who else gave a shit about APHOTIC?

[Erik]

well they quit.

January 2006

Aphotic's last release, ‘Failure' is now available for sale. It includes the last five songs Aphotic ever wrote plus a bonus track from 2000. This release is limited to a one time pressing of only 300 copies in a four panel Digipak format. No record labels or distributors of any kind will be selling this CD, it is ONLY available from the band members. Prices are $10 US, $11 CANADA, and $13 WORLD including shipping. Again, there are no wholesale prices and there is a limit of two copies per person. The small number of promo copies have already been sent out and no more will be made available due to the fact that this is such a limited release, so please do not email asking for a free copy. Also no trades of any kind will be accepted. Please email keith@aphoticdeath.com to purchase your copy of ‘Failure'.

Aphotic decided to end it's over five year struggle to get signed in August of 2005, and disbanded after the ‘Failure' recordings in October 2005. The reason for this being the complete lack of support and the inability to obtain a record contract. After over five years and four demos, it was clear that Aphotic would not be able progress any further without some sort of support. The goal was always to get signed to a label, add a permanent drummer, and just make albums. Unfortunately no labels were willing to sign Aphotic, and there wasn't enough underground support to keep things going on their own. All five of Aphotic's EP's were self-financed.


At the time of this posting there are still a few new logo Aphotic T-shirts available in a variety of colors and sizes. There are a handful of the Aphotic/Dusk split CD, and the ‘Stillness Grows' CD still available. The slipcase ‘Under Veil of Dark' CD is also still available in limited quantities. Email keith@aphoticdeath.com for more details or go to the Merchandise page for links to Aphotic's official Ebay auctions. Please note that Aphotic's PO Box has been closed. There is no longer any mailing address available. This website will also expire in the near future, so download any songs, logos, or photos that you want now. Thanks to those few who supported us, this last release was made for you since we had nothing to gain by it. It's more than frustrating to think of what Aphotic could have become with just a little support…

you know this was one of the unsigned bands that truly deserved label support as they were something original and real, but meh, i guess people would rather sign the 50882th darkthrone clone. rather sad. i just bought their final EP and hopefully i'm winning the auction for the aphotic/dusk split that was nearly on my top 10 of 2005; it kicks ass. you should go to their site and download some songs if you haven't heard them. www.aphoticdeath.com

 

[Ellestin]

I never gave a shit about them beacuse I see their name now for the first time ever. Doom/death is my bet, right?

 

[Erik]

I never gave a shit about them beacuse I see their name now for the first time ever. Doom/death is my bet, right?

well, their previous band DUSK which you might have heard of was total doom/death, but with aphotic they went in a slightly faster, more song-oriented, dreamy/ethereal type direction. imagine "brave murder day" style riffing in rather rigid, driving songs with a lot of keyboards and a mix between clean and grimmm vocals. an mp3 will explain better than i can.

 

[Erik]

yeah and i've tried plugging them. apparently on RC there are 27 total posts containing "aphotic" and i've made 19 of them... so.

 

[Eminor]

Yeah, I dig that band. I just got the new EP for review and was pissed when I saw that announcement. It just really sucks for those guys--to struggle for over a decade w/ Dusk and Aphotic, and never get a record deal. I don't understand it.
Anyone interested should try to pick up the Stillness Grows album (not the SG EP). It contains their first three eps.

 

[JayKeeley]

Right now, in my hands....

1 x APHOTIC "Under Veil of Dark" DIGISLEEVE
1 x APHOTIC s/t DIGISLEEVE

I listened to these often, but admit that I stopped there and didn't venture further. Yeah, I was hoping they could have been picked up also. Being that they're from the USA, I actually always thought they'd end up at THE END RECORDS. They'd be a good fit.

 

[Ellestin]

I heard people I usually trust say that the new Katatonia is fantastic. Should I go for it?

 

[JayKeeley]

Erik, I gotta challenge that slightly. On first listen, the new Katatonia isn't as "immediate" as Viva Emptiness. It sounds a little more progressive and darker. In other words, it'll take several spins to truly 'get'.

Viva Emptiness, on the other hand, sounds the same now as it did the first time I heard it. (I don't mean that in a negative way necessarily).

 

[Ellestin]

Well actually there's talk of how it is more back to "Last Fair Deal Gone Down" after "Viva Emptiness" had disappointed them a bit. I've been utterly turned off by the latter, so I was hoping. I have no clue, guess I'll have to see by myself soon.

 

[JayKeeley]

Right. I'm just saying it's not "Viva Emptiness pt2" but there is a definite similar vibe. I think we're on the same page.

And I agree about LFDGD, but I never grew to dislike it, I pretty much disliked it from the get-go. Simply put, it was boring.

 

[MadeInNewJersey]

well i'm not saying it's exactly the same, but i really doubt you can contest my claim that no two consecutive albums in katatonia's discography have ever sounded this much alike

I haven't heard either the last one or this one, but don't "Discouraged Ones" and "Tonight's Decision" sound near-identical? My memory could be hazy.

 

[MadeInNewJersey]

Gotcha, sorry, I missed that comment.

 

[Ellestin]

I've probably not listened to both albums half as much as Erik did, but I've never considered them similar albums. The step towards a progish/rockish songwriting on "Tonight's Decision" is blinding.

 

[Furious B]

Blinding? Is that good or bad? And I would hardly call Tonight's Decision prog in the least, but whatever, as it's a much better step forward than Discouraged Ones was.

 

[Ellestin]

Blinding? Is that good or bad?

= obvious

And I would hardly call Tonight's Decision prog in the least

I wouldn't either. step towards were my words. When you think of "Discouraged Ones" as a pretty straightforward entity of monotonous, downhearted dark/doom songs.

 

[J.]

Discouraged Ones and Tonight's Decision are worlds apart. DO is good. TD blows.

 

[Conspicuously Absent]

but does J blow well? or does he drag his teeth?

 

[Furious B]

= obvious

Okay, then humor me.

 

[MadeInNewJersey]

Okay, then humor me.

I believe Ellestin was saying that Katatonia's step towards a more rock direction w/ TO is obvious. Not that it's obvious it's either good or bad.

 

[Demonspell]

I've probably not listened to both albums half as much as Erik did, but I've never considered them similar albums. The step towards a progish/rockish songwriting on "Tonight's Decision" is blinding.

Anyone who thinks those albums are clones of each other must be heading towards deafness...besides TD being slighthly more varied, it's much more confident sounding, especially in the vocals, while retaining the bleakness on Discouraged (borrowing from J., I find TD sad yet uplifting and its predecessor sad period)...I think TD can be seen as an natural extension of the themes and sound of that album instead of a repeat.