quête:pure god

"In the wake of SQUID PISSER’s “Vaporize A Neighbor” EP and Comic Book Set and “Vaporize A Tadpole” Collection comes “Dreams of Puke”, the band’s second full length album. Weighing in at a meaty 12 songs and cut at a lean 45 revolutions per minute, “Dreams of Puke” refuses to let up or let down - emitting climax after scintillating climax - a bounteous bouquet of dayglow viscera and tumor-filled sonic snot.

“Dreams of Puke” is the face ripping, dolphin-loving, anthropomorphized mountain of nuclear sludge intravenously injected with methamphetamines that listeners have been clamoring for. Tommy Meehan's use of effects pedals and sonic textures create a dense soundscape of intestinal debris, mortared with a grout of pus, goo, gummy candy and pure, unadulterated insanity. Meanwhile, Seth Carolina's all out, rage-fueled and categorically pummeling approach to slamming the beats down lays out a visceral scene of absolute intensity - a great white shark attack on The Mall of America.

Tommy explains “The writing sessions for this album resulted in about 100 songs... Demos, seedlings, and scraps were strewn about everywhere. Then Seth and I assembled them into a viable and tangible fruition. I tracked all of the guitars, bass, and vocals myself at Los Angeles’ Castle Barf Studios. The drums we did at Sea Horse Sound downtown”.

“Dreams Of Puke” is an aural DMT trip that will leave brains boggled. Its atonal anthems of slime are a kaleidoscope of brilliant, bespeckled rage that, in the end, will scalp the world & mutate the throne.

Glass Mastered Compact Disc includes Mystery Matrix Message and comes packaged in a Six Panel Tri-Fold Jacket with corresponding Fold-Over Lyric Insert. LP and CD formats each sport unique, subliminally different cover art by painter Gregory Jacobsen of the band Lovely Little Girls. Parental Advisory: Explicit content"

Reissue of this long out of print overlooked gem of Swiss Hardcore, originally recorded in 1983. A great chance to rediscover an obscure masterpiece of primo European Hardcore. Remastered from the original master tapes. Includes a bonus track not included on the original vinyl version and a fold out insert with lyrics and an interview with the band. Remastered reissue of this overlooked gem: a long out of print Euro Hardcore classic made in Switzerland that needs to be heard to be believed. With strong sonic ties to the best American Hardcore (think Black Flag and early SST and Touch & Go bands) it still sounds as fresh, powerful and aggressive as when it was originally recorded in 1983! 15 tracks of pure unaltered anger and frustration. A must!

Die gefeierte Can Live Serie wird mit einem Konzert in Paris mit Damo Suzuki fortgesetzt! Die zweite Phase der gefeierten Can Live-Serie, Can Live in Paris 1973, wird am 23. Februar 2024 auf Vinyl, CD und digital über Mute und Future Days (das neue EU-Label von Spoon Records) veröffentlicht.

Live in Paris 1973 zeigt Can in magischer Form bei einem Auftritt, der am 12. Mai 1973 im Pariser L'Olympia aufgezeichnet wurde und bei dem erstmals Damo Suzuki am Gesang zu hören ist. Von 1970-73 wurde die Stammbesetzung von Irmin Schmidt, Jaki Liebezeit, Michael Karoli und Holger Czukay durch den japanischen Improvisator und Sänger Suzuki ergänzt. Sie lernten sich durch eine zufällige Begegnung kennen, als Suzuki als Straßenmusiker in München unterwegs war; einige Monate nach dem hier veröffentlichtem Auftritt verließ Damo die Band. Dieses neue Album in der Reihe ermöglicht es uns, die Band in einer besonders wichtigen Phase ihrer Karriere zu erleben, da zwei ihrer am meisten gefeierten Alben - Tago Mago und Ege Bamyasi, wobei letzteres in den Pariser Auftritt einfließt - erst kürzlich veröffentlicht wurden. Die Aufnahmen wurden von Gründungsmitglied Irmin Schmidt und Produzent/Sound Engineer René Tinner, die alle Alben dieser Reihe zusammengestellt und bearbeitet haben, aus Aufnahmen in den Archiven von Spoon Records und von hilfsbereiten Fans eingesandten Aufnahmen zusammengesetzt und für das 21. Jahrhundert aufgearbeitet. CAN, die in den späten 60er Jahren gegründet wurden und sich ein gutes Jahrzehnt später auflösten, haben sich mit ihrer beispiellosen und kühnen Verbindung von hypnotischen Grooves und avantgardistischen Instrumentalstrukturen zu einer der wichtigsten und innovativsten Bands aller Zeiten entwickelt, und diese Alben zeigen die Gruppe aus einer ganz anderen Perspektive. Man hört vielleicht vertraute Themen, Riffs und Motive, die auftauchen und sich durch diese Jams wälzen, aber es sind oft nur flüchtig wiedererkannte Gesichter in einer wirbelnden Menge. An anderen Stellen hört man Musik, die es nie in den offiziellen Albumkanon geschafft hat. Bei diesen Aufnahmen gehen Can in noch extremere Bereiche als bei ihren Studioarbeiten: von sanftem, atmosphärischem Drift-Rock bis hin zu Momenten, denen die Band den Spitznamen "Godzillas" gab. Und selbst wenn sie sich von Minute zu Minute dem Rhythmus anpassen und hinterher jagen, kann man die außergewöhnliche musikalische Telepathie hören, die ihre Mitglieder miteinander teilen.

Die neue Veröffentlichung folgt auf Can Live in Brighton 1975 "Pure dynamite... keep them coming" - MOJO; Can Live in Stuttgart 1975, UNCUT's Reissue of the Year, #2 in MOJO's Reissues of the Year, #7 in THE WIRE’s Archive Reissues of the Year, und Can Live in Cuxhaven 1976, das ebenfalls in den “Reissues of the Year” stark vertreten war.

Can Live in Paris 1973 wird am 23. Februar 2024 auf Doppel-Vinyl, 2 x CD und digital über Mute / Spoon Records veröffentlicht.

AAA Audiophile 200g 45rpm Triple Disc LP!
Sourced from First Generation Analogue Recordings without Any Digital Corruption!
2xHD Mastering on Nagra Equipment by René Laflamme!

Sound Restoration by George Klabin & Fran Gala!

Cut All Analogue at Bernie Grundman Mastering on Tube Cutting Equipment!

There have been many guitar gods, but there's never been an electric bassist as deified as Jaco Pastorius. – Michael J. Agovino

This live album by Jaco Pastorius and the Word-of-Mouth Big Band, featuring harmonica virtuoso Toots Thielemans as special guest, was recorded in analog 24 tracks by the Record Plant mobile truck at Avery Fisher Hall in NYC on June 27, 1982, as part of George Wein's Kool Jazz Festival. This Deluxe 45rpm 200g edition is the first one to be mastered from the original 2 track master tapes that were found some 30 years later (the previous digital download versions were released from a digital remix of the 24 tracks). What we have here is the direct copy of the original pure analogue 2 track mix.

