Secret Chiefs 3

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This article is about a band called Secret Chiefs 3; for the use of the term in occultism, see Secret Chiefs.

Secret Chiefs 3
Original Secret Chiefs 3 line-up
Background information
Origin	San Francisco, California, USA
Genre(s)	Avant-garde
Years active	1995–present
Label(s)	Mimicry Records
Associated acts	Mr. Bungle
Website	Official Site
Members
Trey Spruance Trevor Dunn Danny Heifetz Various rotating members

Secret Chiefs 3 is a rotating-membership band hailing from the San Francisco Bay Area. Led by former Mr. Bungle guitarist Trey Spruance, they perform a wide range of musical styles including surf rock, Persian, Arabian, death metal, cinematic themes, and various others.

1 History
2 Discography
3 External links

[edit] History

The band was formed as a trio in the mid-nineties by Spruance, bassist Trevor Dunn, and drummer Danny Heifetz under the name Secret Chiefs Trio. Since then Secret Chiefs 3 have had revolving lineups on each of their albums, including those former members of Mr. Bungle and current members of Estradasphere, avant-garde musicians William Winant and Eyvind Kang, and many others.

There are continuing theological and philosophical themes running through the band's history, and the visual presentation of the albums relies heavily on icons and symbols related to these ideas. Rumoured and confirmed influences on the philosophy of Secret Chiefs 3 include authors such as Henry Corbin, Shahab al-Din Suhrawardi, Aryeh Kaplan, Julius Evola, René Guénon, Paul Foster Case, Joscelyn Godwin, Stanislaw Lem, Jorge Luis Borges, Hakim Bey/Peter Lamborn Wilson, Philip K. Dick, and William Blake; and film makers such as Sergei Paradjanov, Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Abbas Kiarostami, Wojciech Has, Luis Buñuel, Maya Deren, and Alejandro Jodorowsky.^{[citation needed]}

The Secret Chiefs 3 are currently a collection of seven bands, which are set to release 45rpm singles and full-length albums of their own, as well as contributing to overarching releases by the mother band, Secret Chiefs 3. The seven bands are The Electromagnetic Azoth, UR, Ishraqiyun, Traditionalists, Holy Vehm, FORMS, and a mysterious, possibly non-existing seventh band.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums

First Grand Constitution and Bylaws (1996)
Second Grand Constitution and Bylaws: Hurqalya (1998)
Eyes of Flesh, Eyes of Flame (Live, 1999)
Book M (2001)
Book of Horizons (2004)

[edit] EPs

The Legendary Paper Project (Split 7" Promo, 1995), also including Mr. Bungle's "Platypus", packaged with Mr. Bungle's Disco Volante LP
Zulfikar II/Zulfikar III (Limited 7", 1998)
The Theatrum of Suprasensory Universes Vol. 1 (Australia Tour 7", 1998)
The Electromagnetic Azoth The Left Hand of Nothingness / UR Personnae: Halloween (7", ltd. 1000 copies, 2007)
Ishraqiyun Balance of the 19 / The Electromagnetic Azoth UBIK (7", ltd. 1000 copies, 2007)
UR Kultur Vultur / Drive (7", ltd. 1000 copies, 2007)
UR Circumambulation / Labyrinth of Light (7", ltd. 1000 copies, 2007)

[edit] Future releases

Path of Most Resistance (retrospective and rarities album) (May 2007, to coincide with their Australian Tour) [1]
Book of Souls, Folio One (2007) [2]
Masada - Book of Angels (arrangements of John Zorn's second songbook for Masada (band) to be released by Zorn's Tzadik Records (2007) [3]