Black Magnet - Body Prophecy

Now this is an excellent record. 20 Buck Spin as a label has a history of uncovering gems, but Black Magnet is on a different level. James Hamontree, the mastermind behind the project has crafted something truly special with Body Prophecy. This collection of industrial levelers is twisted and heavy, menacingly powerful and gloriously terrifying. Across this highly relistenable album, Black Magnet prove themselves as masters of the craft with brutal rhythms unleashing themselves and dragging listeners deep into a well of sonic punishment. 

Body Prophecy impresses with the breadth of the compositions and the depth of the songwriting. Every track on this album seems to unleash ever darker soundworlds and unveil a sort of post apocalyptic hellscape that can't help but to fascinate. There is a dark reality painted here that is devastating in scope and can't help but to be unsettling. That being said - this is more than just a record of weird soundscapes, every song on this album definitively rocks. Tracks like "Violent Mechanix" are certified mosh pit ragers for fans of H09909 and Ministry. The balls out assault of this offering is thrilling and it's hard not to be charmed by the bloodlust. 

Black Magnet is a truly potent project and I think the myriad layers of misery and gritty headbanging magic help to make this a fascinating offering. Body Prophecy sees the project going above and beyond, impressing from all sides and leaving listeners in awe. This is a crushing assault distilled into blood drinking filth. There is so much to be enamored with and even after a handful of spins I find myself discovering exciting new elements. This is definitely the best industrial record I have heard so far this year.

Pre-order the album!

https://blckmgnt.bandcamp.com/

Trace Amount - Anti Body Language

Trace Amount is a New York City industrial music project that was inspired by the harsh realities of life in the city during the COVID lockdowns. This new album Anti Body Language is a sort of twisted extension on that. It's a demented offering full of harsh beats and screamed vocals. It's an intensely personal record that leaves listeners gasping for air and curious for more. I don't find a lot of industrial music that resonates on the same level emotionally as this album, but it's a fascinating one to really let yourself get immersed in. 

The twisted magic of Anti Body Language comes in its ability to distill influences. Jazzy saxophones are contrasted with harsh beats, pulsating dancefloor rhythms lie underneath harsh metal vocals. The end result is a song that borders on the terrifying, that leaves listeners unsure where to go next but utterly terrified with the devilish hate that they have developed. It's a delight to let yourself get lost in this and experience the dark visions that Trace Amount paint for us. The art that comes out of this depressing tale of an experience that we all shared is fascinating and will keep listeners deeply engaged but horrified at the same time. 

Anti Body Language is an extremely valuable, if at times challenging listen. It's a record that really showcases the darker side of the artists psyche and encourages listeners to examine their own. The harsh beats and monochromatic soundscapes paint a weirdly vivid picture of life under COVID. Trace Amount has quickly become an impressive and mind melting project that leaves you in terror. For industrial fans it's a delight to get immersed in the darkness and the suffocating beauty that this project delivers. 

Pre-order the album!

https://traceamountnyc.bandcamp.com/

Joey Diabolic - Through Soundwaves Vol IV

I always loved when one piece of art would inspire another in a completely different format. Such is the case with Joey Diabolic's impressive upcoming release, Through Soundwaves Vol 4 which is a loving tribute to the Nightmare on Elm Street movies and the 80s as a whole. Featuring a mix of cover songs and originals, Joey Diabolic seeks to evoke wonderfully bleak ideas on this blood dripping offering. It's a record that builds on classic ideas and reminds us that the unholy spirit of 80s horror will continue to ricochet through the heads of the populace for years. 

Through Soundwaves Vol IV also is exciting in the diversity of sounds presented. While on the one hand you have a surprisingly heavy industrial cover of Judas Priest, on the other you get a distinctly more new wave take on Tuesday Knight. I think it's important to consider the contribution of Mama Doom on this album. She elevates the three tracks she contributes on above and beyond, making them some of the best offerings Joey Diabolic has ever put out. I certainly hope to hear more from that particular collaboration in the future. Through Soundwaves Vol IV really goes to prove how adept Joey Diabolic is at building on a number of classic 80s sounds and it's a delight!

