Canadian dark-pop act The Birthday Massacre have just issued a video for ‘Precious Hearts’, a song included on their current album ‘Fascination’. The clip was cut to footage filmed at a show in their home city of Toronto in October 2022 during a North American tour to promote the album, shortly before they arrived in the UK to play a long-awaited (and sold out) ten date UK tour (which we dug here at AA).
Watch the video here:
AA
BM will be on tour in the US again from late April, with nine headlining shows bookending eleven further guest slots with Lacuna Coil. Their full itinerary can be seen below.
As anyone who ever listened to the legendary BBC radio DJ John Peel will know, hearing a favourite artist re-interpret a familiar song by another artist can bring new insights into both, as well as being a lot of fun.
During a break from writing Midas Fall’s fifth album, Elizabeth Heaton took some ideas that had been incubating for a while and, along with bandmate Michael Hamilton, applied their own unique perspective to three well-loved songs by Bruce Springsteen (Dancing in the Dark), Radiohead (Creep) and Placebo (Every You Every Me).
Covers EP sees Springsteen’s driving rock anthem reimagined as a quieter, more introspective narrative, imbued with ‘80s synths and Heaton’s softly hopeful but uncertain vocals. Radiohead’s Creep is a dreamy, kaleidoscopic waltz that slowly builds to a raging climax. On Every You Every Me, the icy undertones of Placebo’s original version are magnified even further, evoking a bleak landscape cloaked in dark, haunting sounds.
For first single ‘Creep’ Liz from the band states, “Creep, along with the other tracks on the upcoming EP were created during lockdown. We took some of our favourite tracks from growing up and gave them a different feel. As a teenager Radiohead were the first band to make me feel that music could be something more, so have been a massive influence to me musically, especially when I first started writing. I was listening to Creep and imagined it played in a waltz style time signature. With the aid of my keyboard and a glass of wine the vocals seemed to flow very easily and were captured in a single take. From there it grew arms and legs."
Listen here:
Covers EP will be released digitally worldwide by Monotreme Records on 7th April.
Well this is bold… But if you’re going to cover a classic, you have to do something special with it.
The Canadian alternative rock band A Primitive Evolution (A.P.E.) released an excellent third album entitled ‘Becoming’ in late 2018 that fused industrial, metal and electronic sounds to create a raw, visceral yet soulful record that blurred boundaries to show off a genre-blending mix of Nine Inch Nails, The Cure, Tool, Radiohead, The Prodigy and even U2.
Recorded at their Desolation Studios set-up in their home city of Toronto, it included input from writer/producer Ian D’Sa (Billy Talent) and engineer Kenny Luong (Metric) and displayed obvious crossover potential that had the band placed firmly in the ‘ones to watch’ category. With songs also featured in films such as ‘Chastity Bites’ and the vampire musical ‘Suck’, as well as several North American TV shows, their next step was keenly anticipated.
Then….frontman and guitarist Brett Carruthers joined old friends and compatriots (and labelmates) The Birthday Massacre as their new bassist, with writing, recording and touring duties foor them (not to mention a pesky pandemic) necessitating that A.P.E. be temporarily placed on the backburner.
The band have today taken a step back into the limelight with a new single entitled ‘Ace Of Spades’. Yes that one….and who saw this leftfield/rightfield (it’s all the same to me) curve ball of song choice coming? But, as Carruthers explains: “We actually started playing it live for fun years ago while writing ‘Becoming’ and were listening to a lot Motörhead classic. We thought, what if we slowed it way down to sound like one of our dirty rock jams? We fell in love with the result and played around with it, and finally decided to record and release it. We’re just sad Lemmy will never get to hear it, but hopefully the metal gods may accept our filthy offering!”
‘Ace Of Spades’ is included on a three track EP that is set for release on 3rd March via Metropolis Records. Check it here:
Allen Epley (Shiner, The Life and Times) has released a video for "Evangeline" off his recent debut solo album Everything, out now on Spartan Records.
“We wanted something simple but stark and beautiful. Having a solo record and figuring out how to do things like videos for it is strange for me because I’m usually doing it with a band. So after many potential scenarios, we decided to just get some simple close up footage in my garage in Evanston. Clayton Brown who made the video, (who was also first drummer in Shiner!) grabbed some beautiful shots of Chicago via the Blue Line and it absolutely matches the kind of sadness and sense of melancholy that the song carries in it. There’s a theme of escaping and wandering throughout the record so this was perfect” – Allen Epley
Witch Ripper have unveiled their next single, the slick mid-tempo crusher ‘Icarus Equation’, which is taken from the forthcoming album The Flight after the Fall. The sophomore full-length of the American melodic sludge metal outfit is scheduled for release on March 3rd, 2023.
Witch Ripper have announced the first US shows in support of the new album. A European tour is in the making.
