Review: G.L.O.W. – 'Pain & Suffering'

G.L.O.W.
'Pain & Suffering'
SELF-RELEASED

General Language of Oscillating Wisdom, or simply G.L.O.W. the ebm project of South African musician Richard Wheeler returns with album number three in the form of 'Pain & Suffering'. The musicians previous two outings, 'Emotions' and 'Myths And Legends' displayed a lot of potential with a strong sense of melody and and all round dance-friendly execution that were hampered by some less than great production. Album number three sees Wheeler attempting to cement his presence and deliver a critical strike that takes aim at the international scene.

As with the previous albums Wheeler has improved on what came before, with a sound that definitely packs more punch and even throws in some noise elements to add a bit more in the way of an industrial and aggrotech sound to the album.

Songs such as 'Hate Crime', 'Killer Of The White Rhino', 'Pay The Price', and 'Taking Chances' best personify the strongest moments of the album with their pleasing rhythmic frameworks over which Wheeler constructs confrontational but catchy industrial.

Unfortunately though there are issues here, mainly with the vocals as on songs such as 'Acceptance', 'Asylum Of Darkness', 'Bullying=Violence' and 'My Destiny' they just don't fit quite right, and in some cases sound way to high in the mix, giving the songs a self-conscious karaoke sound. It's a shame as despite the rough production style, musically there is some great work here.

'Pain & Suffering' isn't quite the leap forward that G.L.O.W. should be making at this juncture. Even though musically Wheeler continues to improve, once again the production lets things down. There is still a lot of potential, but it seems as though the time would be right to let someone else take the reigns on the final polishing and bring out the best in his work.  

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Review: Orgy – 'Talk Sick'

ORGY
'Talk Sick'
SELF-RELEASED

During their original run in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Orgy )along with the likes of Powerman 5000, Static-X, Dope, Godhead, and Deadsy) created a micro-scene within the nu metal explosion that blended gothic atmospheres, industrial grit and radio-friendly rock to great effect. Capitalising on the interest generated by earlier acts such as Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson, their sound fit easily into the turn-of the millennium clubs across the world. But as soon as it had started the band lost their momentum and went on hiatus leaving three memorable albums in their wake.

Over the past few years Jay Gordan and his newly restructured crew have attempted to kickstart Orgy with new singles, and UK and American tours. It's safe to say interest is beginning to pique and the time is right for a more substantial release. Cue 'Talk Sick'.

The latest EP offering from Orgy sees seven new tracks that blend the hard dance electronics of 'Vapor Transmission' with the sing-a-long punk rock of 'Punk Statik Paranoia'. It's a combination that will undoubtedly please long-time fans of the band. But it is also fresh and modern enough with it's dubstep bass flourishes to attract new fans.

Songs such as 'Talk Sick', 'Suck It', 'Wide Awake And Dead' and 'Monster In Me' show the band on top form as they power through hard guitar riffs, dance-friendly synths, and memorable choruses. They're not simply revisiting their past glories, and anyone looking for another 'Blue Monday', 'Opticon', or 'Fiction' may be a little disappointed at first, as this is not the Orgy of fifteen years ago, but the Orgy of today with a sound that reflects the electronic and rock scenes of today.

The production is strong and modern. It doesn't attempt to grasp at familiarity by reverting back to the band's old albums to play on nostalgia. The electronics and vocals sound great, the guitars are heavy and the beats are as hard as can be. It is a release that is of its time and keeps the band's sound relevant.

Fans of the band will easily be able to jump right into this with all its familiar hallmarks. But it is not constrained by the past. It is a new chapter in the band's evolution that builds on their legacy. Though it remains to be seen just in what direction they will take for their long-anticipated full-length follow-up to 2005's 'Punk Statik Paranoia'.  

