When an underground band attains a certain level of fame and prestige, it often benefits other, less popular, acts within its own scene or even entire sub-genre. After Nine Inch Nails began gaining popularity in the 90s, Trent Reznor leveraged the project's success with his record label Interscope and formed Nothing Records – a vanity label specializing in industrial and electronic music. Through Reznor's Nothing imprint, a large audience was exposed to underground music they wouldn't have heard otherwise. Bands such as Meat Beat Manifesto, Pig, and most notably, Marilyn Manson received much wider exposure and record distribution thanks almost entirely to Nine Inch Nails' nascent popularity. The latest artist to ride a current of popularity while simultaneously dragging the waters for unsung underground bands to promote is Deafheaven vocalist George Clarke.
Clarke has partnered with his friend and onetime Deafheaven bass player Derek Prine to form The All Black Recording Company. According to the label's website, the purpose of the ABRC is to, "profile artists that each have their own brand of power and emotion while presenting their music in the highest physical quality available." That's a pretty broad mission statement, but, if the label's inaugural release is any indication, the extreme music community is in for some treats in the future.
To kick off the ABRC roster, the label is releasing the first album from Oakland, California's Black Monolith. It's understandable if you're not familiar with that name; the one-man crusty black metal project has only released a three song demo, and that was back in 2011. But, now that you're aware of Black Monolith, you have no excuse for not checking it out. The demo is full of raw black metal with crust and d-beat influence, but there's also a groovy backbone to the music that compels your head to nod and your feet to tap. The full-length LP, titled Passenger, is going to be released on 180 gram gatefold vinyl in April, and you can see the album's cover art, courtesy of Bryan Proteau, above. While there's no music from the album available to stream yet, you can listen to Black Monolith's demo below to get an idea of what you're in store for.
