"New Blood Rising"
Group Show Curated by Les Barany
Exhibition: July 10 through August 9, 2008
Opening Reception: Thursday, July 10th, 7 to 10 pm



Curator Les Barany, renowned for his eye for the dark and uncanny has brought together a group of both notorious
and unfamiliar artists that will showcase their intricate and unique styles this summer at Fuse Gallery. Works will include drawing,
painting, digital art, sculpture and jewelry.

Participating Artists:
John U. Abrahamson, Patrick Byers, Vincent Castiglia, Christopher Conte, William B. Hand, Eli Livingston, J.L. Robbins,
Chris Savido, Kenneth “Dominique” Williams.

With Special Guest Artists:
Stephen Kasner, Victor Koen, H.R. Giger, David Hochbaum, Andre Lassen, Bart Powers, Paul Rumsey and Brian Viveros.



• Among the works on display and for sale will be 14 of the original artworks from the book Les Barany’s CARNIVORA –
The Dark Art of Automobiles,by New Blood Rising artists Patrick Byers, Vincent Castiglia, William B. Hand,
Eli Livingston, J.L. Robbins, Chris Savido, Kenneth Williams, Viktor Koen, Andre Lassen, Bart Powers, Paul Rumsey
and Brian Viveros.
Advance copies of the book will be available for sale.

• Additional original artworks from the CARNIVORA book by the following artists are available for sale through Fuse
Gallery and can be viewed on our website www.fusegallerynyc.com. Marshall Arisman, Zdzislaw Beksinski, Hanno von Bran,
Bernardo Corman, Jason D’Aquino, Steve Ellis, Viktor Koen, Till Nowak, Peter Pontiac, Rick Proll, Sybille Ruppert,
Christopher Savido, Hugo Schuhmacher, Brian Viveros, and Nick Weber.

• The following contributing East Coast artists and writers to CARNIVORA – The Dark Art of Automobiles are
expected to be present at the New Blood Rising opening on July 10th for a CARNIVORA book signing:
Mike Bellamy, Jennifer Blowdryer, Steven Blush, Michele Capozzi, Neke Carson, Vincent Castiglia, Chris Conte,
Benardo Corman, ChrisTopher Crowder, Jason D’Aquino, Mike Diana, Steve Ellis, Peter H. Gilmore, Daphne Graham,
David Hochbaum (Goldmine Shithouse), John John Jesse, Jacaeber Kastor, Deanna Lehman, Eli Livingston, Joseph B.
Mauceri, Carlo McCormick, George Petros, Rick Proll, Rich Rethorn, Chris Savido, Pet Silvia, Norman Spinrad, Nick Weber,
and Martin Wittfooth and more……

• The New York premiere screening on the gallery monitor of the new DVD H.R. Giger’s Sanctuary
The DVD features an interview and a tour of the Giger Museum in Gruyeres, Switzerland, with the master of Biomechanics
and creator of the Academy Award winning Alien. H.R. Giger’s Sanctuary was filmed entirely on location at the H.R. Giger
Museum and Bar in Switzerland.

“New Blood Rising,” curated by Les Barany runs July 10th through August 9th, 2008, at Fuse Gallery, 93
2nd Ave (between 5th & 6th Sts, 2nd Ave stop on the F), NYC, NY. The opening reception, on Thursday
July 10th, from 7 to 10 pm, is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Fuse Gallery at
212.777.7988 or fusegall@fusegallerynyc.com.

Now available in the P R O O F section, UR/SK Series releases 2 and 3:



Heavensore, Asmodai:
The forsaken mother has birthed a godhead. A triune declaration of intent based on the Tabula Smaragdina and Solomonic magic. The name Asmodai derives from aesma-daeva, aesma meaning wrath, and daeva meaning demon. Asmodai rules as the king of impurity spreading his blackened sovereignty like so much tar upon the heart of man. And as all things were by the contemplation of one; so all things arose from this one thing by adaptation.