Joey Diabolic has crafted something here that is all but guaranteed to capture the imagination and take you on a creepy ride through 80s shock. While at times the Gen X-isms feel a bit like pandering, in the age of shows like Cobra Kai and Stranger Things isn't this just par for the course? It's a delight to really sink your teeth into the magic of Through Soundwaves Vol IV, even if you, like me, aren't a diehard fan of the Nightmare on Elm Street films. For those of us who just love industrial music, Joey Diabolic has pulled together something masterful.

Pre-order the album!

https://joeydiabolic.bandcamp.com/album/through-soundwaves-vol-4

Vatican Shadow - Persian Pillars Of The Gasoline Era

It's always interesting when a label you love for doing one particular genre of music decides to change tack and do another. Such is how I feel about Vatican Shadow the electronic side project of Dominick Fernow of Prurient and Hospital Productions. Their new record, Persian Pillars Of The Gasoline Era is coming out on legendary death metal label, 20 Buck Spin. That all being said - their industrial and ambient sorrow very much fits in line with what the label has done in the past. This is a weird record to be sure, but one that any fan of outsider sound is going to fall in love with time and time again. 

Adding to the unique-ness of the record, it seeks to tell the story of how the USA overthrew a stable democracy in Iran in the name of oil. This would of course go on to fuel the Gulf Wars and the modern day conflict in the region. While I always raise an eyebrow at instrumental concept records, Persian Pillars Of The Gasoline Era manages to communicate the vibes of the whole thing very clearly. Track titles like, 'Uncontrollable Oasis (Real Life Spy Mystery Ends With Scientist Hanged In Iran)' also of course help to communicate some of what was going on in the 70s in that region. A soundscape-y industrial record thus becomes sort of the perfect vehicle for all this. 

So yes - this may be an unconventional record but it is a great one, one that will capture the imagination and carry you off to visit a truly twisted time in our nations history. The minimalist approaches and unique sounds documented here are powerful. Persian Pillars Of The Gasoline Era continually impresses with its distinct approach and mindset. Sinking ones teeth into it is a pleasure, and it seems that Vatican Shadow is only now, a decade into their career, reaching a new peak. So unexpected yes, but also - truly great, and worth listening too time and time again. 

Pre-order here: 

https://www.20buckspin.com/vaticanshadow

Pop. 1280 - Way Station

Pop. 1280 are one of those acts who make New York City so special. They took the influence of acts like Swans, added in their own industrial touches and then, as life threw them punches, they embraced a healthy dose of minimalism. Having lost half of their lineup since 2016's excellent Paradise the band had to re-imagine how they were going to approach their sound going forward. What we wound up with was a masterful interpretation of dark industrial music that is ambitious and endlessly fascinating.

Way Station gives you a lot to sink your teeth into for such a minimalist record. The simple poetry of a track like Secret Rendezvous with its wonderfully melancholic vocals is addictive. There is a very real pain shown here and a sense that through it all, it's on Pop. 1280 to find a better way for themselves. Way Station is a deeply emotional offering, perhaps the most touching of the bands career. Yet it's not without its moments of harsh industrial fury, hell, the opening salvo of 'Boom Operator' ensures that you are not in for a light listen but rather a record that is not afraid to be challenging.

This record is a hell of a listen. It touches on a variety of genres and a deep swath of the industrial scene. Though the band were dealt some serious blows since their last offering they have certainly managed to come back stronger than ever. This new direction for them feels fresh and exciting and hints at interesting things to come. Way Station is a masterful offering proving just how talented these guys really are.

