Greek prog-driven metalcore newcomers Oathswan have recently shared a music video for a brand new song off the band’s debut EP For Those Who Breathe From Darkness, which was released last Friday, May 10.
Titled ‘Death Comes Home’, you can watch it here:
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The band had this to say about the new song ‘Death Comes Home’, the 3rd track from the EP For Those Who Breathe From Darkness. “The song deals with the idea of home, our safe space, our sacred place. The place where we feel secure and distanced from our fears. Anyone who wishes to stay there without permission, means to end you.”
“’These Things’ was the last song written for Delights Of My Life. Often the last song is written with the aid of what has come before it, the other songs on the record. We have one song to write, or so we think, now then, what shall it be and why? I think that I asked this question. We will never know. And I also think that I thought that it might be novel to have a song with a very clear form (four times through a melodic verse, with a tag at the end that wraps it nicely). That, and that the record may very well appreciate a song with little to no improvisation. A straight curveball!
Eric Cazdyn, who made the ‘These Things’ video (and around 18 other videos for my music) may have heard the song similarly. He has certainly given me that impression. What I see in the video is a very simple movement or gesture, but with an immense amount of minimal detail. Well, that is how I often describe the dance of Angela Schubot, although she is just on the verge of dancing here in this video. She dances like vegetation. Or, she shows me again and again that vegetation is a dancing world.”
Today, Thou share ‘Unbidden Guest’ from their upcoming album, Umbilical.
About the track, Bryan Funck comments, “Physical deterioration by way of psychological disarray. Retreading a well-worn path of self grievance. Othering mental illness and learned behaviour in order to crush them under the dominance of epistemic willpower. ‘The last time you cried, who’d you think was inside?’”
Listen to ‘Unbidden Guest’ here:
Thou has always been a force of raw energy and unapologetic dissent, defying easy categorisation and challenging listeners to confront the complexities of existence. Their forthcoming album, Umbilical, is their firmest nod to the raw intensity of obscure ’90s DIY hardcore punk. It’s a record filled with mosh-ready riffs, heavy breakdowns and scathing vocals. The band’s aesthetic and political impulses have always been punk and like anyone embroiled in the subculture Thou have been exploring what it means to exist within and without a rigid morality. That exploration takes thematic centre on Umbilical and their self-assessment is as harsh as that of the world around them.
Fresh off a European tour with country-mates Kollapse, Danish screamo/hardcore collective Demersal today share a music video for a brand new song off the band’s forthcoming self-titled second album due out on May 10th.
"’Som Et Barn Mod Dit Bryst’ is the last song on our upcoming self-titled album,” says the band. “The song is essentially about the importance of taking part in communities with people you love and trust – whether it be family, music communities, activism, friendship, romantic relationships and so on. The whole album is mainly about facing global crises – climate change, war, extremism and so on. It can seem immensely incomprehensible to figure out what one can do as an individual to make a difference in a global perspective. But one thing we can do is to find comfort and love in the people we trust, as a way of dealing with our world that, in many ways, is slowly decaying.”
“The video consists of footage from our recent tour with Kollapse in Germany, France and Switzerland. It portrays one of the communities that we value and trust – our band and the scene we’re a part of."The video consists of footage from our recent tour with Kollapse in Germany, France and Switzerland. It portrays one of the communities that we value and trust – our band and the scene we’re a part of.”
Get lost in Blood Incantation’s interstellar new video‘Luminescent Bridge’ – available today ahead of their performances at Roadburn Festival. ‘Luminescent Bridge’ pivots to the introspection of infinity. Created entirely in the studio, the nine-minute track plays out like a dying star—ominous, forlorn, yet hopeful of rebirth.
Blood Incantation tells, “Originally conceived as an acoustic interlude in the tradition of ‘Meticulous Soul Devourment’ and ‘(Mirror of the Soul)’, ‘Luminescent Bridge’ quickly became something entirely different upon entering Rocky Mountain Recorders in March 2023. Compelled by a tangible air of creativity, we forwent acoustic instruments entirely and ended up implementing several spur-of-the-moment ideas – such as drums, grand piano and even trombone – to create a vast, dynamic tapestry of textures both alien and familiar, yet remaining quintessentially Blood Incantation in feeling and atmosphere. Drenched in analog and digital synthesizers, multiple tape echoes and soaring electric guitar, this intended outro to a subsequently abandoned 7” EP became a towering landscape of otherworldly sonics, earning its place as the title track for our latest maxi-single release.”
“With this expansive energy in mind, we knew the eventual music video would similarly have to be something completely new for us, further evolving our imagery and aesthetic into new realms as we make our way towards our imminent third album. Thanks to the masterful VFX and cinematography of our friends Miles Skarin and Alex Pace who also worked on the music videos ‘Inner Paths (to Outer Space)’ and ‘Obliquity of the Ecliptic’, and the ‘Timewave Zero’ live Blu-Ray, respectively – we are able to present to you the official video for ‘Luminescent Bridge’."
Of the video, director and visual effects artist Miles Skarin says, “When the Stargate Research Society asked us to help visualise a recent extrasolar communication they had received, we knew this would be a project of epic proportion. The data packet they sent to us from Colorado contained footage of Blood Incantation’s interstellar expedition to a distant star system. What we saw after decompressing the video stream blew us away, not only had they captured a beautiful cinematic exploration of the exoplanet’s sand dunes, but we can see their journey across the expanse of space was successful. Alex Pace’s cinematography from this location was stunning and provided us with everything we needed. Due to the solar radiation exposure, the data from the interstellar voyage was difficult to decipher, so we have used our artistic abilities in VFX and 3D animation to reconstruct the visual of crossing the Luminescent Bridge, first depicted by the artist Steve R Dodd."
