Greek stoner rock trio Tidal Shock has recently premiered their latest single, ‘Umbra Planetae’. The track is the first offering from their forthcoming album Riffs of Ha, and it marks a defining moment in the band’s creative journey.
The band comments: “This song marks the beginning of our creative journey for this LP, encapsulating the essence of our instrumental stoner rock style. With a perfect blend of crushing riffs and hypnotic, intricate passages, it pushes the boundaries of psychedelic instrumental music. Designed for the live stage, this track immerses listeners in a dynamic sonic landscape, creating a visceral experience that demands attention. It’s not just a song—it’s an invitation to explore new realms of sound, and it sets the tone for the energy we bring to every live performance.”
Check it here:
AA
AA
Formed in 2018 on the island of Crete, Tidal Shock consists of Alex (guitar), Beppe (bass), and George (drums). Born from their shared passion for loud, fuzzy rock ‘n’ roll, the band quickly built a solid reputation in Greece, touring with local legends such as Nightstalker, Naxatras, and Automaton.
During the pandemic, the trio relocated to Luxembourg, where they refined their sound and began working on Riffs of Ha, their upcoming full-length album. The new record promises a dynamic mix of heavy, stoner-infused rock with progressive twists, marking an exciting evolution in their sound.
Tidal Shock’s debut EP Black Hole Genesis was well-received in the local scene, and their live performances, including festival appearances alongside 1000Mods, have solidified their status as a rising force in the stoner/doom/groove rock world.
“I never intended to pick up with The Gates of Slumber ever again in 2014. While I did start the band and wrote most of the first album it was never intended to be a one man show.” -Karl Simon, 2024
Indiana’s True Doom Metal legends The Gates of Slumber return with a new album out on Svart Records on November 29th. The self-titled album is the band’s first full length offering since The Wretch from 2011. Check out the official video for the new single ‘Embrace the Lie’, an ode to the lying news media and political talking heads, from Svart’s YouTube page now:
AA
The Gates of Slumber was formed by Karl Simon in 1998. Various people were in and out of the group between 1998 and 2001, when the Blood Encrusted Deth Axe demo was recorded with Jamie Walters aka Dr. Phibes/Athenar (Boulder, Midnight) on drums and bass. In 2003 Jason McCash took over the bass duties and was a long-time member of the band until his untimely demise in 2014, after which Simon decided it was time to call it quits. That was until 2019 when the renowned metal festival Hell Over Hammaburg wanted to bring the band back on stage to perform at the festival’s 2020 edition. Simon reformed the band with its original member Chuck Brown on drums and Steve Janiak on bass and got back to work. “We’d been asked several times to play Hell Over Hammaburg. But there was no “we” to play. The germ of the idea started. We started re-learning songs from the first LP. It wasn’t too long into the rehearsals that we started coming up with new songs.”, states Simon.
After a reunion tour was finished, Covid kicked in to slow down the process. Half of the album was already written but the remaining half took its time, and the songs were left to stew in their juices. With bastard heavy songs honoring the Doom Metal greats Saint Vitus and Penance, straight forward bangers, lyrics inspired by the Black Death and John Carpenter’s The Fog, The Gates of Slumber is a truly crushing album and a must listen to any Doom Metal fanatic.
Having toured with Pentagram, Reverend Bizarre, Cathedral, Slough Feg, Earthride, and Weedeater in addition to getting praised by Decibel Magazine such as “The Gates of Slumber have quietly gone about the business of becoming one of the best heavy metal bands in the world.”, it’s safe to say The Gates of Slumber play some of the heaviest metal on this planet.
Former LORDS OF ACID vocalist, Mea Fisher is back unleashing the inner demon with her new single featuring En Esch (Slick Idiot, <PIG>, Pigface, ex-KMFDM). ‘Devil Inside’ is a twisted and delicious siren-like song where distorted guitar riffs, metallic percussion, and dystopian synth bring deep, dark fantasies to life. Written originally by Mea and strictly made for Lords of Acid, she has refined and transformed the song into a creation that is distinctively hers. Its heavy metal elements fused with a trance-inducing dance beat truly sell the feeling of traversing through the underworld’s hottest night out. Méa easily takes charge—her spellbinding vocals whispering temptation and commanding attention in the same breath. “There’s a hunger that lies,” she admits, “and you hold the key.”
