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Gout – Actual Bastard (EP)

Posted: 8 April 2026 in Reviews, Singles and EPs
Tags: Actual Bastard, EP Review, Glasgow, Gout, Grunge, Heavy, Lucia & the Best Boys, Noise Rock, Sludge, The Jesus Lizard, The Ninth Wave

17th April 2026

Christopher Nosnibor

I happen to know a fair few people who suffer from gout – which may be an indication of my age and the people I associate with – and they will all attest that it really is an ‘actual bastard’. But the title of this EP is also so, so Glaswegian. Living in Glasgow for four years, I came to appreciate that not only is Scotland culturally very different from England – something tourists probably don’t get to absorb in a week or two – but Glasgow has a culture, and a dialect, and countless turns of phrase which are unique to Glasgow. Following my time there, ‘Actual Bastard’ sounds like Glasgow, and the only way it could sound more Glasgae is if it was called Pure Bastard, Pure Wee Bastard¸ or maybe Fuckin Bawbag Cunt Bastard. Glasgow’s probably the only place on the planet where you can call a colleague a cunt in the office and not get into trouble because it’s a term of endearment as well as an insult.

Gout features members of Glasgow bands Lucia & the Best Boys and The Ninth Wave. As the bio notes, though, Gout is ‘a far cry from these projects, however’ (And having caught The Ninth Wave at Live at Leeds (I think) many moons ago, I can attest to this), Gout distils the intensity of hardcore with the low, driven crush of sludge forebears’.

No two ways about it: Actual Bastard is an absolute rager, with rabid, throat-ripping vocals raving and raw over filthy, low-slung churning riffs. The first track, ‘nmate’ lurches headlong into punishing, sludge-laden dirt, calling to mind The Jesus Lizard and the like, but scratcher, heavier, more overtly metal. ‘Too Bleak’ ratchets up the savagery, making for an eardrum-busting assault – but it’s tame in the face of ‘I Am A Beacon of Health and Wellbeing’ which sees the riffery go straight-up Godflesh and the tuning go way down to conjure the most ferocious hybrid of 90s noise rock and extreme metal.

If ‘Junk Sick’ goes a bit easier, with clean chorus-tinged guitar and a slugging bass, it’s not without a brutal lurch into extremity, going early Pitch Shifter meets Fudge Tunnel around the midway point.

‘Tarmac’ brings peace at last with a spoken word narrative and clean guitar strum. ‘I’m the eldest of two / You’re the youngest of three / I’m just tarmac to you / you can walk all over me… just walk all over me’, Ally Scott mutters tensely. Here, it registers that this is not just a band doing it for a bit of a laugh: there’s real emotional depth buried amidst the tempest of noise. But of course this revealingly introspective moment is swiftly swallowed in a welter of noise. What does cut through is pure rage and anguish, a cathartic offloading of trauma, amidst a swirl of metal meets shoegaze. The impact level is high, and ‘Tarmac’ only elevates the power of Actual Bastard. I’m foraging for words here, in the face of overwhelming musical might.

Gout sure as hell don’t hold back, and Actual Bastard is a flailing, furious, rampant, relentless beast of an EP.

Listen: ‘Hunter in the Veil’ by Urzah

Posted: 8 April 2026 in Recommended Streams and Videos, Singles and EPs
Tags: A Tranquil Void, APF Records, progressive sludge metal, Single, Stream, Urzah. Hunter in the Veil

Bristol based progressive sludge metal band Urzah are set to release their new album A Tranquil Void on 5th June via APF Records (Mastiff, Video Nasties, Swamp Coffin). They’ve just shared 2nd single ‘Hunter in the Veil’, a track which draws on mythic symbolism and elemental imagery to explore cycles of power, death, and renewal.

Formed in 2020, just before the pandemic hit, Urzah’s intensely collaborative and productive writing process was immediately evident, leading to the quick release of self-titled EPs ‘I’ (2020) and ‘II’ (2022). These laid the foundation for Urzah’s unique brand of ‘progressive sludge’. Inviting comparisons to Neurosis, DVNE, Mastodon and Elder, their forward-looking sound combines the abrasive elements of punk and post-hardcore with atmospheric post-metal passages and soaring melodies.