The brightest star in the electric bass firmament, Jaco Pastorius burst onto the national scene in 1976 with his audacious self-titled album on Columbia Records, featuring a line-up of top jazz musicians. With his extraordinary fretless electric bass playing as the centerpiece, Jaco Pastorius created an immediate sensation with the public and the media. His signature approach employed Latin-influenced funk, lyrical solos on fretless bass, bass chords, and innovative use of harmonics. In Jaco's work with Weather Report and beyond, the self-described "greatest bass player in the world" (an assessment shared with virtually the entire music world) established a new identity and role for his instrument and became the torch-bearer for a new way of playing both technically and conceptually. But behind it all was an ever present R&B and Latin-influenced groove and a screaming rock-'n'-roll attitude that he refined and incorporated into sophisticated jazz harmonic structures.

In addition to his extraordinary virtuosity, Jaco was also developing into an accomplished and sophisticated composer and arranger and those talents are gloriously on display on this album. The 3-time Grammy Award nominee was inducted into the Down Beat Jazz Hall of Fame in 1988, one of only seven bassists so honored (and the only electric bassist). His legacy as a bass innovator continues to this day, more than 30 years after his untimely death in 1987.

Galaxy Orange/Black Vinyl. Limited to 500 copies. Data Diamond is the sound of FOUR STROKE BARON at their most confidently unhinged. Originally conceived as two separate EPs (one purely electronic - Data, one heavy - Diamond) that would then meld together on one full length release, the idea morphed into what is now the succinct sucker punch of an album that is heading our way at speed. Heavily inspired by their own work on Data Diamond's predecessor, Classics, Witt and Vallarino got to work in their laboratory creating the most potent, concentrated form of FOUR STROKE BARON possible. Data Diamond - a dizzying sub-40 minute dive into the deranged psyches of its creators. The tracks on Data Diamond are lithe yet still allow enough room for idiosyncratic flourishes that mark this out as a true FOUR STROKE BARON opus. If Classics was a Man vs. Food belly busting plate of indulgence, Data Diamond is an upmarket Gordon Ramsay dish, served with a side of insanity. Finding a co-conspirator in Cynic's Paul Masvidal, the trio get somewhat psychedelic on the album's eponymous closing - and most expansive - track, which also features Vola's Adam Janzi on drums. Thematically, this is their most murderous anthology to date. Those who find themselves embroiled in these bloodthirsty tales include a Radio Shack CEO, an internationally acclaimed cyborg, an accidental trafficker of human body parts, and the leader of a death cult located in a convenience store. FOUR STROKE BARON's anomalous view of the world takes a particularly dark turn across the songs on Data Diamond, yet, as ever the macabre tragedies are dressed up with catchy melodies, pop hooks for days and a big shimmering bow of positivity.

Data Diamond is the sound of FOUR STROKE BARON at their most confidently unhinged. Originally conceived as two separate EPs (one purely electronic - Data, one heavy - Diamond) that would then meld together on one full length release, the idea morphed into what is now the succinct sucker punch of an album that is heading our way at speed. Heavily inspired by their own work on Data Diamond’s predecessor, Classics, Witt and Vallarino got to work in their laboratory creating the most potent, concentrated form of FOUR STROKE BARON possible. Data Diamond - a dizzying sub-40 minute dive into the deranged psyches of its creators. The tracks on Data Diamond are lithe yet still allow enough room for idiosyncratic flourishes that mark this out as a true FOUR STROKE BARON opus. If Classics was a Man vs. Food belly busting plate of indulgence, Data Diamond is an upmarket Gordon Ramsay dish, served with a side of insanity. Finding a co-conspirator in Cynic’s Paul Masvidal, the trio get somewhat psychedelic on the album’s eponymous closing - and most expansive - track, which also features Vola’s Adam Janzi on drums. Thematically, this is their most murderous anthology to date. Those who find themselves embroiled in these bloodthirsty tales include a Radio Shack CEO, an internationally acclaimed cyborg, an accidental trafficker of human body parts, and the leader of a death cult located in a convenience store. FOUR STROKE BARON’s anomalous view of the world takes a particularly dark turn across the songs on Data Diamond, yet, as ever the macabre tragedies are dressed up with catchy melodies, pop hooks for days and a big shimmering bow of positivity.

With his new instrumental album Ventas Rumba, the French composer (and singer) returns to his signature instrument, the piano, blending it with warm synth tones. This album represents a "return to his roots ", allowing Ezéchiel Pailhès to reinvent himself in a seamless way while still exploring ballads and ritornellos, halfway between light-heartedness and melancholy. Ezéchiel Pailhès has been meaning to write a solo piano album for as long as he can remember. Hardly surprising, of course, for this academically-trained pianist, brought up on classical music and then studied jazz. Yet, since his 2001 debut with the electro-pop duo Nôze, and his subsequent four albums, the artist had constantly postponed this project that was so close to his heart. Then in 2022, just as he was getting ready to start producing an album of new songs, this long-standing aim finally materialized.
The melodies he wrote seemed to stand on their own naturally, spurring him on to compose this series of fourteen tracks, recorded in sessions split between France and Latvia.
A new piano: the Una Corda
Ezéchiel wanted this project dedicated to the piano to begin a new narrative, to explore new instrumental terrain and new tones, something far removed from the familiar piano he has been playing all his life. He opted for the Una Corda piano, designed by David Klavins, a groundbreaking instrument builder renowned for his distinctive pianos with vertical shapes and frames.

The Una Corda, created in 2014, is an upright piano with a single string per note (unlike three strings on traditional pianos). Enticed by the "crystalline and unique" tones of this instrument, which is hard to find in France, Ezéchiel travelled to Kuldiga, Latvia (where David Klavins set up his workshops and studios), to record the first part of the album. Although the title of the album may initially conjure up images of a distant, sensual dance, the reality is quite different. Ventas Rumba indeed refers to the waterfall and rapids (in Latvian: rumba) of the river Ventas, which runs near this small village in the western part of the country. Ezéchiel chose to blur the lines, as the sound and musicality of the title likely evoke both his short stay in the Baltic country, and also a form of distant exotic imagery perfectly in tune with his own mischievous wit. Tracks as short stories

Back in France, Ezéchiel enhanced the first tracks recorded in Kuldiga with subtle synth tone layers, and added other tracks composed and recorded at his Montreuil studio. The album reflects a deliberate and sensitive orchestration of piano, synth keyboards and digital effects, as he puts it: "playing to erase the differences between the tones of the various instruments", as if each instrument's texture echoed the others. According to Ezéchiel, you can listen to Ventas Rumba as you would leaf through "a collection of short stories", through compositions that rarely exceed three minutes and evoke figures of movement, lightness, curves or modulation, such as "La ligne", "La valse des singes" or "Fly Finger". Others more seriously relate to a kind of spirituality, which quietly infuses such different tracks as "Ferveur", "Éclair" and "Louanges". Ezéchiel adds: “I’m by no means religious, but I like what God has managed to get musicians to achieve (laughs)". "Louanges", for instance, despite its electronic edge, "refers to Olivier Messiaen, a very devout composer who I greatly admire". Other tracks are directly inspired by the classical music he listens to on a daily basis. For example, Chopin's “8th Nocturne” formed the backdrop of “Pianovado”. Likewise, the harmonic structure of Beethoven's “Waldstein Sonata No. 21” inspired “Opus 53”. Aside from these multiple references and inspirations, which quickly recede behind a style that is uniquely his, Ezéchiel Pailhès keeps exploring ideas already found on his first solo albums, this time in an instrumental format, undoubtedly purer, fostering an imaginary world that evokes the shapes and themes of ballads, ritornellos, light-heartedness, passing time, reverie or a universal subdued melancholy.