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Review: Defeat – 'You Know What You Are'

DEFEAT
'You Know What You Are'
SELF-RELEASED

It's been two years since the last release from the Hertfordshire-based electro duo Defeat in the form of 'Seek Help', which had been a long time in the making. Recalling the likes of Nitzer Ebb, Front 242 and Front Line Assembly the album's simple but pleasing rhythmically-orientated style was instantly recognisable and undeniably catchy. Fast forward to 2015 and the duo are ready to unleash their anticipated follow-up EP 'You Know What You Are' and cement their place in the UK electronic underground.

The band's old school flavour is once again front and centre, but this time there is a bigger injection of more modern club elements which provides the band with a more well-rounded sound and more dance floor potential. The beats are bigger, the synths are fresher and there are more nods to the modern industrial sound without betraying the core of their formula.

Tracks such as 'Want', 'Twist', 'Resist', and 'Goodbye' really show off the best of the band with their blend of early 90's ebm and modern industrial elements combining to create some great dance tracks. While the likes of 'Attention Seeker' and 'Care For Me' explore a darker but no less catchy sound that draws on their roots but still giving them the modern sheen they deserve.

The remixes courtesy of X-Kin, Ruinizer and Paresis give the tracks even more club potential, especially the daringly punchy re-workings from Ruinizer. But each band brings something different to the mixes that will extend the potential of the originals.

The production on 'You Know What You Are' has come on in leaps and bounds. The songs sound bigger and crisper. The instrumentation sounds decidedly more modern, and the vocals sit within the mix a lot more comfortably than before. They have evidently worked hard to give this album the polish it rightly deserves.

'You Know What You Are' is a big step up in quality from Defeat. The band are reaching their potential and cranking out some great songs that will appeal to the current climate. It will be interesting though to see what curve balls they can throw on future releases to keep evolving their sound on the next full-length outing.  

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Review: Tapewyrm – 'Rites Of Passage'

TAPEWYRM
'Rites Of Passage'
SELF-RELEASED

UK rhythmic noise terrorist Michael Drayven, AKA Tapewyrm, returns with his first outing since 2014's 'House Of Cards' EP. His latest release 'Rites Of Passage' looks to continue the development of his song-writing and production with a big leap forward from his previous releases.

Gone are the quiet and somewhat muffled mechanical soundscapes of the début album, and instead we're presented with a much louder and arguably more aggressive take on the Tapewyrm sound. The average track length has also increased significantly with only two songs out of eight coming in at under six minutes long. You'd be forgiven for thinking that might make the tracks rather repetitive, but you'd be wrong. 'Rites Of Passage' sees Drayven trim the fat and focus on the strongest elements in his arsenal. There is no room for mediocrity any more and by honing in and expanding on hard and heavy noise.

Tracks such as 'Sacrament', 'Exorcism', 'Invocation', 'The Rite', and 'The Beast Unleashed' are easily the most punishing and confrontational Tapewyrm cuts to date. The beats are still at the end of the day rhythmically pleasing, but they're buried underneath so much distortion they become like the nightmarish percussion of daemonic hordes. The album's most accessible offering comes in the form of 'Hypnos', which pulls back the distortion for a dark and dance-friendly industrial crowd pleaser.

The production is much better here than we're used to. Previous albums had always sounded quiet and muffled to a certain degree, which really dulled the edge of the tracks. However on 'Rites Of Passage' everything is loud and practically tearing its way out of the speakers. Yes it is still heavily distorted, but you can actually hear the complexity of the tracks a lot better now.

'Rites Of Passage' is simply the strongest Tapewyrm release thus far. The songs are aggressive and complex. The production is strong, and it keeps your attention. Drayven does tend to over rely on his rhythmic skills, and it would be nice to see how he could adapt more ambient elements into his noise framework on future releases. But with this outing he his definitely hitting his stride.  

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Interview: Zardonic

Master of bass!

“I am extremely pleased with the response [to 'For Justice'] and I also like this new sound I've found. It lets me try electro things, breakbeat things, then back to drum and bass, then ambient, then pure metal, it's like a compendium of all the music that I've done and liked through my entire life.”

