Posts Tagged ‘Political’

Dret Skivor – 6th March 2026

Christopher Nosnibor

It’s Bandcamp Friday, and so Dret Skivor have dropped their now-obligatory sonic assault on the world. This, of course, is infinitely preferable to AI-generated footage of Donald Trump dropping silage on his own people from a plane as a ‘fuck you’ to anyone who would dare to protest against the vile cunt.

On the one hand, this release is, as usual, timely. On the other, things have bene moving at such a pace of late that the arrest of both former prince Andrew Windsor and Peter Mandelson for divulging sensitive information to global financial manipulator and notorious paedophile and people-trafficker Jeffrey Epstein feels like a lifetime ago – although ultimately, it all boils down to one thing: the fact we are, more or less, in the early stages of World War Three is because of the despicable, unspeakable and frankly inhumane activities of the super-rich who think they are – and live – above all law an all others, and the fact that the deranged megalomaniac who currently holds the position of the President of the United States of America will go to any lengths to prevent his involvement covered up. And by now, it should be clear that by ‘any’ lengths, we’re looking at crashing the entire global economy and all-out war. At any other time, this would be hyperbole, or a far-fetched conspiracy theory. But it’s actually happening right in front of our eyes.

The cover art speaks for itself, an image which will define this point in history, and the notes which accompany this release tell it like it is:

As certain world leaders, millionaires, “royals” and politicians feel the world closing in on them and the predictable bullshit and killing ensues, backed by shit-stirring billionaires, the Military Industrial Cuntplex and their simps on earth, Horse Funeral takes time to ponder and produce – here are the results and let’s hope we’re all still alive to enjoy this music next week.

There is a reason this release is named as it is and the planet will be better when all of these twats blast off for Mars. Fuck off there and never come back, you homicidal fuckers.

But sometimes, there are no words to fully articulate all of the levels of abysmal, anger and anguish-inducing shock and loathing these depraved wealth-harvesting ghouls provoke, at which point, primal screams and blistering walls of noise are the purest expression of the inarticulable. To this end, Release the Trumpstein Files comprises two pieces, each around twenty-two-and-a-half minutes in duration, and each of which is a furious, gut-churning harsh noise wall. ‘The Pronce Is A Nince’ has a moderate tonal span, but the balance of rumbling bass and a relentless howl of treble-shredding serve to counter one another, resulting in a sound that feels like it’s mid-range. And what a sound it is: tearing, roaring, relentless. Swashes of overdriven oscillators are blown back and forth on a nuclear wind.

‘I’m Mandy, Buy Me’ – an inspired pun based on 10cc’s hit ‘I’m Mandy, Fly Me’, begins with a crackling static which twists onto a blizzard of distortion, not dissimilar to the sound of an old dialup connection, only fucked up with distortion. And on it goes… and on, torturously, the buzzing drone occasionally swelling or surging, harsher buzzes breaking out above fuzz and crackle, the sound of a poor contact or a jack plug half connected amidst a perpetual fizz of extraneous noise. It’s hard on the ears and the brain, which of course it’s designed to be. Punishing, patience-testing noise at its best.

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17th February 2026

Christopher Nosnibor

Decent news is hard to come by these days – by which I mean for the last five or six years. During the pandemic, every day was a nightmare, as the graphs and charts and rolling death toll was beamed into our homes via every available channel. A lot of people simply switched off and went to the greatest lengths to avoid any form of news media at this time, but for many of us, it became a compulsion, an addiction we couldn’t kick even while fully cognisant that it was fucking us up.

It seemed that dark shit was building up under lockdown, and the moment restrictions were lifted, Russia invaded Ukraine, and not that long after, al hell broke loose in Gaza, and then Trump ‘won’ a second term in office. The entire globe has lost the plot. But snippets of decent news do filter through occasionally, like the arrest of The Artist Formerly Known as Prince Andrew, and former US Ambassador, the Former Prince of Darkness, Peter Mendelson. We can only hope this is the beginning of a toppling of a much, much bigger house of cards.

