WHITEHORSE is the new band from Thomas Haywood, the former frontman of The Blinders. Their new single ‘Red Riptide’ is released on the 2nd of September, riven with urgency, with guitar licks like knives being unsheathed, dexterous basslines, scampering drums and a vocal that simmers, broods and reaches crescendo. It’s about being completely clear-headed and in a place of certainty in your mind, and the rushing feeling of violence that comes with determination when you’re cutting through the chaos and staying true to a vision you’re so certain of.
They say “It’s as heavy as we go at the moment and to me describes desire in a tune and screams ‘fucking come on then’ to anything thrown your way "It was written when heavy rains burst the waters of a riverbank and the whole thing was just gushing all over the place and it set me off big time.” Formed in Sheffield in late 2024 by Haywood alongside Bobby Bouché, John McCullagh & Nathan Keeble, and James Keith.
Recently signed to Peaceville, Scorpion Milk have shared their first new music today, alongside news of the debut album Slime Of The Times (out 19th September). The new single ‘Another Day Another Abyss’ arrives with a brand-new video, revealing Scorpion Milk’s darkly imaginative universe for the first time.
“It is about trying to stay upright under the daily flood of catastrophe, the headlines, the numbness, the helplessness. But there’s a double edge to it: the only way to get through the abyss is to become it. To move through the darkness, you have to carry some of it inside you.” – Mat McNerney
Watch the video here:
“I used AI to create the video because we’re living inside the very dystopia we fear the most. The song deals with the psychological weight of modern catastrophe, and AI as both a tool and a threat, mirrors that perfectly. A mirror can be humorous but also diabolical. It’s an aesthetic artistic choice, but also a commentary: our nightmares are now automated.” – Mat McNerney
Scorpion Milk is the new project from Mat McNerney; the founding creator of Beastmilk’s highly-revered Climax album and the subsequent three Grave Pleasures albums. Infused with elements of Beastmilk’s original DNA, debut album Slime of the Times marks the most direct, raw, and explosive evolution of his self-defined genre: Apocalyptic Post-Punk. An eclectic artist in his own right, McNerney’s roots are also firmly in the black metal underground of Finland and Norway, and continues to work in that genre (having formerly featured as vocalist for Dødheimsgard, among others), plus is also currently active with his band, Hexvessel.
Continuing the lineage of Mat’s cult post-punk and goth-metal hybrid music, Scorpion Milk draws from the decaying spiritual core of UK anarcho-punk and 80s post-punk with an opus ideal for fans of Killing Joke, Godflesh, Crass, Flux Of Pink Indians, Crisis, The Fall, and early Sisters of Mercy, yet also set to resonate with contemporary audiences into Health, Drab Majesty, Soft Kill, High Vis, Molchat Doma, Creeper, and Uniform.
British artist J. Blacker, mastermind of ESA, has released a powerful music video for ‘Golden House’. The song is taken from the artist’s new album Sounds for Your Happiness, released on July 5th via Negative Gain Productions.
The new single and music video for ‘Golden House’ is an erotically charged, Roman tragedy inspired slab of pumping dancefloor power. Featuring Jo Hysteria from Massenhysterie on vocals, the video for ‘Golden House’ is a cynical POV on the infamous Roman rulers; Nero & Caligula (played by Jo Hysteria and Jamie Blacker respectively). As we witness their hedonistic and power hungry daily affairs (which include a servants wrestling match and body builders performance) before accompanying Nero and Caligula as they travel into modern times and seek to satisfy their hunger for pleasure.
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Inspired heavily by the pomp of the 1979 film Caligula, the video features competition winning body builders Jeannie Ellam and Vikki Varley alongside Jenova Rain and Stephan Sutor as the video Finale’s Insurgents, looking to swipe the ‘throne’ from the naive and arrogant Nero & Caligula.
The context that inspired this piece is the realisation that even after 1548 years since the demise of the infamous Roman Empire, the elected powers in place will still conduct themselves in the same way..and that abuse of power pays no real attention to time periods.
The single for this club edit of the track and music video is available from today (July 18). Whilst the original version of this track (which includes a historic re-telling of these two Emperors by Konstantia Buhalis) is featured on ESA’s album Sounds for Your Happiness, released on July 5th.
Sounds for Your Happiness is yet another milestone in the creative universe of ESA. Striking and thought provoking visuals, enormous electronics and powerful messages is always expected from an ESA release..Sounds for Your Happiness does not disappoint with any of these ingredients.