Venezuelan native Federico Agreda, AKA Zardonic, has been tearing up the rule book with his innovative blend of Drum & Bass, Metal and EDM for over ten years now. The masked DJ/Producer has enjoyed plying his craft all over the world and has remixed some of the biggest names in music. His latest release, the single 'For Justice' has been enjoying rave reviews from fans and critics alike, and he's looking to hit the road this spring with a European tour before going around the world with DJ Starscream on the Full Metal Jungle Tour.
We caught up with Zardonic to talk about the challenges of the past decade, his influences, opinions on the state of Drum & Bass and Metal, and try to prize a few details out of him about his next full-length album.


Intravenous Magazine: You first started out as Gorepriest, what was the concept behind that and how did that evolve into Zardonic?

Zardonic: Basically the idea behind Gorepriest was to create metal inspired music using only synthesizers. Somehow, I think Zardonic is exactly the same, the difference is the earlier was leaning more towards Ambient Black Metal a la Mortiis or Burzum, while Zardonic is an EDM act. The metal influence has always been there, one way or the other, no matter how mellow a track of mine can get. There's just something there that sounds like rock.


IVM: What are the main musical influences that inspired Zardonic?

Zardonic: Trent Reznor, Marilyn Manson, Rob Zombie, Rammstein, Atari Teenage Riot and Counterstrike. I'm a big fan of the industrial sound done right.


IVM: Zardonic as an entity is over ten years old now. Looking back what have been the biggest challenges and achievements of the past decade?

Zardonic: The biggest challenge was to turn a DJ act that produced and mixed heavy metal music with EDM and make it profitable enough to cover my dues. In Venezuela. So yeah, go figure. It's not easy. Specially when every single promoter is so close-minded and wouldn't even let anything in that wasn't house, and most of the Drum & Bass guys would only do Liquid Funk parties or Jump Up stuff. I have nothing against that, but if there's something that pisses me off is the lack of variety. It leaves a lot of producers out, and then that only breeds more elitism, a la "heavy music only". Fuck that shit man. I always believed that music was music and everyone needed to hear it. The people, not only the heavy metal fans, not only the EDM fans, not only the DNB fans. Just people. Me, you, your brother, your mom and your great grandmom. The only reason the general crowd only listens to radio music is because, well, they haven't had the chance to hear anything else. And that's when you jump in and show them something. While others out there would rather stay "true to the roots", I'm about making whatever I like and having EVERYONE listen to it. Even those who are not "true" enough. And that, was a big challenge. But it's precisely what made me big. Half my fans don't even know what Drum & Bass is, and I rejoice in that, because it means the project will fit anywhere.


IVM: What are your thoughts on the state of the current Drum & Bass and Metal scenes as both a fan and an artist?

Zardonic: With the exception of a very few artists, I hardly like anything that has been released post 2005. I'm a 90s boy. In my head, 'Antichrist Superstar' by Marilyn Manson is still hot, Deicide and Morbid Angel are still top selling artists charting on the Billboard Top 50, Devin Townsend still plays in Strapping Young Lad and Sonny More still sings in an emo band. Everything is either too much cheese, or too minimalistic, or too much noise. There was this perfect balance you would hear in tracks like, say, 'Morning Light' by Concord Dawn. That shit was heavy, energetic and very musical. Metal bands had their own vocalists with their own characteristic vocals and guitar playing styles. Now every band out there sounds like Suicide Silence or Bring Me The Horizon. What happened to the Chuck Schuldiners, the Glen Bentons, the Pat O'Briens, the Rob Barretts, the Phil Anselmos, you know? There's a huge lack of variety and everyone is desperate to jump in a bandwagon of a sound that's hot at the moment and will pass, the same as Nu Metal did, and only the pioneers and those true to themselves and willing to evolve on their own (like Deftones, for example), will prevail. Same goes with DJs, so my advice to all producers out there, stop trying to sound like Skrillex's 2010 album because he's moved on. And you should too, because you can't do it like him. And even if you do, you suck for being a copycat.


IVM: What kind of audience do you typically attract and has it evolved as your sound has?

