The Omega Mailorder (The End Records)

THE END RECORDS - MYSPACE
Be sure to check out all of the latest MP3s from THE END RECORDS' artists at our official MySpace.com. New MP3s now from ENEMY OF THE SUN, SCULPTURED and VIRGIN BLACK.
Site: http://www.myspace.com/theendrecords


JARBOE
Official Site: www.thelivingjarboe.com

THE END RECORDS has signed the new project entitled: J2, featuring singer/songwriter/performer JARBOE and JUSTIN K BROADRICK, frontman for ambient/progressive noise project Jesu. j2 is the symbol for current densityThe symbol is also short for “Joule” which means: Pronunciation Key: joule (jôôl, joul) The International System unit of electrical, mechanical and thermal energy. Jarboe is known for her 14 years work with the legendary NYC East Village ArtRock band Swans, as well as her recent musical collaborations with such bands as Jesu, Neurosis and A Perfect Circle. Broadrick, who joined pioneering U.K. grind band Napalm Death at the age of 15, formed the influential metal/industrial act Godlflesh in the late-80s and in 2003 started up his current band Jesu. "..When I met Justin, he commented upon the impact and influence of Swans upon his music. We did a concert together in London in 2005 and began discussing working together. I had also been drawn to the unique energy of Jesu and so this was exciting to explore." The J2 album will be released in the spring of 2008 on THE END RECORDS. In other Jarboe news, she will soon commence writing her next full-length album. Jarboe comments, "The "J2" (chosen because of the symbol's meaning : current density, electrical/ thermal energy, Justin/Jarboe) six song EP with Justin K Broadrick can be considered the entry into the forthcoming larger denser work, which is a full length album exploration into total sound over the parameters of  traditional song structure. This approach has been referred to as the "wall of sound" and in this case, I will also utilize my numerous voices as an instrument coloring the audio texture. For this album, I am returning to New York and have enlisted Swans alumni (and currently of the Unsane) Vinny Signorelli, and engineer Colin Marston (of the recent "sonic field" collaboration cd entitled : Byla and Jarboe), and other intense musicians. The instrumentation will feature organ, piano, many guitars, bass, drums, and unique " field recordings" from my personal collection.  There will also be special guests on the album, TBA. Thematically, the material reflects what may be interpreted as an ongoing interest in mysticism, the human condition, perhaps the war of the heart."

ENEMY OF THE SUN
Official Site: www.myspace.com/enemyofthesunband

ENEMY OF THE SUN's debut album 'Shadows - the new band of metal legend Waldemar Sorychta - has been named 'Album of the Month' in Germany's well-respected metal bible, ROCK HARD. The album will be available in North America via THE END RECORDS on January 22nd, 2008 with an exclusive bonus track titled 'Enemigo del Sol.' The ROCK HARD review reads:"Modern Metal that stands out because of it's high grade of innovation...The integration of foreign elements doesn't sound constructed for a second...heavy as hell...Sorychta thinks even farther outside the metallic box than back then."-- Enemy Of The Sun = Album of the month! 8,5 out of 10!" About the band receiving 'Album of the Month,' Sorychta comments, "Rocktastic! Album of the month in one of the biggest magazines in Europe. That is going to make this a great metal Christmas and there will be plenty of beers to drink tonight!" With Enemy Of The Sun, acclaimed producer/guitarist Sorychta once again delivers high class thrash with a twist – just as he has done as the creative force behind Grip Inc. and Despair. "I call Enemy of the Sun my family because in a family you have to feel comfortable. If not, it's not a good family. Enemy is a good one," he says. "It's the way I wake up and feel the excitment about this band. It's the way I go to bed and want to stay awake because of this band.  Music without limits, pure power saved in every note, deepest emotions bound in tones, burning pleasure in each single tune."

