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Piedmont Apocrypha

by Horseback

supported by
terrellfroese
terrellfroese thumbnail
terrellfroese Their most gentle and pastoral work. Proof that beneath black metal's corpse paint and blast beats are folk tales, spiritual exploration, and... well.... seances in the woods. The dry production makes you feel like you're there. Favorite track: Piedmont Apocrypha.
chrundle
chrundle thumbnail
chrundle jenks seems nice.
Sogol
Sogol thumbnail
Sogol Another masterpiece by Horseback. No other words but genius and great inspiration to talk about this world so strong around us when we are earing it. Favorite track: Chanting Out The Low Shadow.
Christøph Trvm
Christøph Trvm thumbnail
Christøph Trvm Horseback never fail to amaze the listener. Piedmont Apocrypha sums up a lot of Horsebacks finest moments, begins rather laid back and ends with apocalyptic intensity. Massive. Favorite track: Chanting Out The Low Shadow.
WIPP
WIPP thumbnail
WIPP The metal is practically stripped away and Miller enchants us with psychedelic drone rock. Though the epic closing track does feature a mild amount of atmospheric black metal. I want Miller to use more of his country voice for future Horseback releases. Favorite track: Chanting Out The Low Shadow.
Justin Pape
Justin Pape thumbnail
Justin Pape Every horseback release is so different from the last, and this being no exception! I love the vocals on this album and the more "Earth" like guitar Favorite track: Passing Through.
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  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    "Piedmont Apocrypha" is from an edition of 1043 vinyl copies and is pressed on 140 gram Dutch black vinyl by Record Industry. The album is housed within a full color jacket bearing original artwork by Phil Blank. The album is accompanied by both a text insert featuring a new essay by Jenks Miller (not included with the CD version).

    Includes unlimited streaming of Piedmont Apocrypha via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    The CD of "Piedmont Apocrypha" is housed within a full color jacket bearing original artwork by Phil Blank. Orders via this Bandcamp site include a digital copy of a new essay by Jenks Miller.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Piedmont Apocrypha via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 1 day
    Purchasable with gift card

      $12 USD or more 

     

  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card

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  • Full Digital Discography

    Get all 130 Three Lobed Recordings releases available on Bandcamp and save 65%.

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Nimbus, When The Roses Come Again, A Day Behind The Deadline, Glass Band, Arc of Day, Come On, No Hashish, No Change Money, No Saki Saki, Almanac Behind, and 122 more. , and , .

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about

“I was born to lose; I won’t have this form forever.” So begins Horseback’s fifth full-length studio record, "Piedmont Apocrypha", with an incantation that could very well serve as the shapeshifting band’s raison d'être. Since before 2007, Horseback has served as a musical vehicle for multi-instrumentalist Jenks Miller (also of Mount Moriah and various solo outfits), chronicling his prolific, exuberant, and at times altogether whimsical investigation of heavy music(s) and their relationship with Western mysticism. Thus far, Horseback has embodied (and shed) many forms, from the serene, fuzzed-out, near neo-classical bliss of "Impale Golden Horn", to the caustic, poisoned noisescapes of "Forbidden Planet", to the crushing psych-rock (black metal? you tell us!) found on "The Invisible Mountain" and "Half Blood". While genre tags are difficult with shape-shifting bands like Horseback, some common threads are readily apparent across each of these records: regardless of the style, there’s some otherworldly, hypnotic quality in the music, conjured by ritualistic repetition and a layered depth in the instrumental arrangements. And each record demonstrates an unmistakable internal logic, its own a self-contained universe of sound. Some have referred to Horseback records as riddles to be solved: once you crack the code, that sonic universe is yours to explore.

Musically, "Piedmont Apocrypha" gestures to the pastoral hues of "Impale Golden Horn" (released on vinyl by Three Lobed Recordings for the first time in 2012), but there’s a structured quality to the tracks here that fits in line with Horseback’s “rock” records. Make no mistake: this is a heavy record, but in the way Comus’ "First Utterance" is heavy, or in the way Amon Düül’s "Phallus Dei" is heavy. It is that patient, smoke-clogged, ritualistic vibe, solemn with the noticeable presence of layered organ and harmonium tones (perhaps a subtle nod to Terry Riley or even Olivier Messiaen). Indeed, for all its far-reaching strangeness, "Piedmont Apocrypha" may be the most approachable Horseback record yet: harsh vocals are used sparingly, sung (and otherwise intelligible) vocals are relatively prominent, and paint-peeling, high-frequency noise is almost entirely absent.

As one might expect from its title, this record is also heavy with a sense of place. Thematically, "Piedmont Apocrypha" takes on the skin-shedding revisionist history of North Carolina’s piedmont region, a place of conflict, proud culture(s), and intertwined mythologies. The fact that both Three Lobed (Jamestown, NC) and Phil Blank (Chapel Hill, NC) are involved further emphasizes this record’s ties to the Tar Heel State.

credits

released March 25, 2014

All music written, performed and produced by Jenks Miller (Mask of Devon Music, ASCAP) at The Chateau except "Chanting Out The Low Shadow," which was recorded by both Nick Petersen at Track and Field and Jenks Miller at The Chateau, and which features the following additional performers: John Crouch (drums), Nick Petersen (bass), and Rich James (guitar). The horns on "Milk and Honey" were performed by Troy Schafer and recorded by Nathaniel Ritter. Mastered by James Plotkin.

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Three Lobed Recordings Jamestown, North Carolina

Three Lobed Recordings is a boutique record label that specializes all flavors of psychedelia. The label was started in 2000 and is largely operated by cats.

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