A Mid-winter's Face Melt...

What makes the snow and cold of January more enjoyable? How about the ripping hardcore of Chaotic Neutral? This Indianapolis band is everything enjoyable in a hardcore band: no pretense, fast, angry, deliberate, and aggressive. There is enough hate and self-loathing infused in their music to load anyone with the revved up fury and energy of a possessed badger. Having seen them live, The Cracked Skull can vouched for the energy and emotional exchange the band exhibits in a live setting. They give the energy out freely like warm blood flowing from noses and facial lacerations after a hardy boot stomp. Care to hate them, it probably won't end in a pretty manner. Their two song demo courtesy of their Bandcamp site, showcases the band's speed and venom. Strangers is an immediate dousing of fire, syncapated and fast, with gnashing vocals. According To Plan opens up with a distorted bass as the gnarled vocals and drums soon enter the fray only to give way to the guitar assault at the twenty second mark. According To Plan (aptly titled) follows a similar song structure as Strangers and continues to demonstrate Chaotic Neutral's flame-thrower--all guns blazing style. Chaotic Neutral is not rewriting the hardcore song book, but they produce a racket that is true to riding a knife's edge down a toboggan run and not giving fuck while sliding painfully down.

http://chaoticneutral.bandcamp.com/

Chaotic Neutral's upcoming shows:
1/21 @ Ghost House in Bloomington with In The Face of War, Full Rainbow, Vernal Pike
2/6 @ The Dojo with Cloudrat, Disconnected, Rat Storm
2/17 @ Rock Lobster with Downtown Struts and Brothers Gross
2/26 @ The Vollrath with The Dockers, Radiation Sickness, Kata Sarka

A Promising Find...

Hailing from Ft. Wayne Indiana, Coffin Maker deliver a very cold and bleak reverb drenched blizzard of black metal. And in true fashion, their very limited EP is only available with the first fifty copies of Esoterica by Dusty Neal released on Sistine Press. The book's sole focus is a black and white photographic exploration of the occult, religion, and esotericism. The song, Possession, is the perfect backdrop and soundtrack for a snow filled day while exploring the power captured in the images of Neal's work. Possession is the lone instrumental track made available on the Coffin Maker's Bandcamp site, and the three minutes of music are expansive, droning, and swimming in ether. Hopefully, Coffin Maker will decide to continue releasing further material outside of this highly limited EP. As it stands, Possession is quite promising, and it is always a positive thing to see like minded artists collaborating in different mediums.

Coffin Maker:
http://coffinmaker.bandcamp.com/

Esoterica (Sistine Press) by Dusty Neal:
http://sistinepress2.bigcartel.com/product/esoterica-no-love-could-exist-here

Top 15 Metal albums of 2010...

Overall 2010 was a good year for heavy music. Everyone makes a list, and this list is filled with some hard decisions. Here is the The Cracked Skull's.

1. Agalloch--Marrow of Spirit
2. Ludicra--The Tenant
3. Coffinworm--When All Became None
4. Deathspell Omega--Parcletus
5. Sailors With Wax Wings--Sailors With Wax Wings
6. Unearthly Trance--V
7. The Body--All the Waters of the Earth Turn to Blood
8. Drudkh--Handful of Stars
9. Burzum--Belus
10. Salome--Terminal
11. U.S Christmas--Run Thick in the Night
12. Thou--Summit
13. Horseback--The Invisible Mountain
14. Enslaved – Axioma Ethica Odini
15. Kvelertak--Kvelertak

2010 releases of interest...

Here is a brief list of bands that dropped slabs of cacophonous goodness this year. There is no order to this list other than The Cracked Skull enjoyed them and thinks you might too. There will be some releases that inevitably get left off due to forgetfulness.

