HEADING OUT TO SEA...

One of the things which people constantly remark upon in the scene is the lack of venues or a circuit to sustain extensive goth gigs in the UK The days of club tours from lowly and middling goth acts are, it is accepted, long gone.

And it is true that many of the old venues that sustained the scene in the dark days of the '90s have long gone. The Clarendon in London, Jilly's in Manchester, Rios in Bradford, the Duchess in Leeds, as well as a slew of smaller local venues, have all long gone. As have most of the cellar pits and attic belfrys that housed the background 'masses' before. Now most cities have larger venues housing the touring old guard, but increasingly little on the lower rungs.

The larger gigs represent the high tide of the scene, where thousands of people cluster to see the likes of The Mission, or Kiling Joke, or the Nephilim; but very little of these thousands go to their local club or see smaller acts on the scene. So at the lower levels of the scene there are smaller audiences to see bands and sustain live music on a national scale. Indeed, outside of a few key clubs which combine live music with the dance floor, there are few venues that can provide a platform for goth acts to perform – and especially not as part of a planned series of gigs.

It is with great satisfaction, then, that I have returned from one of the rarest of things – a goth tour of the UK Taking in Manchester, Lancaster, Sheffield, York, Newcastle, London and Leeds, the 'Gothism' tour by my act Byronic Sex & Exile was an exercise in that strange and most wonderful experience – actually performing music. And I'm happy to say from what I've observed that the scene – from Manchester's industrial heritage to York's historic streets to Camden's dive bars – is in good health. People still come out to watch live music and apply gratuitous amounts of eyeliner. And if that's in smaller numbers than before, then so be it – goths scare easily, but they'll be back, and in greater numbers.

The real thrill of touring is the transient existence of travelling, passing through towns and cities, finding yourself in a strange cafe or bar in the afternoon and remembering that you're performing again that night – the chance to adapt and change and clear your mind afresh to apply your creativity. It is out there, on the journey between one gig and the next, that the process of creativity starts again.

But the real take-home message from the tour has to be: that a full UK goth tour is still possible.

So: what can we do with that knowledge? We shall see...

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Review: Non-Bio – 'The Future Is Written'

NON-BIO 

'The Future Is Written'
SELF-RELEASED 

South-London based experimental industrial act Non-Bio return with their latest full-length studio album 'The Future Is Written'. Known for blending electronic, powernoise, ambient and industrial elements the band have crafted an intriguing and sometimes confrontational back catalogue.

'The Future Is Written' sees Non-Bio continue to refine their sound and push the boundaries of experimental electronics by making their disjointed and unfriendly sound manipulations strangely appealing.

The album opens up with the slow rhythmic noise of 'The Servility Device', a minimal a disorientating track centred around a pulsing rhythm that throws you off balance from the start. However the dirty, glitchy old school sounds of 'You Reborn' harks back to the chaotic but defined appeal of early industrial sounds of acts like Throbbing Gristle, Cabaret Voltaire and Skinny Puppy, and this is built on nicely by the unfriendly mechanical break-down of tracks like 'Facial Recognition', 'Distraction', 'Revenge Makes You Stronger', 'Overcome Anxiety', 'Dreamstate', 'We Own Your Memories' and End User Agreement' which despite their often noisy elements maintain a sense of rhythm and melody.

Though tracks such as 'Quit Smoking', 'Loose Weight', 'Believe', and 'Nourish' push these noise and experimental ideas into harsher and less user-friendly areas, and would definitely perhaps tip a casual listener over the edge there is still method in their madness and remain compelling listening.

The production is gritty and low-fi throughout. Distorted vocals, rhythms, samples and synth sometimes teeter on becoming a pure all of noise. But it doesn't. There is a minimalist feel to the band's compensations that doesn't overwhelm the tracks. It's chaotic yes, but Non-Bio are in full control at all times.

This is another solid album that blurs the lines between appeal and revulsion, the cerebral and the bestial. There are some solid rhythms and the odd hint of melody that shine out amongst the harsh din of noise, but it is in no way a commercial endeavour. Non-Bio are less “Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep” and more “Do Terminators Have Nightmares About Their Victims?”. Hopefully there will be another full-length album to get stuck into before too long.

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Review: Croona – 'Memento Mori'

CROONA 

'Memento Mori' 

INFACTED RECORDINGS 

Fredrik Croon already has an impressive resume that boasts industrial and aggrotech acts such as Menschdefekt,Project Rotten and Cynical Existence. However, this time around he's gone in a slightly different direction, dropping the heavily distorted vocals of his previous work, and embracing a cleaner singing style. 'Memento Mori' is an album that leans heavily on the melodic and emotional elements of genres like futurepop and synthpop, while still embracing the dark electro and metal influences of his previous work, in a blend he has christened Aggropop.

