| Warfaring Strangers: Darkscorch Canticles | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Compilation album by Various artists | |
| Released | February 18, 2014 |
| Genre | Proto-metal, heavy psych [1] [2] |
| Length | 62:24 [3] |
| Label | The Numero Group |
| Producer | Dustin Drase, Rob Sevier, Ken Shipley [4] |
Warfaring Strangers: Darkscorch Canticles is a 2014 compilation album distributed by The Numero Group.
Pitchfork described the sound of the compilation as "mid-1970s American proto-metal" with groups who drew influence from bands such as Deep Purple, Uriah Heep and Black Sabbath. [2] The bands represented on the album were predominantly from middle America while the rest were from the southern United States. [3] The only exception being Triton Warrior from Toronto and Hellstorm who were the only African-American group. [3] The groups all draw influence lyrically from the works of J.R.R. Tolkien delving into themes of sorcery, dragons, and necromancy. [3] [5]
Warfaring Strangers: Darkscorch Canticles was released by The Numero Group on February 18, 2014. [3] The album was released on both vinyl and compact disc. [6] The label also released a version of the album which included board game themed around the record. [5] [7]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| Pitchfork | (7.6/10) [2] |
Pitchfork praised the album, opining that what groups on the album "so compelling, though, are their idiosyncratic visions of weird America." [2] Stephen Thomas Erlewine (AllMusic) noted that the groups on the album suffer from solipsism, but it was part of the charm on the album as well as commenting that "If the music isn't great – this was garage rock where there was no emphasis on hooks or melody, so it's only immediate in its attack, not its form – it's always forceful, which is a large part of its appeal. These are bands where the point was the playing, not the song, and what's interesting is how these 16 acts adhere to a sound but never echo each other." [3] Ned Raggett (The Quietus) noted that the album contains "no true lost classic to be had, though there are some definite moments", noting that "The diamonds in the rough that emerge always have just something extra" [1]
AllMusic listed the album as being among their favourite reissues and compilation albums of 2014. [8]
Lycia is an American dark wave band formed in 1988 in Tempe, Arizona. The main personnel of the band are Mike VanPortfleet, Tara VanFlower and David Galas. Although only achieving minor cult success, the band is notable for being one of the ground breaking groups in darkwave and ethereal wave styles. Their 1995 album The Burning Circle and Then Dust received some attention for the power pop hit song "Pray," and the album "remains a high point of American dark rock," according to AllMusic. Lycia's music is characterized by rich soundscapes and layers of echoed guitars, dark and ethereal keyboards, doomy drum machine beats, VanPortfleet's melancholic, whispered vocals and Vanflower's vivid voice. Trent Reznor and Peter Steele are some of their more well-known fans.
Rehab Doll is the first and only studio album by the American rock band Green River. It was released in June 1988 through Sub Pop Records.
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This Is the Day...This Is the Hour...This Is This! is the second studio album by English rock band Pop Will Eat Itself, released on 1 May 1989 by RCA Records. The album builds upon the band's 1987 debut Box Frenzy in its extensive usage of sampling, combining influences from punk rock, hip hop, heavy metal, and disco music, with samples and lyrics that reference, among many subjects, pop culture and geek culture. Particularly influential on the album's musical style were hip hop group Public Enemy, while the album's own subtle post-punk touches would later be credited as influential. Some critics regard the album as a sound collage. The album artwork, designed by The Designer's Republic, touches upon nuclear warfare themes.
The Numero Group is an archival record label that creates compilations of previously released music, reissues original albums, and creates album reconstructions from a variety of musical genres. The label, known as Numero, was founded in 2003 by Tom Lunt, Rob Sevier, and Ken Shipley. The label's focus since its 2003 founding has been to research and preserve obscure recorded material and ephemera by artists and entrepreneurs who found little commercial success upon their material's initial release.
The discography of the Descendents, a punk rock band formed in Manhattan Beach, California in 1978, consists of seven studio albums, three live albums, three compilation albums, three EPs, three singles, and four music videos.
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Frigid Stars LP is the debut album by American indie rock band Codeine. It was released in August 1990 on Glitterhouse in Europe and in Spring 1991 on Sub Pop in the US. The album was released to generally positive reviews and is regarded as being one of the pioneering albums in the slowcore and sadcore genres. It was chosen by Pitchfork in 2008 as one of the 20 best Sub Pop albums.
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