Released on Friday, ‘Believe’ is the second single from a forthcoming new album by Assemblage 23, the brainchild of US electro-industrial/synth-pop artist Tom Shear. “This song is about believing that there is hope for better things, even with the state of the world as it is today,” says Shear. “We are responsible for making the kind of world we live in. In the face of bad times, sometimes the most subversive thing you can do is to have hope.”
‘Believe’ is included on Null, the tenth album by Shear as Assemblage 23 and the long-awaited follow-up to Mourn in 2020. Also home to the recent single ‘Tolerate’ , the album will be pre-promoted with a UK tour that commences on 15th October, immediately followed a one-off show in Germany. Dates are as follows:
15th October BRISTOL Exchange 16th October MANCHESTER Rebellion 17th October GLASGOW Ivory Blacks 18th October SHEFFIELD Corporation 19th October LONDON The Dome
British industrial/EBM artist ESA is proud to release a new music video for the song ‘Pound Of Flesh’, taken from the artist’s recent album Sounds for Your Happiness out from July 5th via Negative Gain Productions label.
‘Pound of Flesh’ is the most ambitious cinematic journey from ESA to date. Shot on location in Bangkok (Thailand) during July 2025 with additional scenes filmed in Manchester UK, the video sees the participation of Tan Toafa Maneepasopchock (Gotham/Oceans 10) and Panita Hutacharern along with three other native Thai actors. ‘Pound of Flesh’ is in part a powerful and compelling narrative experience, alongside a love letter to Thailand. A country that has meant a lot to Blacker over the years.
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The story follows a troubled soul, tormented by inner demons, trapped within their own mental prison, happening upon a vehicle to allow astral projection from one body to another in a vain attempt to escape their own pain and anguish. From body to body, it soon becomes apparent that dwelling within a new host body is not the solution it might first appear to be. As time passes within the host, breakdowns begin to emerge and the demons that are tethered to the troubled now take up chase, culminating in a powerful and incredibly cinematic exorcism experience.
‘Pound of Flesh’ is a music film in 3 parts, both adventurous in script and energetic in its execution. The acting of Tan and Panita levels up further the Universe that Blacker is trying to achieve with the ESA multimedia experience.
For the second single from the companion album Best of Nine Inch Nails Redux that will be released parallel to the forthcoming MER Redux Series instalment The Downward Spiral Redux, sludge metal outfit THOU from Baton Rouge, Louisiana pay an ultra-heavy tribute with their cover of the NIN track ‘Suck’.
THOU comment by quoting Emil Cioran: “True confessions are written with tears only”, vocalist Bryan Funck cites an adage of the Romanian philosopher from 1934: “But my tears would drown the world, as my inner fire would reduce it to ashes.”
Parallel to the companion album Best of Nine Inch Nails Redux, Magnetic Eye Records will release The Downward Spiral Redux that contains 14 cover renditions of the original album tracks in sequence, recorded by some of the most compelling artists in hard and heavy music today.
LA-based psychedelic rock outfit Tombstones In Their Eyes presents their brooding single ‘Under Dark Skies’, previewing their Under Dark Skies album, to be released via Little Cloud Records (for North America) and Shore Dive Records (for the UK and EU). Without wallowing in self-pity and emotional upheaval, this song leans hopefully toward a new beginning in the understanding that sometimes the bottom is the best place to start.
The video was created by Italian multi-arts visionary Francesca Bonci, known for her work with Federale (BJM’s Collin Hegna), British bard Philip Parfitt, The Dandy Warhols’ Peter G. Holmström a.k.a. Pete International Airport and Slowdive’s Rachel Goswell.
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Tombstones In Their Eyes is made up of John Treanor (vocals & guitar), Stephen Striegel (drums), Courtney Davies (vocals), Phil Cobb (guitar), Paul Boutin (guitar), Nic Nifoussi (bass) and Clea Cullen (vocals). What began casually a decade ago has evolved into a powerhouse band known for their expansive psychedelic soundscapes. For Treanor, these sonic explorations are like a cosmic therapy session – an immersive subliminal journey, as well as a way to grapple with anxiety.