The result is a more diverse and and varied approach that pushes his skills as a songwriter into new and interesting directions. There are still dark elements bubbling away below the surface and the odd heavier embellishment, but overall this is a richer and more melodic style that retains a solid dance appeal and feels more well rounded that the unfettered aggression of previous projects.

Songs such as 'Into The Shadows', 'Mine', 'Ashes From The Past', 'A New Dawn', 'The Day I Died', 'Rise Again, and 'When all Is Said And Done' give the album a solid back bone of dance beats, trance-like melodies, airy textures and clean that definitely play up on the pop element of his self-christened sound. Yet tracks like 'Bleed For Me', 'Regret', and 'It's Over' with their darker tones and harsher vocals provide a nice heavy counterpart and link back to his previous works.

In terms of production the album definitely captures more of the polished 'pop' feel than the heavier offerings in Croona's previous projects. It's still hits hard where it needs to and even the instrumental tracks maintain a compelling edge despite their dance floor focus. It effectively switches between the dark, heavy elements and the more melodic and leaves the album feeling nicely balanced.

This is a strong outing from Croona and it's definitely something he should build on, playing with the nature of his new aggropop style and seeing how far he can push it in every direction. Hopefully there will be much more in the near future.

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Review: Various Artists – 'We're In This Together: A Tribute To Nine Inch Nails'

VARIOUS ARTISTS 

'We're In This Together: A Tribute To Nine Inch Nails' 

TRIBULATIONS 

Only a month after their impressive tribute to Bile, the Tribulations team unleash to arguably the biggest band to ever come out of the industrial scenes, Nine Inch Nails. There have been a few tribute albums to NIN over the years, including piano, lullaby, acoustic, and string quartet versions... so the contributing artists have their work cut out for them to come up with some different variations on the ample source material.

Acts such as Corlyx, Killchild, Man Woman Machine, Acidrodent, Visions In Black, Marc Lowe, The Cryptids and more take on iconic tracks such as 'Reptile', 'Wish', 'Heresy', 'Hurt', 'Into The Void', 'The Becoming', 'Gave Up', and Something 'I Can Never Have.

The variations in artistic styles are far greater her than say the previous Bile compilation, and some acts stick close to the source material while others go off in other directions. It's a shame there are two versions of 'The Becoming', and 'Reptile' – while both versions of each track are great – with no representation from 'Year Zero' or 'Hesitation Marks' it feels like the album could have covered more ground.

As with all compilations the mastering ties things together nicely once again by creating a cohesive sound from amidst the various genres at play here. Even with some major stylistic shifts in the track list the album flows nicely from start to finish.

Nine Inch Nails are a band that have been covered many times and in many different ways. Approaching this as a tribute album curator or a contributing artist is no small feat, and everyone involved once again deserves praise. And if this wasn't enough we can expect a tribute to Front Line Assembly in the near future as well.

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Review: Various Artists – 'We Reject: A Tribute To Bile'

VARIOUS ARTISTS
'We Reject: A Tribute To Bile'
TRIBULATIONS

A cornerstone of the 90's Industrial surge, Demonic Electronic group Bile are well overdue a tribute album of their own. And who better to fulfil that than Tribulations. With tribute albums for Skinny Puppy, Ministry and Coil already released the label has quickly built a reputation for putting serious effort into these digital compilations.

The aggressive and experimental fluid nature of Bile's back catalogue offers an untold wealth of potential for covers and the likes of Killchild, Acidrodent, Flesh Eating Foundation, Neo Land, and Cyphier among others are stepping up to the mark to take on the likes of 'Sex Reflex', 'Jerk', 'Teknowhore', 'I Reject', 'In League' and more.

As with the last release the track listing is shorter and tighter than the impressive sprawls of the first two albums in the series. But that isn't a sticking point by any means. Instead the track list is more focused, and there are no repeated covers.

The artists on this tribute not only compliment the sound of Bile, but also each other and the whole album flows really nicely. There are some stylistic shifts between the artists but on the album has been curated in a way to keep any jarring jumps between genres to a minimum and ensure the album progresses smoothly. And once again the result is a strong collection that shifts effortlessly between the idiosyncrasies of each band as they stamp the originals with their own mark.

Once again the album is well mastered to ensure the tracks don't clash and any discrepancies in the various recording processes and styles don't distract from the presentation of the album as a whole.

The series from Tribulations and it's contributing artists deserve praise for consistently creating high-quality free releases that not only pay tribute to some of the most important names in the scenes but allow talented acts show off their abilities to create interesting and original reinterpretations of the source material.

