Tag Archives: electronic

EXCLUSIVE: Stream Soaware’s Self-Titled New Album

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Italian alt/electro-rock duo Soaware is releasing their new album, Soaware tomorrow. Founded by the duo of Damiano Bessi and Emanuele Grazioli, the inventive alternative rockers have hopes to infect the rest of the world with their songs. They first met in 1999 while playing in the band Mad Cobol, later splitting to join other groups. With Soaware, the band channels the familiar churning magnetic pulse of Industrial, the melancholy soulfulness of Goth, and the rawness of Metal. At the same time, they have experimental, undefinable elements that are purely Soaware music too. Stream their full album right now, only at Ghost Cult! Continue reading →


Starve To Survive – Have Me To Waste EP

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Newcastle’s latest Hardcore reprobates Starve To Survive are back after a whole three years with a new EP, Have Me To Waste (Caliber), hoping to make their own statement of intent and garner some of the attention that the northern Hardcore scene generates, specifically Loathe and God Complex who have been turning more than a few heads over the past year.Continue reading →


The Sacrifice – The Sacrifice

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Electronic music comes in many waves. From new, to old to 80’s electro-rock, not many succeed in creating a memorable electronic record. For the French trio, The Sacrifice, it’s a point to revive the genre with nostalgic moments as they debut with their self-titled (Season Of Mist) on their own terms. They have taken synth-wave and incorporated classic 80’s pop and metal to produce this modern electro groove. The 11-track album is an experiment that involved a dozen of vintage synthesizers and drum machines, according to the band. But what listeners will gather here is a record that balances sonic synths full of color and life. The Sacrifice is here to make you dance.Continue reading →


The Browning – Geist

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Being able to sound fresh both within metal, and then within your own career, is a hard thing to achieve. So, credit where credit is due, The Browning are still leading the way with their brand of synth-heavy Metalcore. New album Geist (Spinefarm Records) shows the band cementing their sound and even bringing more extremity to the table.Continue reading →


Perturbator – New Model

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Along with the likes of Dan Terminus and GosT, Perturbator has been one of the leading lights in the burgeoning Synthwave scene. The combination of retro, 80s-infused electronica played with the enthusiasm and tempo of Heavy Metal has become the not-so-guilty pleasure of metalheads looking for a reprieve from their usual playlists. Continue reading →


Unearth, ZAO, Oh, Sleeper, He Is Legend And More Booked For A.U.R.A. Fest

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Zao

Zao

Savannah, GA will once again host A.U.R.A. Fest (All Underground Rock Allday) taking place at The Gardens at Ships of The Sea Maritime Museum on February 18, 2017. Unearth, ZAO, Oh, Sleeper, He Is Legend are among the first bands announced. Continue reading →


Godflesh – Prurient: Live at The Paradise, Boston MA

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On Thursday, September 17, 2015, Justin Broadrick and G.C. Green of the absolutely crushing, Godflesh, made their Boston stop on the current North American tour in support of the latest album, A World Lit by Fire, with tour support from experimental noise artist, Prurient (Dominick Fernow).

Seemingly few people knew about this show as evidenced by the poor attendance of maybe 150 people, which I can only attribute to the shamefully non-existent show promotion by whomever was saddled with that task in the area. For that reason, I really think there should be some pink slips issued. Godflesh has been in the area exactly one other time in the past 16 or so years. It’s not as if they are some unknown band or some guys from around the corner that sound like everyone else. Having influenced so many with their unique sound since their inception in 1988 Godflesh can’t be categorized as anything but terms like legends, game changers or innovators. Whatever, if you don’t know who they are then you have some serious homework to do ’Mr. and Ms. Metalhead.’ My point is that there should have been at least as many people as had attended their last show in Boston in 2014 and it is a sad comment on the area that there weren’t, whatever the lame excuse or cause.

Prurient, photo by Hillarie Jason

Prurient, photo by Hillarie Jason

Just before 9:45pm, Prurient pretty much exploded onto the stage and began his auditory assault. Smashing sound gizmos and gadgets(clearly technical terms) laid out on a table with a laptop and microphones then throwing himself around the stage while screaming inaudible sounds or words into the mic. I found the performance kind of mesmerizing and enjoyed every minute of it. If you don’t like noise artists then it may have been time to get a drink at the bar but if you do, then this was the set for you. Full of energy and interesting to watch with great sound to match.

Godflesh, photo by Hillarie Jason

Godflesh, photo by Hillarie Jason

Godflesh hit the stage and did not disappoint. Not only did they sound amazing, the projections that they are known for set the mood perfectly in the moderately sized venue. The majority of the set list obviously comprised tracks from the recent A World Lit by Fire, which I like a lot, but there were some “classics” as well. Ferocious songs like ‘Crush My Soul,’ ‘Streetcleaner,’ ‘Christbait Rising’ and of course ‘Like Rats’ to close out the night. Whether it was a new or old song, each one hit you square in the chest and left you wanting more. The sound for them was a bit quieter than I expected for the venue but was completely on point otherwise and the lighting for the set, although dark and moody, was the best I have seen there which in my experience has been stagnant an uninteresting.

Godflesh, photo by Hillarie Jason

Godflesh, photo by Hillarie Jason

Other than an extremely disinterested (to the point of ignoring customers), slow and very late merch guy and the lack of any real local show promotion, I have zero complaints. Go see this tour if and when it rolls through. It’s worth every second.

