Archive for the ‘Recommended Streams and Videos’ Category

Watch: ‘Gnosis’ by Russian Circles

Posted: 10 August 2022 in Recommended Streams and Videos
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Russian Circles have released their first ever music video for the title track of their forthcoming LP Gnosis, available next week, 19th August, via Sargent House. The centrepiece of the album “Gnosis” begins with a slow-build exercise in krautrock methodologies — drones, guitar arpeggios, cosmic synth, hypnotic drum patterns—that eventually explodes into the wall-of-sound bombardment Russian Circles are known for. The accompanying video, directed/edited by Joe Kell, is full of dark imagery driving towards the actual definition of the word ‘Gnosis.’ The band explains:

“’Gnosis’ is a special song that has grown with us over a number of years. The main theme of the song was re-conceptualised so many times that it provided nearly endless arrangement options. It’s rewarding to see such a minimal song idea evolve into one of our most dynamic and fully-realised songs to date.

When discussing a concept for the video, we agreed we wanted cinematic footage of nature and humanity. Ultimately, we wanted the video to feel fresh and inspiring despite dealing with a dark theme. Similarly, we wanted to compel viewers to re-watch the video and get something new from each viewing. Somehow, editor Joe Kell masterfully made this all happen.”

‘Gnosis’ eschews the varied terrain of the band’s past works by employing a new songwriting technique. Rather than crafting songs out of fragmented ideas in the practice room, full songs were written and recorded independently before being shared with other members, so that their initial vision was retained. While these demos spanned the full breadth of the band’s varied styles, the more cinematic compositions were ultimately excised in favor of the physically cathartic pieces.

Watch the video here:

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Russian Circles will be touring extensively in support of the album. Dates are as follows:

RUSSIAN CIRCLES N. AMERICA TOUR 2022:

Sep 15 Minneapolis, MN – Fine Line

Sep 17 Denver, CO – Gothic

Sep 18 Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge

Sep 20 Seattle, WA – Croc Showroom

Sep 21 Portland, OR – Revolution Hall

Sep 23 San Francisco, CA – Great American Music Hall

Sep 24 Felton, CA – Felton Music Hall

Sep 25 Los Angeles, CA – The Regent

Sep 26 Phoenix, AZ – Crescent Ballroom

Sep 29 Austin, TX – Empire Garage

Sep 30 Dallas, TX – Amplified Live

Oct 01 Memphis, TN – Growlers

Oct 27 St. Louis, MO – Delmar Hall

Oct 28 Louisville, KY – Headliner’s

Oct 29 Atlanta, GA – Terminal West

Oct 30 Orlando, FL – The Social

Nov 01 Asheville, NC – Grey Eagle

Nov 02 Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle

Nov 04 Washington, DC – 9:30 Club

Nov 05 Philadelphia, PA – World Cafe Live

Nov 06 Brooklyn, NY – Warsaw

Nov 08 Boston, MA – The Sinclair

Nov 09 Montreal, QC – Theatre Fairmount

Nov 10 Toronto, ON – Opera

Nov 11 Detroit, MI – El Club

Nov 12 Chicago, IL – Metro

RUSSIAN CIRCLES EU TOUR 2023 (Co Headline w/ Cult Of Luna):

March 17 Copenhagen, DK – Store Vega

March 18 Berlin, DE – Huxleys

March 19 Wiesbaden, DE – Schlachthof

March 20 Utrecht, NL – Tivoli Ronda

March 21 Brussels, BE – AB

March 22 Paris, FR – Olympia

March 23 Stuttgart, DE – Wizemann

March 24 Lausanne, CH – Les Docks

March 25 Ljubljana, SI – Kino Siska

March 27 Vienna, AT – Arena

March 28 Munich, DE – Muffathalle

March 29 Prague, CZ – Roxy

March 30 Krakow, PL – Studio

March 31 Warsaw, PL – Progresja

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Photo Credit: William Lacalmontie

Watch: ‘Satsui’ by Sigh

Posted: 9 August 2022 in Recommended Streams and Videos
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Following the announcement of Shiki, their new studio album, on 26th August through Peaceville, the cult Japanese black metal legends Sigh have released a video for the track ‘Satsui’.

