Xasthur

Years ago, I met a friend online. We both shared an interest in Black Metal. He asked me if I'd ever heard a band called Xasthur. I said I had not heard the project but was familiar with Malefic (Scott C.) who pretty much did the project entirely on his own. I had read a fascinating interview with him and was looking forward to hearing the music. My friend sent me his impossible to find demo album in mp3s and had me listen to it. I was hooked. I immediately bought everything I could. The past few years, money has been a struggle, so I have fallen a bit behind on his releases. It saddens me as I think he offered the best US Black Metal we've yet heard and now he has broken up the band and will continue his musical endeavors under an as-yet undisclosed name. From the sound of it, the project will not be Black Metal. He seems to have tired of the genre.

I got the CD "Nocturnal Poisoning" when it was new. There was a contact e-mail address in the booklet. I decided to take a chance and write the man who was creating music that had such a powerful effect on me. It turns out, he's somewhat misanthropic and withdrawn, but can be very pleasant and friendly when you approach him in the right fashion.  I exchanged quite a few e-mails with him. One time, quite drunk, I had Janine carve "Xasthur" into my chest with a razor. We took photos of it, still bleeding, and sent him the pics. He seemed a bit bemused but not at all disapproving. He even asked my permission to use that photo in a retrospective album that was in the planning stages but never materialized. I was bummed the project never got off the ground but it was cool that he made the offer.

The music itself is the sound of despair. He does not sound like any other Black Metal band, past or present. You can detect influences but the final product is always uniquely Xasthur. I don't know if Scott suffered some kind of severe traumatic experiences in his life or, like me, was born with a dark, hopeless spirit. Perhaps some of both. The music is surreal, otherworldly, inhuman, twisted, incomprehensibly bleak. His vocals are distorted beyond recognition shrieks of agony rising from deep in the mix, adding to the otherworldly aspect. It is like a haunting. Each album has its own unique identity but is unmistakably Xasthur. No other artist could create what Malefic creates. It was very trendy for awhile to be a Black Metal fan and love Xasthur and then it became equally trendy to despise the band. I'm sure Malefic never cared about either trend and neither did I. I find a kindred spirit in the music and the lyrics, when those are made available. I will always cherish the connection I forged with the music and the artist. I am even thinking of finding out if that old e-mail address is still a viable contact option. I miss talking to him.

Lastly, the coolest thing of all. Janine loved to surprise me. One day I woke up and she said she had something for me. She brought it in and I unwrapped it and it was a copy of the impossible to find demo my friend had sent me the mp3's for long before. She'd gotten it off eBay for near $100. I was thrilled and she was happy to see how happy she'd made me. I wrote him to tell him about it. And he said he didn't like the version that he'd released, that he was releasing a new version of it. He asked me for my address so he could send me a copy of the new version for free. So, now I have a CD that was personally given to me by one of my favorite artists of all time. I think that says worlds about the kind of guy he is when he meets a real fan.

Scott, wherever your musical journeys take you, stay true to your inner vision. It led you to create some of my favorite music and, even if your next undertaking is completely different, if you are true to yourself it will be no less magnificent.