Indianapolis bands dropped some real quality on the collective eardrums of us all this year.
*Coffinworm--When All Became None
*Sleepbringer--Compendium
*Apostle of Solitude--Last Sunrise
*Deadmen--Possession of the Void
*Read Shadows--Red Shadows CD
*Kata Sarka--demo
*The Dockers--Tales From The Dock

Other releases:
*Ludicra--The Tenant
*Agalloch--Marrow of Spirit
*Killing Joke--Absolute Dissent
*U.S. Christmas--Run Thick in the Night
*Year of No Light--Ausserwelt
*Horseback--The Invisible Mountain
*Zoroaster--Matador
*Burzum--Belus
*Salome--Terminal
*Locrian--The Crystal World
*The Body--All the Waters of the Earth Turn to Blood
*Thou--Summit
*Enslaved--Axioma Ethica Odini
*Nails--Unsilent Death
*Deathspell Omega--Paracletus
*Swans--My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky
*Celestiial--Where Life Springs Eternal
*Lantlos--Neon
*Triptykon--Eparistera Daimones
*Sailors With Wax Wings--Sailors With Wax Wings
*Drudkh--Handful of Stars
*Unearthly Trance--V
*Dax Riggs--Say Goodnight to the World
*Circle of Animals--Destroy the Light
*Ehnahre--Taming the Cannibals
*Woe--Quietly, Undramatically
*Broughton's Rules--Bounty Hunter 1853
*High on Fire--Snakes for the Divine
*Yakuza--Of Seismic Consequence
*The Austerity Program--Backsliders and Apostates Will Burn
*Alcest--Ecailles De Lune
*Suma--Ashes
*Kvelertek--Kvelertek
*Fell Voices/Ash Borer--split release
*Velnias--limited tour EP
*The Howling Wind--Into the Cryosphere
*White Moth--White Moth
*Negura Bunget--Maiestrit
*Altar of Plagues--Tides
*Kowloon Walled City--Gambling on the Richter Scale

Indiana bands that ruled 2010 in some way or another...

Here's a quick list of bands from all over Indiana that The Cracked Skull either enjoyed live, recorded, or both. There are several bands left off this list that The Cracked Skull has heard good things about. Get out and see these bands, and buy stuff from them.

*Coffinworm (Indy)
*Sleepbringer (Indy/Bloomington)
*The Gates of Slumber (Indy)
*Racebannon (Bloomington)
*Medusa (Bloomington)
*World Eater (Indy)
*The Dockers (Indy)
*Daisycutter (Ft. Wanye)
*Kata Sarka (Indy)
*Apostle of Solitude (Indy)
*Slam Dunk (Bloomington)
*Rat Storm (Bloomington)
*Humans (Bloomigton)
*The Dream is Dead (Indy)
*Demiricous (Indy)
*Livermortis (Indy)
*Chaotic Neutral (Indy)
*Hail Architeuthis (Bloomington)
*Christ Beheaded (Indy)
*Tunguska (Indy)

Hopefully The Cracked Skull will catch these bands in 2011.
*Overpower (Indy)
*Still (Indy)
*Na'kay (Ft. Wanye)
*Parasitic Twins (Ft. Wayne)

RIP
*Deadmen
*Red Shadows
*Black Arrows of Filth & Impurity

A little break...

It's been some time between posts, and there have been no upcoming show posts for October and November, nor will there be one for December. That's not to say there are no good shows coming up. You'll just have to be more creative in the ways you find out about them. The Cracked Skull will be taking an indefinite break from attending shows, but with one exception. December 6 at Birdy's in Indianapolis will host Eyehategod, Goatwhore, Phobia, Coffinworm, and Daisy Cutter. Go to this show. This should be the only stop this far north on this tour, and a chance to see three very good touring bands with two of Indiana's finest. The Cracked Skull will be up and running at full force in 2011.

Pummelling Transcendence

Riding crests of seething bleakness and filth finds Indianapolis’ merchants of blackened crust, Kata Sarka, plumbing the depths for life consequences and chaotic clarity. Oblivion is impersonal and non-negotiable. There is violence, questionable introspection, and confusion in daily life. Sorting through one’s own chaos is the conceptual backbone that fuses Kata Sarka with wrath and blistering energy.

Manufacturing music fueled by venom and molten shards of shrapnel is a task the men of Kata Sarka take seriously. Vocalist Nate Bracey (Summon the Destroyer), guitarist and vocalist Adam Walker (World Eater, Wasteland D.C., Graves of the Endless Fall), bassist Nick Tully (Denogginizer, Feasting Arena), and drummer Frank Forbes (Lamb’s Breath, Turncoat Serenade) fashion Kata Sarka’s music around misanthropic subject matter leeching into the music from their personal lives. Once rendered, the music is a gnarled amalgamation of conceptual matter given an impersonal voice and anonymity.