Zardonic: Fans are always the fans. I get people from all different scenes. Most of them are very loyal and supportive, and I feel blessed by that. There's obviously the occasional guy who is there and has no idea who is playing, and I'm perfectly fine and happy with that. He should get in to and call all of his friends. If I get to play my music to everyone at least once in my life, I'm content with that. It's a blessing to be able to show my music to the world and I'm thankful for it.


IVM: Your most recent release was the single 'For Justice', how has that been received so far?

Zardonic: That was SURPRISINGLY well received! It's my most played track on Soundcloud and I thought I was gonna get flamed because it's not a Drum & Bass tune hahahah. But that was to prove exactly my points: I'm not really a dark Drum & Bass artist anymore. I am extremely pleased with the response and I also like this new sound I've found. It lets me try electro things, breakbeat things, then back to drum and bass, then ambient, then pure metal, it's like a compendium of all the music that I've done and liked through my entire life.

I also released recently a remix for Nightrage's 'Stare Into Infinity', great guys, great musicians, and they're on Despotz Records which are the same guys that released The Unguided. I have nothing but love and respect for those guys, they're amazing people and always connect me with kickass bands to work with. Nightrage is a good example of a band that I consider original and has its own sound, it doesn't try too hard to be like anyone else, and that's what we need more of.


IVM: Your last full length release was 'Far Beyond The Bass (The Vulgar Remixes)' in 2013, which was the remix companion of the previous year's 'Vulgar Display Of Bass' album. Are there plans for another full-length album and if so, what details can you give us?

Zardonic: There are plans indeed and to be honest it's finished. Most people who have seen me performing live since December last year have probably heard a bit of it in my new sets. The thing about the new album is that as much as I'm extremely excited to throw it out there, there are steps you must follow in order to make things right. I even revealed a name for it that was 'The Heroes Have Failed', and now that won't be the album title any more. I'm changing it, and I don't want to reveal the new title yet. But all I can say is it will be a double CD album including one intro, nine original tracks, potentially two-three bonus tracks, five instrumental mixes, and I already have remixes by Rusty K, Evol Intent, The Outside Agency, Darksiderz, Dub Elements and more to come. So yeah. It will be a monster of a release. It is also the most raw, primitive and honest release I've ever written in terms of music, writing and production. It is the first album I've ever done that is 100% me and I did vocals and lyrics for all of the tracks. Every single track has to do with my situation at the time moving out of my home country Venezuela due to the political crisis going on there. It makes me sick. So this album is kinda the angry words of a disappointed hero.

Oh, yeah, and together with it, the new mask will be finally unveiled.

IVM: You've previously released several albums worth of material for free. What were your reasons for doing this and is it something that you'll do in the future?

Zardonic: I will always have something to give away for free as a way to thank my most loyal followers. Usually those who like my Facebook page, but I've raised the bar a bit and only send them to the members of my mailing list, not because I wanted to, but because Facebook's recent guidelines are terrible and you can't reach the people you used to. So I wasted all my time and money gathering tens of thousands of likes only to have to pay them to reach my fanbase again. Fuck that. I'd rather send out a mail campaign with the tracks and I make sure EVERYBODY gets them.

IVM: What are your studio and live set ups like and how do you typically approach creating a new track?

Zardonic: I have two Adam A5X + Sub8 combo. Helps immensely to truly know what goes on in the low end while still keeping a bit of the low mids so my music sounds like metal on hi-fi speakers and like bass music in a big rig. Bass Metal! I also have my trusty Mininova synth by Novation, Beyerdynamic DT 880 Pro headphones and my screen is a 39" LG Smart TV (God Bless America), and of course my Xbox Controller. Always need a break every now and then. 

My live setup is a pair of Pioneer CDJ-2000NXS and anything equal to or above the DJM-800. Precise, fast loading, no hassle. 

