Review: Android Lust – 'Berlin//Crater Vol. 2'

ANDROID LUST
'Berlin//Crater Vol. 2'
SYNTHELLEC MUSIC

It's pretty safe to say that Shikhee D'iordna is one of the most important electronic artists of the past 20 years. Her work as Android Lust since the release of her 1998 debut 'Resolution' has always been of the highest calibre and with a progressive core that moves between genres with ease to create a sound that owes just as much to Kate Bush as it does Trent Reznor.

After the release of her brilliant 2010 album 'The Human Animal' though, D'iordna would regroup and take Android Lust in the most esoteric direction yet. The result was 'Crater Vol. 1', a more experimental and ambient-orientated sound that made use of field recordings, drones and moved away from lyrical narrative, yet retained a familiar dance floor credibility. Fast-forward four years and D'iordna returns with the sequel in the form of 'Berlin'.

A minute of abrasive synthesised noise hits in the form of 'Eclipse I' to open the album before dropping into the Flodian soundscape of 'Eclipse II' with it's subtle bass, ambient melody and sparing use of rhythm it ebbs and flows with paranoid alienation. 'Daughters Of Dawn' follows on with the first vocal contribution from D'iordna which is framed by addictive retro synth sounds and infectious rhythms that recall her dance floor classics without resorting to retreading old ground.

'Insects' again sees D'iordna utilising her vocals to great effect, slightly distorting them and mixing them lower before surrounding them with frantic rhythms, hissing synths and occasional piano. 'Heart Tunnel' again sees the abrasive elements front and centre again but as with 'Daughters Of Dawn', the song feels more approachable and atmospheric in its interplay of melody and dissonance. 'Crawl' is a fitting centrepiece for the album with it's slow and subtle construction giving way to addictive rhythms, a fantastic vocal performance and infectious bass line, it's one of those tracks that neatly sums up everything that is great about Android Lust in one go. 'In Memory', like 'Eclipse II' is a claustrophobic soundscape that builds into something more tangible when minimal bass and rhythm is added to elevate it from simply being a noisy oddity into something genuinely listenable.

'Plaza Steps' again sees D'iordna utilise her vocals like another synthesizer slowly distorting their melody and turning them into a distorted drone as the repeating rhythms march on constantly overhead. 'Madness In Men' sees another long intro build in an unexpected way into another surprisingly dance-friendly track. The final track on the album, 'Eventide', is a stunning way to end evoking the more experimental results of Bowie's own Berlin Trilogy, but updated for the 21^st century, more nightmarish, more haunting, more desolate.

'Berlin' is a beautifully crafted album. D'iordna has a unique mastery of sound akin to an alchemist turning base elements into gold. This album utterly reflects that skill from the song writing to the final mixdown.

It's been far too long between Android Lust albums, and while this long-awaited offering is on the shorter end of the spectrum at 41 minutes, it is a beautifully succinct and complete statement. It develops ideas from the first volume further and marries more comfortably with what could be described as the Android Lust sound. The end result is fantastic.  

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Review: Nine Inch Nails – 'Add Violence'

NINE INCH NAILS
'Add Violence'
THENULL CORPORATION

A big criticism of Nine Inch Nails post 'Year Zero' is the settled and somewhat comfortable sound Trent Reznor has continued to craft. Deviations and experimentation are still present, but with his fascination with analogue synthesizers there has been to a degree a stock palette that has also reoccurred in his side project How To Destroy Angels, and his soundtrack work with long-time NIN producer, and now official member, Atticus Ross.

The first release in the trilogy of EPs being released on his own Null Corporation record label, 'Not The Actual Events' did kind of confound expectations. With it's noise rock meets drone and low-fi feel it was arguably one of the most challenging NIN releases since 1994's 'The Downward Spiral', though lacking the misanthropic anger of his youth. Fast-forward to the summer of 2017 and the second EP in the trilogy, 'Add Violence', is unveiled.

