AoH 11/5 NY Tix

Tickets are now on sale for our November 5th show in New York: http://www.ticketfly.com/event/68143/

Anatomy of Habit LP now available

Anatomy of Habit is pleased to announce that our new LP is available for purchase via our webstore (http://anatomyofhabit.bigcartel.com/) and via our Bandcamp page (http://anatomyofhabit.bandcamp.com/).  If you purchase it through our webstore a download password will be sent to you via email.  If you purchase it through our Bandcamp page you will have immediate download access in a variety of high-quality file formats.  You can also simply purchase the digital album at Bandcamp.  You can also pick up the LP via the BloodShop! - with the download code to follow via email.

Gossip Wolf on AoH LP

From the Chicago Reader Gossip Wolf column:

Heavy-as-fuck five-piece Anatomy of Habit has been one of the city's best live units since its inception nearly three years ago. The group includes several local luminaries—among them vocalist Mark Solotroff (Bloodyminded), guitarist Greg Ratajczak (Plague Bringer), and drummer Dylan Posa (Three Cheers for One Dead Man, ex-Cheer-Accident)—and they bash out furious, doomy hate metal that sounds like it's been crossbred with postpunk dirges and gothic torch songs. The band expected to have its self-titled debut on hand for its show with Secret Chiefs 3 at the Empty Bottle last weekend, but the records didn't arrive in time. Anatomy of a bummer! The guys tell Gossip Wolf that they've got the vinyl now, and that local record stores should have copies later this week. It's totally recommended! 

The Shipping News...

The outer sleeves for the Anatomy of Habit  LPs finally arrived last night. It is great to actually see the album put together. Ordering information will be up by tomorrow afternoon via our webstore and our Bandcamp page...

The Inarguable on The Atlas Moth

The Inarguable has posted a great review of the new album by The Atlas Moth.  My thanks to Jon for the kind inclusion!

The Atlas Moth - "An Ache For The Distance" (2011) [Profound Lore Records]

If you haven't heard of Chicago metal band The Atlas Moth, you've at least heard of frontman Stavros Giannopoulos's legendary moustache, which he sadly shaved off last year. Powerful enough to have its own Facebook Page, press folks, to the dismay of Giannopoulos, would always turn to Stavros's moustache as a "go-to" comment, whether they found enjoyment in his music or not. Of course, now that Stavros's face is shorn, jerks with websites (like myself) can only grasp at the moustache's former glory in order to create some witty introduction, because coming up with some sort of introspective, witty statement that ties into the album has become the next most annoying thing since "In a world..." movie previews. However, facial hair aside, The Atlas Moth's latest offering, the mighty An Ache For The Distance, is one of the most solid metal albums of 2011.

Melding spacey sludge with progressive rock (more Pink Floyd than King Crimson) and a love for psychedelic pop bands, An Ache For The Distance is a refreshing take on the "post-metal" genre about which I complain in at least 30% of my reviews. Unlike previous efforts, this album shows The Atlas Moth toning down the blues influence that encapsulated A Glorified Piece Of Blue-Sky for a more melody-driven, dense trip through massive doom riffs, trippy psychedelia, and spine-tingling triple-guitar harmonies. While this is undoubtedly a doom metal album, it is definitely The Atlas Moth's influence outside of metal that truly makes this album stand out. Take, for example, the bizarre, Jesus Lizard-inspired introduction to "Perpetual Generations" or the constant, atmospheric presence of bands like Deftones or The Flaming Lips, merged tastefully with Giannopoulos's blackened shriek and guitarist David Kush's (what a fitting last name) gruff singing voice. Oh, and Anatomy of Habit/Bloodyminded's Mark Solotroff has a powerful voice cameo on the syrupy "Courage"; it's always wonderful to see musicians within the Chicago scene collaborate with such magnificent results.

After listening to this album nonstop for the past few weeks, I'm convinced that in a few short years we can see The Atlas Moth filling up stadiums, co-headlining tours with Mastodon, and having some sort of major record deal. An Ache For The Distance has that sort of accessibility while still retaining its fresh originality, which is a rare, rare feat in today's music world. This is unlike any other metal out there, and is by far one of the coolest albums I've come across in the few years I've been a self-proclaimed music nerd. This comes out tomorrow, September 20th, on powerhouse label Profound Lore Records, and is deserving of all your money. Be sure to catch these guys on tour throughout September and October with labelmates KEN Mode.

RIP Stavros's moustache.

-Jon

The Inarguable on the Anatomy of Habit LP

The Inarguable has posted the first review of the AoH LP.  Our thanks to Jon Rosenthal for the very positive words!

It was really only a matter of time now. After three years of constant live activity and no studio recordings, Anatomy of Habit is finally releasing their debut album of heavy, experimental doom metal tonight. As I've said in reviews before, I normally don't get too stoked when it comes to "supergroups," but Chicago's Anatomy of Habit is a definite exception, perfectly blending various members of our fair city's experimental music subculture. Not convinced? Well, a band boasting Plague Bringer's Greg Ratajczyk, who has also done studio work with Modest Mouse, on guitar, Animal Law's Blake Edwards on metal percussion, Dylan Posa, formerly of Cheer Accident, on drums, Kenny Rasmussen, formerly of No Funeral, on bass, and fronted by Chicago's most prolific (and best dressed) experimental vocalist and noisemaker Mark Solotroff (chances are you've heard something he's on, trust me) is bound to do something unforgettable, and Anatomy of Habit has definitely succeeded with this first release.

There's definitely a lot into which I've had to sink my teeth when it comes to this massive, two-song LP. From the chiming, gothic-tinged beginnings of "Overcome" to the plodding standalone drums that close "Torch," Anatomy of Habit thrives upon unique genre fusion to create their own peculiar brand of doom metal. Like Joy Division on quaaludes or mid-era Swans taking cues from Sunn O))), Anatomy of Habit takes the listener on a journey through sparse post-punk, layered guitar polyphony, jarring percussion and crushing, discordant doom metal. Channeling the late Ian Curtis, frontman Mark Solotroff's mournful baritone acts as a sort of guide through the malevolent, disturbed music, spouting repetitive, cryptic text. This band's brilliance lies not just with their genre fusion, but with their brilliant arrangements, filling in every blank, silent area, with a different sound, however subtle, to create a full, fulfilling sound, no matter how sparse a section of a song may be.

Patience is key with this album; with two songs each orbiting the 17-minute mark, every listen yields some new texture or layer that went completely unnoticed before. In a way, Anatomy of Habit is the closest I've ever heard a band get to achieving the massive sound of Swans's Children of God, and yet it is entirely different and unique in it's own right. Brilliantly melding the wide array of influence between its band members, Anatomy of Habit is by far worth the sum of its parts. An astoundingly powerful and unique album, definitely deserving of your attention.

-Jon