Aural Aggravation

‘Church of Bones’ is the first music video released by Underheaven, the Lower Bucks County, PA duo comprised of multi-instrumentalist / producer / songwriter Chris Gelok and songwriter / bassist / vocalist Howard Wuelfing. The video was created by Gelok, an experienced creator of CGI video. The song is a haunting portrait of a human being’s last moments of consciousness. Have a look here:

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Philadelphia-based multi-instrumentalist Chris Gelok has been an active part of the local Metal scene since the early aughts, playing guitar with Chorea from 2005 through 2013, then Disgorgement from 2013 through 2020. Along the way he took time out to participate in Funk-bound side ventures including Bassnectar and Big Pimp Jones. He’s also provided musical settings for a number of television networks.

Howard Wuelfing was active in the original Washington D.C. Punk scene, playing in The Look, Slickee Boys, Nurses, the original version of Underheaven, and finally Half Japanese before relocating to New Jersey.

The first edition of Underheaven was founded by guitarist Don Zientara and Wuelfing who first met when Don recorded several of the groups Howard played in at the first incarnation of Zientara’s now-storied Inner Ear Studios. After the band opened for acts like R.E.M., The Bangles, etc. and recorded an EPs worth of material with Ian MacKaye at the control board the members went their separate ways. Decades later, Zientara and Wuelfing reconvened the group joined by Half Japanese guitarist Mark Jickling on guitar and Dan Buccino on drums. When lockdown thwarted live performing, they recorded a pair of vintage originals, ‘One Mad Answer’ and ‘The Moment I Die’ before calling it quits – some of the last recordings done at Inner Ear before it fell prey to developers; these tracks were released digitally in mid-2023.

Gelok and Wuelfing joined forces soon after the D.C.-based line-up dissolved to record a growing body of original songs, his first new compositions in decades. Since they began working together, their stock of distinctive original material has grown steadily and plans are to release their full length debut.