Black Box Music Contributors
by admin ~ August 10th, 2009. Filed under: Music.
Brimstone Press are turning the spotlight on the musicians who donated their beautifully dark and confronting songs and video clips to the Multimedia Anthology Black Box, a fundraiser for the Australian Horror Writers Association.
Named after a Ray Bradbury novel, Dandelion Wine are a Melbourne duo exploring a territory they describe as ‘ethereal post-dreampop’. Naomi Henderson (vocalist and multi-instrumentalist) and Nicholas Albanis (producer and multi-instrumentalist) seamlessly integrate early music instrumentation with modern electro studiocraft. Their fifth release, An Inexact Science, is available through German label Ars Musica Diffundére; their music is featured on the compilations Tanz Der Nacht, Shadowplay Interference, and Pink Edit. Dandelion Wine embarked on their third European tour in 2008, and they ushered in 2009 performing at the stunning NeoVictorian/steampunk years end ball Euchronia.
www.myspace.com/aninexactscience
Empyrean, a metal sextet from Brisbane, are reinterpreting Scandanavian- style symphonic metal with antipodean daring. Their self-released debut Embodiment Of Sin, recorded with local producer Anderz Debeerz, garnered critical acclaim from underground music press. On the strength of this, comes the music video for Pleasure Of Another’s Pain – directed by Rome Ramsies, renowned for his work with heavyweights Mudvayne, Slipknot, Cradle of Filth, Deftones, Satyricon, 1349, and Sepultura. Empyrean are currently in pre-production for the follow-up to Embodiment Of Sin.
www.myspace.com/empyreanband
Melbourne quintet Frankenbok have honed their groovy brand of metalcore for a decade, with three full-length albums, an EP, and numerous compilation appearances; their quirky cover of Madison Avenue’s Don’t Call Me Baby receives high rotation on Triple J. Tour veterans – appearing at Metal For The Brain and Overcranked festivals – and honoured with supports for Slayer, Machine Head, Soilwork, Fear Factory, and System Of A Down. Their latest album Murder Of Songs is available on Australian label Prime Cuts.
www.myspace.com/frankenbok
For over 13 years Melbourne’s Opera Macabre have thrilled with extravagant performance; powerful mezzo-soprano The Baroness soaring over Ben Patterson’s lush synthpop textures. Highlights include headlining the Night Of The Damned concert for Michael Rymer’s The Queen Of The Damned, The Continuum Ball with Guests of Honour Neil Gaiman and Richard Harland, Dead Of Night Gothic Ball, guest artists with Covenant, and The Baroness’ Halloween Show at Black Veil in Osaka. Shades is from the album Thorns, available through Macabre Productions.
www.myspace.com/operamacabreproductions
Pathogen are the reigning kings of the Perth metal scene, purveying harmony- driven death metal rich with both Scandinavian and British-style overtones. In the last seven years they have garnered tour support credits for most of the prime international metal acts to visit the antipodes, and their festival appearances include Southern Apocalypse, Alcoholcaust II, and Metal For The Brain. With two EPs and numerous compilation appearances, their full- length debut Bloodline is available on guitarist Glen Dyson’s own thriving label, Prime Cuts.
www.myspace.com/pathogen
Talie Helene is a writer and musician, from Melbourne, Australia. Having performed with a number of noteworthy artists such as Wendy Rule, Eden and The Tenth Stage, Talie is now developing her career as a solo artist. She has studied filmscoring with Brett Rosenberg (Half Light), and is studying for a Diploma of Professional Writing and Editing and an Advanced Diploma of Music Performance (Jazz & Contemporary). Best known for her work as AHWA News Editor, and as staff writer with the UK’s bible of extreme music Zero Tolerance Magazine – she is honoured to be Music Director for Black Box, and to be in such fine company.
www.myspace.com/taliehelene
Temujin are a gothic metal duo from the foothills of Victoria’s Dandenong Ranges. Vocalist/keyboardist Kelly is a fresh face in the metal scene, with an arresting lyrical sensitivity. Multi-instrumentalist Karl Lean claims a metal pedigree dating from seminal thrash bands Nothing Sacred, Ion Drive, and Hobbs Angel Of Death. Named after Genghis Khan, it is unsurprising the pair have steadily conquered a niche market, and as of 2008 their full-length debut 1000 Tears is carried by American label Renaissance Records.
www.myspace.com/temujin1
Since 2003 The Eternal have delivered two full-length albums, three video clips, and two European tours! In addition to garnering overwhelmingly positive reviews, they were named in Kerrang! Magazine’s 50 Bands You Need To Know Right Now. The Eternal’s latest release is their third album Kartika, on Finnish label Firebox Records. The Everlasting clip featured in Black Box is directed by songwriter Mark Kelson
www.myspace.com/theeternalband
Virgin Black model themselves on ‘an anomalous harmony between the juxtapositions of purity and humanities darkness’. An Australian extreme metal success story, with a significant overseas following, Virgin Black seek to transcend the stylistic limitations of gothic doom genre with the requiem series of albums – Requiem: Pianissimo and Requiem: Mezzo Forte both feature the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. The song Our Wings Are Burning is from the album Elegant… And Dying. Virgin Black are signed to American label The End Records.
www.myspace.com/virginblackofficial
The release of Wendy Rule’s sixth studio album, Beneath the Below is a River, firmly establishes her as one of Melbourne’s most uniquely gifted and prolific artists. Earthy and shamanic, it celebrates and reflects her unique live performances – a combination of music, ritual, and story that continues to entice an ever growing audience into her otherworldly realm. The clip for Half Life (featured on Black Box) was directed by Nick Verso, through his company Asphodel Films. Beneath the Below is a River is available through CDBaby.
www.myspace.com/wendyrule
4th Wall live in the world of horror, fantasy and the strange. They are continually influenced by history, literature, drama, the visual arts and the poignancy of current events. The duo of Nick Miller (Sizknac) and Justin Grainger (Tuscan) formed in 2004 in the hope of creating something unique in hip hop. 4th Wall’s most innovative tracks are derived from an idea of telling the stories of people from the imaginary city of 4th Wall (located somewhere in Australia). Sizknac and Tuscan currently inhabit characters from this place, which although imaginary, has problems far too familiar to us all.
www.myspace.com/4thwall1
You’ll find all the wonderful Black Box Musicians on MySpace. Visit the artists’ pages, where you’ll not only get a taste of their music, but you can add them to your MySpace Friends and subscribe to their blogs to keep up to date with all their forthcoming news, latest releases, performances and events!
www.myspace.com/blackboxmusicians
