Dreams of Consciousness Podcast Episode 193 features an interview with Charlie Leduc of Deformatory.

Deformatory and Dreams of Consciousness have a history that goes back to the earliest years of this blog. For almost a decade, the band have catered to my love of frantic, blastbeat-driven Canadian death metal, while also patiently indulging my references to maple syrup and The Kids In The Hall.

I spoke with singer/guitarist Charlie Leduc about what Deformatory have been up to since the last time they were on this blog, and how their music takes listeners on a journey. We also discussed their impending third album, Inversion of the Unseen Horizon, getting Cryptopsy's Jon Levasseur to contribute to the recording, and why concept albums fill a innate human need to tell stories.

My thanks to Charlie for speaking with me, and to all of you for listening.

Music In This Episode:

"Obsequium"

taken from the album Malediction

"Myiasis"

taken from the Deformatory/The Blood Of Christ split Bilateral Carnage

"Summoning The Cosmic Devourer"

"Beyond The Abhorrence"

"Impaled Upon The Carrionspire "

taken from the upcoming album Inversion of the Unseen Horizon

Thanks for listening! Interviews, reviews, and more at www.dreamsofconsciousness.com

Comic Stans is a new podcast I launched, wherein I interview comics creators about their work, process, and experiences in the comics industry. This is the first episode, featuring an interview with Shannon Wheeler (Too Much Coffee Man, God Is Disappointed In You).

You can find out more at patreon.com/comicstans

Dreams of Consciousness Podcast Episode 192 features an interview with Lord Kaiju of Oxygen Destroyer.

DoC friends Oxygen Destroyer got my attention the old fashioned way: By playing thrashing death metal with the fewest frills possible. Their kaiju-inspired lyrics perfectly complement their bestial sound, which recalls the seminal early albums of Kreator and Vader.

I spoke with singer/guitarist Lord Kaiju about his love of monster movies and classic death/thrash. We also discussed Oxygen Destroyer's upcoming second album, Sinister Monstrosities Spawned By the Unfathomable Ignorance of Humankind, and what the band has planned for the future.

My thanks to Lord Kaiju for speaking with me, and to all of you for listening.

Music In This Episode:

"Sons of the Necrobeast"

taken from the split EP Oxygen Destroyer vs Power Beast: Pacific Devastation

"Cleansing the Earth of Humanity's Existence"

taken from the album Bestial Manifestations of Malevolence and Death

"The Plague Spreading Horror from 20,000 Fathoms"

"Slaughtering the Guardian Monsters"

taken from the upcoming album Sinister Monstrosities Spawned By the Unfathomable Ignorance of Humankind

Thanks for listening! Interviews, reviews, and more at www.dreamsofconsciousness.com

Dreams of Consciousness Podcast Episode 191 features an interview with Mike "Abominator" Nelson of Ruin.

By reducing death metal to its most basic elements, Ruin approach the genre much like Motörhead or AC/DC. But don't let their simplicity fool you; as guitarist/vocalist/founder Mike "Abombinator" Nelson says, "For a bunch of stupid assholes playing fucking simplistic, barbaric death metal, we actually do a lot of planning with this stuff."

I spoke with Mike about Ruin's early years, the circumstances that led to their decades-long hiatus, and why Mike decided to resurrect the band. We also discussed Ruin's upcoming third full-length, Spread Plague Death, and how RZA and Jimmy Page influenced the flow of the album.

My thanks to Mike for speaking with me, and to all of you for listening.

Music In This Episode:

"In Horrific Disgust"

taken from the album Human Annihilation

"Humiliation At Birth"

taken from the compilation Plague Transmissions: Vol 2

"Slow Degradation"

"Ornaments of Flesh"

taken from the upcoming album Spread Plague Death

"Drown in Blood"

taken from the album Drown in Blood

Thanks for listening! Interviews, reviews, and more at www.dreamsofconsciousness.com

Dreams of Consciousness Podcast Episode 190 features an interview with Andrew Lund and Tyler Cox of Thought Leaders.

My thanks to Andy and Tyler for speaking with me, and to all of you for listening.

Music In This Episode:

"Gold Soldiers"

taken from the EP Wires Crossed

"Radiator"

taken from the split single with The Tunnel

"Burning Glass"

"Desire Reserve"

taken from the album In Wastelands

Thanks for listening! Interviews, reviews, and more at www.dreamsofconsciousness.com

Dreams of Consciousness Podcast Episode 189 features an interview with Yianna Bekris of Vouna.

Vouna is a solo project from Eigenlicht guitarist Yianna Bekris. Aided by icy synths and folk melodies, the project creates funeral doom with the occasional shoegazing USBM interlude.

