RIYL: Spiritual droned out psychedelic mantras served with layers of fuzz and reverb

Label: Fuzz Club Records

“He who fears death cannot enjoy life” – Dead Mantra

Icelandic cult psychedelic trio Dead Skeletons are more than a band, they are rock n roll spirit guides, exploring the depths of light and dark, life and death, and all the spaces in-between in which a soul can find itself wandering through karmic iterations.

I must admit I almost crapped my pants when I found out that there was a new release by Dead Skeletons coming out. This bunch is at the core of what psychedelic expression is all about in both sound and vision! Dead Skeletons was originally summoned for an art-exibit project in Iceland back in 2008 (with the track “Dead Mantra”) by Nonni Dead (Jón Sæmundur Auðarson) and also features Singapore Sling member Henrik Björnsson and Asteroid #4‘s Ryan Van Kriedt. The project quickly grew into a spiritual vessel of immense magnitude with grand explorations of shamanic trance inducing droned out psychedelic sounds. Gaining quite the reputation both for their visuals and sounds, their debut 10″ EP “Dead Mantra” was released by Anton Newcombe (the Brian Jonestown Massacre) via his label A Records in 2010, followed by their debut-album “Dead Magick” in 2011. If you’re lucky enough to find any of the two pressings of the album you better be ready to trade some mad money for it.. They’ve also released a few additional singles and EPs that are exceedingly hard to come by.

This double-album is a live recording of their performance at the legendary Berlin club SO36, which had been revived especially for this night back in December 2013. The energy shared between the trio and the crowd is a fullblown trancendental experience, caught on recording and pressed into the grooves of side A to C in this set. Side D contains a silk screened artwork, something which is often present in Dead Skeletons’ vinyl-releases. This is more than a great album, it’s a genuine piece of spiritual art!

Visual art has remained implicit to Dead Skeletons, with many album covers originating as paintings, and Nonni painting on canvas as part of the group’s live show. Nonni also maintains his own art practice, gallery, and a range of hand painted t­‐shirts, all under the label DEAD. Dead Skeletons’ creative practice explores themes of death and mortality, often through the lens of Buddhism and its karmic cycle. The band’s logo – a skull encircled with their mantra ‘He who fears death cannot enjoy life’ has become an iconic symbol in the underground scene, apparent in countless t-­shirts, posters and tatoos.

We here at Sly Vinyl are extremely proud to premiere the artwork for both variants of the album, handpainted by Nonni Dead!

*Fuzz Club exclusive edition:

-Limited to 300 handnumbered copies on Black w/ Yellow & White Splatter, printed innersleeves featuring photography from the Berlin show, a silk screened D side and embossed Fuzz Club logo. Available through the “Buy Now”-button underneath

Fuzz Club exclusive edition artwork:

*Standard Edition:

-Limited to 1200 copies on 180g White Vinyl w/ Red and Black Splatter, printed innersleeves featuring photography from the Berlin show, a silk screened D side and embossed Fuzz Club logo. Available HERE

Standard edition artwork:

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The Details

The Fuzz Club Exclusive version of Dead Skeletons - Live In Berlin features unique cover art by Dead Skeletons' Jón Sæmundur Auðarson aka Nonni Dead, and unique vinyl colourings. The album Live In Berlin captures a performance at Berlin's iconic SO36 club in 2013. This is a double 12" with gatefold cover and features a silk screened D Side and printed inner sleeves. There is another edition also available as well as CDs, cassettes, silk screened poster and limited edition tees and tote bags featuring a Dead Skeletons logo designed by Nonni. More details on the album will be released very soon! Vinyl will be delivered mid March.

Price $38.5