Archive for March, 2026

Dret Skivor – 6th March 2026

Christopher Nosnibor

It’s Bandcamp Friday, and so Dret Skivor have dropped their now-obligatory sonic assault on the world. This, of course, is infinitely preferable to AI-generated footage of Donald Trump dropping silage on his own people from a plane as a ‘fuck you’ to anyone who would dare to protest against the vile cunt.

On the one hand, this release is, as usual, timely. On the other, things have bene moving at such a pace of late that the arrest of both former prince Andrew Windsor and Peter Mandelson for divulging sensitive information to global financial manipulator and notorious paedophile and people-trafficker Jeffrey Epstein feels like a lifetime ago – although ultimately, it all boils down to one thing: the fact we are, more or less, in the early stages of World War Three is because of the despicable, unspeakable and frankly inhumane activities of the super-rich who think they are – and live – above all law an all others, and the fact that the deranged megalomaniac who currently holds the position of the President of the United States of America will go to any lengths to prevent his involvement covered up. And by now, it should be clear that by ‘any’ lengths, we’re looking at crashing the entire global economy and all-out war. At any other time, this would be hyperbole, or a far-fetched conspiracy theory. But it’s actually happening right in front of our eyes.

The cover art speaks for itself, an image which will define this point in history, and the notes which accompany this release tell it like it is:

As certain world leaders, millionaires, “royals” and politicians feel the world closing in on them and the predictable bullshit and killing ensues, backed by shit-stirring billionaires, the Military Industrial Cuntplex and their simps on earth, Horse Funeral takes time to ponder and produce – here are the results and let’s hope we’re all still alive to enjoy this music next week.

There is a reason this release is named as it is and the planet will be better when all of these twats blast off for Mars. Fuck off there and never come back, you homicidal fuckers.

But sometimes, there are no words to fully articulate all of the levels of abysmal, anger and anguish-inducing shock and loathing these depraved wealth-harvesting ghouls provoke, at which point, primal screams and blistering walls of noise are the purest expression of the inarticulable. To this end, Release the Trumpstein Files comprises two pieces, each around twenty-two-and-a-half minutes in duration, and each of which is a furious, gut-churning harsh noise wall. ‘The Pronce Is A Nince’ has a moderate tonal span, but the balance of rumbling bass and a relentless howl of treble-shredding serve to counter one another, resulting in a sound that feels like it’s mid-range. And what a sound it is: tearing, roaring, relentless. Swashes of overdriven oscillators are blown back and forth on a nuclear wind.

‘I’m Mandy, Buy Me’ – an inspired pun based on 10cc’s hit ‘I’m Mandy, Fly Me’, begins with a crackling static which twists onto a blizzard of distortion, not dissimilar to the sound of an old dialup connection, only fucked up with distortion. And on it goes… and on, torturously, the buzzing drone occasionally swelling or surging, harsher buzzes breaking out above fuzz and crackle, the sound of a poor contact or a jack plug half connected amidst a perpetual fizz of extraneous noise. It’s hard on the ears and the brain, which of course it’s designed to be. Punishing, patience-testing noise at its best.

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Witch Ripper enter epic storytelling mode with a track that’s got it all: ‘The Clock Queen’ is groovy, heavy and proggy, and serves as the next advance single from their forthcoming third album Through the Hourglass, which is scheduled for release on April 10, 2026.

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Witch Ripper comment: “’The Clock Queen’ is the best representation of Witch Ripper in its purest form: Heavy. Melodic. Progressive”, vocalist and guitarist Curtis Parker writes. “In our story, it represents the big reveal of who our antagonist meets in this world they’ve found themselves in. Throughout the album, we peppered in what we call "the clock queen’s theme,” a melody that sneaks its way into almost every song at some point. This song is the culmination of that tension and it’s when we finally meet the driving force of the album: The Clock Queen herself.”

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Bristol based progressive sludge metal band Urzah have announced details on their new album  ‘A Tranquil Void’ set for release on 5th June via APF Records (Mastiff, Video Nasties, Swamp Coffin). The band have also shared  first single ‘Infernal Star I’ which you can check out now:

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Formed in 2020, just before the pandemic hit, Urzah’s intensely collaborative and productive writing process was immediately evident, leading to the quick release of self-titled EPs I (2020) and II (2022). These laid the foundation for Urzah’s unique brand of ‘progressive sludge’. Inviting comparisons to Neurosis, DVNE, Mastodon and Elder, their forward-looking sound combines the abrasive elements of punk and post-hardcore with atmospheric post-metal passages and soaring melodies.

Urzah’s vision of ‘Earthen Heaviness’, combining oppressive darkness with moments of transcendence and cosmic awe, was realised on their critically acclaimed debut LP ‘The Scorching Gaze’ (2024, APF Records). The band’s sonic world draws on both the intensely personal – rage, loss, grief and self-doubt – and a profound awe and vulnerability in the face of the celestial and natural worlds, framing visceral human struggle within vast cycles of death, decay and rebirth.

