Strange Keys to Untune Gods' Firmament

"All must bow before the pagan wall of drone. . ." So reads the opening line of Skullflower's website. Hearing their tortured, distorted, and eerily shamanic sounds emanate from the stereo for the first time in the early '90s was truly a revelation. IIIrd Gatekeeper and Obsidian Shaking Codex are two of my all-time favorite albums and have been extremely influential on the way my brothers and I approach guitar-based heavy music. To grab an instrument, drive a loud amplifier to its physical limit, and ride the drone into oblivion is ecstasy, and Matthew Bower has been showing us all how it is done for 20-odd years. Strange Keys to Untune Gods' Firmament evokes Wagnerian sonic bombast, a Nietzchean worldview, and a warlike cry of rebellion against the false, encased in a whirlwind both psychotropic and psychoacoustic. Each spin brings new themes to the forefront. Not easy listening by anyone's standards, Strange Keys is not for the faint of heart - but those willing to submit and immerse themselves in the deep, thick waters of self-transformation will be greatly rewarded." - Steve Von Till (Neurosis / Neurot Recordings)