The Muse Of Hyperborea
Cadabra Records
Poems collected and read by S.T. Joshi
Experimentation
was always the number one underground rule, and if you’ve stayed in
touch with this industry to see how many doors can be opened since 1995
you’ve probably been rewarded with recordings memorable for daring to
try something they discovered on their own. If you thought the roads
you’ve encountered couldn’t continue, consider a
new independent label dealing specifically with spoken readings of
classic horror authors. The factor setting Cadabra Records apart is that
it’s purportedly the first of its kind. Earsplit Compound is taking a
chance advertising and promoting this label, having previously worked
with recording artists since their inception as a public relations
company (Earsplit has since expanded into a distro and indie label
called Compound Records). Cadabra’s past releases since their gestation
in 2015 include readings of Edgar Allan Poe, H.P. Lovecraft and Bram
Stoker’s Dracula (read by Tony Todd of Candyman and the 1990 Night Of
The Living Dead remake), all released on vinyl. Their latest full length
features the poems of Clark Ashton Smith narrated by S.T. Joshi. Some
background orientation if these names are unfamiliar: Clark Ashton Smith
was an author of fantasy, horror and science fiction who lived from 1893
to 1961. His writings have appeared in such publication as Weird Tales,
Strange Tales and Wonder Stories, and have been lauded as having
approached the beauty in darkness and death since E.A. Poe. His use of
language was revolutionary for its time, with a perception as far
reaching as the cosmos and an acerbic sense of humor. Smith himself
referred to his writing as a form of verbal black magic, constructed
more as incantation than verse. S.T. Joshi is a literary critic and
bibliographer who studies Lovecraft and has penned an extremely
extensive collection of books on Lovecraft and the Cthulhu Mythos and a
variety of other subjects. Knowing this, it’s not a stretch to
understand the reason Earsplit is promoting this release and the label
making it available for perusal. Not only does it fit the tastes of its
target audience but it can expand the horizons of the average fan of
brutal and extreme music by treating them to worthwhile classic
literature, hopefully making them want to learn more about both authors.
Smith’s darkly imaginative imagery and Joshi’s hypnotic, spellbinding
intonation make for an experience like you haven’t had before. Haunting
music serves as a background to these incantations, though it’s not
specified who composed it. All the same this is a bold move to expose
metal and stoner rock fans to entertainment of its magnitude, and
perhaps the beginning of something that will benefit the underground,
taking it to even loftier plateaus of sophistication. The Muse Of
Hyperborea is being released on a limited edition run of three hundred
releases on red vinyl, so contact Earsplit or Cadabra for info. -Dave Wolff
Track list:
1. The Muse Of Hyperborea, Side A
2. The Muse Of Hyperborea, Side B
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