First names confirmed for Damnation Festival 2018

Norwegian metal royalty, IHSAHN, and Polish black metal pilgrims, BATUSHKA, are the first acts announced for this year’s Damnation Festival.

Both bands will play exclusive UK shows at the 14th edition of the event, hosted over four stages at Leeds University Union, on Saturday, November 3.

Berlin-based post-metal collective THE OCEAN will return to Damnation Festival, while Birmingham’s necropunk grind misfits FUKPIG will unleash hell for the first time in seven years with a rare live outing.

Ihsahn comments: "I'm very excited to be playing the Damnation Festival for the first time! I’ve always had a very strong connection to the UK scene, and always enjoy playing there."

Fukpig said: “Since 2011 the world has turned to such absolute shit that we can no longer keep quiet. Damnation is the first show we will be playing and it will get all of our fucking anger poured over it.”

The announcement of the first four bands follows back-to-back sell outs of the UK’s premier metal showcase, with 23 more bands to follow.

Festival Director Gavin McInally said: “Tickets went on sale this year before a single band was announced and we were stunned by the swell of loyal fans who put their faith in us.

“It has, however, added extra pressure to deliver, so we’re delighted that the first flavour of the 14th Damnation Festival includes debut and exclusive performances from Ihsahn and Batushka, the return of The Ocean and the much-missed chaos of Fukpig.

“The next 23 bands to come will feature the best death, grind, doom, sludge, prog and post rock we can possibly get our hands on.

“Following the resounding success of our two most previous sell outs, capacity will also remain capped at 3,000 to allow easier flow between venues, so we fully expect to hang another Sold Out sign over the door in 2018.”

Tickets priced £43 are on sale now from damnationfestival.co.uk and facebook.com/damnationfestival

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DEATH, OR JOY!

The average follower of the dark alternative subculture and its adherents would be forgiven for believing that the scene has taken on a strangely Machiavellian dimension. Everything from the booking of acts to the scheduling of events is imbued with a political subtext which is often merely a skilfully subtle (or not so subtle) expression of opposition; and the body count – not to say the lack-of-body count – is starting to pile up.

In fact, there is more to this comparison that we might think. The UK goth scene is increasingly resembling the warring city-states of Renaissance Italy, locked in a constantly destructive battle for supremacy. Some of these states are republics, others are hereditary monarchies, but all are constantly eyeing up the chance to form alliances or seize territory at anothers' expense. Everyone is wondering how they can claim Scunthorpe, or take Norwich into their sphere of influence. Clashes of events become de facto declarations of gothic war. Flock with the enemies of others and you may soon find a beheaded Pokemon in bed beside you. Friendships and alliances must be chosen carefully, and power blocks bolstered and maintained, all exercised through the power of social media. Plus, also like Renaissance Italy, everyone is drunk – so it all gets deadly (and hilarious) very quickly.

For the nobility who engage in this there is a great hidden cost – that the vendetta is endless, exhausting, and ultimately self-defeating. You can land, you can expand, you can spin a complex web of political intrigue, but a simple 'costing error' and you are wiped out. Every Cesare Borgia, carving up a kingdom of their own with each battle and conquest, can find their empire collapse with the withdrawal of the key support of others; power is tenuous, and gothic power even more so. Overstretch, and you lose everything; fail to grow, however, and you also fail – for, in this 'game of goths', you either win or you die.

But, obviously, that is not the case. Although maintaining the purity of our social circle and the ethics of our music policy are important, we are all still part of the same scene, drinking from the same trough, ploughing the same gloomy furrow. Our musical taste is still, collectively, terrible. We need centres of unity, participants who resist the Balkanisation of the scene and bring people together in a joint subcultural endeavour. The fight is only part of the fun – the real joy is to play. And to do that requires a determination to have a good time – a commitment to rise above the crap and see the world for what is is.

So don't let the drama grind you down, and resist the factional forces of feck. Or, as Cesare himself would say - “Make your choice: death, or joy!”