When I create a new track, I usually throw many different main "riff" ideas in a project, I let my mind go wild and write whatever, even if I don't like it, then I check back for those riffs that really get me going, and I make entire tracks out of them. I call them "Inspiration Loops". Creating a new sample pack is also something that helped me a lot because I'm inspired by my own sounds and then a brand new track happens. Most of the time, to get a really good track going, it needs to make me feel powerful. Very powerful. If I don't feel I have the universe in my hands when I write a track, then the track is not good enough.

IVM: What do you look for in a track to make a truly great remix?

Zardonic: Something I can bang my head to. And I'm not saying anything that I can't bang my head to is bad. I listen to a lot of music that I could never remix. A ton of Black Metal bands are not exactly "banging" music, because you're not meant to bang your head to Dodheimsgard. However, stuff like Machine Head, Rob Zombie, Rammstein, Pantera. That's the kinda stuff that I'd go for.


IVM: Has anyone ever done a remix of one of your tracks that has just made you say "wow", and if so why?

Zardonic: Many times actually. All the people who do remixes for me are people I know and trust to be great producers. Counterstrike's remix of 'For Justice' was one of the most mind-blowing tracks I've ever heard by them. Black Sun Empire's work on 'Hypnotized' was also beautiful. Hecq's rendition of 'Sideshow Symphony' was also amazing. That's one of the most talented artists I've ever had the pleasure to work with. He is extremely underrated and absolutely deserves more attention. Also Determinators' remix of 'Restless Slumber' was my personal favourite of all the remixes I got, even though I don't really like Dubstep, but that shit was pure evil. The Gör Flsh remix of the same track also made me lose my head. It's funny because most of the time, my favourite tracks are the tracks that sell less.


IVM: Have you always been a solo artist and would you ever collaborating as part of a band?

Zardonic: I've had bands in the past. Honestly I like the commodities of being a solo artist, but I do think Zardonic needs to expand. I can't write tracks all the time and then jump on tours and then back and then take care of the merch, and then do mixdowns, and then blah blah, you know? So I think I'm gonna have a couple guys in the future join me for production work. Train them in my style and get them to write ideas for the project, then as soon as I get back, I sit down and finish everything.


IVM: You've travelled the world as Zardonic, where has been your favourite place so far and where would you like to go next?
Zardonic: Every single place I've visited leaves me yearning for more of it. It's always a beautiful experience. Guatemala, Argentina, Colombia, Portugal, Spain, Czech Republic, Russia. Oh my beloved Russian brothers. You're always in my heart!

IVM: You'll be touring with DJ Starscream, AKA Sid '#0' Wilson of Slipknot fame. How did that come about and what can fans expect?

Zardonic: His agent hit up my agent about wanting to have him tour with me, and my agency made it happen. First scheduled show is happening in Rome the 16th of June if I'm not wrong, as a Slipknot after-party as that's our best bet, so my European tour is paired with Slipknot's Europe tour and wherever we can make the after-parties happen, we will. I'm sure fans can expect him to go apeshit on the turntables as he's an insane turntablist, as for me, I think a heavier than usual set is in order.


IVM: Can we expect to see you in the UK any time soon?

Zardonic: Oh yeah! there's something in the works for next year already. And let me tell you, it will be MASSIVE.


IVM: Where did the idea for the now iconic mask come from and how do you feel that has benefited the image of Zardonic?

Zardonic: Well, image does not only benefit any artist. It is everything. The music is irrelevant to the market. It is only relevant to music lovers. And I'm not saying you should get away with creating shit music because you have a gimmick. It's your responsibility to create the best music you can. But if you want to be a professional, the only thing that matters is image. Even Susan Boyle. The humbleness behind her, the authenticity, she's an old woman who had a beautiful voice and surprised all these stupid kids with a marvellous show. And THAT is a gimmick. Everybody will remember her for that, and are more likely to buy music by her BECAUSE of that. Whether they'll be satisfied with what they bought or not, that's up to them. But the money is in and your work here is done. She still does what she wants to do and that's all that matters to stay happy. So yeah, go ahead and do whatever the hell you want and don't let anyone tell you that certain music is more commercial than other music because Metallica, Marilyn Manson and Rammstein have had no limits. And while they're not Anaal Nathrakh heavy, they sure are heavier than Justin Bieber. The thing Justin Bieber has in common with all of those... is gimmick. The quality of their music, that's up to their fans to decide.


