We are exceptionally thrilled to announce The Poisoned Glass

17th September 2015

poisoned-glass

Ritual Productions are exceptionally thrilled to announce the signing of The Poisoned Glass, a duo comprised of two members of the legendary doom band Burning Witch; vocalist Edgy59 and bassist G.Stuart Dahlquist.

After the demise of Burning Witch in 1998 and going their separate ways, the two kept in touch, occasionally making overtures towards working together and knowing that they would when it felt natural. The Poisoned Glass started with the song ‘Silent Vigil’, a twelve-tone progression Dahlquist had originally intended as a tonal bass solo. After experimenting, he felt that the resulting sound was heavier, more despondent and unforgiving than any of his existing projects and sent the rough mix to Edgy, who understood immediately that this music represented perfectly both voices as a unit. It came naturally, as though it was meant to be, and with that, the duo formed, and set out to record as The Poisoned Glass.

The instrumentation is exclusively centred around bass guitar, organ, and voice – nothing more. In spite of seemingly limiting instrumentation The Poisoned Glass is far from minimalist; the atmosphere is bleak but so dense it is virtually without air. Dahlquist’s unison bass and organ is massive, building, evolving and expanding, punctuated by Edgy’s unbridled tenor and the irregular jarring of one or two note dissonant harmonies.

What began as something of an experiment in 2010, The Poisoned Glass is now being revived, in full force, with the band set to bring their haunting expanses to Roadburn Festival 2016. With this festival showcasing only the best in doom, drone, sludge and experimental heaviness, there is no better home for the duo’s disquieting offerings, with a performance scheduled for Thursday April 14th.

Speaking on their inclusion for the upcoming Roadburn, the band had the following to say:“The Poisoned Glass is greatly honoured and more than a little surprised to be part of the Roadburn 2016 roster. If someone had asked us four months ago, “Where do you see The Poisoned Glass being this time next year?”, we never could have envisioned we’d be in Tilburg, playing at Roadburn Festival, sharing the stage with the heaviest bands in the world. This is going to be f*cking great.​”

Equally excited about their booking is Roadburn’s artist director Walter Hoeijmakers:”The spirit of Burning Witch has always loomed large over Roadburn Festival, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that I’m overly excited about Stuart Dahlquist and Edgy59 forming a new, unholy racket, named The Poisoned Glass. The sound of The Poisoned Glass has all that you’re looking for in a orchestral doom band – noisy textures, eerie atmospherics, twisted harmonies, slow, haunting dirges, and tortured vocals by the ultimate goth, Edgy59. Like Burning Witch, The Poisoned Glass will become essential as well for all our damned souls.”

Enigmatic and moving, The Poisoned Glass will release their self titled LP on Ritual Productions in spring of 2016. More details of that to follow in the coming months.

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