Morts
Containing just one track at over 27 mins long, you'd want something that can grab your attention and hold it... Well, this works for me! Starting out dark and brooding it slowly builds, samples of Doug Stanhope drifting through the atmospherics (yeah, I guess it helps to be a fan of Stanhope's stand-up). As the song progresses the tension builds, adding crunchier guitars, vocals starting ghostly become more aggressive. Fantastic post-metal, hypnotic and brutal!
"The Mentalist" was recorded live at the STSound studio in Salt Lake City, UT in late 2009. The entire recording session with additional vocals, overdubs, sampling, bells and whistles took less than eight hours. The album, comprised of a single track, was nearly twenty-six minutes in length showcasing nearly every element of sound the band was then known for as well as several unexpected surprises. Much darker in tone than previous releases, the album would be the band's first conceptual release.
"The Mentalist explores the mental deterioration of a religious fanatic faced with the loss of his faith, ultimately driving himself to insanity from his inability to allow the belief system he was raised with to coexist with the growing doubts as to what he has been taught is reality. The album is basically a commentary on the damage that any sort of faith-based belief system can have on someone faced with evidence contradictory to what they've been taught. Psychic powers, new-age ideas, religious belief, and similar topics. But dark as it may seem at times, the message is supposed to be motivational.” - Viktor Wilt
The band wanted to include a very strongly delivered, almost evangelical message encouraging rational thought during the instrumental buildup that initiated the album. But, it couldn't be a bore. They needed something absolutely hilarious to contrast the dark tone of the intro, yet get the point across. Wilt contacted famed comedian Doug Stanhope, who granted free use of his recorded material to the band to use in the project as they pleased. Utilizing a selection of clips from Stanhope's album “Die Laughing”, the album was then mixed and mastered, ready for the masses.
The Mentalist was released as a free download in digital-only format through Spacnum Records in April 2010 to critical acclaim worldwide. An extensive thirty-seven page digital booklet accompanied the album, as well as hi-res copies of the artwork suitable for large-scale printing.
credits
released April 20, 2010
Original blueprint by Viktor Wilt
Modern Marvel Mega-Structure by Viktor Wilt, Steve McMichael, Joey Labato.
Vocals, Synths, Guitars - Viktor "Bob" Wilt
Lead Guitars - Joey "The Hulk" Labato
Drums/Percussion - Steve "Jesus" McMichael
Basses -
Additional vocals and chants by Scott Taylor, Joey Labato, Steve McMichael and Joe Hamilton.
Produced by Viktor Wilt and Scott Taylor.
Recorded live with additional overdubs at STSound in Idaho Falls, Idaho on July 29, 2009 by Scott Taylor.
Mixed and mastered in February and March 2010 at STSound in Taylorsville, Utah by Scott Taylor and The Reptilians.
The clips "Ants" and "Fuck You God" from the album Die Laughing by Doug Stanhope used with permission. www.dougstanhope.com
Photography, Art Direction and Layout by Viktor Wilt
Copyright 2010 Spacnum Records
Some rights reserved.
Licensed by Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States