In other decent news, we have the arrival of Computer, an EP by US industrial metal act Decent News, and ten years and three albums into their career, they seem to be absolutely thriving on this fucked-up state of affairs. Perhaps ‘thriving’ isn’t quite the word, but as the accompanying notes summarise, ‘Computer, as a whole. is largely inspired by the current state of the world. The same generation that taught us to not believe everything we read on the internet somehow keeps believing everything they read on the internet and is therefore, making the world a far worse place.’ We’re on the same page on this.

The five tracks on Computer are pretty wild: the first of these, ‘Flesh for the Feast’, which addressed the topic of ‘being brutalized while trying to exercise your right to protest’ blends sequenced backing elements and robotix vocals with squalling guitars, powerhouse percussion, and raw, raging hollering, and it all blasts in at a hundred miles an hour. ‘Drowned in Power’ is harsh and metallic, inviting comparisons to PIG at their gnarliest industrial metal points, but with the raging anger cranked to the max. While the lyrics aren’t often decipherable, it’s clear that this is the voice of protest. ‘Help Computer’ continues in the same vein, bringing the pumping energy of KMFDM.

After the slow, slow-slung bluesy sleazer that is ‘Bloated & Blue’, ‘Valueless Trade’ swaggers in on a ballsy bass groove and a mess of guitar noodling and samples before hitting an overdriven riff-centric blast that straddles hardcore and metal.

Pretty, it is not. Blunt and hard-hitting, it is. Decent news for everyone who isn’t a fan of insipid sonic chewing gum or a right-wing wanksack.

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Experimental Hip-Hop legends dälek offer up another new single from their latest full-length album, Brilliance of a Falling Moon.

Conceived, composed, and produced by Will Brooks (aka MC dälek) and Mike Mare, Brilliance of a Falling Moon is a sprawling, uncompromising record that speaks to the political timbre of the day. Taking its name from a section of Erik Larson’s 2011 novel In The Garden of Beasts, the album paints a fiery portrait of life and resistance in fascist America.

Today the duo share their latest single ‘Knowledge | Understanding | Wisdom’, which feels like a call to arms and reminder of the power that we can have in the face of the oppressor.

“’Knowledge | Understanding | Wisdom’ is righteous defiance in the face of those who attempt to keep us uninformed or misinformed. Nothing strikes fear in the heart of the oppressor like these three interwoven concepts.” – dälek

Check it here:

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Photo credit: Jonny-Scala

Dret Skivor – 6th February 2026

Christopher Nosnibor

Of Dave Procter’s myriad musical projects, Legion of Swine may not be his most endearing, but it’s certainly his most enduring – a vehicle for noise, often at the harsher end of the spectrum – with a highly political angle, and usually involving some form of porcine pun.

One of the orange fascist’s recent outbursts not only created a stir in the media, but gifted LoS with a title for this latest blast of angry noise. The notes which accompany the release make it clear where his thoughts are right now:

‘Who knows how many times that massive arsehole has his name printed in those files? Will we ever see them un-redacted before he threatens to invade everywhere/nowhere/nuke the planet/shit his pants/get bruised from too much handshaking and other bollocks? The soundtrack to the end of the world? Who knows. Enjoy it while we still can.’

To articulate quite how all of this feels in words is difficult. There’s certainly much anger, but also fear and confusion. Lately, the news has been such that had it been pitched as a plot for a movie, it would have been laughed out the door for being so ridiculously far-fetched. As such, there’s an air of unreality to it all. Is this shit all really happening? At once? And this is why everything is so bewildering. It’s not just the Epstein shit – which is even wilder than the wildest conspiracy theories about global elites – but it’s ICE, it’s bombing Venezuela and kidnapping the president, it’s plotting to turn Gaza into a holiday resort, it’s angling to take Greenland, it’s the rewriting of history, it’s the renaming of things, and the endless stream of outright lies and truly insane ramblings.

