New York experimental art punk duo Cinema Cinema continues their partnership with Nefarious Industries for the upcoming late August release of their new album, CCXMDII. Alongside the album’s cover art, track listing, and more, the lead single ‘A Life Of Its Own’ has been posted alongside preorders.
With a running time past 18 minutes, ‘A Life Of Its Own’ is no conventional single. Get your lugs round it here:
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Industrial band FleischKrieg has unleashed their new video for the single, ‘Reach’. The song features fellow goth/industrial artist NUDA and will appear on the forthcoming album, Herzblut due out October, 2021.
"Our understanding of the larger ecology of mind and matter are inadequate to fully address what’s really happening in our reality. As more people wake up, the more I think people will be harassed. I feel like that’s what I experience. I think we humans have a lot to learn about what’s really going on in the greater scheme of things."
Watch the video here:
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Poet, artist, and Daughters vocalist Alexis Marshall has his solo debut on the way, and here is a new song and visual from it. “Open Mouth” is a song devoid of decoration or sheen; an echoic display of experimental arrangement and poetic stream of consciousness lyrics. The accompanying video, directed by UK-based John Bradburn and starring up-and-coming actor Charlie Greenwood, features beautiful yet stirring art house cinematography as Greenwood emotively performs Marshall’s lyrics.
Watch the video here:
Belgian industrial band Controversial has just dropped the visualizer for their song, ‘Violence’. The track appears on Controversial’s most recent Cleopatra Records release, Second Genesis.
The song ‘Violence’ is based on a documentary from the 1990s about human violence.
As far as motivation is concerned, Controversial deals with the darker side of humanity. Violence is of course up there and we refer also to war as the culmination of violence. We do it from the position of a spectator outside of humanity.
Watch the video here:
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Biomechanimal and Sentinel Complex join forces to bring you ‘Crown of Glass’, an intense mashup of sounds and styles, leaving a trail of destroyed genres in their wake. Both acts deliver huge vocal performances and brutal production, pulling from symphonic metal, midtempo, harsh industrial, dubstep, and more. Liberation in Domination!
‘Crown of Glass’ refers to the ego that we see in ourselves; this fragile symbol of our own strength. The song deals with the negative side of this ego, how it can lead us to view others and ourselves in a distorted way.
Watch the video here:
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Consolidated, the political dance/industrial music band from the early 90ties reunited for a studio sessions in San Francisco last summer that resulted in a new album We’re Already There and now a series of remixes. The first one was released on 10th May: "Capitalism (Lonesome Rider Remix)". Listen here:
The remixes are being commissioned and released by the Austin, Texas-based eMERGENCY heARTS label, being issued two weeks, beginning last month. The release series culminates in September in conjunction with Consolidated’s live performances at the Cold Waves Festival in Chicago September 24. Remixers include R34L and avant-dub visionary Adrian Sherwood who both have their own projects coming out on eMERGENCY heARTS this year. I hope you’ll consider covering this release with a feature interview, news story or track review.
The main musicians on the original sessions were Adam Sherburne (guitar/vocals) and Mark Pistel (synths/beats) backed by Lynn Farmer (Meat Beat Manifesto) on drums, who replaces the original Consolidated drummer Phil Steir. We’re Already Th was recorded, mixed and mastered by Mark Pistel at ‘Room 5’ in San Francisco. These recordings are an innovative mix of danceable Industrial, jams, Hip-hop, Rock and funky Pop performed on a mixture of live instruments and electronics, topped with radical Left-Wing activist lyrics.
Consolidated was and is now again, an American radical activist music group. Their original line-up consisted of Adam Sherburne (guitar and vocals), Mark Pistel (samples, sequencers and keyboards/synths), and Philip Steir (drums). They formed in 1988 and first gained notoriety as an Alternative Dance/Industrial music band. Between 1989 and 1994, their instrumental style progressed from Industrial, to Hip-hop, to Hard Rock/Funk. They stood out from most of their contemporaries owing to their bold embrace of overtly topical lyrics as part of a determined Left-leaning political agenda, as well as their ground-breakinge sonic collages, blending Industrial and Hip-hop styles.