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ASH CODE SIGNS WITH METROPOLIS RECORDS

Metropolis Records is proud to announce that they have signed the explosive Italian Darkwave band ASH CODE. Firstly, Metropolis will be releasing (on both vinyl and CD) Ash Code's most recent album entitled 'Perspective' on November 9th, which was originally released in Europe in the Spring of this year. This will be followed by reissues via Metropolis in December of 'Posthuman,' originally released in Europe in 2016, along with their debut album 'Oblivion' from 2014. The future looks very bright for Ash Code, a band that masterfully blends influences ranging from early Depeche Mode to The Sisters of Mercy into a dark stew of Post-Punk, Synthpop, Cold Wave and EBM.

http://www.ashcode.eu
https://www.facebook.com/ashcodemusic
https://www.metropolis-records.com/product/11652/perspektive

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C-TEC - DELUXE REISSUE OF 'DARKER + CUT' PLUS U.S.A. TOUR.

It's been a long time coming, but our definitive remaster of C-Tec's back catalogue is upon us. The feted 1990’s collaboration of Front 242's Jean Luc DeMeyer, Cubanate's Marc Heal, Crisis NTI's Ged Denton and Nitzer Ebb's Julian Beeston, our newest release combines their two classic albums, 'Darker' and 'Cut', remastered in their entirety. Also included are two previously unreleased bonus tracks. The whole collection has been crisply remastered by Jules Seifert at Epic Audio Media, under the watchful ears of DeMeyer and Heal. To celebrate this phenomenal release we have put together a couple of cool C-Tec bundles for you featuring shirts and some other cool bits and pieces featuring brand new designs based on the original album artwork. Get ordering here, and please share the hell out of it, if you would all be so lovely.

C-Tec are playing this years Cold Waves shows as well as playing a series of satellite gigs alongside our old friends Chemlab. If you're anywhere close, then these shows will be unmissable. Tour dates as below...

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LAIBACH ANNOUNCE THE SOUND OF MUSIC

“The hills are alive, with the sound of music
With songs they have sung, for a thousand years”

LAIBACH have announced details of their eagerly awaited album, The Sound of Music, out on Mute on 23 November 2018 on vinyl, CD and digitally.

Listen to the opening track, a classic Laibachian interpretation of ‘The Sound of Music’, here: https://youtu.be/2oD0W6SSBUA

The Sound of Music was conceived when Laibach were infamously invited to perform in North Korea in 2015. The band performed several songs from the 1965 film’s soundtrack at the concert in Pyongyang, chosen by Laibach as it’s a well-known and beloved film in the DPRK and often used by schoolchildren to learn English. Laibach are joined by Boris Benko (Silence) and Marina Mårtensson on vocals and the album gives the Laibach treatment to tracks such as ‘My Favorite Things’, ‘Edelweiss’, ‘Do-Re-Mi’ and ‘Maria’, here reworked as ‘Maria / Korea’ (“How do you solve a problem like Maria / Korea?”).

While the majority of the tracks on the album are from the film, the band also included ‘Arirang’, an interpretation of a traditional Korean folk song considered the unofficial national anthem of both North and South Korea (and released recently to mark the historic summit in Singapore between President Donald Trump and the leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-un), as well as their own workout of the Gayageum, a traditional Korean zither-like string instrument performed by students from the Kum Song Music School in Pyongyang and a recording of the band’s “welcome” speech to Korea from Mr. Ryu from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea Committee for Cultural Relations.

Laibach’s groundbreaking performance in North Korea was documented by director, artist and cultural diplomat, Morten Traavik in the film Liberation Day (described by MOJO as “a humorous, disturbing, illuminating and sometimes moving immersion into an anomalous communist mirror-world …”) which is out now via ITunes following its screening for Storyville on BBC4.

The album was recorded and produced in Ljubljana, Slovenia and in Pyongyang, DPRK and represents another successful collaboration between Laibach and Silence (Primož Hladnik and Boris Benko), who previously co-created Laibach’s 2006 Volk album.

The cover was created by Valnoir, who has previously collaborated with Laibach and oversaw visuals across the band’s North Korean project. Valnoir explains, “Laibach and NSK have been without any doubt the most influential artists in my career. And since I was in charge of most of the visual elements for Laibach’s North Korean project, it was both logical and easy for me to dive into this fantastic and monumental project!”

