mainstream record fifty-seven

Buy this album on CD

Buy this album on LP

available on CD in a 5c printed, handmade ‘cruciform” folder with partial high gloss and on 180 g LP in a handmade fold-out cover  (LP first pressing is limited to 500 copies)

After a 4 year long hiatus A Whisper In The Noise return with a blissful and lush new album entitled To Forget.

On the subject of this new album, which has been nearly two years in the making, West states: “most of the material was built on moving forward from my extremely negative grievances from the past. ” Interestingly, on this new record, other band member Sonja Larson has become a more integral part in the creation process as she not only plays violin but adds voice and songwriting skills to the whole album.

For this new record, A Whisper In The Noise have approached songwriting by drawing upon influences not only from other music (they reference Philip Glass, Roger Waters and Arvo Part) but from nature and in particular its power and atmospheric sounds. The result is a coherent and focused album of true, honest music, shining by it’s purity and cinematic waves of sound. To Forget is music to sink into and become part of the listener’s emotional landscape. Lovers of slowcore and especially fans of Low will surely find lots to love about the brooding and dark sounds of A Whisper In The Noise.

Tracklisting:
1. To Forget
2. Black Shroud
3. A Sea Estranging Us
4. All My
5. Sad, Sad Song
6. Every Blade of Grass
7. Maya’s Song
8. Your Hand
9. Of This Sorrow

Release Dates:
24 February 2012 (Germany)
27 February 2012 (Europe + UK)
10 April 2012 (USA)

Danish sludge metal trio RISING will embark on a full European spring tour  in support of their debut album “To Solemn Ash”. The tour starts on March 16th in Berlin and includes dates in Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, Slovenia Switzerland, Italy and Luxembourg.
In addition to the mainland tour, RISING will play its first headlining shows in Sweden in April/May and one Danish show when hitting Linköping, Stockholm, Gothenborg, Malmö and Copenhagen.
Before the European tour starts, RISING will head out for three Danish shows in start March supporting fellow danes, the punky thrashers in THE KANDIDATE.

RISING “To Solemn Ash” spring dates 2012

08.03.2012 DK Viborg, Paletten w/THE KANDIDATE
09.03.2012 DK Copenhagen, Beta w/THE KANDIDATE
10.03.2012 DK Odense, Kansas City w/THE KANDIDATE

16.03.2012 GER Berlin, Red Rooster
17.03.2012 GER Halle, Rockstation
18.03.2012 GER Dresden, tba
19.03.2012 CZ Prague, Cafe na pul cesty
20.03.2012 CZ Olomouc, Galerie u Mloka
21.03.2012 AUT Linz, Stwst
22.03.2012 SLO Maribor, Club Gustaf
23.03.2012 ITA Massa Carrara, Swamp Club
24.03.2012 ITA, Chatillon Aosta, Centre Hibou
25.03.2012 GER Frankfurt, Ponyhof
27.03.2012 SUI Bern, Dachstock
28.03.2012 LUX Luxembourg, Rocas Cafe
29.03.2012 GER Osnabrück, Bastard
30.03.2012 GER Essen, Cafe Nova
31.03.2012 GER Hannover, Glocksee
01.04.2012 GER Hamburg, Molotow
02.04.2012 GER Rostock, MAU Club

05.04.12 SWE Linköping, L’ Orient
26.04.12 SWE Stockholm, Fritz’s Corner@Strand
27.04.12 SWE Gothenburg, Sticky Fingers
28.04.12 DK Copenhagen, Loppen
03.05.12. DK Malmö, Debaser

RISING’s debut effort “To Solemn Ash” was released by Exile on Mainstream in Europe in October 2011. On January 17th it saw its North American release via EOM/E1 Distribution and has been the subject to general praise from American press.
DECIBEL gave it an 8 out of 10, and just recently PITCHFORK rated the album 7.6 out of 10 and wrote: “They’ve found multiple ways to come off expansive and compelling within a tight, traditional framework…They simply know how to write great riffs.”
Also the American metal/rock blog THE OBELISK is still streaming the album in it’s entirety right here

“To Solemn Ash” is produced by new producer talent Jakob Reichert Nielsen, mastered by Alan Douches (Converge, Mastodon, High on Fire a.o.), and the album features the iconic artwork of Danish artist and music video director Jakob Printzlau aka Plastic Kid (Lack, Volbeat, Bring Me The Horizon a.o.). The album is available as CD, LP and download via Exile On Mainstream

This post is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

Password:

Exclusive press photos

(request per e-mail):

request password here and then stream the full album HERE.

