Castrator - Defiled In Oblivion - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

After 2018's critically acclaimed Almost opened The Ophelias to a world beyond their Cincinnati home, the indie rock quartet craved a return to a sense of community. The band members no longer lived in the same city - bandleader Spender Peppet (she/her) and new bassist/longtime music video collaborator Jo Shaffer (they/them) live in New York, while drummer Mic Adams (he/him) and violinist Andrea Gutmann Fuentes (she/her) remain in Ohio. When it came time to record the candid, expansive Crocus, The Ophelias purposefully focused on the experimental, communal spirit that fueled their first record. Crocus was recorded at night in a converted Inch2000 percent hauntedInch Masonic lodge, which surely had an effect on the album's ability to weave darker tones through the taut song structures. Engineer John Hoffman kept spirits high at The Lodge KY, ensuring the Ophelias had the freedom to experiment in the grey area between pain and rebirth. Despite The Lodge's eerie nature, the ghosts remain personal, finding Peppet facing herself and her own truth without blinking. Through songs equally infused with references to the Bible and The Twilight Zone, The Ophelias extract mystic emotion out of the spaces between their past, present, and future. The four Ophelias members provide a wide-reaching exploration into genre, emotion, and sonic textures over the course of Crocus. That expansiveness shines on album highlight InchNeil Young on High,Inch a track that finds Peppet's firefly vocals backed by harmonies from Julien Baker. On InchSpitting ImageInch Gutmann Fuentes leans hard into country swing, showing her range as a violinist while a chorus of voices sing the taunting Inchha ha haInch hook below her. Shaffer's bass intertwines seamlessly with the drums on InchBecoming a Nun,Inch which explodes into feedback and punk-inspired textures beyond what The Ophelias have previously crea

Three years after their crushing debut Defiled In Oblivion, Castrator return with Coronation Of The Grotesque, an album that not only exceeds all expectations but leaves them shattered in it's wake, firmly cementing the band among the North American death metal elite. InchWe see it as a leap forward,Inch exclaims co-founder Carolina Perez (drums). InchIt's by far the strongest work we've done to date. Writing Coronation Of The Grotesque was an incredibly enjoyable experience, and everything seemed to come together much more naturally this time. While the album still retains elements of who we were as a band, it's much more refined, cohesive and brutal.InchThe creative collaboration is primarily driven by founders Carolina Perez and bassist Robin Mazen, with ferocious vocalist Clarissa Badini and newly recruited guitar virtuoso Sara Loerlein completing the lineup.InchSara has been fantastic. She's incredibly professional, brings a ton of new ideas, and her experience really shines through. She's added a fresh dynamic to the band, and her guitar leads are absolutely killer! We're really excited to have her as part of the band.InchLyrically, Coronation Of The Grotesque explores a range of historical and societal themes that reflect on injustice, victimization, and human suffering. Among the topics confronted are the tragic killing of Mahsa Amini, the ancient Sumerian practice of eunuchization, and seething condemnation of predator Naasón Joaquín García. Badini's exceptional vocals elevate the lyrics, delivering a powerful and precise expression of the album's themes.Coronation Of The Grotesque was recorded across multiple studios with key figures in the US death metal scene. Bass recording was engineered by John Tardy (Obituary) at Redneck Studios, guitars and vocals by Jordan Milner at Obsidian Audio, additional guitars by Taylor Nordberg (Deicide) at Smoke and Mirrors

Charles-Marie Widor (1844-1937), one of the most influential French organists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, jokingly referred to himself as the substitute organist of the church of St. Sulpice, Paris, despite his 64-year tenure there. While best known for his ten organ symphonies, Widor composed in a wide variety of sacred and secular genres chamber music, orchestral works, ballet, operatic music, works for piano, and most importantly for this recording, melodies. In his day, Widor won respect as a composer, organist, professor, and cultural ambassador of France. In 1890 he became Cesar Franck's immediate successor as Professor of Organ at the Paris Conservatoire, and, in 1896, he succeeded Theodore Dubois as Conservatoire Professor of Composition. Widor's students in organ and composition included such distinguished names as Marcel Dupre, Louis Vierne, Charles Tournemire, Darius Milhaud, Albert Schweitzer, and Edgard Varese. Widor composed over 100 songs which have been overshadowed by his immensely popular organ works. His genius with melody, comprehensive piano writing, and discerning poetic text settings distinguish him as a gifted song composer unusually sensitive to the capabilities of the voice. Throughout his extensive career, Widor was concerned with achieving the best possible musical result in his compositions and continually developed, revised, and republished his works. A publishing custom of the time was to group sets of six songs in a single opus number; however, the songs of each of Widor's sets are not necessarily related by poet or theme. The songs were not intended to be presented as a cohesive cycle. With that in mind, the songs in this recording are not presented by chronological opus numbers. Widor's melodies exhibit a wide variety of musical influences, from the works of the German lieder composers to French vocal genres, such as t