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Novice to this mystery...heed my warning from the start
Half-off on SOMNIFERUM digipack CD's in March!!! Demo-pack collector editions and new shirt designs are here ! Byss and Abyss • Nothing and All • Time and Eternity SOMNIFERUM :
From the promised land of endless need...
The Red King introduces a completely new form of performance, a ritualized style that is proving influencial throughout the underground. Certainly, these performances break the conventional idea of what a live 'band' can achieve. Combining aspects of bhuto, ritual, alchemy, medicine, and chemistry, all the senses become involved in a ritualistic transformation. Elements of earth, fire, water, and air take shape as The Red King summons the neccessary spirits for a communal experience. Additional muses and familiars contibute dance, cinema, performance art, costuming, and musical interpretation. Among many past contributers are Ouroborus Press, A Minority of one, Stella Morgana, VIAL, LaughingCrowe, AJNA, Anima Nocturna, and Chymica Spiritus. In addition, those who attend one of these rare shows and are willing to subject themselves to the dangers involved in a Red King ritualistzed performance are rewarded in mind, body and spirit. Audience members are encouraged to participate as interaction is the highest level of understanding.... The ultimate tragedy...to die but once 
The first Red King album was released on the Dark Symphonies label in 2003. Titled VITREOLVM, it sets the mood by illustrating an obscure 17th century alchemical imperative through each number. MATERIA PRIMA VISITA INTERIORA TERRAE RECTIFICADOQUE INVIENES OCCULTUM LAPIDEM VERAM MEDICINAM 
Musically speaking, Vitriolvm is a bombastic neo-classical opus. Considered the original of the 'tragic magic' style, the album is epic, haunting and racked in dispair. Each song lasts from 9 to 19 minutes and takes a musical journey through the dark corriders of a mad genius' mind. The subtle connections that are discovered sends shivers down the spine.
While the first album enlightened many on the alchemical path, The Red King began an even darker journey, one that leads down the sordid abyss of the opium trail.... As often happens to those who take their work beyond the threshold, The Red King, immersed in the madness of the great work, called upon the spirit of Somniferum. The initial result of this work appears as part of Infernal Proteus, an herbal book and 4 CD set woth contibuters from around the world. The piece evolves from the slithering beauty of middle eastern percussion, allows a moment of contemplation with washes af building anticipation, and ultimately drives the nail home with an epic symphonic-industrial climax that rushes through the veins and bleeds out of every pour. The Red King continues down this new musical path with a full length album based on the style introduced in SOMNIFERUM. This album, released on the Sonic Abyss label, mainlines the neoclassical elements of the first album and adds elements of symphonic fire, industrial poison, and gothic beauty. Many are calling this album the best work yet from Johann Bran Cleereman. The stellar design work of VIAL magazine and Vierling make the DVD-sized CD digipack an amazing compliment to a CD worthy of collecting.
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