Bio:

A Whisper In The Noise return this year with a blissful and lush new album entitled To Forget.

The Minneapolis-based group formed in 2002 by West Thordson, who grew up on a large patch of farmland in the rural Minnesota town of Hanska (population 406). As an adult, Thordson moved into the abandoned elementary school he attended as a boy, where he composed in the music room in which he had played as a child, wandering the empty halls at night. This dark, dramatic sense of loneliness and solitude is channeled into the unique and darkened sound A Whisper In The Noise have become known for. On the subject of the new album, which has been nearly two years in the making, West states: “most of the material was built on moving forward from my extremely negative grievances from the past. ” Interestingly, on this new record, other band member Sonja Larson has become a more integral part in the creation process as she not only plays violin but adds voice and songwriting skills to the whole album.

For this new record, A Whisper In The Noise have approached songwriting by drawing upon influences not only from other music (they reference Philip Glass, Roger Waters and Arvo Part) but from nature and in particular its power and atmospheric sounds. The result is a coherent and focused album of true, honest music, shining by it’s purity and cinematic waves of sound. To Forget is music to sink into and become part of the listener’s emotional landscape. Lovers of slowcore and especially fans of Low will surely find lots to love about the brooding and dark sounds of A Whisper In The Noise.

Read on for further information about the band history and discography:

First came the album Through The Ides Of March, which was recorded in two days and produced by the legendary Steve Albini, who later took the band to Europe to open a string of shows for his band Shellac. The album resulted in comparisons to art rock bands such as Sigur Ros and Mogwai, and also a performance slot at All Tomorrows Parties festival in 2004. West teamed up with seminal violinist Sonja Larson, who has been part of an earlier AWITN incarnation before during the years of 2003-2006 and their future started to shape. The band’s second album As The Bluebird Sings, released in the spring of 2006, saw them further expanding their experimental sound and drew the attention of M. Night Shyamalan, who featured music by the band in his film “Lady In The Water”. Other film soundtrack contributions include the award winning documentary “The Art Of The Steal” by Don Argott.

In 2007 the band had expanded, developed and progressed their sound on the album Dry Land, also produced by long-time friend Steve Albini, the album brought the band to Exile On Mainstream Records. Two massive European tours and appearance on the label’s own roadshow, the mighty Blisstrain saw them gaining serious attention from European crowds. The album remains the highest selling release on the label to date.

In ever-changing line up constellations and phases of full and half existence the band granted the world three unique and outstanding albums, and their new album, To Forget is an exceptional addition to this astounding canon.

request password here and then stream the full album HERE.

PRESS QUOTES:

TOTAL GUITAR: “Wino’s aggressive picking complements Ochs’ loose- fingered strum. Just guitar and voice, Heavy Kingdom is poignant folk/country reminiscent of Wino’s first acoustic album Adrift.”

CLASSIC ROCK: “This is hopefully the beginning of the fruits of a great partnership.”

ROCK N REEL: “A mean and memorable display of true grit.”

METAL HAMMER UK: “Heavy Kingdom’s spontaneity and the clear chemistry between the great man and the relatively youthful Conny Ochs wins out, producing 10 soulful slices of folky, bluesy Americana, all as unguarded as they are unadorned”

BIZARRE: “Unplugged, blusey guitar tunes, typified by the moody title track. Just pour yourself a whiskey, press play and languish in your sorrows.”

ROCKSOUND: “A rich, soulful trading of woes in the classic tradition, full of heartache, pathos and highway-traipsing loneliness…these two gents have…struck upon something rather grand indeed.”

BEARD ROCK: “There’s plenty to offer to make this a gratifying experience.”

SKINNY: “Resplendent with a healthily unforced vocal sincereity and some nicely judged bluesy guitar work.”

MASS MOVEMENT: “True journeyman stuff.”

THE SLEEPING SHAMAN: “Ochs is a real find. Despite the age gap between the pair, Ochs’ vocals display all the time worn emotion that Wino’s do and the pair have a natural, sympathetic way of allowing their own ranges to harmonise and weave around each other…much as they do with their guitar playing. In many respects Ochs is the stabilising influence that Wino needs in this type of musical world. Wino’s style can border on the random but Ochs brings it into sharp focus with his tight song writing style. That this album hasn’t been overworked is one of its greatest selling points. Written and recorded when time allowed whilst on the road together, the songs are in their raw, basic state that displays the naked emotion that underpins the album as a whole. There are times for certain when you need to step away from the noise and seek some peace and tranquillity and this is where “Heavy Kingdom” fits right in. It displays the same darkness and melancholy of the finest doom metal but with a delicacy of touch that sometimes can only be achieved by putting the amps into storage and stripping music back to its naked form.”

