Album artwork for primordial-decay

Cascades of Black

from Primordial Decay

July 19th, 2024
8 tracks
54:16
Primordial Decay
Primordial Decay
Cascades of Black
0:00
4:20
Cascades of Black
greyfleshtethered
[a black swarm of wasps, cradling the treeline. i know you hear them, their hum is shaking the roof, a never-too-distant drone pulsing through feeble bodies. how do you feel hope without safety? how do I make it stop?] below the soil, far underground, lives and breathes a darkness; that chokes like smoke and coats your skin; unfurling into every dusty corner of the mind. there's no hope without safety. how do I make it stop? there's no solace in the pills they prescribe, no fleeting warmth or joy so i drowned in drink and buried the bones, that useless troubled boy. dig a hole deep enough for you and those close innocent few, whose watchful gaze only sharpens the shovel, reprieve undue. cascades of black. a shadowed godless self, a hollowed vacant shell fearing the void. fumbling through the darkness and searching for life, yet all is destroyed. we're on our own now, the discomfort of disease far too great for helping hands. the time passes so slowly, a-decade-a-minute down here in the endless sands. that glimmer of faith, the faint spark of life clenched in iron grip. through darkness of totality, deep and pure, I still hold strong; the mortal terror of existence and the stubborn pleasure of resistance. a contract signed at birth can only be broken in death, and today we live. that buzzing drone gives way to quiet hums, ebbing in blissful waves. back on land and clinging to the soil, the sun rises once more.
8:38

Life is an endless spiral of decay and hope, the brightest blackness you could ever conjure. Change is as inevitable as it is terrifying, and charting a course for navigation through actualization and understanding of self has never been more imperative. The fight for a more forgiving and authentic future is at our doorstep but they stole the keys and welded the deadbolts shut.


Primordial Decay is a reimagining of 5 songs created in 2006-07 for a split album that was later pressed to CD (the first time I had ever had material formally published on a physical medium). Having just started out as musician, the songs were quite rough so when I unearthed the original files in 2021 after the release of The Dark Being, it felt like an obvious choice for revisiting. Approaching the songwriting with all the knowledge & stylistic influence I've gained in the almost two decades since the initial release, these updated songs quickly took on a life of their own and became so much more than I could have ever hoped for, bearing only the faintest resemblance to what I was capable of creating in my youth. After many delays and some financial hardship, I'm so excited and proud to finally publish this album in full.


Thematically, the album deals with concepts ranging from the death & destruction of the modern world to the crushing fist of mental illness/addiction to the unending struggle of existing as a trans person in an oppressively antagonistic social structure. Instrumental music has always been my primary interest so composing lyrics to fit the music I made ended up being one of the more difficult parts of this project, but it was an absolute pleasure to work with such talented vocalists who truly helped bring this album to life.


A big thank you to: all the collaborating/remixing musicians for their time and efforts, J for lending your bass guitar to the cause and for the unconditional emotional support, Dan P. and the entire Bee Side Cassettes family for publishing my music, every single person that's supported this project from the start (but most especially Kirk M., Hazel M., Cin R., June G., Liz G., Gabi B., and Willow W.), Magenta Skull for the litany of foundational sample packs that formed the backbone to much of this album, and of course my lil prince Kodie <3

Credits

All instrumentation and mixing by Daria S.

Mastering by Erik Peabody of Viking Guitar Productions.

Album art collaboration with Krrrrrrk, support them here:
https://www.instagram.com/krrrrrrk/
https://twitter.com/Krrrrrrk

Vocals on track #2 by Kalinar Voidwalker, support them here:
https://apprentice1.bandcamp.com/
https://incorporealband.bandcamp.com/

Vocals on track #3 by Eliana Dickenson, support them here:
https://divakarr.bandcamp.com/music/

Vocals on track #5 by Nyx Demonica, support them here:
https://audreyhornet.bandcamp.com/
https://stml.bandcamp.com/

Track #6 is a remix by Planepacked, support them here:
https://planepacked.bandcamp.com

Track #7 is a remix by Luciform, support them here:
https://luciform.bandcamp.com
https://soundcloud.com/luciform

Track #8 is a remix by DJ Rozwell, support them here:
https://djrozwell.bandcamp.com
https://soundcloud.com/dj-rozwell