AZURE EMOTE drop a new lyric video for the track ‘Into Abysmal Oblivion’ that features guest solos by James Murphy and Andy La Rocque. The song is taken from the current full-length Cryptic Aura, which was released on July 25, 2025. Cryptic Aura is the fourth studio album of the American progressive death alchemists.
AZURE EMOTE comment: “This song is about the ghosts of past generations that came before us, scrambling to navigate this labyrinth called life, all while tumbling towards the same forgotten oblivion we face today”, mastermind Mike Hrubovcak states. “Eventually, all the memories of anything we hold onto so passionately will be erased and forgotten to the abyss of time.”
Eville have come to be regulars here at Aural Aggravation. We rate them highly, and we rate their latest single, ‘No Pictures Please’, from their forthcoming debut EP Brat Metal, out next month. Check it here:
Bandcamp Friday or nay, September is always a busy month for releases, presumably in no small part due to the fact that the festival season is over, and artists can get to the job of plugging material to fans they may have picked up along the way, while music listeners are back home rather than in fields in front of stages, or on holiday, so are placed to listen to, and maybe purchase new music.
Sometimes, it can take a while to sift through it all, and there’s a real danger that some great stuff will slip through the cracks, especially from lesser-known artists. This, in many respects, is where the music press, such as it is these days, has not only a role, but a duty, an obligation, to seek out and highlight the acts who aren’t going to be pushed into the ears of the masses by algorithms, or by labels with hods of cash for promo (who aren’t necessarily averse to insidious campaigns claiming a ‘grass-roots’ story for an unknown group of middle-class posers who’ve barely played a gig or had more than a handful of streams / likes before landing airplay, huge support slots and going stratospheric overnight… and there are a fair few of these).
Moons in Retrogtrade is Kara Kuckoo, a German artist who does a nice line in dark alternative / gothic electronic rock, and who isn’t likely to be getting algorithmic / big label backing any time soon, not because her work isn’t good, but because, well, it’s a bit arty, and in the current climate of anti-intellectualism, it’s a hard sell to the mass market.
Take, for example, this, the lead single from her upcoming debut album The Third Side of the Coin. Released as a video single, the song is accompanied by highly stylised visuals, which feature an almost Tim Burton-esque ‘Mad Hatter’s Tea Party’ scene. It’s fitting that this shimmering dark pop gem should present images offering a twisted alternative reality, given the subject matter (again, a hard sell for commercial channels), as Kuckoo explains the concept behind the single:
“Carl Jung said, ‘Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.’ ‘Mirror Obscura’ is about facing one’s own darkness through the infinite mirrors of other people… The video portrays the perceived duality of black and white and the madness within us as we avoid our own darkness. The elements of color are glimpses into the spectrum of wholeness… I especially wanted to shoot at sunrise because those moments of dusk and dawn are the magical spaces between day/light and night/dark.”
On the project’s broader intent, she adds: “Moons in Retrograde is about digging up and reflecting on buried emotions… MIR weaves a soundscape which shines a light into the deepest corners of the mind and exposes the truth about the dark side of humanity while simultaneously discovering the core of the human soul.”
It’s one of those tracks which takes its time with a slow build (another thing which goes against the grain in our attention-deficient world, where intros and verses have got shorter and shorter to the point that most chart pop is seventy-five percent chorus), building atmosphere, Kuckoo’s vocals emerging through cavernous reverb and washing waves to arrive by stealth to an meet with an enticing beat and subtle instrumentation before a strong chorus that goes big on the final run, a burst of bold, even epic proportions.
Wisconsin’s industrial death metallers CRAWL dropped a new lyric video for the song ‘No Way Out’, taken from the album with the same name released on June 27th via THC: Music/Virgin Music Group.
Pioneering Midwestern Industrial-Metal act CRAWL initially formed in 1989 in Green Bay, WI, under their original moniker, Nothing Sacred. They recorded several well-received demos, before changing their name to BLEED. The band released its seminal EP Womb in 1993, marking a violent stylistic shift for the band, moving heavily into the realm of Industrial-Death Metal.
Showcasing bombastic drum machines coupled with grotesque samples, synthetic bass, ferociously growled vocals, and an ultra-modern down-tuned progressive thrash sensibility, making the band an immediate standout in the Glam/Grunge era of the early 90’s. Bleed quickly became a major draw throughout the Midwest, performing multiple times at the legendary Milwaukee Metal Fest, and becoming the go-to opening act for major Death and Industrial acts coming through Wisconsin, sharing stages with the likes of Godflesh, Entombed, Malevolent Creation, Grave, and many more.