TREBUCHET: “Recommended during winter months, this is a powerful record Wino and Conny had to make.”

ALTERNATIVE MATTER: “Heavy Kingdom is a masterclass in sharp and direct song writing and proof that you do not always need an aural intensity that bludgeons the senses to achieve the same emotional power. With the release of the album set for January 2012 via Exile On Mainstream Records the new year will get off to the strongest possible start with Wino and Conny Ochs’ masterpiece.”

Bio:

“What is a friend? A single soul in two bodies.”
- Aristotle

The Legacy of Scott “Wino” Weinrich in the world of heavy music is indisputable. Many have postulated his influence in the underground rock scene over the last decades. But it’s not only his musical craftmanship that makes the man the underground hero he is. His connection to fans, his dedication and love for what he’s doing and how he treats people around him makes him the exceptional artist he is. For me it always was a pleasure to work with him and I consider it a fortune to have my parts in what he does and achieves.

It happened that we were shooting a videotaped interview at my house a few years ago for a website that he ended with playing one song on my wife’s acoustic guitar and once he was done I immediately knew that recording a fully acoustic album would be something that he should do at some point. I remember that by the time he wasn’t so much into it but in 2010 he finally realized that it might be about time to let some demons out in a very personal and intense way and playing fully acoustic was the medium. The result was his first acoustic solo album “Adrift” (EOM050), which of course had him walking the conventional path of promoting it with a tour. Again it was my job to throw all things together, book the tour and get the whole production in place, including searching for a driver and a possible support act. Now that this would be a kinda unusual situation with just him and an acoustic guitar on tour in a small passenger car the driver should be someone who would make up for good conversation and easy going as it’s quite a challenge for both the artist and the driver to be squeezed in a car for over 6 weeks with not knowing each other before.

I have known Conny Ochs for a while now. We both met for the first time in summer 2008 near the Baltic Sea on a beach party/ jam session/ hang out we do every year. He would show up, guitar in his hand and starts playing out of the blue by making up songs and lyrics on the go with a sheer overwhelming intensity. Everyone that watched him on this first appearance was speechless within seconds and sucked in this hippie-ish vibe your parents would have told you about when someone is playing guitar by a campfire. It might be the age or the experience or both but what would have been like a red rag for me before grabbed me with joy and Conny, you can consider yourself being responsible for digging out my old Bruce Springsteen and Townes Van Zandt tapes again after that night.

Conny and me stayed in touch and he became a regular guest on most the festivals and shows we put on and he eventually started working as a driver for some of our acts like Dead Western. As soon as the Wino solo tour was getting into place I knew he would be the right person for the job, also from his ability to maybe help out with playing second guitar or any other instrument to back up Wino, IF the two guys would get along well enough. And how this worked out. From the beginning there seemed to be an extraordinnairy vibe rotating between the two individuals, culminating in both of them seperately writing a song named “Labour Of Love” in the same night after a conversation about this term. Through music they discovered a very similar approach to life and art and a shared wisdom in creating music. It really seemed like two souls becoming one after they have learned to know each other. By the end of the tour they had achieved this and shared the stage every night and Conny would lay down his skills on Wino tracks.

After both recorded an infamous ‘Latitudes’ session in London by the end of the 2010 tour it was now time for a full album. And here you have it: 11 soulful tunes that speak for themselves, personalities shine, truth within. All songs got written and performed by Wino and Conny together. The album contains one coversong by Townes Van Zandt – an artist Conny an Wino deeply admire. 4 of the songs the both wrote on one day in Berlin in Summer 2011, among them “Heavy Kingdom” which marks the first song they ever wrote together. Rise was given to the other songs and the whole record with a first recording session in August 2011 – guess where? At the Baltic Sea on Rügen island on exactly that beach party/ jam session/ hang out where we first met Conny. The tracks were later twisted into shape in a second recording session at the seminal Kabumm Studios in Berlin. The artwork contains drawings by both artists and follows the dedicated and deeply intense approach of the whole album. Enjoy!

