Artist: Skaven
Title: Discography (1995-1997)
Release: LP / Digital
Year: 2014
Label: Skuld Releases, Moshpit Tragedy
Skaven was a short-lived but highly acclaimed crust band captivating the sound pioneered by Nausea in the early 90’s and led to perfection by handful of bands after 1994.
Formed in 1995 the Oakland based Skaven have released a long out-of-print self-titled EP and split releases with the almighty Dystopia and Stormcrow. After the band’s demise in 1997 their singer Zebediah Gammack formed Demon Steed, while guitar player Geoff Evans became the mastermind behind Asunder.
It’s been a long time since then but their music is still not forgotten. Originally recorded nearly two decades ago by Noah Landis (Neurosis) at Polymorph Studios, the long awaited eight songs Skaven discography has been finally remastered from the original tapes by the genius of Brad Boatright at his famous Audiosiege Sonic Engineering studio. Brad is not only known as the guitarist of From Ashes Rise but also remastered such hell of a records as Sleep “Dopesmoker” LP and recordings by Integrity, Nails, High On Fire, etc. He has done an excellent job once again and Skaven’s LP sound as crushingly good, moody and heavy as ever before. Worth mentioning is that each piece is a stand-out track for itself but they all fit perfectly well together not as a compilation of three different EP’s but as songs written for a full-length. There’s no doubt that this is some fucking serious, crust-driven sludge with pulverizing intensity.
I’m sure that if you’re into mid-90’s crust or the music of Dystopia, Damad and early Kylesa chances are you already know Skaven and feel grateful that the legendary label Skuld Releases is putting their remastered discography on a single LP, it’s also digitally available through Moshpit Tragedy.