Children of God - The Sun Gives Way to False Truths - 10"

Not far off two years ago, I was approached by a member of Children of God about reviewing a new song they had recently released. At the time, it was taking quite a different direction to the rest of the tracks the band had out and it really grabbed my attention. I think the plan was always to release this physically eventually, and it has finally surfaced on a pretty great 10" record.

Vendetta records handled the release, and actually "borrowed" the original review that I wrote. From what I could find, the only way to order through them directly was via the bisaufsmesser webstore, which wasn't able to ship to me. Not long after, the band had it's own copies for sale  which I nabbed very quickly. Two copies are in existence, a black and a white. According to discogs, the white was pressed in 100 copies, and the black in 400. In this case, I went with my gut and picked which of the two I thought more impressive.

The packaging is quite minimal, yet very effective. The record in housed inside a grey cardboard sleeve that opens outwards from the middle. On the back are the track lyrics, and behind where the record sits is a quote from Freidrich Nietzsche. What really amps it up though it the screenprint on the back of the record. The winged picture released as the artwork with the digital single is printed in gold, which looks fantastic against the black vinyl.

If you still haven't gotten around to listening to this, here is the track streaming for free.

Children of God - We Set Fire to The Sky 12"

Boy how has this band grown! This is the first proper LP released by the band and it is clear that they have come a long way since their original demo and Coup De Gace 7". The trashing brutality is still there, but so are a lot of other elements. Hell there are even periods with clean vocals! We got a taste of the new direction the band was taking with "The Sun Gives Way to False Truths" and I'm glad to see COG has developed this even more. Even since then a lot more atmosphere is now present which helps create one wicked album. Listen below to see just how much they have evolved.

To my knowledge, there are three versions of this out there. The first is the European edition, which features slightly different artwork. It's much the same really, but is on white background instead of black. I might be wrong but I think that came on white vinyl too. Ven Dettta handled that version, which is still available here.
Hellfish released the remaining two versions, which look like the photo above. I guess it is really just one version, but the first 50 ordered came with some sort of large poster. I thought I had gotten in quick when ordering this, but was not greeted with a nice poster when it arrived. I suppose I was just not fast enough.

This version is on plain black vinyl. It is quite a no-frills release, with the record having no centre labels or anything. It's not a necessarily a bad thing, the record is awesome enough to stand up without anything fancy.

Although saying that, it does still come with a rather interesting insert inside the sleeve.There is of course the usual lyrics sheet, but the other side contains a poem by Jorge Luis Borges, Ragnarok. It's definitely an interesting read.

Lastly, there is also news that COG will be releasing a new record shortly. "The Sun Gives Way to False Truths" is set to see it's debut on a one sided 10" very soon, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled.

Children of God - Coup De Grace 7"

When I was ordering Ilsa and Nothing's latest releases from A389, I decided to have a quick look at the distro items for sale. Sometimes a couple of rare gems pop up that catch my eye, which is exactly what happened with this. I'd actually tried to get it before, possibly when I ordered their split with SSOS. For whatever reason I waited too long to order it and these were no longer for sale. I guess some more copies turned up or something.

The packaging is pretty cool on this one. The record comes in a DIY screen printed cardboard sleeve. Sadly I had a bit of trouble opening mine (as you no doubt have noticed below) and it is now slightly torn, no matter really I suppose. From opening it it turns out this is actually an old fedex package. It's great to see how well it has been reused, you'd never be able to tell from the front, it's professional as.

Released in 2011, this is COG's first EP, containing the below five tracks that don't collectively span to more than six minutes. Although it doesn't last particularly long, each song is full of the fantasticpowerviolence/hardcore monster that is synonymous with the band. It's definitely the rawest thing I've heard from the band thus far and is actually quite a stark contrast from the direction the band seems to be taking these days. This is pure human rage

Once I'd managed to open the cardboard sleeve I could release the record inside. It's on plain black vinyl, which to my knowledge is the only variant lurking out there. The centre labels are the inverse of each other, and most likely relate to the sleeve artwork.

But of course that's not it. Alongside this record was some of the good old A389 hospitality you've grown to love. Two stickers were included, one of which is the new pentagram logo. Next to these is a flyer for the amazing bash (that's just been and sounded awesome) and their latest sampler.