Mesmerizingly, Méa calls fans to follow her and “take a bite of forbidden.” En Esch’s guttural, gruff backing vocals light the whole thing aflame. Danny Lohner (Nine Inch Nails) also lends his guitars to the track. The seductive, Luciferian qualities of ‘Devil Inside’ compel listeners to close their eyes, lose themselves to the beat, and indulge in their deepest desires.
Buñuel share the frenetic new single "Class" from their fourth full-length album Mansuetude, a co-release between SKiN GRAFT and Overdrive, arriving 25th October 2024.
About the track Eugene S. Robinson comments, “America is schizophrenic about class and class attributes. On the one hand we claim it doesn’t exist here, on the other hand like Paul Fussell lays out in his book on class it works its way through every aspect of American life and living. The song itself eviscerates the notion by placing it where it most needs to be placed: in the iD fuelled underworld.”
Listen to ‘Class’ here:
AA
BUÑUEL boasts the singular vocals and razor sharp lyrics of Eugene S. Robinson (ex-Oxbow) and a powerhouse Italian trio comprised of guitarist Xabier Iriondo (Afterhours, A Short Apnea), bassist Andrea Lombardini (The Framers) and drummer Franz Valente (Il Teatro Degli Orrori). Mansuetude was produced by Timo Ellis, and features guests including Jacob Bannon (lead singer of Converge), guitarist Duane Denison (the Jesus Lizard, Tomahawk,The Denison Kimball Trio), vocalist Megan Osztrosits (Couch Slut), cellist Andrea Beninati and David Binney on alto saxophone and vocals.
The title, Mansuetude – meaning “meekness” or “gentleness” – might seem like a juxtaposition when listening to the record that is, in Eugene’s words, “extreme but articulate”, however the record aims to convey a balancing of different forces and shades of being which make up the human experience. Throughout Mansuetude, Buñuel take every given opportunity to stretch out their musical tendrils towards discomfort, surrealism, and the deconstruction of tradition, as they reach absolute abandon. They go well beyond the realm of noise rock, encompassing many moods from post-hardcore to avant-noise, hard-blues to post-industrial, symphonic to trash metal and even free-jazz.
Drummer Franz comments that “Buñuel is a name that embodies a certain cultural and literary reference, which evokes an entire world. Like his films, our Buñuel is surrealism. We take the listeners into a place that’s suspended between dream and reality.”
“What we’re doing with Buñuel is to carve out a very specific glimpse… partly into hearts of darkness, but more specifically into the depth of our secrets,” says Eugene. “Secrets we keep from each other, ourselves and whatever futures we’ve imagined for ourselves. We are ultimately trying to communicate something direct and deadly about the human condition.”
Buñuel makes music for those of us willing to take a closer, unflinching look at the depths of human instinct, and on Mansuetude the band extend their reach farther than before, creating an album that is akin to a powerful impulse, or perhaps even an exorcism.
Mansuetude is a double album with three sides. A balancing act performed for and by the unbalanced.
Following the announcement of new album The Crying Out of Things, out November 8th, The Body have shared the heavyweight single ‘Removal.’ Digging deep into the duo’s eclectic influences and truly omnivorous taste, ‘Removal’ smelts industrial noise and earth-shattering dub pressure down into a mutant rhythm track. The track unfolds from hypnotic coils of chest-rattling drums and hazy vocal samples echoing out through the dancehall before descending into room-razing, coruscating noise driven by guest vocalist Ben Eberle’s caustic howls.