CONTEXT During the height of the pandemic, Melbourne, Australia experienced the longest lockdown in the world, keeping residents inside their homes for a total of 262 days. In the midst of this were the five members who would form AWOL, driven to create and write music almost out of necessity. Once the ban was lifted, the band hit the recording studio and released their debut EP, AWOL, in 2021 through Last Ride Records. The timing was perfect as the Australia hardcore scene was experiencing serious growth, and AWOL soon found themselves playing shows with Speed, Iron Mind, No Apologies, and on a country wide run supporting No Pressure in early 2022. The band’s persistent drive and heavy playing style caught the attention of Flatspot Records, who will release AWOL’s debut full length, Tear 'Em To Bits this Spring. It’s not hard to listen to Tear 'Em To Bits and feel like you’re going to get ripped apart. The nine tracks are monstrous, filled with gruff vocals, groove-driven riffs, and meaty breakdowns. AWOL draws from bands like Madball and Biohazard, but also fit right along modern day acts like King Nine and God’s Hate. The lyrics are punishing, covering everything from deception and failed relationships to addressing drug addiction and police brutality. And while the record packs a lot of aggression, AWOL is purely here to revel in hardcore and the community it’s built for them. On making Tear 'Em To Bits the band simply states: “The only goal was to make a good hardcore record that we were proud of and that our friends could get behind.” AWOL is Christian Schultz (vocals), Mike Williams (guitar/vocals), Otis T Bennie (guitar/vocals) Pat Shanahan (drums) and Pablo Barnes (bass) Produced and recorded by Mike Deslandis, with additional recording by Otis T Bennie, at Black Lodge Studios. Mixed by Jon Markson at The Animal Farm. Mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege. MARKETING AND SELLING POINTS: * AWOL is one of the biggest hardcore bands in Australia at the moment * Can appeal to not only the Hardcore crowd but also Punk, Metal, and Rock demographics as well * Has toured w/ No Pressure, Regulate, The Story So Far, Speed * Will tour AUS, US, UK, EUROPE in 2024 * A perfect hardcore release that will stand the test of time! * Has played festivals such as L * Mixed by Jon Markson (Drug Church, Drain, Regulate, Koyo) * Music Videos for AWOL (single) + Tear Em’ To Bits (Single) * Alexa Gallo of Wordless PR will be working press * The Syndicate will be working Radio Campaign * Matt Hughes Good As Gold will be working UK press + radio * Released by Last Ride Records in AUS * First EP on Flatspot Records * Pressed on Colored Vinyl

Superb 45 featuring two Hammond-led instrumentals! We caught up with Mr Guy Hamper for an insightful Q&A_ Q: What a cracking single this is! 'Instrument of Evil' in particular has a very eerie vibe. What was the inspiration for it? A: The track is the sequel to '7% Solution', which featured on the last Guy Hamper Trio LP with Thee Headcoats standing in as rhythm section. A 7% Solution being the amount of morphine Dr Watson administered to Sherlock Holmes. For 'Instrument of Evil' I took Sherlock Holmes' later designation of his syringe as "an Instrument of Evil". This is originally a quote from the bible: "Wicked men do at times reject God's purpose for the state, transforming the good of civil government into an instrument of evil." Point of interest: Morphine addiction happens to tie in with another aspect of the song. In the section that nods to Elmer Bernstein's main title theme to the film of the book The Man With the Golden Arm, in which the main character is also a morphine addict. Another ingredient - we added six-string bass to that section in tribute to Jet Harris - he formerly of top group The Shadows, who recorded a great version of Bernstein's classic. To top it all off the record sleeve references the fine graphics of the great Saul Bass. Phew! Q: The track features contributions from Tom Morley (trumpet) and Anna Jordanous (sax). What's it like working with them? A: They are great and easy to work with. I basically make a playground and let them loose in it with very little direction, apart from pointing out the swings and location of the roundabout. I told Tom "You're a Spanish trumpeter stood on a hill in Spain." For Anna, I think we said "go low and nasty." Q: On the flip side you have 'Incense Rising From a Censer'. A very evocative title for an evocative track. Do you have lyrics in mind for this for a possible later release? A: No lyrics have sprung to mind as yet - but it's always possible. The title is from The Elders observation in Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov, a book I really recommend. Prayer rises to God on the smoke of the incense burning in the censer. I imagine this track being some kind of antidote to 'Instrument of Evil'. Q: This single marks your first time in the new premises of Jim Riley's Ranscombe Studio. What's the new place like? A: The studio is great - the sound - using my old Mighty Caesars drum kit, and Jim engineering, is pure, easy with a better sound than the old premises. Q: Any more Guy Hamper Trio releases in the pipeline? A third album perhaps? A: Again, anything is possible. Me and Jamie (James Taylor, Hammond organ) have talked of writing together in the future. Jamie is a truly great musician - the cherry on the cake if you will. We're just busted old eggs, sour milk, and some gunk. Q: A live Guy Hamper Trio show would be amazing. Any chance of that happening or will it remain a studio-based project? A: It could happen if someone came up with a very cunning plan.

Die pure Essenz von A Certain Ratio!

'It All Comes Down to This' ist das brandneue Album der Manchester-Legenden A Certain Ratio, produziert von Speedy Wundergrounds Dan Carey.

Mit diesem Album kehren A Certain Ratio zu ihren Wurzeln zurück. Es enthält 10 geradlinige Tracks mit einer Prise Elektronik als Zugabe. Es ist das erste Mal, dass die Band in der Stammbesetzung von Jez Kerr, Martin Moscrop und Donald Johnson aufgenommen hat, ohne weitere Mitstreiter oder Mitglieder der Live-Besetzung. Nach dem hochgelobten ACR-Album '1982' und der elektrisierenden 2023er EP setzt 'It All Comes Down to This' die kontinuierliche Entwicklung der Band fort.