Find them on Facebook!
https://www.facebook.com/P1280/

Uniform & The Body - Everything That Dies Someday Comes Back

Man - the last Uniform & The Body collab - Mental Wounds Not Healing - left me blown the fuck away. This next offering in the series, Everything That Dies Someday Comes Back stands as an even more terrifying artistic statement. The pain they communicate and breadth of their madness is almost mind melting. The colossal digital drum sounds that define the opening track 'Gallows In Heaven' build up an intense sense of dread that is only exacerbated by the overall intensity of the music. This is some terrifying avant garde horror.

The sonic assault that is Everything That Dies Someday Comes Back seems to only grow in scope with each passing track. As the band comes to the stunning conclusion that is 'Contempt' you get the sense that you have been taken on a journey and in some ways gone full circle. This is perhaps my favorite aspect of this type of music - the sense of completeness you can get after taking the full and unadulterated plunge. Everything That Dies Someday Comes Back is a journey in unorthodox melodies and devastating industrial soundscapes coming together in a post-everything format to melt your skull.

Everything That Dies Someday Comes Back is a devastating sonic journey and the steps the bands take in their collaboration seem destined to make you gnaw at your sanity. I love this sort of depraved industrial music that leaves you questioning your very reality. In some ways it feels like the most honest music out their. With massive sonic horrors reminiscent of acts like Merzbow but with enough nods to the core sounds of both Uniform and The Body this record stands as a fitting addition to both groups catalogs.

Find the bands on Facebook!

Uniform: https://www.facebook.com/uniformnewyork/?ref=br_rs

The Body: https://www.facebook.com/thebodyband/

Jaz Coleman/Deflore - Party In The Chaos

Every once in a while a musical god reaches down amongst us commoners and elevates the entire dialog around a band. Such has Jaz Coleman done with Deflore and their collaborative EP Party In The Chaos. At the end of the day, this is a record that builds not only on Jaz Coleman's already formidable musical legacy but which directs attention to a band who have been toiling in the underground for a long while. It's a collaboration that makes sense, that beings the strengths of both artists to the fore and fascinates the listener with its grandiose and bombastic sense of swagger.

The harsh industrial elements of these tracks is counterbalanced by profound beauty. The balance of dark and light is delicious and speaks to how well these guys worked together. Sure there are moments that sound like they could be off a Killing Joke record - but isn't that high praise? Meanwhile, I find the second track, the instrumental, 'Sunset In The West,' to be just as moving. It has a clear sense of forward motion and seems to almost endlessly fascinate the listener as you take it on all sorts of twists and turns. So while yes the centerpiece of this record is no doubt the single, Party In The Chaos, Jaz and Deflore have put together something that very much stands on its own, no matter what angle you seek to take on it.

Wonderfully weird and unafraid of its own inherent madness, Party In The Chaos is a masterful release. It is a deep listen and one that encourages the listener to just delve deep into all that they have to offer. The bands trademark stomp and the weird sense of momentum that keeps you engaged only gets better the further you delve. So yeah, Deflore got asked to work with their hero and they completely stepped up to the task. They have unleashed something here that is exciting and powerful. It's a testament to all that this osrt of heavy music can be and leaves the listener excited not just to go spin more kiling joke but also to delve into what Deflore have crafted over the years.

Find the artists on Facebook!

Deflore: https://www.facebook.com/defloreband/

Jaz Coleman: https://www.facebook.com/JazColemanOfficial/

Yeruselem - The Sublime

This is a really special one from a really special label. As I sit here waiting for Santa to come, I am digging deep into the opening salvo of yet another Blut Aus Nord side project, Yeruselem. This is an album of oppressive industrial filth, enjoying its own savage mastery and encouraging the listener to become mesmerized with their demonic utterance.s This is a record that exists in a world apart and which challenges the listener to dig deep into blasphemous crevices in the name of a god who has failed them. In other words - I really like it.

With a sound that seems to almost relish its sheer breadth and which reflects constantly on the negative the thudding industrial tones of The Sublime have a sort of clanking sense of doom. The ominous swell of these tracks and the demonic ebb and flow hat you find yourself sinking your teeth into borders on terrifying and at times I wonder why I'm still even alive. This is the sort of music that guides the listener all the way to hell. Its's over the top , evil and at its best fucking scary. What more could a fan of visceral and abrasive music want? Yeruselem have tapped into the lizard brain to craft something that feels inherently wrong.