From The Body’s origins, incorporating unorthodox methods to achieve an oppressive atmosphere has been essential to their alchemy. Full choirs, unexpected sound samples, 70s-inspired horn lines, dub drum beats and diverse guest performances have speckled their varied and eclectic repertoire, the common thread being a complex webs of distortion and noise. The Crying Out of Things harnesses elements from their ground breaking catalogue: the expansive ecstatic distortion and live energy of I’ve Seen All I Need To See, the ambitious layering and arrangements on I Have Fought Against It, But I Can’t Any Longer, and the corroded pop edge of No One Deserves Happiness into one compact work. Guest performances include vocalist Ben Eberle, horn player Dan Blacksburg, and recent collaborator Felicia Chen add essential textural range. The Crying Out Of Things makes clear The Body’s distinct power to convey a dark range of emotions, thought inventive arrangements, dynamics, and sound selections.
‘Woke Frasier’ is the third and final single from the Leeds band’s upcoming second album I Have A Physical Body That Can Be Harmed, out on November 8th via Big Scary Monsters.
They write: “You can think of this as a sort of sequel to the ‘Torture Cube’ video, also by George Chadwick. Who can say whether or not Rodney Fipplecash will make further appearances within the Thank cinematic universe? Only time will tell.”
Swansea Alternative band ‘Baby Schillaci’ today have shared a blistering new track ‘The Flatliners’ as a thank you to everyone who has supported the band as release date for highly anticipated furious debut album ‘The Soundtrack’ draws closer on the 2nd October 2024
This debut album promises to expand their sonic horizons while retaining the raw, confrontational edge that has become their hallmark.The albums raw and unflinching approach has alerted the attention of National Radio with KEXP, BBC 6 MUSIC, RTE2, BBC RADIO WALES and has provoked positive reviews with Backseat Mafia, God Is In The TV, Listen With Monger, Amplify The Noise, Fame Magazine, Niche Music, Aux Magazine, No Transmission and many many more…..
Hitting the scene in 2023, Baby Schillaci are swiftly carving out their position in the alternative Welsh music scene with their raw, unfiltered sound. Rooted in post-punk and noise, the band’s aggressive yet intricately layered compositions evoke comparisons to seminal acts like Mclusky, At the Drive-In, and Fugazi. Their music is a relentless assault on the senses that challenges and captivates in equal measure.
Baby Schillaci’s reputation has been forged from their ferocious live shows with echoes of Nirvana, Public image & the Manics mixed with their own unhinged, visceral style. The intensity and unpredictability of their shows have drawn a devoted following.
Known for their relentless energy and erratic performances, Baby Schillaci continue to push the boundaries of the craft with an LP that encapsulates their unfiltered essence.
The long-awaited new album from Prague gothic cowboys, CATHEDRAL IN FLAMES titled Count To Nine, has finally been unveiled on the Musicraft label! The themes of the songs cover contemporary psychological problems and addictions, Lovecraftian mysticism and magical sexual practices.
The title, ‘Count To Nine’ refers to both the number of songs and the mystical number 9. Nine is the number of fulfilment, closure and completion. It also symbolizes the coming of age and the connection between dimensions and worlds on all levels.
The nine tracks were mixed by the legendary John Fryer (Fields of the Nephilim, Nine Inch Nails, Depeche Mode, Paradise Lost, Cradle Of Filth and more). The band has significantly tightened up their dark gothic rock on their third album, from the hypnotic and gothic rock purist track, ‘Dreaming In The Witch House’ to the cowboy shuffle of ‘Pale Rider’ to the dark pop of ‘Summertime.’
Vocalist Phil Lee Fall says of the album, “On Count To Nine we tried to cross boundaries. We ventured further and deeper than ever before. Musically, lyrically and sonically. It took us almost three years, but we are extremely happy with the result. Dark, mystical and monumental gothic rock for the 21st century.”
Gatsby adds: “Each track is heavily influenced by the mood and situations in which it was created. That’s why I make music, to get the emotion out. So the fact that it’s dark is probably natural. In a way, it’s a catharsis of the disgust and confusion we live in.”
