015: Recording, Live evidence of new material, Merch info, etc.

In realizing that it's been more than a year since I've posted anything here, it seemed like it wouldn't hurt to share some information now that we've finally got a few concrete things in the works again. We began tracking last week for what will be our first release of new material since the "Hypersleep" record (aside from the bonus track for the vinyl release of the 2008 EP): A three-way split LP with two Cali bands. Creator-Destructor will once again be handling the release, which will tentatively be in October, so as usual expect some rad vinyl color options. I don't want to jump the gun by giving all the details prior to a press release from the label, but I'll say that we're contributing three new songs, and to expect a little more tempo variation vs. our older material.

For now, you can check out a video of one of the new songs being performed in Brooklyn, NY this past weekend, courtesy of Frank Huang & Metalinjection.net:




...and some photos taken during drum tracking.

In addition to the split record, we've been working on ideas for another solo release, as well as some live recordings, that we would potentially release ourselves in some form or another before too long. Also, this thing you're on now isn't ideal, so a new, more legit website seems like a good idea. Stay tuned.

014: What is old shall become new again - our S/T 2008 EP finally gets a vinyl release

Considering that I've had somewhere in the ballpark of 75-100 messages over the past couple of years inquiring as to when/if our 2008 debut record would be seeing a release on vinyl, I'm happy to say that Creator-Destructor Recs is now taking pre-orders for the LIMITED first-time vinyl pressing of what was originally released through Forgotten Empire as the "Voyager" EP.

Since it's been a long wait for those of you who have been looking to get the EP in this format, we wanted to make sure that it was worth everyone's while. The 12" LPs feature completely re-done artwork by our vocalist, Devin (under his 'Portal' design moniker), which kept a few select elements of the original layout but is honestly a much better fit than what was originally included for the CD release. A preview of the front/back of the jacket can be seen below; a full-color insert is also included. The release is limited to two pressings of 125 each on Transparent Purple and Bone (off-white) colored wax, and we've included a bonus track, "Deathless", which was recorded in March in our drummer Keith's studio.


New outer jacket artwork (click to view larger):




The new bonus track "Deathless" included in this release is available to stream via our Bandcamp Page, so check that out if you haven't already. Bit of a departure from what we've recorded in the past, but we think it's a worthy addition to the EP.

You can order yourself a copy now on the splash page of Creator-Destructor.com. Again, these are limited to 125 units of each color, and when they're gone, they're gone. The records are slated to ship on June 3rd.


Also, dates for our short west coast run w/At Our Heels in June have been finalized for a while now, but I'll re-post them here:

June 4th @ The Hemlock- San Francisco, CA w/ At Our Heels, The Funeral Pyre
June 5th @ 105 Pioneer- Santa Cruz, CA w/ Heartsounds, At Our Heels, The Funeral Pyre
June 6th @ Blackrose Infoshop- Portland, OR w/ At Our Heels
June 7th @ New Frontier- Tacoma, WA w/ At Our Heels, Samothrace
June 8th @ The Alley- Sparks, NV w/ At Our Heels
June 9th @ The CYC- Fresno, CA w/ At Our Heels
June 10th @ Meatheads- Las Vegas, NV w/ At Our Heels
June 11th @ The Blvd (Matinee Show)- Los Angeles, CA w/ At Our Heels, The Funeral Pyre
June 12th @ The Ruby Room- San Diego, CA w/ At Our Heels
June 19th @ O'Briens- Allston, MA w/ Deafheaven, The Proselyte (homecoming show)

We'll see everyone out west in a few weeks.

013: S/T Vinyl Release Announcement / General Update

For anyone who hasn't seen the Google logo today (definitely one of their best looking ever), this marks the 50th anniversary of the first manned space flight - seemed like a relevant day for an update, since those of you who have picked up a physical copy of our new record probably noticed the "I see no god up here" quote attributed to Yuri Gagarin that we have featured prominantly in the album artwork. While there are differing schools of thought regarding whether the Soviet cosmonaut may have actually spoken these words during mankind's first moments immersed in the endless galactic expanse of space, we couldn't pass up a line that so perfectly fit with the underlying themes of "Hypersleep"... the melancholy solitude of space travel and questioning of religious belief.