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Review: Flesh Eating Foundation – 'We Are Fucked'

FLESH EATING FOUNDATION

'We Are Fucked'
SONIC ENTRAILS RECORDS

Flesh Eating Foundation make a welcome return with their seventh release, 'We Are Fucked'. Never ones to shy away from expletives, bizarre sounds, and general craziness, 'We Are Fucked' is a great example of cyberpunk madness executed in a particularly British idiom. Experimental, confrontational, occasionally tongue-in-cheek, and always fierce in intent. The band are a law unto themselves that doesn't quite fit into one particular scene and so have been rather criminally underrated.

Originally a duo, the band is comprised of John E. Smoke (songs, noises and shouting, deafness and blindness), The Juddaman (writing, voices and noises) and Jules (axes and shouts), with Mash and Big Un joining on guitars when the mood is right. Co-founder John E Smoke is known as one of the few deaf/blind musicians working on the scene and can often be seen with his lovable noise loving guide dog JJ.

'We Are Fucked' doesn't shy away from anything (as you'd expect with a title like 'We Are Fucked'). The vocals are often shouted rather than sung, giving choruses a shout-a-long quality, the beats are massive, the distortion is thick, the synths range from circuitbent to classic industrial, and there is even some piano in there.

Songs such as 'We Are Fucked', 'Having Fun', 'Scumbags And Slags', 'Punch Drunk', 'Slick Dick Prick Lick', and 'Stand Up And Be Discontinued' give the album a relentless backbone of big beats, savage synths, infectious vocals and utterly chaotic yet infectious melodies. Whereas the likes of 'Futurelast', 'The End', and 'Capacity' see the band push their experimental sides into near ambient territory and taking the tracks on a cinematic escapade that is somewhat unexpected but very welcome.

The album is then rounded off by a series of remixes of 'We Are Fucked' and 'Having Fun' which sees the likes of AlienNation, Mr. Strange, XSRY, Paresis, and Inertia give each track a radical overhaul. This serves to rein-in the madness a little and re-work the tracks into far more club-friendly offerings.

In terms of the production this is perhaps one of the band's most accomplished outings so far. It's still vehemently DIY and rough around the edges – there's plenty of punk in these cyberpunks. But it isn't swamped with noise and distortion, the beats power the tracks ahead and the vocals slice through for maximum effect.

This is the band's strongest release so far. It's balances its experimental nature with solid and direct songwriting that overflows with anger and outrage. It's a perfect blend of the technological uncertainty and social repression of the modern age and has some pretty sick beats to boot.

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The State release music video for 'The Resistance'

The State have released their first new music of the year with a single called The Resistance on all digital platforms; streaming and download. They will also release a new music video to go with it which is essentially a 5 minute 15 second horror film on Youtube, their website www.thestateuk.com, and their socials.

The song arose around a reaction to the complacency of much of society to people like Donald Trump and Theresa May and the corporations and oligarchs who control and own them. The video was shot in a single day in an abandoned office building as a sort of found footage horror film. Daniel Smith and Hector Campbell, both final year film students, were behind the lens and brought their love of horror films to the creative process.

Guitarist Will Goodey joined vocalist/programmer Andy Guy in the band a year ago during the final stages of recording the second album Ministry of Truth. This new track is the first that Will has been involved with the writing process from the start and is the first of many for a planned third album set to be released in the autumn (date tbc).

The State are a gothic industrial / post-punk band based in the east of England. Taking their cue from bands such as Nine Inch Nails, Rammstein, Marilyn Manson, The Cure and Gary Numan, they aim to ensure that their live performances are as intense and rich as their studio works. They interweave heavy driven guitars with synths and samples to create a rich and varied tapestry. Their goal is to provoke and encourage people to question the political and social reality they find themselves in and perhaps do something about it.

www.thestateuk.com

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New from Echozone

Eilera - Face Your Demons (Official Lyric Video)

After the release of the longplayer "Face Your Demons" and great feedback from both press and fans, a brand new lyric video for the album title track has now been released.

