We've been home from the Legion of Vermin tour for a little over a week now, with time to reflect on all the craziness that happened in those two short weeks. We played some amazing shows and met some really awesome people, but also dealt with an icy cloud of bad luck, much like the one that afflicted us a year ago in January of 2008 (aka the "Winter Disastour").

Things started off awesome, and we played one of our best shows ever in Louisville to ring in 2009. In Nashville, unfortunately, we weren't able to play due to time considerations, but we thank Cernunnos!, Logan, and everyone who came out to see us that night for their support and merch sales. Atlanta and Charlotte went off without a hitch, and while we feasted on some sick vegan food in Richmond, things didn't work there as well as last time. With no hard feelings we pressed on and had a wild time Raleigh, killing it with Faith and Ashes at The Brewery. DC was awesome, much in part to our gracious host Justin, and everything was going well until the morning of the 9th.

Walking out of Justin's apartment and seeing our van and trailer gone is a little scary, to the say least. But our concerns were lessened when we learned it was only towed, not stolen. Once that setback (and a significant amount of cash) was put behind us, we were on the way to Columbus, OH to play with the mighty Locusta. Once again, tragedy strikes: the van begins to die, and we're forced to pull over the side of the road. After weighing our options, we were able to get the vehicle towed to the nearest town - Frostburg, MD - and figure out just what the hell we were going to do. We had no choice but to cancel the Columbus show, and for this we are truly sorry. We will return, we promise!

The night was spent in Frostburg, and the morning of the 10th we decided to bite the bullet and rent two Enterprise vehicles to carry on with the tour, leaving our van and trailer in Frostburg. We made it to Indianapolis just in time and played a blistering set for our fans there - always a good show! This show marked the end of the tour for Burial Within, our tour mates for all the previous dates who totally slayed it each night! We were able to hit Chicago and Milwaukee despite a blizzard, and hours of driving each day. The Dayton show we had planned for the 13th, however, had to be canceled due to the overbearing financial burden laid upon us. Again, we are sorry!

Finally we returned home to play with Rotting Christ in Louisville on the 14th and begin the process of figuring out just what to do with our vehicle situation. Even with the incredible chaos of the van, we had a blast on the tour and thank everyone who came out to any of the shows - it meant a lot to each us night to have fans from all over rocking out, buying our merch, and talking to us in every city.

That being said, we want to especially thank the following people and bands who helped us on the road: Scott and From Heart Booking, Cernunnos!, Logan at the Muse, Mike in Nashville, Severed Faith and Choking Her, Aura in Charlotte, Adam and Faith in Ashes, Elizabeth S., Josh C., Sarah J., Justin M., Dru and Locusta, Zack and Plaguesayer, John and The Beat Kitchen, Lee and Brittany, Paul F., and Jake Z. We couldn't have done with this without you!

At home, we had the undying support of the Denham, Hartman, and Pierce families, as well as help from Emily Reinen, Anthony with Oh My Gore clothing, and Devon Denham, Leah Williamson, and Basil Kemble for their excellent photography. Terry Denham has gone above and beyond everything we could ever ask for including driving insane distances, building and repairing our arsenal of equipment, and being so supportive in all our endeavors. Thank you so much!

An extra-special, Slaytanic, triple-six salute goes to Jason and Darkness Undying for their long support of Anagnorisis and tour help, and Burial Within for sharing in this craziness with us once again.

Lastly, we were stoked to bring along Blake Talley, who's guitar skills each night freed us from that damn RC-50. Our merch sales would have been zilch if it weren't for Greg Mosier, our manager, hustler, and overall mood-booster. When Greg wasn't available, we had Ben Wilson to help us out with merch, volunteering at the last minute to brave the Chicago and Milwaukee weather. Thanks, dudes!

There's a few copies of Alpha and Omega left, and it will be available online for free very soon. You can get still get the physical release for free with any merch purchase, but act fast because the quantities are very limited. We have much more planned for 2009, so get ready.