- Ltd. Col. LP: (Neon Pink Bio Vinyl)

Gimme, Gimme, Gimme Desire, an everlasting grip of that youthful energy, that fire and fury you felt playing a style of music that gives you a lifelong addiction and appreciation. If you’ve once been part of that certain something, that became part of your identity, it never lets you go. Drummer Sascha, bassist Jan, guitarists Philipp and Tobias know how it is getting older but still feeling the fire. The four friends shook up the scenes out of Frankfurt in the 90s and 00s. They played in different bands, they toured Europe and the US of A, they were mods, punks, hardcore kids. And they never lost their connection and love for their music. That’s why they got together some years back, rehearsing and writing songs just for the heck of it. Out of pure desperation the four of them were thinking about staying a goddamn instrumental band, maybe working with projections and shit to fog the fact that there was something initial missing: a singer. The road was calling their names, and they wanted to play shows and let you and you and you know what they got... So, they gave it one last try to find somebody to fill the void behind the mic. What helped was a platform – basically Tinder for musicians – to find that certain somebody. They kept it simple and only dropped one thing: #blackflag. On the other side of the screen there is Sam, a mystical, ghostly punkrock fairy. Sam shares that same hashtag, and she wants to sing. So, why not give it a try? Sam takes the offer, shows up in the rehearsal space, and the rest is history. Sam owns it. Sam is prepared. Sam can sing, scream, kick ass and has the lyrics to back it all up! On different occasions they now set stages on fire. They played a sweaty show in a packed Molotow cellar at Reeperbahn Festival, they joined the “Female Fronted Is Not A Genre” festival at legendary SO36 in Berlin and took the place by storm. They are ready. They were born ready. And they have that record to prove it. As any classic hardcore/punk LP it’s almost over before it started. Ten songs in twenty minutes. That’s the way. I Am A God sets the tone: “You think that I’m a girl?”, Sam asks, “Let me tell you I am a god/ And you know that I’m heaven sent.” What else would Sam be? The legendary hashtagged Californian hardcore icons drip out of every note here. This is old-school knowledge, played today. Fast, furious, and packed with energy. But it’s way more than just a bland tribute. It’s a middle-finger that finds its own direction. Salary Man allows itself a certain amount of melody – also carried by Sam who obviously can do more than bellow. Or Somewhere that shows that The Pill is a more dimensional band that can even Hüsker Dü things up if they are willing to. The Bitter Pill presents itself surprisingly angular and kind of melancholic. And What’s New almost makes its way into post-hardcore territory. Inbetween Switch and Off give you all the Greg Ginn vs. Dez Cadena your damaged souls were desperately striving for. The debut album Hollywood Smile will be released on April 5th, 2024 by Hamburg’s Sounds Of Subterrania.

Second studio album from this Doom metal supergroup! Steeped in purest old school metal and the dirtiest doom. Featuring members of Impaled Nazarene, Nifelheim, Electric Wizard and Mystifier.
Heavy metal has a long history and profound connection with devilry, deviance and the dark side. The ignominious return of Friends Of Hell can only strengthen that bond.Are you ready to feel the flames?


The long-awaited follow-up to Friends Of Hell’s demonically thrilling debut, God Damned You To Hell is a scorched earth campaign against all that is holy. Even more defiantly old school and obnoxious than its predecessor, its primitive barrage of horrified heaviness owes a ghoulish debt to the greats of heavy metal and doom, while summoning some abominable demons of its own.

Now joined by Hellbutcher (Nifelheim) on vocals and bassist Beelzeebubth (Mystifier), Friends Of Hell are ready to take this rotting world into even lower depths of hell than previously imagined

Zuerst war da Howlin 'Wolf, dann Jimi Hendrix, jetzt hat die Welt Lord Bishop!" - und dieser legt mit "Tear Down The Empire" sein bislang bestes Werk vor. Für die Produktion hat sich Lord Bishop Rocks gleich zwei schwergewichtige Stromgitarrenexperten ins Boot geholt: Gemeinsam mit dem Godfather of Grunge Jack Endino (Nirvana, Soundgarden u.a.) und dem deutschen Producer-Geheimtipp Andy Schmidt (u.a. Disillusion) ist ein Album entstanden, das den Blues-, Punk- und Hardrock- Spirit der amerikanisch-deutschen Band in einen zeitlosen, rohen und energiegeladenen Sound übersetzt, vor dem Frontmann Lord Bishops sprühendes Charisma so gut zur Geltung kommt, wie noch nie zuvor. In knapp drei Jahrzehnten mit tausenden Performances rund um den Globus ist Lord Bishop Rocks zu einer Institution geworden. In den Adern des 2 Meter Riesen aus der Bronx fließt purer Rock'n'Roll. Genau wie sein Äußeres ist Lord Bishops Auftritt auf der Bühne groß, kraftvoll, unnachahmlich, entschlossen und einfach unvergesslich. "Wow, it was like watching Jimi Hendrix on steroids. Great and powerful live show and a one of kind performer" (Lemmy Kilmister / Motörhead); "Blues is his soul, and I heard the ghosts of Howlin Wolf when he sang. Lord Bishop is an authentic bloke" (Eric Burdon / The Animals);"If James Brown and Jimi Hendrix had a love child, he would be Lord Bishop. Truly outstanding, great songs, cool guitar and funky riffs. It was a pleasure to have him support my tour" (Ian Paice / Schlagzeuger von Deep Purple). Seine Karriere begann Lord Bishop mit einem Umzug ins wilde Nachwende- Ostdeutschland. Straight ahead aus der amerikanischen Heimat ins Ungewisse, das Durchbeißen gegen alle widrigen Umstände war ihm ohnehin buchstäblich in die Wiege gelegt. In Dresden begann er seine musikalische Mission, den handgemachten Rock um die Welt und ins nächste Jahrtausend zu tragen.

Nothing But Thieves werden am 15. März die Deluxe-LP-Version ihres Albums "Dead Club City" veröffentlichen, das bei seiner Veröffentlichung in England die Spitze der Charts erreichte! Darauf zu finden sind ihre neue Single "Oh No: He Said What", zwei weitere unveröffentlichte Songs sowie Akustikversionen von "Overcome" und "Tomorrow Is Closed". Die Band wird am 19. Februar 2024 in Zürich (The Hall) live zu sehen sein.