"Face Your Demons" demonstrates Eilera's capabilities of creating catchy rock songs driven by her charismatic voice and intelligent as well as deeply emotional lyrics.

a personal note from Eilera regarding the song and clip : “Unless you learn to face your own shadows, you will continue to see them in others, because the world outside you is only a reflection of the world inside you”, Carl Jung wrote. And i sang Face Your Demons. Thank you my music companions on the song Roni, Toni, Jan, Lauri and thank you David, my new visual companion who gave it motion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BwScHzLtVU

Nervenbeisser - Du Gehst

Right in time for the support shows NERVENBEISSER will play for CREMATORY starting from May, 9th, the brand new single "Du gehst" will be released on May, 5th. The official music video has already been released on the band's youtube channel.

The single features three additional club remixes of the title track as well as a special club remix from the album song "Irgendwann".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8FSJ2AY1u4

Florian Grey - Until We Go Down

The brand new Florian Grey album RITUS will be released on may, 18th. After the first teaser single "My Babylon", which was exclusively released on Bandcamp, the next single for "Until We Go Down" will be released on May 4th, along with a music video, which features the current band lineup for the first time in action.

The single features a special "mechanical moth remix" as well as an instrumental version.

http://www.florian-grey.com/

The Cascades - Phase 4 (Official Lyric Video)

After the release of the current single "Behind The Curtain" the gothic rockers The Cascades are working on their next full length album to be releases in atumn this year. There will also be another new single available just before summer.

Now a special lyric video for the current's single b-side "Phase 4" has been released and is online on our YouTube channel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tVVsgn_mLw

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The Antichrist Imperium unveil artwork & track list

CD artwork left | Vinyl artwork right

Avantgarde death metal outfit The Antichrist Imperium are set to release their sophomore album, which is entitled ‘Volume II Every Tongue Shall Praise Satan’, on 29th June 2018 viaApocalyptic Witchcraft Recordings.

‘Volume II Every Tongue Shall Praise Satan’ will be released on CD, Vinyl, Cassette and in digital format. The vinyl version will be available on limited white (100 copies) as well as standard black vinyl.

Pre-orders for vinyl, cassette and digipak CD are available now from the Apocalyptic Witchcraft webstore below, links for digital will follow shortly.

Visit the Apocalyptic Witchcraft webstore here.

‘Volume II Every Tongue Shall Praise Satan’ track listing:
1. The Dreadful Hosanna
2. Death Ritual
3. Draw Down The Moon
4. Liturgy Of The Iconoclast / Blood Sacrifice
5. Ceremonial Suicide Rites
6. Golgothian Hieros Gamos
7. Sermon Of Small Faith

https://www.facebook.com/theantichristimperium/ 

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More acts for WGT 2018

The world famous Wave Gotik Treffen festival has announced the first acts that will be playing the event in Leipzig, Germany this year. The 151 acts announced so far are:

A Projection (S) - 

Actors (CDN) - 

Aeon Rings (USA) - 

Aeverium (D) - 

All Gone Dead (USA) exclusive European reunion show in 2018 - 

Arcana (S) - 

Ash Code (I) - 

Ataraxia (I) - 

Author & Punisher (USA) - 

Autobahn (GB) - 

Beinhaus (D) - 

Black Light Ascension (GB) - 

Black Line (GB/USA) - 

Blanck Mass (GB) - 

Bootblacks (USA) - 

Boy Harsher (USA) - 

Buzz Kull (AUS) - 

Centhron (D) - 

Cesair (NL) - 

Chameleons Vox (GB) - 

Confrontational (GB) - 

Crisis (GB) - 

Crying Vessel (CH) - 

Dageist (F) - 

De/Vision (D) - 

Dead Leaf Echo (USA) - 

Detachments (GB) - 

Die Kammer (D) - 

Diorama (D) - 

Dive (B) - 

Dool (NL) - 

Drifter (S) - 

E-Craft (D) - 

Eden Weint Im Grab (D) - 

Einar Selvik (N) - 

Eivør (FO) - 

Elegant Machinery (S) - 

Eminenz (D) - 

ES23 (D) - 

Ext!ze (D) - 

Fabrik C (D) - 

Faderhead (D) - 

Fairytale (D) - 

Feuerschwanz (D) - 

Formalin (D) - 

Frank The Baptist (USA) - 

Front Line Assembly (CDN) - 

God Module (USA) - 

Grave Pleasures (FIN) - 

Grendel (NL) - 

Greyhound (D) - 

Grimner (S) - 

Guerre Froide (F) - 

Heidevolk (NL) - 

Heimataerde (D) - 

Hekate (D) - 

Heldmaschine (D) - 

Hexheart (USA) - 

Illuminate (D) - 

Imminent & Synapscape (B/D) - 

Imperium Dekadenz (D) - 

Ingrimm (D) - 

Japan Suicide (I) - 

Jo Quail (GB) - 

Joy/Disaster (F) - 

Kaizer (D) - 

Kaunan (D) - 

Kiew (D) - 

Les Discrets (F) - 

Merciful Nuns (D) - 

Mercury's Antennae (USA) - 

Model Kaos (D) - 

Modern English (GB) - 

Monica Jeffries (D) - 

Monica Richards & Anthony Jones (USA) - 

Mono No Aware (D) - 

Monolith (B) - 

Mr. Kitty (USA) - 

Mystigma (D) - 

Nachtsucher (D) - 

Neun Welten (D) - 

Nothgard (D) - 

Nytt Land (RUS) - 

Oberer Totpunkt (D) - 

Oomph! (D) - 

Ost+Front (D) - 

Paddy And The Rats (H) - 

Palast (D) - 

Phil Shoenfelt & Southern Cross (GB/CZ) - 

Phosgore (D) - 

Principe Valiente (S) - 

Pyogenesis (D) - 

Qntal (D) - 

Raison D'être (S) - 

Randolph's Grin (USA/A) - 

Rapalje (NL) - 

Readership Hostile (USA) - 

Rome (L) - 

Rosa Crvx (F) - 

Sardh (D) - 

Sarin (IR) - 

Scarlet And The Spooky Spiders (I) - 

Schandmaul (D) - 

Scheuber (D) - 

Second Still (USA) - 

Seelennacht (D) - 

Seigmen (N) - 

Siglo XX (B) exclusive reunion show - 

Silent Runners (NL) - 

Siva Six (GR) - 

Skeletal Family (GB) - 

Solitary Experiments (D) - 

Spark! (S) - 

Stahlr (NL) - 

Still Patient? (D) 30th anniversary show - 

Sturm Café (S) - 

Suir (D) - 

Suld (CHN) - 

Sulpher (GB) - 

Surturs Lohe (D) - 

Svartsinn (N) - 

Teho Teardo & Blixa Bargeld - 

The Beauty Of Gemina (CH) - 

The Crimson Ghosts (D) - 

The Eden House (GB) - 

The Fright (D) - 

The Jesus And Mary Chain (GB) - 

The KVB (GB) - 

The Last Cry (GB) - 

The New Division (USA) - 

The Other (D) - 

Then Comes Silence (S) - 

Tiamat (S) perform songs from the albums „Wildhoney“ and „Clouds“ - 

Torul (SLO) - 

Totus Gaudeo (D) - 

Traitrs (CDN) - 

Traumtaenzer (D) - 

Trepaneringsritualen (S) - 

Trisomie 21 (F) - 

Undertheskin (PL) - 

Unterschicht (D) - 

Vocame (D) - 

Vogon Poetry (S) - 

Vomito Negro (B) - 

Wardruna (N) - 

Xenturion Prime (N) - 

Ye Banished Privateers (S) - 

Zanias (AUS) - 

Zeraphine (D) - 

Zeromancer (N) - 

[:SITD:] (D) 

The festival will take place this year from 18th May until 21st May. For more information please visit the official Wave Gotik Treffen website.

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New from Echozone

Florian Grey - My Babylon

The first single from the upcoming Florian Grey album RITUS, which will be released on Mai, 18th is called "My Babylon" and sets the tone for the bands evolved musical style. The single features an instrumental b-side and is exclusively available via the ECHOZONE Bandcamp store starting from april, 20th and worldwide digital from april 27th.