The band will open the Steirischer Herbst festival in Austria with the live premiere of The Sound of Music on 20 September. The performance will feature a string sextet and children’s choir, and a member of Laibach will DJ in a club in the middle of a mountain in the city of Graz later that evening. On the 21 September Ivo Salinger (aka Ivan Novak) will be in conversation with the director of the festival. Ahead of then, the band will perform in Ljubljana with a Lviv Philharmonic Orchestra and have confirmed two dates in Russia in October, further dates to be added – full details at http://www.laibach.org/future-events/

7 Sep – Ljubljana, Križanke SI - Laibach with Lviv Philharmonic Orchestra 
20 Sep – Graz, Steirischer Herbst festival AT - premiere of The Sound of Music + DJ set
9 Oct – St Petersburg, Opera Club RU - Also Sprach Zarathustra & The Sound of Music
11 Oct – Moscow, Glav Club RU - Also Sprach Zarathustra & The Sound of Music 


THE SOUND OF MUSIC TRACKLISTING
The Sound of Music
Climb Ev'ry Mountain
Do-Re-Mi
Edelweiss
Favorite Things
Lonely Goatherd
Sixteen Going On Seventeen
So Long, Farewell
Maria / Korea
Arirang
The Sound of Gayageum
Welcome Speech

Over 35 years on from their genesis in the then-Yugoslavian industrial town Trbovlje, Laibach are still the most internationally acclaimed band to have come out of the former Communist countries of Eastern and Central Europe. Founded in the death year of the country’s founding father Tito, and rising to fame as Yugoslavia steered towards self-destruction, Laibach can make you think, dance and march to the same music.



www.laibach.org
www.mute.com

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Dead Can Dance announce 'Dionysus' and Tour

Dead Can Dance are pleased to announce details of a brand new album entitled ‘Dionysus’,

which is set for release on 2nd November via [PIAS] Recordings.

ACT I : Sea Borne - Liberator of Minds - Dance of the Bacchantes

ACT II : The Mountain - The Invocation - The Forest – Psychopomp

Pre-order the album and find tour dates & tickets here:

http://smarturl.it/DCDDionysus

Formed in Melbourne in 1981 by Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry, the style of Dead Can Dance

over eight previous studio albums can be described as compelling soundscapes of mesmerising

grandeur and solemn beauty that has incorporated African polyrhythms, Gaelic folk, Gregorian

chant, Middle Eastern mantras and art rock.

Ever since the group's inception, the duo have also been informed by folk traditions from all over

Europe, not solely in musical terms but also by secular, religious and spiritual practises. The idea

behind ’Dionysus’ comes from this backdrop and was shaped as Brendan Perry explored the long

established spring and harvest festivals that originated from Dionysian religious practices, a journey

that brings to the fore rites and rituals that are still practised to the present day.

Two years in the making, Perry has amassed an array of folk instrumentation on ‘Dionysus’ while

taking inspiration from across the world, with tracks evolving less like songs and more akin to

fragments of the cohesive whole. The album also incorporates field recordings that include chanting,

beehives from New Zealand, bird calls from Latin America and a Swiss goatherd. The aim in Perry’s

mind is to not just invoke the atmosphere and symbolic reference points but to highlight that music

can be found everywhere in some form or other.

The album consists of two acts across seven movements that represent the different facets of the

Dionysus myth and his cult and takes the form of an oratorio, which has informed both spiritual and

secular pieces of music as far back as the early 16th century. Retaining a prevalent hold on

contemporary paganism in Europe, the voices used on these movements are imagined as

communities celebrating - in communion with each other at times, chanting and call and response.

The various voices are present to convey emotion beyond the boundaries of language itself.

Although taking its main inspiration from the Dionysus story, the album artwork resonates with links

to rituals depicting a mask made by the Huizhou of the Sierra Madre Mountains in Mexico – famed

for their beadwork and yarn paintings, whilst also partaking in peyote as a sacred rite and ritual for

the purposes of healing and mind expansion. This is at the heart of Dionysus, a celebration of not

just humanity but humanity working hand in hand with nature in respect and appreciation.

Dead Can Dance will embark on an extensive European tour throughout May and June 2019,

celebrating their life and works from 1980 to the present day. Confirmed dates are:

May 02: Le Liberte, Rennes, France

May 04 / 05: Hammersmith Apollo, London, UK

May 07 / 08: Cirque Royale, Brussels, Belgium

May 10 / 11: Grand Rex, Paris, France

May 13 / 14: Tivoli Vredenburg, Utrecht, Netherlands

May 16 / 17: Tempodrom, Berlin, Germany

May 20 / 21: Barts, Barcelona, Spain

May 23 / 24: Aula Magna, Lisbon, Portugal

May 26 / 27: Teatro Degli Arcimboldi, Milan, Italy

June 16: Alte Oper, Frankfurt, Germany

June 18 / 19: Ruhrcongress, Bochum, Germany

June 21 / 22: Torwar Hall, Warsaw, Poland

June 24: Kongresove Centrum Praha, Prague, Czech Republic

June 26: Papp Laszlo Budapest Sportarena, Budapest, Hungary

June 28: Sava Centar, Belgrade, Serbia

June 30: Roman Theatre Of Philippopolis, Plovdiv, Bulgaria

www.deadcandance.com 

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Emperion to release new EP

Emperion return with "i am electronic / red noise" out 21.09.18. Released on 12" vinyl (4 tracks) and CD (6 tracks), this brand new AA sided EP offers far more than a mouth-watering glimpse of ‘Resume’, the long awaited new album by Empirion. The much admired Essex based techno-industrial act is well and truly back with an absolute banger of an EP containing perhaps the strongest tracks of their entire career.