The entire EP is available to listen online for free courtesy of the band's bandcamp page.
Also, if you are a fan or even just interested in the band they have just released a brand new song. Treat yourself to that as well. I'm also pretty sure their new album will be seeing the light of day soon, so keep your eyes peeled.

Children of God - The Sun Gives Way To False Truths

I've been a fan of Children of God ever since I first heard "You Will Suffer" on the MMXI A389 sampler. Their ferocious blend of power-violence infused hardcore seemed to really stand out to me, and the band has only gotten better since then. So when I got an email from the band asking me to review their latest song, I was more than happy to oblige, even before I'd really heard the song. I was even more willing once I'd actually listened to the song, I'd say it's probably their best yet! 

"The Sun Gives Way To False Truths" starts out somewhat different to what you'd expect from this band. Instead of jumping straight into blasting beats and screaming vocals full of despair, the track begins very quietly and slowly. I've only experienced this side of the band once before on the awesome split with Seven Sisters of Sleep (Bled Dry). For the first minute or so you are only greeted by an ominous tone that slowly works its way into the higher decibel range, which eventually is replaced by a painfully slow down-tuned riff. All the while you can just feel the tension rising, rising towards something outstanding. There is a slight pause and then it hits you; a heavy drumbeat that seems to rip the very fabric holding the song together wide open. From here on in it's all go, or so it would seem....

Much to my surprise, things are slowed down once more. This time bringing the sound to resemble an eerie dark noise track not unlike rVeVV. I assumed this would continue to the end and eventually fade away, but I was again taken by surprise. It does fade away, but only to bring the crushing drums back again one more time...

Although this is still very much a COG track something seems different. it sounds more refined and mature. Instead of focusing on the blistering speed seen in their previous work, the band has taken the time to develop a really solid heavy atmosphere, and it's just great. At just under 10 minutes, "The Sun Gives Way to False Truths" is the longest track by COG, one that takes you on a trip showing the true musical skills of this band. I've said it before, but I am always impressed when a band is able draw influences from several places and merge them into such a cohesive piece of work. In my opinion this is the best work they have done to date. The track is just below so give it a listen, you know you wanna.

I've also included the link in the new media page. I've included lots of other free music too, check it out if you've been interested in anything I've had to say.

Children Of God - Flexi

Continuing to bridge the gap between music and absolute mind blowing chaos, is this latest flexi from California's Children of God. 

As what seems to be the somewhat norm these days, this is limited to just 200 copies. As far as I could see it wasn't numbered in anyway, although that doesn't really matter. The track is on opaque flexi stuff (whatever the material is meant to be called).

From the recording session for the split with Seven Sisters of Sleep, this one track record only just breaks the 80 seconds mark. In some ways that may be all the human mind is capable of processing at one time, anything longer would cause the brain to spontaneously explode in a horrible mess. That is the pure energy captured in this flexi, it resonates right out of the turntable directly into your body leaving you in a state of bewilderment once it is over. A389 has been courteous enough to stream the whole track on their soundcloud page, so I'll embed it at the bottom. 

And if you want to 'sing' along, the lyrics are provided on the back of the cover.

Children Of God / Seven Sisters of Sleep split 12"

I think I mentioned this in the post about "To Die For", but I'll say it again. I originally ordered this when it was first released on A389, amongst other things. When the package arrived I was disappointed to see that this almighty split was not there. Instead was my third copy of "To Die For". Dom was very apologetic and promised to send me a replacement as soon as he could. Unluckily for me, Pulling Teeth were then busy with their Europe tour. Then there was Christmas, so I didn't see anything of this record for a long time. Although one day, a few weeks ago, I came home to find this sitting on my bed staring at me.

It may have taken a while to arrive, but it was certainly worth the wait. This split is absolutely epic. Seven Sisters of Sleep are back, bringing their take on sludge infused hardcore to a whole new level. Children of God bring their trademark style chaotic ridiculousness, but also slow things down for one of the tracks, which really shows off the bands talent. 

The artwork here is really quite menacing, it seems to be a rather distressed looking individual preparing for surgery. 

As a bonus, the dust sleeve and (what would be) insert have been fused into this great hybrid. The surgical artwork has been continued on the front, while the lyrics have been printed on the back.

Only a plain black version of this was pressed, and is limited to 1000 copies ever. The black really keeps in with the rest of the packaging, so I'm pleased other colours weren't produced. 

The COG side is up streaming on their bandcamp, I urge you to check it out.