After signing to Olympic Records in 1994, the band changed their name to CRAWL, unleashing the classic LP Earth, showcasing a brutal industrial edge, married with innovative tunings and time signatures. CRAWL quickly found a niche in the burgeoning Industrial-Alt-Metal scene, with the rise of bands like Godflesh, Entombed, Prong, Pitchshifter, and Fear Factory, receiving glowing reviews from top Metal mags like Metal Maniacs. Crawl would follow-up Earth with Construct, Destroy, Rebuild, their first and only release without Danz, who exited the band at the end of the Earth cycle. Featuring several songs co-written with Danz prior to his departure, DeJardin assumed lead vocal duties for Construct, Destroy, Rebuild, and the corresponding touring, showcasing a more stripped-down, hardcore approach to the band’s sound, reflective of the burgeoning underground post-hardcore and nu-metal scenes rapidly developing at the time.
CRAWL stayed active for the better part of 2 years supporting the album, including several dates on the ‘97 Vans Warped Tour with Blink 182, Limp Bizkit, Social Distortion, and tons more, as well as tours alongside Acumen Nation, 20 Dead Flower Children, and more. After a successful run in support of the latest album, the band went on an indefinite hiatus that would last for almost two decades.
In 2018, the band reconnected with fellow Green Bay native and record industry executive Thom Hazaert, president of THC: Music, then managing the relaunched COMBAT RECORDS with former Megadeth bassist David Ellefson, who would go on to reissue Womb in 2019. The band would reunite with the classic line-up of Danz, DeJardin, Pantzlaff, Kabacinski along with drummer Josh Hovland for a handful of live shows. This included several dates supporting Ellefson and Hazaert and their band ELLEFSON, Taproot, and more.
Now, 35 years out from the band’s formation, CRAWL prepares to unleash their latest Industrial-Metal masterpiece No Way Out. The band’s first studio LP in almost 30 years, in stores June 27th 2025 via THC MUSIC/Virgin Music Group. With a sound that is instantly recognizable to fans of the band and remains true to the band’s groundbreaking Industrial-Metal roots, CRAWL sounds as relevant in 2025, as they did in 1995.
Bandcamp Friday may be a regular occurrence, but it is an event, and one which surpasses Records Store Day in terms of its tangible benefits – namely, that artists get paid. Who would have thought that this should have become such a topic for discussion? The sad fact is, artists haven’t been receiving fair recompense for a long time, but the Internet was supposed to herald the arrival of a new age of egalitarianism. But then the corporatisation of the Internet put paid to that. While the world was focussed on vilifying Napster and Soulseek and the like, streaming machines like Apple and Spotify erupted like Godzilla from the depths and created a new model whereby artists got paid, but by nowhere near enough, and only of they were already raking it in.
I’ve digressed already, but the flipside of Bandcamp Friday is that there are more releases in a day than I could listen to in a month, and my inbox is battered and overloaded with updates. Sometimes, I feel inclined to simply go and lie down rather than approach their contents.
But some releases remind me why I do, and it’s worth quoting here:
After much teasing and anticipation, US goth rock veterans Sunshine Blind at last release their first new songs in over twenty years: two driving goth rock bangers, ‘Ghost of You’ and the especially rousing anthem, ‘Unsinkable’. The new tracks are released together as the Scarred but Fearless single for Bandcamp Friday, 5 September 2025.
Twenty years. Twenty years! Time does, indeed, fly. People my age struggle to accept that the 90s were thirty years ago, or that when they were 21 was anything other than the definitive bygone era. Then again, Sunshine Blind’s sound was always very much rooted in the sound of 90s goth / post punk revival, when The Sisters of Mercy unleashed the altogether more rock-orientated Vision Thing, and acts like Sunshot were taking drum-machine driven gothy goodness in new and invigorating directions. It’s not just Caroline Bland’s vocals which invite favourable comparisons to Sunshot: Sunshine Blind’s catalogue is bursting with effervescent energy, and this new brace of tunes make a most welcome addition.
The janglesome intro to ‘Ghost of You’ calls to mind The Psychedelic Furs during their 80s pop phase, and there’s certainly a melodic accessibility to the song. However, it’s countered by a thunderous, driving bass sound and screeding feedback filling out the sound at the back, and captures the vibe of The March Violets, another classic act newly invigorated. What goes around comes around, and with certain parallels between now and the early 80s, it very much feels like this is the time for a goth revival, including crimped hair and hats. ‘Ghost of You’ brings the vibe, and well as guts and hooks in equal measure.
