photo by Marilyn Chen
The album is named after the mythical Indian goddess of death and destruction (Maha is "great"; K?l? is the feminine of k?la, "darkness"), as mentioned in the Mahabarata and other Indian epics.
"The idea of a 'goddess of destruction' is one that I've cherished for a long time. Cedric [Victor, bassist and visual collaborator] mentioned Kali when we were recording because of the thematic similarities to the songs I had already written," says JARBOE. "As we progressed, everything seemed to come together around this theme of respect/reverence for strength and simultaneous repulsion/fear of power. Kali's narrative also discusses Nietzsche's old adage that 'in fighting the monster, one must be careful that one does not become the monster' which seems to be a relevant message."
The album is signature JARBOE, with her voice embodying numerous "characters." Listeners will hear metal, epic-era Swans, ambient/noise references, even orchestral instrumentation. In keeping with her characteristic collaborative method, the album features all-star line-up with special guest appearances by Philip Anselmo (Down, Superjoint Ritual, Pantera) and Attila Csihar (Mayhem). Also appearing are Josh Graham (A Storm of Light, ex-Red Sparowes), Kevin Hufnagel (Dysrhythmia, Byla), and spoken word recitations with collaborator/bassist Cedric Victor.
MahaKali will be available in two formats in the US. While both jewelcase and digipak versions contain 15 tracks, each track list contains slightly different material, with additional remixes, spoken word and alternate versions of the main songs. More information about the album's concept will be made available at TheLivingJarboe.com at the time of release. MahaKali is currently available for pre-order through THE OMEGA ORDER:
Pre-order: JARBOE - MahaKali [The Omega Order]
Praise for JARBOE and MahaKali:
“[MahaKali is] the most satisfying piece of work from [Jarboe] in years.” - THE AQUARIAN
“Jarboe is a sonic counterpoint to the doomy squall that generally accompanies her.” - MAGNET
“[Jarboe] pairs the visual flair of performance art with a fiercely eclectic arsenal of styles, and she never shies away form the aggressive and the extreme.” - THE NEW YORKER
Links:
www.TheLivingJarboe.com
MySpace.com/JarboeLiving
