TRACK LIST

1. 1-BWG889
2. Notausgang
3. Sunfall
4. Fahey
5. 3-BWG565
6. Axxtrokk
7. Night Heat
8. White Hole
9. 1-BWG006
10. Cyclopean Utopia

ALBUM INFO

Drone Maintenance is the third full length work of progressive drone conjured by Blackwolfgoat, which is the solo vehicle of guitarist Darryl Shepard (Black Pyramid, The Scimitar, Hackman, Milligram, Roadsaw). The previous two outings, “Dragonwizardsleeve” (2010) and “Dronolith” (2011), established Shepard’s modus operandi of looped guitar parts, building and layering upon each other, to create compositions of dense distortion, delicate lines, as well as purely ambient pieces. Engineering and mixing duties were handled by Glenn Smith at his Amps vs. Ohms studios in Cambridge, MA. Drone Maintenance is also a quasi-concept album, sending Shepard into the future as a drone repairman, fixing and servicing rogue drones.

Musically, Blackwolfgoat’s palette on Drone Maintenance has been expanded to include acoustic guitar and judiciously applied vocal parts, but the main focus remains the electric guitar itself — without any other instrumentation or ulterior motives, and frequently captured live, in one take, with no (or minimal) overdubs of carefully considered embellishments added to the base layer. Inspired by early-70’s fusion, Krautrock, (Randy Holden’s Population II?) and suffocating doom, each song could serve as a soundtrack for an as-yet-unrealized film; yet they stand on their own and transduce their own moods.

Reviews of Blackwolfgoat’s prior two albums have stated: “Progressive is the name of the game as his music creates a shifting landscape of fuzzed out guitars/ambient noise. His creative use of atmosphere is most striking of all” (Heavy Metal Time Machine); and “Each sonic structure has a distinctly modern and minimalistic texture established on firm but simple foundations, soon evolving, almost organically, into towering edifices and labyrinthine complexity” (Sea of Tranquility).

Blackwolfgoat is not just a studio project, either, having performed shows alongside bands such as Man’s Gin and Totimoshi, and with plans to perform once again in the near future. And with artwork once again expertly handled by renowned artist Alexander von Wieding (Karma to Burn, Monster Magnet, Trouble, etc.), Drone Maintenance urges listeners to leave all preconceptions at the door and take an aural journey to places both bathed in sunlight and cloaked in darkness.

For fans of: Earth, Sunn0))), Pink Floyd, Neil Young’s “Dead Man” soundtrack.

Credits

BLACKWOLFGOAT is
Darryl Shepard: guitars, vocals

Recorded at Amps vs. Ohms studio in September 2013.
Produced by Blackwolfgoat and Glenn Smith.
Engineered and mixed by Glenn Smith.
Mastered at Baseline Audio Labs by Chris Goosman.
Album artwork and design by Alexander von Wieding.
Album concept by Darryl Shepard.
Tracks 3, 4, 6 and 8 recorded live in the studio, no overdubs.
All songs written by BLACKWOLFGOAT © 2014.
PUBLISHED by VIKINGLIGHTNINGCURSE MUSIC (BMI).

TRACKLIST:

1. Risk and Return 06:56
2. Death of a Lifer 07:32
3. Tinnitus the Night 04:17
4. The Goat 08:58
5. Aspirin Forever 02:46
6. Hotel Anhedonia 10:21

REVIEWS:

As a former member of alt-rockers Milligram, stoner rockers Roadsaw, and hard rockers Hackman, guitarist Darryl Shepard is no stranger to musical versatility, but his one-man project Blackwolfgoat easily exceeds his prior creative reach with all of those groups combined. In 2010’s cryptically named and wholly instrumental Dragonwizardsleeve, Shepard touches on an eclectic array of styles with what at first appear to be meticulously layered sounds, but which in fact are comprised of entirely live recordings, devoid of any overdubs save for a few loops played simultaneously, and therefore still suffused with a beguiling minimalist purity. For the most part, resulting tracks like “Death of a Lifer,” “Tinnitus the Night,” and “The Goat” consist of fluctuating waves of droning guitar inspired by the likes of Earth, Boris, and Sunn 0))), but room is also made for the clipped psych rock hypnosis of “Risk and Return,” the repetitive mechanistic pulsing of “Aspirin Forever” (reportedly sampled from a heart monitor), and the wind-blown acid rock slide guitar hangover of ten-minute closer “Hotel Anhedonia.” All together, these seemingly unrelated sonic experiments prove remarkably refreshing, frequently surprising, and utterly deserving of Blackwolfgoat’s chosen genre description as “unclassifiable.” That’s a compliment, in case you were wondering. Eduardo Rivadavia – ALL MUSIC GUIDE

ALBUM INFO:

Released 12 October 2010

Darryl Shepard: Guitar

Recorded at Amps vs. Ohms studio in April, 2010.
Produced by Blackwolfgoat and Glenn Smith.
Engineered and mixed by Glenn Smith.
Mastered at New Alliance East by Nick Zampiello and Rob Gonnella.
Album artwork and design by Alexander von Wieding.
Band photos by Keith Pierce.
Wardrobe by Sparks.
In-flight entertainment provided by The Wrestler.
A&R by Ivo Shandor.

All songs/sounds on this album were recorded live in the studio, no overdubs.
tags

Drone Maintenance is the third full length work of progressive drone conjured by Blackwolfgoat, which is the solo vehicle of guitarist Darryl Shepard (Black Pyramid, The Scimitar, Hackman, Milligram, Roadsaw). The previous two outings, “Dragonwizardsleeve” (2010) and “Dronolith” (2011), established Shepard’s modus operandi of looped guitar parts, building and layering upon each other, to create compositions of dense distortion, delicate lines, as well as purely ambient pieces. Engineering and mixing duties were handled by Glenn Smith at his Amps vs. Ohms studios in Cambridge, MA.  Drone Maintenance is also a quasi-concept album, sending Shepard into the future as a drone repairman, fixing and servicing rogue drones.

Musically, Blackwolfgoat’s palette on Drone Maintenance has been expanded to include acoustic guitar and judiciously applied vocal parts, but the main focus remains the electric guitar itself — without any other instrumentation or ulterior motives, and frequently captured live, in one take, with no (or minimal) overdubs of carefully considered embellishments added to the base layer. Inspired by early-70’s fusion, Krautrock, (Randy Holden’s Population II?) and suffocating doom, each song could serve as a soundtrack for an as-yet-unrealized film; yet they stand on their own and transduce their own moods.

Reviews of Blackwolfgoat’s prior two albums have stated: “Progressive is the name of the game as his music creates a shifting landscape of fuzzed out guitars/ambient noise. His creative use of atmosphere is most striking of all” (Heavy Metal Time Machine); and “Each sonic structure has a distinctly modern and minimalistic texture established on firm but simple foundations, soon evolving, almost organically, into towering edifices and labyrinthine complexity” (Sea of Tranquility).

Blackwolfgoat is not just a studio project, either, having performed shows alongside bands such as Man’s Gin and Totimoshi, and with plans to perform once again in the near future. And with artwork once again expertly handled by renowned artist Alexander von Wieding (Karma to Burn, Monster Magnet, Trouble, etc.), Drone Maintenance urges listeners to leave all preconceptions at the door and take an aural journey to places both bathed in sunlight and cloaked in darkness.

For fans of: Earth, Sunn0))), Pink Floyd, Neil Young’s “Dead Man” soundtrack.