GIANT SQUID
Official site: http://www.giantsquidlives.com

Sacramento, California-based eclectic doom rock band GIANT SQUID and San Francisco's moody prog/rock band GRAYCEON have joined forces for a split 7" now available at THE END RECORDS' mailorder site, THE OMEGA.
The 7" release is limited to 500 copies:
250 in Maroon color
250 in Sand color
The tracklisting is: Giant Squid – Sutter's Fort  / Grayceon – The West
About the release of the 7", Giant Squid guitarist/singer AARON GREGORY says: "We're so excited and relieved to know this song will finally see the light of day in a proper release that documents the end of an era in Giant Squid's turbulent existence, and the beginning of the next." "Sutter's Fort" is the last song written with all three Giant Squid founding members - Bryan Beeson, Aaron Gregory, and Aurielle Zeitler - still together before Zeitler left the group. It was recorded in December 2006 by Jason Rufuss Sewell, producer of Metridium Fields, during our very last days in Austin, TX and at the apex of perhaps the most emotionally disturbing and destructive time in my entire life. Sewell insisted we capture that personal turmoil on tape before we all left Austin, some of us going our separate ways. It sincerely shows in the song as Sutter's Fort is hands down the most brutally pissed, heart breaking song we have recorded yet, and is truly an appropriate and chilling end to an era and an old way of life for all of us involved." "In addition, it was a priceless opportunity to have the explosive drumming ability of Scott Sutton, our drummer at the time, present on such a furious Giant Squid song. This was very important for us as Scott was one of the best drummers we've ever had, and worked his ass off for the band through our last two tours, becoming such a dear friend along the way before he departed with the band recently for family priorities in Eugene, Oregon." "It's equally special for us to have our sister band, Grayceon, to share this record with, as it gives Giant Squid fans a great chance to check out our latest member, Jackie Perez Gratz, with her own band and at her finest, giving a glimpse into what her musical sensibilities will bring Giant Squid in the future. Grayceon's song, "The West" is the perfect compliment to "Sutter's Fort", and is my favorite Grayceon song to date. The combination truly makes for a emotionally stirring and relentlessly heavy split release." Giant Squid released their debut Metridium Fields on THE END RECORDS in August 2006.

VIRGIN BLACK:
Official site: www.virginblack.com

THE END RECORDS has set a release date of February 19th, 2008 for VIRGIN BLACK's 'Requiem - Fortissimo,'the much-anticipated follow-up to 2007's 'Requiem - Mezzo Forte.' On its latest album - the second instalment of a trilogy - Virgin Black exhumes the death/doom vibe of early Paradise Lost and My Dying Bride albums. This is by far the band's rawest and heaviest work to date The album's cover art was created by esteemed fashion photographer Andrew Dunbar who's work will be seen throughout the series Says singer/keyboardist Rowan London about 'Requiem - Fortissimo,' "I should feel a sense of dread offering up something so atypical for us to be interrogated and scrutinized.  But the fearlessness that we inhabited while writing Fortissimo and the Requiem series survives to see its unveiling. An album not so much about death as the absence of life; it's damn heavy but its countenance is far more brutal than its sound could ever be. Long live the "death choir." You can hear the track 'Silent' by visiting THE END RECORDS' official MySpace page here. Says London about the song: "The track, Silent, simultaneously represents both the divergences and links  between Fortissimo and Mezzo Forte. I'm sure that it will surprise a few people."

SLEEPYTIMEGORILLA MUSEUM
Official site: http://www.sleepytimegorillamuseum.com
Rock Against Rock pioneers SLEEPYTIME GORILLA MUSEUM, who some have called 'the best progressive band since King Crimson,' have posted a  'Making of...' footage of their video 'Helpless Corpses Enactment' on YouTube.com .
You can watch the 'Making of..' video of the song, off of their latest album In Glorious Times (on THE END RECORDS), here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ng0E32CwLrY
About shooting the making-of, videographer/taxidermist Lara Miranda recalls, "The shoot was one of the smoothest operations I can recall being a part of- basically because it felt like we were all a part of the same weird dream. The transformation from delicious dinner to decayed detritus was achieved through a group levitation performed by the Art Department, with hands entwined & lights dimmed. Digging for worms is a particularly fond memory.
"Animals were a constant presence; triple duty as videographer, set dresser and dead animal wrangler made me witness to
the subtle influences on the shoot by the spirits of roadkill, sacrificed piglets & 100 year old taxidermy.  These spirits worked with us and against us.  Once we moved into the woods, the ravens immediately noticed our intrusion & began slowly & menacingly to congregate, calling in all their brethren from miles around.  By the end of the afternoon they were a black rain swooping down on us & in a daring show of anarchic animal resistance, attempted to carry off equipment to drop from extreme heights. We barely escaped with a few bagels and a monitor. 
"The California coast at 5am was a lovely sight after 3 days engaged in a ghastly quest for sleep; at the end of the day, I sacrificed my mini DV camera to the Sea, which has given us so much.  Luckily the tape emerged unharmed, blessed by salt water & sand, and I was able to complete the making of video without much trouble."
The video for the song ‘Helpless Corpses Enactment’ can be viewed here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=ELyco68w5ks
You can also watch the creative and ambitious animated new video from Ri Crawford for 'Widening Eye' by clicking here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nX67nl-esFg

