PH has previously kept to myspace and last.fm for music sharing. Myspace is plagued with issues, and I have not kept it updated. Last.fm is wonderful because they do not limit file size or length and allow free streams and downloads – what other free site would host the full version of Dance With Divinity? But, alas, last.fm is not without problems as well, namely how complex it is for those with limited internet savvy to navigate to the appropriate place to hear or obtain the songs, as well as the fact that (I believe) last.fm compresses downloadable mp3s to 128 kbps. Not nice.

Bandcamp offers the benefit of very, very simple streaming and downloading, and allows downloads in excellent quality. They can do this because they force you to upload lossless files (i.e., WAVs). The limitations are on file size (no lossless 2-hour songs) and on the quantity of free downloads; however, I don’t anticipate more than 200 people per month grabbing PH tracks from there. Overall, I think the advantages make it very worthwhile.

As of this posting, Evelyn is loaded onto the bandcamp site and Agatha is going up even as I type. I plan to also upload The Greater Gospel and Kingdoms; unfortunately, the first four PH albums do not exist in WAV quality and will therefore be relegated to the obscurity of last.fm and mediafire, etc. However, I may be able to recover The Millstone in lossless quality. The five-year anniversary of its release is coming up soon, after all…

First, he tackled “Suffering the Storm”, PH’s third full-length:

Then he put together this piece for 2008′s “Kingdoms”:

And now he has put together a lovely image for the very first PH album, using the gothic “PH” previously seen on “The Millstone” and “Dance With Divinity”:

Look forward to more of Raleigh’s imagery on future PH releases!

You can stream or download individual tracks at potmoshetoimos.bandcamp.com
or in this convenient embedded player!

or you can download the whole album in a zip file (in high v0 quality) at www.mediafire.com/?75m4u2lmghdc556
and if you haven’t seen the teaser yet, check it out at www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOTKnPJOMY0

“Evelyn” is a prequel set five years before the events of “Agatha”. It tells the story of a very old widow who is experiencing dreams in which she possesses the body of a younger woman, enabling her to live out fantasies she is no longer able to in reality. But as she begins to experience resistance, as if the dream-woman is fighting for her own consciousness, Evelyn realizes the visions may not be fantasy after all. The full lyrics are below.

The compositions on this album are, I believe, the best PH has ever offered. Production is mostly good, not perfect, but an improvement over “Agatha”. I am excited to present this album; if you are a fan of doom, sludge, post-metal, or just previous Potmos Hetoimos, I think you’ll enjoy this album.

Thanks for listening!

Evelyn groaned
As her heart grew cold
And her body broke
From the weight of her soul
Evelyn sighed
As her veins ran dry
And her body died

In dream, my bleak surroundings melt away
All color, bright and vivid, fills my sight
In dream, this empty shell is left behind
I am a new creature in the world outside

Driver
Occupant of a foreign form
Total control
No resistance

Passenger
Subject to another’s force
Losing control
Inconsistent

My mind swings like a pendulum
Between dream and wake,
But even in times of lucidity
Suffers pain it cannot take

The invaded mind quakes with fever
Uncertain of its cognizance
An unknown hovel bears
Bizarre attraction

This meeting must be precluded
My dreams must not be realized
I will keep myself secluded
Beyond the path of her wandering gaze

The invaded mind convulses with nausea
Straining to expel its indweller
The fledgling brain turns to battlefield
As two souls war for possession

My mind decays as my body
I have no strength for this struggle
The obfuscation is useless
Come, child, and find your answers
Come, child, and find your answers

I lie breathless as she opens the door
I open the door
I lie breathless as she opens the door
I open the door
And in an instant…
In an instant I am known
Clear of mind, she sees her conscious captor
Fair and hale, this child, the daughter I never bore
She holds a part of my soul inside her
Separated until their time is complete

Maribel, set yourself free
Return my spirit unto me
Surrender my hiding soul

Maribel, set me free
Give my heart its blessed release
Liberate me from these deceitful dreams

A glass to commemorate what never was
What never will be
Blood rushes to my head
I drink this scarlet to the dregs
And disappear.

(epilogue)
She is free, I am my own once more
Yet our bond remains a mystery
To bear another’s soul with mine
Begs the simple question, why?
Who am I?

I’ve kept this project mostly under wraps, only telling my closest friends and dropping a few hints as to its existence. A couple of months ago, I was inspired both musically and conceptually to continue in the vein of “Agatha”, and I decided to make it a trilogy. “Evelyn” is a prequel, set 5 years before “Agatha”, and only indirectly connecting to it at all. Not until the final piece of the trilogy is released will the stories make sense together.

Musically, as I said, “Evelyn” picks up right where “Agatha” left off, although I think this album’s sound is much more cohesive and consistent and will appeal to fans of any era of PH. “Agatha” came out of left field a bit stylistically, but “Evelyn” harmonizes its brooding doom with more of the jazzy and progressive elements that have always characterized PH. “Evelyn” features by far the richest compositions of any PH album; you will hear multiple guitars, bass, electronic and acoustic drums, synth, piano, vocals, and even strings and woodwinds! I am again blessed with a couple of wonderful guest appearances; my wife Rochelle contributed flute to the first track, and my friend Kirstie contributed viola to the first and last tracks.

The official prerelease teaser for the album (a first!) is out on Youtube. You can watch it here.

Check back to this blog or that Youtube vid on June 1 for the full release of the album – free stream and download, as always!

Due to the delay, I waited till the traditional date of September 12th, making this the fifth consecutive year a PH album has come out on this date.

“Agatha” returns to the storyline format of classic PH albums such as “The Millstone” and “Dance With Divinity”, but departs from the standard musical style of former albums to use a straightforward doom metal approach. I intended this to be a sort of side-album rather than the usual 9/12 album, but the delay combined with the unfinished-ness of the next PH album (“Trauma”) made it necessary to release this now. And that’s fine, because even with the stylistic departure I think this is one of my finest and most consistent works.

“Agatha” tells the story of an old widow who has been abandoned by her family, who laments this fact and ruminates on the problems of modern society. Through the album, her issues and more of her history is revealed, but many things are left implicit for the listener to infer.

I am pleased to have had two guest vocalists on this album, Chris Sherwood of Naess and Ryan Fairfield of Hallowed Butchery/Terrible Old Man. Their appearances definitely enhance the vibe and quality of the album.

The tracklisting is as follows, and the lyrics are posted below.

1. Isolation
2. Dispersion (f/Chris Sherwood)
3. Memoir
4. Intruders (f/Ryan Fairfield)
5. Stranger

Stream track-by-track at http://www.last.fm/music/Potmos+Hetoimos/Agatha or download the zip file at http://www.mediafire.com/?zaxhz78wjcksk46

Thanks for listening, and enjoy!

Oh, and here’s the album art.