With this album, J Blacker paints ESA as a sinister technology company, with the musical structures from the album, utilised to create an emotional response from its listeners, which is transferred as energy to run the simulation we all live in. Its a nod to shows and films such as Severance and Soylent Green.
Musically, Sounds for Your Happiness is a bleak and furious slab of electronic meat. A journey of EBM / Industrial / Black Metal / Dark Ambient / Power Noise / Punk / Techno and Goa, the album is as ambitious as it is exhilarating and genres merge seamlessly into an energetic free-fall of sonic chaos.
Get plugged in and let the happiness wash over you.
“’Made Of Rain’ is a song of hope. It is about getting up and trying again despite the scars life can leave. This “almost acoustic version” is very dear to me. I love the organic elements present: the pedal steel, violin, and, of course, Whitney Tai’s beautiful, ethereal voice elevate this piece, making it something transcendental. Similarly, the video shoot was an almost spiritual experience. A celebration of friends and art. What more can you ask for?” asks Ashton Nyte of The Awakening, who will soon tour Europe in support of the band’s self-titled album.
“‘Made Of Rain’ is a warm amber glow in a velveteen speakeasy where tales of folk and longing send a message from the beyond. There’s a wisdom and a patience in Ashton’s voice. His lyrics swarmed in the magic of Beauty In Chaos’ production for the acoustic version hits different. Doing this duet with Ashton is a dream, as he is someone with the vocal tenacity of the wisest tree in the forest. Together, it felt like we planted wildflowers in a gentle field. What made this collab special for me apart from the music is the friendship that Michael, Ashton and I share. We are family and making art with feeling is at the forefront of our passions,” says Whitney Tai, who appears on many BIC tracks. Her latest single ‘Slumber Party’ is out now, previewing her third full-length album ‘American Wasteland’ (out in September).
Marking 35 years of boundary-shattering existence, Japanese avant-garde metal pioneers Sigh returned with I Saw the World’s End (Hangman’s Hymn MMXXV) – a fully re-recorded, reimagined version of their 2007 cult opus. Released last Friday via Peaceville, the album arrives alongside a brand-new video for the blistering track ‘Me-Devil,’ produced by Matt Vickerstaff.
New Hampshire indie rock outfit Replaced by Robots presents ‘Since You Broke My Ouija Board’, a haunted love story where heartbreak crosses over to the other side. The final audio-visual gem showcasing their powerful debut mini-album The Experiment, here we have a surreal blend of eerie visuals, vintage séance aesthetics, and emotional rawness.
The video brings the supernatural fallout of a shattered connection to life. Who knew losing someone could silence the spirits, too? As a bonus, the video begins with ‘The Air of Uncertainty’, an instrumental interlude – a pause to welcome the spirits.
Replaced By Robots formed as a sound and vision laboratory, where they search through the wreckage and noise of modern life to find unusual combinations and create moments of beauty. Goolkasian (The Elevator Drops, The Texas Governor, Lovesick) and Heather Joy Morgan initially met guitar maestro Adam Wade (Funeral Party, The Uprisers) at a Chameleons UK show they hosted in their living room, a fateful meeting that led to the musical chemistry we know as Replaced by Robots.
“’Since you Broke My Ouija Board’ was a spontaneous expression of grief and longing to connect, for Goolkasian broke my antique oujia board, hurling my spirit telephone into oblivion. And I can’t talk to ghosts no more,” says Heather Joy Morgan, adding, “Adam Wade really stretches out on guitar and shines on this track.”
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For this album, they worked with legendary producer Paul Q.Kolderie (Pixies, Dinosaur Jr, Throwing Muses, Radiohead) and Josh Hager (Devo, The Elevator Drops), as well as mastering engineer Terry Palmer.
“We got to work with Paul Q. Kolderie, who instinctively did a lot of weird things. He pushed the bass and guitars to the max, giving this record an undeniably glam-era feel and a rhythmic pulse, driving songs like ‘All The Lonely Nights’”, says Goolkasian.
Greek-Finnish doom metal collective Aeonian Sorrow has unveiled the official video for ‘Harbinger of Ruin’, taken from their brand-new EP From The Shadows, out now on all platforms.
‘Harbinger of Ruin’ puts the band’s signature blend of sorrowful doom and enchanting melodies on full display, a slow-burning, emotionally devastating track that channels themes of isolation and grief.
