Aural Aggravation

Legendary Italian experimental trio Zu recently announced their return with Ferrum Sidereum (produced by Marc Urselli), a big and bold double album arriving on House of Mythology on the 9th January.

The music combines the complexity of progressive rock, the grit of industrial music, the precision of metal, the spirit and energy of punk, and the freedom of jazz. The result is a sonic journey that is as cerebral as it is visceral, defying easy categorisation while remaining unmistakably Zu.

Today they share the new single and video for ‘A.I. Hive Mind’ – about which the band comments, “Smart cities, brain computer interfaces, internet of things, singularity. This particular track addresses all of these things as well as questioning the loss of self, the idea of single consciousness and collective predictable behaviour. Perhaps the most burning question for us is: What does it mean to be human in a world increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence, simulated realities, and technological control?”

AA

Zu have also shared live dates in support of the new album – dates and details below.

2026 LIVE DATES

10/01/26 – Bologna, TPO – Italy
21/01/26 – Caserta, Lizard Club – Italy
23/01/26 – Palermo, Candelai – Italy
24/01/26 – Catania, Zo Culture Contemporanee – Italy
28/01/26 – Milano, Santeria – Italy
29/01/26 – Verona, Colorificio Kroen – Italy
30/01/26 – Zagreb, Mocvara – Croatia
31/01/26 – Nova Gorica, Mostovna – Slovenia
01/02/26 – Bratislava, Žalár – Slovakia
02/02/26 – Prague, Palac Akropolis – Czech Republic
05/02/26 – Berlin, Neue Zukunft – Germany
06/02/26 – Copenhagen, ALICE – Denmark
07/02/26 – Malmo, Inkonst – Sweden
09/02/26 – Bruxelles, Magasin 4 – Belgium
10/02/26 – Eeklo, N9 – Belgium
11/02/26 – Amsterdam, OCCII – Netherlands
12/02/26 – Paris, Le Chinois – France
13/02/26 – Bulle, Ebullition – Switzerland
14/02/26 – Torino, Magazzino sul Po´ – Italy

Ferrum Sidereum – Latin for ‘cosmic iron’ – draws inspiration from the mythological significance of meteoritic iron, found in artefacts like ancient Egyptian ritual objects, Tibenta ‘Phurpa’ blades, and the celestial sword of Archangel St Michael. This elemental force imbues every moment of the album’s apocalyptic sound. Whilst heavy in tone and subject matter, bassist Massimo Pupillo comments that their music also aims to "raise good energy… people would come up to us after the show and tell us that they felt alive."

The trio – Paolo Mongardi (drums, percussion), Luca T Mai (baritone saxophone, synth, keyboards) and Massimo Pupillo (electric bass, 12-string acoustic guitar) – spent a year refining this sprawling 80-minute epic through relentless rehearsals and live studio recordings in Bologna. Produced and mixed by three-time Grammy-winning engineer Marc Urselli, known for his work with Laurie Anderson, Lou Reed, and Mike Patton, the album balances raw intensity with refined production tweaks and textures.

“We are very spiritually-oriented people,” says Massimo. “Machines and AI do not have spirituality. So they can mimic and they can assemble existing things, but they cannot create. That spirit is probably the most important thing that our music carries.”

AA

Photo credit: Marco Franzoni