Photo by Colleen Donley
“…the message here is not so much that we’re doomed, but that we stand at a critical juncture where we have the opportunity to ultimately change things for the betterment of all.” — Grant Netzorg, IN THE COMPANY OF SERPENTS on “The Fool’s Journey”
Stream / Share IN THE COMPANY OF SERPENTS “The Fool’s Journey” At THIS LOCATION
Denver-based doom bringers IN THE COMPANY OF SERPENTS will unleash their new full-length, Lux, on May 15th.
Marking IN THE COMPANY OF SERPENTS‘ first release as a trio with founder Grant Netzorg on guitars and vocals, Ben Pitts (Nightwraith, False Cathedrals) on bass and lap steel guitar, and JP Damron (Vermin Womb, Bleakheart, Clinging To The Trees Of A Forest Fire) on drums, the record was produced, mixed, and mastered by Dave Otero (Cattle Decapitation, Khemmis, Primitive Man) at Flatline Audio with additional engineering by Charlie Abend. Lux includes guest appearances by Colorado Chamber Players violist Paul Primus, Primitive Man guitarist/vocalist Ethan Lee McCarthy, and Khemmis guitarist/vocalist Ben Hutcherson.
Boasting eight absorbing tracks, Lux — “light” in Latin — focuses on the notion of a Prima Materia, or a fundamental root-essence, behind everything in the manifest universe. “Philosophers, hermeticists, alchemists, occultists, and all manner of wizards have speculated what that Prima Materia, is,” relays NetZorg, “but the three chief analogies I’ve employed in this record are: All is sound, All is mind and, critically, All is Light. With that in mind, we are employing a wealth of solar imagery with this record, both in the front cover, and lyrically.”
Illustrated by Christina Hunt with layout by Jake Harnett, the alluring cover is an artistic re-imagining of The Sun arcana from Tarot. “This ties into the broader solar and light themes at play in the album,” notes NetZorg, “but the title, cover, and broader theme is also uniquely personal to me. Lux is the etymology of my daughter’s name, Lucia. So, while this album functions as a form of esoteric prayer on one hand, it also serves as a message to my two-year-old, who, as they say in the cliché, is the light of my life.”
In advance of the release of Lux, IN THE COMPANY OF SERPENTS is pleased to unveil opening track, “The Fool’s Journey.”
Relays Netzorg of the track’s timely concept, “The basic idea of this song is that a tarot reading was done on the fate of humanity should we continue to follow our current trajectory, and it spelled bad news in no uncertain terms. However, divinations like this only portend future events should we not change our path in any way, and we ultimately have the agency to avoid negative outcomes should we decide to change our course when we foresee them. As such, the message here is not so much that we’re doomed, but that we stand at a critical juncture where we have the opportunity to ultimately change things for the betterment of all. But this will require us to act. The second half of the song appeals to that agency. On the heels of the tarot reading corresponding to the initial doomed question, a second question is posed: ‘What can we do about this?’ The result points to our own fundamental ability to self-empower.
“The title of this song,” he continues, “is a nod to the tarot. In many decks the Fool is depicted as a young individual who is carelessly about to step off a cliff. This metaphor is often used to describe the first steps of a person’s magical initiation, but it is also represented in the lyrics which begin, ‘We’re standing on the precipice of our own demise, laughing in its face. It will ignore our cries.’ I like the idea that our understanding of time is fundamentally flawed, and the implication that, if we can use tools like Tarot to glean the shape of things to come, it also empowers us with the agency to shift fates. Yes, the world is a bit of a dumpster fire on the broader level, but on an individual level we can affect positive change. As the writer and host of the Rune Soup podcast, Gordon White, has been quoted saying several times, ‘Optimism is a Spell!’ The song closes with a quote from Jodorowski’s The Holy Mountain, a film rife with tarot symbolism relevant to this song and album.”
Stream “The Fool’s Journey” at THIS LOCATION.
Lux will be released digitally and in several limited physical formats including:
Deluxe Vinyl Edition – Spotgloss-printed gatefold sleeve black/gold splatter vinyl, limited to 100 copies (includes exclusive hand-printed block print by Grant Netzorg, exclusive gold patch on faux leather, and an exclusive pendant necklace).
Standard Vinyl Edition – Spotgloss-printed gatefold sleeve black/white splatter vinyl, limited to 200 copies.
Deluxe Cassette Edition – Matchbox outer sleeve, with deluxe inner package and golden cassette shells, limited to 50 copies.
Digipak CD Edition – Limited to 200 copies
For preorders, visit the IN THE COMPANY OF SERPENTS Bandcamp Page at THIS LOCATION.
Lux Track Listing:
1. The Fool’s Journey
2. Scales Of Maat
3. Daybreak
4. The Chasm At The Mouth Of The All
5. Lightchild
6. Archonic Manipulations
7. Nightfall
8. Prima Materia
IN THE COMPANY OF SERPENTS will play a special record release show this May with Glacial Tomb and Echo Beds followed by a performance in June with Palehorse/Palerider, Lord Buffalo, and Red Mesa with more live dates to be announced in the weeks to come.
IN THE COMPANY OF SERPENTS:
5/16/2020 The Hi-Dive – Denver, CO Denver * Record Release Show w/ Glacial Tomb, Echo Beds
6/27/2020 The Hi-Dive – Denver, CO w/ Palehorse/Palerider, Lord Buffalo, Red Mesa
Founded in 2011, IN THE COMPANY OF SERPENTS traffic in sonic catharsis. Their music inhabits the strange fringes between sludge metal and sprawling spaghetti western scores, constantly striving for visceral power and raw intensity, contrasted with eerie, spare instrumental passages.
IN THE COMPANY OF SERPENTS:
Grant Netzorg – vocals, guitars
Ben Pitts – bass, lap steel guitar
J.P. Damron – drums
Guests:
Paul Primus – viola d’amore on “Daybreak,” “Nightfall”
Ethan Lee McCarthy – guest vocals on “Scales Of Maat”
Ben Hutcherson – guest vocals on “Scales Of Maat”
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http://www.instagram.com/itcosdoom
http://www.inthecompanyofserpentsdoom.bandcamp.com