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Formed in 2018 over a mutual appreciation for ugly rock music, MUSCLE VEST, have been making waves across the London alt rock scene with their brand of abrasive sardonic noise rock.
Comprised of veterans of London’s music scene (Massacres, Lull, Thunder On The Left, Bourgeois & Maurice etc.) and taking influence from bands such as Pissed Jeans, Melvins, McLusky, The Jesus Lizard and Whores, MUSCLE VEST aim to reflect the struggle of the average person against an exploitative system within a crumbling state.
After 2020’s debut EP Human Resources – described as “leading the charge for noise rock in the UK” (gbhbl.com) – MUSCLE VEST return in 2021 with follow-up EP Live Laugh Loathe, encapsulating feelings of worthlessness, anxiety and desperation endemic to modern working culture.
Like its predecessor, Live Laugh Loathe was recorded, mixed and mastered by Wayne Adams (Petbrick, Big Lad, Death Pedals) at Bear Bites Horse Studio in London.
Recorded in the final week of October 2020 under the spectre of increasingly harsh lockdown restrictions, sophomore EP Live Laugh Loathe sees Muscle Vest following in its predecessor’s footsteps, exploring oppressive elements of modern society from morals-free corporatism to toxic masculinity, cults of personality and a dash of Lovecraftian horror.
‘Creepy Crawlie’ provides a taste of the EP, and you can stream the video here:
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Utopia, the technical metal group centred around guitarist John Bailey and Corrupt Moral Altar vocalist Chris Reese will let loose their debut album ’Stalker’ this August on APF Records.
Watch the video for first single ’Happiness’ here:
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The album see John and Chris joined by an impressive list of guest musicians such as drummers Billy Rymer, Baard Kolstad (Leprous) Lee Fisher (Fawn Limbs/Psyopus) and Si Blakelock (Tangaroa/Dream Troll) alongside guitarist Simon Peter King, bassist Arran McSporran (De Profundis/Virvum) and finally keyboardist Mike Moran (Ozzy Osbourne/George Harrison).
The initial idea for the band was formed by John Bailey, by day he’s a touring guitarist for the likes of Aled Jones and Russell Watson, a far cry from the extreme metal of Utopia, but with ’Stalker’ he wanted to bring together all the music he loves, creating something aggressive and intense but also well thought out and intelligent. He comments,
‘I wanted it to be super heavy and crazy but also really emotional. The music combines elements of jazz and various styles of metal. The songwriting is very important lyrically and structurally. The lyrics draw influence from philosophy, literature, art and film (particularly the films of Andrei Tarkovsky).
The concept of the name Utopia is a reflection of mental health/neurodiversity and social structures in the world we live in. The double edged sword of trying to lead a happy life in a world of conflicting ideology and bad faith between humans. I suppose the pitfalls of attempting a sophisticated life despite us being poorly evolved primates who are highly individual in their own rights. Its ultimately rooted in varying degrees of sensitivity, mental health and neurodiversity based on individuals trying to interface with one another in a constructive way.’
Utopia was started in March 2020. As John was coming off the back of a busy tour/session schedule and felt this was the time to finally start the band which he’d been thinking about doing for years. For a vocalist he had no one else in mind but Corrupt Moral Altar’s Chris Reese.
After 7 to 8 months of writing it was then just a matter of getting each person to record their parts which posed their own geographical problems with different musicians living around the world. However once all done the album was mixed and mastered by Rob Hobson at Silent City Records.
Across the 11 tracks ’Stalker’ spawns a vast array of subject matters, such as the opener ’The Bus Station Roof’ which John describes as a reference to ‘ the place in Preston where people go to throw themselves off when they’ve had enough. The image of what might be going through people’s mind when they make that decision is really the basis of the song. Truly disassociated from the world and no longer capable of interfacing with the world.’
‘Impotent Prophet’ is a genre bending social comment on religion and how it fails. While’ Smiledyawnednodded’ is a word taken from the book ‘Ulysses’ by James Joyce. John adds, ‘It’s a great word used to describe the boredom of talking to someone who only talks about themselves and their own successes in life.’
’Stalker’ is released on 27th August via APF Records and will appeal to fans of Dillinger Escape Plan, Meshuggah, Converge, Mastodon, Botch and Strapping Young Lad.
