Beauty In Chaos, the evolving revolving worldwide aural entity, presents the closing track on their Dancing With Angels album – their fourth record to date, recently released via 33.3 Music Collective.
Introduced by a vibrant video, filmed and directed by Fernando Cordero / Industrialism Films, ‘Made of Rain’ features the brooding baritone of Ashton Nyte of legacy goth rock outfit The Awakening, who will also release their twelfth album in mid-October.
“It is no coincidence that we chose a release date of September 10th, as it is six years to the day that we introduced Beauty In Chaos to the world with ‘Storm’, which also featured Ashton. It is a true blessing to have Ashton back for our fifth song together. As we have come to expect from BIC, this new video is visually and conceptionally very different from the latest BIC single ‘Holy Ground’,” says Michael Ciravolo.
Ashton Nyte adds, “I am delighted with how the ‘Made Of Rain’ video came out. I think Industrialism Films have captured the sense of isolation and the desire for connection I was writing about. The dreamlike quality of the video reflects the inner struggle beautifully.”
Beauty In Chaos formed in 2018 by guitarist Michael Ciravolo (formerly of Human Drama and Gene Loves Jezebel and current President of Schecter Guitars) with Grammy-nominated producer Michael Rozon (Ministry, Jarboe, Wayne Hussey, The Melvins).
‘Never Sever’ is the third single from Norwegian band Mayflower Madame’s eagerly awaited album Insight, set to release on November 1st.
While their previous singles, ‘A Foretold Ecstasy’ and ‘Paint It All in Blue’ refined their signature blend of post-punk, shoegaze and psychedelia, this new track reveals the band’s more direct and energetic side. Their sound is still spun with alluring dark textures but is now profoundly interwoven with rays of light and a bittersweet melancholy.
Additionally, the track introduces a touch of rock‘n’roll swagger in the verses seamlessly merging with dream-pop elements in the choruses, making ‘Never Sever’ one of their most accessible songs to date. Lyrically, the song captures a nostalgic feeling of being unable to reclaim—or unwilling to let go of—a haunting past.
Watch the video for ‘Never Sever’ here:
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Mayflower Madame have announced they will be returning to the UK and Europe for a tour this Autumn.
FULL DATES (with ticket links):
Sat 5 October – Return To The Batcave Festival – Wroclaw, Poland – Tickets
This Friday, BERRIES return with a second glimpse into their self-titled new album, in the shape of new single ‘Balance’.
A tempered and touching acoustic lullaby by the trio, it marks something of a handbrake turn from the sound and fury of previous single, ‘Watching Wax’.
“Let’s balance out time like we said we would” coos vocalist Holly Carter, atop a single laden with silky guitar lines, hushed harmonies, and a pin-drop atmosphere. Urging us to find that time to sit back and enjoy the moment, BERRIES say of the track: “’Balance’ talks of those promises we make ourselves. Filling our time with things we want to do, not just need to do. It’s quite easy to get caught up in busy schedules, rushing around with busy brains but this song reminds us to stop and take it all in.”
Unlike anything else the band have released previously, it arrives as a tantalising new insight into their highly anticipated second album: BERRIES, which is due for release on 18th October via the Xtra Mile Recordings label.
As its eponymous title makes clear, ‘BERRIES’, is the sound of a band determined to make a statement with their second full-length outing. While the band have never shied away from brutally honest admissions or difficult subject matters like struggles with mental health, BERRIES finds them weaponising them into a set of fearlessly assertive tracks that seize strength from darkness. As BERRIES explain:
“This album is about battling intrusive thoughts and finding contentment in your day, however big or small those moments are. It’s a journey to finding your own space and being comfortable in it. We haven’t held back with this album – it’s raw, honest, and a true reflection of BERRIES.”
DUAL ANALOG, the dynamic duo known for their evocative soundscapes and poignant lyrics, is back with their latest single, ‘Caverns of the Mind.’ This compelling track delves deep into the human psyche, exploring themes of nostalgia, regret, and the search for redemption.