For a long time, the music of Congo-born Bony Bikaye had to be sought in the purgatory of "world music", where diamonds in the rough cohabited with bland nightmares of white dudes who froze rumba like fish sticks. Worse, they did put it on the menu, when so many longed to move on. Take Bikaye, who grew up listening to modern european music, digs Krautrock, struggles with tradition, obviously looking for trouble in the genre. In Brussels, he recorded a few albums with CY1 (Loizillon/Micheli), and brilliant defectors from Aksak Maboul, produced by Hector Zazou. Now it's up to french trio TONN3RR3 to take up the torch and build this project that proudly brags: "It's a bomb". Thought up at home by Guillaume Gilles (compo/keyboards), the album was finished at One Two Pass It studio, with Olivier Viadero and Gae"lle Salomon on percussion, Yoann Dubaud (machines & bass) and Guillaume Loizillon (synth of CY1 fame, and matchmaker of this affair). It's a deeply musical record, crafted by no-attitude reference players with nothing left to prove, and you can hear it. Floats well above the fray. "Keba na butu", beware. Indeed : beyond the simple pleasures of soukouss, or the rumba guitar riff that spins like a merry-go-round that skipped technical inspection, lie lush orchestrations. Freestyle, synthetic : something old, something new, something what-the- fuck-is-that-now. There's straight, there's syncopated, there's 808 and knee-jerk inducing bass patterns_with a vision. BIKAY3 plays his voice more than ever. His crazy vibrato has improved like hard liquor over the years. In "Zela" and "Balobi" in particular, he puts it to good use with flamboyant, Screamin' Jay Hawkins-style antics. He can also resort to pure storytelling : "La fore^t et les dieux", is a French-spoken excursion into the wild, moving along in grasslands of synths and percussion with TONN3RR3. A tale of gods and spirits, plain and simple. Nicole Mitchell brings the occasional flute in "Akei" for this trip in the bush of ghosts where lingala and kikongo rub with English and French. They saved "It's a bomb" for the end, a bastardized rumba, with rimshots that slap like a cool hand on willing skin. We're living in a golden age of reissues coming out in droves and satisfying our desire to catch up on our neighbors' musical heritage, but let's not miss the boat : it's now or never to listen to the music of the living. - Halory Goerger

DJ Moplen has outdone himself with this reimagining of Machine’s disco classic. Sticking purely to elements from the original, he’s managed to completely redesign the song, starting with an extended version of the soulful piano intro. Punching up the kick drums and handclaps moves the track into house territory, complemented by a funky guitar riff that was completely buried in the original. When the bass enters front and center Moplen practically forces you to the dancefloor, leaving you vulnerable to August Darnell’s controversial lyrics. Fresh from a career-making start with Dr. Buzzard’s Original Savannah Band, lyricist/vocalist Darnell’s collaboration here with Machine was only months from his next incarnation as Kid Creole. Just like those groups, Darnell here fills his song with the politics of race, religion, and sexuality under the guise of a great beat. This release features that rarest of things: a dub just as good as the original. Rather than just removing the vocals, Moplen again rearranges the song, removing the slow intro and building a killer groove from the ground up. As well as the 1979 version, this 12” also features Timmy Regisford’s 1994 house mix and an alternate “acapella reprise” take of that mix, both of which capture the dark energy of the song perfectly.

White Vinyl

Soon after the release in 2022 of a triple album dedicated to electronic language, Principles of Geometry continues their orbiting journey that began exactly 20 years ago with "Penta," a Maxi composed of five electro-geometric vignettes that confirm what we already knew: the discreet French duo pilots one of the most underestimated projects in European IDM.

By returning just one year after a massive fifth album (26 tracks), Principles of Geometry makes a clear artistic move: shifting from electronic language unfolded on ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ to gesture, as one would associate intellect with manual, actions with words. On "Penta," to be visualized as the five fingers of a hand sketching the immediate and spontaneous pleasure of a hand pressing a chord, Guillaume Grosso and Jeremy Duval thus combine two essential concepts of their electronic music: the need to make the listener dance with their brains, and to touch with their mental images.

With nods to the godfathers of the genre (Autechre and Boards of Canada) or crossing paths with Aphex Twin in a Michael Mann film, "Penta" is therefore a beauty of gesture first conceived with the fingers, and without the need for words to evoke either the romance or the violence of a chord on a Roland Juno 60.

Mastered by the legend Noel Summerville (Boards of Canada, Kraftwerk, My Bloody Valentine) and designed by Ian Anderson of The Designers Republic (responsible for the graphics of the cult WipEout and many collaborations with the Warp label), this Maxi is therefore listened to as much as a recreational return to the future of the 90s as it is a concise summary of the equilateral career of Principles of Geometry; equally distant between pure emotion and the need to ponder the notes played in this very special ship.

Remotif offers up a disc of pure euphoria on London label GODDEZZ, featuring four original tracks of trance-futurism crafted for peak time club elevation. Boasting an illustrious tapestry of prior releases on labels such as All My Thoughts, Coymix, air miles, X-Kalay and Space Lab, here Remotif presents a record that takes a deep dive into the cherished producers current sonic universe; driving guttural basslines, glistening piano breakdowns and crystallized drum patterns all distilled into four perfect gems of the most uplifting rave material.

Close Your Eyes And Count To One...

toechter is an all-female trio operating from Berlin. toechter’s 2nd full-length album »Epic Wonder« sees its classically trained members blend elaborate string arrangements with ethereal indie pop and delicate rhythms. Katrine Grarup Elbo, Lisa Marie Vogel and Marie-Claire Schlameus exclusively use analogue sound sources (such as violin, viola, cello, and their voices), which were then electronically processed.

Named after the Greek god of the wind, toechters 2022 album »Zephyr« exhaled deeply with concurrently invigorating and confusing sounds. »Epic Wonder«, their second album, was created in the spring and summer of 2023. Playing with forms and contours, the music sounds like the awakening of something new. One seems to be listening to an ongoing conversation, an exchange about what music could be, where it wants to go and how it contributes to our view of life. It all rests on a simple premise:

»Every sound you hear in our universe comes from us. The string trio is the core of toechter, the starting point of all our work.«

Those looking for new worlds of sound can find them in the work of this classically- trained musicians. Whether they add voices or percussive instruments, sample the sounds, or manipulate them electronically; ultimately they are exploring the string trio's place in a world shaped by the digital.

»Prelude« opens the album, seemingly a conversation, yet not only between humans. We catch the word ›love‹ which soon morphs into pure sound images, while a violin theme tentatively takes over. Is it the dawning of a new day? The chorus of sound transforms into a fascinating rhythmic figure, creating a club-like experience that fades out in delicate structures. A perpetual transformation.

According to toechter, »Epic Wonder« is all about making connections. Connections between people, animals, plants, fungi, rocks, soils, oceans, ice caps, stars, and planets. One imagines oneself in a folk-pop song of the 60s, or even blown around by Morricone's desert wind:

»The world as we see it is in desperate need for a deeper understanding; for compassion, for empathy. We have to understand that we are all part of the same organism. Epic Wonder is a dream, a wish, a longing for kinship between all species that share the world - all that is alive.«

The acoustic throbbing and knocking in »Sea Of Serenity« makes you think of encounters with mythical creatures or planetary oceanography; and out of the mechanically clacking groove of »Shift Souls« a gentle, but steady movement awakens with voices that seem to sound from the depths of the sea. Everything is in flux, floating in and out of dimensions and elements.

The album ends with »Mercury«, spherically elegant and almost science fiction-like. Here, a pizzicato melody leads us back to the baroque, simultaneously representing a detail of intertwined sonic worlds, while the steady, housy baseline develops its driving theme.

