burn Of Madmartigan
3. El Tío (Curse Of The Caves)
4. A.L.A.S.
5. Scaphism (Two Boats)
6. Transience
7. Dark Thunder…
8. …Crystal Nebula
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