Stay metal,

Anagnorisis

Now that we have released the three new songs under the title of "Alpha and Omega," many of you are probably wondering what it all means. This blog should answer such inquiries.

Physical Release

Alpha and Omega, as a physical release, will be debuted on January 1, 2009 at our Legion of Vermin Tour kick-off show in Louisville. It will be limited to 200 copies, hand-numbered, and will come in a weathered envelope, sealed with wax. Once these 200 copies are gone (which will likely happen at the show with Rotting Christ on January 14), it will not be re-pressed in CD format. This physical release contains illustration by Dusty Neal of New Republic Tattoo, and was packaged entirely by Anagnorisis. Best of all, it will be free with any purchase from our merch table, be it an Overton Trees CD, shirt, or Rotting Christ ticket. They will also be available to purchase for $5.00 each.

Our idea with this release was not to make money, but to showcase the new era of Anagnorisis, and there is no better time to do it than the beginning of a new year. The imagery, sound, and new members all encompass the new direction that we as a band are headed. We hope you will appreciate and enjoy it.

Once the physical release is gone, Alpha and Omega will be available online, this time completely for free. We will make the songs available for download on MySpace, as well as ad the release to file-sharing networks such as Soulseek and Pirate Bay. Again, the goal is to give you, the fans, the songs, and let you hear what we've been working on for the past year.

Alpha and Omega: The Meaning

The term Alpha and Omega comes from the Book of Revelation, where it is used to signify God or Jesus. Alpha (Α) and Omega (Ω) are, respectively, the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, and consequently God is represented as "the Beginning and the End."  In Christian theology, this symbolizes the idea that God is present at the beginning and end of one's life; that "he" is the total focus.

The lyrics of both Overton Trees and Alpha and Omega speak out against religion, particularly Christianity. This disdain for religion and theism is a view that we as a band now place as a statement with this release: There are no gods, and we as humans are the beginning and the end, the Alpha and the Omega. Thus, we are each the focus of our own lives, not God or any supernatural force.

If you wish to speak with us more about these views, please contact us via MySpace, e-mail, or come talk to us at a show. We sincerely appreciate everyone's support. See you on the road,

Anagnorisis

WHEN OBSESSION AWOKE TYRANNY

Be her, my bane, uncleansed and forgotten. Exhaustion undying as broken hands build fortresses, to keep tyrants at bay. She stormed me like a plague, with no protection from her deceit. With no heart, nor the strength to fight I now rest my head at tyrants' feet.

Impure and ghastly. I have found no warmth in the perils of love. Misanthropic and content. I have buried all that I once was. Be this the bitter end.

She stormed me like a plague, with no protection from her deceit. With no heart, nor the strength to fight, I now rest my head at her feet. Exhaustion undying, broken hands build thrones of kings to seat my goddess, my queen.

I have out lived the ghost I was, my bitterness, your bitterness.


SHADOW OF THE ADVERSARY

Bring me the heads of Martyrs and those who crawl blindly. We will pave the streets with the flesh and bones of the weak. For those who cast down shunning eyes, I'll cast upon you the shadow of the Adversary. I'll spare nothing, I'll burn through your lies, and sift through your failure, like the Devil's fire through ash. Prayers and beggars alike, you'll waste a life time to fill an eternal void. We, the elite, take our throne, as you, the disease, wear the skin off your fucking knees.

Bound to a lifetime of voluntary servitude. Bound to the mouth of faith, with words so naive. Bound to the cross and staring at the sun. Bound by blood to segregate mankind from beast. No one will return for you. Abandon every shred of hope. Pull the petal from every rose, and clinch the thorns. Shroud yourself in self pity and adore death. The Apocalypse is upon us, Armageddon is here and now.

Bound to the pages of a faithful contradiction. Bound to a thoughtless mindset and afterlife obsession. Bound to the loss and envious spite. Wash your hands of faith or drown in the blood of christ. The Apocalypse is upon us, Armageddon is here and now.