I spoke with Yianna Bekris about what led her to form Vouna, and why she chose to maintain the band as a solo project. We also discussed how members of Wolves In The Throneroom, Cruciamentum, and Esoteric helped with Vouna's new album, Atropos, and how the album's mythological themes tie in to ecology and biology.

My thanks to Yianna for speaking with me, and to all of you for listening.

Music In This Episode:

"Cattle"

"Drowning City"

taken from the album Vouna

"Highest Mountain"

"What Once Was"

taken from the album Atropos

Thanks for listening! Interviews, reviews, and more at www.dreamsofconsciousness.com

Dreams of Consciousness Podcast Episode 188 features an interview with Herb Burke of Drawn And Quartered.

For nearly three decades, Drawn And Quartered have been flying the flag for putrid death metal. The band never wavered from their style, and amassed a body of work that sounds indifferent to the trends of the larger metal scene throughout that time.

I spoke with bassist/vocalist Herb Burke about the early years of Drawn And Quartered, how the band emerged from its previous incarnation as Plague Bearer, and what it was like to play death metal in Seattle during the Nineties. We also discussed Drawn And Quartered's latest album, Congregation Pestilence, and what the "ultimate" Drawn And Quartered album would sound like.

My thanks to Herb for speaking with me, and to all of you for listening.

Music In This Episode:

"Deliverance to the Worms"

"The One Who Lurks"

taken from the album The One Who Lurks

"Oblivion Pilgrimage"

"Rotting Abomination (The Cleansing)"

taken from the album Congregation Pestilence

"Lustmörder"

taken from the album Feeding Hell's Furnace

Thanks for listening! Interviews, reviews, and more at www.dreamsofconsciousness.com

Dreams of Consciousness Podcast Episode 187 features an interview with Dan Caycedo of Withered.

Formed by members of Social Infestation (the cult Atlanta deathgrind band that also contained members of Mastodon), Withered have spent decades ignoring genre classification with their self-described "tortured blackened doom/death". Their atonal and claustrophobic sound finds common ground between Neurosis and Ulcerate, demonstrating those bands aren't as disparate as one might think.

I spoke with guitarist/vocalist Dan Caycedo about his musical history before Withered, what led him to join the band, and the challenges that come with playing Withered's music. We also discussed the writing and recording of the latest Withered album, Verloren, and what the band has planned for the future.

My thanks to Dan for speaking with me, and to all of you for listening.

Music In This Episode:

"Seek The Shrouded"

taken from the album Dualitas

"Casting in Wait"

"…The Long Hurt"

taken from the album Verloren

"Clamor Beneath" (with Barney Greenway)

taken from the album Folie Circulaire

Thanks for listening! Interviews, reviews, and more at www.dreamsofconsciousness.com

Dreams of Consciousness Podcast Episode 186 features an interview with Infernal of Desaster.

Formed during metal's Eighties heyday, and forged in the crucible of early Venom and Teutonic thrash, Desaster are rooted in the hectic sound of early black metal. Though they have undoubtedly benefited from (and possibly helped inspire) the renewed interest in the early "bestial" sound of black thrash, their recorded history predates the old school revival by at least a decade.

I spoke with Desaster guitarist Markus "Infernal" Kuschke about about the various influences that shaped their style, and their resistance to second wave black metal. We also discussed their recently released ninth album Churches Without Saints, and where the band goes from here.

My thanks to Infernal for speaking with me, and to all of you for listening.

Music In This Episode:

"End of Tyranny"

taken from the album The Oath of an Iron Ritual

"Learn to Love the Void"

"Armed Architects of Annihilation"

taken from the album Churches Without Saints

"The Splendour of the Idols"

taken from the album The Arts of Destruction

Thanks for listening! Interviews, reviews, and more at www.dreamsofconsciousness.com

Dreams of Consciousness Podcast Episode 185 features an interview with Jeff Longo of The Blood of Christ.

With a recording history that goes back more than 25 years, The Blood Of Christ are veterans of the Canadian death metal scene. Their blasting style is reminiscent of other Canadian bands, but with extended melodic sections and the rhythmic flair of classic Sepultura.

I spoke with Blood Of Christ co-founder/guitarist Jeff Longo about the band's beginnings, and why I hadn’t heard of them until now. We also discussed the upcoming reissues of the band's demos Frozen Dreams and The Lonely Flowers Of Autumn, as well as their recently released split with Japan's Vomit Remnants.

My thanks to Jeff for speaking with me, and to all of you for listening.

Music In This Episode:

"Echoes From The 7th Dimension"

taken from the album Unrelenting Declivity Of Anguish

"Sworn to The Northern Star"

taken from the split album Eastern Beast – Western Wolf

"Christ Crucified"

taken from the demo Frozen Dreams

"In the Distance"

taken from the demo The Lonely Flowers Of Autumn

Thanks for listening! Interviews, reviews, and more at www.dreamsofconsciousness.com