“In a world where weirdness is the norm, this will certainly be one of the strangest releases in 2017, but it may also prove to be one of the best. It has a dark, heavy rock vibe alongside an occult melancholy that allows for five tracks of varying structure, dark humor, and atmosphere that consistently challenges and thrills.” — Maximum Volume Music
This week marks the official release of BILL & PHIL‘s Songs Of Darkness And Despair, the collaborative release between horror icon Bill Moseley – most notable as Chop Top in Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, and Otis in Rob Zombie’s House Of 1000 Corpses and Devil’s Rejects – and extreme music legend Philip H. Anselmo (Down, Pantera, Superjoint, Scour, Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals, Arson Anthem etc.).
As a precursor to its official unveiling, Decibel Magazine is currently streaming the record in its entirety before you can buy it RIGHT HERE.
Produced and performed by Anselmo and Stephen “The Big Fella” Berrigan (Down, SYK, Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals, Eyehategod, haarp, Classhole, etc.), and mastered by Scott Hull of Visceral Sound, BILL & PHIL‘s Songs Of Darkness And Despair includes guest appearances by Kevin Bond (Superjoint) on guitar, Squizzy Squires (King Parrot) on bass and guitar, and Jose “Blue” Gonzalez (Superjoint, Warbeast, Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals) on percussion.
Songs Of Darkness And Despair will drop on January 20th via Anselmo’s own Housecore Records. Preorder bundles (including limited edition air fresheners and face masks) are available at The Housecore Store RIGHT HERE.
In a recent investigation, PureGrainAudio hails a record that’s, “strange,” and, “haunting,” further elaborating, “Opening track, ‘Dirty Eye,’ soars with huge guitars, a swampy Louisiana vibe, and some fairly impressive vocals by Moseley (I didn’t know he could sing-italics?-sing). Kevin Bond adds some great lead work, but the only other rocker on this album is the late-era Black Flagish track ‘Catastrophic.’ The remaining tracks on this EP each have their own vibe and all around ‘thing’ going on. ‘Corpus Crispy,’ sounds like it could have been on Tom Waits’ 1999 Mule Variations LP with an added touch of darkness, while the semi-ballad ‘Tonight’s The Night We Die’ offers sparse percussions, hallucinatory lyrics, and an overall spooky soundscape perfectly suited to a desolate evening drive.” In a 9/10 score, Maximum Volume Music notes, “In a world where weirdness is the norm, this will certainly be one of the strangest releases in 2017, but it may also prove to be one of the best. It has a dark, heavy rock vibe alongside an occult melancholy that allows for five tracks of varying structure, dark humor, and atmosphere that consistently challenges and thrills.” Two Guys Metal Reviews celebrates a, “fascinating listen,” adding, “I think what impresses me the most about this album, aside from the fact that it fits into the occult rock polemic in the broadest possible sense, is that the weird, acid-eating lyrics seem to craft totally unique soundscapes with each passing track. BILL + PHIL is a collaboration unlike almost any other. While on the one hand you hear elements of groups like Kyuss, the guys aren’t afraid to hint at far more abstract influences whilst simultaneously reflecting on the sort of morbid humor that defined a lot of oldschool death metal.” Angry Metal Guy likens the BILL & PHIL project to a successful experiment in, “lyrics-first songwriting and in bringing murderous hillbillies from the screen into the ears,” while Echoing Magazine writes, “In Songs Of Darkness And Despair, they not only hit the mark of ‘good,’ but they mightily surpassed it… fans of the incredibly unique wanting something left-of-center, look no further.”
From preppie journalist to Satanic serial killer, Bill Moseley’s taken a long and unusual road to cult stardom, firmly cementing his place in the annals of horror history along the way. Having released his Spider Mountain record (No Way Down), and collaborated with Buckethead on the Cornbugs project, Moseley expands his musical endeavors by teaming up with Anselmo. BILL & PHIL‘s Songs Of Darkness And Despair is a brilliant trip that will give everyone a thrill.
Comments Anselmo: “Working with Mr. Moseley was an awesome experience! Bill brought the lyrics and Stephen [Berrigan] and I just improvised directly on the spot, and squeezed out six tunes in three days. All the songs have a different vibe because I wanted the music to represent Bill’s lyrical vision(s), and we needed to, because Bill does indeed have a unique, visual element within his choice of words and phrasing. I love Bill Moseley, and can’t wait to work on the next one!”
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