The scene of microlabels will always give you something absent from the mainstream. I mean it’ll give you many things, but I’m talking about variety. We live in the strangest of times. Postmodernism brought simultaneously the homogenisation of mainstream culture and the evermore extreme fragmentation of everything outside the mainstream. And example of that fragmentation is the existence of Cruel Nature Records, who operate by releasing albums digitally and on cassette in small quantities. Further, the second album by Deep Fade, is typical, released in an edition of forty copies. It’s better to know your audience and operate on a sustainable model of what you can realistically sell, of course, but do take a moment to digest the numbers and the margins and all the rest here. It’s clear that this is a label run for love rather than profit.
The sad aspect of this cultural fragmentation is that so much art worthy of a wider, if not mainstream, audience simply doesn’t get the opportunity. Not that Deep Fade have mainstream potential, by any means. As evidenced on the seven tracks – or eight, depending on format – tracks on Further, Deep Fade are just too weird and lo-fi for the mainstream to accommodate them. They simply don’t conform to a single genre, and with tracks running well over eight minutes and often running beyond the ten-minute mark, they’re not likely to receive much radio airplay either.
Opener ‘Tidal’ is exemplary. Somewhere during the course of its nine minutes it transitions from being minimal bedroom pop to glitchy computer bleepage to a devastating blast of messed-up noise. Yet through it all, Amanda Votta’s vocals remain calm and smooth as she breathily weaved her way through the sludge. The twelve-minute title track veers hard into wild Americana, a mess of country and blues and slide guitar, before tapering into fuzzed-out drone guitar reminiscent of latter-day Earth. Amidst trudging drone guitar, thick with distortion, it’s hard not to feel the lo-fi pull.
We’re immensely proud to present an exclusive premier of the video for the mighty ‘Tidal’:
AA
‘Surge’ arrives on a raw metallic blast before yielding to a spacious echo-soaked guitar drift and some dense, grating abstractions. Texture and detail are to the fore on this layered set of compositions are by no means easy to navigate.
As the band explain, ‘The album, influenced by Neil Young and Einstürzende Neubauten, was recorded across various locations including St. John’s, Providence, Liverpool, and Edinburgh. Environmental elements play a significant role, with guitars recorded during a nor’easter and vocals captured at lighthouses, incorporating natural sounds like wind and bird calls… Toronto’s Church of the Holy Trinity and the Cowboy Junkies’ The Trinity Sessions also influenced the album’s sound, adding to its atmospheric and melancholic feel.’
Atmospheric and melancholic it is, although many of the aforementioned touchstones aren’t easy to extrapolate from the mix. Nevertheless, and you feel your stomach enter a slow churn, which is exacerbated by the low-gear drones which sound like low-circling jets – there have been a lot of those lately and the air is filled with paranoia and mounting dread right now. Further, however not only provides a sonic landscape that matches this mood, but runs far deeper into the psyche.
The acoustic ‘Little Bird’ scratches and scrapes over a fret-buzzing acoustic guitar. The fifteen-minute ‘Heartword is simply a mammoth-length surge of everything, occasionally breaking down to piano and deep tectonic grinds.
It’s fitting that Deep Fade should call their second album Further, because this is where they take things. At times it’s terrifying and at times it’s immense.
The lyrics are as breathtaking as the crushing bass on ‘Wake Me’, and the sparse arrangement of closer ‘Fixed and Faded’, with its breathy, folky vocal and crunchy overdriven guitar which drones, echoes, and sculpts magnificent spares from feedback and sustain, brings a sense of finality and offers much to digest.
The digital version includes an additional track, another monumental epic in the form of the eleven-minute ‘Hawk’, a work of haunting, spectral acoustic country: it’s one hell of a bonus worthy of what is inarguably, one hell of an album.
Blood Incantation have finally released a preview into their forthcoming album, Absolute Elsewhere which sees its release next Friday via Century Media. Its first movement, ‘The Stargate’ is available today in its entirety across digital retailers and comes with an exquisite short film, The Stargate which was directed by award winning cinematographer Michael Ragen (Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities: The Viewing) and features mesmerising analog fluid effects by Chris Parks (The Fountain).