IVM: Finally, is there anything else that you would like to add?

Zardonic: Gotta go pee. BRB :*

Zardonic's latest single 'For Justice' is available through Entertainment One and can be bought at all good digital retailers. For more information on Zardonic including tour dates and forthcoming releases, please visit his official website.

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Review: Wik▲n – 'Nightfall'

WIK▲N
'Nightfall'
PALE NOIR

Sheffield's Wik▲n may be flying the flag for the witch house scene, but there is so much more to their sound than that. Their newest offering (their eighth EP since 2010) 'Nightfall' includes ambient, drone, noise, dark electro, and even neofolk as well as drag and witch house to create haunting soundscapes and experimental grooves. But no matter which direction they choose to go, the songs remain epic in their scope and rarely drop below seven minutes in length.

The title track kicks the EP off with a sublime blend of ambience and minimal techno blending to create a dark and surreal soundscape that is permeated by an ever present vinyl crackle to add a subtle noise element. 'Damaged Core' is a more club/dance orientated track with its prominent techno-house beats driving the track while sinister synthesizers swell and swirl throughout the mix. 'When It's Just Us' follows on with a more stripped back witchy sound that is centred around a central drone and typically drag style beat but also makes great use of counterpoint melodies to inject a little light into the gradually building cacophony.

'Gathering Moss' breaks out the folk guitar to drive this hauntingly beautiful blend of neofolk and light ambient synths. 'Deadbeat' brings things back into more traditional witchy territory with its stuttering synth bass and trip hop beat building to create a simple but effective track. The EP is finished with 'Always There' which once again begins with a nice droning synth that gradually builds into a cinematic slice of ambience before a subtle melody and beat kick in to create an infectious closer.

The production is excellent with a light and spacious feel flowing through every song. It avoids the fuzz and din of a lot of witch house releases in favour of a more minimal and light atmosphere that compliments every twist and style they care to invoke.

Wik▲n may not be a common name in the UK underground scene but they should be. 'Nightfall' is a mature, engrossing and deeply fulfilling listening experience. The band prove they can turn their hand to anything and everything here and still make it sound like a cohesive whole. This is definitely an act to keep your eye on. 

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BEYOND THE LIMITS

It's election time once again, a prospect that usually signals a strange mix of boredom and fear in most of us. We are not listening to the debates and the rhetoric with a keen excitement for the great things that may or may not come with the result, but with a dread for the dire consequences of the wrong outcome. Either that or the whole spectacle just merges into the whole postmodern mush of everyday life, accompanied by the standard refrains of 'they're all the same' or 'it doesn't make any difference'. It certainly seems like the possibilities arising from any such exercise are pitifully slim. But setting aside the deliciously nihilistic structuralism of such sentiments there are other reasons for pausing to reconsider these notions.

This year represents the 70^th anniversary of the end of the second World War. In a previous article I discussed the lasting political impact of the conflict (namely the unifying political imperative of anti-fascism) but the war also has a much more complex legacy. It was the historical arena for breathtaking heroism, as well as for moral and political cowardice, indecision and hypocrisy; and yet beyond the stories of daring raids, personality conflicts and fateful decisions is the real meaning of the conflict and the era in which it took place.

The twentieth century was an era where the apparent potential of humanity was limitless – or at least it felt that way to everyone concerned at the time. This was not simply in terms of technological advance, but also political too, it was the century where universal suffrage was finally established and slavery finally abolished, and it was also the epoch when democracy became a desired or accepted norm for most of the planet.

But it was also a time when the limitless potential of humanity was used to pursue a darker agenda. There had been tyranny of all kinds throughout history but the techno-political compound of totalitarianism was very new. No sooner had democracy become a societal norm then certain political forces began to tear up the 'rules' and push over these limits, and such did the era of annexations, revolutions and genocides really begin.

