Editorial: July, 2015

What's in a name?

I've just read an interesting interview with Dez Fafara of Coal Chamber, whose live show I reviewed recently. One of the topics that came up was of course that now much derided label “Nu Metal”. Well as genre classifications tend to attract a lot of heated opinions it was interesting to read his thoughts on how the second wave of “Nu Metal” bands did for the genre as the second wave of “Grunge” bands did for the Seattle scene. But after all of it he doesn't mind the label anymore than is post Coal Chamber band Devildriver being tagged as "Groove Metal". It's a story that has been repeated ad nauseum throughout the history of music. It happened with pretty much every genre at one point or another.

But the truth is everyone likes something new to jump on board with. Everyone seems to want to be on the ground floor of the next fad. And that's always going to be the case. The reaction when everyone realises that suddenly the genre has been watered down by record companies wanting to cash in with dull derivative acts whose albums you may or may not have bought (I'll hold my hands up to owning a few Limp Bizkit albums at one time) is often disproportional and directly linked to the next genre gaining momentum. As a fan that creates what I call “the guilty gap” where it seems where people treat certain acts that they once invested a lot of their time and emotions in as their guilty pleasures to be played at night, in the dark, or relegated to the mp3 player. Which seems strange, because if it is something personal to you, you shouldn't have to hide your love for it. It may be “uncool” but fuck it, the reason you're into alternative music is because you're uncool.

Every new generation has it's gateway genre as well. That one that everybody over or under the ages of 13-18 just don't seem to get. After “Nu Metal” it was “Emo” and so it goes on. But if that's what opens the next generation up to the scene, fair play.

But going back to the example of “Nu Metal” look at the bands it spawned; Slipknot, Korn, System Of A Down, Deftones are all still around and selling millions of albums. Static-X may be sadly gone but not after becoming an influential act in their own right. Now Coal Chamber may have come back after a decade away but I've not been to a metal club in that all that time that hasn't at least spun 'Loco' once a night. And the label seems safe and sanitised for use once more.

The truth is good music, and talent endure. And eventually people learn to love their genres. It's a testament to those bands who, even if their mainstream success wanes, can still carry on, preserve their legacy and deliver to the fans. Originality, innovation and passion are what count and those are the bands that endure the storm.

Right, now that rambling train of thought is over finally, it's time for the usual compilation plug. First of all, don't forget we're looking for bands for the next compilation. Secondly you can still download the previous albums on out bandcamp page for free!

Once again, 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

Read More

Review: Attrition – 'Millions Of The Mouthless Dead'

ATTRITION
'Millions Of The Mouthless Dead'
A TWO GODS PRODUCTION / ULTRA MAIL PRODUCTIONS

Martin Bowes of Attrition is a prolific artist in a very literal sense. His 30-plus year discography is expansive by anyone's standards, and he continues to release multiple albums, collaborations and remixes per year as well as working as a producer and engineer. His latest work is perhaps his most poignant and powerful to date.

 “June 1917. Ypres. Flanders. Belgium.Private William Bowes of the West Yorks Regiment, British Expeditionary Force was hit by a German shell while out working on trench defences’He suffered a severe stomach wound.Rescued by stretcher-bearers, his life was saved by Canadian army medics in a front line field hospital.He was repatriated to England where he stayed and recuperated for the remainder of the Great War…William Bowes was my Grandfather.”

Inspired by his grandfather's role in the first world war Bowes has enlisted the help of pioneering artist and musician Anni Hogan, as well as a guest appearance from ex-Kraftwerk hand Wolfgang Flür to explore his personal connection to the conflict. The result blends Bowes' dark ambient industrial soundscapes with Hogan's chilling piano with powerful readings of war poetry in various languages.

Mechanical noises, chilling pianos, strings and ambient electronics combine to create bleak and nightmarish soundscapes to evoke the wholesale horror and destruction of the war. Tracks such as 'Divine Providence', 'Mincing Machine', 'Shell Shock', and 'The Mouthless Dead' cutting deep with a balance of noise and dark ambience for chilling effect.