Watch the epic video for ‘Luminescent Bridge’ here:
Australian purveyors of caustic and slow-burning sludge, Sundowner, have dropped a music video for a new song titled ‘Substance Abuse’, which is taken from the band’s second full-length album Lysergic Ritual due out on April 20th.
The album sees the band continuing its heavy dirge of grim, feedback laden, nihilistic sludge first offered on their 2021 debut album Guns, Knives And Tyre Irons. Lysergic Ritual is the best representation we’ve put together of what Sundowner is; just dirty, noisy, heavy sludge,” says the band.
“Having previously done everything on our own: recording/mixing/mastering etc, this time we decided to bring in Jason Fuller from Goatsound Studios to mix the album and Dav Byrne from Iridium Audio to master it, both based in Melbourne, Australia.”
Intoxicated, bluesy and corrosive riffs permeate the album from beginning to end, all mixed with an aggressive and intense mid-tempo swing and violent hardcore punk passages; for the burnt out and downtrodden.
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Drawing on inspiration from the likes of Eyehategod, Iron Monkey, Buzzov-en, Weedeater and a slew of other miscreants, Sundowner play sludge intended for those set on personal annihilation to drop out of life and embrace the sacred ritual of the riff. It’s an uneasy listening for troubled times.
‘Inspired By Me’ is the second single to be taken from ‘In This Light’, the forthcoming fifth album by Swedish dark-pop act Principe Valiente. Marking a bold evolution in the group’s decade-plus journey, ten meticulously crafted new songs lay bare the signature ethereal soundscapes and dreamy ambient allure that initially propelled them onto the alternative scene with the release of their self-titled 2011 debut album.
’In This Light’ is a symphony of mellotrons, samplers and analog synths harmonising with the celestial resonance of Rickenbacker 12-string and Gretsch guitars played by Jimmy Ottosson, further enriched by melodic piano and distinctively distorted driving bass all enveloped in the enigmatic voice of singer Fernando Honorato.
‘Inspired By Me’ follows the new album’s introductory single, ‘Something New’, which signalled a shift in direction for the current duo line-up with its dream-pop approach.
Amidst Wardruna’s songwriting hibernation, the group resurface to offer a taste of their next album with the single release and music video for the song ‘Hertan’ on 5th April.
About the new single Einar comments: “’Hertan’ is the proto-Scandinavian word for ‘heart’ and that is exactly what we explore in this in this song and film. The duality of the heart with the rhythm, flow and pulse we can see, hear, and feel in nature and in all forms of life – and the more abstract idea of the heart, The rudder on the ship of emotions, our decisions, and our true desires.”
Once again, Wardruna teamed up with Finnish director and photographer Tuukka Koski for the video production of Hertan. Koski has previously directed Wardruna´s videos for ‘Raido’, ‘Voluspá’, and ‘Grá’. This time, the production mainly took place during some freezing nights in northern Finland at the island of Hailouto.
“It is always a true pleasure to create art with Tuukka and his colleagues at Breakfast Helsinki! His experience and eye for detail as well as the ability to always conjure up next-level material, is very inspiring to be part of. Three days, three locations, no sleep but a lot of heart. This is how it went down. Hope you will enjoy the result!” – Einar Selvi
LIP CRITIC are back with ‘In The Wawa (Convinced I Am God’, the latest cut from their forthcoming LP ‘Hex Dealer’ (out 17 May).
‘In The Wawa (Convinced I Am God),’ the latest single from NYC’s Lip Critic, combines banshee-possessed samples and furious percussion to create a sonic environment something like a f**ked-up rave that a bunch of hardcore kids and punks showed up to. This thrilling piece of electronic punk is an inquisition into the state of spiritual marketplace and the isolating results of consumption. The accompanying official video follows a band as they raid their label’s offices to reclaim their music.
Lip Critic’s debut album Hex Dealer will come out 17 May via Partisan. Behind previous singles ‘It’s The Magic,’ ‘The Heart,’ and ‘Milky Max,’ the band was one of the breakout artists of SXSW (“they made for an anarchic, categorization-defying experience that got better and weirder the longer it went on.” – Rolling Stone). The music has earned additional praise from Consequence (“hits like a cannonball to the chest”), Paste (“the B-52s on ketamine”), Matt Wilkinson gave them a 5/5 and Loud & Quiet said “the band has gone from conquering their neighbourhood venues to becoming one of NYC’s most talked about acts.” The album announcement in Feb came with features from NME (cover story) and DIY who said “Lip Critic are taking what it means to be a musician in 2024 and pushing all boundaries.”
Watch ‘In The Wawa (Convinced I Am God)’ here:
LIP CRITIC – UK TOUR DATES:
14 May – The Deaf Institute (The Lodge) – Manchester, UK
On the eve of their album release, CNTS, the Los Angeles-band featuring members of Dead Cross, Retox and Qui, have shared a video for the title track from their new album, Thoughts & Prayers (out tomorrow, 29th March).
"’Thoughts & Prayers’ was inspired by a bad day I was having during recuperation after my accident and subsequent surgeries. I was angry and in a lot of pain, struggling to get through the day while not exacerbating my injuries. In the US, "thoughts and prayers," is a common banal response to tragedies. Whenever someone shoots up a school or an airplane crashes into a shopping mall or an entire city overdoses on fentanyl, pundits and politicians flock to the cameras and social media with, "our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families… It’s stupid and insulting." – Matt Cronk
Aural Aggravation 