Runhild Gammelsæter, Amplicon:
Runhild Gammelsæter (Thorr's Hammer, Sunn0))), Khlyst) releases her first solo recording. The purpose was to create something organic – sound with and about life. A lonely thing, like life, arisen from void. Stillness and a microphone, vocal chords. An idea, thoughts, a goal. Sounds of cycles of life and death, birth and cessation, described with terminology from physics, chemistry and biology. Creating by amplifying an infinitely small idea – creating an Amplimer, an Amplicon. Amplicons are pieces of DNA formed as the products of natural or artificial amplification events. Like evolution, giving rise to animal forms with ability to reproduce and die. Amplifying from a minute non-tangible idea something larger which may be experienced with the auditory sense. In physics, matter creation is the appearance of elementary particles in physical processes; the opposite of annihilation. Amplicon see Gammelsæter as a creation operator, increasing the number of particles in a given state, taking the operation necessary to amplify ideas to sound. Mixed by Tore Ylvisaker of Ulver.

Just posted six new available small drawings and mixed media works in the P R O O F section.
Some of these are executions of new ideas for large-scale pieces, and one is a bit older, from the WERDEN exhibition in Berlin of '07.

Utech Records has allied with Circle-9 and Stephen Kasner to offer a set of limited edition fine art prints.
Each print will be based on the original cover art Kasner has created for the URSK series. The paintings
will be reproduced by Circle-9 as 18"x18" giclee prints on Hahnemuhle 308gsm photo rag paper,
limited to a single edition of 35 signed and numbered pieces.

It was critical for all involved to treat the print set as an extension of the music/art proposition that inspired
the cd series. The first print will be Skullflower Desire for a Holy War and is for sale via Utech Records,
Circle-9 and Stephen Kasner.

See the P R O O F section for details, or check out the Skvllflower print at Circle-9.

Skullflower > Desire for a Holy War > URSK1

Desire for a Holy War is mayhem piled on top of mayhem piled on top of squalls of caustic feedback. Furies spitting oaths of shrouded vengeance from ancient tongues. Plague riders dealing death
on mounts of venomous ether, hooves pounding the wild earth. Matthew Bower may have reached a watershed with last year's Abyssic Lowland Hiss (Heavy Blossom) but it is with Desire for a Holy War
that he has come to conquer. Never has Skullflower sounded so severe or remorseless.
Utech Records.

Also now available directly through stephenkasner.com. See P R O O F section for full details.

I'm pretty sure that the first time I saw Stephen Kasner's artwork, it was on the cover of the 1997 Integrity album Seasons In The Size Of Days. I remember seeing the album on the day it came out...Integrity was one of my favorite band's at the time, and my then-roommate had just picked it up at a local record store. That eerie, almost Giger-esque cover image struck me immediately - it was so strikingly different from the look of any of Integrity's previous albums, but it's mysterious and darkly mystical quality seemed to make perfect sense as a visual representation for Integrity's equally dark and experimental hardcore.

After that, I began to see more of Kasner's work showing up on various records coming out of the more serious and somber ends of the underground metal and hardcore scene, his work gracing the covers and interiors of releases from Lotus Eaters, Trephine, Khlyst, Ruhr Hunter, Sunn O))), Triac, Darsombra, Eyes Of Fire, Meatjack, Himsa, and of course, Integrity. His style is instantly recognizeable, all dark shadows and nightmarish limbless figures, bodies of birds assembled in runic symbols, his paintings coalescing from silvers and blacks, deep murky earth tones and grimy greys. Nightmarish and beautiful and deeply mysterious, his paintings roam those same shadowplanes inhabited by artists like Francis Bacon and H.R. Giger.

This new book captures a wealth of artwork from Kasner, with extensive chapters dedicated to gorgeous reproductions of his drawings and paintings, album covers, photographic work (including amazing images of SubArachnoid Space, Sunn O))), Dwid and Boyd Rice), his collaborative work with Seldon Hunt and David D'Andrea (much of which I wasn't even aware of, and all of which is utterly amazing to look at), plus essays and other writings from Kasner as well as close friends of his, and an introduction written by Integrity's Dwid Hellion himself. This is the The softcover book measures 10.5"x10.5" and is 160 pages printed on high quality glossy stock, with a beautiful layout. Essential for fans of Kasner's dark visions.
-Adam Wright / Crucial Blast

Last Rites Gallery

Last Rites Gallery was created to offer a new home for artists that prefer to explore the darker side of their imagination. Our intent is to bring a greater appreciation to this often overlooked genre.

We feel that the most powerful art is that which touches the viewer emotionally. By hitting a nerve, this work will often cause one to look inward and explore their own feelings and intense thoughts. Facing one's fears, negating puritanical taboos, and tapping into often repressed emotions is truly empowering and this is where dark art finds its strength. Last Rites Gallery offers a place to recognise this work as it relates to the individual.

