The Ajna Offensive
Encyclopedia
The Ajna Offensive is an American independent record label
which releases extreme metal
, experimental music
and neofolk
records, and books related to the occultism, ritual work, magick
theory and meta-history. The proprietor of the label is Tyler Davis, who had worked with Stephen O'Malley
on the black metal fanzine
Descent. Later O'Malley was involved with the creation of the Ajna Offensive record label.
Ajna
is a Sanskrit
word which means "command". The Ajna is also the third eye
of occult tradition.
The first album released from the label was Plecid, which was decidedly not a metal album.
According to Stylus Magazine
, The Ajna Offensive appears to be an aesthetically steered label, from the color and layout of the website to the bands it chooses to brand and unleash. As a result, it's impossible to delineate the label as being this or that.
Estimated annual sales of The Ajna Offensive is 86,000 copies. The label's Standard Industrial Classification
code is 7389 and its North American Industry Classification System code is 561990.
Independent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
which releases extreme metal
Extreme metal
Extreme metal is a loosely defined umbrella term for a number of related heavy metal music subgenres that have developed since the early 1980s. The term usually refers to a more abrasive, harsher, underground, non-commercialized style or sound nearly always associated with genres like black metal,...
, experimental music
Experimental music
Experimental music refers, in the English-language literature, to a compositional tradition which arose in the mid-20th century, applied particularly in North America to music composed in such a way that its outcome is unforeseeable. Its most famous and influential exponent was John Cage...
and neofolk
Neofolk
Neofolk is a form of folk music-inspired experimental music that emerged from post-industrial music circles. Neofolk can either be solely acoustic folk music or a blend of acoustic folk instrumentation aided by varieties of accompanying sounds such as pianos, strings and elements of industrial...
records, and books related to the occultism, ritual work, magick
Magick
Magick is an Early Modern English spelling for magic, used in works such as the 1651 translation of De Occulta Philosophia, Three Books of Occult Philosophy, or Of Magick...
theory and meta-history. The proprietor of the label is Tyler Davis, who had worked with Stephen O'Malley
Stephen O'Malley
Stephen O'Malley is a musician, predominantly a guitarist, producer and composer from Seattle, Washington who has conceptualized and participated in numerous drone doom, death/doom, and experimental music groups....
on the black metal fanzine
Fanzine
A fanzine is a nonprofessional and nonofficial publication produced by fans of a particular cultural phenomenon for the pleasure of others who share their interest...
Descent. Later O'Malley was involved with the creation of the Ajna Offensive record label.
Ajna
Ajna
Ajna is the sixth primary chakra according to Hindu tradition.-Location:The Ajna chakra is positioned in the brain, directly behind the eyebrow centre, while its ksehtram or superficial activation site is at the eyebrow region, in the position of the 'third eye'.-Appearance:Ajna is white in...
is a Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
word which means "command". The Ajna is also the third eye
Third eye
The third eye is a mystical and esoteric concept referring in part to the ajna chakra in certain spiritual traditions. It is also spoken of as the gate that leads within to inner realms and spaces of higher consciousness...
of occult tradition.
History
The Ajna Offensive label evolved in 1992 out of the "Warloch" label then managed by Davis. Davis and O'Malley first met after Davis sent O'Malley a very excitable letter upon reading the first issue of Descent. They met and got along famously. Tylor offered all of his energy to Descent, while Stephen offered his energies towards The Ajna Offensive record label for a while. In reviewing metal bands for the magazine, Davis felt that black metal had not yet reached its potential. One time, he and O'Malley listened to a trunk of 150 demos and gave only a handful of them good reviews in Descent.The first album released from the label was Plecid, which was decidedly not a metal album.
According to Stylus Magazine
Stylus Magazine
Stylus Magazine was an online music and film magazine launched in 2002. It featured long-form music journalism, four daily music reviews, movie reviews, a number of different podcasts, an MP3 blog, and a text blog....
, The Ajna Offensive appears to be an aesthetically steered label, from the color and layout of the website to the bands it chooses to brand and unleash. As a result, it's impossible to delineate the label as being this or that.
Estimated annual sales of The Ajna Offensive is 86,000 copies. The label's Standard Industrial Classification
Standard Industrial Classification
The Standard Industrial Classification is a United States government system for classifying industries by a four-digit code. Established in 1937, it is being supplanted by the six-digit North American Industry Classification System , which was released in 1997; however certain government...
code is 7389 and its North American Industry Classification System code is 561990.
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