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Released in late March, ‘From The Shadows’ marks Aeonian Sorrow’s latest chapter, following their acclaimed debut album Into The Eternity A Moment We Are (2018) and the A Life Without EP (2020). After touring with Swallow the Sun and Oceans of Slumber, and navigating lineup changes, the band returned with renewed purpose, delivering one of their most intimate and emotionally raw works to date.
Italian post-punk duo Kill Your Boyfriend has recently announced the release of their new EP Disco Kills on 9 May via Sister 9 Recordings.
Today they share new track ‘Discretion’. The song explores how the absence of truth can cause the downfall of a power structure that should be devoid of secrets. The sound captures the sense of a suffocating atmosphere through a series of echoes and reverberations. Right from the start, Kill Your Boyfriend immerses you in a vibrant, dark dance floor, creating a liberating universe.
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The video, shot by Alice Lorenzon, takes up the idea of a claustrophobic and frenetic dancefloor, where we can give vent to our most sincere ‘self’ free of secrets and that mask we are forced to wear in everyday life.
Disco Kills was created from the band’s desire to explore the hopes, obsessions, illusions, and disappointments of the many young people who frequent clubs and meeting places during the so-called ‘growth’ years, at a point when everyone is still searching for their true selves.
The EP sees Kill Your Boyfriend experimenting with new sounds that lean towards electronic music, creating a more rarefied space for the guitars while maintaining the dark atmospheres that distinguish them. It features 6 songs drawing inspiration from past greats such as Kraftwerk, Moroder, and New Order, while also keeping an eye on artists like the Chemical Brothers, Daft Punk, and Paul Kalkbrenner.
Kill Your Boyfriend have confirmed a series of European live dates in May and September this year, with more to be announced soon.
Thu 08 May – Cemento – Cosenza, Italy
Fri 09 May – La Gramaccia – Macerata, Italy
Fri 30 May - PMK – Innsbruck, Austria w./ New Candys
Sat 31 May - Rockhaus – Salzburg, Austria w./ New Candys
DESERTED FEAR unleash the music video ‘At the End of Our Reign’ as the final advance single taken from their forthcoming new full-length Veins of Fire. The sixth studio album of Germany’s leading death metal act has been chalked up for release on April 25, 2025.
DESERTED FEAR comment: “The song ‘At the End of Our Reign’ describes a world that has reached the end of its existence through the failure of civilization”, guitarist Fabian Hildebrandt explains on behalf of the band. “It’s a final glance back before everything collapses and we are crushed by our own history – and we are all a part of this! We should ask ourselves, what do we want to leave behind?”
Helmed by Black and Cherokee composer and multi-instrumentalist Takiaya Reed, Divide and Dissolve release their new album Insatiable this Friday, April 18 via Bella Union.
Takiaya lent vocals to the first ever D//D song on recent single ‘Grief’ which showed her softer, contemplative side. Today’s new single ‘Withholding’ puts the project’s rib-rattling doom metal depths on full display.
“’Withholding’ is about a place where change can be perceived. Where it is felt materially spiritually emotionally physically. It is about navigating the dynamics and tensions of push and pull” – Takiaya Reed
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The album title Insatiable, came to Takiaya in a dream. She had a vision of a better world, one that gelled seamlessly with the optimism of her take on heavy music: “I saw and have felt the impact of people committing great acts of harm, causing pain in a never ending cycle. I have also seen and felt the strength and power of people committing great acts of love,” she says. For Takiaya, this is what it means to be “insatiable”; it’s the way we choose either a path of destruction or one of compassion, and experience it to its fullest. “It’s an album about love, and it feels important to experience this, now more than ever.”
Divide and Dissolve’s music is an acknowledgement of the dispossession that occurs due to colonial violence, it honours ancestors, opposes white supremacy and calls for indigenous sovereignty. Already legends on the international doom metal scene, the new album is an evolution of sound and intricacy. Strapped with thunderstorms of crashing cymbals, crunchy feedback, stomach-churning riffs and neo-classical inflections, the new collection delves into the idea of freedom through impermanence and destruction vs compassion, an urgent call to imagine a better world before it’s too late. Listen to it, digest it, and become insatiable.
Divide and Dissolve live dates (so far):
17-05-2025 – The Great Escape, Brighton, United Kingdom 18-05-2025 – Desertfest, London, United Kingdom 30-08-2025 – Supersonic Festival, Birmingham, United Kingdom 05-11-2025 – Pitchfork festival, London, United Kingdom w/ Unwound
Aural Aggravation 