Locrian is an experimental music/
drone rock band which formed in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
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, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
,
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...
, United States in late 2005
[Downing, Andy (2009)]
Disturbing But Memorable Drone
, ''Chicago Tribune
The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television a ...
'', June 5, 2009. and is currently based in Chicago and
Baltimore, Maryland
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
. The band features Terence Hannum (synthesizers, vocals, tape loops), Steven Hess (drums, electronics), and André Foisy (electric, 12-string, acoustic guitars, tape loops, and electronics). The group incorporates influences from multiple genres including
ambient,
black metal
Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, a shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, raw (lo-fi) recording, unconventional song structures, and an emp ...
,
noise
Noise is unwanted sound considered unpleasant, loud or disruptive to hearing. From a physics standpoint, there is no distinction between noise and desired sound, as both are vibrations through a medium, such as air or water. The difference aris ...
,
drone
Drone most commonly refers to:
* Drone (bee), a male bee, from an unfertilized egg
* Unmanned aerial vehicle
* Unmanned surface vehicle, watercraft
* Unmanned underwater vehicle or underwater drone
Drone, drones or The Drones may also refer to:
...
,
industrial, and
electronics
The field of electronics is a branch of physics and electrical engineering that deals with the emission, behaviour and effects of electrons using electronic devices. Electronics uses active devices to control electron flow by amplification ...
, and cite One Eyed God Prophecy, Uranus,
Yes,
Genesis
Genesis may refer to:
Bible
* Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind
* Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...
,
Brian Eno, and
Robert Fripp
Robert Fripp (born 16 May 1946) is a British musician, songwriter, record producer, and author, best known as the guitarist, founder and longest-lasting member of the progressive rock band King Crimson. He has worked extensively as a session ...
as influences.
Locrian lyrics and artwork evoke dystopic and apocalyptic imagery.
Over their ten-year history, Locrian have released six studio albums, three collaborative albums, and numerous limited edition releases.
History
Locrian was formed in late 2005 by André Foisy and Terence Hannum, who had previously played together in Unlucky Atlas.
[Rivadavia, Eduardo " Locrian Biography, ]Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
. Retrieved 2010-11-27.[Currin, Grayson (2010)]
The Out Door: Locrian Darken Their Darkness
, Pitchfork Media
''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music publication (currently owned by Condé Nast) that was launched in 1995 by writer Ryan Schreiber as an independent music blog.
Schreiber started Pitchfork while working ...
, April 16, 2010. Retrieved 2010-11-27. Foisy is originally from Northern New York, while Hannum is from Florida.
The group has released over 20 recordings in their relatively short lifespan, on labels such as Small Doses, Bloodlust!, and At War With False Noise, as well as on the group's private label Land of Decay.
In 2009, the band released their first studio album, ''
Drenched Lands''.
The album was met with acclaim from the ''
Chicago Tribune
The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television a ...
'', the ''
Chicago Reader'', and ''
Rock-A-Rolla
''Rock-A-Rolla'' was a music magazine covering experimental, avant-garde, noise and metal artists pushing the boundaries of music. Launched in late 2005, it was published bi-monthly in the UK by V-Squared Publishing Limited and distributed worl ...
'' magazine. Locrian followed its release with a U.S. tour, including a special
Pitchfork Media
''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music publication (currently owned by Condé Nast) that was launched in 1995 by writer Ryan Schreiber as an independent music blog.
Schreiber started Pitchfork while working ...
sponsored 'Show No Mercy' show in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
, NY. Their 2009 ''Rain of Ashes'' release features two 30-minute-long tracks recorded live at the University of Maryland's radio station WMUC.
[Raymer, Miles (2009)]
Local Release Roundup
, '' Chicago Reader'', November 12, 2009. Retrieved 2010-11-27. A second album, ''
Territories
A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, particularly belonging or connected to a country, person, or animal.
In international politics, a territory is usually either the total area from which a state may extract power resources or a ...
'', was released in 2010, which took the band in a more rock-oriented direction, featuring guest appearances from members of
Nachtmystium
Nachtmystium was an American psychedelic black metal band formed by Blake Judd, formerly known as Azentrius, and Pat McCormick. The band's name is derived from the German word '' Nacht'' meaning "night", and the made-up term ''mystium'' which re ...