“quiet piggy!” is twenty-five and a half minutes of obliterative harsh noise, a relentless sonic blizzard, a solid wall that batters every sense, tearing from the speakers with a force that’s positively physical. It’s like standing in a hurricane, or besides a jet engine. The best way to appreciate this is at high volume, to let the ferocious blast immerse your very being. The effect is, seemingly counterintuitively, quite soothing. Like running a marathon or climbing a mountain, it take the focus away from all of the shit swirling around in the ether and crowding the mind, affording mental relaxation, while blasting away the stress and agitation – at least until you realise that it probably sounds remarkably similar to the detonation of a nuclear bomb.

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Experimental Hip-Hop legends dälek return with their latest full-length album, Brilliance of a Falling Moon. Taking its name from a section of Erik Larson’s 2011 novel In The Garden of Beasts, the album paints a fiery portrait of life and resistance in fascist America.

Conceived, composed, and produced by Will Brooks (aka MC dälek) and Mike Mare, Brilliance of a Falling Moon is a sprawling, uncompromising record that speaks to the political timbre of the day.

With the album announcement they share the track "Better Than", about which dälek says;

“Better Than encapsulates the new sound and feel of the record perfectly. It conveys the anger, frustration, and defiance of the moment. Sonically, it is somehow simultaneously, sparse and stripped down, yet complete and dense. A new wall of sound built only of the absolutely necessary elements.”

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dälek live 2026:

MARCH

04/03/2026 FR Nancy – L’Autre Canal tickets

05/03/2026 FR Lorient – Hydrophone tickets

06/03/2026 FR St Malo – La Route du Rock (winter edition) / Nouvelle Vague tickets

07/03/2026 FR Lyon – Sonic tickets

APRIL

14/04/2026 DE Karlsruhe – Jubez tickets

15/04/2026 DE Nuremberg – Musik Verein tickets

16/04/2026 BE Kortrijk – De Kreun tickets

17/04/2026 BE Brussels – Magasin 4 tickets

18/04/2026 NL Tilburg – Roadburn Festival tickets

MAY

09/05/2026 AT Krems – Donau Festival tickets

10/05/2026 CH Geneva – Cave 12 tickets

11/05/2026 CH St Gallen – Palace tickets

12/05/2026 CH Neuchâtel – Case-à-Chocs tickets

13/05/2026 – GR Athens – An Club tickets

14/05/2026 DE Berlin – Neue Zukunft tickets
15/05/2026 – PL Poznan – LAS tickets

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Photo credit: Ashkan Sahihi

Having previously featured DYMNA LOTVA, we feel it appropriate to share in these increasingly dark and oppressive times…

Belarus expatriates DYMNA LOTVA have learned through opposition channels that some of their music videos have meanwhile been legally categorised as ‘extremist materials’ by a court in their home country.

For those interested in the political situation in Belarus, the Council of the European Union provides an official view: www.consilium.europa.eu/en/policies/belarus

DYMNA LOTVA released the following statement: “On December 8, 2025, several of our music and concert videos were officially deemed ‘extremist materials’ by a court in Belarus”, vocalist Katsiaryna “Nokt Aeon” Mankevich wrote. “This means that fans from our home country, who liked, reposted or commented on these videos in the past are now facing a real risk to disappear into a prison. The rule of law does not apply in Belarus. Just one like under a video that has only now been designated as ‘extremist material’ might mean time in jail. We are obviously worried about those that we had to leave behind at home when we escaped persecution by the regime. But personally we feel honoured to be listed alongside the best of Belarusian artists, writers, and musicians. To our knowledge, our songs ‘Zhyvi’ and ‘Death Kisses Your Eyes’ are the first music videos of the metal genre to be officially deemed extremist materials in Belarus. We also like the fact that the regime appears to be disturbed by our live shows. Long live Belarus! Fuck Lukashenka! Fuck Putin! Fuck dictators!”