The bulk of Kata Sarka’s song writing is handled by Walker and then presented to the rest of the band for arrangement and refinement, with Bracey contributing the majority of the lyrics. As the song writing process continues, Walker outlines future material and its progression. Chaos and confusion are demanding constants in Kata Sarka’s musical quest for purpose and lucid introspection. Their music is a machine gun of chaotic churning that swells with ritualistic feeling and perception meant to convey a shared catharsis. This catharsis can be witnessed in their live set as the band purges all their collective energy into what can be viewed as a ritual seeking transcendence of physical and mental states.

Kata Sarka’s music is pulse racing and bent on inducing self-reflection. Their songs are intended to make the listener ponder the state they are in and what that means within their surrounding environment. Whether the listener is in a state of confusion or self-loathing does not matter as long as a path to clear introspective purpose is sought. As such, Adam Walker delved into the ideas, concepts, energy, inspiration, history, and progression of his band at the behest of The Cracked Skull.

1. How did the members of Kata Sarka get together and when?

Kata Sarka formed in summer of '09. The band was initially discussed between myself and Nate our vocalist. From then on, we recruited Nick, our bassist, who had been in local crust/grind band Denogginizer and had been a personal friend for a few years. We had second guitar duties filled in by Ryan Green of Amongst the Swarm and Summon the Destroyer infamy. Finally, we got in touch with Frank, our drummer, who had been in a short-lived, but nonetheless potent outfit called Lamb’s breath. Ryan had to leave the band soon after forming due to his commitments to Summon the Destroyer.

2. What is the idea(s) or aesthetic(s) behind Kata Sarka's music? Is there a particular meaning behind the band name? Obviously, Kata Sarka's music is not based on happiness. Where does the inspiration for the songs come from?

At this stage in the evolution of the band, the music is a synthesis of ideas that I personally have been accumulating for an outlet for basically 10 plus years. We as a collective have tried to tie these ideas into a unified, progressing concept that the name of the band is used as a signifier. The name Kata Sarka comes from the theological writings of St. Paul. I guess the translation has become confused over history (as is apt to occur) but in essence it means "of the flesh”, "according to the flesh", "by human standards", or "sinful nature". In the confines of theology, I believe it applies to the life and works of Christ prior to his crucifixion and ascension. I enjoy using Christ oriented metaphor, so I reframed the ideas behind this to apply to one's own struggles with being born into a world (or into flesh) without one's choice, and through trial, tribulation, and ultimately introspection and personal mastery "transcending" to realizing one's utmost potential physically, as well as psychically.

Although there may be a positive conclusion to how the ideas of the band unfurl, in a conceptually linear sense the songs we have written and are writing now deal with subjects of insanity, confusion, feelings of self-loathing, misanthropy, and being essentially ethically and morally myopic.

The inspiration for the songs comes from my life and the band's individual lives, but the lyrics are being given an impersonal narrative voice. They are not meant to be viewed as our own personal sob stories projected into the world as a cry for help. That is one of the reasons we are trying to maintain a feeling of anonymity to the band.

3. How are the songs written? Is there an organic writing process or does one person contribute most of the writing?

The bulk of what has been written thus far has come from ideas that I have had for 2 years. In fact, "Lukewarm Depravity" was originally a song that was written and performed briefly when I was in World Eater. I write all the songs as of now, but the band aids in the arrangement process. I generally demo ideas on my 8-track and computer, and then refine them as I present them to the band. The majority of the lyrics thus far have been written by Nate, but I have started to contribute my own lyrics for the newer material. Since we are trying to work within a clear conceptual framework, Nate and I have to work together to make sure our respective ideas fit the songs that are being written. I have outlined what manner the songs should progress up to three E.P.'s worth of material. It helps to guide me in my writing process.

4. The demo, Riding a Wind of Knives, is bleak and pummeling. The pace rarely slows down. Is there a direct intent on being unrelenting and confrontational, or is it more an expression of the dark places of the human psyche and thought via force? The songs will affect the listener. Is there a desired effect from such an approach? I would imagine everything ties back into the aesthetic that Kata Sarka is trying to achieve.