“The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious, it is the true source of art and friendship.”
- Albert Einstein

Andreas Kohl/ Exile On Mainstream 2011

Info:

Lock away your dogs! But bring the kids out, because here’s something to learn for generations to come and for yourself as well – something about Metal, about honesty, drive, a vision – all headlined by bold letters commencing the phrase ‘how it should be done’. Exile On Mainstream presents: RISING. Basically the first pure Metal band on the label, manifesting a step for us into a direction we always admired but it took a band like them Danish dudes to drop by and convince us that this door needs to be stepped through for us. The persuasion was settled after seeing RISING live supporting our noise stalwarts CELAN on a show in Copenhagen back in 2009. The sheer energy and massive craftmanship this threepiece had put to the table that night despise playing too early to a half-empty room was simply breathtaking. A few more gigs to later, their travels landed them on the 2010 edition of the mighty SOUTH OF MAINSTREAM Festival in 2010 where immediate action was required and a notional contract was signed.

After having released a 4track EP and a single, RISING embarked into the studio in spring 2011 and recorded “To Solemn Ash” with producer extraordinnaire Jakob Reichert Nielsen (Lack, Trust, Obstacles, a.o.). The result are 10 tracks fuelled by an overwhelming feel for efficient riffing, driving energy and hook-ladden bow before the forefathers of Hard Rock and Metal: Deep Purple, Thin Lizzy, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest etc and also grimmer stuff like Mercyful Fate, Slayer, Metallica, Celtic Frost. This all presented with an urgency and originality that puts them in and out of every possible category. If one should bow down to categorizing, in their modern aproach to the classic metal virtues of savage energy, monstrous riffing and organic, analogue sounds, the band finds allies in aggressive sludgy bands like High On Fire, Kylesa and Mastodon.

Combining brutally tight guitar work and drums, topped by vocals and lyrics, which take you more than one step away from your usual themes and topics, RISING set their mark to the current music scene with a boom. Lyricist and vocalist Henrik Waldemar Hald explains: “Mortality and the numerous meanings and feelings associated with the inevitable end to the circle of life have always held a special place in the minds of those still living. To Solemn Ash addresses the intricate connection between past and present; how we live on a foundation build by those who have passed away and how the interconnectedness between them and us has a significant influence on what we carry with us in life – what we pass on to future generations. This transcendental structure of life and death is not only anchored in cultural manifestations such as burials and other rituals of honoring and remembering but delves in all of us as a basic human instinct. It is essentially a tool to find meaning within in a seemingly meaningless world. It helps us to treasure our bond to family and friends and acknowledge its value in the face of time passing and life ending.”

This approach got illustrated perfectly by the work of artworker Jakob Printzlau aka Plastic Kid, who has been doing videos and artwork for numerous acts such as Volbeat, Veto, Kashmir, The Fashion etc.

And here we are: “To Solemn Ash” is born and ready to move out the parents house. While it comes knocking at your door, you better let it come in for both, a good party and a profound discurse about what music still has to add to our lifestyle.

BIO:

RISING is a Copenhagen/ DK based three-piece creating and performing its own brand of heavy, aggressive, atmospheric, yet melodic metal music. Formed in 2008 RISING seeked from the very beginning to incorporate all virtues of good music: passion, vibe, energy, atmosphere and yes, firm musicianship and songwriting.

RISING combines the raw and direct with the grand and stylistically the band incorporates metal, 70’s hard, progressive and psychedelic rock, punk, sludge etc. and by doing so creates MUSIC rather than submerging to any stylistic dogma, a certain scene or genre have to offer.

RISING’s first EP was recorded live in the studio with producers Jacob Reichert Nielsen and Per Chnöeldh (Lack – Saturate Every Atom) in March/April 2009. The EP features 4 tracks and did immediately put the band on the map of heavy music lovers worldwide. Extensive touring followed and the response from international press was sheer overwhelming – quite a treat for a new band with only a 4track EP out.

In 2009 RISING got nominated for Danish Metal Awards as “Best Metal Talent”

In 2010 the band played two full European tours, the second one with now-labelmates BEEHOOVER and released a new, again critically acclaimed single containing the two tracks Legacy Of Wolves and Daughter Of The Sun.

Under the impression of a stunning performance supporting CELAN in fall 2009, Exile On Mainstream invited RISING to lay waste over the South Of Mainstream Festival in fall 2010. Again, they delivered big time and the result was an agreement between EOM and the band to release their debut album. “To Solemn Ash” was recorded in spring 2011, again by new producer talent Jakob Reichert Nielsen, mastered by Alan Douches (Converge, Mastodon, High on Fire a.o.) and features artwork of renowned Danish artist and music video director Jakob Printzlau aka Plastic Kid (Volbeat, lBMTH, Lack, Kashmir a.o.).