Ipecac Recordings
Bohren & Der Club of Gore
Biography
BLACK EARTH
RELEASE DATE: 5/4/04
There is no documentation as to how MORTEN GASS, THORSTEN BENNING, ROBIN RODENBERG (and also REINER in the beginning) left Mülheim an der Ruhr, why they buried their own past as the legendary hardcore act 7 INCH BOOTS, and began to explore the unparalleled boundaries of time and endless darkness.
Perhaps they met one night, in the shade of trees, under the light of the darkest moon as a rising storm's wind carried the sound of howling wolves and ravens flying into the night. This is the twilight zone of the BOHREN mystery, where inconclusive evidence and hearsay only strengthens the power of their dark secret.
We present a few links as to why and what: A few scattered film quotes meander into their moody debut hit GORE MOTEL, then go into the monolithic opus of the century - the 140 minute long double album, MIDNIGHT RADIO. Car rides in the dead of night don't encourage much conversation. And who knows, maybe that gun in the glove compartment is loaded after all.
And of course there was SUNSET MISSION…an elegant version of hell with red velvet curtains and treacherous sumps. BOHREN deemed it as 'horror jazz'…
And now comes BLACK EARTH:
Absolute darkness. Forms of frozen horror creep through the night. The cracks of the cellar floor widen with each over-extended thud of brushes and double bass. They might have thrown groovy dance parties here once. Or maybe, right at this spot, a drunken kiosk owner may have killed his wife with a stamp collection album. Who knows where those dark red stains come from?
SOME COLD-HEARTED FACTS ABOUT THE BAND AND BLACK EARTH:
- BOHREN (English translation: Drilling) members were previously in CHRONICAL DIARRHOEA, 7 INCH BOOTS and MACABRE FARMHOUSE. In 1996 Reiner Henseleit left the band and Christoph Clöser joined shortly thereafter in 1997 where he appears on SUNSET MISSION and BLACK EARTH.
- In 1993 BOHREN released their debut 7" for Suggestion Records and added & DER CLUB OF GORE to their name in honor of the Dutch instrumental masters GORE. Both 1994's GORE MOTEL and MIDNIGHT RADIO were released on the EPISTROPHY imprint.
- IPECAC RECORDINGS is proud to domestically release BLACK EARTH originally released in 2002 on Germany's WONDER.
- With skull imprinted black on black packaging, you'd expect something more grisly from BOHREN, but digging into BLACK EARTH, the album reveals a smoothly sophisticated excursion into a jazz-born underworld as could only be envisioned by this band. Envision The Melvins jamming with Angelo Badalamenti in a dark dank jazz bar.
Releases
