Black Sunday: Municipal Waste / Toxic Holocaust - Toxic Waste (2012)

Fully aware of the irony in a Black Sunday post that has only clear and colored elements, I cannot resist the urge to write up what may be the finest team-up in the history of split releases, Municipal Waste and Toxic Holocaust's 12" EP, Toxic Waste, from Tankcrimes. As I missed out on the first pressing of glow-in-the-dark and picture disc variations, I took no chances with the second pressing and bought one each of the striped (200) and "toxic spill" (350) versions (and, yeah, the third choice, highlighter yellow (450), is currently haunting my cart). With the pair promptly delivered earlier this week, my record collection has grown all the more colorful.

Cauldron of the Wild - Witch Mountain - 2012

It seems that, suddenly, it's gotten all retro and doomy around here. From recent replays of Electric Wizard to the throwback vibes of Christian Mistress, what's old is new again, albeit all downtuned and despairing. Until I picked up Cauldron of the Wild all Witch Mountain meant to me was some flick I remember from childhood where Eddie Albert flies an RV full of kids away from Ray Milland. Cauldron of the Wild is decidedly more sinister than those hazy recollections though nearly equally confounding. Reading up on the band, it appears they've gone through several configurations, only recently represented on vocals by Uta Plotkin. There are many elements here with which I'm immediately reminded of Blood Ceremony for whom, frankly, I do not care. Remove that flute, though, improve the vocals, add an almost dewy, organic element to the sound and you've got the very satisfying Cauldron of the Wild.

Witch Mountain cast aside the dour drone oft adopted by the genre practitioners and instead successfully hearken back to the seeds of Sabbath, plunging into the depths, ascending the peaks, all the while shrouded in smoke and shadow. Likewise, the band can namecheck Crowley with the best of 'em ("Aurelia") but also belt out a character-driven gunslinger ballad in the gothic tradition of Nick Cave ("The Ballad of Lanky Rae"). "Beekeeper," in particular, communicates the band's best qualities. The pause at 37 seconds in after smoke...smoke...smells of oak communicates hesitation, exhaustion, resignation and, finally, commitment to descent, to doom. The chorus shifts from the most intentionally wretched of vocals to an outright hymn of praise extolling the cycle of dominance and submission.





With only six tracks in 45 minutes, Cauldron of the Wild offers little room for Witch Mountain to flag and, thankfully, they never do. With the last two glorious numbers making up nearly half the record's length, Cauldron of the Wild comes across as the first two acts in some grand guignol. It seems like Witch Mountain have just gotten started and we're waiting, watching between our fingers, for what's next.

Black Sunday: Electric Wizard - Black Masses (2010) & Witchcult Today (2007)

This summer - thanks largely to a stable, well-stocked, local independent music store in Omega Music - I have developed a great weekend ritual of vinyl acquisition, bolstering a segment of my library that has largely gone neglected since one of vinyl's earlier booms in my college years in the early '90s. I hope to dedicate some Sunday posts to some of these slabs of wax and am kicking it off with two of my favorite recent purchases: Metal Blade's 2012 pressings of Electric Wizard's Witchcult Today and Black Masses, each limited to editions of one thousand each.

So I wanted a piece of vinyl...

...or any merch, really, at a show some months ago and the band I loved had none. It's an expense for a band - and a shame - as fans, particularly metal fans, seem to want merch, especially vinyl and t-shirts.

So I decided to actively pursue a longstanding "wouldn't that be cool?" dream and see if I could start a record label. Here's where I've gotten so far:
• First and foremost, a band. I am actively working out an agreement with a local act I love and we are verbally on the same page, just hashing out the translation to paper.
• The paper. I would love to do this with a handshake but want to protect myself and also assure the band that their creation is not abused. I am keeping this as simple as possible and will share what I hope will become the standard house agreement for a one-off record (not currently seeking long-term commitments) as soon as it gets all legalized (expense #1).
• The record. This will involve fronting some studio money, could include artwork and will include pressing, packaging and all the usual associated necessities (expenses 2, 3, 4....).
• The rest. I need all the required State stuff (name registration, vendor's license). I need a separate bank account, PO box, dedicated space to store product and work from. I need a website to sell the record. I need a design for the site. I need a reliable checkout process. I need to be able to accurately predict fees, shipping, packaging - everything needing built into the cost of the vinyl to ensure that, if I can sell it, it's not at a loss. I want to be able to cut the band a check and then press more. I need to hone a marketing plan that includes consignments, advertisements, collaborations, fan involvement and more.
• The best. All of this is fun. Good people who I have met via this blog have stepped up and offered invaluable insight and assistance. I'm networking with other small labels, bands, independent record stores and people who genuinely seem happy to help. Accounting-wise, I will lose money on this. Initial estimates of expenses will likely triple in reality. Personally, though, it is turning out to be one of the most rewarding endeavors I have ever pursued.

More to follow soon. I'll share the bits and pieces as they fall into place and, ideally, eventually hopefully build some half-assed DIY roadmap of mistakes, successes and lessons learned along the way.

(all apologies re: formatting here or lack thereof. Recent storms in Ohio have killed Web access, seemingly indefinitely, and I'm working solely via smartphone, proceeding as best I can)