‘Caverns of the Mind’ is a reflective journey that contrasts the triumphs of the past with the disillusionment of the present. The lyrics profoundly capture the essence of feeling forgotten and despised, even by those who once held you in high regard. The protagonist is trapped in a psychological labyrinth, tormented by the question of where it all went wrong.
As the song unfolds, listeners are drawn into a story of hope and despair. There is a glimmer of salvation, but it lies in the hands of someone who remains indifferent. The powerful narrative is matched by DUAL ANALOG’s signature sound—a blend of haunting melodies and atmospheric instrumentation that perfectly complements the song’s emotional depth.
"We wanted to create something that resonates with anyone who has ever felt lost or betrayed by their own memories,” said Chip Roberts, vocalist of DUAL ANALOG. “’Caverns of the Mind’ is about confronting those feelings and the realization that sometimes the only way out of the darkness is through the help of someone who may not be willing to give it.”
US Black Metal innovators NACHTMYSTIUM drop the next advance single ‘A Slow Decay’ taken from their forthcoming ninth album Blight Privilege. The full-length has been scheduled for release on All Saints’ Day, November 1, 2024.
NACHTMYSTIUM comment: “The song ‘A Slow Decay’ concerns itself with the disintegration of society that is going on all around us”, mastermind Blake Judd muses. “It does not even matter which side you are on. We are all being played.”
The Swedish-Finnish speed and thrash metal quintet Obnoxious Youth’s new album Burning Savage will be out on October 18th and today marks the day of its second single release accompanied by a video.
“Ethereal Termination is an anti-Christian heavy metal switchblade. A 4-minute journey through all the disgusting sounds and weirded out minds of the Obnoxious Youth…. UH!”, declares Affe ”Phantasma” Piran, the vocalist of Obnoxious Youth.
Behold the divine destruction and witness the brand-new Obnoxious Youth video Ethereal Termination here:
The sperm of Satan’s cock AKA the Obnoxious Youth was born in 2005 in Uppsala/Sweden. But the fully fledged and perverted behemoth that stands before you today was an international collaboration brought to life in 2009 by John ”Zeke” Finne, Affe ”Phantasma” Piran and Frans ”Cult” Utterström. But today Edde ”Shit” Aftonfalk and Lukas ”Spine” Häger are added to the live lineup of the band.
The purpose of the band was to break boundaries and to return to the time when extreme music didn’t have any rules or regulations. When there was no ”death metal” or ”thrash metal”, when there was just ”metal” or ”punk”. Just channeling the most insane music that was humanly possible. Using methods that was founded in the 80’s, Obnoxious Youth fully enclose itself and gets swallowed by the power of extreme music and getting influences from a feeling rather than other bands. Taking the listeners back to a time when heavy music was something to fear.
In 2012 the band received a Manifest Award for the debut album The Eternal Void and has since then released two EP’s (Suck on The Cross, 2013 and Mouths Sewn Shut, 2020) and one more full length album Disturbing the Graves in 2017. They have established themselves as a fierce live band that leaves no one unaffected.
Members of Obnoxious Youth has played in or currently plays in bands such as Vorum, Undergång, Endtime, Reveal!, Morbus Chron, Century, Tøronto, Degial, Begravningsentreprenörerna, Entombed and No Future.
In November 2024, Obnoxious Youth will be touring Europe in support of their new album Burning Savage starting off with a release gig together with Norwegian maniacs Nekromantheon at Hus 7 in Stockholm the 9th of November. More live shows to come during 2025: this is the just the beginning.
Svart Records release Obnoxious Youth’s new album Burning Savage 18th of October 2024 on black, transparent red and limited yellow/red/black marble vinyl versions – and of course on glorious CD. Pre-orders are now available on Svart Records’ webstore.
Buñuel recently announced their fourth full-length album Mansuetude, and first release outside their outlandish trilogy of albums. Today, they share a second preview of the album in the form of ‘Fixer’, a track featuring the snarls of Couch Slut vocalist Megan Osztrosits.