There are a lot of really cool ideas experimented with on The Sublime and the overarching beauty of this album and what it has come to represent is mesmerizing. It's a record that you can really feel yourself getting lost in and one that seems to become stronger with every passing moment. The Sublime is a potent hint at what Yeruselem is capable of and reminds us just how good the masterminds behind this project are. What's not to love? This is masterful industrial crushing at its finest.

Find them on Facebook! 
https://www.facebook.com/Yeruselemprojekt/

Slasher Dave - Frights

In a year where synthwave and dungeon synth have started to rise to the fore of the underground heavy music scene it's been interesting to see the tendencies towards fantasy and the ethereal. It's also interesting to see Acid Witch's very own Slasher Dave coming in with his own twisted bleak industrial take on things with his fourth solo record Frights. Eerie, powerful and wonderfully demented this is the kind of sonic blasphemy that few can truly match. While this record may be a touch corny, the Hammer Horror schlock is part of the fun and is going to entrance countless listeners.

The mixture of intimidating and intense industrial grooves with more traditional horror themes is really interesting. Toss in vocals replete with ducked up vocal effects and all sorts of strange musical twists and turns and it becomes rapidly obvious that Slasher Dave is turned on to a much darker reality than many of his peers. The bizarre and spine chilling magic of Slasher Dave's work here is a sound to behold. While it is a distinctly modern record, Slasher Dave does a great job of fusing eighties elements into the fray. Still, listeners can hear a wealthy set of influences coming in from all over helping to inform the freakish tension of the band.

This isn't just an ode to a specific era of horror though. Tracks like Shrieks and Creaks reminds us that this stuff all comes from Lovecraft and his peers after all. While never dreamy, certain elements of Frights are almost reminiscent of the sounds on Them. An excellent fusion of musical styles with dance elements crashing into outer sound, whilst exploring unorthodox sonic ideas and tone worlds, this is a huge step forward for Slasher Dave The darker it gets the more I fall in love, so I ask, are you ready for this Halloween release?

Find them on Facebook!
https://www.facebook.com/slasherdaveofficial

Author & Punisher - Beastland

It's been really exciting listening to Author & Punisher evolve over the past few years. There have been a lot of interesting and exotic musical twists that have defined his career and which make Beastland his most defined work to date. The industrial doom of Author & Punisher has received high praise from institutions far loftier than this one, but I gotta hand it to the guy, he deserves it. The mesmerizing power of Beastland borders on the intimidating and hints at a band who can achieve bold new levels.

What gets me the most about this particular record though is that it feels like Author & Punisher is pushing towards a new set of influences. While this record certainly feels like previous efforts in the catalogue, this is perhaps the sludgiest and darkest offering yet. Rather than focusing on the sheer industrial power of the machines harnessed by this visionary one man band, instead we are drowning in the raw volume and an overwhelming sense of control. There is a precision here , an almost workmanlike assault that leaves you with an overarching sense of dread that despite all hope, this could be the end of all things.

Beastland is another step up for this mechanical engineer cum visionary. IT's wholly different from its peers and it seems to unleash pure aural devastation time after time after time. It's hard not to fall in love and be enamored with the breadth of the sound here but things have gotten out of hand. This is a record that can't help but to intimidate and one that is going to leave us choking on the bitter pill of noisy doom metal desolation. Weird, over the top and endlessly exciting, Author & Punisher might very well be the future.

Find them on Facebook!
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorandPunisher

Mirrors For Psychic Warfare - I See What I Became

Mirrors For Psychic Warfare burst onto the heavy scene in 2016 with their self titled debut, and the industrial duo comprised of Sanford Parker and Scott Kelly proceeded to impress the masses. This is one of the most interesting acts going right now, blending a variety of genres and bringing forth exciting new ideas with each track. Eight potent pieces come together to unleash a sort of devastating sonic punishment. This is a look into the dark side of the human psyche, anxiety and, for better or for worse, mental suffering.