Having announced details of their debut album Fragments and revealed the first single “Pavlov`s Dog Killed Schrodinger`s Cat”, Trifecta are premiere a new track and video for “Have You Seen What The Neighbors Are Doing”.
Nick Beggs explains how the track came about “The track, ‘Have You Seen What The Neighbors Are Doing’, was written after hearing a song by Ween titled ‘So Many People In The Neighbourhood.’ We liked the song so much we decided to construct a reply. “ the video he continues “was shot on location while on the planet of the prehistoric women. However the trip was fraught with problems after Craig and Adam both realised they had failed to pack a tooth brush. Luckily I was on hand to share mine with them.”
Watch the video here:
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Trifecta, features 3 of the contemporary music scene’s most lauded and revered musicians – bassist and songwriter Nick Beggs, keyboardist extraordinaire Adam Holzman and completing the line-up, Craig Blundell – one of the world’s most celebrated drummers.
Having performed together as part of Steven Wilson’s band, the three would jam together after soundchecks, forming what they referred to as “jazz club” and from these sessions the fledgling ideas for Fragments were born.
The record primarily leans toward a fusion of jazz rock, imaginatively described by Beggs as “Fission! It’s like Fusion but less efficient and more dangerous ..with fall out.” and being mainly instrumental with the exception of one track, the wonderfully titled and first single “Pavlov’s Dog Killed Schrodinger’s Cat”. The lyrics of which, Beggs states “are written from the perspective of a layman trying to understand quantum mechanics…and failing”. The track also features drum programming from Russell Holzman.
Each band member completed the recording and engineering of their own contributions in their various home studios which helped in bringing their individual production ideas to each track. Adam Holzman mixed the record at his New York home studio and the mastering was handled by Andy VanDette (Rush, David Bowie, Deep Purple, Porcupine Tree, Beastie Boys) in New York.
Fragments will be released on 20th August via Kscope on CD, black vinyl LP, ltd edition neon orange vinyl LP (exclusive to www.kscopemusic.com/store ) and digitally.
UK based, anti-facist, black metallers Underdark have shared the video for new single, ‘With Ashen Hands Around Our Throats’, a track written in response to the injustices following the Grenfell Tower fire of 2017.
You can watch the video now:
After forming in 2015, Nottingham based black metallers Underdark are finally ready to present their debut album to the world. Following their recent ‘Plainsong/With Bruised & Bloodied Feet’ single release in 2020, ‘Our Bodies Burned Bright on Re-Entry’ is the sound of a new chapter of Underdark, set for release on 30th July via Surviving Sounds (UK), Through Love Records (EU) and Tridroid Records (US/CAN).
While still utilising a dreamlike and heavy mixture of black-metal, post-metal and shoegaze, Underdark’s debut album also packs a renewed punch alongside a ferocity and intensity matched only by the innovative and engaging song structures.
Recorded & mixed with Misha Herring at Holy Mountain Studio (40 Watt Sun, Inhuman Nature, Idles, Spiritualised, Puppy) & mastered by Adam Gonsalves at Telegraph Mastering (Emma Ruth Rundle, Southern Lord Records, Power Trip, Mizmor), the album captures five tracks of intense & emotional progressive compositions, not limited by genre to create a tidal wave of sound; that shift in emotions, drowning you between sections of crushing blast beats and ear splitting vocals to blissful, atmospheric soundscapes that engulf you within them.
Lyrically the album covers personal issues such as addiction & psychosis, to inhumane border control & the shameless exploitation of the lower classes at the hands of landlords such as on latest single ‘With Ashen Hands Around Our Throats’. Commenting on the video for the track vocalist Abi states,
“I wrote this about Grenfell like two years after the fire, and it’s been another two since and it’s fucking disgusting that there’s been no justice for it. The song is also about how landlords under the Tories have been given free rein to take the piss. We filmed the video with Morgan Tedd (Erase Creative) it was fun as fuck but I had to do a bunch of takes falling on my face which sucked.“
Underdark’s debut album Our Bodies Burned Bright on Re-Entry is set for release on 30th July via Surviving Sounds (UK), Through Love Records (EU) and Tridroid Records (US/CAN).
Aural Aggravation 