Urzah’s vision of ‘Earthen Heaviness’, combining oppressive darkness with moments of transcendence and cosmic awe, was realised on their critically acclaimed debut LP The Scorching Gaze (2024, APF Records). The band’s sonic world draws on both the intensely personal – rage, loss, grief and self-doubt – and a profound awe and vulnerability in the face of the celestial and natural worlds, framing visceral human struggle within vast cycles of death, decay and rebirth.

Since their debut, Urzah has refined their live shows across the UK, playing festivals and headline shows, and sharing stages with a diverse roster of heavy bands including Bongzilla, Tuskar, Mastiff, Greenleaf, OHHMS and Dopelord, as well as progressive atmospheric bands such as Hidden Mothers, Underdark and Nadja, demonstrating their strong cross-genre appeal.

The band recently announced that they are set to release new LP A Tranquil Void on 5th June 2026 via APF Records. The record marks a defining moment for the band, following up their critically acclaimed debut The Scorching Gaze (2024, APF) with an even more assured, mature and ambitious full-length. Conceptually, The Scorching Gaze and A Tranquil Void function as a visual, musical and thematic diptych; where their debut burned brightly with the rage and destruction of an erupting volcano, their new LP captures the cathartic, contemplative still that follows.

2nd single ‘Hunter in the Veil’, according to the band, “draws on mythic symbolism and elemental imagery to explore cycles of power, death, and renewal. A graceful but menacing feminine presence, the Wolfess evoked in the track exists between worlds as an archetypal force. Death and transformation are portrayed as sacred processes rather than endings, and the sombre outro expresses how our bodily ash returns to the soil and our memories feed rebirth.”

Photo: Naomi Jane Photography

Exit Void – Void of Escape

Posted: 7 April 2026 in Reviews, Singles and EPs
Tags: Anja Plaschg, Apocalypse, Austrian, Bulbul, collaboration, Exit Void, Experimental, Improvisation, Single Review, supergroup, Void of Escape

3rd April 2026

Christopher Nosnibor

Exit Void represents the coming together of no fewer than six notable names from the Austrian scene. Some may even designate them the title of ‘supergroup’. Their bio spins it that ‘EXIT VOID functions as a spontaneous search for sound, where the distinct artistic signatures of Manfred Engelmayr (Bulbul), Katrin Euller (Rent), Alex Kranabetter (Drank), Wolfgang Lehmann (Voyage Futur), Anja Plaschg (Soap&Skin), and David Reumüller (Reflector) collide in productive friction, giving rise to music that remains open to the unpredictability of the moment.

For context, they first played together in September 2025 at Dom im Berg in Graz, and first came together to work on a soundtrack for a video installation, and we learn that ‘the ensemble combines electronic and acoustic instruments with structured compositions and open improvisational passages’.

There’s little room for experimental passages on this single release, though, with ‘Void of Escape’ clocking in at just over four minutes, and virtual flipside ‘Residual Breed’ at a minute and a half.

The former is an off-kilter and intriguing composition that builds – from a lone, mournful trumpet, subsequently joined by slow drumming which is simply immense, positively industrial… but is nothing compared with the powerful vocal performance. The lyrics themselves are sparse, but Anja Plaschg’s delivery is nothing short of devastating in its power.

Lately, I myself have struggled to articulate the thoughts circulating – or moreover frothing in a wild frenzy – about my mind. I can’t keep pace with the news. I lived through and watched – compulsively – the Falklands War, and the first Gulf War. I was a kid, and it felt exciting, especially living near an RAF base and during the Falklands I would the planes take off over the back garden, and later see them on the news. But right now is the worst and most scary shit we’ve ever seen unravel in real time on TV, streaming live 24/7, and then there’s social media… It’s hard to find the words.

On ‘Void of Escape’, Exit Void keep it simple and focused ‘War in the East… War in the West…’ Plaschg sings, with all of her lungs. And that’s it – succinct, simple, direct: there is war everywhere: the world is at war.

‘Void of Escape’ hits hard, a powerful musical experience and a statement of… of what, exactly? It feels like music for the apocalypse. It’s music of the moment.

Listen: ‘The Wrong End Of Your Rifle’ by The Joy Thieves

Posted: 7 April 2026 in Recommended Streams and Videos, Singles and EPs
Tags: Apocalypse Pending, Armalyte Industries, Chris Connelly, Pigface, Revolting Cocks, Single, Stream, The Joy Thierrves, The Wrong End Of Your Rifle

Chicago alt-rock outfit The Joy Thieves are back with ‘The Wrong End of Your Rifle’, the first single from their full-length album Apocalypse Pending, out June 5th via Armalyte Industries. Featuring Chris Connelly (Fini Tribe, Revolting Cocks, Ministry, Pigface) on vocals, this ripping track addresses the intense frustration we’re all feeling over corporations and billionaires seemingly able to do whatever they want, whenever they want, without consequence.

