CZAR

Since the release of their acclaimed 2011 debut album Vertical Mass Grave, the members of CZAR have been busy playing shows, swinging east for a short tour and writing their follow up album. The sudden passing of long time collaborator and producer Jamie Duffy this past summer put the band on hold for several months to mourn, reflect and memorialize this great asset to Chicago music. But now, CZAR is back with a new album written and a handful of demos recorded in the hopes of finding a label to release their follow up to Vertical Mass Grave. The new tracks, recorded and produced by the band themselves, head in a more brutal and thought-provoking direction.

CRACKNATION  ::  MYSPACE  ::  FACEBOOK  ::  BANDCAMP

Czar features members of Acumen Nation and DJ? Acucrack, stalwarts of Chicago's fabled industrial and electronic scenes. Indeed, Czar's precise rhythms and dark ambience point to these roots, but on Vertical Mass Grave the band detonated the limitations of any genre, opting instead for an anthemic, emotive sound that transcends time and place. Czar pilots freely across the musical map - parallels can be drawn to the machine-like punishment of Helmet or Gojira, the skyward majesty of Jesu or Mastodon, and even the damaged melodies of Failure - but the result is not chaos, but a cathartic tapestry of seamlessly crafted songs, an absolute feast for the ears. The album was recorded by Matt Talbott, guitarist/vocalist of Hum, at Great Western Record Recorders (Emery, Open Hand, Adai), then mixed and mastered by the band. The sound is warm and heavy, and begs to be cranked.

The first two CZAR releases came out on Cracknation, the label founded in 2002 by member Jason Novak. In addition to releasing music by Czar, Acumen Nation, and DJ? Acucrack, Cracknation has functioned as a production house, creating instrumental tracks for TV shows (True Blood, MTV Music Awards), original scores for videogames (Vogster Entertainment's Unbound Saga [PSP]), and remixes for the likes of KMFDM, Frontline Assembly, and Prong. This spring, CZAR will support the legendary KILLING JOKE for their North American dates. CZAR recently opened for ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead in Chicago, and has performed with the likes of Rwake, Skindred, Gates of Slumber, Cancer Bats and Prong. Their shows feature a punishing trio delivering the goods amidst psychedlelic visuals. While their label Cracknation is still alive and kicking, the members of CZAR are hoping to partner with a label for their next releases to extend their field of distribution and promotion, and to gain more touring opportunities.