This relates to what I discussed in the previous question. The songs that have been presented so far are of that pace because they correlate to the current subject matter that we are exploring along our conceptual outline. The first 5 songs (3 of which are on the demo) deal with what I consider Existential Oblivion. This is a state that lacks clear introspection and sense of purpose that is given to one's life: i.e. being oblivious to your relationship to your surroundings, and therefore living in a second to second state of chaos and confusion. This has repercussions that manifest in emotional and mental problems which introduce themselves through compulsion and impulsion. When in this state, if one lacks introspection and self-control, they have a tendency to blame others, their ancestry, God, Satan, the universe, etc., or just bad luck for their woes. This idea is dealt with in the first song of the cycle which is not on the demo. It is called "Wearing The Rings of Saturn As A Halo". That being said, the songs are meant to be fast and somewhat chaotic to represent the lyrical content.

5. Your live set is blistering. It seems very cathartic and physical. How important is it to present the music as raw and unabated as possible in a live setting?

I personally have tried to convey this sort of energy in every band I have been in. I believe the rest of the band are on the same page as me because we understand that there is nothing more irritating than seeing violent music played in the most disinterested and passive manner. This kind of music is supposed to get your blood boiling at times, and at others bring you to stop and reflect on what state you and your surroundings are in. We are trying to achieve a ritualistic vibe with the music. The atmosphere we are trying to establish still needs to be refined, I feel, but we are getting there.

6. You have had the opportunity to play with some fairly notable bands of late from Ludicra, Phobia, to Altar of Plagues and some very good local bands. How has it been playing with such bands, what are your feelings on Indy's collective scene overall, any place you like to play over the next spot, and does anyone show stick out to you?

Playing with every one of the above mentioned bands was truly an amazing and humbling experience. For me it meant a great deal because all of those bands are some of my personal favorites. Phobia has been a big inspiration for years, and the newest outings from Ludicra and Altar of Plague are some of the best metal albums to come out in quite some time. We have been lucky to have a scene that affords us the opportunity to play with such bands. We have a high level of admiration for several of the locals we have played with, notably Coffinworm, Ratstorm, Deadmen (RIP), and Picked Clean (RIP).

Indy's scene is like most, in that it has its ebbs and flows of activity. We prefer the all ages, DIY. scene, which was pretty health when we started, but has since went through a bit of upheaval. Now it seems to be back on track with the establishment of the new Dojo on College Ave. The old Dojo was a regular and favorite spot of ours to play, and until September 11th we have yet to play the new spot, but I am sure it will be another fantastic place to play and book shows. We have not had much opportunity to play out of town yet, but of the times we have all of them have been memorable. Our shows at 1624 N. Harrison St. and the Brass Rail in Ft. Wayne were both great shows, and the show we have thus far played in Bloomington with Ratstorm was great. We have some more out of town dates coming up, so stay tuned.

7. There's a strong sense of DIY ethics still present here, and it seems to maintain a reasonably high amount of talented musicians and artists even if it's on a smaller, more insular scale. Where do you see Kata Sarka going in terms of touring and local shows, and maintaining DIY ethics?

We are a fully DIY band, and intend to continue that way. DIY sensibilities have been established in me for years both from a musician's and show booker standpoint. We book our own shows, create our own art and layouts, and print our merch through my brother's small printing company In Case of Emergency (out of Bloomington), and PRN Graphics. We intend on touring based on DIY booking as well.

8. You have a self-released demo out. Are there plans for a full length? If there is, are you still planning on going back to Clandestine Arts to record it? Has there been any interest from inquiring labels?

Yes, we plan on doing some sort of full length in the near future. We are preparing to record our second demo soon, and have discussed working with Carl Byers and Clandestine Arts again. The experience with him was amazing on all levels, from recording and engineering to a personal one because he is a great friend of ours and a highly admired local musician. No interest from any labels as of yet, I would say mostly due to the fact that we have not shopped it to any. All copies of the first run have been either sold at shows or given to friends and acquaintances. We hope to issue another run soon that will go out to labels we're interested in.


Your next chance to catch Kata Sarka is on 9-30-2010, 9 p.m., at The Vollrath with Still, Dark Castle, The Atlas Moth, and Zoroaster ($8).

katasarka.blogspot.com/