»Creating the music for the album, we allowed ourselves to waft away with the aspiration that connections are possible. Sometimes dwelling on subtle, yet marveling phenomena like the evening fog covering a valley on Midsummer, sometimes on grandiose splendors like the genesis of mountains or the birth of a child - letting interactions and encounters with other beings float through the musical universe as drips of emotional perceptivity.«

For the visual manifestation of »Epic Wonder«, toechter has engaged with Finish up-and-coming lens-based artist Aino Kontinen. Her work will grace both the cover art of the album and accompany the first single and video as an ephemeral tale in motion.

"Visions of Summerland (Live at Arminius Church Rotterdam)" ist weit mehr als nur ein weiteres Live-Album. DOOL nahmen diese Stücke in der dunkelsten aller Nächte während der Wintersonnenwende am 23. Dezember 2022 auf. Es war nicht nur physisch die finsterste Zeit des Jahres, sondern auch spirituell eine dunkle Stunde für die niederländischen Dark Rock Shootingstars. Aufgrund der weltweiten Pandemie konnten sie kaum mit ihrem aktuellen, zweiten Album "Summerland" auf Tour gehen. Außerdem war es das letzte gemeinsame Konzert mit ihrem Freund und Schlagzeuger Micha Haring, der zuvor unter vier Augen und aus persönlichen Gründen seinen Abschied von DOOL angekündigt hatte. Die Zeichen in der Arminiuskerk ("Arminiuskirche") in Rotterdam deuteten auf einen höchst melancholischen Auftritt hin. Umgeben von sakraler Architektur und religiösen Bildnissen, vor Familie, Freunden sowie ihren treuesten Fans opferten DOOL all ihr Herzblut, ihren Schweiß und ihre Tränen für die Songs. Pure Bühnenmagie lag in der Luft. Verzweiflung und Schmerz verwandelten sich in musikalische Schönheit und Hoffnung. Frontperson Raven sprach hinterher sogar vom wohl besten DOOL-Auftritt aller Zeiten! Seitdem sie im Jahr 2015 in der alten niederländischen Hafenstadt Rotterdam aus der Asche von THE DEVIL'S BLOOD und ELLE BANDITA auferstanden sind, haben DOOL der europäischen Dark Rock Szene ihren einzigartigen Stempel aufgedrückt. Das Debütalbum "Here Now, There Then" erschien im Jahr 2017 und gewann sofort Auszeichnungen wie "Album des Monats" in den renommierten deutschen Magazinen Rock Hard und Metal Hammer, wo DOOL auch den Titel "Bestes Debütalbum 2017" holten - neben viel Lob aus aller Welt, unter anderem von VICE (US), Aardschok (NL) und De Volkskrant (NL). Mit ihrem zweiten Album "Summerland", das im April 2020 das Licht der Welt erblickte, bestätigten die Shootingstars um Raven van Dorst (Gesang, Gitarre) ihren Blitzstart und ernteten weiteren Jubel in den Medien. "Summerland" erhielt vielfache "Album des Monats"-Auszeichnungen unter anderem in den deutschen Magazinen Rock Hard (10/10) und Sonic Seducer sowie einen zweiten Platz im Soundcheck von Metal Hammer (DE), Metal.de und eine weitere Erstplatzierung im polnischen Metal Hammer. Bevor DOOL im Frühjahr 2024 ihr drittes Album enthüllen, schenken die niederländischen Dark Rocker ihrer treuen Fangemeinde dieses beeindruckende Live-Dokument: "Visions of Summerland (Live at Arminius Church Rotterdam)" wirft ein strahlendes musikalisches Licht in eine Welt voller Dunkelheit.

"Visions of Summerland (Live at Arminius Church Rotterdam)" ist weit mehr als nur ein weiteres Live-Album. DOOL nahmen diese Stücke in der dunkelsten aller Nächte während der Wintersonnenwende am 23. Dezember 2022 auf. Es war nicht nur physisch die finsterste Zeit des Jahres, sondern auch spirituell eine dunkle Stunde für die niederländischen Dark Rock Shootingstars. Aufgrund der weltweiten Pandemie konnten sie kaum mit ihrem aktuellen, zweiten Album "Summerland" auf Tour gehen. Außerdem war es das letzte gemeinsame Konzert mit ihrem Freund und Schlagzeuger Micha Haring, der zuvor unter vier Augen und aus persönlichen Gründen seinen Abschied von DOOL angekündigt hatte. Die Zeichen in der Arminiuskerk ("Arminiuskirche") in Rotterdam deuteten auf einen höchst melancholischen Auftritt hin. Umgeben von sakraler Architektur und religiösen Bildnissen, vor Familie, Freunden sowie ihren treuesten Fans opferten DOOL all ihr Herzblut, ihren Schweiß und ihre Tränen für die Songs. Pure Bühnenmagie lag in der Luft. Verzweiflung und Schmerz verwandelten sich in musikalische Schönheit und Hoffnung. Frontperson Raven sprach hinterher sogar vom wohl besten DOOL-Auftritt aller Zeiten! Seitdem sie im Jahr 2015 in der alten niederländischen Hafenstadt Rotterdam aus der Asche von THE DEVIL'S BLOOD und ELLE BANDITA auferstanden sind, haben DOOL der europäischen Dark Rock Szene ihren einzigartigen Stempel aufgedrückt. Das Debütalbum "Here Now, There Then" erschien im Jahr 2017 und gewann sofort Auszeichnungen wie "Album des Monats" in den renommierten deutschen Magazinen Rock Hard und Metal Hammer, wo DOOL auch den Titel "Bestes Debütalbum 2017" holten - neben viel Lob aus aller Welt, unter anderem von VICE (US), Aardschok (NL) und De Volkskrant (NL). Mit ihrem zweiten Album "Summerland", das im April 2020 das Licht der Welt erblickte, bestätigten die Shootingstars um Raven van Dorst (Gesang, Gitarre) ihren Blitzstart und ernteten weiteren Jubel in den Medien. "Summerland" erhielt vielfache "Album des Monats"-Auszeichnungen unter anderem in den deutschen Magazinen Rock Hard (10/10) und Sonic Seducer sowie einen zweiten Platz im Soundcheck von Metal Hammer (DE), Metal.de und eine weitere Erstplatzierung im polnischen Metal Hammer. Bevor DOOL im Frühjahr 2024 ihr drittes Album enthüllen, schenken die niederländischen Dark Rocker ihrer treuen Fangemeinde dieses beeindruckende Live-Dokument: "Visions of Summerland (Live at Arminius Church Rotterdam)" wirft ein strahlendes musikalisches Licht in eine Welt voller Dunkelheit.

Tin Fingers takes on a darker, melancholic direction on their second full album. Felix Machtelinckx' weeping vocals, preaching, searching, and trying to understand God, form the leitmotif. With rich melodies, haunting piano sounds, improvisations, first takes and no overdubs, Tin Fingers is searching for pureness and keeping things human and simple. The band is playing together intuitively, without a computer, without ego, just for the sake of music

The creation of the album was very fluent and spontaneous. Singer Felix wrote the backbones of the songs and the lyrics on acoustic guitar and piano. He wanted to have songs ready in order to be able to record and write arrangements fast. With an eye for details but without overthinking, keeping the ideas fresh. 'I wanted to stay in love with the music.' he explains. 'It needed to go fast, very fast, in just two weeks the entire album was recorded and ready to be mixed.'