This record was created during a year of intense personal change, followed by a clearing of the decks and a move forward into a place light and gratitude. Recorded and engineered by Paul Roessler (Josie Cotton, Nina Hagen, Hayley and the Crushers, Gitane Demone) at Kitten Robot Studios, this album was co-produced by John Treanor and mastered by multi-platinum engineer Alex DeYoung at DeYoung Masters (Michael Jackson, BTS, Macy Gray, The Linda Lindas, TSOL).
“’Under Dark Skies’ is essentially a prayer sent for a path forward from the darkness of the spirit into the light. When the spirit is crushed, a rebirth is possible but the way forward is not always obvious. I feel fortunate to have a creative outlet like music to deal with the chaos in my head. Having said that, fighting the urges for self destruction by self-soothing in harmful ways is still not easy,” says John Treanor.
“We live in a tough and harsh world that is also filled with beauty and joy. Finding beauty and joy is the goal. I’m aware that I have many privileges and do not discount that, but mental health challenges do not seem to discriminate. Finding strength and hope is a daily practice that I must undertake and writing these songs is one of the many ways that I cope. By expressing and sharing these feelings, I let go of the poison and seek connection with others.”
Just back from roads of Europe and full concert halls, Industrial metal legends Die Krupps drop the new video single ‘Will nicht – MUSS!’. This track is taken from the EP Will nicht – MUSS! / On Collision Course that was sold as a hand-numbered collectors’ CD during the already ended and highly successful 45th anniversary tour of this genre defining band.
Due to high demand for the EP, Die Krupps will offer only 45 copies of ‘Will nicht – MUSS!’ as an exclusive 45th Anniversary Gatefold Vinyl edition that is filled with a petrol-green liquid. A limited transparent green gatefold vinyl will also be made available. Both versions will be released on December 12, 2025 and can be pre-ordered at this shop link: https://spkr.store/collections/die-krupps
The Will nicht – MUSS! / On Collision Course EP contains guest contributions and remixes from prominent musicians of renowned acts such as MINISTRY with whom DIE KRUPPS have successfully toured in the US earlier this year. The two single tracks of the EP also offer a first glimpse at the upcoming new album.
DIE KRUPPS comment: “The original idea for ‘Will Nicht – MUSS!’ is based on the classic German movie M (1931), which was directed by Fritz Lang following his huge success with Metropolis, Jürgen Engler explains. “The movie’s subtitle ‘A City Is Hunting for a Killer’, sums up the basic plot. The child-murdering antagonist keeps whistling the main theme from Edvard Grieg’s ‘In the Hall of the Mountain King’ throughout the movie. This inspired us to take Grieg’s melody and add our classic harsh Die Krupps sound to it. The composition came together just as quickly as our 2013 hit ‘Robo Sapien’, which is always a good sign for us. We sincerely hope that you will receive the track just as positively!"
The Hangnails have certainly evolved. Recent releases have been a very far cry from the raw garage blasts of their early works, starting out almost fifteen years as a full-throttle garage duo.
There was something of a fallow spell after the release of DOG in 2017, after which Martyn Fillingham and Steven Reid made an understated return, the dropping of the ‘…and the’ signifying their shift towards different territories.
‘Come On Outside’ may be their most different yet. Stripped back, mellow, atmospheric, and synthy, it boasts epic, cinematic qualities – and they still make sound that you’d think impossible for a two-piece.
The visuals for the video are pretty striking, too.
Oakland-based alternative rock / darkwave trio Sword Tongue presents the video for ‘We Are The Resistance’ , a dark gem showcasing their explosive fourth EP Bonfire In The Tempest. Galvanized, song by song, during our current age of cultural upheaval, this release is bursting with raw emotion and tempered by sophisticated production, launching the band into uncharted territory.