'I Am Electronic' is a grinding breakbeat/trance maelstrom with an irresistible and instantly memorable vocodered refrain that makes the track irresistible on the dance floor, while 'Red Noise' represents the industrial roots of the band and melds Nitzer Ebb/Front 242 style EBM with Hardfloor-ish acid/IDM elements. Man vs Machine and an unmissable comeback!

The 12” vinyl is a limited edition of 1000 copies (300 in red vinyl) and includes exclusive remixes, while the EP is a CD single with alternative exclusive remixes and two additional bonus songs.

12”

A1 I Am Electronic

A2 I Am Electronic (Olowex Remix)

AA1 Red Noise

AA2 Red Noise (Dark Prince Remix)

CD

1 I Am Electronic

2 Red Noise

3 Red Noise (Rotersand Rework)

4 Strange

5 I Am Electronic (Victory Pill Remix)

6 Clear The Area

empirion.bandcamp.com

dependent.de

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AMPHI FESTIVAL 2019 ANNOUNCES IN EXTREMO AND MANY MORE!

Children of the night, how time flies! Just a moment ago we had the idea of bringing an open-air festival to life and bang, fifteen years later the same colorfully black fifth season celebrates its 15th anniversary. A story that fulfills us, the promoters, with a humble sense of pride as well as it induced you as the audience over the years with countless unforgettable memories and the joy of anticipation for the next Amphi Festival on 20. & 21.07.2019 at Tanzbrunnen Cologne. After news broke of NITZER EBBs glorious return and a record-worthy pre-selling start, bursting out all early-bird tickets within just a few hours, the time has finally come to lift the curtain for what more can be expected at Amphi next year. Clear the stage for our first big line-up pack, featuring the following artists:

IN EXTREMO

LORD OF THE LOST + WELLE: ERDBALL + DAS ICH + SAMSAS TRAUM

FADERHEAD + SOLITARY EXPERIMENTS + HAUJOBB + CHROM

THE BEAUTY OF GEMINA + THE CASSANDRA COMPLEX + SPARK!

OST+FRONT + HENRIC DE LA COUR + DIVE + HOLYGRAM + CRYO

JÄGER 90 + HEARTS OF BLACK SCIENCE + LOGIC & OLIVIA

TICKETS & INFO

More festival information is available as always at www.amphi-festival.de or www.facebook.com/amphifestival. Original Amphi Festival tickets and "Amphi/E-tropolis 2019" combi-tickets are exclusively available at Amphi Shop, www.amphi-shop.de !

XV. AMPHI FESTIVAL 2019

20. & 21.07.2019 - COLOGNE | TANZBRUNNEN

IN EXTREMO + NITZER EBB

LORD OF THE LOST + WELLE: ERDBALL + DAS ICH + SAMSAS TRAUM

FADERHEAD + SOLITARY EXPERIMENTS + HAUJOBB + CHROM

THE BEAUTY OF GEMINA + THE CASSANDRA COMPLEX + SPARK!

OST+FRONT + HENRIC DE LA COUR + DIVE + HOLYGRAM + CRYO

JÄGER 90 + HEARTS OF BLACK SCIENCE + LOGIC & OLIVIA

+ many other bands & supporting programme coming soon

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A PRIMITIVE EVOLUTION set to release BECOMING on METROPOLIS

The Toronto-based band A Primitive Evolution (A.P.E.) will be releasing their Metropolis Records debut on October 5th with 'Becoming,' their third actual album. Recorded at their own self-built Desolation Studios, 'Becoming' includes collaborations with writer/producer Ian D’Sa (Billy Talent) and engineer Kenny Luong (Metric). A Primitive Evolution's brand of dark electronic metal was forged from a wide array of influences such as NIN, Radiohead, The Prodigy and Tool. 