Since their debut, Urzah has refined their live shows across the UK, playing festivals and headline shows, and sharing stages with a diverse roster of heavy bands including Bongzilla, Tuskar, Mastiff, Greenleaf, OHHMS and Dopelord, as well as progressive atmospheric bands such as Hidden Mothers, Underdark and Nadja, demonstrating their strong cross-genre appeal.

Now the band are set to release new LP A Tranquil Void on 5th June 2026 via APF Records. The record marks a defining moment for the band, following up their critically acclaimed debut The Scorching Gaze (2024, APF) with an even more assured, mature and ambitious full-length. Conceptually, The Scorching Gaze and A Tranquil Void function as a visual, musical and thematic diptych; where their debut burned brightly with the rage and destruction of an erupting volcano, their new LP captures the cathartic, contemplative still that follows.

A Tranquil Void draws inspiration from both personal introspection and awe in the face of the vast cosmos. Lead single ‘Infernal Star I’ reflects on the power of memory and connection to cast light in the darkness of a vast and uncharted universe.

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Now in their twentieth year of uncompromising and mind-bending music, Gnod return with Chronicles of Gnowt Vol. 1, the first of a planned trilogy, to be released via Rocket Recordings on 10th April. Vol.2 should arrive in October and Vol. 3 in early 2027.

Today, they share another track from Vol 1 with ‘All Tunnel No Light’.

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“I am only interested in people engaged in a project of self-transformation,” Susan Sontag once remarked. Sontag never had the chance to work out how she felt about Gnod, given she sadly left this earthly realm in 2004. Yet Gnod’s now twenty year journey through spiritual and audial exploration has been nothing if not that. Driven by relentless curiosity, magpie irreverence and a fierce countercultural imperative, their project has always refused to acknowledge all or any rules and boundaries, internal or external.

The latest adventure of this band may never have been intended to celebrate their two-decade anniversary, but as long-time Gnod member Paddy Shine notes, they don’t always have a lot of say in these matters –“I know that we didn’t plan it this way but perhaps it was always in the plan and we just didn’t know it,” he notes cryptically. “I guess what I’m saying is that the Gnod thing seems to have its own energy now and certain things tend to take care of themselves”.

“We haven’t reflected too heavily on the twenty year mark and maybe we shouldn’t, but I’m glad we are marking it in true Gnod fashion by releasing too many albums” he laughs –indeed, what began as a trip into a residential studio setup in Hellfire Studios with producer John ‘Spud’ Murphy (Lankum, Black MIDI, Caroline) for six days resulted in more potent material than anyone bargained for.

“Working with Spud was probably the best studio experience we’ve had,” Paddy notes. “He was open to all our ideas, facilitated them the best he could and always had great suggestions. The vibe was right and things just flowed”. The end result has been three studio albums to be released over the next year. “This trilogy revealed itself to us in the studio,” says Paddy. “We were hoping to get a good album out of the session and lo and behold we got three of the fuckers. It’s interesting that we did pretty much capture the full spectrum of the Gnod sound across all three”.

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27th February 2026

Christopher Nosnibor

Real strings always sing ‘organic’, as well as ‘mournful’, however they’re played, at least to my ear. There’s an ache these sounds inspire which feels in some sense almost biological in the way they resonate. And with violin – and acoustic guitar – being the primary instruments on this gentle instrumental album, there’s an inescapable air of melancholy and a tug of internal tension, even when they slide uptempo and wander lighter, and more mellow, settled territories.

After the fractured soundscape of ‘Agor Llygaid’, which consists initially of pings and sighs and what to some may sound like tuning up, before some loosely-structured pastoral folk emerges, the second piece, ‘Pwis’, switches toward a more electronic-sounding, Krautrock style, and while the pulsating grooves are vaguely Tangerine Dream, the picked strings are altogether folksier – not quite Steeleye Span, but there’s a real feel that Peiriant’s inspirations lie in the 1960s and 1970s, while at times also reaching much further back, to a point that’s difficult to pinpoint – it’s not medievalism, it’s not pre-Christian paganism – but it is something more ancient, more steeped in nature and some deeper, more primal core of human existence. Fumbling and digging for the words to articulate the experience, all I can say is that Plant does something beyond words: it has a depth which feels cellular.

The stuttering, fractured intro to ‘Wrth y Bwrdd’ brings some of the promised experimentalism, before delicate acoustic guitar and sweeping violin take centre stage. Meanwhile, ‘Hwiangerdd’ brings the feel of mournful, minor-key traditional folk crossed with a subtly droning atmospheric. It’s the drone which comes to the fore on ‘Tynnu’. ‘Velfed’ stands out, with its pulsating, almost Krautrock undercurrent bubbling beneath the sawing strings which lock into a tight back-and-forth repetition.

Quite how they achieve their sound, I can only begin to imagine: it doesn’t sound particularly processed, but then, oftentimes, it doesn’t sound like any regular acoustic instrumentation. What’s clear is that Rose & Dan Linn-Pearl are remarkable musicians who have a rare mastery of their instruments, which is matched – and perhaps even exceeded – by their vision and their capacity to innovate.