TUB RING
Official Site: www.tubring.com

Chicago's high-energy rock ensemble TUB RING have posted online at their own YouTube channel TubRingTube their live performance from FOX's Fearless Music last weekend. Fearless Music aired the the band performingthe song 'Killers in Love,' off of their recent album The Great Filter (on THE END RECORDS)
In an update, bassist Trevor Erb posts, "So here we are again, you're sitting on the other side of the screen and reading what I wrote.  We seem to find ourselves here quite often, some things will never change.As you're sitting there reading this, we're busy rehearsing for some upcoming shows, and working on some cool new things for 2008. First and foremost, for anyone that missed our performance on Fearless Music TV, we've recently acquired footage from the performance and have proceeded to plaster it on the internet.  You can visit our Myspace our the TubRingTube channel and check out "Killers in Love" in all of it's killer loving entirety.
I'm really reaching here, can't you tell? Before we wrap this year up, we'll be heading out on a quick little trek to visit our friends in Philadelphia, New York City, Toledo and Springfield, IL.  Then, like the true connoisseurs of cool that we are, we'll be playing a special New Year's Eve show in Chicago on December 31st (duh).  We like to call that a proper way to start the new year. I don't know if it could get any more exciting than that...oh wait, I lied, it could. On New Year's Eve we will be releasing our our clothing line through Apparition Industries.  The Tub Ring Nightingale Series will launch at the show, and we'll have everything available that night.  We took a crack at designing something that wasn't your typical band merchandise.  The clothes won't have any Tub Ring logos on them, the only association they'll share with the band is that one of us came up with design or inspiration for the clothes.  I took a crack at designing a dress or two, and I'm ready and waiting for Joan Rivers to tell me to keep my day job. We're already hard at work gearing up for a busy 2008 and with any luck we won't see home for months at a time, which is fine with us because we prefer the comforts of your towns as opposed to those of our own. Now if you'll excuse us, we have things to do."



LORDI
Official site: http://www.lordi.org

Finnish monster hard rock sensations LORDI recently checked into HABBO.COM ( www.habbo.com ), one of the world’s largest and hottest on-line chat destinations, to chat about their album, and about touring across the US! HABBO HOTEL is a richly colorful, multi-dimensional virtual community targeted to teens 13-17. Since its launch in 2000, HABBO HOTEL has taken the world by storm. To date, HABBO HOTEL sites have been introduced in 30 countries, with more than   80 million Habbo characters created and more than 6.5 million unique users each month. Boasting a user community evenly divided between male and female, HABBO HOTEL combines the concept of simulation gaming with the camaraderie of a community -- enabling teens and young adults to express themselves creatively. Music fans interested in becoming members of HABBO and participating in this exciting event should go to www.habbo.com and click on the “check in” button. Alternately fans who want to listen to the interview can go to Habbo Radio and click on the link to launch the player: http://www.habbo.com/entertainment
In other LORDI news, WOOZYFLY.COM's 24 hour 'Halloween Extravaganza' with LORDI was a massive success! The Finnish monster rock n' roll band and THE END RECORDS successfully teamed up with WOOZYFLY¸ the online music media company devoted to independent artists and independent music, to broadcast a 24-hour online extravaganza that started on Halloween at www.woozyfly.com The 24-hour marathon will featured interviews with LORDI, videos and the World Exclusive Premiere of the LORDI 's recent concert at THE FILLMORE in New York City (shot on October 29th, 2007). You can now watch the live concert footage here: http://www.woozyfly.com/Lordi

SCULPTURED
Official Site: www.myspace.com/matrixmetal

THE END RECORDS has set February 19, 2008 as the worldwide release of the long awaited third album from SCULPTURED entitled “Embodiment.” ‘Embodiment,’ the follow-up to 2000's 'Apollo Ends', finds Don Anderson (Agalloch; guitarist/vocalist) and band fusing together avantgarde, traditional/classic and death metal. On their third album, the band’s line up is composed of drummer Dave Murray (ESTRADASPHERE, DESERTS OF TRAUN, THOLUS), keyboardist Andy Winter (WINDS, AGE OF SILENCE),  bassist Jason Walton (AGALLOCH, ESPECIALLY LIKELY SLOTH) and vocalist Tom Walling. “Embodiment” will be mixed by Paul McKee (Deserts of Traun, Tholus) at Sad Girl Music and mastered at Paramount Mastering by Bill Dooley who recently mastered the Isis album “Panopticon.”  The album cover for “Embodiment” was designed by John Haughm (Agalloch) using images borrowed with permission from The National Library of Medicine.  Haughm also designed the layout for the booklet using similar imagery and the photography of Veleda Thorrson. 

