Recorded by:
André Foisy | Terence Hannum | Steven Hess
with Erica Burgner-Hannum
Recorded by Benjamin Balcom at Minbal
Mastered by Jason Ward at Chicago Mastering Service
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"...DORT IST DER WEG/FROZEN IN ASH moves the needle of uncomfortable aggression just a little bit further than before, but more than enough to whet the appetite for a proper follow up from the band.
“Dort Ist Der Weg” is a cover of Popul Vuh’s classic progressive opus, but saturated in a much darker, brooding veneer. Any ray of hope extracted in the original version is stripped away and replaced by measured, deliberate percussion and a pervasive sense of human emptiness. Layered with a subtle female harmony and the plucking of discordant strings, Locrian builds the hollowed tune into a wall of electric guitars, feedback and wailing noise, fading out on a single note.
“Frozen in Ash” reminded me of THE CRYSTAL WORLD’s title track, which in and of itself is a powerful tune. Distant buzzing guitar lines lay dormant under pained howls of abandon, as a simple acoustic refrain builds from the ash. It’s a deceptively simple track, but the sense of cold, bleak isolation is immediate.
Locrian are second to none when it comes to creating this level of cinematic atmosphere with such an adept level of minimalism. Musically, it’s truly something impressive to behold."
--Aaron Yurkiewicz, Metal Rules, September 1, 2011
"Dense noise and corrosive drone-rock from this Chicago trio, albeit tempered by a sophistication of structure, dynamics and melody that marks them out from the million other aspiring skull-crushers out there. The first four minutes of ‘Dort Ist Der Weg' are sheer black metal aggression, nowt but a wall of grotty overdriven guitar and some incomprehensible screaming buried deep in the mix, but thereafter a stately acoustic guitar riff enters from the wings and the drums take over, building quickly and intensely from standard post-rock andante to blistering blast-beat climax. 'Frozen In Ash' is clearly in thrall to Sonic Youth's most atmospheric work, all cyclical minor-key guitar figures and submerged female vox, but with a very un-SY one-note synth line hanging uneasy in the air throughout. Pungent stuff."
--Boomkat
credits
released September 4, 2011
Locrian's take on Popol Vuh's classic Dort Ist Der Weg is an outstanding testament to a band possessed. Instead of producing some rehashed, dormant clone copy of this almost inimitable track, Locrian serve up a ritually hypnotic and powerful piece of music that will floor you... Locrian will never belong. Their refusal to stagnate and regurgitate frail musical formula allows the band to constantly reinvent and re-envisage their art.
Lurker's Path July 20, 2011
Locrian was formed in late 2005 by André Foisy and Terence Hannum. Allmusic has described the band as an ”eclectic mixture
of black metal, electronics, drone and noise rock”. The band have identified krautrock and '90s death metal as influences as well....more
supported by 10 fans who also own “Dort ist Der Weg / b/w Frozen in Ash”
one of the most beautiful albums i've ever heard. in my top20 best album of all time. just artfully done and meticulously produced, all around, iheartf2p
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