The title of the track ‘Icarus Equation’ hints at the ancient Greek mythological character Ikaros, who flew too close to the sun on wings held together by wax during a daring attempted escape. The wings melted and Ikaros fell to his death, and the story is generally used as a metaphorical warning against having unrealistically high ambitions.
Listen to this epic cut here:
Witch Ripper comment: “The new single, ‘’Icarus Equation’ was the first song written for the new album”, guitarist and vocalist Curtis Parker writes on behalf off the band. “I think that we rewrote the final part six times before we landed on what’s on the record. We’re incredibly happy with how that ending turned out. ‘Icarus Equation’ represents perfectly how our two vocalists can not only juxtapose against each other but come together in unison – like we do on the bridge. In the story of the album, this song represents loss. A loss of life and a loss of wanting to carry on. Our protagonist is at his lowest during this song. That being said, we wanted to show that there is a light at the end of the tunnel by ending on a giant major key ballad-style moment.”
Live
18 MAR 2023 Seattle, WA (US) Substation 29 MAR 2023 Portland, OR (US) High Water Mark 30 MAR 2023 Eugene, OR (US) Old Nick’s 31 MAR 2023 San Francisco, CA (US) Kilowatt Bar +Brume +Nite 01 APR 2023 San Jose, CA (US) The Caravan Lounge 02 APR 2023 Los Angeles, CA (US) Redwood Bar 04 APR 2023 Tempe, AZ (US) Yucca Tap Room 05 APR 2023 Albuquerque, NM (US) Moonlight Lounge 07 APR 2023 Denver, CO (US) Skylark Lounge 08 APR 2023 Salt Lake City, UT (US) Aces High Saloon 09 APR 2023 Boise, ID (US) The Shredder
Los Angeles-based Johnathan Mooney and Stockholm’s Christian Granquist otherwise known as the Trans-Atlantic post-punk project, Johnathan|Christian have released their latest EP, Strip Me.
The EP tells a story through a trilogy of songs, ‘Strip Me,’ ‘Sway Back’ and ‘This Too’. The topics addressed in the trilogy include acknowledging the fear of rejection, love’s often finite nature, hitting bottom and trying to find ways out.
The EP also features remixes by Ministry’s John Bechdel, EBM legend Leæther Strip, and Steven Archer (Stone Burner/Ego Likeness), which provide unique interpretations of the duo’s sound.
The music video for ‘Strip Me’, produced by Purple Tree Creative’s Nick Van Dyk, takes a subliminal approach in terms of the cuts and imagery addressing the challenges of a relationship.
The animated video aims to explore the different emotions and experiences that come with the life cycle of a relationship in a unique and visually striking way. By using abstract imagery, the video aims to create a powerful and thought-provoking response that can help those going through challenges to understand better and process their feelings, even if it may be on a subconscious level. The video’s goal is to convey empathy and the chaos that comes with the experience of a relationship.
‘2072’ is the new single from Kety Fusco’s album The Harp, Chapter I, due for release on 3 March 2023. The composition of this track is based on a live granulation of Kety’s electric harp, combined with drone sounds created with a pulsating massager on the soundbox of the 47-string classical harp, and vocal reminiscences emitted by Kety with scratchy screams inside the harp soundboard, which decorate this post- classical sound.
On the single & accompanying video, Kety says, “On 13 January 2072 I will die: this video is a reminder of what it was. My melody will accompany me in my passing, reminding me that the world was beautiful before I arrived. I did not love the world I was living in and that is why he did not allow me to stay any longer. Forests precede civilizations, deserts follow them. It’s not my phrase, but I like it”.
All sounds on ‘2072’ are produced by an 80-kilo wooden harp, a carbon electric harp and live electronic manipulation. Kety Fusco and the harp met when she was six years old, and they have never left each other since. After years of studying and perfecting with the classical harp, Kety embarked on an exploration of non-traditional harp sounds, made from objects such as hairpins, scotch tape, wax, stones, hairpins, and so she says: "The harp was born in the 7th century, when the air was different, the tastes and experiences had nothing to do with today’s world and to this day I cannot think that there is no evolution: that is why I am designing a new harp instrument, it will still be the same, but contemporary and everyone will have the opportunity to approach it; in the meantime, welcome to THE HARP”.
Kety Fusco launches new album The Harp, Chapter I at London’s prestigious Royal Albert Hall on 3rd March 2023.
Emotive and conceptual, Klone have once again broken new sonic ground and built further on their signature expansive sound.
As a forthcoming taste of the band’s new album Meanwhile, Klone have revealed the third and final piece of the puzzle in the form of ‘Apnea’, before the album’s release on February 10th 2023. The beguiling lyric video brings the beautiful words of Yann Ligner to life in an effortless fashion and brings you right into “the rapture of the deep.”
Watch the lyric video here:
AA
Regarding the new single the band had the following to say:
“Apnea tells the story of a journey into the rapture of the deep. The song is a suspended and poetic moment where characters melt into an entirely graceful and weightless concept. This sense of letting go completely was aided by the powerful yet subtle signature production of Chris Edrich.”
