-ii- (pronounced “two eyes”) hail from Nancy, France, and Apostles of the Flesh (Self-Released) is their second album. For this release they have ventured away from their previous electronic approach and into something more organic performed by a full band. Indeed, joining the core duo of Hélène Ruzic (vocals) and Benjamin Racine (guitars, basses, synths, percussions, kayamb, xaphoon, bouzouki, piano) are Maxime Keller (basses, synths, prepared piano) and David l’Huillier (drums, percussion).
The 1990s brought a little Lawrence, Kansas band by the name of Paw, who put out two full-length albums 1993’s Dragline (which featured the catchy singles “Jessie” and “Couldn’t Know” that got moderate rotation on MTV as well as featuring in the computer game Road Rash) and 1995’s overlooked Death to Traitors. There were a couple of final releases in the shape of the Home is a Strange Place EP and the Keep the Last Bullet for Yourself odds and sods collection before the band’s eventual 2000 split. Continue reading
Sincerity is difficult to fake – ask any politician in the build-up to an election – yet post-rock Manchester collective Pijn (pronounced “pine”) keep it real on their powerful, atmospheric, heartfelt new album, From Low Beams Of Hope (Floodlit Recordings).Continue reading
Eye is the new project of MWWB (formerly Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard) frontwoman Jessica Ball and Dark Light marks its debut following MWWB’s 2022 album The Harvest. Joining Ball in her latest venture are keyboardist Jonny and Drummer Gid Goundrey (Gulp/Ghostlawns/Martin Carr). Continue reading
Hot on the heels of 2023’s excellent Nature Morte, experimental doomgazers BIG|BRAVE release their sixth full-length record, A Chaos Of Flowers (Thrill Jockey Records). Continue reading
The Body, who are comprised of Rhode Island duo Lee Buford (drums/programming) and Chip King (guitars/vocals), are a Metal band, but not as we know it (to paraphrase Star Trek). Continue reading
Chelsea Wolfe’s seventh solo full-length (and her first in around five years), She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She (Loma Vista Recordings), seems to represent something of a rebirth for Wolfe, both in terms of thematic content and sound.Continue reading
Venerated singer-songwriter PJ Harvey has returned with her tenth album, the first since her 2016 release The Hope Six Demolition Project. This new record is entitled I Inside the Old Year Dying (Partisan Records) and Harvey has once again collaborated with producers Flood and John Parish.
We chatted recently with music legend Ihsahn over Skype to discuss his upcoming new EP, Pharos, due out on September 11th, via Candlelight Records. Ihsahn contrasted the music from the current EP to his last one, Telemark, the many different sides of his moods and styles, how he chooses cover songs, the evolution of his singing voice, thoughts on performing live, some of his other projects over the years, and next years Emperor full album performance of “In the Nightside Eclipse” at Beyond The Gates Festival in Norway in 2021. Purchase Pharos here and check out our chat! Continue reading
It’s easy to love Sigh. It’s also easy to find them really annoying. Starting off as a Japanese branch of Black Metal’s second wave, Sigh has since mutated in all sorts of bizarre and interesting ways, integrating everything from classical influences to jazz breakdowns to having a nude, blood-smeared woman shrieking out vocals over Venom covers. As one does. At best, it made them a glorious thing to hear. At worst, it just sounded like a formless din.Continue reading