Out now, is the first in a series of remixes of tracks taken from the recent O.R.k. album "Ramagehead" comes from the legendary Bill Laswell, and also features Serj Tankian on guest vocals.
I am very happy to announce the new O.R.k. album "Ramagehead", is now due for release on February 22nd via Kscope.
Commencing work after a short break at the end of our "Soul of an Octopus" Tour earlier this year, "Ramagehead" was written recorded between March and September, and has been mixed by the Grammy winning Marc Urselli and Adrian Benavides, with mastering by Micheal Fossenkemper of Turtle Tone Studios.
It certainly feels like the most complete and developed album we've made together. As before the distinctive elements of Pat Mastelotto's ever inventive drumming, Carmelo Pipitone's striking and original guitar work and Lef's distinctive and powerful vocals have blended together with me in the middle somewhere, and from my perspective we've certainly gained a lot from our live experiences in the last couple of years, something difficult to quantify, but an even greater group "oneness" and unspoken shared intent perhaps.
We have a very special guest vocalist in the shape of Serje Tankian, and Eleuteria Arena, who is a frequent live guest, also provides backing vocals and some beautiful cello.
Starting in February, Lef, Carmelo Pipitone, Pat Mastelotto and myself will be touring Europe in support of "Ramagehead", including some dates with Pineapple Thief.
Complete list of tour dates and ticket information can be found here.
I'm just listening to finished, mastered mixes of the forthcoming new album from Obake…expect fury, noise, beauty and controlled chaos…..it's a further development of our last outing "Mutations, more defined perhaps, but keeping the intensity.
The album is scheduled for an October 2016 release on Rarenoise, more news when I have it...
Below a selection of live shots from this years "Inflamed Rides" Euro dates, thanks to all the photographers concerned:
Carmello Piptone
Bass Drum Art.
Carmello Pipitone
Bastia Umbra
Pat Mastelotto
Lef in full flow.
Slap Bass…?
I had a great time developing and exploring the material live over the course of the tour, and we had a very positive response across the tour, so I am happy to say that we'll be taking the band live for the first time outside Europe next month with a few dates in South America…the ride continues….
Please click the links below for tickets and more information:
At the tail end of 2015, Obake reconvened in a remote fog bound studio in the Reggio Emilia region of Italy to start work on an as yet untitled third album, scheduled for a release later this year on Rarenoise.
Sessions were productive and enjoyable, once again the music making a great context for my down tuned Spector Euro 435LX.
I had a great time with Eraldo Bernocchi, Raiz, Lorenzo Esposito Fornasari and Jacopo Peirazzuoli playing versions of the Ashes material, with a few Almamegretta tunes thrown in too…..there may be more…for anyone unfamiliar, start here:
Now approaching the end of the pre-order period for the debut O.R.k. album "Inflamed Rides".
Very pleased to report that "Inflamed Rides" is now at the manufacturing stage and we are on course to have the CD's shipped out to all pre-orderers in early to mid July.
For anyone unfamiliar, a little background on O.R.k. can be found by clicking here to read an interview with Pat Mastelotto, Lef and myself on The Musical Melting Pot.
Our winning "Jellyfish" remix was Coldlight's "The Insignificant" which will be included as a bonus track on the CD:
We also decided to have Unungordium's "Manipulation" as an extra on the digital version of the album:
A select few journalists have been given access to the full album, and there below are some links to some early reviews:
At time of writing there are still a few days left to grab Inflamed Rides on Musicraiser, but this by no means the end, more activity is planned so please keep an eye on www.orkband.com (and the FB page) for any updates.
(Edit: official release of "Inflamed Rides" will now be October 2nd through Cargo Distribution, please see www.orkband.com for updates)
I am pleased to report that Obake will be on The Quietus Stage at the Underworld in Camden, London on April 25th, with some more European dates to be arranged for the same period, I'll post them here in due course, for now, Magasin 4 in Brussels the next day, April 26th is also confirmed.
See below, trailer for a series of Central European Obake gigs, taking in Austria, Croatia, Slovenia and Italy, kicking off next week in Kufstein.
More dates are in the works for 2015, check the dates here as they are confirmed, and you can also follow the band on twitter @obakemusic.
The new album, "Mutations" (available on CD, vinyl and all the usual download formats) has been getting some great reviews too, you can read a selection below:
I'll be touring in Europe with Obake in December, dates confirmed so far can be found here and more will be added in due course. You can also track the dates as they come in by following the link below:
http://www.bandsintown.com/Obake
Official Press Release:
"M" is the latest track to be released from Obake's upcoming second album, Mutations, which will be released via Rare Noise Records this October. Like a number of the new album tracks, it begins with a familiar sound, a thick, sludge- like groove recalling numerous titans of the Southern Rock scene, however it soon breaks down all conventions with a game-changing unsettling vocal interlude which segues into mind-boggling progressive rock, replete with minor chords and epic crescendos. It is songs like this that go a long way to show how Obake take their influences and create something that is uniquely their own.
Obake are Lorenzo Esposito Fornasari (vocals, piano, electronics), Eraldo Bernocchi (guitar, electronics), Balazs Pandi (drums) and Colin Edwin (Porcupine Tree - bass). This second album arrives at the place where the energies of metal fuse with ambient electronica, jazz, and noise with the precision of math-rock and the groove of blues. Obake's sound harks back to the dawn of hard-rock, drawing upon a variety of influences from Sunn 0))), Popul Vuh, Ashra Tempel as much as Slayer, Tool, Melvins and Coil. Obake are made all the more distinctive by the fluid lyrical delivery and musings of a commanding operatic voice.
Imposing in its darkness, encompassing in its beauty and ever powerful, Obake have lost none of their might since the release of their debut, if anything, they are more captivating now than ever before.
Mutations was recorded by Daniel Sandor at Metropol Studio in Budapest, produced and mixed by Eraldo Bernocchi and Lorenzo Esposito Fornasari at The Place in Tuscany and mastered by Michael Fossenkemper at Turtletone Studio - NYC.
Lastly, for a flavour of the upcoming album "Mutations" due in October, here's "M":
The "Fallen Angel" cover image below, by Petulia Mattioli, is taken from the forthcoming second album "Mutations" by Obake, due this coming October via Rarenoise.
I had been a big listener of their first album, and after hearing some of the early work in progress tracks from "Mutations" I couldn't resist the chance to step into their intense cauldron of sonic energy.
I have contributed bass to the majority of the tracks on the new album, making a lot of use of my down tuned Spector Euro 435LX, aided and abetted by various EBS distortion FX, like the FuzzMo, MultiDrive, Valvedrive etc. perhaps some of my most furious bass sounds to date.
