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Secret Chiefs 3; for the use of the term in occultism, see Secret Chiefs.Secret Chiefs 3, also known as SC3, is a group of musicians led by composer and producer Trey Spruance, former guitarist of Mr. Bungle. Their studio recordings and tours have featured different line-ups, as the group performs a wide range of musical styles including surf rock, Persian, Arabic, Indian, death metal, film music, electronic music, and various others. The Secret Chiefs 3 toured with Les Claypool in Spring 2008 and the Oddity Faire in 2009.
HistorySpruance formed the band in the mid-nineties with fellow Mr. Bungle members Trevor Dunn on bass and Danny Heifetz on drums. Some of the many musicians who have since recorded or toured with SC3 include violinist Eyvind Kang, percussionist William Winant, drummer Ches Smith, bassist Shahzad Ismaily, former Mr. Bungle member Clinton "Bär" McKinnon, and Estradasphere members Timb Harris, Jason Schimmel, and Tim Smolens. Musicians tend to float in and out of SC3, so the concept of "current" and "former" members isn't very applicable.
The satellite bandsIt was later announced that Secret Chiefs 3 has always been a general name for seven different bands, each representing a different aspect of Spruance's musical and philosophical interests. The seven bands are The Electromagnetic Azoth, UR, Ishraqiyun, Traditionalists, Holy Vehm, Forms, and NT Fan; 2004's Book of Horizons was the first SC3 album to feature the sub-groups under their own names
. So far four of the sub-groups have released 7" singles and Traditionalists have delivered a full-length album.
URUR has released two EPs - Kulturvultur / Drive and Circumambulation / Labyrinth of Light - and a split EP with The Electromagnetic Azoth titled The Left Hand of Nothingness / Personnae: Halloween. In a 2007 interview Spruance briefly described the band's music as "suprasensory surf"; the band's musical style combines surf rock with Persian, Arabic and Indian musical elements. UR has also covered movie themes such as Halloween and The Exodus. Fans have speculated that all songs by Secret Chiefs 3 bearing the "Book T" prefix (for instance, on Second Grand Constitution and Bylaws) are the work of UR, Book T: The Exodus being the only title confirmed so far. All of the Book T songs contain elements of surf rock, thus fitting Spruance's description of the band.
Traditionalists
The sixth Secret Chiefs 3 studio album, Le Mani Destre Recise Degli Ultimi Uomini (June 2009) features music exclusively from the satellite band Traditionalists. The band's music was also heard on the 2004 album Book of Horizons. The Mimicry Records web store describes the band as "decidedly walking in the footprints of the Great Masters of cinema music". The 2009 album is a score to an imaginary giallo horror film, inspired by the work of several Italian film composers.
PhilosophySC3's music, album artwork, liner notes, and lyrics express a theological philosophy influenced by
Henry Corbin, Shahab al-Din Suhrawardi, Aryeh Kaplan, Julius Evola, René Guénon, Hakim Bey/Peter Lamborn Wilson, Seraphim Rose, and many others. More on the Secret Chiefs 3 philosophy and influences can be found in the Web of Mimicry Museum Without Walls and the SC3 Myspace page.
Discography- Albums
- First Grand Constitution and Bylaws (1996, Amarillo Records)
- Second Grand Constitution and Bylaws: Hurqalya (1998, Amarillo Records)
- Eyes of Flesh, Eyes of Flame live album (1999, Web of Mimicry)
- Book M (2001, Web of Mimicry)
- Book of Horizons (2004, Web of Mimicry)
- Path of Most Resistance (retrospective and rarities album) (2007)
- Xaphan: Book of Angels Volume 9 (arrangements from John Zorn's second Masada songbook) Tzadik Records #7364 (mid-2008)
- Satellite Bands
- Traditionalists: Le Mani Destre Recise Degli Ultimi Uomini (May 2009, Web of Mimicry)
- Remasters
- First Grand Constitution and Bylaws Remastered (2000, Web of Mimicry)
- Second Grand Constitution and Bylaws: Hurqalya Remastered (2000, Web of Mimicry)
- EPs
- The Legendary Paper Project (Split 7" Promo, 1995), also including Mr. Bungle's "Platypus", packaged with US vinyl copies of Mr. Bungle's Disco Volante LP
- The Theatrum of Suprasensory Universes Vol. 1 (Australia Tour 7", 250 copies, Amarillo Records 1998)
- Zulfikar II/Zulfikar III (Limited 7", 600 copies, Mimicry Records, 1998)
- The Electromagnetic Azoth The Left Hand of Nothingness / UR Personnae: Halloween (7", ltd. 1000 copies, 2007)
- Ishraqiyun Balance of the 19 / The Electromagnetic Azoth UBIK (7", ltd. 1000 copies, 2007)
- UR Kulturvultur / Drive (7", ltd. 1000 copies, 2007)
- UR Circumambulation / Labyrinth of Light (7", ltd. 1000 copies, 2007)
- DVDs
- Live at the Great American Music Hall (March 3rd 2009)
- Future releases
- Book of Souls, Folio One (2009?)
- Book of Souls, Folio Two
- Book of Souls, Folio Three
- Book of Balance
Copyright Citations
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