This EP is a love letter to the music we all loved in the 90s. Long delays, lush chorus sounds, deep flanges and modulations – a guitar tone chaser’s dream, married with deep distorted growling bass lines, hard driven drums and pulsing, electronic dance beats provide the texture over which soaring female vocals triumph. At times a whisper, and other times a roar, each song crafted in the crucible of these modern, unprecedented times.
In these five loaded tracks, vocalist Jennifer Wilde delivers alluring vocal lines that oscillate between a croon and a roar, seduction and rage. Gaetano Maleki’s signature shimmering guitar tones and bass lines mesmerize and ensnare, while Dan Milligan’s intricate drum lines drive the message and become the heartbeat of this sonic tour de force reminiscent of the 90s.
Capturing the essence of 90s alternative music, reimagined for a new era, Sword Tongue weaves together rock, industrial, shoegaze, post-punk and trip hop, giving voice to anguish, anger, transformation and triumph. Pulling from an array of musical styles, from electronic music to space rock, the band earlier shared the single ‘Diamonds To Rust’.
“Originally, this album was meant to be more of a danceable opus with a trip hop flavor. However, after the U.S. Presidential election, we realized that our album had to carry a more specific message on the current pollical climate, on aging, and on transitions. We wanted to give voice to the frustration, the anguish, the strength, and the hope in all of us,” says Jennifer Wilde.
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Debuting in 2020 during the pandemic, Sword Tongue creates dark music for dark times, casting a shadow of hope in the twilight. Formed by husband-and-wife duo Gaetano Maleki and Jennifer Wilde, the project is their love language and the culmination of their life’s work as musicians. Wilde, a classically trained vocalist who has performed with the Oakland Symphony Chorus, has been a guest vocalist and lyricist for seminal shoegaze band Love Spirals Downwards. Maleki brings an intensity from his background in heavy music, infusing his shimmering guitar soundscapes with sonic weight.
The pair were then joined by renowned producer and drummer Dan Milligan, whose driving contribution has infused the music with more depth, drive and dimension. The brainchild of The Joy Thieves, he has quite the history co-creating, producing and remixing such artists as Chris Connelly, PIG and Consolidated, and members of such bands as Ministry, Stabbing Westward, The Rollins Band, Killing Joke, David Bowie, Marilyn Manson, Depeche Mode and Nine Inch Nails, among others.
One of Arizona’s fastest-rising hardcore acts, OVERSTAND, are taking things to the next level with the release of their long-awaited debut full-length album, Take Control, out October 3.
In a major show milestone, Overstand brought their explosive live energy to Arizona’s legendary Marquee Theatre earlier this summer, supporting hardcore icons Suicidal Tendencies. It was a fitting match for a band that’s spent the past few years building a reputation for unrelenting, classic hardcore fury with a modern edge.
Born during the stillness of the pandemic lockdown, Overstand formed in 2020 when longtime collaborators and veterans of the hardcore scene came together with purpose and urgency. In isolation, they wrote 23 songs, seven of which became their 2022 debut EP — released self-titled in the U.S. and as 24 Hour Catastrophe in Europe via Conviction Records. That record lit the match, and now Take Control is the explosion: ten tracks of pure, unrelenting, no-bullshit hardcore.
Check the title track here:
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With former members of Warzone, Roger Miret and The Disasters, Vision, District 9, Casket Life, and North Side Kings in the ranks, Overstand has quickly become a name to watch, both in the States and abroad. They’ve torn up stages alongside Sheer Terror, Ignite, The Dwarves, Death by Stereo, Manic Hispanic, Kill Your Idols, and more, as well as holding their own at festivals like Within These Walls.