In the studio, the band especially focused on picking the right mood rather than playing the right notes.

They were fed up with working on a computer for many hours, overthinking production choices, and adding instruments on top of each other as if they were Lego blocks. This time they decided to work in a more traditional way, going for first takes, jams, and essentially working with analog gear. No computers, no screens, no distractions. Only four humans in a studio trying to make a sound together by keeping things spontaneous and raw. They said goodbye to perfection and worked towards an unfinished product, a snapshot.

Tin Fingers also didn't want to sound like any other artist on this record. They decided not to listen to music during the sessions, and to never express ideas by referencing other bands. Just before the studio session, however, bass player Simen Wouters broke the rules and shared Bonnie 'Prince' Billy's, I See Darkness. Its dark and searching sound ended up inspiring the band unmistakably.

Once the recording was finished, the band decided to keep the volatile rhythm going and asked reputable NYC-based mixer and producer D. James Goodwin to finish the job. Goodwin, known for his analog folk productions with a real American punchy sound but a tender touch, proved the right man for the job. He opened up the songs and kept things poetic, minimal but impressive.

Singer-songwriter Thom Morecroft releases his sophomore album, “Waiting For Leo.” Drawing inspiration from the rich songwriting style of 1970s folk-rock and infusing it with the distinctive aesthetic lens of Glasgow’s C86 scene, Morecroft delivers a captivating lo-fi experience that pays homage to the past while carving its own unique path. Think Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young meets the infectious energy of Teenage Fanclub’s “Bandwagonesque.” During the pandemic-induced lockdowns of 2020 and beyond, Thom embarked on a remarkable creative journey, offering his Patreon subscribers a new digital album every month. It is within these prolific collections that the songs for “Waiting For Leo” were born. With an abundance of time and the freedom to explore his creative impulses, Morecroft crafted a collection of songs that are reflective, philosophical, and deeply personal. Some look towards the future with hope, others reminisce about the past, while some capture the essence of the present moment, and a few wander into realms of pure fantasy. As Thom navigated the challenge of selecting the final tracklist, he honed and refined each composition, adding production elements and creating a cohesive sonic tapestry. “Waiting For Leo” is an album that manages to strike a delicate balance, emanating a sense of contentment and carefree spirit while simultaneously delving into themes of family, alcoholism, grief, and loss. The introspective nature of these songs, born out of a period devoid of external stimulation, allows listeners to embark on a thought-provoking journey alongside Morecroft. Reflecting on the album’s title, Thom shares, “The album is called ‘Waiting for Leo’ because the songs were written and recorded during the period before my partner and I discovered we were expecting our son. There is also the famous Samuel Beckett play called ‘Waiting for Godot,’ which I must confess I have never seen. Is it good?” “Waiting For Leo” stands as a testament to Thom Morecroft’s artistic growth and showcases his ability to merge captivating songwriting with a distinct sonic aesthetic. As listeners immerse themselves in the intimate world he has created, they will discover a tapestry of emotions that resonate deeply.

Too Pure are excited to get Moonshake’s debut album, ‘Eva Luna’, back in
print, releasing a deluxe edition, re-mastered from analogue 1Ú2” tape, on
blue double vinyl.
 The reissue contains 19 tracks - the album’s original 10, the non-LP threesong single ‘Secondhand Clothes’, the two B-sides from the ‘Beautiful
Pigeon’ single and four tracks from a November 1992 John Peel session.
The release also includes an 8-page full-colour booklet.
 Moonshake were formed in 1991 by David Callahan (vocals, guitars,
samplers), formerly of The Wolfhounds, and New York musician Margaret
Fiedler (vocals, guitars, samplers). Callahan and Fiedler recorded a demo for
Creation Records, and were joined by John Frenett (bass) and Miguel
Morland (‘Mig’, drums) to record and release the ‘First EP’ for Creation in
1991.
 They took their name from a 1973 single by Can. Both Fiedler and Callahan
wrote songs, and they would (generally) sing on the songs that they wrote.
Their output of shared inspiration produced wildly different results - Can, PIL,
Kraftwerk, MBV and Erik B & Rakim were a melting pot that made
Moonshake somewhat uncategorizable, and as Margaret noted in an
interview, “Moonshake was a collision - it was supposed to be a collision.”
 Their debut album, ‘Eva Luna’, took its name from a novel by Chilean author
Isabel Allende, and the tracks on it are split evenly between the two
songwriters. Callahan’s songs are somewhat angry, dissonant, post-punk
affairs, while Fiedler’s are just as angular, but her quieter sometimes near
whispered vocals compliment her writing partner’s equally. Producer /
engineer Guy Fixsen, fresh from his work on My Bloody Valentine’s
‘Loveless’, was instrumental in making the album cohesive.
 This album has been critically revisited often since its original release, with
Tiny Mix Tapes describing their sound as “an updated take on Can and
Public Image Limited’s rhythmic propulsion with noisier guitar work and a
predilection for sampling influenced by The Young Gods.” Last year, in a
wonderfully long piece to celebrate the album’s 30th anniversary, Louder
Than War wrote that they were blown away by the album’s “utterly
spellbinding, dizzyingly genre-defying approach at articulating explicitly the
sound of a city in the throes of urban psychosis and derangement... ‘Eva
Luna’ really is one hell of a ground-breaking record, and it stands resolutely
alone among all of the albums released in 1992 as no other band has
managed to create anything remotely similar before or since. It really is a
unique album with few equals.”
 In 1993, the original incarnation of the band split up, and Margaret Fiedler
and John Frenett went on to form Laika with Guy Fixsen. Callahan and
Morland continued on with guest musicians, with Callahan ultimately
remaining the band’s sole original member. Moonshake ended in 1997 but
their legacy is indisputable.

Die Könige des holländischen Black Metal Salacious Gods, die einst verloren und vergessen schienen, kehren mit ihrem magnum magistralis zurück!

Black Metal, wie er gedacht war: rein, schnell, intensiv und voller Hass!"Oalevluuk" hat eine so große und vielschichtige Bedeutung für Salacious Gods als Band und für die einzelnen Mitglieder, dass das Album nur für sich selbst sprechen kann. Es fängt die Mühen und die Ausdauer ein, die die Band aufbringen musste, um dieses Stück purer, ritueller Dunkelheit zu vollenden.Nach der Veröffentlichung des Vorgängeralbums "Piene" im Jahr 2005 hatten Salacious Gods ein neues Album geschrieben und im Jahr 2006 fertig aufgenommen. Das Material wurde auf die altmodische Art und Weise geschrieben: im Proberaum.

