Japanese Progressive Noise-Rock heroes Zeni Geva will release a newly remastered version of their classic 1991 album Total Castration on October 30th 2026 via SKiN GRAFT Records (Squid Pisser, Dazzling Killmen, Point Line Plane, Yowie). The label recently released another Zeni Geva album Superunit: Maximum Implosion, this spring, featuring their frequent collaborator and superfan Steve Albini (RIP). Stream the title track from Total Castration, now and pre-order the new album, for the first time on vinyl at the links below.
Japanese Progressive Noise-Rock heroes of the underground Zeni Geva released their last studio record 10,000 Light Years back in 2001.
Though no longer an active recording venture, the years to follow have seen the occasional tour in various configurations, as founder Kazuyuki Kishino NULL (AKA KK Null) remains active with various other projects.
This April saw SKiN GRAFT Records (who first worked with the band back in the mid-90s) release Superunit: Maximum Implosion by Zeni Geva and Steve Albini (a first-time vinyl release of all the band’s material that long-time fan Albini played on).
Albini’s history with Zeni Geva goes much deeper, however, with the much-loved late recording engineer having been behind the desk for most of the band’s career.
Hard to get hold of after its initial CD release, 1991’s Albini-recorded classic Total Castration has, untill now, never had a vinyl edition, but all that is about to change as here at Ghost Cult we are delighted to announce the album’s forthcoming KK Null remixed re-issue on SKiN GRAFT Records, with a premiere of the album’s crushing title track.
Of the event Null shares, “No one would be happier to see this album reissued on vinyl for the first time 35 years after its release than the late David Hopkins. It was he who discovered ZENI GEVA and poured his heart into making this record. Without him, this album would never have existed.”
Hopkins, who passed away in 2022, had run Public Bath who originally released the record—a pivotal factor in bringing the band to a wider, international audience.
Long-serving guitarist Mitsuru Tabata, who played on all the band’s studio albums from 1989’s Maximum Love + Fuck onwards, adds, “In the autumn of 1991, invited by the late David Hopkins who was running Public Bath back then, Zeni Geva traveled to Chicago and recorded Total Castration at Steve Albini’s home studio, The Basement.”
“I still remember how the mixing console was located in that narrow space next to the kitchen, before it was moved to the attic. For me personally, everything about that trip was a first-time experience, and if it weren’t for that Total Castration recording, my life might have turned out very differently. Since CDs were the dominant format at the time, a vinyl LP was never produced. I am truly thrilled to see this finally released on analog LP. My heartfelt thanks to SKiN GRAFT and David Hopkins.”
The forthcoming release is also an opportunity to enjoy the iconic original cover art of Stephen Holman in all its ghastly glory.
Total Castration will be available on gold-color vinyl on October 30th from SKiN GRAFT Records. In the meantime, enjoy the title track, courtesy of the label:
https://zeni-geva.bandcamp.com/album/total-castration-remastered