The full-length’s cover art is a collaboration between Mick Lambrou and Steven Huie — two highly respected names in the world of punk and hardcore visual culture. Lambrou, based in Australia, is known for his iconic designs for Murphy’s Law, Slapshot, Shutdown, Agnostic Front, Madball, and many more. Huie, owner of Flyrite Tattoo, is behind legendary artwork for bands like Madball, Crown Of Thornz, and Sick Of It All, adding even more legacy and impact to Take Control’s visual identity.
Bassist Roy Valencia also holds down low-end duties for The Outlaw Vinnie Stigma, a powerhouse lineup featuring Vinnie Stigma (Agnostic Front), Chip Hanna (U.S. Bombs), and Jesse Wagner (The Aggrolites) — along with members of Gogol Bordello, including Eugene Hütz, Sergey Ryabtsev, and Leo Mintek. Roy recently wrapped a high-energy East Coast run with the band, delivering the same fierce intensity onstage that defines his work with Overstand.
Overstand isn’t interested in nostalgia or posturing — they’re here to Take Control, and their new material makes that abundantly clear. Brutal, focused, and burning with intent, this is hardcore done right.
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Upcoming Shows:
Oct 11th – Middletown, Connecticut @ Silk Arcade Oct 12th – NYC @ The Bowery Electric w/ Incendiary Device Oct 18th – Tempe, AZ – Record Release Show @ Yucca Tap Room
Nov 20 – Houston, TX – Winter Weekender Preshow Nov 22 – Tempe, AZ @ Marquee Theater w/ FEAR
Foldhead has been quiet on the output front of late, after something of a purple patch around lockdown, there was a lull, broken by Mirfield Pads in 2022, with only the ‘Single’ release with …(something) ruined since, and a live outing or two. This is the only kind of quiet you’ll get from Foldhead, mind you: the Yorkshire maker of mangled noise likes to turn it up and blast the frequencies – and tones.
If Mirfield Pads ventured towards mellower, more Tangerine Dream-like electronica, Paris Braille sees a return to the harsher territories more frequently wandered by Foldhead.
Paris Braille – the title likely a reference to two cut-up novels by the late Carl Weissner (who not only appeared in some collaborative / split works with Burroughs, including the seminal pamphlet So Who Owns Death TV?, but translated many of his novels for the German market), namely The Braille Film and Death in Paris – is a typically abrasive affair, with the title track being a nine-minute loop of noise which captures of the essence of the ‘derangement of the senses’ Brion Gysin strove to achieve with his multi-sensory performance pieces which extended the concept of the cut-ups to its logical extreme. The thunderous beat, when surrounded by and endless loop, becomes almost trance-like and strangely euphoric. It’s difficult to discern precisely what’s in the mix here: there may be voices, or it may simply be a tricky of the human ear – my human ear – in its quest to seek recognisable forms amidst the formless sonic churn, in the same way one finds the shapes of animals and faces in clouds. In the right context, say, as a remix on a Cabaret Voltaire EP (where it would be right at home, and the William Burroughs / cut-up connection is again relevant here), this would be hailed as an industrial dancefloor stomper – largely because that’s what it is. Intense, hypnotic, relentless, it’s a pulsating, shifting noise beast that slowly spins off its axis and out of control in a swelling surge of sound.
‘CW Loop’ unashamedly harks back to the tape experiments of Burroughs and Gysin from the late 50s and early 60s, which in turn were a huge influence in Throbbing Gristle, and in particular Genesis P-Orridge, who released a selection of archival recordings on the Nothing Here Now But the Recordings LP on Industrial Records in 1980. It is, quite simply, short vocal sample, heavily bathed in echo, looped, and overlayed with a churn of undulating noise.
The third and final track, ‘Film Death’ – the title echoing and mirroring that of the first – round the set off with a return to the thunderous, beat-driven sound of ‘Paris Braille’, this time with a squall of shrill feedback and full-spectrum static. The result is akin to Throbbing Gristle covering Matal Machine Music. In the world of Foldhead, this is absolutely mission accomplished.
Aural Aggravation 