On may, 4th the next single "Until We Go Down" will be released along with a music video, which features the full Florian Grey band lineup for the first time ever. This single will also feature a very special remix, which will be announced soon. After the album release the third single "Relief" will be published on June, 15th along with another music video.

http://www.florian-grey.com/

PORN - Dream On

The new PORN single "Dream On", a cover version of the Aerosmith classic track, will be released on may, 4th. This single is a brand new recording and not taken from the last album "The Ogre Inside" and comes with two additional remixes by Heartlay and An Erotic End Of Times. The tracks were produced by Chris Harms (Lord Of The Lost).

The band is working on a new album and will also go on tour later this year, including some dates in France supporting Lord Of The Lost and additional german dates. A full tour newsletter will be published soon.

https://tinyurl.com/y7mjdbcr

All The Ashes - Zurück Auf 0

After a short break, ALL THE ASHES returns in May 2018 with their new single 'Zurück auf 0' (Back to zero). The song will be released on Echozone and comes along with numerous interpretations and remixes by various artists and by the band itself. It's the first release of ATA's new album which is planed for the turn of the year.

Musically and thematically, the song follows the 15-year history of ALL THE ASHES seam-lessly, even though the new singer Ralph brings fresh wind and new energy. The listener can expect an interesting mix of the dark 80's and the flawless sound of modernity. Melodic, danceable ... just ALL THE ASHES.

Back to 0!

Personal self-realization without regard to losses. Moral, family and social concerns fall by the wayside. We are on the way to collapse and do not want to see it. We write another story of creation, which knows only its own realization. We play theater, we only see externals, we do not have a look for the essentials anymore.

At some point, human collapse will happen, and then we will see that it is not about blinking and behaving in an egoistic way, and we have to start over ... at zero.

http://www.all-the-ashes.de/

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Mortiis announces 'Perfectly Defect' re-release and remix album

Mortiis' 'Perfectly Defect' album which was originally released as a limited download album only in 2010 during the European comeback tour with fellow industrial stalwarts Combichrist and has since been long out of print, will be re-issued 1st June 2018 via Mortiis' own label Omnipresence Records.

Pre-orders are available now from the stores below, and for a limited time only, anyone that preorders the album directly from the Mortiis Webstore will also gain instant access to the full ‘The Perfect Reject’ release, a free digital 11 song remix album containing reworked versions from 'Perfectly Defect'.

In addition, Mortiis is offering fans 3 free instant grat teaser tracks from the 'The Perfect Reject' remix album which can be accessed here: http://perfectreject.mortiis.com

‘Perfectly Defect’ will be released in the following vinyl editions:

• Necrotic Bone (bone white & brown) vinyl - limited to 100 copies, only available from the Mortiis web store
• Classic black vinyl - limited to 250 copies
• Bubonic plague (swamp green & black splatter) vinyl - limited to 250 copies

'PERFECTLY DEFECT' 2018 track-listing:

1. Closer to the End

2. Perfectly Defect

3. The Sphere

4. Sensation of Guilt

5. Sole Defeat

6. Thieving Bastards

7. The Punished

8. Halo of Arms

9. Impossible to Believe

10. This Absolution

11. Hermaphro Superior

12. Contrition

www.mortiis.com

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New acts for Infest 2018

2018's Infest festival this August is already shaping up to be a must see event. The annual festival is already a highlight of the industrial calendar, always boasting a mix of new and established acts as well as UK exclusives and debuts. This year's festival has already seen some major names announced and more keep coming.

ISZOLOSCOPE – CA – !!INFEST DEBUT!!
Yann Faussurier has been making music under the moniker Iszoloscope since 1999. Experimental in nature and charged with energy, the music evokes a darkness, tension and atmosphere which immediately carries the listener away on an immersive, complex journey of introspection.

EMPIRION – UK – !!NEW ALBUM LAUNCH PARTY!!
Born in the Acid House scene, respected across multiple underground music cultures from techno to industrial and more. Their track Narcotic Influence is in the Mixmag top 100 tracks of all time. Their remix of the Prodigy classic Firestarter is known on dance floors the world over. NEW ALBUM out on Dependent Records this August.

This years festival will take place from Thursday 23rd until Sunday 26th August at University of Bradford's Student Union and marks its 20th Anniversary. More lineup details and tickets will be available from the festival's official website: https://infestuk.com

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