This is a remarkably claustrophobic record. The harsh industrial layers crash into each other and create a sort of bleak sonic landscape. The unrelenting punishment found on some of these tracks almost pulls too much at the heartstrings. This is an incredibly devastating listen and one that makes you wonder why we were even sent here in the first place. A record that comes face to face with the bountiful nihilism of the human condition it's impossible not to be provoked, mesmerized and entranced by Mirrors for Psychic Warfare. This isn't an album for the faint of heart, nor is it a record that I think most metal fans are going to fully get. That's not really the point though, the point is to look within.

What is exciting to me about this album is the dynamic range represented. There are so many interesting and unique layers within this and the band is unafraid to push for new and unique ideas constantly. I See What I Became is an album that leaves you scraping your jaw off the floor. It makes you question everything you thought you knew about heavy music whilst affirming the power of industrial sounds. It's a great creative achievement and extremely indicative of the sum of its parts. If you fuck with Skinny Puppy and Godflesh, you better not sleep on this.

Find them on Facebook!
https://www.facebook.com/mirrorsforpsychicwarfare/

Echo Beds - Buried Language

An album that deals with the perpetual pain of being a part of the underground, Echo Beds use Buried Language as a mouthpiece for a generation of aggravated musicians. If you're part of any sort of DIY scene you know how hard it has been in recent years with city officials cracking down. This is what birthed the latest glorious abomination from this Colorado duo. We are in a world that feels anti-art so much of the time, so to have a record that addresses this distinct brand of suffering is an incredibly valuable thing.

The waves of industrial distortion that define Buried Language shouldn't be a surprise to longtime fans of their label, The Flenser. Not only that though, but Echo Beds use all sort of unique and weird sounds, often from home recordings to craft music that is at times horrifying. Bordering on almost insane amounts of noise, horrifying sense of unreality and a push towards bleak futures it is hard not to sink your teeth into the girthy punishment of this album. There is something here that plagues the human conscious, reminiscent of everyone from Lou Reed, to Nine Inch Nails by way of Merzbow and Full of Hell.

The industrial DIY scene has had so much interesting stuff happen in it in the last few years. Movements have risen and fallen, but there's something incredibly powerful with what Echo Beds are doing. They've been around nearly a decade and Buried Language is the sort of monumental statement you would hope to expect from such storied scene veterans. The future is bulletproof, the aftermath is secondary and all we can do is hope to enjoy the bleak madness of a dark timeline. Echo Beds certainly seem too.

Find them on Facebook!
https://www.facebook.com/echobeds

Pre-order the record! 
https://echobeds.bandcamp.com/album/buried-language

Uniform & The Body - Mental Wounds Not Healing

I love how The Body have been doing all these fascinating collab records lately. It has led to them having what is simply one of the most exciting discographies in all of modern music. This latest project with the legendary Uniform, entitled Mental Wounds Not Healing is an exploration in electronic madness. It's the sort of wonderfully twisted and depraved sonic poetry that makes us want to dig in ever deeper into this music. It's fucked up and weird and full of bizarre electronics, I can't help but to love it.

There is a sense of forward motion on this record that only serves to make what The Body and Uniform have done here all the more fascinating. The unholy industrial crush of a song like The Curse Of Eternal Life seems to only get more horrifying with every passing moment. Also, I'd like to point out - it feels like Chip Kings terrifying shrieks have somehow gotten even more unsettling. There is a strange sense of auditory punishment that defines much of Mental Wounds Not Healing, it asks a lot of the listener, but that's why I love it. The controlled chaos and truly bizarre majesty is not something you're going to quickly 'get'.