We utilize the global reputation of artist and gallery owner Paul Booth, built over that last 20 years to bring a broader scope of art patrons, as well as interest and understanding in the phenomenon of dark art.

The uniqueness of the gallery, aside from its focus on such work, is the collaborative effort between Genevive Zacconi- our gallery director, and Paul Booth. The fact that they are both accomplished artists as well, allows for a stronger relationship with the artists we show, and a more understanding and creative approach to the overall presentation of their work. This enhances the experience for everyone visiting Last Rites Gallery.

Fri Mar 28, 2008 11:05am EDT

BERLIN (Reuters) - A vicar in Germany who had the novel idea of helping parishioners escape the stresses and strains of daily life by letting them lie in an open grave was upset when intrusive journalists spoiled the atmosphere.

"I meant it as a meditative exercise," pastor Thorsten Nolting told Reuters. "I wanted people to think about what weighs on them down in the darkness and gather the energy to resist it."

Nolting, from the western German city of Duesseldorf, said his plan went "horribly wrong" when journalists' persistent questioning as parishioners were "laid to rest" earlier this week ruined the serenity of the occasion.

"It wasn't silent, as it should have been. They ruined it. (They) would not go away, even when I asked them," he said.

Extraverts who could cope with the incessant questioning were happy to climb down into the two meter long hole, and then rave about their "resurrection," Nolting said.

But a local newspaper said one man was still shaking, 20 minutes after his seven-minute spell in the dank grave ended.

(Reporting by Carolyn Palmer, editing by Tim Pearce)

© Reuters 2008 All rights reserved

ViceMag / Deathwish



The word “supergroup” is both a little a gay and a lot overused. Anytime Carl Barat picks up a guitar and jumps onstage with David Coulthard-head guy from Razorlight down the Old Shaggy Tin Pot, or wherever it is those guys hang out these days, it only serves to sully the legitimate use of the word. If your band is made up of Jake Bannon from Converge, the artist Stephen Kasner and our old chum Dwid Van Hellion (he of Integrity, Roses Never Fade and a thousand apocryphal tales that have been circulating around hardcore for about 20 years) then you can go right ahead and take out ownership of the word. You can have the MySpace, the patent, the copyright, the lot. Dwid told us about the project over a month ago but when we asked him if we could interview him about it he wasn’t so into it. This might have something to do with us writing frothingly about Integrity almost ceaselessly but either way we had a chat with Kasner and Bannon about their new “collaborative, cinematic, nonlinear, ethereal” project.

Vice: How do you get anything done without ever hanging out together?

Jacob Bannon: I wouldn’t say there is a classifiable role for each of us in this project. Individually we are creating music then passing it on to one another. Each of us then adds our own elements to the song, building each song into a true collaborative effort. It’s a unique approach to music writing for sure.

What collectively inspires you?

Stephen Kasner: I think the desire to exorcise some of our darkest ideas in unison. We all trust that our worldviews are equally unsettled and filled with regret and a general mistrust of the herd. Also a fascination with the “spirit” of the killer, and whether that spirit is really naturally “wrong” in what it does and is.

What is it about killers that interests you?

Stephen Kasner: I am not quick to judge them, I do not see such a black and white line in who they are, what they do and why they do it. To me, it is a part of nature. There is nothing more or less natural than architecture or killing but the architects were boring to me so I went with the serial killers.

How do you mean?

Well, things like John Gacy. We had a phone dialogue. He used to call me constantly every two or three days, like clockwork. Horny guy. He would pretend I was Johnny Depp and ask what I was wearing. I have all this on tape. I had to actually tell him to STOP calling. My phone bill was off the charts, as he had to call collect every time.

It sounds like you almost developed a friendship with him?

He liked me a lot and trusted me it seemed. He called me just days before he was executed. He was trying to get me, based on my request, the leather car coat he was wearing when he was arrested. I told him how much I liked it and he said he thought his sister had it and he would get it for me as a “going away present”.

Ohhhhkaaaay. Aside from things like that, what else influences the band?

I think the spine of the band’s personality is based around the concept of apocalypse and staring at the inevitability of our apocalypse. We are living in an ignorant, sado-masochistic world bent on its own destruction out of sheer stupidity.

MICHA JACKSON’S THRILLER
myspace.com/irons

4 panel metallic silver on black letterpress gatefold & 6 panel insert. Art and Design by Stephen Kasner.