Sonically the new EP is a self-contained entity with an expanded presence than we previously had. We return to the analogue synth wizardry familiar from recent Reznor releases. There is an almost chip-tune element to some of the tracks while darker ambient textures play beneath them and the vocals begin to tie the narrative arc of the EPs together with their disassociated lyrics.

'Less Than' is a fairly typical NIN track to kick off the EP, a little retro synth lead, that classic guitar sound and vocal delivery that categorises recent output, balancing the subtle harsher elements with an upbeat and pleasing rhythm. 'The Lovers' has a more minimal vibe reminiscent of How To Destroy Angels, with a simple and rhythmic melody, a little piano and Reznor's distant spoken vocal it has an air of 'The Fragile' about it's atmosphere.

'This Isn't The Place' carries on that feeling, though with a more sinister atmosphere present throughout, that fades nicely into the low-fi rock of 'Not Anymore' with its “quiet-loud” construction that is the most obvious musical link to the previous EP. Finally, 'The Background World' ties the EP together with a sinister grooving track that nicely blends the melodic synths with the dirty guitars that gradually build into a wall of distortion.

Production-wise the EP walks a fine line between the top-shelf polish of the likes of 'Hesitation Marks' and the low-fi grit of 'Not The Actual Events'. It does tend to go one way or the other and never quite settles on an optimum balance, but that doesn't affect the overall feel of the EP.

'Add Violence' perhaps defaults back to some safer territory for Reznor and Ross after the dissonant noise of 'Not The Actual Events'. It still feels experimental, as though they are continuing to exorcise their sonic demons. But this time around, more so than the last, it feels like these were originally destined for other things, but have been reworked and re-imagined to fit this narrative. It's certainly a good EP, recognisably NIN and utilising some tried and tested set pieces, but still an infectious listen. It just raises more questions about the final instalment of the trilogy and how that will tie everything together.  

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Editorial: July, 2017

It's that time again, where we announce that we are opening expressions of interest for our next 'Blood Pack' compilation album!

That's right, on the 1^st January 2018 we'll be unleashing another free download compilation in the form of 'Blood Pack Vol.5'. So far the donation method for the latest album has raised nearly £100 which as been donated to DKMS, a UK charity that fights blood cancer. It's a good start but I know you're all very generous and wouldn't disagree if we were to say that the next compilation should also go to raising money for this great charity.

If you don't want to donate, that's fine too, but with 200 free downloads gone in just the first couple of days after 'Vol. 4' was released it seems like a great opportunity to raise some cash for a good cause.

Next month, as usual, I will unveil the cover art for the next compilation and send invitations out to bands/labels who may be interested in contributing a track. We'll also have open applications from September onwards so we can make this another nice big release.

If you're a band and considering donating a track and are wondering what's in it for you? First of all it is free – there is no cover charge to be on the compilation as it is a download and we're giving it away for free! We make sure every release comes with an A4 PDF brochure containing band biographies as well as relevant hyperlinks that will take people straight to your web pages. We're happy to feature new blood as well as established acts and all submissions will be considered based on their individual merit rather than whether they are well known or not.

So far we have featured a range of acts covering a wide variety of genres including Attrition, Be My Enemy, Aeon Sable, Ultraviolence, Noir, Bestial Mouths, Near Earth Orbit, Cease2xist, Ego Likeness, I††, Adoration Destroyed, Three Winters, Grypt, Petrol Bastard, ѦPѺLLYѺN'S ▼ISѦGE, Ca†hedra, Human Traffic, plus many more bands.

Sound good? So what will we need?

First of all, we'll need your track as a WAV file. We're ideally looking for something exclusive or new – it could be in the form of an unreleased song, demo, a remix, or live track etc. We'll then need a 200 word biography, your links and written permission to use the track and that's it!

General submissions will be open from September with a cut-off date to get the tracks and info to us by the end of November. Advanced copies of the compilation will go out to all contributors around Christmas, and we will also make copies available to radio shows/podcasters interested in plugging the release, with the general release being made available through our bandcamp for 1st January 2018.

Be sure to keep an eye out for editorials over the next couple of months with more details. But in the meantime, if you are interested, please email us and we'll add you to our contact list!

