Dallas, TX-based extreme music purveyors Tofu Carnage Records recently released their most ambitious project yet: a self-titled double LP from their hometown’s own ritualistic improv metal/jazz/rock trio, UNCONSCIOUS COLLECTIVE. Go here to stream it in full!
Lauded metal web portal Invisible Oranges is currently streaming the record in full, and said of the record,”Unconscious Collective steps over the blurry metal/jazz line drawn by Akkolyte into hazy fusion territory. This material isn’t broken up into ‘songs’ as much as it’s divvied up into movements. Improvisation rules the day; the band recorded this material live, and it shows. Still, as with Last Exit or Secret Chiefs 3, metal abusiveness creeps in through unexpected portals: sinister tonalities and painful noise squalls.”
Released November 10, 2012, the records are housed in printed heavyweight jackets with gold foil-stamped graphics, feature original collodion photography by Ginger Berry, and are pressed on 180-gram, milky clear wax at 45rpm for superior sound quality.The group features members of Akkolyte, Dead to a Dying World, and The Black Dotz and have conjured up a septet of mind-melting experimental jams that’ll have fans of acts as diverse as Meshuggah, John Zorn, Cynic, Mike Patton, Animals As Leaders, Blotted Science, Frank Zappa, Watchtower, and Behold…the Arctopus. They must be heard to be believed!
Witnessing Unconscious Collective live is a voyeuristic act of ritualistic transmogrification, one that transcends the interpersonal though unwavering cries of sacrifice and rebirth, demanding a deeper spirituality and self-awareness. In an arrangement of improvisations and musical compositions, this debut release embodies a parallelled aurora with an ensemble of seven alluring ceremonial jazz-rock hymns.All come from different musical backgrounds (classical training, punk/rock, experimental, and jazz), but they function as a musical unit: throwing sounds around, intuitively putting it all in the right place. Past performances/recording sessions have included guests such as Alvin Fielder, Rodrigo Amado, Carl Smith, Leena Conquest, Omar Alvarado, Chris Parker, and Dennis Gonzalez.
