It’s been another incredible year for Benefits, and one which has seen them evolve – and drop a single with Pete Doherty ahead of their second album, Constant Noise, due on 21 March 2025 via Invada Records.
And what a treat for Christmas eve – a new tune which is, again, more ambient than noisy, but which pitches a low-key and quite menacing-sounding spoken-word assessment of the state of things as war rages around the world and death tolls continue to increase as do tensions as the West bankrolls mass destruction and civilian slaughter.
New Benefits may not be quite as in-yer-face sonically, but don’t think for a second that they’ve gone soft.
French progressive metal collective March of Scylla has released a captivating music video for their latest track, ‘Ulysses’ Lies’, from the forthcoming album Andromeda, set to be released on March 7, 2025, via Klonosphere/Season of Mist. Directed by Kevin Meriaux, the video seamlessly merges the band’s dark, progressive metal sound with their signature mythological storytelling, offering a mesmerizing visual experience.
Watch the video here:
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Initiated by Christofer Fraisier, guitarist and former member of Taman Shud, March Of Scylla is a dark, progressive metal project that emerged in Amiens in 2020. The band features drummer Gilles Masson from Ashura, bassist Robert Desbiendras, and vocalist Florian Vasseur. Their two EPs, Archives and Dark Myth, showcase their diverse influences, drawing comparisons to Gojira, Tesseract, Sleep Token, and Architects.
Their debut album Andromeda was recorded, mixed, and mastered at Studio Sainte-Marthe in Paris by Francis Caste, and explores the vastness of space and humanity’s complex relationship with science, the cosmos, and the afterlife. The album tackles fundamental human anxieties, injustices, and emotional struggles, blending personal lyrics with universal mythology and history.
COP International is incredibly proud to add another milestone release to the discography of this iconic band. The band’s first new studio record in more than thirty years, the Driving Black EP serves as a tantalizing prelude to their forthcoming album Strange Kind of Paradise (due February 2025). The EP offers three exclusive tracks alongside three distinctive mixes from the upcoming album, including one by the legendary producer John Fryer, renowned for his work with Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails, and Cocteau Twins; and another by the Lorries’ own bassist and producer, Simon ‘Ding’ Archer, known for his work with The Fall, 1919, PJ Harvey, and Pixies, who brings his signature experimental edge to the production.
Today, they’ve unveiled a video to accompany the lead track, and you can watch it here:
After three years of silence, Pântano return in full force with their new single, "Inferno." The band, whose name translates to “swamp,” delivers a raw, sludgy southern rock sound with a touch of classic Alice in Chains seamlessly woven into the mix.
Staying true to their dark and melancholic essence, the band unveils a new lineup and an even more refined, mature sound on this latest track.
With Nuno Rodrigues (WAKO) on vocals and Arlindo Cardoso (Low Torque) on drums, Pântano now features Aires Pereira (Moonspell) on bass and Paulo Basílio (Ex-Votos) alongside João Arroja (Low Torque) on guitars.
"Inferno," mixed and mastered by the renowned Daniel Cardoso (Anathema, Anneke…), marks the natural evolution of the band, blending a melancholic and dark atmosphere with heavy, slow riffs imbued with a strong emotional weight.
The single is accompanied by an impressive music video, directed by Beatriz Mariano, which masterfully captures the intensity and introspection of this new chapter for Pântano.
While the entirely of this EP has already been made available as individual tracks, some of which have made our ‘recommended streams’ pages, songs as standalone pieces are one thing, but understanding them in context can often be quite another.
And so it is that Archetypes ‘explores timeless themes that have shaped societies for centuries. The band delves into the power of language and storytelling, celebrating legends that transcend time and culture. These stories, rich in symbolism and ritual, carry the wisdom of generations and continue to captivate audiences with their enduring lessons and sensational nature.’
Hearing the songs in isolation, the sense of thematic unity which unite them as an EP isn’t immediately apparent, particularly with the visual accompaniments of highly stylised neon-flashing cyber-tinged promo videos. They’re necessary – even essential – tools for grabbing attention in our hyper-stimulated, visually-obsessed world. Post some words, or some audio, and it’s like standing in the middle of a field at night dressed in black and expecting attention – but post an image, or a video, and people notice. It really is that clear-cut. It’s as if people need their media injected directly into their eyeballs, but listening the songs in sequence and only in audio, draws the attention to the music itself.