Finally, if you haven't already got them, go get our three download compilations FOR FREE from out bandcamp – so much free music! What the hell are you waiting for?!

And as always make sure you have these links in your favourites:

http://www.intravenousmag.co.uk

http://ivmagzine.tumblr.com/

https://twitter.com/IntravenousMag

http://www.facebook.com/IVMagazine

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Discourses on Westeros

With the much-anticipated 7^th season of Game of Thrones about to begin it may be an opportune time to review what the events in Westeros have come to represent, and what they mean. What can we learn from the struggle for the Iron Throne and the conflict between the characters and realms it causes?

The first thing to note about the world of the Westerosi is that life is complicated. Politics, not in terms of grand ideologies or narratives of state but in terms of the endless micro-politics of feud, bargain and vendetta, is the real subject of Game of Thrones. With few real differences in worldview or philosophy between the Kingdoms life takes on the nature of an endless battle for supremacy or survival, as the interlocking rivalries constantly revolve and interchange.

This lack of clarity in purpose locks the characters in some kind of omnipresent moral fog. It's striking, especially on repeated viewings, how the characters begin the series nearly all suffering under some kind of misapprehension; all misunderstanding each others motives or keeping some secret so that they are all incapable of seeing each other straight. It's not until later in the series do we even begin to understand what really caused events to unfold as they did. Throughout the narrative characters are unaware of what is being said or done by others at the same time, almost as if a constellation of planets was orbiting as-yet-unseen celestial body.

The actual bread-and-butter of politics in the series deals with the realities of government. Ruling is a complicated business that entails building coalitions of support, a great deal of horsetrading, and no little bloodshed. Without this hegemony and the force to back it up, Kings are vulnerable to be deposed. The Mad King's brutality saw him lose allies until he eventually made a coalition opposing him a political necessity, as well as a reality. Robert Baratheon, despite having no claim to the throne, nonetheless wins it. The Lannisters have to continually align themselves with rival houses to peel off some of the opposing forces against them, but even they slowly alienate their supporters and become isolated. The Houses effectively operate as political parties do, garnering and consolidating their support. The layers of legitimate force are also complicated, with the King, the City and the Houses all having their own separate militia. To survive and rule in this world you have to be flexible, lithe, and probably morally corrupt.

The key exemplars of this realpolitik tend to be the most morally bereft and brutal – Tywin Lannister, Roose Bolton, Walder Frey, Cersei. Those characters who try to self-consciously demonstrate a moral rectitude – Eddard Stark, Jon Snow, Daenerys – all suffer for this to varying degrees and ultimately all have to face the fact that the mathematics of political reality still apply to them. Jon's attempts to effectively ride two horses at the same time, performing the greater good and shoring up his support in the Night's Watch, proves futile. Ned Stark discovers that people are much more complicated than he can imagine, and being a man of honour he can't imagine how complicated they really are.

The key event in the series is actually a depressingly modern event – a (literal) palace coup, at a moment of political crisis caused by King Robert's assassination. As such the Lannisters maintain power through a variety of measures which slowly hollow out the integrity of the institutions of state. Their decreasing circle of power throughout the series is in direct correlation to the amount of arbitrary violence that the Lannisters are prepared to use, most spectacularly being the bombing of the Sept of Baelor at the end of season 6. What else can Cersei do to maintain her grip on power after that? What isn't she prepared to do?

Issues of federalism and independence naturally arise. The North wishes to make it ungovernable but ultimately has to contend itself to being a vassal. Life under occupation or as a neo-colonial client state is brutal and hopeless. Those kingdoms that attempt to maintain their autonomy or neutrality, such as the Vale, simply become embroiled in a greater game. Both independence and neutrality appear to be illusory, as it is practically impossible to prevent outside influence corrupting whatever dreams of nationhood that the Kingdoms may have.

