Recording Details for "Parhelion"

[picture of the CD front cover]

"Parhelion" was recorded and mixed at Cryonica Studios, London, between November 2005 and February 2006. It was engineered by Reza Udhin (Inertia and Killing Joke) and co-produced by Reza Udhin and Libitina.

The CD was mastered by Reza Udhin at Cryonica Studios, London, in February 2006.

The twelve tracks that comprise "Parhelion" are as follows:

Duty Unbound, Endgame, Breathe, Landfill, Alea Iacta Est, Salvation, The Darkest Hour, Geist, My Heart's Kingdom, Panopticon, Memento Mori, Duty Bound.

The album's about signs and portents, interpretation, contradiction, and ambiguity, and inner conflict and civil strife.

The Parhelion painting ('Vädersolstavlan' by J. H. Elbfas) that inspired the album's title represents the 6 luminous rings of light that appeared over Stockholm on April 20th 1535. These mock suns were interpreted as a revelation of the imminent collapse of worldly power.

The album is about reading such signs and making life-changing choices to avoid the destruction of self and society.

‘Parhelion’ mixes classic gothic guitars with modern electronics to stunning effect. With its emotionally intense and anthemic sound, the album marks another significant step in the evolution of Libitina's distinctive brand of music. Stand out tracks include the modern dance floor classic ‘Salvation’, the Eighties-influenced goth-pop ‘Endgame’, and the slower, intimate ‘Alea Iacta Est’.

All lead vocals on the album are by Phill.

Backing vocals were provided by Phill and Jamie. Darren and Reza Udhin (courtesy of Cryonica Music) also provided backing vocals on 'Memento Mori'.

We decided on the name for the album whilst having a post-studio drink in The Good Samaritan pub in Whitechapel, London. Phill and Jamie had several potential titles between them and it turned out that each had 'Parhelion' as a suggestion! Rather taken aback by this (after all, 'Parhelion' isn't exactly a commonplace word and our choices had been completely independent), we felt we had to use it as the title!