Sigh mainman Mirai Kawashima explains the track – somewhat cryptically – “The album Shiki is mostly about my personal fear of getting old and my fear of death, but some of the songs are a bit off topic and ‘Satsui’ is one of them. ‘Satsui’ means ‘Intent to Kill’ and it is my personal view on the death penalty. You often hear people say ‘The criminal penalty is not meant to be for revenge’ or ‘we all live in a country governed by law’, but I do not think things are that simple; but of course everybody has the right to have their own opinions though. I guess the song is one of the most straightforward ones on the album.”

Watch ‘Satsu’ here:

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He goes on to explain the full album version of the song – “Satsui – Geshi No Ato” – “On the other hand, ‘Geshi no Ato’ is a completely different song. I composed that as an outro to ‘Satsui’, and the lyrical concept followed. The title means ‘After Summer Solstice’’, which is a metaphor saying that your heyday is gone. I played all the guitars on this and Mike Heller banged chairs, pieces of wood, boxes, water bottles, etc to create the beat!”

The full version of the song, “Satsui – Geshi No Ato” will be released as a digital single on all streaming platforms on Thursday 10th August.

Sigh’s forthcoming opus, ‘Shiki’, is dark & eclectic blackened heavy metal, shrouded in traditional eastern influences, and marks the latest chapter in the Sigh legacy, which includes some of the band’s heaviest and darkest material for some years; a fine hybrid of at times primitive black metal akin to early influences such as Celtic Frost amid more epic melodic heavy metal riffing and solos. It will take you on a journey through the strange and the psychedelic, incorporating a whole eclectic mix of genre styles & experimentation throughout their career. Highlighting that Sigh has remained a vital creative force in the avantgarde field whilst maintaining their old school roots.

The word "Shiki" itself has various meanings in Japanese such as four seasons, time to die, conducting an orchestra, ceremony, motivation, colour. The two primary themes for the album are "four seasons" and "time to die". The concept and artwork is based around a traditional Japanese poem, and on ‘Shiki’ Mirai explores how at this stage of life he himself is going through Autumn, with Winter coming soon, and so empathises with the contrasting sentimental feelings from watching cherry blossoms (a symbol of spring) in full bloom.

Joining Mirai and Dr Mikannibal for this release are Frédéric Leclercq of Kreator, plus US drummer extraordinaire, Mike Heller of Fear Factory and Raven, along with an appearance by longtime member Satoshi Fujinami on bass. ‘Shiki’ was recorded across multiple studios, and mixed and mastered by Lasse Lammert at LSD studios in Germany. The album utilises a whole host of instruments to give further texture and dynamics to the compositions and eerie atmosphere, incorporating traditional oriental instruments such as the Shakuhachi & Sinobue flutes.

Watch: ‘Deal3r’ by Male Tears

Posted: 9 August 2022 in Recommended Streams and Videos
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California darkwave duo, Male Tears has just unveiled their latest single, ‘Deal3r’. The song plays into the themes of an upcoming record that speaks on the abuse and hypocrisy of city night life.

‘Deal3r’ tells the story of the ultimate example of ‘style over substance.’ It’s the tale of an important person; a ‘legend’ embraced by the ‘scene’. But beneath the ‘image’ and artistic craft, lies an individual empty and shallow; a hypocrite and drug dealer whose true identity was hidden under the skin of the community.

The song is intended to be an aggressive dance-pop track pulling from darkwave and EBM influences. Filtered through the lens of 90’s pastiche and acid house, ‘Deal3r’ is a departure from the band’s established 80’s new wave sound.

Watch the video here:

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Listen: ‘Happy [Mirtazapine]’ by Bizarrefae

Posted: 7 August 2022 in Recommended Streams and Videos
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Having emerged from an isolated existence during lockdown with debut single Dwarfed, that exposed the tropes within the fairy-tale genre which romanticise abusive behaviour & gender stereotypes, the enigmatic Bizarrefae returns with ‘Happy [Mirtazapine]’ – a song about how the world can appear when under the influence of the prescribed antidepressant.

With an imminent tour supporting ‘riot grrrl’ Delilah Bon to happen in September, Bizarrefae continues to work with Hull’s top electro producer Endoflevelbaddie and inspired by an ideology based around pleasing the ears of the ‘fae’ in the heart of the woods, new single ‘Happy [Mirtazapine]’ is centred around a fairy tale like melody amidst splashes of electro flavours that punctuate the tune throughout.