Outside the arena of conflict some attempt to maintain a constant opposition. The wildlings are an obvious example, being marked as literally 'beyond' or 'outside' the political arena and whose inability to submit limits their ability to influence events. The Iron Islands have to contend themselves with a kind of nihilistic doomed rebellion, never able to succeed in making a mark on the world and always prone to bloody and inevitable defeat.

The introduction of a supernatural element in the series presents a method where the oppressed and the outsiders are given a kind of deus ex machina to switch the odds. The dragons, previously the vanguard of Targaryen oppression, become the vanguard for the liberation of the slaves. The Lord of Light gives the Brotherhood Without Banners the power of resurrection, and brings Jon Snow back from the dead. The religion of the slaves has teeth. But when spirituality is used for political ends, either by Cersei or by Stannis, it proves to be both authoritarian and disastrous. The Faceless Men also represent a failed liberation narrative – ostensibly disciples of the religion of the oppressed, now merely a guild of assassins bought by coin and inevitably being used for the advancement of oppressive ends.

The sweep of the story is beginning to take on an emancipatory arc, as the Mother of Dragons & Breaker of Chains returns to Westeros after leaving a trail of liberation in her wake. The idea of a 'white saviour' bringing freedom to black slaves is inherently problematic, although some effort has been made to give the liberated a voice in Daenerys' actions. How will the 'rainbow coalition' of warriors, freed slaves, mercenaries and Greyjoy deserters maintain their unity in their new role as conquerors?

Whether there is any actual development towards democracy or liberation in Westeros is open to conjecture, but one thing is for sure – the world of the Westerosi is bound to stay as Machiavellian as ever.

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Interview: Blac Kolor

Black is no color...

"I do not need to make money off my music to live and that is a crucial issue for me. Automatically when that becomes the case you are under rules and pressure it pushes you towards the audience and pushes you in the direction of house music or simple techno music, so that you are present and noticed just to gain wealth." 

I came across the project back in 2014, through the feed of Soundcloud. If minimal were to get seduced with the industrial noise of despair bled into it, from a Frequency Hell this was it. Blac Kolor is a one man performance. Based in Leipzig and rooting it’s entrance into the scene from Basic Unit productions of Daniel Myer & Dejan Samardzic, it is now a fully living project that has grown to a broader audience.

This June at Wave Gotik Treffen in Leipzig, Blac Kolor reigned over. Unleashing a blast of modern distortion, laced with violent pitches and noise to its spectators, at the Altes Landratsamt.

Blac Kolor: It was always my goal to find my own sound. I would produce some stuff. Though if I realise it is coming close to another artist or begins to turn cliché, it is torched. So over the past years I have found my own type of sound, which is for me diverse. Some say its industrial techno, however for me I cannot put a genre on it. What I realise when I produce stuff, it can go in alternate directions as no plan for a production is made. So if it deviates and goes down an alternative path, I have to live with the result.

There are some calmed down 100bpm tracks, by the same token 130bpm at the techno side of the spectrum. At the end of the day what is in my mood will make the sound. From a time perspective the noise is looked at over a long term slot; I judge the project after a couple of years and look back and say OK this is my sound. It all started with Basic Unit, with the connection with Dejan and Daniel. We developed the 'Frost' compilation and did some shows with all the Basic Unit artists.

Intravenous Magazine: Do you then see your path going in a different direction with maybe the restriction of not being independent having an effect?

BK: To be honest I don’t give a shit about that.  I do not need to make money off my music to live and that is a crucial issue for me. Automatically when that becomes the case you are under rules and pressure; it pushes you towards the audience and pushes you in the direction of house music or simple techno music, so that you are present and noticed just to gain wealth. I’m lucky enough to have my own company and so everything is cool. So I call this project black zero, and in a few years I’ll come back, maybe look at the books and see if I broke even! If the music leads in I direction it was mine and not in the hunt for profit.

For me similarity is terrible, and if I see similarities with other artists that bores me and I have to look somewhere else to redefine my patented noise.

IVM: What was it like back in the time of your first work 'Range', I remember when it came out it was pretty mad noise mix at the time.