‘The Stargate’ Side One: A violent storm invokes the familiar before a grand cosmic key turn for a hint of sweeping scope to come with spiritual acknowledgement and accompaniment by Tangerine Dream’s Thorsten Quaeschning on synths on the song’s second tablet. Musically as violent as it is mediative, with subtle spoken passages flitting between Nicklas Malmqvist’s (Hällas) busy synthesiser keys and Mellotron strings invoking both the modern and ancient, and it is all given sharp focus by Arthur Rizk’s powerfully dynamic and enveloping mix. Blood Incantation depart Extreme Metal’s traditionally antiquated way-station, warping their way towards ‘Genre of One’ stature, as ‘The Stargate’ intones the disembodiment of consciousness itself, careening through the stargate towards Samsara-like reincarnation, punctuated by the occasional growl from Sijjin/ex-Necros Christos main-man, Malte Gericke.
‘The Stargate’ short film is unlike anything you have experienced before. It presents the saga of a mysterious artefact and its victims in a hallucinatory synthesis of science fiction and folk horror, where mind-bending imagery and unsettling atmospheres converge in a surreal tale of primeval blood magic, inter-dimensional travel and grotesque otherworldly technology beginning in the Dark Ages and journeying into voids of deep space.
Watch the video here:
AA
Absolute Elsewhere hovers at nearly 45 minutes, their longest full length recording yet, the album’s two movements – ‘The Stargate’ and ‘The Message’ – are as confounding as they are engaging, exponentially expanding upon the formulas laid down by their scene-shattering debut Starspawn (2016) and landmark follow up Hidden History of the Human Race (2019).
As Blood Incantation’s Paul Riedl tells, “Absolute Elsewhere is our most potent audial extract/musical trip yet; like the soundtrack to a Herzog-style Sci-Fi epic about the history of/battle for human consciousness itself, via a 70s Prog album played by a 90s Death Metal band from the future.” For inspiration, the group looked to the mid-70’s progressive rock collective, Absolute Elsewhere (best known as a celestial stopover for King Crimson drummer, Bill Bruford) as the album’s namesake. For the uninitiated, Absolute Elsewhere’s obscure 1976 album, In Search of Ancient Gods, was constructed as a musical accompaniment to the works of Chariots of the Gods author, Erich Von Daniken, and his theories of non-terrestrial humanoid prompts towards mankind’s evolution. The subject matter of which should serve as no surprise to anyone familiar with Blood Incantation’s cosmically philosophical leanings. But make no mistake, the four musicians working under the Blood Incantation banner for the past decade – guitarist and vocalist Paul Riedl, drummer Isaac Faulk, guitarist Morris Kolontyrsky and bassist Jeff Barrett – have successfully left the microgravity of genre behind and are re-writing the Rosetta Stone of extreme music with a new language entirely. Demonstrations like their 2022 all-synth show or 2024’s Roadburn Festival headlining appearance where they played back-to-back death metal and ambient made it clear: Blood Incantation have honed their abilities to go boldly where few bands have gone before, and reveal no signs of slowing down.
Absolute Elsewhere’s release comes alongside a 73 minute feature film All Gates Open: In Search Of Absolute Elsewhere which tells the story of their time in Berlin during the summer of 2023, while recording at the legendary Hansa Studios. It will be available on Blu-Ray with the album’s deluxe mediabook package and will also include the documentary’s original soundtrack, All Gates Open (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) which includes 60 minutes of exclusive new music distinct from the new album. This special edition will also include Blood Incantation’s 2023 maxi-single, ‘Luminescent Bridge’ for the first time ever on CD, and of course, Absolute Elsewhere in both standard and Dolby Atmos / 5.1 mixes, alongside exclusive liner notes, exclusive interviews, behind the scenes photos and a forward by Ross Dolan of Immolation.
Aural Aggravation 