“On a miserable grey day, I sat down determined to shake off the feeling of numbness my atypical antidepressant had filled me with” explains Bizarrefae, “acknowledging the weather I considered all the actions that bring me peace. However, overwhelmed by the challenge of remembering the good things about the world, the song became a criticism of being forced to medicate in order to function! The idea of taking pills to feel ‘normal’ angers me & in this seeming ‘hellscape’ we live in it’s hard to find our place or purpose. ‘Happy [Mirtazapine]’ is an attack on the word itself, highlighting the ignorance that I feel must be possessed in order to be ‘happy’ despite all that’s going on in the world. It’s like losing the right to your own emotions through the monochromatic lens of antidepressants”.

Listen to ‘Happy’ here:

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Watch: ‘Mental Taxation’ by Industrial Puke

Posted: 6 August 2022 in Recommended Streams and Videos
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Swedish crust/death-metal unit Industrial Puke featuring members of Burst and Rentokiller will release their debut EP  “Where Life Crisis Starts” on September 16 via Suicide Records.

Linus Jägerskog from Burst and Jens Ekelin from Rentokiller started Industrial Puke out of their common love for Disrupt and Dismember, along with a pressing need to make music for imminent affect release.

After a long period of writing, finding band members and recording, the debut single “Mental Taxation” was released in June of 2022. The single spawned a partnership with Suicide Records for the release of their debut EP “Where Life Crisis Starts” in September and a full-length album titled “Born into the Twisting Rope” is already set for release in late spring of 2023.

The EP is a direct bombardment of crust, death metal and hardcore minced down to four relentless songs about failing yourself and the men that fail the world.

Showing the band performing in a field with no audience, which we’ll pas no comment on, you can watch the video for ‘Mental Taxation’ here:

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Watch: ‘Abyss Road’ by CRONE

Posted: 4 August 2022 in Recommended Streams and Videos
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CRONE are now revealing a lyric visualiser for their new single ‘Abyss Road’ taken from the German dark rockers’ forthcoming album Gotta Light?, which has been slated for release on September 23.

CRONE comment: "The new single, ‘Abyss Road’, is our hymn to shattered dreams and never achieved goals in life", lead guitarist Kevin Olasz explains. "In one way or the other, we can probably all identify with this topic. Some listeners might be surprised about the song’s musical direction as it has an almost punk-ish vibe that is quite a change from our well established mid-tempo dark rock style. ‘Abyss Road’ was the first song, that we wrote for this album. It is also one of the few that we were able to arrange together as a band in our rehearsal room before a weird virus brought the world to a standstill – and with it a part of our plans. Anyway, are you ready to follow us down this road?"

Watch the video here:

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Watch: ‘Super Mental Psycho’ by Mannequin Death Squad

Posted: 3 August 2022 in Recommended Streams and Videos
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Yuss! It’s been a while since Australian duo Mannequin Death Squad gave us new music, but on the brink of an extensive UK tour, they’ve slammed down another slice of grungy, adrenaline-fuelled pink rock in the shape of ‘Super Mental Psycho.

It’s a corker – but don’t just take our word for it: check it here:

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Watch: ‘Opium–Live at Hildas Holm’ by Karin Park

Posted: 2 August 2022 in Recommended Streams and Videos
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Private Collection is Karin Park at her purest, rawest and most beautiful essence: an album stripped down to the core of her mesmerizing voice and the haunting sound of the pump organ. An introvert and intimate album that shows her not just as a stellar musician but as a mother, a wife and a humble human being.

Karin Park has been referred to as the Scandinavian Nico for her persona, and dark ambient legend Lustmord called her a “force of nature”. However, despite a Eurovision song contest entry, a year of sold out shows as the lead in Les Miserables in Oslo and performances alongside Lana Del Rey and David Bowie, Karin’s talents have still remained somewhat under-exposed for the really broad public. This might change now, with a stunning new album and an extensive European tour with A.A. Williams this fall.

“This record is very much a journey in solitude that I’ve been longing to make,” Karin tells us about her seventh studio album. Consisting of nine re-recordings – with radically different instrumentation – of classic tracks from her impressive back catalogue, as well as the newly written opener «Traces of Me», Private Collection is the quintessential expression of Karin Park’s artistry.

