SONIC TITAN Release New Single via Adult Swim & Reveal Details for New Rock Opera

Todd 'ToddStar' Jolicoeur | 30 August 2012 | Reply

Known as much for their progressive approach to melding psychedelia, opera and metal as they are for their captivating, and completely stunning live shows, there is never a dull moment in the world of YAMANTAKA // SONIC TITAN.

YAMANTAKA // SONIC TITAN have released a new track as part of the Adult Swim Singles Program, “Lamia.” The track can be downloaded here as well as seen live as part of a recent in-store performance at Sonic Boom during NXNE.

The band, who was recently shortlisted for the Polaris Prize alongside Grimes, Cadence Weapon, Japandroids and Drake, are releasing a split 7″ with fellow nominees Fucked Up to coincide with the awards, followed by a never before seen 33 minute rock opera. Premeiering at this year’s Pop Montreal Festival and presented in three parts, “33 // ?” explores ancient Asian and North American mythology in a contemporary setting, replete with aging drag queens, desire, fame, jealousy and murder. You can catch them at the festival when they premiere the opera in Montreal on September 21st.

Also, Paper Bag Records has just signed YAMANTAKA // SONIC TITAN for Canada and is re-issuing the LP on vinyl. You can buy it digitally now or order the vinyl here.

YAMANTAKA // SONIC TITAN are a psychedelic noh-wave opera group fusing noise, metal, pop and folk music into a multidisciplinary hyper-orientalist cesspool of ‘eastern’ culture in giant monochrome paper sets. Blending Noh, Peking Opera, Buddhist Ritual Punk, Taiko Shows, Tokusatsu, Performance Art, Rock Opera & their own mangaesque cardboard ‘NEVERFLAT’ style of 2.5D set design, their bizarre form of music//altheater have awked and shawed audiences in Montreal for several years.

Founded in early 2008 by performance artists alaskaB and Ruby Kato Attwood, from the ashes of ‘Yellow Peril’, YAMANTAKA // SONIC TITAN functions as a mutating and constantly evolving art cult that brings together individuals of Diasporic and Indigenous identity to perform/create as a collective. Working in multiple mediums including Installation, Theater, Music and Design, YT//ST negotiate cultural clashes between dominant cultures and those whose traditions are oppressed, erased or being eclipsed.

YAMANTAKA // SONIC TITAN continues to operate now between Montreal & Toronto

Links /

YAMANTAKA // SONIC TITAN Official Website

YAMANTAKA // SONIC TITAN Official Facebook

YAMANTAKA // SONIC TITAN Official Bandcamp

YAMANTAKA // SONIC TITAN Press Materials

Press Contact:
Grace Jones at REQUIEM media

YT//ST | Tracklisting /

01. Raccoon Song
02. Queens
03. Oak Of Guernica
04. Reverse Crystal // Murder Of A Spider
05. Hoshi Neko
06. A Star Over Pureland
07. Crystal Fortress Over The Sea Of Trees

Quotes /

“The record feels wholly substantial and satisfying in its own right, and even those with no prior knowledge of YT//ST’s history and elaborate intentions can just enjoy it for what it is: volcanic prog-rock colored with equal parts post-punk urgency, stoner-metal heft, and psychedelic pop whimsy.” Pitchfork

“We’ll sheepishly admit we’re relatively new to Yamantaka’s unique breed of gloomy, Kabuki-tinged metal-cum-experimental rock opera (or “noh-wave.” as they call it), but from what we’ve heard (and seen) from the collective, we definitely dig.” Spin

“A reputation for elaborate designed DIY live shows, which, like the group?s music, incorporates influences from across time and space. But most importantly, its music, as strange and dense as it can be, is an oddly accessible and strangely enjoyable listen.” A.V. Club

“YT//ST creates full-scale events, complete with eerie face-paint, monochromatic paper sets and Boredoms-style drum blasts that blend black metal and kabuki into a jaw-dropping new form. The group’s debut album is equally epic, yet it’s all just a glimpse into their master plan to freak out the squares with a stage production so large no theatrein the world could contain it.” Noisey

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About the Author (Author Profile)

ToddStar - that's me... just a rocking accountant who had dreams of being a rock star. I get to do the next best thing to rocking the globe - I get to take pictures of the lucky ones that do. I love to shoot all genres of music and different types of performers. If it is related to music, I love to photograph it. I get to shoot and hang with not only some of my friends and idols, but some of the coolest people around today.