Working with ENDON was a must for me. Whether by releasing the tapes on SIGE, touring together, reissuing “MAMA” on vinyl via Hydra Head or working together on this new album in a more focused/dedicated fashion. ENDON represents everything I’ve ever wanted the label to be: forward-thinking, provocative, inventive and emotional. Though their delivery is in some ways primal and impulsive, they are very intentional in the way they go about their art - there is nothing random or confused about what they’re doing. This is music that needs to be heard and I wanted Hydra Head to be the vehicle for dissemination because I feel so strongly about it.
As far as this ENDON album and the new Oxbow being part of a “relaunch” of Hydra Head, that is only partially accurate. These two releases represent an experiment - if the label can handle doing a small number of new titles and everything that entails and I feel good about the way it’s all going, I may attempt one or two more before the year is out. There is no certainty about the future of the label - at least as far as the long term is concerned. I love the label, I love the artists we work with and it would be very hard for me to let go of it completely. It’s also been a major struggle to keep it going and find a balance between the energy devoted to it and the rewards reaped from that level of devotion. One day at a time is how I am approaching it at the moment - and right now I feel very excited about ENDON and Oxbow. Everything beyond that is still up in the air.
An extensive compilation of metal, hardcore, punk, and folk songs benefitting reproductive justice non-profits around the world. Bandcamp... New & Notable Jul 3, 2019
supported by 90 fans who also own “Your Ghost Is Dead”
Floor-to-ceiling Boris ragers! It’s like they looked back on songs like Statement and Woman On the Screen and said “let’s do a whole album like that!” Most of these tracks don’t even pass 3 minutes! Zerkalo holds up the middle with some anguished doom.
In the end, *NO* is as strong and declarative as it’s title. Brian Parker