The band continue “As the song progresses in a dreamlike atmosphere we’re treated to nuances between the calm and the storm whilst shaping the musical landscape with a variety of contrasts. The song is an entirely immersive experience that we hope fans will find their own interpretation of weightlessness and we’re so happy with how it turned out.”
LONE will be heading out on tour in support of ‘Meanwhile’ with both headline shows and as main support to Devin Townsend throughout EU / UK see full dates below and get tickets HERE:
France headline tour
FEBRUARY
09 – FRANCE, LE MANS, L’ALAMBIK / SUPERFORMA
10 – FRANCE, BORDEAUX, LE ROCHER DE PALMER
11 – FRANCE, PARIS, LE TRABENDO
18 – FRANCE MULLHOUSE, LE NOUMATROUFF
24 – POITIERS, LE CONFORT MODERNE
Support for Devin Townsend
03 – THE NETHERLANDS, TILBURG, 013
04 – GERMANY, KÖLN, CARLSWERK VICTORIA
05 – FRANCE, LILLE, LE SPLENDID
07 – GERMANY, LEIPZIG, WERK 2
08 – GERMANY, FRANKFURT, BATSCHKAPP
10 – SWITZERLAND, ZURICH, X-TRA
11 – GERMANY, MUNICH, BACKSTAGE WERK
13 – AUSTRIA, DORNBIRN, CONRAD SOHM
14 – ITALY, MILAN, LIVE CLUB
16 – SPAIN, BARCELONA, RAZZMATAZZ
17 – SPAIN, MADRID, LA RIVIERA
18 – PORTUGAL, LISBON, CINETEATRO CAPITÓLIO
20 – FRANCE, TOULOUSE, LE BIKINI
21 – FRANCE, MARSEILLE, LE MOULIN
22 – FRANCE, CLERMONT FERRAND, LA COOPERATIVE DE MAI
Twice a Man have released a video for their new track ‘Dahlia’, which is featured on the lavish 3-CD and 72-page artbook compilation entitled Songs of Future Memories (1982-2022) that was released on January 27.
The Swedes’ long-time artistic preoccupation with environmental issues is also reflected in the clip, which contrasts the beauty of the natural world with the urban landscapes created by humanity.
Watch the video here:
Twice A Man comment: “The song ‘Dahlia’ is a reflection about our time,” Dan Söderqvist explains on behalf of the trio. “The world is getting darker and uncertain with wars, pandemics, and above all: climate change, environmental destruction, and through that a loss of biodiversity that is all caused by human activity. We experience a conflict between the outer world and an inner imaginary world. We need to feel comfort, and music at its best grants us that inner peace. Two new songs, ‘Lotus’ and ‘Dahlia’, were made to be included in our new compilation album Songs of Future Memories and – in some respect – to epitomise the spirit of Twice a Man.
Fire and brimstone from Icelandic Black Metal band Altari, as their volcanic new album Kröflueldar erupts via Svart Records on 14 April 2023. Named after a series of eruptions that happened at Krafla in Iceland in 1975, Kröflueldar represents the constant threat of ash that Altari’s music lives under. Kröflueldar was a 9 year series of eruptions, and since the album took almost 9 years to create, Altari felt that it was a fitting title for their scalding and ferocious music.
Fans of Craft, Deathspell Omega, Blut Aus Nord and the more well known Icelandic Black Metal bands like Misþyrming and Sinmara will revel in digging into Kröflueldar’s rotten soil, but there is something far more experimental and avant-garde to be reaped within the whirlwind of sound that Altari produces. With their foundations of sound in the classic eras of early Judas Priest, songs like Leðurblökufjandinn call to mind the discordant soundclash of bands like Voivod, Virus and even Sonic Youth in the interplay of melody and disharmony. The bewildering, but utterly charming frenzy of taking the raw sound of metal to the limits breaks through from Altari’s literal geological location in a landscape in constant upheaval. Guitarist and Vocalist Ó.Þ.Guðjónsson notes that; “bands such as Blue Öyster Cult, Interpol, Killing Joke were a big inspiration for us as well for the use of clean guitars as the sound for leads. I expressed a desire to find some balance between the overdriven rhythm and melodic yet clean leads. These bands helped us find that.”
It is through these uncommon and almost blasphemous influences that Altari proves to be a rare gem in the much vaulted Icelandic Black Metal crown, giving Kröflueldar the dna of a band that feels they have so much potential and fervor brewing up in their molten kiln. Tracks like Sýrulúður with the vocals of Gyða Margrét are as delicate and subtle, cloaked in smoky atmosphere, as they are dark and brooding, giving hints of bands like This Mortal Coil and Cocteau Twins.
When Guðjónsson states that the intention was an “overall desire for us to get away from the sound that has been a gateway for others here in the scene” they imbued Kröflueldar with a beguiling essence that’s hard to pin down, but magnetically unique.
Aural Aggravation 