UNEXPECT
Official site: www.unexpect.com

Montreal's dynamic and unmatched classical/black metal act UNEXPECT have been nomimated for an award at the 7th Annual Independent Music Awards. In an update the band posts: "Good news never comes alone...We’ve just been nominated again for another Best Metal album of the year title! We’re among finalists of the 7th Annual Independent Music Awards. Thousands of submissions from Australia to Zimbabwe have been reviewed and it seems like they chose us freaks… Here’s a briefing of the event taken from their website: “The Independent Music Awards is an International program that helps artists overcome mainstream obstacles and reach wider audiences. IMA Finalists will now advance to the final round of judging by a distinguished group of influential artists and industry insiders. The Judges who will determine this year’s IMA Winners include Les Claypool of Primus; Chad Smith of Red Hot Chili Peppers; Suzanne Vega; Snoop Dogg, Ray Davies of The Kinks; Susan Tedeschi, Frank Iero of My Chemical Romance; blues legend Charlie Musselwhite; Judy Collins; Rolling Stone contributing editor Anthony DeCurtis, MTV Music Supervisor, Carrie Hughes, Kevin Lyman of Vans Warped Tour and many others. Winners will be announced in December. Past winners include Lacuna Coil & God Forbid. Developed and coordinated by Music Resource Group, publisher of The Musician’s Atlas, the Independent Music Award program delivers a variety of premiums to Winners including:
 - Year-long marketing campaigns, partnerships and distribution alliances, that will place the Winners in front of millions of music fans and industry decision makers around the world. 
- The IMA Winners CD compilation will be distributed to 10,000 music fans and industry at events such as SXSW,
Ozzfest, The Warped Tour throughout the year and promoted to more 650 US & Canadian college & public radio stations.
- eMusic will promote IMA Winners to millions of their subscribers throughout 2008.
- Borders Books & Music will promote IMA Winners more than 11 Million of their customers.
- Exposure to nearly 10 million viewers of ManiaTV.com and Havoc TV.”
You can vote for us too at the IMA Vox Populi Jukebox (ALBUM FINALIST / HARDROCK-METAL section):
http://www.musiciansatlas.com/pages/IMAFinalist/AlbumFinalist.aspx?yr=2008&catid=8#8
While this vote will not affect the Judges final decisions, the IMA Vox Populi winners
will be announced in February and promoted throughout 2008.
On another note, our Fearless Music TV performance of 'Desert Urbania' can be viewed here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uutrjotwB38   

ULVER
Official Site: www.jester-records.com/ulver

MetalKult.com has posted a new video interview with ULVER's frontman Kristoffer "Garm" Rygg online. ULVER was in town in late-September to do press for their latest album titled 'Shadows of the Sun'(on THE END RECORDS in North America) and stopped by the MetalKult.com offices. You can watch the full interview here:
http://blogs.guitarworld.com/metalkult/videos/ulver-the-metalkult-interview/
The new album serves as the follow-up to 2004's 'Blood Inside,' the critically-acclaimed album that showcased the band's vibrant musical progression masterfully scripted amongst their unique vision, style and sound.

ANDY WINTER
Official site: www.andywinter.net
Legendary drummer Hellhammer (real name Jan Axel von Blomberg, drummer for Mayhem, Winds, and formerly Arcturus, Dimmu Borgir and The Kovenant, among others), entered and exited TopRoom Studios in Norway for the last time on Halloween Eve, which concludes a series of drum recording sessions for a new and yet unnamed project,spearheaded by Andy Winter (keyboard player for Winds, Age of Silence, Sculptured). Comments Hellhammer: “It’s now almost three and a half years after we recorded the drums for the Winds album that just came out, so it was great to finally again play on some of Andy’s new music. I have been looking forward to completing drums for this project for quite some time now, since we actually started talking about the idea for this more like five or six years ago. I also know very little has been said to anyone by Andy so far about this project, but I have known about it, and the plans, for a long time. All I can say is that this won’t be a Winds or Age of Silence release, but it will never the less be quite spectacular. This is the eighth record Andy and I have done together so far, and I’m looking forward a lot to see it all completed some time in the future. This is also probably the most different kind of drums I have ever recorded. But I am extremely pleased with the results.” Comments Andy Winter:  “I have mentioned this project a few times already in various Winds interviews and in our web forum, so it may not be completely unknown to some. I have also so far only referred to it as my solo project for now, which is due to the fact that I will perform most of the instruments myself, with a few exceptions. Notably there will be a few different vocalist appearances, since I myself do not sing. So I will announce more about this as things are confirmed. I also think it is too early to say much about the musical direction at this stage, and I always have a hard time describing things anyway, but all will be revealed in good time. So while this project is also quite far from completion yet, at least we have now finished the first step, and I am also very happy with how things have turned out so far. It is safe to say that after completing the new Winds record, we all needed a break from that kind of intense working conditions. So for this reason we have just decided to pick up this project that was started several years ago, and to just simply go with it, and have some fun in the process.” Norway’s classical/progressive metal supergroup WINDS' 'Prominence and Demise' was recently released on THE END RECORDS)