Immerse yourself in dark sonic landscapes,
created with only bass guitars and effects.
ALBUM: ALL WILL PERISH (2019)
Six years after his debut, “Travels”, and three years after the Consolation EP, Crows Labyrinth finally releases his long-awaited second full-length album. The tradition of recording the music exclusively with bass guitars and effect processing is maintained on this album.
“All Will Perish” continues to explore the dark ambient sonic landscapes that could be heard on the first album. The themes of the tracks are in some cases even darker than on Crows Labyrinth’s debut, setting a stage for catastrophe, impermanence and hopelessness.
A few personal notes from Theo about the album:
” I’m beyond excited that my second album finally sees the light of day in June. This album was a bumpy journey to complete. A lot has happened in my personal life in the past few years that impacted my energy levels and my creativity. Part of the journey was also learning to master my own music in my home studio. That took a lot of time with ups and downs (can I do this? will it sound right? etc). But I persisted and I am really happy with how the new album sounds. “
All tracks played and recorded by Theo Tol.
Production, sound design, compositions and cover art by Theo Tol.
Mixed and mastered by Theo Tol at The Crow’s Lab
.
.
OTHER RELEASES
EP: CONSOLATION (2016)
Crows Labyrinth returns with a new EP, this year’s second release. The three tracks span nearly 20 minutes and should please anyone that loves improvised fretless bass playing in an ambient setting.
This EP covers the lighter, more melodic aspect of Crows Labyrinth’s musical output. If you liked the last two tracks of his debut album “Travels”, then you’ll be in for a treat.
The first track, “Consolation”, was recorded in the week when an uncle passed away a few months ago. “I can hear the state of mind that I had during that period when I listen it back,” reflects Theo. “The track is dedicated to him, and to everyone that has lost a loved one.”
“Stateless” is a more abstract piece of layered improvised bass loops that ease in and out of existence. The EP ends with “Responder”. This track could already be heard on Soundcloud, but is now finally mastered and officially available.
Track 1 and 3 were recorded live in one take, without additional editing or overdubs.
Played and recorded by Theo Tol.
Production, sound design and compositions by Theo Tol.
Mastering by Arian Prins at Hydra Music Studio.
Artwork by Brian Watson of plan A art.
ALBUM: TRAVELS (2013)
Every composition was improvised in one take with exception of track 3, which has a few overdubs, and track 6.
All tracks played and recorded by Theo Tol.
Production, sound design, compositions and cover art by Theo Tol.
Mastering and sound advice by Arian Prins at Hydra Music Studio.
No synthesizers were harmed while creating this album.
What others have to say about the album:
Deep, dark, and deliciously dystopian … “Travels” by Crows Labyrinth is my kind of dark ambient. Decidedly post-apocalyptic in presentation, these soundscapes are powerfully evocative and sow the seeds of imagination that the creative listener feeds on.
.
— Thomas Mathie, a.k.a. Headphonaught, owner of netlabel “We Are All Ghosts”
(Click here for the full review)
Take your time, relax and open your heart and soul, switch of the light and experience this therapeutic ambient adventure.
…
Amazing!.
— Kai Nobuko, Reviewer for music blog “Yeah I Know It Sucks”
(Click here for the full review)
.
SINGLE: GEMINI SUN (2013)
Crows Labyrinth teamed up with UK post-rock artist Coma Cloud in 2013 for a one-off track called “Sunrise Finale”. The track was released in July 2013, featuring punchy post-rock grooves and hypnotizing ambient bass guitar drones. (Click here to download “Sunrise Finale” for free.)
“Gemini Sun” is the companion single to Coma Cloud’s “Sunrise Finale” and features the isolated, full dark ambient bass guitar soundscape that was used in “Sunrise Finale”.
The track was improvised and recorded in one live take using a 5-string bass guitar and numerous effects.
Played and recorded by Theo Tol.
Production, sound design, composition and cover art by Theo Tol.
Mastering by Arian Prins at Hydra Music Studio.
.
DOUBLE-TRACK: TRANSMITTER (2016)
With this double-track release, Crows Labyrinth is expanding the universe of dark ambient bass guitar soundscapes that he created with his debut album “Travels”.
Experimentation with new sounds was an important objective during the creation of these new sonic structures. On the other hand the approach was kept the same: record everything as one take, one flow of sound, one improvisation, using a 5-string bass guitar with live effects processing.
No additional sounds or overdubs were added. Everything you hear is done in one take, using only bass guitar and effects processing.
Played and recorded by Theo Tol.
Production, sound design, compositions and cover art by Theo Tol.
Mastering by Arian Prins at Hydra Music Studio.
VIDEO: HELIOGRAPH (from the album “Travels”)
About Crows Labyrinth
Crows Labyrinth is an ambient solo bass project, conceived by Theo Tol from the Netherlands.
What started as an experiment in December 2011 turned out to become a real project, resulting in his first full album, titled “Travels”, released in January 2013.
Theo’s approach to making music is simple but challenging: try to create ambient soundscapes by exclusively using bass guitars and digital effects. As an extra challenge, every track should preferably be recorded as one take, one flow of sound, one improvisation.
Later in 2013, Crows Labyrinth teamed up with UK post-rock artist Coma Cloud for a one-off track called “Sunrise Finale”. The track was released in July 2013, featuring punchy post-rock grooves and hypnotizing ambient bass guitar drones.
One month later, Crows Labyrinth released “Gemini Sun”: companion single or B-side to Coma Cloud’s “Sunrise Finale” and features the isolated, full dark ambient bass guitar soundscape that was used in “Sunrise Finale”. The track was improvised and recorded in one live take using a 5-string bass guitar and numerous effects.
The year 2016 saw two shorter releases: the double-track release “Transmitter” and the Consolation EP. “Transmitter” was fairly abstract and tried a new approach of improvising with only-the-fly effect changes. The Consolation EP was more melodic and used live looping for the first time. The music on the Consolation EP was heavily inspired by Brian Eno and Robert Fripp.
The story of Crows Labyrinth continues in 2019 with his second full-length album, titled “All Will Perish”. The album can be seen as a successor to the Travels album, featuring dark soundscapes that often make the original sound of the bass guitar unrecognizable. The limited edition CD version of the album has the tracks from the Consolation EP as bonus tracks.
Crows Labyrinth is inspired by many artists. These names are a small selection: Brian Eno, Robert Fripp, Tangerine Dream, Steven Wilson (with his Bass Communion and I.E.M. projects), Tom Heasley, Loscil, Clem Leek.
Links
Facebook: facebook.com/CrowsLabyrinth
Twitter: twitter.com/crowslabyrinth
Bandcamp: crowslabyrinth.bandcamp.com
SoundCloud: soundcloud.com/crowslabyrinth