Anyway, that probably sounded like a whole lot of bullshit if you're not properly spaced out- but you may still be interested to know that we'll officially be re-releasing our Self-Titled (at least it was, when we were still going by Voyager) debut on 12" vinyl through Creator-Destructor within the next few months. People have asked us about a vinyl release ever since the CD was originally released back in 2008, so needless to say it's long overdue. The LP release will feature all new artwork + a recently recorded new song as a bonus track to sweeten the deal. More details to follow.

At the end of this week it'll have been a month since "Hypersleep" was released, and so far it has surpassed expectations in terms of sales (and more importantly, the generally positive feedback we've been getting), so a big thanks from us to everyone for that. If you haven't picked it up yet, CDs, Gatefold 2xLPs and album-exclusive shirts are available for order now through www.creator-destructor.com.

Lastly, we'll be doing a nine-day trek out on the west coast in support of the album beginning in early June, as well as more shows around the Northeast this summer - check here for dates.

PJ

012: HYPERSLEEP CD/2xLP pre-orders + Exclusive song stream

I'm happy to announce that the label is now taking pre-orders for the new record, "Hypersleep" - available in 6-panel digipak CD or gatefold 2xLP format. There are 3 different color variations to choose from for the vinyl release, all of which look pretty spacey; packages including an exclusive T-shirt design are also available. International shipping rates are also really reasonable, for those who had been inquiring about that. Click through the image below to see everything for yourself and place an order - pre-orders will ship out a few weeks in advance of the official March 15th street date, so it's your best bet to get your hands on the record as soon as possible.






Also, the people over at Metalsucks are hosting an exclusive stream of the song "Flares" right now, so go give that a listen if you need anymore convincing to order this record---> "Flares" exclusive stream

011: VYGR - HYPERSLEEP Info + New Song

Greetings.

The first noteworthy development to report is that as of November 2010, the band is now officially going by VYGR instead of Voyager - pronunciation remains the same, we've achieved a plane of existance in which use of vowels is no longer constructive.

Second, as promised, is the lowdown on our new full-length, "Hypersleep". I'm going to borrow from the press release:

Massachusetts' Ambient-Sludge masters VYGR (pronounced "Voyager") have announced the release of their highly anticipated full-length debut, "Hypersleep." The Double-LP/CD release will hit stores on January 25th, 2011 via Creator-Destructor Records.

The band entered Planet Z Recording studios with acclaimed producer Zeuss (Shadows Fall, The Acacia Strain, Arsis) in Massachusetts for the production of "Hypersleep". Guitarist PJ Mion states: 'Working with Zeuss was a great experience for us. From the start he was on board with wanting to capture our live sound, getting everything to sound huge while avoiding the use of click tracks/sound replacement/re-amping etc. that seems to increasingly be the norm for most 'heavy' music these days. The end result is a heavy, spaced out metal record that actually sounds like it was played by human beings. Coinciding with this release we're planning for a much more active show schedule, always playing as loud as humanly possible."

Also, on our end I'll add that while we didn't want to abandon the dense, moody atmosphere present on our self-titled release, a conscious effort was made to incorporate more intricate melody and dynamics, including sci-fi soundtrack ambience, 90s space rock elements, and plenty of delay-soaked guitar leads. Hopefully it will have been worth the wait.

VYGR - "Hypersleep"

1. Solar
2. Flares
3. Orbital Hallucinations
4. Galactic Garbage
5. -
6. The Hidden
7. Shapeshifters
8. Unmoved Mover
9. Path to the Unknown
10. Event Horizon
11. We Drift
12. A Distant Beacon

That's it. Album artwork will be posted as things move along. For now, head over to VYGR.bandcamp.com to check out a song from the record, "Shapeshifters", and give us a shout to let us know what you think of it.

-PJ