Godflesh, photo by Hillarie Jason

Godflesh, photo by Hillarie Jason

 

Godflesh, photo by Hillarie Jason

Godflesh, photo by Hillarie Jason

 

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WORDS AND PHOTOS BY HILLARIE JASON

 


Dødheimsgard – A Umbra Omega

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I’m going to just come right out with it – I’ve never really seen the appeal of Dødheimsgard (I refuse to call them DHG – that’s non-negotiable).  Their third album 666 International created a considerable wave in the late 90’s Black Metal scene, heralding a cyber-future that had the fans wiping off their panda-paint and buying glowsticks and leather trench-coats, but neither it, nor its equally feted follow-up Supervillain Outcast (both Moonfog), really clicked for me.  The “progression” seemed too forced, the electronic elements awkwardly realised and the whole thing just a little too redolent of the Emperor’s new clothes.

I point this out simply because I’m about to lose my shit over A Umbra Omega (Peaceville), and I want to make it clear that I’m not just buying into the general consensus here – with this one, they’ve finally caught my attention.

Despite opening with the glitchy, fragmented electronics of ‘The Love Divine’, one of the first things that becomes apparent about A Umbra Omega is that the “cyber” elements of the last two albums have been dialled down noticeably, replaced with a much broader selection of influences. The songs move jaggedly but with surprising fluidity through Jazz breaks, modern classical music, more restrained electronics and some good, old-fashioned box-of-angry-wasps Scandinavian Black Metal.

It will doubtless anger some fans to say this, but there’s something almost backwards-looking or quaint about A Umbra Omega’s approach to progression.  The face of “avant-garde” Black Metal in 2015 is very different to what it was in 1996, and Dødheimsgard’s approach still owes more to the carnivalesque playfulness of Arcturus or goth-tinged drug babble of Ved Buens Ende than DeathSpell Omega or Blut Aus Nord’s chaotic black-hole worship (this review brought to you by hyperbole.com). This is by no means a criticism – indeed, Dødheimsgard remind us of the one thing that the newer style of “experimental” Black Metal bands often forget to include in their time-shifting trans-dimensional horror; character. Despite how wacky things get here, there’s a constant sense of personality, wit and style that pervades each track on A Umbra Omega, drawing together what could otherwise be disparate musical elements into a genuinely effective whole.

As I observed in my recent review of the new <code> album, being weird is ultimately a fool’s quest – each year it gets harder and yields diminishing rewards. Perhaps that’s where Dødheimsgard lost me on previous releases – being experimental and breaking new ground seemed to be the primary objective – but on A Umbra Omega they sound like a band who’ve come to terms with their own weirdness and focussed on the task of writing a really excellent set of songs around it, rather than showing off how wacky they are. A genuine master-class in why Black Metal can still be interesting without having to choose between retro-traditionalism or forced experimentation.

 

9.0/10

Dødheimsgard on Facebook

 

RICHIE HR


Festival Preview: Beyond The Redshift

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Festival season is upon us again as we move through 2014. There definitely are some exciting new entries into the fold for your consideration and your hard-earned dollars. Even more than being a gathering of music fans, festivals lately tapping into a call from our collective unconscious, a plea for something pleasing to the ears as well as nourishing to our minds. We are of course discussing the inaugural Beyond the Redshift. Taking a page from the mighty Roadburn, BTR has one band of high exalt, in this case, Cult of Luna, curating the music and overall aesthetic of the festival. Slated to take place on May 10th at the three different venues simultaneous (all staggered stage times with little overlap), this promises to be an exciting, must attend annual event.

 

Not just a mere concert either, the fest promises a feat for the senses too with audio-visual/new media elements and installations. Cult of Luna themselves has been forging a singular path in progressive music for sometime, with a fandom that teeters on the brink of fanatical. Last year’s Vertikal and Vertikal II (the former ranking #2 in our 2013 Best albums poll of our staff) attained instant clout among fans and critics alike, a rare occurrence in these times of over-saturated bland music. The presence of CoL themselves leads one to think this fest will have an air of heavy progressive music and experimental ideals pushing the envelope, which it will. Representing different forms of underground music is the high-minded ideal of this fest. Top of the bill acts such as Godseed (on tour with CoL in Europe now) God is An Astronaut, Jesu, Amenra, Amplifier, are all inspired selections, with any of them being capable of heading up this fest in later years. Jesu and Amplifier have been incredibly hot of late.

 

The rest of the lineup has no holes, and owing as much to the headliners, presents a little something for the sub-genre snob in all of us. All of the a fore mentioned bands except Amplifier will play The Forum Venue, with Amplifier heading up The Dome. All of those bands will play one-hour sets, with CoL playing for two. Joining Amplifier at The Dome will be Bossk, The Old Wind, Esben & the Witch, Blueneck, pg.lost. Over at The Boston Music Room we will see Greg Haines, Sleepmakeswaves, Thought Forms, Dirk Serries, Hark, Further Down, Petter Carlsen, Abraham,Shield Patterns, Atlantis, Canaya all perform in what promises to be a killer experience. All of the venues are withing a ten minutes walk, making this concentration of artists, at one low price, possible the best value for true music fans this year.

 

 

The following manifest can be said to be guiding concept of the fest itself:

“The cosmological redshift is caused by the expansion of space. The wavelength of light increases as it traverses the expanding universe. Unable to assume that we have a special place within this universe, the redshift suggests to us that everything is moving away from everything else…

We may not be able to go beyond the redshift, but we can certainly think beyond it. We are bringing together artists who expand within their space – artists who create something special within this space.”

Tickets are priced at £30 + booking fee. 3 venues, 1 wristband, 12:00 pm doors.

 

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Cult of Luna on Facebook

Tickets to Beyond The Redshift

Beyond The Redshift on Facebook