These are counterpointed by the avant garde approaches of pieces such as 'Into Cleanness Leaping', 'Heimatschluss', 'A Madman's Flash – As Quiet As', 'A Madman's Flash – All The Mad Men', and 'A Madman's Flash – Krieg' which frame spoken word readings with haunting piano and atmospheric synthesizers for an affecting listening experience.

The production is of course up to Bowes' usual high standards with a fine balance between ambient and noise running throughout that creates an unnerving and oppressive atmosphere throughout. Yet it is very accessible. It has been made to be heard as much as it has been made to evoke the horror of the war, and it does both very well.

Along with Einstürzende Neubauten's recent album 'Lament', 'Millions Of the Mouthless Dead' is one of the most powerful albums about the First World War to date. It is dark, chilling, and compelling. But best of all it is effective. With the war only recently out of living memory, the centenary years of 2014-18 take on a particular significance that is reflected in the album.

Read More

Review: AlterRed – 'In The Land Of The Blind'

ALTERRED
'In The Land Of The Blind'
WTII RECORDS

The electro-creeps return with their fourth full-length studio in the form of 'In The Land Of The Blind'. London's AlterRed have been pushing their own brand of dark cabaret infused electro-rock for a few years now with albums such as 'Mind-Forged Manacles', 'Dollstown', and 'The Time It Takes To Smile' earning them critical acclaim while their theatrical live shows have earned them respectable reputation as band that always delivers.

The conceptual story arc of the first three albums may have reached its conclusion on the last album, but them new songs are not short of a sense of narrative in their own right as Mikey's lyrics and compelling vocal performance drive the album. Musically however 'In The Land Of The Blind' feels much harder and darker than anything the band have produced so far. The guitars are turned up, the tempos are faster, and the combination of beats and synths is just a bit more ferocious than usual in a way that almost harks back to Mikey's pre-Alterred project D.U.S.T.

Songs such as 'I Breath You', 'Trepanning', 'Click', 'Love Like Vanity', and 'Unpopulism' give the album a hard rocking backbone that will undoubtedly see plenty of club exposure as well as injecting a different dynamic into their live shows. However, the band can still bring out that deliciously demented avant garde edge that makes them so endearing with tracks like 'Become...', 'The Wraith', 'Run And Hide', and 'Nameless' adding a hint of madness to the proceedings. While the title track, which closes the album, brings both sides of together nicely to round things off.

The album is once again nicely mixed and produced. It has a minimal and modern feel that is heavy on atmosphere, but keeps the bass, guitar and vocals nice and high in the mix to keep that body-grooving element at the fore throughout.

Once again AlterRed show that they are a force to be reckoned with, and any doubts about their direction following the close of their conceptual trilogy has been firmly put to rest with 'In The Land Of The Blind'. The album is dark, powerful, and fresh, but keeps plenty of the quirkiness that has helped define them over their previous outings. It is a strong move forward that sees the band continue to evolve their sound and seem all the stronger for it.  

Read More

Review: Trepaneringsritualen - 'Veil The World'

TREPANERINGSRITUALEN 
'Veil The World' 
COLD SPRING RECORDS 

'Veil The World'... Seeing as space-time is but the Veil of Maya, they draw a veil over the Veil of Illusion like a cosmic Christo wrapping the All in pink fabric as an artistic statement. This is the Id clawing up the bunker wall, seeking purchase and a way out. The atmosphere is claustrophobic, or rather, claustrophilic. Enter the ritual and open up to the consciousness of the cold, dispassionate cosmos through the fresh hole in the prison that is your skull. Opening proceedings is 'Cherem', which means shunning or excommunication. The stage of the opening of the eyes in a shamanic sense that requires being rejected by the herd. This is the left hand path, vision that sees beyond social conditioning and obligation. To begin upon the path one must become as a shadow to the world of mammon and illusion. This track takes the appropriate form of a drone and an obscure recitation.

There is something refreshing in the old school industrial beat and distorto-vox of the title track. A minimal number of sonic elements, the vocals panned left and right in a looping litany come together to re-tune the listener's brain waves. Now, skull open to thee 'Aethyrs', neural activity attuned, it's on to the elevator to 'Avgrunden', which could well be a simple field recording of the elevator ride to the abyss. Once there we come face to face with the 'Lightbringer'. Breathe in his malevolence and sway to his pulse in a tonglen meditation of doom. Upon exhalation you take the cup, get 'Drunk With Blood'. Now you may put your questions of life, death and eternity before the council of the dead. But through the process of 'Nekyia', there will be no returning to this world with the answers. You will emerge in the next universe over in a new form.