BK: Back then I would publish random bits on sound cloud, and I would always send stuff over to Daniel. He still is my harshest critic. Then I sent over the song 'Range' and his response was, "we need to release that on Basic Unit". So we put together the EP and produced some stuff particularly for it. Then at this point I knew I had to get serious with the environment.

IVM: From your real work is there a large contrast between the two?

BK: Well we are a creative agency / think-tank, we do also animation and sound production; so there is a link . However it is really a different territory. It fills the fridge and I’m happy with being self-employed for twelve years now. Then there’s the family. So when these two are satisfied, then comes the time that I’m sitting in the studio making music. I think that is a comfortable feeling of priority for everything.

IVM: What did the 2016 release of 'Born In Ruins' bring?

BK: With 'Born In Ruins' we gained a broader audience, especially in America where I then toured in 2016. We did two shows in LA & Phoenix, and the feedback from the attendance saw how the Blac Kolor fan base had grown.

IVM: How difficult was it entering the US market?

BK: The distribution was easy, because of Daniel as he quite well connected to all the promoters in the US. So my work went directly on promotional purposes to them, and once it was Daniel who had sent it out, enough said. If you are well established with the promoters then it is very good multiplier in your reach. What was very interesting was I had obtained some die-hard fans. I realised at my gig in Phoenix when a guy brought my vinyl into the club. OK buying vinyl is one thing, but actually transporting & bringing it into the club, is a completely different thing!

IVM: Is there anything you don’t like about Blac Kolor at the moment?

BK: Being a creative person sometimes you have to deal with continuous dissatisfaction with everything you do. It’s more that you become bored very easily with yourself after the achievement has been reached. That behaviour from time to time pisses me off; as you should really enjoy the success and lie back. However that is but a dream and I have to push on.

IVM: Do you think that you need the juice?

BK: Yes it’s the petrol for my engine, but anything I really dislike right now?? I want more! (Laughs) but really I’m a lucky guy all round.

IVM: Have you got any favourite musical weapon in your arsenal?

BK: At the moment... Over the years I built up quite a few things I started off with a micro Korg. I love it still, though at the moment there are two gadgets I cannot live without. Octatrack from Elektron. The learning curve is very flat, as the workflow difficult, however the sound is amazing! Though the thing that really blows my mind is Toraiz AS-1 from Pioneer,. I come from a DJ background and since pioneer have started doing analogue synthesizers, with Dave Smith; I really dig that shit, and all my new stuff is going over it.

IVM: Is there any gear that pisses you off that you need?

BK: It’s an Elektron Analog Heat which is, I think the best distortion unit you can get, though it’s buggy, unreliable and doesn’t do what I expect it to do. But with analogue gear you have to just come to the realisation the gear will just do some shit you don’t want it to do.

IVM: Is there any artists here you are looking forward to seeing here at WGT?

BK: Hypnoskull; I really appreciate Codex Empire and today I look forward to Klangstabil. But after so many WGTs, I really just let it flow.

Interviewed by: Dominic Lynch aka DJ LX-E

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Wave Gotik Treffen – The Review // 26th

Back to the place breaths German avant-garde meets USSR. Leipzig is an alluring city, split between both worlds. If it is not the beautiful Baroque architecture that has your skin smelting in awe to your trad-Goth fabrics. It shall be the sheer scale of the soviet era buildings that dwarf many sectors of the city. These are a portion of the venues that will play host to the largest festival for the Goth sub-culture.

Residing in the same place as last year. Multitasking Frühstück & bathing, as the kitchen acts as the bathroom. Gas mask showers and coffee go are hand in hand. I would recommend house sharing. It is a lot of fun, and I believe the best way to experience the festival. The locals are very welcoming of the event, as it has become an acceptance from an economic, to a fun point of view.

Friday

Emerging from the label of Base Unit and Leipzig. Blac Kolor has been a fantastic emergence in connecting the alternative world to techno. Bringing the noise to Haus Leipzig the one-man act, did not disappoint. Distorting visuals and elementary bass pleased the crowd on the 1st day of WGT. Daniel Myer’s Bass Unit productions dominated Altes Landratsamt on day one. Mentionable acts of rendered and Hypnoskull.