As a result the real legacy of World War 2 was that it saw the three events that would eventually define the limits of human experience and political & technological will: the Holocaust (being the genocidal use of bureaucracy and technology to systematically kill people on an unprecedented scale), Hiroshima (being the inception of a weapon capable of destroying all of mankind) and Stalingrad (being the limit of conventional warfare's feral disregard for military and civilian life). These events may have been reprised in events and atrocities over the course of the past 70 years but they remain the indelible examples where the limits of our collective human endeavours take us to atrocities which nobody can then erase.

Having recognised these limits, political discourse has understandably retreated. The rules of the game have been set; the law applied; grand political projects are shunned; human rights and political pluralism protect individual and collective rights; and although within that rubric there are abuses and there is oppression, there are sources for moderate redress too. Accepting where our collective limits are means we are able to carry on, remember the losses caused by our endeavours, and engage in our remaining options simply and clearly.

The problem is that having reached these limits our mentality remains rooted in the zero-sum mentality of the previous era; people scream for withdrawals, invasions, deportations and detentions, removal of rights and for personal and political cruelty. And some politicians are more inclined to tear up the new rulebook than others, promising what is undeliverable without a rupture and breach of our understanding of what is reasonable; and as ever it is minorities, the vulnerable and the oppressed that suffer. As Einstein observed, “The unleashed power of the atom has changed everything save for our modes of thinking.”

So we can and must stretch our personal horizons and push our own limits, to improve our lives and reach places of greater safety, and we either do so collectively or as individuals; but let us not complain about the lack of that unpredictability borne of the politics which takes place beyond the limits of endurance - because such predictability, and the boredom we perceive it to bring, is really very precious indeed.

And with that I am off to Whitby. Last one to the beach is a steampunk!

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Review: Ecnephias – 'Ecnephias'

ECNEPHIAS
'Ecnephias'
MY KINGDOM MUSIC

Italian occultists Encephias return with their eponymous fifth album to celebrate a decade of extreme metal releases. The band combine elements of death, black, doom and gothic metal with occult themes to create a dark and rich sound that draws on the likes of Moonspell, Rotting Christ, Paradise Lost and Type O Negative.

The album is the final part of a trilogy of albums that started with 2011's 'Inferno', followed by 2013's 'Necrogod', but in their self-titled effort the band display their most mature songwriting to date, with a greater emphasis on melody than ever before. Soaring guitars, thrashing drums and subtle atmospheric keyboards are permeated by distinctive vocal style that sound like a cross between Bo Summer (Illdisposed) and Fernando Ribeiro (Moonspell).

Songs such as 'A Field Of Flowers', 'Born To Kill And Suffer', 'The Criminal', 'Wind Of Doom', 'Nyctophillia', and 'Vipra Negra' are particular highlights with their balance of heavy riffs, soft melodies and an ever present head-banging pace. The album has the mass appeal of dark rock with the unrelenting heaviness of extreme metal and should play well to fans of both camps.

In terms of production it is for the most part of the quality that you would expect from the genre, aside from in a few places with the distortion on the guitars sound rather tinny and having an unfortunate tendency to get swamped in the mix. Otherwise it is a strong and high quality effort.

This is a sinister and bewitching effort from the Italian quintet that is sure to go down well with dark metal fans. Ten years and five releases down the line they look to be on the best form of their career and hopefully this album will serve them well in propelling them through the next decade.  