'Akeldama', the Field Of Blood, here is from whence we hear the sound of Judas Iscariot spilling his innards in the clay. That clay was later dug up and taken away to make sarcophagi for the faithful dead. According to Acts, Akeldama was bought by Judas with his 30 pieces of silver, though according to the gospel of Matthew, Judas returned the money and it was used to buy the field of Akeldama to be used as a necropolis for foreigners. The blood in the field is in a theological quantum state, sangre de Shrödinger, simultaneously blood of Judas and blood of the Lamb, until it is drunk and transubstantiated to one or the other. Trepaneringsritualen conduct a ritual reliving of this duality of pain.

Trepaneringsritualen's cover of Death In June's pomo nod & wink totalitarianan chant 'C'est Un Reve' seems less to pose the question Où est Klaus Barbie but more like it answers the question Où est Jonathan Briley, or at least the spirit of Jonathan Briley. Much of the aesthetic of Trepaneringsritualen evokes the filthy art of early industrial, and this track brings to mind Mr. Briley's pre-Sleep Chamber tape experiments. Où est Malibu Barbie? Où est G.I. Joe? Liberté - C'est un rêve. One can't read an artist's mind when listening to an album, but the placement of this cover after all the occult and spiritual references that preceded this track acts like a coda depicting the fruitlessness and banal evil that can be made possible only by those who stayed put within the confines of society.

Read More

Review: Velvet Acid Christ – 'Dire Land (The Remix Album)'

VELVET ACID CHRIST
'Dire Land (The Remix Album)'
METROPOLIS RECORDS

Velvet Acid Christ the musical vehicle of Bryan Erickson should need no introduction. Having spent over 20 years blending industrial, ebm, trip-hop, and trance into pioneering albums such as 'Church Of Acid', 'Fun With Knives', and 'Twisted Thought Generator' spawning a host of club orientated classics in the process.

2015 sees Erickson return with the remix album 'Dire Lands' which sees guests such as God Module, Decoded Feed Back, Dead When I Found Her, Assemblage 23, Dead Hand Project, and Controlled Collapse add their spin to cuts from the previous two VAC albums 'Maldire' and 'Subconscious Landscapes'. But that's not all as the album goes beyond the usual remix fare to include a couple of extra treats in the form of remakes of 'Sex Disease' and 'Even Now' along with a new mix of 'Lust' and a cover of Dead Milkmen’s 'Big Time Operator' featuring Rodney Anonymous.

The album as a whole preserves and enhances the club appeal of the original tracks with the contributions from Decoded Feedback, Assemblage 23, and Controlled Collapse. While the likes of 'Lust', 'Sex Disease', 'Big Time Operator', 'Even Now', and 'Dystvonya' add to the variety at work on the album. It is a diverse and satisfying track list that is dance heavy but also perfect for intimate listening.

The production is pretty consistent throughout the album. With the original tracks and the remixes emphasising different elements of the Velvet Acid Christ palette the album doesn't have a particularly uniform direction. But the final mix down and mastering keeps everything on the same page nicely.

As far as remix albums go this is a pretty solid one with a diverse range of approaches plus some not to be missed additions to keep things interesting. You could argue that it is one geared more towards the long-time fans of the band, but it is still a pretty decent primer and companion to those who have only recently become familiar with VAC.  

Read More

Review: Adimiron – 'Timelapse'

ADIMIRON
'Timelapse'
SCARLET RECORDS

Since 2004 Italian quintet Adimiron have forged their own brand of progressive orientated form of metal for several years on the continent. With three well received albums albums to their name, and a slew of high-profile international tour supports with the likes of Annihilator, Death Angel, Suffocation, Meshuggah, Sepultura, and Vader so far the band look set to break out from beyond their European stomping ground with the release of 'Timelapse', a collection of songs that combine technical wizardry and a strong avant garde streak running throughout.

