THETAN Release Grand Ole Agony
“‘Note To Self’ is more than just music; it’s an unapologetic journey into the darker corners of the human experience.”
The powerful Nashville duo THETAN have recently released “Note To Self”. The track is from their LP, Grand Ole Agony, which came out on October 13th.
Having raged across the Southern and East Coast states since forming in 2011, THETAN has been a force of nature in the punk and metal worlds, while also crossing over to work with iconic hip-hop emcees including Kool Keith, Ultramagnetic MC’s, and LIL B. Mixing early hardcore with West Coast powerviolence and using hints of the dark musical sensibilities of 1990s European black metal, they have created a crushing brand of hardcore that grinds and devastates listeners before plunging them into nerve shattering psychedelia on their new full-length, Grand Ole Agony.
On Grand Ole Agony, THETAN’s Chad L'Eplattenier (drums, theremin), and Dan Emery (bass, theremin, vocals, mountain dulcimer) take their unique style to a completely new dimension. The album opens with nightmare fueled soundscapes which give way to a monologue by legendary Tennessee rap icon Crunchy Black of Three 6 Mafia, followed by an explosion of speaker rupturing distorted bass and unrelenting drum blasts. What follows is over thirty minutes of uncompromising sonic abuse, delving into the depths of the human psyche, loss of companionship, and the death of a solar system. Grand Ole Agony also features critically-acclaimed, highly decorated jazz trumpeter Mac Gollehon, who is noted for his work with David Bowie, Blondie, Onyx, among thousands of others, as well as David Brenner of avant-garde industrial/noise artist Gridfailure, providing intense soundscapes and tortured vocals. Delivering haunting string accompaniments are Leslie Fox-Humphreys a.k.a. Americana/folk soloist The Bandit Queen Of Sorrows on cello and Ashley Mae of Lost Dog Street Band on violin, and Benjamin Tod of Lost Dog Street Band provides harmonica.
Grand Ole Agony was recorded by the band themselves, with all post-production including mixing, mastering, and an animated etching on the vinyl version of the album handled by Dan Emery at Black Matter Mastering. The album is completed with cover art by Kristen Ferrell and photography by Ericka Poore and Joseph Wyman.
“This is one of my favorite songs to play live right now, and is usually our set closer. It is about your inner demons never quite going away, but instead lying dormant, waiting to come back and haunt you. Humans are imperfect beings. We are plagued with internal conflict that is solely a result of the types of lives we have forced ourselves to live.”
“In this haunting track, THETAN delves deep into the human psyche, exploring the concept of inner demons lying dormant, waiting to resurface and haunt us. It’s a visceral reminder that as imperfect beings, we grapple with internal conflicts born from the lives we’ve chosen to lead. ‘Note To Self’ is more than just music; it’s an unapologetic journey into the darker corners of the human experience.”
Photo by Riley Johnson