All albums now at Band Camp

http://combat-astronomy.bandcamp.com/

Nearly all the albums up, including Lunik (long out of print) and Luniks successor 'Solar Radiation' which never got released.

I'll prob stick up some of the even older harsh noise stuff at some point.

Out of print albums are free/donation downloads. As the others go out of print I'll make these free as well.

Combat Astronomy sound cloud account

http://soundcloud.com/combat-astronomy
Some tracks up from Earth Divided By Zero

Earth Divided By Zero released

Streaming samples available at CDbaby
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/combatastronomy3
Also available at Aquarius Records,
http://www.aquariusrecords.org/

and shortly at
http://www.waysidemusic.com
http://www.crucialblast.net/

Combat Astronomy's third ensemble release opens with a long haunting human call that seems to come out across a desert at night: echoing and morphing into the strange off kilter ritual of 'Astralized', a looping miasma of dubbed out horns, dervish incantations and ostinato grinding bass. This hypnagogic atmosphere continues throughout the disc, an eerie otherworldly aspect and restless energy that often threatens to collapse the rigid grasp the nuanced drums and de-tuned tectonic bass have over the poly-rhythmic structures. The lyrical narratives of its predecessor "Dreams No Longer Hesitate" are gone, and when di Falcos vocals do merge are either indecipherable or phonetic: sometimes little more than primal screams, at other times layered choruses. A continuous dense wall of shifting sound, Combat Astronomy show possibly their highest level of stylistic purity so far – the sense 'otherworldly yet familiar' experience more akin to the primal landscapes of Zoviet France than the typical library references of extreme metal or free jazz. Like Tarkovsky's films, the music seems to communicate primarily with ones unconscious mind regardless of whether the conscious one is enthralled or repulsed. Huggett and Archers mastery of meditative stillness within an onslaught of movement reaches a pinnacle here - wailing horn textures and vapor trail drones soar over subterranean doom metal riffs: the musical architecture undergoing a permanent, pulsating alternation of creation and dissolution.

Earth Divided By Zero at the pressing plant

Earth Divided By Zero is being pressed so should be available soon.

Flak planet is making good progress, Martin and company have completed all their parts: lots of horns on this one and once again, its got its own sound so should have that out later in the year.

Despite the modern 'extreme metal' attack of the rhythm section theres quite an uplifting 70's feel.

I hate waiting 3 years between albums.

I'm also writing songs with much more prominent guitar while still having the bass way up front.

Mix wise this has challenges but I've solved some of the basic compositional/arrangement issues I've generally had - this involved a type of counterpoint rather than closely following each other (which is pretty much the approach in nearly all metal - or the bass just does a pedal).

Devin Townsend, Cloudkicker, Slate Drums

Ziltoid and Ki are brilliant albums I should have investigated his solo stuff years ago!

I've also been listening to Cloud Kicker a lot as well --- excellent stuff - this guy deserves much more recognition.

I upgraded my drum library to Steven Slate drums which are killer - I researched several libraries and Slates won hands down - very rich and warm (and the EX version is cheap). The kicks in particular are excellent. The anti machine gun feature is a godsend as well. Many library developers seem to forget that its having convincing alternating hits at the same velocity level that is the key to realism, rather than 20 hits of different velocities.

Subwoofer

My current studio monitors are Tannoy System 800's (passive). I drive them with the power section of a Kenwood Ka-8100 (top flight amp from the early 80's I got for free years ago - they don't make them like that anymore).

The Tannoys are extremely clean and accurate speakers. The manual warns its easy to turn them up loud without noticing it (due to their very low distortion figures) and indeed this is true. My mixes often sound better on other systems than these units because they are brutally honest and quite 'unexciting' or reserved - however, vocals and sweet detailed sounds when well recorded blossom in front of you.

So guess I'm a Tannoy fan!

However, they do tend to barf with large amounts of low frequency material so I set about sorting out a sub for them. I got a 10 inch Dayton Audio reference series sub driver from parts express and set it up in a bass guitar cab I had lying around, hooked up to a Yorkville 2000watt audio pro power amp and a dbx crossover. The dayton sadly did not fill expectations - though it handled the formidable output of the yorkville it was not capable of clean bass even a moderate levels - there was very audible distortion. I'd estimate one would need 3 or 4 of these 10inch speakers to achieve clean output at say 100db.

So I sent that back and just hooked up an 18inch carvin PA sub I use in my bass rig - a world of difference. Clean deep effortless lowend. I was expecting the opposite situation. One might think that PA gear is 'lowfi' or not appropriate for a hifi reproduction situation but this is just not the case. Big speakers (at least with direct radiator designs) and powerful amps are the key to good low end even at 'normal' listening levels - I'd noticed even at quiet settings my bass rig always sounded much more authoritative than any hifi at the same volume level. I'll get an RTA mic at some point at calibrate the whole setup properly. Standing waves are always a problem but it should be possible to EQ out the dips in the lower octaves at the mix position.

Flak Planet

Earth Divided By Zero is off to the pressing plant soon!

Before christmas I wrote a new album currently called 'Flak Planet' over about a week in one of my obbsessive creative spurts - at least, all the bass and drum parts. Martin has written and tracked material for these songs, and will be having a session at some point with a larger horn ensemble.

I've employed a more stripped down approach arrangment wise - though this has meant the bass riffage is probably now rivalling Meshuggah in terms of time signature complexity as it is carrying much more of the melodic aspects of the song form: as well as the thundering rhythmic underpinnings. There will some really rich horn work - this will be a very distinctive album and I hope to get it turned around quickly.

'Symmetry though Collapse' is still in the conceptual stage. I have some songs in the wings for that one but the overall 'sense' of that album has not arrived yet. I hope to get Elaine working on material for that one as well as Martin. I'm considering a vinyl release maybe with free downloads.