Department is very much an evolving project.
Crawling out from the underbelly in 1997, Department was conceived by two anonymous individuals known only as Delov and Gatz. Department’s inspiration is drawn from a great deal of modern music and indeed life itself. Greg Werkman, co-owner of Mike Patton’s Ipecac Records has described their work as "Strange, Cool and Beautiful" - a fair assessment and a logical conclusion one may come to on experiencing Department’s music.
With no record company support, the band forged ahead, creating their own label, Laboratory Records - a home to Department’s eclectic output. 2000 saw the release of Department’s debut E.P. titled ‘This Is Tension Avenue’ followed by a second E.P. ‘Exiting’ in 2001. These were highly charged emotive releases receiving positive reviews from around the world.
Department's debut album titled 'Turncoat' (2004) was a step forward in terms of production and sonic outburst. It quickly sold out of it's first pressing while the band focused on their most in-depth second album ‘Shape Decay’ released only a year later, a concept album based on the fragility of life & death. By now gaining interest from film makers and having their music used in several short films, Department were quick to move forward with album number three 'Bombs In High Places' (2006) a major progression from previous albums utilising vocals and simple song structures, yet still maintaining the Department mystique and experimentation.
Department are set on course to a prolific existence, with hardly time to spare they slave away conceptualising ideas for future releases.
To be continued…
