Heavy psychedelic space surf collective COSMIC REEF TEMPLE and twisted sci-fi punk/new wave outfit SHRINKWRAP KILLERS recently joined forces to release a limited three-song split of otherworldly proportions. Out TODAY via Wave Guardian Records and wrapped in the kaleidoscopic cover art of Santos Illustration, all tracks were captured, mixed, and mastered by Greg Wilkinson at Earhammer Studio in Oakland, California.
For orders and to stream the EP in full, visit the Wave Guardian Records Bandcamp page HERE.
And if you missed it, view COSMIC REEF TEMPLE’s “Wave Constellation” video HERE and SHRINKWRAP KILLERS’ “It’s Not A Dead Body Inside This Bag” video HERE.
Self-described as, “a gathering of the Cosmic wizard-priests to worship Cod through streams of space-time, exiled to the inverted desert, wandering the plains of psychedelia…,” COSMIC REEF TEMPLE emerged to the Known Universe circa 2014-2015 A.D. in Santa Cruz, California. The band began as a two-piece guitar and drums act, forged from the ashes of Folivore. The duo wanted to fuse surf music with heavy metal. After composing some solid songs, more members of the TEMPLE were recruited, adding synthesizers and saxophone to expand the melodic atmosphere and finally bass guitar to provide the welcomed heaviness.
Once the original goal of creating surf metal was achieved, the band’s sound began evolving traveling further into extreme metal, prog, psych, and Middle Eastern tones and rhythms. The sounds can invoke images of the crushing surge of any planet’s ocean, the mindfulness of drifting into space, bending the very laws of physics and beyond. Drawing influences from John Zorn, Aluk Todolo, Kayo Dot, Secret Chiefs 3, The Astroglides, and Oranssi Pazuzu as well as local Santa Cruz heavies The Mermen and Mammatus and of course legends such as Melvins, Hawkwind, Dick Dale, Pink Floyd, and Black Sabbath, the end result is expansive and cohesive (when it means to be). The band has release one full-length, Age Of The Spaceborn, via Transylvanian Tapes as well as several splits, all tracked at Earhammer in Oakland, with a sophomore long player currently in the plotting stages.
“Visqueen, plastic, and shrinkwrap help distort the visions. Don’t stare or you will destroy both retinas. Conspiracies and folklore in past, present, and future are all truths. It’s best to hide our identities while delivering these messages. We are SHRINKWRAP KILLERS…” Created in October of 2018, Greg Wilkinson twisted punk, new wave, and garage rock into a contorted blend of catchy tunes under the moniker SHRINKWRAP KILLERS. Initially influenced by the Spits, Wall Of Voodoo, Devo, Dick Dale, and Ennio Morricone, the sound rapidly unraveled into its own animal. The project never abandoned its initial concept, only expanded upon it. Sprinkles of death rock, post punk, even pop all ensnared by a unique heaviness not common to this genre of music often appear. One may attribute the fact that all songs are composed in C Standard across all instruments. Some may consider his background in music.
All compositions are created and recorded by Wilkinson himself at his own Earhammer Studio. He is best known for working with bands such as Necrot, Autopsy, Graves At Sea, Annihilation Time, High On Fire, Vastum, Iron Lung, Acephalix, Lecherous Gaze, Mortuous, Undergang, and his own bands Brainoil and Deathgrave to name just a few. The goal was to create a project able to record consistently in the down time even if only for an hour at a time. This would require the ease of a “plug and play” mentality in lieu of laboriously working on tones. Being a fan of punk, garage, and new wave music, this would be a perfect medium to execute songs with such limitations.
COSMIC REEF TEMPLE:
Wave Guardian Of The Reverberatory – guitar
Sub-Frequency Fractal Emitter – bass
Celestial Wind Talker – saxophone
Summoner of Galactic Storms – synthesizer
Interstellar Time Keeper – drums
SHRINKWRAP KILLERS:
Greg Wilkinson – all instruments
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