From the title to the performance itself, Plant is magnificently understated, but possesses a subtle power, not to mention range. It extends far beyond its basic premise of being ‘experimental folk’, and being an instrumental work, its representing Welsh-language acts is somewhat peripheral. Instead, what this does is speak in a way which transcends language – any language – and the result is… quite special.

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Oakland, California – based post-punk band, False Figure has just unveiled their new full-length album, Incarnate.

The themes across Incarnate remain familiar to the band’s legacy. Ranging from lamenting toxic interpersonal dynamics in ‘Favorite Game’, finding sobering respite within the chaos of an unsalvageable world in ‘Original Sin’, to a more immediate and explosive call to action in ‘Say Nothing’. There’s an undeniable flow to the songs on the record that don’t leave you lingering in the same feeling for too long.

Incarnate is an example of what modern post-punk could sound like while not being pinned to one particular repetitious theme. The tracks serve as a cathartic release for listeners, drawing from lived experiences that are universally shared. It is the intention of the band to speak to the inner world of its audience and connect in a meaningful way.

Check single cut ‘Flowers in Bloom’ here:

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Conceived in 2016 in the depths of San Francisco, False Figure exploded onto the bay area’s burgeoning modern deathrock scene as a loud and driving three-piece. Distinguishing themselves with tribalistic tom beats and screeching guitars ala Killing Joke, this became the hallmark to early releases as swirling feedback gave way to drippingly saccharine melody. Toying with a dichotomy of tension building verses only to be releases by lush melodic choruses. Andres Ruiz’s haunting vocals blend together a rich chemistry of melancholic, desperate crooning alongside guitars.  2022’s release, Castigations recorded in April 2-21 by Grammy winning engineer, Greg Wilkinson and mastered by Grammy winning engineer, Chris Dugan, saw the band take a step towards traditional gothic rock and further from traditional punk sounds while retaining their own alchemy.

In 2026 the band seeks to release the newest iteration departing headfirst into luscious early dream pop ecstasy while maintaining a deep beautiful melancholy radiating throughout the new album, Incarnate. With influences from the French cold wave scene, Spain’s La Movida and British shoegaze, this newest release includes an entirely new line-up with Keven DeFranco on second guitar and Kenan Hamilton on bass explore a deeper concept of what modern post-punk could sound like.

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Distortion Productions – 20 February 2026

Christopher Nosnibor

Life is full of surprises: Peter Guellard’s band, Dichro, looked to be on the brink of a breakthrough, when, out of the blue, singer Charmaine unexpectedly announced her departure.

As Peter recounts, ‘Around the same time, I was remixing a track called ‘Hide’ for the Polish electronica band NUN Electro. That remix pulled me into the deepest, darkest corners of my imagination, and it sparked something unexpected. Inga Habiba, the band’s incredible vocalist, reached out to collaborate further on her solo project, CallMe. One thing led to another, and soon we were dreaming up the idea of starting a new band together. It felt only natural for us to vibe within the goth, industrial, darkwave, and trip-hop realm’.

Fast forward not all that far and here we are, arriving at the release of Death By Love’s debut album – a truly international collaboration, facilitated by the power of the Internet between Poland and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Two of their three previous singles – debut ‘Sellenno’, and follow-up ‘Strong Inside’ (both released in January 2025) feature here, and it’s that debut which opens the album with drive and energy, immediately grabbing the attention with its driving beat and technoindustrial / goth crossover vibes. It sets the tone and the level for the album, which is bold on beats and big on darkness.

‘I Don’t’ stands out as bringing a tension and sense of drama, as well as some esoteric Eastern flavours, and ‘Strong Inside’ is also tinged with Eastern influences, hints of The Cure circa The Top and The Head on the Door, melded with the driving electronic throb of, but KMFDM, but with a strong focus on vocal melody. Elsewhere, ‘Lost and Found’ goes large with an epic, cinematic sound that would comfortably fill a large venue, and the slow, brooding, string-laced ‘symphonic mix’ of ‘Temros’ – the original mix of which is yet to surface – stirs the same primal power as Wardruna. It’s potent, powerful stuff.

For its throbbing bass and more laid-back beats, ‘God’ – which sees Guellard step up to taker the mic – is more mellow and casts nods to David Bowie, and ‘Cosmic Power’ showcases a very different aspect of their form, spinning elements of trip-hop and country into a New Age electro cocoon – and without sounding naff – and the eight-minute ‘reprise’ of ‘Sellenno’ which concludes the album is a radical reworking, built around a weighty organ drone and breathy, breathless spoken word offers another unexpected stylistic switch.

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And so it is that with 444, Death by Love deliver an album which slots neatly within the bracket of electro with an industrial / goth edge, but at the same time proves they’re no slaves to genre tropes, with some stylistic outliers which alter the listening experience and perception of the band in subtle but significant ways. Already, they’re evolving their own style: 444 is a strong and solid debut, and the directions in which they will develop this will be interesting.

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