Point being - I'm sitting here watching a crushing Phillies loss, extremely fucking tired and desperately curious where this collaboration can go next. Mental Wounds Not Healing is too exciting to put down after just a listen or two and it leaves me begging for another release from these two sets of masters. This record asks all sorts of strange questions and pushes boundaries in fresh and visionary ways. This is a refreshing burst in a oftentimes vapid scene and the bands know it. Overwhelming, heavy, and simply fucking scary what's not to love?

Find the bands on Facebook!

The Body: https://www.facebook.com/thebodyband/

Uniform: https://www.facebook.com/uniformnewyork/


Preorder the record!
https://www.sacredbonesrecords.com/products/sba001-uniform-the-body-mental-wounds-not-healing

PIG - Risen

There is something truly special about these OG experimental electronic bands. Acts like Suicide and Kraftwerk have always fascinated me, especially with how they, and the musicians involved evolved over the years. One artist who belongs to this elite crew is <PIG> a musician who never compromised and instead crafted ever weirder music. Risen is a truly strange album and one that is just as addictive as anything else that Raymond Watts has put out. This is the sort of industrial terror that you can't help but to be mesmerized by.

The massive industrial walls of sound that define this record are as terrifying as ever. There has always been something wonderfully alien about the music of Raymond Watts and it feels like this record only builds on that . Simultaneously though you hear the influence of his work with KMFDM but also touches of goth with moments reminiscent of Sisters Of Mercy. There is something weirdly delightful about sinking your teeth in songs as deliciously depraved as Morphine Machine and the harsh commentary of a track like Leather Pig. There is a sort of inherent hostility to Risen that makes it almost terrifying.

<PIG>'s inclusion of a variety of other artists mixing his songs and counterbalancing that with the general sense of depravity means that this is one of his most vital releases to date. One of those artists who seems to only get more nihilistic and magical as he progresses there is a wonderfully bitter appeal here. This is not the sort of music you listen too with a friend or at a club. Rather it's the sort of thing you jam at home as you feel yourself slowly going insane and reveling in the insane lost madness of a record that can't help but to gnaw at your sanity.

Find them on Facebook!
https://www.facebook.com/pigindustries/

Full Of Hell/The Body - Ascending A Mountain Of Heavy Light

Holy shit, this one is SCARY. The previous Full Of Hell and The Body collab, One Day You Will Ache Like I Ache was lauded as a spectacularly intense and intimidating musical statement, but even as that collab was being toured the bands were promising something much more intense and fucked up as a follow up. I don't think though that anyone expected something quite so... goddamn devastating. Ascending A Mountain Of Heavy Light is avant garde heavy mastery at it's finest and it will ravage you.

The first thing that will strike you about this record as opposed to One Day You Will Ache Like I Ache is that this release focuses a lot more on electronics, especially for percussion. Beyond that, it's apparent, almost from the first that the two bands set out to create something as abrasive as humanly possible. The industrial madness of tracks like The King Laid Bare is scary and it reflects upon a pairing of bands who simply don't give a fuck. This is the sort of sonic devastation that you just can't wrap your head around in one or two listens but which demands the listener to sit down and devote themselves to this blasphemy.

Ascending A Mountain Of Heavy Light is by no means an easy listen, nor is it an especially comforting one. It's an album that will challenge paradigms, force you to reflect upon your despair and then come up for air, screaming at a failed god. Full Of Hell and The Body have come together on a release that is downright scary. In a world full of records that sound the same or fail to elicit any real emotion these guys have created something as fucked up, and as real, as it comes, making for some genuinely unsettling listening.

Find the bands on Facebook!

Full Of Hell: https://www.facebook.com/fullofhell/

The Body: https://www.facebook.com/thebodyband/

Circle Of Dust - Machines Of Our Disgrace

Circle of Dust have long been one of the most important influential industrial metal bands out there. Their unique take on progressive and transcendent elements that this music can have has always been extremely exiting, and their latest offering, the almighty Machines Of Our Disgrace reflects upon everything that this band has come to represent over the years. With potent loops coming back throughout and some of the bands most exciting arrangements to date this album marks their most powerful statement.