‘Mentor’ opens the EP, driven by a sturdy industrial groove and some tidy two-way vocals which form a dialogue and pivot around themes of disconnection while pitching a magnificently melodic chorus that really brings all the hooks. ‘Trickster’, the first song to be released from the EP, is bold and energetic, and if the backing is like a pumped-up disco interpretation of Depeche Mode, the belting vocals bring from-the-gut passion. The song’s overt pop sensibilities are enhanced with this raw edge, making it a clear and instant standout.
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As the title implies, ‘Shadow’ is darker, and finds the duo tunnelling deeper into the psyche and troubled waters, and satisfaction – or lack of – bubbles to the surface amidst the lyrics, and what filters through over the course of the EP is that as much as Archetypesis about the power of language, Esoterik are interrogating the shortcomings of language to fully convey complex emotions – the elements of which constitute our very DNA which ties us to those myths and legends of centuries past, and which, ultimately, are the essence of the human condition.
‘Hero’ makes for a strong, bombastic finale, the big drum-fills and powerful snare sound evoking the spirit of the 80s power ballad as they push to the conclusion with a surging chorus. Just how effectively they explore the elements of symbolism and ritual may be questionable, but as a superbly-realised slab of dark pop, Archetypesis hard to fault.
THURNIN present the video clip ‘Arcturus’ as the first single taken from Dutch dream folk pioneer Jurre Timmer’s forthcoming new album Harmr (Old Norse for ‘grief’ or ‘sorrow’), which is slated for release on March 14, 2025.
THURNIN comment: “For the first advance single of this album, I have chosen ‘Arcturus’ the most obvious track,” composer and instrumentralist Jurre Timmer writes. “The track offers a mix of traditional Thurnin songwriting and a glimpse of the atmosphere that defines Harmr. This song celebrates the value of life, for there would be no grief without love.”
THURNIN’s third album Harmr was born out of the deep feeling of grief that only love can bring. The title refers to an old Icelandic word that is probably more literally translated as ‘grief’ while its contemporary meaning rather implies ‘sorrow’. The loss of one or even more loved beings is hard to bear for any person.
It is therefore hardly surprising that the lower key and a reduced tempo are permeating Harmr throughout most of the songs; and much more so than on its predecessor Útiseta (2023), on which THURNIN mastermind Jurre Timmer interpreted this numinous act as a way to commune with nature, and to gain spiritual wisdom in a time of introspection and transcendence.
Growing up in the 80s, when Wide Awake Club, and subsequently Wacaday was a huge thing, ‘Mallett’s Mallet’ engrained word association as a lifelong mental exercise. And of course, the rules “you mustn’t pause, hesitate, repeat a word, or say a word I don’t like… The one with the most bruises loses!” are indelibly etched in my mind.
Lemon Power reminded me of this, inadvertently, and certainly not by their own design, by triggering my brain to recall The Mighty Lemon Drops, Lemon Jelly, The Lemonheads, and Cat Power, for no reason other than spontaneous word association. I guess alternative music is packed out with lemons. The London-based duo, fronted by vocalist and guitarist Sere, with Ale on bass, bear precisely nil resemblance on any level, but I felt a compulsion to share my workings, so to speak.
‘I’m An Animal’ is pitched as ‘a stirring, introspective anthem exploring themes of escape and self-discovery, so the fact my mind escapes and ventured on a circuitous voyage of self-discovery before I even hit ‘play’ feel like reasonable preparation.
Although ostensibly the same song, ‘I’m An Animal’ is significantly different from ‘Animal’, which featured on their 2022 EP release A Ghastly Meaningless Aggregate. Over a minute shorter, it’s faster, more stripped back and at the same time, punkier, with more edge and more guts and drive.
It’s fascinating to observe just how a change of treatment can alter a song, and it’s evolved from a slow-burner with a nagging groove and ‘big’ chorus to a proper eye-opening slap. It shows that a good song is a good song however you spin it, but it does feel like they’ve really nailed it with this version, with its bold energy and sense of self-liberation. It’s time to let the animal inside loose.
