Xasthur

Unlike much of his corpse-paint wearing brethren Malefic of the ambient black metal band Xasthur dons his horrific black-and-white face as a statement of despair not aggression. Theatrical, he is of the same creed as The Cure's Robert Smith and Alice Cooper or Hollywood's The Crow and Heath Ledger's rendition of The Joker. Through Xasthur, Malefic's musical and physical aesthetic is demented and hopeless; his songs are screams in the night, both beautiful and tormenting. Although Malefic has joined bands Sun O))) and Nachtmystium onstage for single tours and shows, Xasthur his band does not perform live. "I will always keep Xasthur a band that will not play live," he told Pitchfork Media in 2007. In the studio Malefic handles nearly all the instruments himself, suggesting a loner mentality forcefully reinforced by his musical stylings. Xasthur's eighth album, All Reflections Dead, is out now on Hydra Head. It's troubling and ****ed up, just the way you like it.

--Colin Stutz