‘Unsinkable’ ups the rock leanings still further, with a brittle guitar chiming through the verses before going full tube crunch on the bold chorus, propelled by some sturdy drumming and another solid bassline. The sentiment is the perfect analogy for the band here, too. You can’t keep talent down, or buried forever.
With both songs of a standard, this is very much an AA-side single, making Scarred but Fearless a triumphant return.
Portuguese grindcore masters BESTA return this autumn with their fiercest work to date. Their reimagined album John Carpenter Redux will be released October 4th via Raging Planet in an exclusive limited vinyl edition.
Originally unleashed in 2013 and mixed by Steve Austin (Today Is The Day), the record has now been completely re-mixed and reimagined by the band itself, with long-time frontman Paulo Rui re-recording all vocals to deliver the most unhinged and powerful version yet.
As the ultimate homage to the master of horror, John Carpenter Redux bridges feral grindcore and politically charged punk, channeling the same tension, anger, and resistance that fuel many of Carpenter’s timeless films. The result is raw, uncompromising, and urgent, a soundtrack to chaos that feels both cinematic and confrontational.
This is BESTA at their fiercest: a band with over a decade of grinding, raging, and raging against the system, now paying tribute to one of cinema’s most visionary rebels.
French black/death metal entity Bliss of Flesh has dropped the ‘The Awakening,’ accompanied by a gripping music video, as the first preview from their forthcoming fifth record, Metempsychosis — Life or the Pact with Death (EN). The most introspective entry in Bliss of Flesh’s discography, this album, scheduled for 17 October 2025 via Black Lion Records on CD, vinyl, and digital, continues the band’s tradition of weaving music into vast conceptual frameworks. Metempsychosis is defined as the transmigration of the soul after death from one body to another.
Of ‘The Awakening,’ Bliss of Flesh explains: “This piece expresses the moment when the individual becomes aware of their state and the new environment revealed to them, imbued with decrepitude and fatalism. ‘The Awakening’ is an introspective monologue between the individual and the inner forces that drive and consume them, allowing them to transcend themselves and finally overcome the fatality that gnaws at them, to bargain and seal the pact that will allow them to regain control of their existence at the twilight of this new life.”
UPCOMING LIVE APPEARANCES Gorgoroth “33-Year Anniversary Tour 2025 Part II” – Northern Europe w/ Carved Memories, Shemhamforash 16.10.2025 – Roskilde, DEN / Gimle 17.10.2025 – Flensburg, GER / Roxy Concerts 18.10.2025 – Malmö, SWE / Plan B 19.10.2025 – Göteborg, SWE / Monument 20.10.2025 – Stockholm, SWE / Kollektivet Livet 22.10.2025 – Jyväskylä, FIN / Lutakko 23.10.2025 – Helsinki, FIN / Anniwalli 25.10.2025 – Tallinn, EST / Tapper Club 26.10.2025 – Riga, LAT / Melna Piektdiena
Festival Appearances: 14.11.2025 – Metal Earth Fest, Brest, FR 07.02.2026 – Douceur Noire Fest, Crosne, FR
The most inspiring bands are the ones that can create a world around themselves that is about far more than just the music. The artwork, lyrics, sounds and ethos all merge together perfectly to create its own universe, a secret club. The Lovely Eggs are one such band. And against all the odds, 2025 sees them celebrate their 20th anniversary as a band! Stubbornly and heroically independent, The Lovely Eggs have forged their own path and have achieved mainstream success without ever compromising their DIY ethics.
To mark their 20th anniversary, The Lovely Eggs have announced a very special LTD release entitled Bin Juice – a collection of self-recorded outtakes from their last album Eggsistentialism, alongside rare B sides.
Released on their own label Egg Records, with eye watering artwork by Casey Raymond and hand packed in a black plastic bin bag on neon toxic slime green vinyl, this is yet another collectible release from a band who care as much about the art and ideas in their records as they do about the sound.
There will also be 300 copies exclusive to Rough Trade with alternative coloured sleeve and sticker art, on special edition transparent vinyl with toxic orange and slime green Bin Juice splatters.
“We had all these spare songs after we released our last album Eggsistentialism, and we didn’t really know what to do with them,” explained Holly. “They just didn’t seem to fit in with the vibe of Eggsistentialism, but we’d recorded them and wanted to get them out there.”