Revolving around musicians-producers Dan Milligan and James Scott (a.k.a. Joy Thieves Productions), The Joy Thieves is a musical supergroup that includes current, former, and touring members of Ministry, Stabbing Westward, The Rollins Band, Killing Joke, Pigface, RevCo, PIG, David Bowie, Blue October, Machines of Loving Grace, Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails, KMFDM, Naked Raygun, Foetus, My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult, Pegboy, Nitzer Ebb, Die Krupps and more.

A jagged, cynical critique of the intersection between state violence, corporate greed, and digital voyeurism, ‘The Wrong End of Your Rifle’ portrays a world where human life is devalued and even the most violent acts are packaged as content or conveniently filtered, filmed yet ultimately ignored by the screen-numbed masses.

“When the billionaires are accountable for nothing, and force their will by suppression in the streets, we have to become inventive. As we are forced to watch corporations create for-profit prisons, we must remember that we can’t argue or reason with bullets,” says Chris Connelly.

Since signing with legendary London alternative-industrial label Armalyte Industries in 2018, The Joy Thieves have delivered 11 critically-acclaimed releases. Produced, engineered and mixed by Joy Thieves Productions at Populist Recording + Mastering, Apocalypse Pending is the newest record to blaze a mind-bending trail.

Joy Thieves Productions crafts their surprisingly cohesive signature sound from the contributions of its ever-growing 80+ roster of members, drawn from a diverse range of genres, including industrial, rock, punk, darkwave, hip hop and experimental music, they produce a sound that The Joy Thieves describe as being created by “all of us. And yet, none of us”. This approach has allowed the band to create a sound all its own. Aggressive, yet precise. Confrontational, but refined. Harsh, yet layered with melody.

Many of the songs on the new album began with producer-drummer Dan Milligan re-recording iconic hip hop breakbeats with modern drum sounds. ‘The Wrong End of Your Rifle’ began exactly that way — with a modern re-imagining of the one of the most famous breakbeats of all time (‘Ashley’s Roachclip’ by The Soul Searchers). This formed the basis upon which the entire track was built.

Watch: ‘The Blackest of Days’ by Since The Death

Posted: 7 April 2026 in Recommended Streams and Videos, Singles and EPs
Tags: black metal, Death Metal, Entangled, Extreme Metal, music video, Nordic Mission, Since the Death, Single, Stream, The Blackest of Days, Thrash

Swedish extreme metal project Since The Death have unveiled a brand new video for ‘The Blackest of Days’, taken from their upcoming album Entangled, due out on April 24 via Nordic Mission.

Founded in 2016 in Linköping by multi-instrumentalist Oscar Rask, Since The Death has operated as a singular studio vision, blending the ferocity of death, thrash, and black metal into a sound that is both razor-sharp and overwhelming.

With Entangled, the project reaches a new level of intensity and precision, pushing its fusion of extreme genres into darker, more intricate territory. ‘The Blackest of Days’ offers another glimpse into this evolution, relentless, aggressive, and tightly controlled, while still carrying a strong sense of atmosphere and tension.

The upcoming release also marks a new chapter for Since The Death, as the project prepares to step out of the studio and onto the stage for the first time, with a full live lineup and a confirmed appearance at Light The Dark.

Watch: ‘GOAT’ by No Terror in The Bang

Posted: 6 April 2026 in Recommended Streams and Videos, Singles and EPs
Tags: Cinematic, dark, Existence, Goat, Klonosphere Records, Metalcore, No Terror in The Bang, Single, Stream, Video

French cinematic progressive metal collective No Terror In The Bang return with a brand new video for ‘GOAT,’ taken from their new EP Existence, released April 3rd via Klonosphere Records.
Directed by Les Maan, who previously worked on the band’s earlier videos, ‘GOAT’ was filmed at La Fabrique des Savoirs in Elbeuf, a unique museum space filled with animal figures and striking scenography that perfectly complements the project’s aesthetic. The video also incorporates elements of contemporary dance, shadow play, and experimental visual techniques, enhancing its immersive and organic atmosphere.