,
Bloodyminded,
Yakuza
, also known as , are members of transnational organized crime syndicates originating in Japan. The Japanese police and media, by request of the police, call them , while the ''yakuza'' call themselves . The English equivalent for the ter ...
, and Velnias,
[Locrian – "The Columnless Arcade"]
, stereogum.com, April 14, 2010. Retrieved 2010-11-27. and this was followed by a third, ''The Crystal World'', later the same year, the title coming from a
J. G. Ballard
James Graham Ballard (15 November 193019 April 2009) was an English novelist, short story writer, satirist, and essayist known for provocative works of fiction which explored the relations between human psychology, technology, sex, and mass med ...
novel.
[Locrian Interview]
, I Heart Noise, November 18, 2010. Retrieved 2010-11-27.
In 2010, drummer Steven Hess joined the group as a permanent member.
The group's first recording with Hess was ''
The Crystal World.''
Locrian provided the soundtrack to
Scott Treleaven
Scott Treleaven is a Canadian artist whose work employs a variety of media including collage, film, video, drawing, photography and installation.
Artwork
Critical writings have invoked references to Jean Genet, William S. Burroughs, Jack Pie ...
's film piece ''
The Last 7 Words'' featuring
Genesis P-Orridge.
In addition to playing in the band, Terence Hannum is an installation artist who exhibited at the
Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago
The Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) Chicago is a contemporary art museum near Water Tower Place in downtown Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The museum, which was established in 1967, is one of the world's largest contemporar ...
in 2007, and at the
Peeler Art Center in 2010. Hannum and Foisy formerly taught at
Columbia College Chicago.
Currently, Hannum teaches at Stevenson University.
The band was signed to Relapse Records in 2012.
Musical style
The band's music was described by
Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
as an "eclectic mixture of black metal, electronics, drone, and noise rock".
[Rivadavia, Eduardo (2010) " ''Territories'' Review, ]Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
. Retrieved 2010-11-27. Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
writer Ned Raggett also identified
progressive rock
Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. In ...
influences on ''The Crystal World''.
[Raggett, Ned (2010) " ''The Crystal World'' Review, ]Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
. Retrieved 2010-11-27. The band have identified
krautrock and 1990s
death metal as influences.
Members
*André Foisy – guitar, bass, percussion
*Terence Hannum – vocals, synthesizers, organs, tapes, guitar
*Steven Hess – drums, percussion, electronics
Discography
Studio albums
* ''
Drenched Lands'' (2009)
* ''
Territories
A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, particularly belonging or connected to a country, person, or animal.
In international politics, a territory is usually either the total area from which a state may extract power resources or a ...
'' (2010)
* ''
The Crystal World'' (2010)
* ''
The Clearing'' (2011)
* ''
Return to Annihilation'' (2013)
* ''
Infinite Dissolution'' (2015)
* ''New Catastrophisms'' (2022)
EPs
* ''Ghost Frontiers'' (2022)
Collaboration albums
* ''
New Dominions'' (collaboration with Horseback) (2011)
* ''
Bless Them That Curse You'' (collaboration with
Mamiffer
Mamiffer is an American band based in Seattle, Washington. It started out as a solo project for former Pyramids and Everlovely Lightningheart member Faith Coloccia that later saw several session musicians and collaborators, most consistently Aar ...
) (2012)
* ''
Locrian & Christoph Heemann'' (collaboration with
Christoph Heemann) (2012)
Live albums
*''Greyfield Shrines'' (2008)
*''Rhetoric of Surfaces'' (2008)
*''Ruins of Morning (Plague Journal)'' (2008)
*''Rain of Ashes'' (2009)
References
External links
Locrianon
Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Mosk ...
Locrianon
Bandcamp
Bandcamp is an American online audio distribution platform founded in 2007 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with headquarters in Oakland, California, US. On March 2, 2022, Bandcamp ...
*
Locrian discographyon
Discogs
Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the ...
{{Authority control
American noise rock music groups
American black metal musical groups
Musical groups from Chicago
Musical groups established in 2005
American avant-garde metal musical groups
Relapse Records artists
Drone metal musical groups
Heavy metal musical groups from Illinois
American progressive metal musical groups
American musical trios
Utech Records artists