Denounce praise to a smoke and mirror savior, denounce faith and allow the mythical dead weight to fall from your shoulders. Everything you ever were, must be of you and you alone. Rewarding self sacrifice to a unseen ghost is true blasphemy.

We are the Horsemen. We are the bringers of the blackest death. We are the evils. We are the self destruction. And we are the end of days.

Mankind, the god complex, the self absorbed, the civil demise.

We as predators glorify such valiant devastation. We as beasts are no better than the dead we have buried.


THE ORIGIN OF MISANTHROPY

Your vacant eyes tell a tale of beckoned deceit. Your skin pale and lifeless, this is where redemption and revenge meet. A lover's grip around the neck of that which I cherish. If I've been the ills that beg you, why must you haunt me?

No deed be forgiven, no deed gone unpunished. For the lack of compassion, for the sake of hatred. You've instilled a loathing reminder, you've awakened unbearable lust.

I bask in ravenous glory. I will seize the day, amongst days.

Consumed with apathy and disgust. Bearing witness to the Hells that have become me. An undying hatred. The bitter taste of inerted sorrow. Claw out my eyes. Take from me my heart. But still I'll stop at nothing to fall asleep to your screams. And as the warm light fades from your eyes I'll kiss your ghost in my dreams.

Sleep.

Gods won't stop me. Hell won't have me.

I bask in ravenous glory. I will seize the day, amongst my last days.

Immortal. Immortality.

Kentucky:

Ear X-Tacy
1534 Bardstown Rd, Louisville, KY - (502) 452-1799

Must Have Music & More
1042 Bardstown Rd, Louisville, KY - (502) 454-4024

Hot Topic (Jefferson Mall)
4801 Outer Loop 236, Louisville, KY - (502) 962-8018

Hot Topic (Mall of St. Matthews)
5000 Shelbyville Rd 1523, Louisville, KY - (502) 891-0330

Hot Topic (Towne Mall)
1704 N Dixie Hwy, Elizabethtown, KY - (270) 766-1470

Hot Topic (Greenwood Mall)
2625 Scottsville Rd, Bowling Green, KY - (270) 782-9047‎

Hot Topic (Towne Square Mall)
5000 Frederica St 1, Owensboro, KY - (270) 683-4545‎

Hot Topic (Fayette Mall)
3401 Nicholasville Rd, Lexington, KY - (859) 272-8656

Indiana:
   
Hot Topic (Green Tree Mall)
757 E Lewis and Clark Pkwy, Clarksville, IN - (812) 284-4930

Hot Topic (Eastland Mall)
800 N Green River Rd, Evansville, IN - (812) 477-7171

If our CD is out of stock or not available at one of these stores, please request it or let us know. Thank you!

Bring your receipt in from any of these places to one of our shows and get $5 off any piece of merch!

We are proud to announce the return of long time drummer Adam Pierce back to Anagnorisis. After departing from the band less than five months ago, Pierce has returned more eager than ever.

Official Statement:
"I am proud to announce my return to Anagnorisis. After spending a short time in the Bay Area pursuing various musical endeavors, I am moving back to my hometown to plague the nation with my metal brothers. My first show back with the band will be October 20th in Louisville. Please check out our myspace for more details and be on the look out for our new EP. This EP is definitely an extreme step for Anagnorisis, but it will definitely turn some heads. We are pushing the limit more than ever, which is what this genre is all about."

From MetalVox (translated, with comments):

          Author: Leandro Gaspar
          Score: 8.5 [out of 10?]