Forging a sound defined by tension and contrast, No Terror in The Bang move between fragility and fury with striking precision. Expansive atmospheres collide with sudden eruptions, creating music that feels both intimate and catastrophic. At the core stands Sofia Bortoluzzi, whose shape-shifting vocal performance anchors the band’s identity, seamlessly weaving ethereal clean melodies with visceral, gut-level screams.

Conceptually, Existence explores humanity’s downfall across multiple dimensions: cosmic, physical, social, environmental, and mortal. Each track exposes a different layer of collapse, questioning destiny, purpose, and our deeply rooted self-destructive instincts. A dark, immersive release that pushes the band into heavier, more oppressive territory, without sacrificing emotional impact.

Following the acclaimed albums Eclosion (2021) and HEAL (2024), Existence marks a decisive step forward for No Terror in The Bang, a release that confronts discomfort head-on and transforms it into something cinematic, intense, and deeply human.

Watch: ‘War on War’ by Frenchy and the Punk

Posted: 5 April 2026 in Recommended Streams and Videos, Singles and EPs
Tags: Deep Wound, Dinosaur Jr, Distortion Productions, Frenchy and the Punk, Guitarmy of One, Post-Punk, Scott Helland, Single, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Stream, Video, War on War

Post-Punk duo Frenchy and the Punk present their new video for the powerful and compelling single ‘War on War’, along with an announcement of spring 2026 tour dates. Playing up to 100 shows a year, the duo thrives on the road. Now they are set to bring that energy to dozens of cities across the Midwest and East Coast before heading overseas for select UK dates.

Torchbearers of a new era in post-punk, Frenchy and the Punk was formed in 2005 by vocalist, percussionist, keyboardist and lyricist Samantha Stephenson and guitarist-composer Scott Helland, co-founder of Deep Wound (with Dinosaur Jr. icons J Mascis and Lou Barlow) and Outpatients, and also known for his exceptional solo music project Guitarmy of One.

Frenchy and the Punk, listed in the ‘Top 25 US duos’ by Yahoo! Music, is a powerhouse duo with a distinct sound, blending post-punk with a touch of new wave by way of electro-acoustic hybrid guitars, loop pedals, fiery live acoustic and electronic percussion, synth and rich commanding vocals.

The powerful video for ‘War on War’ was filmed and edited by Samantha Stephenson in New York State. The single itself was mixed and mastered by William Faith (The Bellwether Syndicate, Faith and the Muse) at William Faith Music Production, with vocal recording and production at Kale Shelter Studios by Hillary Johnson, known for her work with Jeff Buckley, The Misfits, Rufus Wainwright, The Ramones, Nile Rodgers, Vernon Reid and more.

Following ‘Not Under Your Spell’, released at the end of 2025, this is the band’s second release through Distortion Productions, having signed to the label after label-head Jim Semonik saw their performance at Dark Force Fest, in New Jersey last summer.

“This song is not only about war but also the deterioration of truth and destruction of progress. It’s the belief that the majority of people in this country and the world do not want to go backwards and do not want to see bloodshed,” says Samantha Stephenson.

“It is the frustration that the few, fueled by greed and lust for power, who manipulate for their and their cronies’ advantage, cause such grief and destruction for the many. It is a call to voice opposition to the chaos and insanity. It is a call for unity beyond borders.”

A veteran of the US hardcore punk scene, Scott Helland has spent years honing a dynamic, high-impact performance style that now drives Frenchy and the Punk’s electrifying live presence and genre-blurring sound. Over the course of his music career, he has shared the stage with Black Flag, Husker Du, GBH, C.O.C, Agnostic Front and CroMags, in addition to performing with Dinosaur Jr. on occasion.

Samantha’s artistic expression came from a completely different place, having started in dance, piano and the visual arts. These two worlds collided forming a musical incarnation that moves effortlessly from bombastic and driving songs to atmospheric and almost transcendent soundscapes.

Listen: ‘Silence Calls’ by j:dead

Posted: 4 April 2026 in Recommended Streams and Videos, Singles and EPs
Tags: 12 singles in 12 months, Dark Pop, Electeonic, Industrial, Infacted Recordings, J:dead, Silence Calls, Single, Stream, synthpop

UK-based industrial/electronic artist j:dead continues his 12 singles in 12 months campaign with the release of ‘Silence Calls,’ available now on Infacted Recordings.

