Biography
Long Beach, Los Angeles County, California, United States (2012-Present)
A Constant Knowledge of Death was founded in 2012 by guitarist/bassist/vocalist James Goldmann and guitarist Aaron Gutierrez under the name Exiles & Vagrants. Their name was later shortened to Vagrants, and changed altogether to A Constant Knowledge of Death in 2014. ACKOD's sound is rooted primarily in post-metal/progressive metal, with additional electronic, ambient, and spoken word elements. After cycling through several members early on, the group solidified their lineup by adding Aki McCullough (also of Vivid Illusion and [/Dreamwell]) contributing additional guitars/electronics, and Mark Rivas (also of Vampire Squid, Madrost, Dystopian, and Parabolic) on drums.
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ACKOD's debut album, Vol. I: Enculturation, was released in 2015. The underlying themes of the album touch on examination of society and technology, mirrored in the stark, harsh guitar tones and digital, industrial sampling. The album's mastering was done by Magnus Andersson, of Endarker Studios and black metal group Marduk.
The album's follow-up and counterpart, Vol. II: Organic Emotions, was released in 2016. ACKOD's second release saw the band take a more introspective focus, with less angular guitar parts and electronic sampling and shifting towards a warmer, more natural sound. Mastering on Vol. II was done by Cult of Luna's Magnus Lindberg.
Throughout ACKOD's tenure, the band has taken a DIY approach to the album creation process, with recording in various locales done by the band members themselves. Guitarist Aki McCullough has served as the band's primary producer, collecting a series of initially unconnected recordings for each album and unifying the band's overall sound.
DISSECTING A ONE-WINGED BIRD is the band's first effort since their four albums released in 2019, comprising the totality of Vol. III. Co-written and engineered by band founder James Goldmann and lead guitarist Aki McCullough, then produced, mixed and mastered by the former, "DISSECTING" is 45-minute descent into dissonant death-sludge madness. The two developed the album during the 2020 COVID lockdown in their unfinished basement while Aki simultaneously began her transition, emerging with a chip on their shoulders and taking it out on everyone - from cops, to TERFS, to God. ACKOD has never sounded more ferociously aggressive. ACKOD in 2023 also finds all their members on the same coast for the first time since their inception. With co-founder and guitarist Aaron Gutierrez moving out to the Boston area, and the recruitment of the astoundingly talented Arianna Trautmann on drums, the collective will finally begin playing out on the east coast regularly.
Discography:
2015 - Vol. I: Enculturation
2016 - Vol. II: Organic Emotions
2019 - Vol. III,A: Forth from the Quiet to the Air That Trembles
2019 - Vol. III,B: Cognitive Predation
2019 - Vol. III,C: Everything Was Possible and Nothing Was True
2019 - Vol. III,D: Impermanence
2023 - DISSECTING A ONE-WINGED BIRD
Biography text from Last.fm, available under CC BY-SA.