Day one in the agra had the clean-cut EBM of Pouppee Fabrik, heavy noise from the old skool gang. Agra this year turned out to be the venue of disappointment. The bands were great, but it was either the quality of the sound equipment or the setup. Regardless the sound quality really underperformed this year.

The Swedish project of Ordo Rosarius Equilibrio bestowed me with the highest performance in the grandeur of the DDR that is the Volkspalast Kuppelhalle. The project had to work with the acoustics of the audio tough but aesthetically pleasing centre stage. The vocals of Tomas Pettersson & Rose-Marie Larsen wrapped the martial industrial jolts, with the fear silence and death of neofolk, the end was made with the appearance of Spiritual Front’s ‘Hellvis’ for ‘Your Sex is The Scar’.

On Saturday evening the venue plays host to ‘The Obsession Bizarre’; which embroils leather & latex. A trusty combination that will see you additionally queuing and sweltering. Indeed very nice performances, yet the greatest advantage to my eye is being able to dress as an elegant slut on a warm June evening, whilst hearing tears of electronic bass vibrate through your neck. However, the toys to play with are not worth the waiting time. Opinion; kinky posing…  LX-E’s Recommendations prior to attending is to have a glass of cold Valt Vodka.  Also, to be noted WGT is a Goth event and dressing like an elegant slut is generally accepted the whole time. Obsession Bizarre is a moment for bass hunting vibrations up your skin in well tight fabric. 

Saturday

‘Too Dead to Die’, brought the murder to the dancefloor, at the Moritz Bastei. The band’s light synth is complimented with snappy rhythm and lyrics. The venue remains one of my favourite pit stops around early afternoon. Good shielding from the sun, if you go into the underbelly with good sized portions of recovery USSR food with good quality. To the top, you have the small medieval village, to replenish your Met supplies!

Later Autodaef, brought there EBM into the earth, as aggressive noise bled into the stone walls of the underground venue.

The scene was set at the Volkspalast Kuppelhalle, as obsession bizarre kicked off. As always, the venue is over-flooded with attendees, however let it later pan out, at around 2am, and it is transformed into a lighter atmosphere. Where you may dance and sweat to some great playlists.

Sabbath

The battery acid of the prior night had done its job in the muscles, and the additional tanz-sweat exfoliation to the skin… Priceless. However, this was not a morning for sitting around. Back for some more Met, and we’re off!

EBM/Electronica day is always Sunday. Taking a winding tram route to the east side to the Kohlrabizirkus. The Swedish duo of ‘Red:Cell’ came with a modern synth style. The audio clarity was impeccable. 

Getting a move on, back on Strassenbahn route, we hit the next venue and brought the cold dark synth of Cryo. Another Swedish artist, they are known for their melancholic, no hope noises. Inside the Stadtbad, the duo unleashed a live performance with LED microphone stands, dark visuals and Guantanamo Bay costumes. 

Point of interest, the Stadtbad toilets shall take you into a different world!

The Devil and the Universe pulled the Altes Landratsamt into the dungeons of the sinful goat. However, the goat began by cursing the stage as the wheels of the portable boxes were left unlocked and went merrily down between the photographers and the stage. Yet the show persisted on and the devils visuals and echoes of hard base, had the crowd in submission.

After a refresh and a spot of dinner, Haus Leipzig became the last port of call. The ‘Dunkelromantischer Tanz’ never disappoints, as the large stage, encompasses a ballet of well-dressed ladies and gentlemen of the night, as they perform their ballet, with a hint of drink.

Monday – Classical Aftermath

Closing the window shutters to shield from all-natural light, and those baths where they were all for nothing, the only God today was coffee. However, one last big leap into the black unknown we do.

To stay safe; the Heidnisches Dorf and Agra, are the havens. The medieval village acted as perfect recovery. Serving flesh and Met, the combination hugged the stomach like an animal finding water in the desert. 