As this is the band's first recording, I will try to be as impartial as I can.  A new band brings others' influences into its first work and they are easily noted.  But that is not what happens in this case. Going over the tracks one finds a thoughtful beginning work by the name Anagnorisis.  [Or comma  not misplaced?  . . . a thoughtful work, beginning by the name Anag. ?]  Don't worry; we're not talking about a deadly flu epidemic. Of Greek origin, the name means "discovery" or "personal realization."  Which  makes sense since the band was begun as a mere project, adding  more musicians and gaining instrumental consistency. Mixing styles like extreme Death Metal and Doom Metal, the compositions are full of atmosphere produced by keyboards, where the guitars form a solid wall of melodic Metal which is at the same time, heavy. The bass/drums determine the beat, now extreme with blastbeats, now simple and direct. Fierce vocals enthrone (set up) the opposition [struggle/contrast] between an elaborate melody and complex structures in the compositions, which are worthy of note. [Following sentence not clear to me.] The lyrics deal, in general terms, with the inner workings of the mind in personal experiences which lead to an outlook approaching the depressive state or expressed through a comfortable somnolence. My pick goes to the track that bears the CD title:  "Overton Trees," written by the founder, now ex-member of the band, Austin Lunn, It is measured and has some inspiring acoustic passages. For fans of a different kind of Metal,  with symphonic touches and an extreme feel, this is definitely a "full plate" which will "please your  ears." [a CD you will want to hear/you won't want to miss?]

Translation by A. Hartman who enjoyed the fun of it but who does not read that many metal reviews and who does not know Brazilian metal slang. 

Original review in Portuguese

BIRTH OF THE PARIAH

scatter the ashes. ra'wach shager. ruins of our lives. salvation by fear. the changing of the hands. self annihilation. with every breath I ingest a thousand razors into my chest. how could liberation and death coincide? ambivalent suicide. behold the cosmic sadist. his veiled allure. the faceless henchman's baited breath. for the next miserable murder. coerced into guidance. rasha'yad and folly. this caustic coercion. unwarranted conversions. in these arms is solitude. mind and body revolt against my very nature. i face everything alone. a bent knee is a velvet noose. how long will I pray until you cut me loose? the gallows are your gallery. who is my indigent savior? how long will the blind lead the blind? how long will I sleep in oblivion? when will sanity be mine? SHARAH ABADDON: the destroyer. ABYSSUS ABYSSUM INVOCAT. DE PROFUNDIS SHARAH ABADDON. ACCIPERE QUAM FACERE PRAESTAT INJURIAM. when the streets run red with the blood from my chest and the knife finally rests in my hand.

CORPSE IN THE SILO

i can feel its decrepit hand. beneath my chin. intent to strangle me. its soft caress. sweet death. free me from the confusion that cripples me. stumbling through oblivion. 'neath the shade of overton trees. drowned myself in cult blood. worshiping the god of sorrow. his victims know him by many a name. in the mouths of the deceased love and hate taste the same. in a sense so serpentine. innocence of a child. endearment like a false hope. adoration benign. one touch of her rotten hand. the vile stench of spiritual death. decayed bride of primal lust. her coffin is her bed. i can see the infirmary in your vapid eyes. you've nothing to offer me but toil. you are whore's breath and royalty. you are cadaver's saliva and fine oil. your hands un-calloused by labor. sought to bury me in the soil. alight you are in a pyre. for venomous witchery. crying for my hand. a violent task. to strike you down with the rest of the damned. your self-inflicted torture. happy burden on your chest. promiscuous kiss. escape artist. the whore of developmental unrest. your life is an unkept grave with no mourners to see. buried 'neath the autumn harvest. you are a ghost of who you could be.

VIRULENCE

every breath caustic air. poisons breach my lips. shackles of skin burn me. lonesome for a world where no one lives. i don't belong here. next to saints and thieves. i belong amongst a void in an absence of feeling. i must be destroyed. to rest. un-tormented by waking hours. unscathed by uncertainty. never to be taunted by an ambivalent god. to rest. un-tempted by the flesh. unscathed by uncertainty. never to be taunted by an ambivalent god. diem perdidi donatio mortis causa. HATE. HATE. HATE. HATE. we are a legion of vermin. the dominant species, a parasitic race. the time has come for an interregnum. come armageddon. i beg you to come. end this madness. we deserve nothing at all. none but agony. humanity must fall. coerced by nonexistence. my morbid request. into the void. bring us all death.
 
