Greg Mullenax of homegrown Clarion Void
I push the cassette tape into the player, it clicks, and I press Play. Feedback starts and it goes into absolutely crushing blackened sludge. It sounds heavy, it sounds painful, and most important of all, it sounds real.
Deafening Sounds of Mortality is the debut album from Colorado Springs sludge lords Clarion Void. It’s an album that touches on the deep subject of loss and mortality through heavy, yet beautiful music. Though Clarion Void has been a band for four years now, they are just now unleashing a full-length album on the world — and it’s well worth the wait.
“We work pretty slow,” explains singer/guitarist Greg Mullenax. “This is more of a passion project and we put a lot of time into writing and structuring songs.”
They started recording in March 2021 with Nick Pryor from Pryor Custom Craft and Kalakuta in his Subterranean Lair (AKA his basement). After the band went back to the studio to redo parts, and dealt with personal troubles in life, their album is finally ready and will be released almost two years later, on Feb. 24.
“It did take a while,” says Mullenax. “There was a lot of going back into the studio and changing things we didn’t like. We went in and recorded well over an hour of material all together, a lot of which didn’t end up on the album, and then each member went back individually and did their own isolated recording for each track.
“We do this project for ourselves and don’t have any deadlines or have anyone to answer to. And we certainly don’t support ourselves this way, as we all work full-time jobs. So if something comes up for a member and they can’t make it to record, nobody is upset. We all just wanted to take our time and make the album we wanted for ourselves and now that it’s out there the world can just have it and enjoy it, or not.”
The album has heavy, brain-crushing sludge along with blast beats, d-beats, and slow, clean parts that really set the mood. There is passion, and sadness, with every note, which at times feels relatable and almost consoling.
“Deafening Sounds of Mortality comes from our personal experiences with loss over the last couple of years,” explains Mullenax. “Throughout our writing and recording process, each member of the band has lost a friend or a family member to disease, suicide, and murder, which is a big reason it’s also taken so long. We’re all friends first and foremost, and supporting each other through grieving comes before anything with the band. So a lot of the theme is facing our own and others’ mortality.
“Deafening Sounds of Mortality comes from our personal experiences with loss over the last couple of years.”
— Greg Mullenax
“I feel like for each of us, playing this loud, aggressive, and sometimes soft music is our way of coping with having to face the fact that our loved ones are destined to die, so it has been very therapeutic to create this, and more relieving than anything to finally put it out into the world.”
Clarion Void will release the album on all major streaming platforms and cassette on Friday the 24th, with a special release show at Vultures the following night, along with Arizona’s Suicide Forest, Kalakuta and Ob Nixilis.
There’s more going on around this week, too, starting on Thursday the 23rd with hip-hop at The Black Sheep from Grieves, Mouse Powell, Zach Ivie, Dumb Luck and Affliction Music with #PressPlayDoe. Friday evening celebrate Jordan Rupp’s 21st birthday with a pop punk show, with Jordan’s band Strung Short joined by Sponge Cake and Florissant. 719 punk rockers The Sleights will be returning home from tour on Friday with a special show at Fritzy’s with California punk rock group Cut-Rate Druggist.
Have you ever been sitting at home watching the classic film Shrek and wondered, “What would this be like with electronic music?!” Me neither, but it seems as if someone has. On Saturday the 25th, The Black Sheep will be hosting Shrek Rave, which is exactly what that sounds like. So, out of curiosity, you should probably check that out, right?!