Martin Koller comments: “It has always been the policy of Prophecy Productions to grant full support to every band on our roster and to offer a safe environment for their art”, the label founder and owner states. “We condemn any censorship of art and music in general and against Dymna Lotva in particular. We will do everything in our power to make their songs heard everywhere. Prophecy Productions stands firmly in support of freedom of expression and freedom of art. We reject censorship and political oppression, and we will continue to support Dymna Lotva without any reservation!”

At Aural Aggravation, we also reject censorship and political oppression, and would like to think our position on political matters is fairly clear on account of previous posts (and wonder if this is why the bombardment of hits to our home page from the US is entirely coincidental). As such, want to show our solidarity with DYMNA LOTVA.

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Industrial Sludge Metal Band WORST ONES Unleashes New EP Cold Case Against Institutions Carrying Out Cruelty.

Philadelphia’s industrial sludge metallers WORST ONES are ready to come back with a new EP, after releasing the single ‘Vex’ in March this year. The new effort is called ‘Cold Case’ and it is composed by the title-track and a remix version of the same.

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‘Cold Case’ is a searing indictment of power, complicity, and the violence hidden in plain sight. Built on punishing industrial grooves, a 303 bassline, and layers of moody textures and noise scorched guitars, the track hits with a menacing, high energy momentum that channels the raw intensity of Twitch era Ministry and Skinny Puppy, the gritty pulse of Die Warzau, and the impactful aggression of The Prodigy.

Lyrically, it exposes how institutions carry out cruelty with precision while society turns away, pretending not to see the blood on its hands. The phrase “just another cold case” becomes a symbol of willful ignorance, where injustice is not buried because it is unsolvable, but because it is inconvenient. The chorusʼ imagery – “up against the wall / going in for the kill” – evokes violent repression and execution, while the line “every sick and nightmare reason comes to life” suggests how dark motives are brought to the surface and acted upon. Even in the face of horror, the masses “rally in their fervor,” a reference to mob mentality and blind nationalism. Violence is not just permitted; it is ritualized. Power is the culture, and the aftermath is “a feast for vultures.”

But at its heart, ‘Cold Case’ is a protest. It ends not just in defiance with “I wonʼt fall in fear,” but with a warning: “Now you’re sick, their eyes can see it.” The mask has slipped. Itʼs a refusal to be complicit and a demand to confront the truth, even when it burns.

‘Cold Case’ was written and recorded by Drew Ew. Mixed and mastered by Jared Birdseye. Promo Photography by Luz Karolina Sanchez. Live photography by Vinny Barreras. Cover and logo by Drew Ew except “deathmetallogo” by Darren Adcock. Music Video by Drew Ew.

WORST ONES is:

Drew Ew – Vocals, Guitar, Programming

Doppleganga – Drums, Programming

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Darkwave duo, Johnathan|Christian return with ‘Where Do We Go From Here’—a brooding, cinematic post-election anthem that captures the emotional wreckage of a divided nation. The track opens in hushed reflection (90 BPM) and erupts into a 125 BPM pulse of unrest and reluctant clarity. No slogans. Just aftermath.

The video integrates footage from Maya Deren’s At Land—a woman lies on a beach, disoriented yet unbroken, before rising with quiet resolve. What begins in poetic isolation transforms into documentary collapse: flickering headlines, divided families, shuttered classrooms, and hands reaching—but not always finding. It opens with: “We Still Remain.” It ends with: “WE STILL RISE.”

“We didn’t want spectacle—we wanted aftermath,” says the band. “No fire. No fury. Just a reckoning in the ruins.”

Included in the release are: a 125 BPM DJ Edit for live mixing and DJ sets, and remixes by industrial supergroup, The Joy Thieves and Stoneburner’s Steven Archer. Also included is the track, ‘Fall from Grace’ – a short, ghostly instrumental layered with static and decay; a requiem for what was, and a reflection on what remains.

For fans of Peter Murphy, Human Drama, Laibach, New Order, and politically-driven dance stompers.

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Punk legends Leftöver Crack have released their new single, ‘White Guilt Atrocity Quilt’ along with the B-side, ‘Brad Sabbath’.