Ipecac is honoured to release the new album from legendary musician, composer and arranger, Jean Claude Vannier. Jean Claude Vannier et son orchestre de mandolines, out on Feb 14th, 2025 is a playful album of beautiful reveries composed on mandolin and accordion, that are both poetic and unrestrained. As a taster, the new track ‘La 2CV rouillée’ (‘The rusty 2CV’) has been shared.
About the new track, Vannier comments;
I’ve always dreamed of writing for a mandolin orchestra – the instrument’s tremors seemed apt to expose romantic and sentimental melodies. It brings back old memories.
On Sundays, my father used to take us to the countryside in his 2cv.
It’s a funny car, with the slightest change in speed, a flick of the brake or the gas pedal, and it rocks like a duck on the water.
During these drives, I was unable to see the landscape because I was seasick.
My father was an inventor, and had come up with a rudimentary air bag that went off at the slightest jolt.
Those rides in the countryside were a nightmare for me, and I now avoid trips in the 2CV…
A pinch of strings, a hint of childhood, melodies that touch the heart, orchestration that is always unexpected… these are just some of the elements to emerge from this album.
After three albums, the pieces of the puzzle fit, and Havukruunu, the favourite band of the sensitive and sorrowful returns with a vengeance to blur the line between the real and unreal. The sorrowful guitars of Stefa and Bootleg-Henkka draw threatening dark shadows on the wall, Kostajainen’s drumming bombardment pulses like embers of a dying fire in the hearth. All the while, Humö’s bass guitar is clanking and wailing like the icy wind rattling windows and banging walls, as Stefa roars and channels messages from the netherworld or preaches wisdom of ancient days, backed by a choir.
Lords of Hell smile approving as the flames of hatred and cunning of their beloved sons drowns a dying old world, and heart of the earth trembles the birth of new and weird. Havukruunu is the spirit of freedom, harbinger of oblivion, and it tells you: FLY, YOU FOOLS!
Witness Havukruunu’s majestic new video for the first single and title track of the upcoming album Tavastland on Svart’s YouTube channel now:
Havukruunu’s new album TAVASTLAND tells the story of a small, strange people.
”TAVASTLAND tells how in 1237 the Tavastians rose in a rebellion against the church of Christ and drove the popes naked into the frost to die. TAVASTLAND reveals our fathers’ centuries old sins and lies of consolation. TAVASTLAND speaks of him, who has become a prisoner of his home, alienated from the land of the forest and is now afraid of the dark with all lights on, surrounded by his smart devices. TAVASTLAND tells about the freedom we lost. TAVASTLAND haunts its listener to the grave, and I will personally open that grave one bleak night and steal the fading light of your sempiternal soul.”, says Stefa.
’I Choose Violence’ is the first single from a forthcoming new album by the cult US act Psyclon Nine. Melding elements of Industrial Rock, Metal, Deathcore, Ambient and Trap, band mastermind Nero Bellum states: “I specifically set out to break as many genre limitations as possible with this song, while staying true to the concepts and imagery that Psyclon Nine evokes. Lyrically, it’s a reflection of the world we live in. An anthem for the unseen and unheard.”
Listen here:
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Psyclon Nine will headline a 22 date North American ‘Devils Work’ tour commencing on 31st January 2025, while there are plans to tour Europe later in the year.
Aural Aggravation 
Watch: ‘Missiles’ by Benefits
Posted: 24 December 2024 in Recommended Streams and Videos, Singles and EPsTags: Ambient, Benefits, commentary, Missiles, Single, Sociopolitical, Spoken Word, video stream, war
It’s been another incredible year for Benefits, and one which has seen them evolve – and drop a single with Pete Doherty ahead of their second album, Constant Noise, due on 21 March 2025 via Invada Records.
And what a treat for Christmas eve – a new tune which is, again, more ambient than noisy, but which pitches a low-key and quite menacing-sounding spoken-word assessment of the state of things as war rages around the world and death tolls continue to increase as do tensions as the West bankrolls mass destruction and civilian slaughter.
New Benefits may not be quite as in-yer-face sonically, but don’t think for a second that they’ve gone soft.
Check ‘Missiles’ here:
AA