Skullflower | Artist
Skullflower is a British noise rock band, formed 1987 in London by guitarist Matthew Bower. The band soon filled out with the addition of members Gary Mundy (guitar, vocals) from Industrial-noise band Ramleh, Stefan Jaworzyn (guitar, bass, tape manipulation, feedback), Stuart Dennison (drums, vocals, guitar, tape manipulation, violin, bells, turntable, whistle, percussion, viola), and Anthony Di Franco (bass, guitar). The present day lineup includes Bower and Mundy together with John Godbert (horn, whistle, double reed, reeds, piano, drum), Lee Stokoe (guitar, noise), Samantha Davies (cello, violin, cymbal, guitar, bass), and George Proctor (drums). The band initially attained a cult following using a sound based on "sludgy, Black Sabbath-style riffs overlaid with feedback, fuzzed-out guitar noise, and throttling rhythms, all played at a high volume." Always an improvisational outfit, the band's music grew increasingly free-form over the course of their career, moving further away from the rock music form. In an interview with The Guardian in 2016, the band was cited as being an influence to American avant-garde metal band Neurosis. As a recording outfit the band is prolific, with over 70 studio albums accredited to them, plus live albums, EP's and Singles. They hit the ground running with their debut album Form Destroyer (1989), which attracted some rave reviews such as the following from RYM: "some records just scream monumental from the first seconds, as the dash of feedback on opener Elephant's Grave announces a dystopian metropolis of half-melted corpses and angered souls. sure, there's a deep air of unawareness, a sort of intoxication and fogginess permeating everything. it's all a little obscure, a little unclear, but that's all due to the deep tragedy and trauma behind it all." Additional standout albums include Xaman (1990), IIIrd Gatekeeper (1992), Obsidian Shaking Codex (1993), and Infinityland (1995). Allegedly there is a legendary "lost" album from the 90s, the label Noiseville reportedly holds an unreleased album by the band that they refuse to release until the label head passes away. Over time the band has moved increasingly towards improvisational, high-volume soundscapes blending sludge riffs, feedback, and drone. They are considered a major influence on artists like Sunn O))) and Godflesh. Bower’s discography of visceral, free drone-rock is one of the most formidable of its kind and he was considered in 2005 by The Wire to be one of the "map co-ordinates for much of what passed for a post-punk UK underground during most of the 80s and 90s".
Artist Website: skullflower.bandcamp.com
Featured Albums: Skullflower
Related Artists: Ramleh, Breathless, Consumer Electronics