Pre-order 'Becoming' here: https://www.metropolis-records.com/product/11638/becoming

http://www.aprimitiveevolution.com/
https://www.metropolis-records.com/artist/a-primitive-evolution

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Review: May May Graves – 'Monsters'

MAY MAY GRAVES
'Monsters'
BLACK PILL RED PILL

Award winning drag performer, burlesque artist, and head queen at the Dallas School of Burlesque unleashes her debut musical outing in the form of 'Monsters', a blend of high-fashion, cyberpunk and 80s slasher menace this EP is like an apocalyptic party. Billed as the "genderfuck of your nightmares", May May quit her job as a Church of Christ preacher in 2011 to be in a punk band... It all goes downhill from there.

'Monsters' is a dance-floor ready blend of throbbing bass, pounding dance beats and filthy modular synths framing seductive and sinister vocals. Evoking UV-drenched party monsters, neon-clad villains and the decadence of a 21^st century Weimar Berlin the EP is a compelling listen.

The opening tracks 'Die Like It's The 80s' and 'Monsters' hit hard and fast with their up-tempo and sing-a-long friendly construction that won't fail to get bodies moving on the dance floor. 'Ghost' then pulls things back into a slower, darker and disorientating direction that maintains it's dance appeal but still gets really interesting. 'My Villain' goes more up-tempo again but this time invoking some very nice Pet Shop Boys style melodies that is carried on through to the final track 'Mermaids'.

The album is rounded-off with some very nice remix contributions from Surgyn, Aberrant Behaviour, Adventu Impar, and Isserley who all do a great job of making the tracks their own. But hidden between them is 'Cantaloupe', another solid dance number that feels a little more straight-forward in it's construction but nonetheless sounds great.

The production has a nice gritty cyberpunk edge to it, and the modular synths really emphasise this. With this being a dance record primarily it's heavy on the beats and bass, but the melodies and vocals always shine through in the mix giving it plenty of sing-a-long potential.

This is a strong fist-outing that hints a a few different directions a full-length release could go in. Hopefully there will be more from May May Graves in the near future.

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DEAD QUIET ANNOUNCES FALL EUROPEAN TOUR

DEAD QUIET (Vancouver, BC) announces their first European tour, starting Oct. 11th in the Netherlands and ending in Switzerland on Oct. 29th. This will be the bands first time in Europe and will be supporting their latest release Grand Rites released via Artoffact Records late 2017. 

Grand Rites received unanimous praise and saw the band reaching new heights with European tours this fall and winter, including appearances at Desertfest Belgium and Into the Void festivals as well as direct support for John Garcia’s (Kyuss) 5-week European tour in early 2019. With the release of Grand Rites, Dead Quiet hope to continue traversing the globe, playing what has become well known as an ultra-energetic, charismatic and ear-splitting live performance.

Kevin Keegan comments about their first European tour coming up “After hundreds of emails and many false starts we finally finished booking our first European tour! We are looking forward to meeting everyone who helped put this together and play some killer gigs along the way. See you in October!”

With influences ranging from doom metal to classic rock, Dead Quiet seeks to meld melody with catastrophe as they weave through a dissonant landscape of crushing metallic riffs and somber choral musings. While remaining loyal to crucial heavy metal foundations, the band is successful at pronouncing that heaviness with depth and honesty. 

Formed in the winter of 2013, Dead Quiet was created from the ashes of singer/guitarist Kevin Keegan’s since dismantled band, Barn Burner (Metal Blade). Keegan’s songs were brought to the experienced hands of Vancouver musicians, Jason Dana (Bend Sinister, Karen Foster), Brock Macinnis (Anciients, Tobeatic), Willow Gamberg and Mike Grossnickle (Hashteroid). 

DEAD QUIET:

Bandcamp / Facebook

ARTOFFACT: 

Bandcamp / Facebook

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Syd.31 Release Explosive New Single “Bulldoze Everything”

Manchester based electro punks, Syd.31 today announces new track Bulldoze Everything, from their forthcoming album ‘Walk Amongst Rebels’ expected to be released later in the year.

Combining raw punk vocals with boot stomping industrial noise and filthy electro beats, with the odd tribal rhythm this is a tune with serious fucking attitude. As the country seems to be increasingly heading towards a dystopian reality, this track doesn’t just tug on the heart strings of our rawest fears; it feels like it physically pulls out the aorta from our beating chests.

The accompanying video, produced and directed by front man Dr Magic escalates itself to another level from previous offerings with their biggest production to date, demonstrating an even heavier sound from the new album. Its intense, it’s pulsating, it’s powerful, it’s blood-strewn. It’s like your worst nightmare, but at the best party you could hope to be invited to. It’s a powerful rally cry for those that are angry and god knows we have enough to be angry about.

As the lyrics remind us “They live in their ivory towers. They’re laughing at their powers”. In the words of Aural Aggression …” [this] brutal clashing noise is exactly the music that these fucked up times demand.”

