Anagnorisis's Blog
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The Legion of Vermin Tour summary
We've been home from the Legion of Vermin tour for a little over a week now, with time to reflect on all the craziness that happened in those two short weeks. We played some amazing shows and met some really awesome people, but also dealt with an icy cloud of bad luck, much like the one that afflicted us a year ago in January of 2008 (aka the "Winter Disastour").
Things started off awesome, and we played one of our best shows ever in Louisville to ring in 2009. In Nashville, unfortunately, we weren't able to play due to time considerations, but we thank Cernunnos!, Logan, and everyone who came out to see us that night for their support and merch sales. Atlanta and Charlotte went off without a hitch, and while we feasted on some sick vegan food in Richmond, things didn't work there as well as last time. With no hard feelings we pressed on and had a wild time Raleigh, killing it with Faith and Ashes at The Brewery. DC was awesome, much in part to our gracious host Justin, and everything was going well until the morning of the 9th.
Walking out of Justin's apartment and seeing our van and trailer gone is a little scary, to the say least. But our concerns were lessened when we learned it was only towed, not stolen. Once that setback (and a significant amount of cash) was put behind us, we were on the way to Columbus, OH to play with the mighty Locusta. Once again, tragedy strikes: the van begins to die, and we're forced to pull over the side of the road. After weighing our options, we were able to get the vehicle towed to the nearest town - Frostburg, MD - and figure out just what the hell we were going to do. We had no choice but to cancel the Columbus show, and for this we are truly sorry. We will return, we promise!
The night was spent in Frostburg, and the morning of the 10th we decided to bite the bullet and rent two Enterprise vehicles to carry on with the tour, leaving our van and trailer in Frostburg. We made it to Indianapolis just in time and played a blistering set for our fans there - always a good show! This show marked the end of the tour for Burial Within, our tour mates for all the previous dates who totally slayed it each night! We were able to hit Chicago and Milwaukee despite a blizzard, and hours of driving each day. The Dayton show we had planned for the 13th, however, had to be canceled due to the overbearing financial burden laid upon us. Again, we are sorry!
Finally we returned home to play with Rotting Christ in Louisville on the 14th and begin the process of figuring out just what to do with our vehicle situation. Even with the incredible chaos of the van, we had a blast on the tour and thank everyone who came out to any of the shows - it meant a lot to each us night to have fans from all over rocking out, buying our merch, and talking to us in every city.
That being said, we want to especially thank the following people and bands who helped us on the road: Scott and From Heart Booking, Cernunnos!, Logan at the Muse, Mike in Nashville, Severed Faith and Choking Her, Aura in Charlotte, Adam and Faith in Ashes, Elizabeth S., Josh C., Sarah J., Justin M., Dru and Locusta, Zack and Plaguesayer, John and The Beat Kitchen, Lee and Brittany, Paul F., and Jake Z. We couldn't have done with this without you!
At home, we had the undying support of the Denham, Hartman, and Pierce families, as well as help from Emily Reinen, Anthony with Oh My Gore clothing, and Devon Denham, Leah Williamson, and Basil Kemble for their excellent photography. Terry Denham has gone above and beyond everything we could ever ask for including driving insane distances, building and repairing our arsenal of equipment, and being so supportive in all our endeavors. Thank you so much!
An extra-special, Slaytanic, triple-six salute goes to Jason and Darkness Undying for their long support of Anagnorisis and tour help, and Burial Within for sharing in this craziness with us once again.
Lastly, we were stoked to bring along Blake Talley, who's guitar skills each night freed us from that damn RC-50. Our merch sales would have been zilch if it weren't for Greg Mosier, our manager, hustler, and overall mood-booster. When Greg wasn't available, we had Ben Wilson to help us out with merch, volunteering at the last minute to brave the Chicago and Milwaukee weather. Thanks, dudes!
There's a few copies of Alpha and Omega left, and it will be available online for free very soon. You can get still get the physical release for free with any merch purchase, but act fast because the quantities are very limited. We have much more planned for 2009, so get ready.
Stay metal,
Anagnorisis
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Alpha and Omega: An Explanation
Now that we have released the three new songs under the title of "Alpha and Omega," many of you are probably wondering what it all means. This blog should answer such inquiries.
Physical Release
Alpha and Omega, as a physical release, will be debuted on January 1, 2009 at our Legion of Vermin Tour kick-off show in Louisville. It will be limited to 200 copies, hand-numbered, and will come in a weathered envelope, sealed with wax. Once these 200 copies are gone (which will likely happen at the show with Rotting Christ on January 14), it will not be re-pressed in CD format. This physical release contains illustration by Dusty Neal of New Republic Tattoo, and was packaged entirely by Anagnorisis. Best of all, it will be free with any purchase from our merch table, be it an Overton Trees CD, shirt, or Rotting Christ ticket. They will also be available to purchase for $5.00 each.
Our idea with this release was not to make money, but to showcase the new era of Anagnorisis, and there is no better time to do it than the beginning of a new year. The imagery, sound, and new members all encompass the new direction that we as a band are headed. We hope you will appreciate and enjoy it.
Once the physical release is gone, Alpha and Omega will be available online, this time completely for free. We will make the songs available for download on MySpace, as well as ad the release to file-sharing networks such as Soulseek and Pirate Bay. Again, the goal is to give you, the fans, the songs, and let you hear what we've been working on for the past year.