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Review: Everclear – 'Black Is The New Black'

EVERCLEAR
'Black Is The New Black'
THE END RECORDS 

It's been ten years since Everclear went through a some changes in not only line up, but also with leaving major label Columbia behind. Now the band have returned with the next step in their renaissance with 'Black Is The New Black'. Funded by the fans through Pledge Music and currently being streamed on Pandora Radio, this new release is already getting a lot of good responses from the fans, and there's a reason for that.
From it's opening riff on 'Sugar noise' we get the sense that Art and the crew have come back strong. Putting to good use the experiences gained from the 'Summerland' tours and following the anniversary of the band's breakthrough record 'Sparkle And Fade'. This album is heavier, angrier and to the point, something we haven't heard since the 'Songs From An American Movie' set. It's follow up track 'The Man Who Broke His Own Heart' is  a cheeky yet lovable tune with a hook you'll be singing along to for a long while. It's almost as if Art is over his love sick ways seen in 'Invisible Stars', which was their pop-iest outing, and has an incredible return to form with an addictive chorus that will make your spirit rise. It's this along with tracks like 'American Monster' and 'This Is Your Death song' that give the impression that Alexakis is the last of the broken hearted once again, setting up his boombox outside a girl's window, forlorn to the nth degree.
Not that it's all bittersweet revenge and bitter laced rock. 'Van Gough Sun' is probably one of the softer numbers on the album where Art's self deprecating soul is laid bare. With an upbeat disposition it still doesn't become a soppy balled, yet it makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end . Finishing on 'Safe' ,an emerging dark rock spectacle, it makes you wonder if Alexakis is truly happy, and if he is then this record is by far the cleverest he has ever done, creating pain, misery and self-doubt where there may not be any; a true musicians dream. 

'Black Is The New Black' is a record we can finally once again relate to, and with it comes the sound we are familiar with when we first think of Everclear. Gone is the older gent, with a twinkle of nostalgia in his eye, and replaced is the beast, fire in his belly and even more so in his soul. If you're going through a rough time and you're sick of wallowing, then strap on this album and start becoming who you used to be... maybe burn a few photos... and a teddy bear... just not her front porch. 

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Review: Sidewalks And Skeletons – 'White Light'

SIDEWALKS AND SKELETONS
'White Light'
SELF-RELEASED

Love it or loath it, witch house is here to stay and so is Sidewalks And Skeletons, AKA Bradford's Jake Lee who, on his latest release under the moniker continues to experiment and push the definition of the genre. 'White Light', the follow-up to last year's 'Future Ghosts', incorporates the classic trappings of witch house but pushes beyond them as well and even goes as far to infuse metal elements into some of the songs. It is an album that is set on expanding the palette of its creator and the experimental scope of the genre.

The album opens in a big way with the soft ambience of 'Fall' giving way to what has to be one of the strongest S&S songs thus far in the form of 'Unearth'; a wonderfully dance friendly track that features black metal style female vocals to add a demonic slant to the already dark track. 'Eternal' follows on nicely with its lighter textures that ultimately descend into bursts of nightmarish dissonance. While 'Goth' brings in some very nice synthpop elements fore a very accessible and club-friendly offering. 'Above' drags things back firmly into a more experimental territory with its slow and dark sample lifted from Marilyn Manson's 'Deformography' set to light melodic leads and swirling synths.

'Pure' provides the album with its most cinematic feeling piece, sounding like it has been cut from a science-fiction film soundtrack it creates a sense of space that is temporarily sucked away by the central sample with great effect. 'XXX' brings things back into metal territory with its Godflesh style blasting rhythms and mechanical strains that are over too soon unfortunately. Luckily 'Disappear' then emerges with some big synths and more female vocals to add a deep blast of classic witch house appeal. 'Blood' provides another wonderfully cinematic track interspersed with hard beats and scathing synths to great effect. The album finishes with the light ambience of 'Underwater Sun' which rounds things off with a delicate combination of light beats, hanging synths and delay drenched leads that combine with a deep bass.

The production, despite the strong experimental edge and the various different styles and themes at work is pretty good. It maintains its underground credentials but when it needs it, the tracks get the spit and polish they need to give then an extra kick.

'White Light' is hands down the strongest Sidewalks And Skeletons release to date, and perhaps one of the best witch house-related releases of the year. The songs are aiming for another level and more often than not reach it. It has aspirations to stay true to its roots but at the same time redefine what they are and can encompass. This is an album that should hopefully capture a lot of people's attention, and quite rightly so.  

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