ALBUM: Thetan - Grand Ole Agony (CD/VINYL LP)

Raging through the South and East Coast since 2011, THETAN has been a force of nature in the punk and metal worlds as well as crossing over to work with iconic hip-hop emcees such as Kool Keith, Ultramagnetic MC’s, and LIL B. Mixing early hardcore with West Coast powerviolence and sprinkling in the dark musical sensibilities of 1990s European black metal, THETAN has 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 craft to another sonic dimension. The album opens with nightmarish 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 – 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 and dissonance. 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 THETAN, 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.