Formed in 2012 as a solo project by Dr Magic who wanted to merge his love of hardcore punk, industrial metal and sickly sweet pop to create powerful anthems that connect with freaks, weirdos and outsiders. Syd.31 has already received acclaimed reviews for their previous 2 EP’s as well as their debut album ‘Last Punks on Earth’ released March 2017. This time Syd.31 is aiming for the jugular and wont take any prisoners:

“I just wanted to create the most brutal riff possible. The sort of riff you can only write when you are utterly fucked off. There is a huge satisfaction knowing you nailed it”.




Syd.31 are:

Jason Pearson (aka Dr Magic):
Lead Vox/Guitar, production, percussion, arrangements and song writing

Kara Wolf:
Live drums and additional vocals

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SKINNY PUPPY FOUNDER CEVIN KEY TO RELEASE EARLY DEMOS

In the early days of Skinny Puppy, when the band was mostly just an idea, cEvin Key spent much of his time in his apartment, recording demos and experimenting with electronic equipment. These recordings, some of which went on to be the basis for early Skinny Puppy releases like Back and Forth, Bites, and Remission, are finally released as part of the famous Back and Forth series, through Toronto-based Artoffact Records.

Brap and Forth Vol. 8 is a collection of a dozen demos, out-takes, and braps by cEvin Key, recorded between 1983 and 1985. The collection finally gives us a glimpse into the birth of Skinny Puppy, those first experiments that would blossom and contort into the visionary sound of the band’s first albums. A dozen Bites and Remission-era demos are presented here, transferred from cEvin Key’s own archive, restored, and remastered. Three of the recordings feature Wilhelm Schroeder, aka Bill Leeb, founder and singer of Front Line Assembly, and of course an early Skinny Puppy band-member.

The release is bookended by two other demos from later periods, perhaps to emphasize the centrality that the earlier material represents.

Artoffact Records will be releasing Brap and Forth Vol. 8 on CD, vinyl, and digital formats. There are several versions of the vinyl: an audiophile black edition and a limited yellow vinyl edition will receive wider release. The vinyl itself comes in a beautifully designed gatefold sleeve, with a digital version available to Bandcamp customers. The first pressing of the CD edition is housed in a beautifully designed digipak.

On top of this, a special collectors’ edition is made available, for which both label and cEvin Key have pulled out all the stops. This version, limited to 200 copies, is pressed on a special white and clear “inside-outside” effect vinyl. It is accompanied by a strictly limited 7” flexi disc vinyl, pressed on green and with silver foil text and design. The one-sided flexi features two exclusive, unreleased demos, which will not be available anywhere else (including no digital).

CEVIN KEY:

Bandcamp / Facebook

ARTOFFACT:

Bandcamp / Facebook

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Victor Love announces Keygen Church

Victor Love (Dope Stars Inc.) has unveiled a new project based on his recent work as the synthesised heavy metal Master Boot Record.

Love states: “Some time ago I was experimenting a mix of synth metal with piano & pipe organs as lead instruments and a strong classical baroque influence.”

Keygen Church's debut album '░ ▒ ▓ █' is out now at keygenchurch.bandcamp.com

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PIG & SASHA GREY unveil new single THAT’S THE WAY (I LIKE IT)

With the release of their collaboration ‘That's The Way (I Like It)’, out today via Metropolis Records,

industrial-rock act PIG and author/singer/actress Sasha Grey have premiered the video for it via

Pornhub before making it more widely available (the YouTube link is noted above).

  

"I think it’s about time that people stop being ashamed and furtive in their relationship with PIG,” says band mastermind Raymond Watts about the song - a cover of the perennial classic by KC & the Sunshine Band - and video. "Being on Pornhub puts us in the mainstream and will stop the stigma that has been attached to the secret and underground world of listening to PIG. People can stop listening to us in darkened basements in constant fear of being exposed….our fans have lived in the fear of discovery for too long!"

Directed by Gabriel Edvy, the sexually-charged black and white video is a dark disco romp, shot

intimately and playfully with disco balls, light BDSM and sweat. 

"The idea behind the video was how to bring a darker, more sinister overtone and texture to what seems to be an initially ‘upbeat' song," says Watts. "The foreboding nature of the video is despite of rather than because of the bright shiny disco elements in the song. Although we use some imagery that suggests a good time is being had….all is maybe not as it seems, possibly a reflection on the current situation we see when looking around at what is happening today in the world. Who is it telling us that everything is better than we could possibly imagine and we are drowning in delusions and force fed lies? But whose lies? Which side of the mirror is looking through a broken lens?” 

