MASTODON Drummer Featured On KILLICK's 'Exsanguinette'

Athens, Georgia-based musician Killick (a.k.a. Erik Hinds) has posted an excerpt from the track "Bloodletting" at his MySpace page. A video teaser can be viewed below. The music will appear on the upcoming album "Exsanguinette", due in July on Solponticello Records. The featured players are Killick on guitar and electronics; Liz Allbee on trumpet, shell, and electronics; Brann Dailor (of MASTODON) on drums; and Larry Ochs (of ROVA SAXOPHONE QUARTET) on tenor and sopranino saxophones. It was recorded October 2008 in Athens at John Keane Studios by engineer Tom Lewis. Watson Atkinson created the cover art for the CD, a futurist-tinged collage of antique medical illustrations, and the interior will feature Rinne Allen's impressionistic photos of the session.

This was the first major project for Killick after surviving a serious health event a few months earlier. As he writes, "On June 4, 2008 I was admitted into the hospital with a life-threatening bleeding duodenal ulcer. I'd never been through a physical ordeal on this scale. My body continues to recover but something greater happened. I was given a glimpse of the absolute, a space of peace where contradictions resolve. The conditions were ripe for some insight: I'd long been working towards a music and way of living beyond categorization. Not to be difficult or contrarian, rather to recognize things for what they are, not what they resemble. And with a renewed sense of purpose I'm excited to further and deepen my explorations in this direction. So I'm not sure I can call what I do 'music' anymore."

"Exsanguinette" is a high-intensity soundplay detailing the stages of teetering on the precipice between life and death. Underneath it all is a strong and balanced architecture, and freedom as well, with Killick, Liz, Brann, and Larry taking their individual voices into uncharted realms of expression. All involved stretch outside their normal modes of operation to create something removed from the constraints of genre. Shadow textures appear on equal footing with the overt gestures the group makes. The album is a challenging listen; however, repeat plays reveal the inner and intuitive logic. The album is subtitled "And The Creek Don't Rise" and features these titles:

01. Uninhibitorrent [a.k.a Uninhabitorrent]
02. Bloodletting
03. Esteempunk
04. Hosannas
05. Brickbats
06. Grasshopper Escapement
07. Mr. Woodson

Killick is best known to heavy metal fans for his solo H'arpeggione version of SLAYER's "Reign In Blood", recorded before his name change from Erik Hinds. Killick is active as a composer, performer, and touring musician, specializing in solo performance on a variety of stringed instruments. He currently works with the groups SHAKING RAY LEVIS, ZEPUBICLE, and POCKETFUL OF CLAPTONITE.