The band says, “The new song by Leftöver Crack is about the history of white self-proclaimed Americans and the injustice, displacement, genocide, rape, disease, enslavement, human commodification and trafficking, cruelty, brutality, exploitation, broken promises, and vilification of the native Indigenous population, as well as the populations of African countries, for the benefit of the privileged class and rich “elite” whites—who behave no differently than the Europeans that forced them to seek a new world where they could live in peace, practice their religions freely, and avoid paying financial tribute to British royalty, only to demand that the subjugated peoples of this country fatten their own oligarchic coffers and bow down to their own demented dynasties, all while presenting a facade of caring about those destroyed in their scorched wake. ‘Brad Sabbath’ is about the mistakes inherent in following gods and the minced words used to justify so much grisly atrocity.”

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Strategic Tape Reserve – 21st March 2025

Christopher Nosnibor

It’s certainly been a while since we last heard from Justin Watson, the epically-bearded being who formerly ran the Front & Follow label, but here he has temporarily resurfaced as one half of the absurdly-monikered Cromwell Ate A Twix Here on a split release with underground noise legend YOL, released by Spanish cassette label Strategic Tape Reserve. As such, even before hearing a sound, one can predict that this is destined to be unpopular – by which I mean an ultra-cult release for a microniche audience – or, put simply, the noise scene.

The bio for Cromwell Ate A Twix Here tells us more about what they aren’t than what they are, hammering home that ‘Justin ran Front & Follow and definitely doesn’t now. It’s over. He’s half of MORE REALISTIC GOALS, a third of The Incidental Crack and a quarter of The Watson Marriage Experiment (2006-)’. So in the wake of its brief revival for the charity fundraising Rental Yields series of complications not so long ago, we can be confident that the lid is now firmly nailed onto the coffin of F&F and even Dracula wouldn’t resurrect the label’s activity. But this is how it tends to be with those of a creative bent. They simply can’t not do anything forever. It’s not even an itch: it’s a compulsion. ‘Fragile’ occupies side one, and is eighteen minutes of expansive, filmic music, constructed around quavering, wavering drones, sparse pseudo-strings and soft, supple abstractions by way of an accompaniment to a somewhat surreal spoken-word narrative about… what is it about, exactly? Death, yes, but also a new relationship, interaction… The music fades into the background during the narrative, rising to the fore between passages. David Yates’ delivery is natural, down to earth, friendly, even, and is fitting for a tale which is largely given to quite mundane details before shit gets weird at the end. The audio begins to grow more unsettling, a shade disturbing around the seven-minute mark, and things only get darker thereafter.

And then there is eighteen minutes of Yol, which is pure derangement. Anyone acquainted with his work will be expecting nothing less. It begins with him stuttering and choking in convulsions over a mess of noise about ‘wheel of life, wheel of cheese’, and he yelps and roars, sounding as if he’s utterly possessed or dying, spasmodic ranting overloading over a horrific mesh of feedback and sonically rough terrain. You can practically hear your speakers wilting as the blasts of distortion scratch and scrape and glitch and burst and grind and buzz like so much sputtering, sparking, damaged circuitry. The whole thing is deranged, although it’s no less deranged than Liz Truss’ famous proclamations about cheese or any statement issued by The Whitehouse in recent weeks. He knows this, of course: however insane his work sounds, there are political undercurrents and a certain knowingness to his brand of frenzied avant-gardism, as evidenced on viral cats and dogs (2021).

The fact that this is just short of twenty minutes of a man yelping and barking and seemingly losing the plot before a microphone, and yet making more sense than five minutes spent perusing the news or social media tells us where we are in the world right now.

The two sides of this split release may be very different, but the contrasts are complimentary, and in combination, offer a welcome excursion beyond the everyday madness we’re living through, offering insights into rather more specialist madness instead. But this is artful madness, or good mad, or something. These guys won’t wreck the economy, invade or annexe your country, or fuck you over. They’ll just be over there making some weird noise. I’ll be over there with them, and you’re more than welcome to join us.

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