On their 5th full-length, THE LOVECRAFT SEXTET inject the feral obscurity of avant-primitivist Black Metal into cinematic Darkjazz, in a dramatic expansion of the project’s inimitable musical language.
Following-up 2022’s shadowed and contemplative DMP debut, “Miserere“, and 2023’s “The Horror Cosmic” (released via Denovali), Jason Köhnen (BONG-RA, THE KILIMANJARO DARKJAZZ ENSEMBLE, THE ANSWER LIES IN THE BLACK VOID, CELESTIAL SEASON) now presents “Penance (De lijken van de Gebroeders De Witt)” – a morbid and unsettling reflection upon a 1675 work by School of Amsterdam painter Jan Baen, which is used as the forthcoming album’s cover art.
THE LOVECRAFT SEXTET – “Penance” tracklist:
01. Si Quaeris
02. Symbolom Apostolorum
03. Anima Christi
04. Requiem Aeternam
05. Confiteor
06. Te Deum
In 1672, the De Witt brothers were beaten, mutilated and hanged before a crowd for alleged treason. It is said that the observers themselves committed acts of cannibalism with the brothers’ severed body parts. The event and subsequent painting by Jan Baen offers a reflection on incredible human barbarism that has always profoundly affected Köhnen.
Köhnen describes his first encounter with this unique work:
“I think I first bumped into it at art school back in the late 90s while covering the Golden Age of Dutch oil paintings. The brutality and the background of the story did haunt for me for a while. Not only is the painting by a fellow Dutchman, but the story also covers a barbaric execution of these two brothers. It is also the only recorded account of the public eating – yes, consuming – politicians. A warning for the future maybe… Love at first sight, or more like disgust and fascination at first sight.“
As an introduction, THE LOVECRAFT SEXTET present ‘Si Quaeris‘ as the first and only single from the forthcoming album.
Listen below to a potent fusion of nocturnal Chamber Opera, lo-fi Black Metal, Darkjazz and Electronic experimentation:
Köhnen had this to say re: the first single and album opener:
“This song has all the ingredients and atmosphere captured on the album, but it also offers an extension to the previous “Miserere” album. Maybe we can say that “Penance” dives more into melancholic despair than its predecessor…“
On this record, THE LOVECRAFT SEXTET are:
Jason Köhnen – guitar, upright, drums, organ, vocals, electronics & all compositions
Colin Webster – saxophone
Lilian Tong – soprano
“Penance” will be released on CD, vinyl and digital on October 16th. Pre-orders are possible via DMP’s EU and US shops, and the album will also be available to order on Bandcamp from Bandcamp Friday, September 4th.
THE LOVECRAFT SEXTET is one of the many projects from multi-instrumentalist Jason Köhnen. Renowned for his previous projects BONG-RA or THE KILIMANJARO DARKJAZZ ENSEMBLE and THE MOUNT FUJI DOOMJAZZ CORPORATION.
Köhnen coined the term “Darkjazz” back in 1999 when he composed a track entitled ‘Darkjazz‘ for his 2001 “Darkbreaks” EP. From that point embarking on a long musical journey into dark experimentations with the jazz sound palette in combination with a plethora of genres.
THE LOVECRAFT SEXTET was evoked after a void appeared with the ending of his other Darkjazz outlets, firstly TKDE and TMFDJC and then the short lived THE THING WITH FIVE EYES project which saw Köhnen‘s first flirtations with Arabic scales and instruments, progressively transforming into his MANSUR project together with ex-PHURPA member Dmitry El Demerdashi and avantgarde metal THY CATAFALQUE vocalist Martina Hórvath.
Köhnen‘s approach to his releases with THE LOVECRAFT SEXTET are to open the spectrum of Darkjazz in all its wonderful and mysterious facets. Seeing each release as a script and soundtrack to a different movie, setting a different pace and atmosphere and playing with unorthodox climaxes and atmospheres. The projects hosts a list of dedicated guest musicians, who all participate as the leading actors in these scripts, all playing a crucial role in the soundtracks of these non-existing movies.
THE LOVECRAFT SEXTET releases albums on Denovali Records and Debemur Morti Productions, in a way where the Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde part of this project comes to its best and most creative fruition.
Apart from the conceptual audio releases, THE LOVECRAFT SEXTET also navigates through the multi-disciplinary arts. The “In Memoriam” release saw a first in a series of short stories and audiobooks combined with an album. Future releases will see more art disciplines combined as a release.
Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 