Black Fortress of Opium recorded their 2008 self-titled debut album with producer Martin Bisi (Dresden Dolls, Iggy Pop, John Zorn, Sonic Youth, Brian Eno, Swans).
Press:
Black Fortress of Opium are a brawling, dark monster of a band that seems like it should be playing shows with, say, Nicki Jaine or the Dresden Dolls rather than Gogol Bordello." – Ned Raggett, All Music Guide
"Treading a darker almost gothic path, probably through a Victorian cemetery at dusk, Black Fortress of Opium, are moody and magnificent on their self-titled album...a beautiful collection of brooding and melancholy songs that are varied enough to sustain interest throughout the album." - Simon Lewis and Steve Palmer, Terrascope
"Shows amazing promise and creative poise for such a new band. The album is a heady brew of melancholia, exotic instrumental flourishes, sinister glances and a sound that is as gothic as it is Appalachian and European." - Matthew Moyer, Ink 19
"Would suit a David Lynch bar scene" – Muruch
"Intensity and dark regality… dominant feelings of haunting, other-worldliness and mystique…Black Fortress of Opium truly makes you believe that you just may be listening to something highly monumental." – Northeast Performer Magazine
"BFO's music is filled with shimmering darkness, pierced by Ajda's often wraithlike vocals, and marked by dynamic tension." - Nick Zaino, Boston Globe
"This album's a great and daring thing." – collectedsounds.com
"The group plays hypnotic, often mesmerizing songs that unwind with a darkly slinky sensuality, sometimes exploding in rage. Think Elysian Fields, Bee & Flower or Botanica at their blackest and bleakest, with a more ambient sensibility. This is a sensationally good ipod album. And if the band only plays the cd's basic tracks onstage, they should be awesome live." – Lucid Culture NYC
"You needn't be a visitor to a drug den to be carried far, far away by this album's potent blend. BFO don't sound quite like anyone else, and their sense of dynamics and urgency makes them a truly interesting new band…coming through loud and clear on this amazing debut, and if its exotic stylings were any stronger, they might induce hallucinations...or at least permanent rejection of conformity" – Playback STL
"The music is simultaneously exotic and familiar yet it transports me to an older world." - Noise Magazine
"Ajda the Turkish Queen lures you with her voice, tells her deepest secrets, and generally draws you in to a gorgeous netherworld. But Black Fortress of Opium is also a flesh-and-blood band that teams her with some of Boston's more creative players; they can haunt with melody and rock with abstraction. This one is a pleasure to get lost in." - Brett Milano, Boston Phoenix music writer & author of The Sound of Our Town
Album Instrumentation~
Ajda the Turkish Queen: vocals, keys, mandolin, acoustic/classical guitars, tenor banjo, melodica, flute, field recordings, percussion
Tony Savarino: guitars, electric sitar, theremin, percussion
Joel Simches: bass, keys, percussion
Joe Turner: drums
Black Fortress of Opium is named after a real place in Turkey - Afyonkarahisar. The town's name means "Black Fortress of Opium". In this town, there is an ancient fortress perched atop a hill. Much lore surrounds the history of this place.
Dark and intriguing. Eclectic instrumentation lends to a vibe reminiscent of Americana and the Middle East simultaneously. The sound is haunting; the songs speak of life, love, misery, and the human condition.
This album is also available on iTunes.
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