Listen here:
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The music on Mansuetude warps and buckles with complexity, freedom, tenderness and primaeval energy all at once. The album includes a handful of exciting collaborations, with ‘Fixer’ being the first taster of this combined energy. About the track the band comments;
“Following a Breaking Bad trajectory and owing this account largely to a friend of his who had been called The Crystal Meth King of Oklahoma by the FBI, the FIXER follows a drug czar’s Man Friday as he cleans up that which inevitably needs cleaning up when you’re living a life of crime.”
Megan Osztrosits of Couch Slut adds;
“When Eugene hit me up to ask if I wanted to do vocals for a track, I said yes without even hearing it. He rules and I am psyched for this absolute ripper of an album.”
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(BUÑUEL, L-R: Franz Valente, Xabier Iriondo, Andrea Lombardini, Eugene S. Robinson | By Annapaola Martin
It was in my early teens that I discovered goth, and Mick Mercer’s Gothic Rock Black Book was something of an early bible for me. Mercer has built a career on being a huge authority on the genre, and things in the post-punk sphere. So the fact that the latest release from History of Guns – a ‘maverick’ industrial act from Hertfordshire leads with a quote from Mercer, describing them as “by far, the most inventive UK band to have got their hands caught in the Industrial threshing machine,” is quite a strong sell. The strongest sell, of course, are the wares themselves, and highlighting just how unfettered by convention History of Guns are is the fact that Drug Castle isn’t just another video single, another lyric video, another ‘vizualizer’ (thank fuck). No, this is, they explain, ‘a short film for one of the more experimental parts of their latest album, Half Light, in which they take their instruments to the beach, and experiment with different audio and emotional frequencies, in an effort to contact beings from another world.’
If this sounds utterly deranged, the context counts for a lot, and to provide this, I shall quote at length:
‘Drug Castle was the nickname given to a facility in England where they used to conduct experimental, often unethical psychological procedures during the 60s and 70s. No one’s quite sure of its exact location, other than it was near the sea, and some of the sessions happened out on the beach. Different psychologists and psychiatrists could effectively book it out, and then take patients or unwitting volunteers down there for however long, and do whatever they liked. There are stories from people who received really helpful, life-changing treatment there, but it’s probably more famous for the awful horror stories and reports of extreme abuse and deaths. Apparently, there was very liberal use of experimental drugs and techniques, hence the nickname. One of the experimental treatments was called Frequency Therapy which involved using sonic frequencies to match or harmonise with emotional frequencies, which would cause a third frequency to be created which caused some quite profound healing and bizarre experiences. One survivor of a group of a group reported making contact with alien creatures.’
Sourcing information about ‘Drug Castle’ is virtually impossible, but then, that’s hardly surprising given the nature of the operation. We know that the CIA’s operation MK Ultra ran from 1953 well into the 1970s – but there’s also a lot we don’t know. This is how conspiracy theories are born – though the known existence of government conspiracies. While most of the documents relating to MK Ultra were destroyed, those which survived and were declassified, despite heavy redactions, contained staggering and truly terrifying revelations.
‘Staggering and truly terrifying’ happen to be fitting descriptors for this dark, challenging audiovisual excursion. Scaping, droning, groaning, tectonic-plate-shifting heavy industrial churns and grinding metallic noise and dissonance provide the sonic backdrop to a menacing spoken-word piece. The vocals layer upon on another and the experience grows increasingly uncomfortable. Strings swirl and build, but what may, done differently, be a soothing experience, creates nothing but tension.
The guys looks like they’re participating on some ritual as they sit, cross-legged, on a beach. That beach becomes the location of a washed-up emptiness further on, and then transition to acoustic-led neofolk-tinged darkness in the later parts of thee tune a dramatically alters the trajectory of this work. The pleasantry of the surroundings transition to unsettling territory.
It’s quite apparent that History of Guns have gone way, way deep into their excavations in shaping dark domains of Drug Castle. Dark and uncomfortable, this is remarkable art.