“These are my favourite songs from 20 years of writing, re-recorded as I hear them now. Many of these versions are how I play them live, alone with my synths, mellotron and organ.” Joining her on some tracks are her husband Kjetil Nernes (Årabrot) on guitars and Andrew Liles (Nurse With Wound) on synths, as well as Benedetta Simeone on cello. Otherwise, Private Collection is indeed a very private affair.

First single ‘Opium’ is a tale of overwhelming passion, the melancholic heaviness of a love that engulfs and consumes. The ambient backdrop is an ocean of longing and the delicate, sparse piano shimmers on the surface above. Parks’ stunning vocals, intimate and sirenic, will carry you to the depths to be crushed. Watch the live video version here:

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Listen: Forest Nocturne demos by The Lord

Posted: 30 July 2022 in Recommended Streams and Videos
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Southern Lord continues the label’s prolific output with the release of a new album: Greg Anderson’s debut full-length as The Lord, Forest Nocturne, which we recently reviewed here at Aural Aggro.

Additionally, The Lord has unveiled the Forest Nocturne demo recordings, originally only available on the Daymare Records Japanese CD edition, now available via Bandcamp.

You can get your lugs round the demos here:

Forest Nocturne sees Anderson (guitarist of SUNN O))), Goatsnake & Southern Lord curator) taking cues from legendary film composers: John Carpenter and Bernard Hermann, in order to create cinematic landscapes which are heavy with tension, and offset by the injection of lethal doses of early 90s Scandinavian Death Metal – with Attila Csihar (of notorious Norwegian black metal band Mayhem & frequent SUNN O))) collaborator) lending his putrid vocals to final track "Triumph of the Oak."

For Forest Nocturne, Anderson worked with renowned producer Brad Wood. Dan Seagrave’s epic and fantastical style is instantly recognisable on the album’s startling artwork, something which seems to depict an ancient and unknowable force in the woodlands. Forest Nocturne is described by Anderson as “music of the night,” but inspired by imagery conjured on daytime hikes, and majestic, beautiful trees, which he sees as survivors – perhaps the last known connection that we have to an ancient world, and acting as a connector between past, present and future of the human race and of our time on this planet.

Greg Anderson began making music in the mid-eighties with hardcore bands False Liberty and Brotherhood before refining his musicality during the nineties with the post-hardcore collective Engine Kid. From that point on, the musical direction started shifting, channelling his love of tone, riffs and repetitive sound, vital elements that feed into the meditative cosmos of SUNN O))), and the ‘low and slow’ sounds of Goatsnake, both of whom find different ways to move beyond confines and tropes of their respective sound worlds.

In August and September 2021 respectively, Greg Anderson released two singles under the name The Lord; "Needle Cast" with Robin Wattie (the unmistakably emotive vocalist of BIG|BRAVE) and "We Who Walk In Light" with William Duvall (of Seattle rock legends Alice In Chains and hardcore-punk group Neon Christ). Unintentionally moving in a different direction from those bands within which he found his feet, Anderson was able to take on the mantle of The Lord in a new, pictorial approach to heavy music. Through this process, he found himself moved to collaborate with vocalists he admires.

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Watch: ‘Careless’ by A Projection

Posted: 30 July 2022 in Recommended Streams and Videos
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A Projection are a post-punk/darkwave act from Stockholm, who signed to Metropolis Records in 2019 for the release of their well received third album, Section. Initially inspired by the dark post-punk/proto-goth of The Cure, Sisters Of Mercy and Joy Division along with the electronica of Depeche Mode, the band are known for their compelling and dynamic live shows.

Following Section, the group released the singles ‘Darwin’s Eden’ and ‘No Control’ that saw them enter a more danceable electronic realm while still embracing their darkwave roots. Their brand new single, ‘Careless’, offers a further example of this sound and provides a taster for a forthcoming album that will be released via Metropolis in late 2022.

Recorded both during and after Covid lockdowns, ‘Careless’ reflects the restlessness and hope of the last two years. Additional recording assistance was provided by fellow musicians that included Henrik Linder of the group Dirty Loops.
The video for ‘Careless’ was made by Ukrainian filmmaker and artist Shorkina Valeri and shot in the band’s home city of Stockholm.

Watch the video here:

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