There is something strangely surreal and in many ways almost transcendent about Machines Of Our Disgrace. The frequent use of looping and the strangely circular riffs makes you feel like you continue returning to the most powerful parts of the music. While the individual songs on Machines Of Our Disgrace are very well done as a complete statement the record represents so much more. It shows us a strange and transcendent world, one where we can all fall in love and find a new future in a type of music that many might spurn. There is something monolithic about what the band has done here though and it will keep you entranced.

An album that doesn't get antsy about getting political and which drives forward regardless of what you might think of it Machines Of Our Disgrace is evidence that Circle Of Dust have reached a point not only where they don't give a fuck but where they can make their own executive decisions and force us to embrace them - they are simply that good. So if you are an industrial metal freak you will find yourself loving the angular riffing and overwhelming soundscapes that this band find so goddamn easy to remind us of. Dig it.

Find them on Facebook!
https://www.facebook.com/circleofdustofficial/?fref=ts

Aborym - Shifting.negative

Aborym are one of those weird and beautiful downtempo industrial bands who borrow from a variety of genres to create a wonderfully weird sound that leaves you resonating with strange and otherworldly frequencies. Their latest offering Shifting.negative is reflective of all the wondrous darkness that they have been able to conjure up in the last few years. This is an album that explores unique soundscapes and has a sense of lingering evil that will haunt you for all ten tracks that make up this release.

The brooding synths and sinister vocals seem to be the two defining aspects of this record. When the music swells up or dips into a weird almost monochromatic melody it becomes easier to find the inherent madness of the music. The frequent use of unsavory intervals helps to further conjure up this tension and reminds us that Aborym are masters of their craft. When the bring in touches of black metal, among other things, to add flavor to the music it only makes me fall deeper in love, a slave to a record that seems to come from another planet at times. While Aborym certainly wear some of their influences on their collective sleeve it's also readily apparent that these guys are pushing the envelope in exciting new ways.

The IDM movement is one of the most important going on right now. Shifting.negative is a perfect example of what it can represent at its finest, purely transcendent music that rings out across the generations and shows us that even highly electronic sounds don't need to feel distinctly 2016. Instead Aborym reach across the generations and encourage you to embrace a music that fuses all sorts of concepts and exciting styles, reminding us time and time again that Aborym are industrial heroes for us all.

Find them on Facebook!
https://www.facebook.com/aborymofficial/?fref=ts

Megaherz - Erdwarts

For a German industrial rock band there is relatively little Rammstein worship on Megaherz's latest EP, the high octane crusher that is Erdwarts. Energetic, loud, and strangely danceable to the bands most recent offering. But beyond that Erdwarts sees Megaherz pushing interesting musical territory that gets epic, entrancing and strangely folky. What I'm trying to say is that country to all appearances, Megaherz have put together a record that can't help but capture the imagination, darting between soundworlds yet always sounding distinctly like Megaherz.

As you've probably guessed, this record is entirely sung in German and the guttural lamentations on ballads like Einsam is a little bit weird at first listen. That being said - it also makes for some very interesting music that is in many ways reminiscent of acts like Scorpions. It speaks to the raw diversity of Napalm Records that they could put out a record like this - that features a fucking duet right next to an epic about the devil. What's interesting though is that Erdwarts never strikes me as confused - merely pushing different sets of boundaries on every song. The highly industrialized crunch and mechanical guitars only serve to increase the ambiance and make for a distinct listening experience.

Megaherz are exactly what their name suggests - loud, electronic, and strangely endearing. Aware of their own bombastic nature and apparently enamored with the bass driven heavy metal that the country is driven for Erdwards is an album that allows you fall out of reality and simply vibe out to the perpetual forward motion communicated with every gut churning chord. These guys get the magic of heavy metal and seem to approach it in a gleeful manner - these face-paint loving Germans are clearly onto something.