Human Impact, the New York-based outfit founded by Chris Spencer (Unsane) and Jim Coleman (Cop Shoot Cop), who recently announced their sophomore album, Gone Dark (Oct. 4, Ipecac Recordings), have released the final preview of the album in the form of ‘Corrupted’.
The track is a jeering stab at the power hungry corporations who leave destruction in their wake in pursuit of something material and useless, featuring see-sawing guitars and a call to action in the form of Spencer’s instructions to "Follow the sound … the future is now". About the track, the bands says;
"Corrupted: The insatiable greed of big pharma which has forced a large segment of the population into addiction, homelessness, mental illness, and desperation.
While the track was written looking at this endless dehumanising vampirism on a more widespread level, the video for Corrupted specifically looks at the opioid epidemic, and its evolution into the prevalence of Fentanyl and Meth. This crisis was created by corporate design, aggressively sold to medical professionals, health insurers and patients, and has permanently altered our society, culture and families. Additionally, our history of criminally prosecuting addicts rather than providing treatment provides cheap labor for a privatised prison system – yet another inhuman method of generating more profits."
There are many reasons I’ve long been drawn to the obscure, the underground, the DIY – and many of those same reasons are why I try, wherever possible, to use my platform to champion those acts who fall within these broad brackets. And another thing I endeavour to use my platform for is the broader topics which relate to the releases – because during my life, I’ve become acutely aware of just how personal a thing music is, both to artist and listeners.
I suppose I first really tuned into this when I was around the age of fifteen: I’d started getting into goth and alternative stuff when I was twelve or thirteen – back when the weekly singles charts and Top of the Pops rules, and the likes of Killing Joke and The Sisters of Mercy and The Mission would make incursions into these realms – and was getting into live music. None of my mates were into the same stuff, so my choices were, go on my own, or don’t go. I decided I didn’t need my mates, but I did need to see the bands. This essentially set the template for my life, taking a position of a willing outsider.
Not everyone gets to be so willing in the place they find themselves, and while Rip Space’s biographical info is sparse, there’s a clear sense that they’re here as much out of compulsion as choice, describing themselves as an ‘anonymous autistic Scottish multi instrumentalist’. They outline how ‘Thank These People is an EP inspired by the catharsis of overcoming otherisation, public humiliation and otherwise targeted acts of evil that resulted ultimately, in official diagnosis in 2021… So this EP is called Thank These People. We make lemonade from the lemons life gives us. And in ways, we can decide to be thankful for the lemons.’
It’s hard not to find this apparent level of positivity and optimism quite staggering and more than a little overwhelming, as I fight the personal urge not to frame my own experiences as, rather than ‘thank these people’, but ‘fuck these cunts’. Ripspace has already demonstrated that they’re a better, less bitter human being than I before I’ve even heard a note… And then I heard a note, and I love Ripspace all the more. Amidst a roaring blast of lurching, distorted black metal guitars and crashing percussion there’s that anguished vocal howl. This… this is the sound of rage, of fury. Thanks? Yeah, right. This is a throbbing middle finger. This is what you’re thinking, what you want to say but muzzle because you don’t want to rile your boss. Because your boss is a twat.
Thank These People contains just three songs, and has a running time of under ten minutes – meaning it would fit comfortably on a 7” in old currency (when a 7” cost a couple of quid, although I’m not about to embark on a nostalgia trip, not now of all times, when nostalgia for the time of £1 pints costs £350 a ticket).
‘The Green Ripper’ really captures the vibe of Touch & Go and Am Rep in the 90s, but with a keenly Scottish lilt, and transitions from spoken word to full metal fury in a blink. And you feel the fury as it seethes and rages and roars, a pure, splenetic outpouring. ‘Welcome to Mother Earth’ is a noise-rock math-mash thrash-frenzy, Metallica in a three-way high-speed collision with Shellac and And So I Watch You From Afar. Thank These People spits, roars, foams, burns. And I have to agree when they add that ‘also, the music video is really good.’
Aural Aggravation 