“They’re kind of a sketchbook of songs,” added David. “They’re not polished or laboured over but we thought it would be interesting to release them. It’s why we called the record Bin Juice. These were songs we had thrown away. But hopefully people like going through bins collecting trash.”
You can have a pre-release peak inside their bins with the just released track ‘The Grind’.
“Everybody wants an excuse to escape the 9-5 and day to day normality,” said Holly. “It’s our raison d’être for being in a band. ‘The Grind’ looks at all that stuff and is a bit of a paperback anthem for the disenfranchised and disillusioned."
AA
Catch The Lovely Eggs live on their 20th anniversary tour on the following dates in October. Tickets available HERE.
OCTOBER
Weds 22 – La Belle Angele, Edinburgh
Thur 23 – Òran Mór, Glasgow
Fri 24 – Newcastle University, Newcastle
Sat 25 – All day 20th Anniversary Party at The Brudenell, Leeds *SOLD OUT*
Wounds is the band’s long-awaited fifth album – their first in six years. As heavy as it is haunting, the record masterfully blends doom, post-punk, and driving krautrock in a dynamic, hypnotic maelstrom – pushing London’s most exciting cult band into intoxicating new territory.
“Wounds is a series of songs about the different ways people live with and process ‘the wounds’ of their lives,” explains vocalist Maya. “A strange celebration of that formative pain we have all experienced in some way. The loss and joy of survival – the celebration of finding others like us, the gift of knowing life comes after fire.”
First single ‘Hangman’s Daughter’ leads the charge and is available to stream and download from today. Opening with a hypnotic techno bassline, the song quickly gives way to post-punk guitars, huge choruses, and vocalist Maya’s magnetic storytelling.
“Hangman’s Daughter is an unrequited love song,” says Maya. “A woman was loved but could not love in return so she is drowned by the man who loves her. She is not lost though – she haunts the killer and he can’t escape her. The title hints at the past, but actually this is a very current issue for women today – how to literally survive when they can’t love a man who has decided he only wants her.”
Watch the video now:
AA
Wounds was recorded by Mike Bew, on location at Foel Studio. The band could be found working deep into the witching hours, experimenting with new sounds and filling the valleys with cantankerous wails of sound, bursting from amps borrowed from My Bloody Valentine.
"The Welsh countryside has a mystical quality to it," says guitarist Adam. "We recorded in a deep, dark valley; misty days and shooting stars at night. You could wander through nearby woods and stone circles during breaks. Foel Studios is woven into this setting with a transcendence of its own – its storied history includes sessions by Electric Wizard, Hawkwind and The Fall."
Synths on the album are arranged by Berlin-based Bow Church, an influential figure in the dark electronic scene and a long time collaborator of the band. His work weaves icy and atmospheric textures into the songs, layering complexity that demands repeat listens. The horns on 12 Crosses were recorded by a high profile jazz musician who appears anonymously due to label ties.
While meticulously crafted, Wounds captures the visceral energy of Cold In Berlin’s renowned live shows. The album’s arrangements and raucous sound remain true to the unrelenting intensity and atmosphere of their stage performances – every track retains the sweat, urgency, and immediacy of a band performing in the moment.
Wounds is the band’s first studio album since 2019’s Rituals Of Surrender, which Narc Magazine praised for its “crushing doom-laden riffs that assaulted the speakers with a steady pulse of noise”. It follows the 2024 EP The Body is The Wound, described by Metal Epidemic as featuring “hooky melodic songs” with a “swelling heavy intensity”.
Featuring free-jazz brass sections, off-beat structures, techno rhythms, and soaring synths, Wounds is the band’s most ambitious release yet.
HOWLING GIANT reveal the video clip ‘Beholder I: Downfall’ as the next single from the cosmic stoner metal outfit’s forthcoming album Crucible & Ruin. The third full-length by the Nashville, Tennessee band has been slated for release on October 31, 2025.
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HOWLING GIANT comment: “Our current single ‘Beholder 1: Downfall’ is a riff-driven heavy hitter, and in my opinion is one of the heaviest songs on the record”, bass player and co-vocalist Sebastian Baltes states. “It was a pleasure to collaborate with Jerry Roe again on the video, having previously worked with him on the clip for ‘Glass Future’. It has been particularly exciting for me to follow the journey of this song from its inception with a simple riff to a full blown song and the making of the video. I can hardly wait for you all to hear this track live!”
Aural Aggravation 