Find them on Facebook!
https://www.facebook.com/OfficialMegaherz

Corrections House - Know How To Carry A Whip

There is a brilliant sense of tortured triumph behind Corrections House's latest record, the fucked up and wholly unique Know How To Carry A Whip. I guess that's what happens when you've got two of the most dominant frontmen in heavy music in your band. The point being - Corrections House have put out a truly dominant record here - the kind of thing that shows the genius of every member involved and pushes each individual participant to their limit as an artist - leading to some truly great music.

In many regards it's hard not to be strangely charmed by Corrections House. The interplay between Scott Kelly and Mike IX is far more developed than on their debut - leading to tracks that have a truly potent sense of torment behind them. Toss in a little bit of graveyard humor with song titles like "I Was Never Good At Meth" and "When Push Comes To Shank" and it's easy to get a sense of the despair that haunts this band and helps to make their music so goddamn good. Another important thing to note is the quality of the electronics. Even from the first song it's clear that Sanford Parker has reached a whole new level of auditory chaos - creating strange loops that can't help but capture the imagination.

And so we delve deeper into the murk - forever more enamored with the demented realities that these rightfully lauded geniuses have been able to put out. Corrections House are simply put, one of the most exciting bands in the world right now and watching them continue to unleash their sonic sorrow will never get old. Though they may just be a somewhat obscure side project now I get the impression that these guys are only going to grow - the sheer force of personality found within is impossible to ignore and will always lead to triumphant results.

Find them on Facebook!
https://www.facebook.com/CorrectionsHouse

Insect Ark, Codas and Locrian at St Vitus Bar

Last night was something of a rite of passage for me - it was my first evening at the now legendary St Vitus. This bar - known for hosting all manner of top notch metal events sees the cream of the crop pass through its doors. In the audience at last nights show I bumped into writers for Metalsucks, and internationally touring musicians among others. The point being - this is the beating heart of the heavy metal underground so getting to check out three great bands at a venue like this one is not an experience one should underestimate.

Up first was Codas - a one man industrial(ish) project that used a guitar and various laptop effects for a highly emotive and powerful musical experience. There is something strangely cathartic about watching Codas unique brand of music in a tiny dark room like the one at St Vitus. It gives you a sense of intimacy with the music and allows the walls of sound to resonate around the listener and give them a sense of freedom even with the projects harsh sonic confines.
Codas is heavy music that speaks to the soul and has an intensely personal power that will open your eyes and guide you into the void.

Insect Ark came on next with a half hour set by only half the duo (The other half lives on the West Coast and unfortunately couldn't make it) The sound of Insect Ark is the sound of mountains moving. You find yourself lost in the great undulating sonic waves. Waves that speak right to the heart and get your entire body caught up in some sort of strange unholy motion. Insect Ark has a sort of surreal power behind it that keeps music nerds like me totally rapt. Largely industrial but unafraid to embrace the beauty of the bass guitar - this is the kind of stripped down sonic majesty that makes post-music so valuable.

Finally the hour had come for the almighty Locrian to wow the crowd with a wholly cathartic release of sound - replete with gentle climaxes and decrescendos and reflected in the musicians every movement. These guys are not just great musicians - they are top notch performers. It makes the Locrian live show almost a form of performance art. You find yourself staring deep into their actions and wondering what their odd and often experimental sounds say about humanity. Locrian are aware of the profound power of music (if this is even properly music) and this leads to something utterly overwhelming and completely unforgettable.

At the end of the night as I enjoyed my thirty minute walk home (You have to love these last beautiful nights of summer) I couldn't help but smile. Not only had I done it - bloodied myself in the ethereal magic of St Vitus Bar but I had gotten to see three bands that provide the sort of catharsis that makes this life livable. And so I find myself looking on to what else I have to face today - interview transcriptions, phone calls and a whole lot of guitar and I realize that in the end - we will make it through, if only because of the music.

Find the bands on Facebook!

Insect Ark: https://www.facebook.com/InsectArk?fref=ts

Codas: https://www.facebook.com/codasmusic?fref=ts

Locrian: https://www.facebook.com/LocrianOfficial?fref=ts