OVERTON TREES

the scent of oak breathes death into me. but filters out through the hole in my soul. bury me in autumn leaves. my god had left me, or so it seems. barren oak and silent soil, blackened withering artistic toil. enveloped in my drowning narcissism. the winter's breath just behind me. the evening's low-lying fog. the amber shroud of overton. sovereign sorrow. desperation leaks from this pen. held dear to its warm hand. the air is burnt and sundown is a breath behind. early. to be forever ensnared in the cold. folly and dread. with my hatred for life and the fear of the noose. it weighs heavily on my head. overton trees. whispering introit. sharpens the pendulum with every swing. a lachrymose line at the brushes tip. it carried me away. blurry gray vision. press your damnation in me. singed smell of october. in a world full of deceivers. lying. bringing in the sheaves. a sermon with an invective tongue. hallow otiose intent. i'm the ghost of a man. i am undead. victimized to repetition. crucified to the past. let every breath be my last. an abode of an ossuary.

RETURNING TO AUTUMN

to welcome the withering. the sweltering has come to an end. burnt and empty just like me. falling into autumn. open up the flood gates. submerging capernaum. we are all messiahs. we are all heretics. it fears me but not my words. nor callousness. nor disgust. buried deep behind my eyes. swells beneath my disguise. it fears me but not my words. nor callousness. nor disgust. in emptiness I reside. the fragile hollow of a beautiful lie. there's no peace in decay. and in life there is no certainty. there's no peace in death. not until I can hold it. the serenity that death offers me. the silence of the soil. i've bricked and mortared the east gate. there's no sympathy here. i'd rather writhe in perdition than slip through martyred hands.

THE GREAT DIVORCE

fall into the arms of my phantom limb faith. the gentle touch of christian psychosis. the christ syndrome transitively realized. this masquerade: religious neurosis. savior haematidrosis. swallow the pills. kneel to the cross. pray to the savior. accept my loss. steeples to burn in a world full of heathen. spiritual subservience is the road to ignorance. i commit my self to restless oblivion. to the soul harvest and its scarecrow crucifixion. a life time of love's labor lost through the stigmata hands of a mandrake savior. anything to feel alive. swallow the pills. fill the void inside. lithium. salt for my wounds. the blank eyed congregation at the sermon of doom. gagged and bound to only our denial. it's not faith but our willingness to believe that is so vile. ignorance is bliss. even as i am aware I persist.  with martyr's blood wipe away the judas kiss.

THE WEAKNESS

abandoned in the plains. i have fought my way. through the winter of my sadness. through the desert of my anger. and bereft. circumvention is mine. for a father's hand is weak. and his love is futile. i have ground my affection in gnashed teeth. and cast away a lifetime of lies. there's deception in my blood. and in the end you will drown in it. the loss of your first born son. not to death. but the things that you have done. i am the bastard child of a broken heart. and bereavement is all i call my own. forsaken by my blood. i have vanquished armies of men alone. your guidance was currency. your compassion: criticism. your love: abandonment. blackened memory fading. the stains they shine beneath. your compassion. your concern for glamour. stakes great pain in me. a union of mandrake: silent. symptomatic. a cycle complete. repetition is your poison. one adulterous hand. one hand on scripture. the smile of a debtor is in your face. the tongue of a traitor beneath it. you recognize your fear and turn your back to it. you coward. in a moment of clarity. stillborn is the air. our shoulders have become your bier. because you are dead inside. your austere voice and morale. merely a facade for your cowardice. in a home where you play the master. in truth you are the mere apprentice.

TO SLEEP

sinking. broken ribs. heavy behemoth within me. another journey around the sun. useless endeavor. weathered stone. timeless touch. falling into another. hopeless revolution. another journey around the sun. useless endeavor.