The Heidnisches Dorf stage, takes on myth, folk and Viking type musical taste. The rough corners and mud suited perfectly. As a recovery began, ‘Andydra’ gave homage as the ethereal music brought heaven to the ears.

As the shop owners at the Agra begin disassembling the stages and the wind down happened, Eis Fabrik, made their sound on the main stage, breathing an artic wind over the hall, with their winter visuals and industrial winter.

Stay tuned for announcements on the 27th Wave gothic Treffen 2018.

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Review: Boris – 'Dear'

BORIS
'Dear'
SARGENT HOUSE RECORDINGS

Celebrating 25 years of amplifier worship, Japan's Boris celebrate with full-length studio album number 24 (not counting the thirteen collaboration albums, multiple EPs and other releases). The prolific trio have amassed one of the most impressive discography's in experimental rock/metal. Ranging from cavernous drone-doom to spaced out psychedelia, and a whole host of brilliant collaborations, every release seems to upend any attempt at pre-conceived ideas of its content.

Brilliantly original, often confrontational, and always marching to the beat of their own drum, Boris are a prolific group in the avant garde world and the recent celebrations of their breakthrough album 'Pink' see the band in nostalgic mode. Returning to their drone-doom roots the album is a monolithic slab of feedback, noise electronics, wrenching vocals and claustrophobic atmospheres reminiscent of their first three studio albums.

Tracks such as 'D.O.W.N – Domination of Waiting', 'DEADSONG', 'Absolutego' (not to be confused with their 1996 release), 'Kagero', 'The Power', 'Distopia – Vanishing Point', and 'Dear' perfectly reflect that primordial sound, but with a more modern twist. The band have grown up and experimented with many different styles that manage to seep into the tracks at various points juxtaposing melody and dissonance, drone and rhythm, ambience and noise with a masterful hand.

Even at it's most grating and noisy, the band can inject melody and beauty and the production reflects this nicely. The album ebbs and flows like a classical piece with discord erupting and fading away surrounding more delicate textures but not overpowering them. Its a balance many struggle with and ultimately hide behind walls of distortion and reverb. But not Boris, they are veterans and it shows.

Fans of old school drone Boris will get a kick out of the brutality of this record, but it will not alienate fans of their more psychedelic side. It is a Boris that continues to innovate and evolve, even when looking backwards. When a band's form is as fluid as theirs it's hard to say this is a return to any one sound, but it is nostalgic to a degree yet thoroughly individual. But in any case, it is another fantastic offering from the band.  

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Review: The Dreaming – 'From The Ashes'

THE DREAMING
'From The Ashes'
METROPOLIS RECORDS

The second outing on Metropolis Records from the former Stabbing Westward team, 'From The Ashes' sees the band continue to evolve beyond their past with this remix companion to their 2015 album 'Rise Again'. Offering up harder industrial and club-orientated versions of the strongest cuts from the previous album it hints at numerous possible directions the band's next outing could take them.

Two years on from their last album is a bit of a gap for a companion/stop-gap release such as this, and it would have been nice to have a couple of new tracks one here to give it a little more selling points. Nevertheless this album is a totally in-house affair and the remixes in some cases actually trump the originals, so hopefully this will mean the next album will be somewhat informed by the work going on here.

Tracks such as 'Alone (ReAmped RMX)', 'Blink Of An Eye (Big Sky RMX)', 'Afraid (Vapor RMX)', 'Throw It All Away (Red Ox RMX)', and 'Rise Again (All Nite Diner RMX)', balance club-friendly industrial electronics with the band's trademark industrial rock style quite nicely, not sounding too far one way or the other. It's a nice balance that refreshes their material, but it isn't always successful. Some offerings such as 'Painkillers (2 Drink Minimum RMX)', 'Still Believe (Donut Shop RMX)', and 'Destroy (Tuf Luv RMX)' just sound ridiculously overblown and contrived.

The production is pretty solid for the most part, but at the band's most indulgent there are times where the vocals are swamped by the sheer amount of stuff going on in the mix. It's not the most well-rounded sounding albums but when it works, it works pretty well.