From the onset of 'Timelapse' the band invoke influences from the likes of Tesserect, Gojira, and textures in particular with their blend of unhinged rhythmic structures and layers of irregular textures filtered through technically adept thrash-tinged metal.

Songs such as 'Collateral', 'The Giant And The Cow', 'Timelapse', 'The Burning Of Methuselah', and 'Ayahuasca' exemplify the best of the band's song writing skills as they combine brutal riffs and thunderous drums with strong melodies to create a rich, intelligent but most importantly accessible formula.

The album is mixed well and has a sleek modern production that recalls the likes of Dark Age, Fear Factory and Meshuggah to give it a visceral yet polished sound that maintains the balance of heavy and melodic elements nicely.

'Timelapse' is simply a bludgeoning beast of an album. It's fast, technically proficient and throws you plenty of curve balls to keep you guessing. It is a prime example of what can only be described as “thinking man's metal”. Sure it preserves the angst-ridden heavy riffs that thrash metal has fostered for the past thirty years. But their avant garde approach and progressive textures add so much more to the listening experience. Hopefully 'Timelapse' will prove to be the album that makes Adimiron a headlining band in their own right.  

Read More

Review: Neurotech – 'Stigma'

NEUROTECH
'Stigma'
SELF-RELEASED

Neurotech are unfortunately one of those bands that seem to slip under a lot of peoples radar. The Ljubljana based multi-instrumentalist Wulf, has been crafting strong albums that utilise elements of future pop, new age music, symphonic electronics and metal. The latest release, 'Stigma', marks the first full-length studio album since 2011's raucous 'The Antagonist' and it aims to make people sit up and take notice. Recalling in particular the work of Peter Tagtgren with his projects Pain, and to a certain extent Lindemann, Wulf presents a highly polished individualistic project.

The album opens bravely with the sumptuous futuristic instrumental title track before diving straight into more metal waters with 'Fear The Fear' that kicks the adrenalin up with hard guitars and blast beats over the lush electronic compositions. Tracks such as 'Of Adversity', 'Built To Last', 'Brighten', and 'Through Hardships' follow on giving the album a strong core of dance-friendly metal that will appeal to ndh fans in particular. The album's best offering though is the eleven-minute long future pop instrumental 'To Theta State' which closes the album. Once again it is a brave move but one that shows Wulf is someone who will do things his way.

The production is pretty good with a nice fresh and modern sound to the whole of the album. With each track getting a solid mix down, if save for one or two points where the vocals feel like they need to come through with a little more power behind them. But this isn't anything that greatly effects the listening experience.

Neurotech have created another strong album that is dance friendly enough for club play, but has the right amount of heaviness to give it a broader appeal amongst metal fans. It would be great to see this band with some promotional power behind it on their next release, but hopefully 'Stigma' will attract some much deserved attention.  

Read More

Review: Flash Bastard – 'Wild'

FLASH BASTARD
'Wild'
METROPOLIS RECORDS

Take some glammed-up pop punk, throw in a little rocky horror and sprinkle with post disco pop and you have the dizzyingly glittery sound of Flash Bastard. The Canadian, now based in Hollywood (of course) duo of Donal Finn and Pete Mills present their second album 'Wild' on Metropolis Records, the follow up to their 2011 début 'Rock 'N' Roll Must Be Destroyed'.

Where their début stuck pretty much to a straight forward blend of Meatloaf meets the New York Dolls with a hint of Motley Crue, 'Wild' expands on their sound with disco and synthpop electronics becoming more prominent in the mix to add an extra dance appeal.

The album is a playful pastiche of the musical excess of the 70s and 80s rolled up in the kind of annoyingly catchy sing-a-long presentation of acts such as Panic At The Disco, Sum 41, and Blink 182. Despite the band having a little more scope than the aforementioned bands, the album does suffer from the same kind of repetitiveness and forays into derivative song-writing that holds back an otherwise interesting idea.

There are a few moments of genuinely inspired song-writing such as the rocky horror flavours of 'Stutter On', 'Fractured', and 'Glitter Forever', as well as the hard rocking 'Frankenstein' proving to be the real stand-outs. Unfortunately though, the majority of the songs just doesn't quite realise their aspirations.