The track is a meditation on the difficult yet necessary act of shutting down, withdrawing, and stepping into silence. At first, the silence is described as dark, cold, and unforgiving; a space filled with unease and fear. Yet as the song unfolds, its message deepens; the absence of noise brings clarity, truth, and a renewed sense of wholeness. In the end, though silence remains a challenge, it becomes a source of strength and balance, offering perspective that cannot be found in constant noise.

Musically, ‘Silence Calls’ weaves together influences of darkwave, synthpop, and industrial rock, creating a rich, layered soundscape that mirrors its emotional journey. The track moves between atmospheric textures and driving electronic power, underscoring the tension between fear and clarity. As always, Jay Taylor’s commanding vocal performance is central to the song; shifting through vulnerability, intensity, and resolve, capturing the full spectrum of emotion embedded in the lyrics.

With this fifth release, j:dead reinforces his distinctive blend of dark electronics, anthemic hooks, and emotionally charged songwriting. ‘Silence Calls’ stands as both a deeply personal reflection and a compelling addition to the campaign’s expanding sonic world; a reminder of the necessity and challenge of finding stillness in a chaotic landscape.

Hear it here:

Listen: ‘Cruel’ by SINE

Posted: 3 April 2026 in Singles and EPs, Recommended Streams and Videos
Tags: beats, Cruel, Dance, electronic boom, La Mordre, Metropolis Records, SINE, Single, Stream, technogoth

Electronic artist SINE (aka Rona Rougeheart) has today released ‘Cruel’ as a new single on Metropolis Records. It follows the recent ‘Blood + Wine’ as her second self-produced track of 2026, with Rougeheart stating that the song “about people who purposefully choose to be cruel to others. The words are both sarcastic and serious and I like the contrast of the lyrical content against the upbeat nature of the music, which otherwise makes it a fun dance track.”

Mastered by Mark Pistel (Meat Beat Manifesto, Consolidated), ‘Cruel’ remains true to Rougeheart’s ‘electronic boom’ style while remaining modern and club-ready. It is the final single to be issued from La Mordre, a brand new SINE album out on 22nd May that also includes the previously issued ‘Trauma Bondage’

Watch: ‘Folding the Mind’ by Trelldom

Posted: 2 April 2026 in Recommended Streams and Videos, Singles and EPs
Tags: ...by the word..., dark, Folding the Mind, Gothic, Jazz, Norwegian black metal, Official Visualizer, Prophecy Productions, Röyksopp, Single, Stream, Trellson

Iconic Norwegians TRELLDOM, founded by legendary vocalist Gaahl, unveil the visualiser single ‘Folding the Mind’ as the next advance track selected from their forthcoming new full-length: …by the word…

With …by the word…, TRELLDOM are pushing forward hard into their new musical era that was ushered in by the previous full-length …by the shadows… (2024), which ended a 17-year hiatus of the Norwegian band.

Mastermind Kristian Eivind Espedal aka Gaahl and his diligently selected collaborators have gone even beyond the complex yet sinister sound that they established with …by the shadows… The exponentially grown confidence and hard-gained experience of joining together seemingly quite different musicians is reflected clearly in each track of …by the word…

TRELLDOM have concluded the process of escaping the narrowest definition of black metal without compromising their artistic mission. Their music does not only stay loyal to the spirit of their black metal roots, but the Norwegians are making a solid point that their new sound is even more dark and fierce than ever before – just in more twisted and unhinged ways.

…by the word… is the result of Espedal expanding the immense range of his vocals even further into unexplored territories. And it should be noted that this was partly achieved by his return to the famous Grieghallen Studios in Bergen to work again with legendary producer Eirik Hundvin aka Pytten, who was instrumental in the creation of the ‘Norwegian black metal’sound.

Although Espedal remains firmly at the helm of TRELLDOM, the current line-up plays a massive part in the fresh exploration of musical extremes. Guitarist Stian “Sir” Kårstad (formerly also in DJERV) guarantees a form of continuity as he already contributed to the second and third album of the band. Furthermore, the new constellation features renowned percussionist Kenneth Kapstad, formerly of MOTORPSYCHO and hammering the drums in SPIDERGAWD, MØSTER!, and THORNS. Kapstad brought the internationally acclaimed jazz musician and saxophone player Kjetil Møster (MØSTER!, RÖYKSOPP, THE END) along. Bass player Eirik Øien is the latest addition to the cast of characters.

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