This is perhaps one of those albums that could have been condensed into an EP, or even been opened up to other collaborators to inject some stylistic variations to proceedings. Certainly the lack of new material is to its detriment, but overall there are some great remixes that will extend the album's dance floor reach further. Hopefully the next full-length studio album will drop sooner rather than later and the band can build on that momentum.  

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Review: The Birthday Massacre – 'Under Your Spell'

THE BIRTHDAY MASSACRE

'Under Your Spell'

METROPOLIS RECORDS

Canadian darkwave band The Birthday Massacre have proved themselves once again with an amazing record. June 9th was the day that 'Under Your Spell,' the newest album from the Toronto-based group, saw the light, showing a more poetic side of these guys and that there are still many songs to be written.

The record starts with 'One', a childish yet sinister track, which recovers the magic from their previous master piece 'Happy Birthday' but mixing it with the experience and solid structure that identifies the band nowadays and the calming voice of vocalist, Chibi. Works perfectly as the opening for the album.

With the same style, a combination of soft rock and dark enchant, the band explores different sides of such a complex feeling as love, creating addictive songs like 'All of Nothing' and 'Without You', before the wildness of 'Counterpane'; TBM should highly consider doing a music video for this one, just saying.

The band also gravitates into a more electronic-based proposal with, 'Unkind', 'The Lowest Low' and 'Games', using metaphors to describe the ups and downs of an unhealthy relationship where feelings are one-sided, receiving just silence as a response. You could even say that there’s a romantic touch in the loneliness described, in both lyrics and music.

This disc wouldn’t be complete without a the darkest and creepiest song the band could have written, 'No tomorrow', which draws a way right to a nightmarish horror movie. Could be also considered as a spiritual sequel to 'Destroya', from their previous album, 'Superstition.'

Finally, to the best style of the songs for a film’s credits sequence, 'Endless' presents a more pop side of the band, recurring to the aesthetics of 'Walking With Strangers,' but always keeping their new voice and sound on top to give a retro, 80s-like sound that makes the listener travel back in time.

Although some might have expected a heavy record, 'Under Your Spell' bends together the best of the past with the freshest face of The Birthday Massacre, creating  a real experience that feels like you were swimming in a black ocean. Memorable. One of the best products this band has released so far.

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Review: Pig – 'Prey & Obey'

PIG
'Prey & Obey'
METROPOLIS RECORDS

Raymond Watts, the Lord of Lard, is just the gift that keeps on giving these days. After such a long time out in the wilderness it's great to see a return to frantic productivity giving long-time fans another hot meat injection and converting new ones with his porky perversions. The latest release in the current swine cycle is the heavy and rousing 'Prey & Obey' digital EP.

The heavy chant-a-long nature of the title track kicks things off in grandiose style with the characteristic guitar and pounding beat assault combined with subtle classical nods that never fails to get the blood pumping. 'The Revelation' follows up with a nostalgic trip back to his heaviest past collaborations with a KMFDM-style riff and growled vocals turning things up to eleven with Watts' indomitable panache. Finally, 'The Cult Of Chaos' continues down the same path laid out by its predecessors with another hard hitting lesson in proper industrial rock.

The EP is rounded off with three remixes courtesy of Leaether Strip and fellow Pig compatriots Z. Marr and En Esch. Each of which add some classic madness to the originals showing off the playfully demented side of the Pig sound in all of its glory.

Coming in at over 30 minutes this is a nice and hefty EP, and featuring not one, not two, but three original tracks is a nice change of pace considering most bands will pack an EP with one original track, one album track and a couple of remixes for the sake of it. This doesn't feel like a stop-gap release. It may be digital only but the three new tracks a just as strong as anything else featured on 'The Gospel', the production doesn't feel rushed through and even the remixes featured are very different to their sources so don't feel tacked on.

'Prey & Obey' is another great release from Watts & co. He plays with nostalgia and the expectations of the Pig sound, but still manages to create a strong, fresh and original tracks that can still knock your socks off.   

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