Local reissue masterminds Numero Group have always specialized in the obscure, specific, and expansive, but their latest project, Cities of Darkscorch, takes the cake. Back in March, Numero released Warfaring Strangers: Darkscorch Canticles, a 16-track double-LP collection of whimsical, Tolkien-inspired, private-press hard-rock and proto-metal bands that arrived in the early-70s wake of Zeppelin and Sabbath. The combo of hazy, down-tuned riffage and budget studio fidelity provides the perfect soundtrack for either smoking a spliff under a yellowing light in your parents’ basement or for throwing around the 20-sided die (depending on which end of the Freaks & Geeks spectrum you fall on). On Mon 6/24, Numero will officially release Canticles‘ ambitious companion piece, a Dungeons & Dragons-style RPG created by staffers Ken Shipley, Dustin Drase, and Judson Picco called Cities of Darkscorch. Work on the game began in January of 2013, and on Fri 6/27 there will be a release party at Logan Square’s Comfort Station.
A Cities of Darkscorch package that includes the Warfaring Strangers: Darkscorch Canticles double LP sells for $100, and an expanded edition is available for an extra five bucks, which includes a bonus seven-inch from Supa Chief, whose sleeve unfolds into a board-game extension. The game is limited to 1,500 copies, and you can order it now from the Numero Group website. Rolling papers not included.