In terms of production it has all the spit and polish you'd come to expect from an act with mainstream success in its eye-line. But with it's overall pop façade and posturing, it just comes off as a bit plastic and disposable.

While there are some interesting flourishes on 'Wild', and some off the wall influences at work, the album as a whole doesn't really work. It undoubtedly will have mass appeal to a large cross-section of the pop punk audience. But it imitates a lot and innovates very little. There is definitely potential for some brilliant song-writing to shine through, but in the case of 'Wild' Flash bastard and all flash and no bang.  

Read More

Review: Beauty Queen Autopsy – 'Lotharia'

BEAUTY QUEEN AUTOPSY
'Lotharia'
UNDUSTRIAL RECORDS

The uniting of Unwoman's Erica Mulkey and Caustic's Matt Fanale promised to be something special from the very beginning. Having originally joined forces for a track on Fanale's 'The Golden Vagina Of Fame And Profit' back in 2011. 'Roughest Cuts' was the first material to surface under their official moniker of Beauty Queen Autopsy in late 2013 hinting at a stunning blend of electronic-heavy post punk and doomy pop.

Last year they followed it up with the EP 'Good, Giving, Game' which showcased a more polished presentation along with the brilliant cover of Placebo's 'Pure Morning'. Finally though 2015 sees the official unveiling of the anticipated full-length début from the pair in the form of 'Lotharia'.

Combining simple mechanical post-punk beats, minimalistic synthpop electronics, and prominently placing Mulkey's seductive post-grunge vocals high in the mix Beauty Queen Autopsy present a deceptively straight-forward but undeniably infectious formula that is both intimate and dance-friendly.

The album includes the familiar cuts from the previous EP and demo with 'Good, Giving, Game', 'Birthday Pony', and 'Lotharia' sounding strong in their final refined versions. While new tracks such as 'Spread', 'Contaminate Me (Dirty Thoughts)', 'Methadone', 'Pumps', and 'Petit Mort' continue to show the depth of the duo's song writing partnership with grunge, psychedelic, and trip-hop elements coming through to create a diverse palette of sounds.

The album has a wonderfully gritty 90s sound to it in so much as it evokes, the best elements of the Nothing Records, Wax Trax! and Warp Records catalogues of the era but maintains a modern dark sound that is both dark and strangely pop-friendly.

'Lotharia' is quite simply a wonderfully strong full-length début from the duo. One that should have people sitting up and taking notice if they haven't done so already. This a subtle, but varied album that leaves you hungry for more. If this offering is anything to go by, Beauty Queen Autopsy are going to be a name to watch over the next few years as they can only grow from here.  

Read More

Review: Ego Likeness – 'When The Wolves Return'

EGO LIKENESS
'When The Wolves Return'
METROPOLIS RECORDS

Ego Likeness marked their first outing with Metropolis Records with the release of their fourth full-length studio album, the excellent 'Breedless' back in 2010. The duo of Steven Archer and Donna Lynch have released a slew of impressive albums that blend sexy dancefloor beats with a darkwave rock core. But aside from some classic re-releases the band have been a bit quiet. Not that they have been away as they have continued to delight live audiences in their native USA. However a new studio release has felt long overdue. This year the band have answered with their fifth album, the aptly titled 'When The Wolves Return'.

The bands blend of dark danceable electronics and solid rock riffs framing Lynches seductive vocals remains intact. But as with all good bands they have continued to refine and polish their sound, culminating with a strong and wonderfully executed collection of songs.

The band's song writing talents are on full display on tracks such as 'Darkness', 'New Legion', 'Crossed', 'Persona Non Grata' and 'Treacherous Thing' which give the album a sexy dance-friendly backbone. While the likes of 'Leave The Light On, Thomas' and 'When The Wolves Return' bookend the track list with some of the most accomplished songs the band have committed to their discography so far.

The album is well produced with a down-beat trip hop vibe running throughout that reflects the bands earlier releases, but all the while favouring the big choruses, addictive leads, and strong beats that made albums such as the afore mentioned 'Breedless' so memorable.

'When The Wolves Return' is a very welcome return from the Ego Likeness gang. Their sonic formula remains intact but continues to be refined with vigour and passion which is evident in each song. Hopefully we won't have to wait five years for the next instalment.

Read More