BASSOON: Toilet Ov Hell Premieres Psychedelic “Pentisept” Video; Second LP From Brooklyn Avant-Prog/Sludge Trio, Succumbent, Nears November Release On Nefarious Industries

photos by Caleb Bryant Miller

As Brooklyn, New York-based instrumental avant-prog trio BASSOON prepares for the November 17th Nefarious Industries release of their second album, Succumbent, Toilet Ov Hell today premieres a psychedelic video for the new single, “Pentisept.”

Succumbent was recorded and mixed by legendary engineer Tony Maimone at Studio G in Brooklyn (The Book Of Knots, Ani DiFranco, Mike Watt), mastered by Alan Douches at West West Side Music (Mastodon, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Converge), and completed with art/design by the band’s Stuart Popejoy.

“Pentisept” starts the B-side of Succumbent with drummer John Mettam pounding a relentless, constantly shifting beat that undergirds the entire track. “Most BASSOON songs are rooted in the drum part,” says composer Stuart Popejoy, “but in the case of ‘Pentisept’ it’s really the key — the name refers to the rhythm being in both 5 and 7 at the same time, and all the riffs and melodies seek to bring some different part of that rhythm out.” The first part establishes a minimalist melody with heavy bass underpinning, but a break introduces some of the most haunting and dissonant tones on the record that crescendo up to a thundering unison chorus. A blistering bassline joins the original drum pattern to back guitarist Sean Moran’s soaring solo, before joining the bass and drums to end the track with thundering polyrhythmic riffage.

Toilet Ov Hell offers, “‘Pentisept’ features growling bass and crunchy harmonies working over the top of a shifting rhythm in the drums, leading to some fun and interesting music making.”

Scope BASSOON’s mind-mangling “Pentisept” video first at Toilet Ov Hell RIGHT HERE.

Succumbent will be released on LP and all digital platforms on November 17th. Find preorders and merch at the Nefarious Industries webshop where “Omnidolent” is streaming HERE.

Watch for new videos and additional updates on the album to post over the weeks ahead.

BASSOON is booking live excursions in support of the album, starting with a hometown Brooklyn release show October 27th. That show is followed by a run of dates through the Midwest, hitting Chicago, Cincinnati, and Louisville November 10th-13th where they’ll play with Aseethe, Anatomy Of A Habit, labelmates Tina Fey and Nequient, and more along the way. See all confirmed dates below and watch for more to post over the months ahead.

BASSOON Live:
10/27/2023 Hart Bar – Brooklyn, NY *record release show w/ PH0, Blisspoint, Splinternet
11/10/2023 The Burlington – Chicago IL w/ Aseethe, Anatomy Of A Habit, Nequient
11/12/2023 The Comet – Cincinnati, OH w/ Tina Fey
11/13/2023 Highlands Taproom – Louisville, KY

Nestled in Brooklyn’s art-metal underground since 2007, BASSOON started as the drum-machine-powered duo of Stuart Popejoy with Harvey Milk bassist Steve Tanner before evolving into the current trio of Popejoy on bass and keyboards with stalwart Brooklyn polymaths Sean Moran on guitar and John Mettam on drums. Their 2012 eponymous release and epic live shows earned them the praise of TimeOut’s Hank Steamer as, “Brooklyn’s heaviest and most challenging, bringing to mind a mixture of Melvins-style avant-sludge and daredevil ’70s fusion,” and their inclusion in Brad Cohen’s “15 best metal bands in NYC” in the Observer in 2017.

BASSOON‘s Succumbent brings fresh forays into advanced heaviness, drawing upon Magma-esque intricacy, austere minimalism, ‘70s fusion/jazz harmony, and more pounding riffs like those from their first release in 2012. The album’s intro “Omnidolent” provides a wide-ranging overture from stoner anthem to duophonic dissonance, followed by the austere blast-rock of “Succumbent” before ending the A-side with the polyrhythmic power rocker “Ossuarium.” The back side presents two contrasting takes on heavy minimalism: “Pentisept” layers mathy melodicism over a shifting drum ostinato, while “Cyclops” cooks a slowly twisting intervallic mono-groove to a blast-beat boil. The album finishes with the Brahmsian prog of “Born To Doom.”

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The post BASSOON: Toilet Ov Hell Premieres Psychedelic “Pentisept” Video; Second LP From Brooklyn Avant-Prog/Sludge Trio, Succumbent, Nears November Release On Nefarious Industries first appeared on Earsplit Compound.