Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Krieg - The Black House




Artist: Krieg
Album: The Black House: 10th Anniversary Edition
Label: Sol Y Nieve (SYN 015)
Limitation: 100 Hand-numbered Copies
Country: US
Genre: Classic USBM
Year: 2004 (Reissued 2014)

Originally recorded in Germany in 2003, Krieg's third and arguably finest artistic statement, and one of USBM's early defining underground treasures, The Black House, has recently been unearthed and reissued by Coeur d'Alene, Idaho mainstays Sol Y Nieve in honor of the masterpiece's 10th anniversary. Much has been written (both by journalists and N. Jameson himself) about the psychological dream-issues addressed in this album, and even more so his unusual but very much welcomed choice to include a Velvet Underground cover, namely Venus In Furs, on the recording. As with all Sol Y Nieve releases, the physical artifact is nothing short of beautiful, containing a lovingly created "black c46 cassette with white ink in a traditional plastic case with a 4 panel j-card and a 1 panel insert, all housed in a label-crafted, screen printed, black drawstring bag," and, as far as I can tell, an extra song that's not on my well-worn vinyl copy. Whew. Definitely the deluxe treatment. This being such an intensely personal release, I thought I'd end this reconsideration with a few words from the musician himself:


Originally "dedicated to the memory of Judas Iscariot, R.I.P. 1992-2002."

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