TRACKLISTING

1  That’s The Way (I Like It) - Rougher

2  Truth Is Sin (Shame On You Remix by Chris Hall of Stabbing Westward)

3  That's The Way (I Like It) (PIG In The Disco Remix)

4  The Revelation (The Fukken Uber Revelation Remix by Hanzel und Gretyl)

5  Cult of Chaos (8 Arrows remix by Ego Likeness)

In addition to the digital EP release on Metropolis, the Armalyte Industries label is releasing

12” and 10” formats that each include exclusive remixes by the likes of Youth, Cubanate and

Raymond Watts himself. They can be ordered here: https://www.armalyte.com/ARMVNL053.htm

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Ventenner announce 'Killing Jar' single

London industrial rock front runners have announced the second part to their 2018 double single release, due for release September 14th on Syndicol Music.

The follow up to previous single 'Ataxia', this second part sees Ventenner taking the music in a more restrained and progressive direction while retaining their trade mark aggression, electronic atmospherics and lyrical themes. Killing Jar changes the traditional verse/chorus format, instead opting for longer and more sprawling approach to the song structure.

"We didn't set out to create a deliberate antithesis to Ataxia, simply more focused on channelling the creativity in a controlled way. The recording of the vocal parts on this were actually quite difficult as I deliberately had to hold back when I really didn't want to." - Charlie Dawe, vocalist.

'Killing Jar' is also the second single to feature newest member Cat La Chapelle on bass duties. "Having Cat on board is great. She brought a lot of creative ideas to this song. We're all pretty good at writing together now after so many years, Cat just slotted straight into that."

Both Killing Jar and Ataxia will not be appearing on any future studio albums, but the band have hinted at some form of limited edition physical format coming in the near future.

Killing Jar will be released digitally September 14th on Syndicol Music.


www.ventenner.com

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New releases from Solar Lodge

AEON SABLE - Aether

Music can make us burn bright and hot and ultimately bring us salvation.
Aeon Sable is always about the big themes and the deep black abysses and this is exactly what the sixth album "Aether" reveals with every sound.
Especially in the song "Burn for Salvation", which does not only evoke the salvation of our destiny, but together with some others also shows how overwhelming the compositional art of the band and how vociferous the singing of Nino Sable has become in the meantime. This is about the torments in the interior, deeply felt grief and melancholy, here fears are summoned and the subconscious demons downed. Aeon Sable cannot be squeezed into genre boundaries, they skilfully and again transcend the lines between Gothic Rock and Metal, between heartfelt songwriting and psychedelic music compositions. Each song takes the time to tell its very own story, both textually and musically, which is why you should expect no quick, pleasing pieces, but rather epic, sparkling masterpieces full of drama. In one of the most poignant songs ["O Senhor do Medo" (The Lord of Fear)], Nino Sable skillfully uses the language of the great poets and sings in Portuguese a bleak declaration of love to the place of his origins and his very own lord of fear ...
"Aether" is one of the most intense works Aeon Sable has ever created, not only because of the unfettered vocals, but also because of his masterly handling of the darkest compositions of the soul.  

purchase under www.SolarLodge.de

Official release date: 2nd of November
Preorder and have it two (!) weeks before official release date.

01 - Hand of Glory (intro) & The Nihilist
02 - Follow the Light
03 - Deadlock Canon
04 - Burn for Salvation
05 - O Senhor do Medo
06 - Dark Matter
07 - Leaving the Fourth Season (+outro)

  

YOUR LIFE ON HOLD - My name is Legion for we are many

After the well-received debut album ‘Burning for the ancient connection’,
YOUR LIFE ON HOLD surprises us already with a brand new gothic rock album that sounds even more dark and gloomy than its predecessor.
On ‘My name is legion for we are many’ the band proceeds where it had left, but injects its typical sound with more maturity and depth.

purchase under www.SolarLodge.de

Official release date: 9th of November
Preorder and have it two (!) weeks before official release date.


MERCIFUL NUNS - Nekrolog (2LP+dvd+biography in gatefold, limited 499!)

special less compression 96 kHz Vinyl mix
double gatefold LP + DVD including all videos, selected live recordings, interview and more
16pages biography including full discography
approved, handnumbered

purchase under www.SolarLodge.de

Official release date: 16th of November
Preorder and have it one month (!)  before official release date.



SOLAR LODGE - C O N V E N T I O N

An extraordinary convention of Berlin based Label SOLAR LODGE!

Date: 10.11.2018
Place: Bahnhof Langendreer, Wallbaumweg 108
44894 Bochum (Germany)

Doors: 19.00
La Scaltra: 20.00-20.30
Your Life On Hold: 20.50-21.30
Aeon Sable: 21.50-22.40
Merciful Nuns: 23.00-00.15

+ Lost Sound Aftershowparty

limited to 500!! Max tickets per person is 6.
Tickets under: www.SolarLodge.de

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