Alpha and Omega: The Meaning
The term Alpha and Omega comes from the Book of Revelation, where it is used to signify God or Jesus. Alpha (Α) and Omega (Ω) are, respectively, the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, and consequently God is represented as "the Beginning and the End." In Christian theology, this symbolizes the idea that God is present at the beginning and end of one's life; that "he" is the total focus.
The lyrics of both Overton Trees and Alpha and Omega speak out against religion, particularly Christianity. This disdain for religion and theism is a view that we as a band now place as a statement with this release: There are no gods, and we as humans are the beginning and the end, the Alpha and the Omega. Thus, we are each the focus of our own lives, not God or any supernatural force.
If you wish to speak with us more about these views, please contact us via MySpace, e-mail, or come talk to us at a show. We sincerely appreciate everyone's support. See you on the road,
Anagnorisis
Alpha and Omega1) When Obsession Awoke Tyranny
2) The Shadow of the Adversary
3) The Origin of Misanthropy
Recorded by Zak Denham at One by One Studios, New Albany, IN
Mixed and Mastered by Zack Ohren at Castle Ultimate Studios, Oakland, CA
Engineered by Zak Denham and Samuel Hartman
Produced by Anagnorisis
Music by Anagnorisis
Lyrics by Nathan Bowling -
Alpha and Omega Lyrics
WHEN OBSESSION AWOKE TYRANNY
Be her, my bane, uncleansed and forgotten. Exhaustion undying as broken hands build fortresses, to keep tyrants at bay. She stormed me like a plague, with no protection from her deceit. With no heart, nor the strength to fight I now rest my head at tyrants' feet.
Impure and ghastly. I have found no warmth in the perils of love. Misanthropic and content. I have buried all that I once was. Be this the bitter end.
She stormed me like a plague, with no protection from her deceit. With no heart, nor the strength to fight, I now rest my head at her feet. Exhaustion undying, broken hands build thrones of kings to seat my goddess, my queen.
I have out lived the ghost I was, my bitterness, your bitterness.
SHADOW OF THE ADVERSARY
Bring me the heads of Martyrs and those who crawl blindly. We will pave the streets with the flesh and bones of the weak. For those who cast down shunning eyes, I'll cast upon you the shadow of the Adversary. I'll spare nothing, I'll burn through your lies, and sift through your failure, like the Devil's fire through ash. Prayers and beggars alike, you'll waste a life time to fill an eternal void. We, the elite, take our throne, as you, the disease, wear the skin off your fucking knees.
Bound to a lifetime of voluntary servitude. Bound to the mouth of faith, with words so naive. Bound to the cross and staring at the sun. Bound by blood to segregate mankind from beast. No one will return for you. Abandon every shred of hope. Pull the petal from every rose, and clinch the thorns. Shroud yourself in self pity and adore death. The Apocalypse is upon us, Armageddon is here and now.
Bound to the pages of a faithful contradiction. Bound to a thoughtless mindset and afterlife obsession. Bound to the loss and envious spite. Wash your hands of faith or drown in the blood of christ. The Apocalypse is upon us, Armageddon is here and now.
Denounce praise to a smoke and mirror savior, denounce faith and allow the mythical dead weight to fall from your shoulders. Everything you ever were, must be of you and you alone. Rewarding self sacrifice to a unseen ghost is true blasphemy.
We are the Horsemen. We are the bringers of the blackest death. We are the evils. We are the self destruction. And we are the end of days.
Mankind, the god complex, the self absorbed, the civil demise.
We as predators glorify such valiant devastation. We as beasts are no better than the dead we have buried.
THE ORIGIN OF MISANTHROPY
Your vacant eyes tell a tale of beckoned deceit. Your skin pale and lifeless, this is where redemption and revenge meet. A lover's grip around the neck of that which I cherish. If I've been the ills that beg you, why must you haunt me?
No deed be forgiven, no deed gone unpunished. For the lack of compassion, for the sake of hatred. You've instilled a loathing reminder, you've awakened unbearable lust.
I bask in ravenous glory. I will seize the day, amongst days.
Consumed with apathy and disgust. Bearing witness to the Hells that have become me. An undying hatred. The bitter taste of inerted sorrow. Claw out my eyes. Take from me my heart. But still I'll stop at nothing to fall asleep to your screams. And as the warm light fades from your eyes I'll kiss your ghost in my dreams.
Sleep.
Gods won't stop me. Hell won't have me.
I bask in ravenous glory. I will seize the day, amongst my last days.
Immortal. Immortality. -
Anagnorisis welcomes long time drummer back to the mix
Current mood:
We are proud to announce the return of long time drummer Adam Pierce back to Anagnorisis. After departing from the band less than five months ago, Pierce has returned more eager than ever.
ecstatic
Official Statement:
"I am proud to announce my return to Anagnorisis. After spending a short time in the Bay Area pursuing various musical endeavors, I am moving back to my hometown to plague the nation with my metal brothers. My first show back with the band will be October 20th in Louisville. Please check out our myspace for more details and be on the look out for our new EP. This EP is definitely an extreme step for Anagnorisis, but it will definitely turn some heads. We are pushing the limit more than ever, which is what this genre is all about."
sweet!!! I love slaytanic tripple-six salutes!!! HA HA!!!! cant wait to do it again!
Thanks for the shout out guys. It's unfortunate the show didn't go better here. We definitely have to make it right in the near future. It was awesome hanging out with all of you guys at Athens Family. The CDs and shirts are fantastic, best of luck on the 31st show.
Thanks for the mention guys! I am more than happy to take pictures for you all as much as I can. I really enjoy watching you all play and put on sick performances.