Doch nach einer Phase der Selbstreflexion und Selbstgeißelung wurde das neue Material als mehr vom Gleichen und nicht dem Standard der Band entsprechend angesehen. Aufgrund von Veränderungen im Schreibprozess und einer sich ständig weiterentwickelnden Denkweise, brach die Band zu neuen Horizonten auf, sowohl musikalisch als auch textlich. Das neue "Oalevluuk" Material wurde 2008 geschrieben und perfektioniert. Der Aufnahmeprozess begann kurz darauf. Doch zu diesem Zeitpunkt begannen die ersten ominösen Anzeichen des alten Fluchs ("Oalevluuk") ihr Haupt zu erheben.

For the 6th time, dark metal legends AMORPHIS hit the #1 chart position in Finland with an album and 'Halo' is a pure gem featuring some of the best melodies and progressive riffs that the band has written in their 3 decade spanning career. With hits like "The Moon" or "On The Dark Waters", 'Halo' was voted 'album of the month' in Metal Hammer (GER), Rock Hard (GER), Spark (CZ) and Legacy (GER) and now, right in time for their European Tour, AMORPHIS launch a beautiful blue blackdust vinyl of their latest album. A gem for every collector!

No Other Voice And Artist Influenced And Basically Created The Female Fronted Symphonic Metal Genre As Much As Tarja. A Pioneer In Goth And Symphonic Metal, The Classically Trained Finn Rose To Fame With The Band Nightwish, Whose Face And Voice She Had Been For 9 Years. Tarja, Whose Vocal Range Goes As Far As Three Octaves, Started Her Solo Career After Stepping Out Of Nightwish In 2004.
Releasing Several Very Successful Solo Albums, Awarded Gold And Platinum In Various Countries, Such As Germany, Poland, Czech Republic Or Finland, Tarja Turunen Has Been Touring The World With Her New Band. The Most Successful Finnish Solo Artist Is One Of The Most Versatile And Passionate Musicians Originating From But Not Limited To The Heavy Music Scene: Her Pure Classical Work 'ave Maria - En Plein Air' Charted In The Classical Charts In Germany And Has Led To Sold Out Classical Concerts All Over Europe. Adored By Many Fans As Their 'goddess', The Finnish Soprano Has The Skill To Carry Her Fans Away Just By Her Presence - Probably More Than Any Other Female Artist In This Genre. When Classic Meets Rock And Heavy Metal, It Inevitably Leads To Tarja

Filmed during Tarja's world tour 'The Shadow Shows', during which the influential heavy rock singer circled the world 7 ½ times with over 300.000 km travelled and played over 200 shows in 40 countries in front of 1 million people, 'Act II' consists of the singer's very intimate 75 minute set filmed and recorded live at the Metropolis Studio in London, UK and the breathtaking live performance of one of her shows in Milan, Italy, and previously unreleased interviews and photo galleries. The theatrical rock adventure 'Act II' combines two incredible, yet slightly different live performances on video: The first chapter, 'Metropolis Alive', has been filmed two months prior to the release of Tarja's 2016 success 'The Shadow Self'. 20 winners from all over Europe were lucky to witness Tarja's intimate, yet rocking 75 minute set at renowned Metropolis Studios in London, UK where the singer performed songs from her then unreleased album - for the first time in front of an audience. 'Act II's' second chapter has been recorded on November 29th, 2016 at the magnificent Teatro della Luna Allago in Milan, Italy and includes numerous hits from all four Tarja albums such as 'Innocence', 'Die Alive', 'Until My Last Breath' as well as an incredible cover of Muse's classic 'Supremacy'. That night's set list also enchants the soprano's
long-time fans with a medley consisting of the distinctive Nightwish evergreens 'Ever Dream', 'Slaying The Dreamer' and 'The Riddler'. All topped off with a remarkable acoustic set which presents Tarja classics in a brand new way. Even though the shows deliberately differ in look, sound, approach to the music and adrenalin, both have one thing in common: from the very first to the very last tune, the state of the art production displays Tarja's energetic performance and her graceful, charming presence.
'Act II' is going to be released as 2CD digipak, 3LP Gatefold (180g, black), DVD, Blu-ray, Limited Mediabook 2CD+2BD (incl. two full live shows filmed at Hellfest in France and Woodstock Festival in Poland as bonus) and Digital.
'ACT I', Tarja's first ever live release, charted Top 10 all over Europe as well as almost all over the world, with a sensational #5 in Germany's General Charts. The video version even remained for over two months at the peak of the Finnish music video charts.

"Featuring Nate Morgan on piano, Jesse Sharps on reeds, Danny Cortez on trumpet, Rickey Kelly on vibes, Joel Ector on bass and Derek Roberts on drums. This music was recorded in Santa Barbara in July of 1987. Since the passing of the great pianist /composer / bandleader Horace Tapscott, the Nimbus West label has continued to document the underground L.A. jazz scene that Mr. Tapscott was once at the center of. A number of great musicians who once collaborated
with Tapscott, like Jesse Sharps & Nate Morgan, have recorded albums as leaders on Nimbus West. The short liner notes state that "trying to play serious music in an area as shallow & fad-driven as Los Angeles, were too much for this band to deal with..." so they didn't last too long. No doubt. This LP is proof that this collective's music was strong, spirited, original and had a great deal to offer. I
can't say that I've heard of any of the rhythm section players but all six members of the collective are excellent musicians nonetheless.
Nate Morgan's "Retribution, Reparation" is first and it has one of those McCoy Tyner-like 70's ensemble vibes with spirited piano and Trane-ish tenor sax sailing on top. The entire sextet is in great form with impressive solos from trumpeter Danny Cortez, vibist Rickey Kelly and pianist Nate Morgan. How musicians as incredible as this escaped notice, I will never understand. The sextet is ultra-tight and swings furiously throughout. Bassist John Ector's "Big Spliff" has a most memorable theme that had me smiling all the way through. The long & inspired soprano solo by Jesse Sharps and that great piano interplay & solo makes this piece even more special. The only cover on this LP is Monk's "Well You Needn't" and it too is done exuberantly. There are over 100 minutes of outstanding music on this wonderful release. Another buried treasure to add to your collection of great gifts from the gods." - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery

First new recordings from GODFLESH since 2017's critically acclaimed full length 'POST SELF'.

'PURGE' musically, amongst the many layers of dirt, revisits and updates the concepts explored on the 'PURE' album from 1992; 90's hip hop grooves mangled and put through the GODFLESH filter to create something that is still unique and futuristic in style.

Both minimal and maximal, with layer upon layer of filth and heaviness, Godflesh deliver alien grooves that swing whilst also retaining the psychedelic / bad trip edge that Godflesh has always obsessed over. This is, and always has been, feel bad music; the title alone 'PURGE' references directly how songwriter / creator Justin K Broadrick utilises this music as temporary relief from his diagnosed autism and PTSD, a journey he has been on since he began creating music and feeling alone and as an outsider in any 'scene' or 'group' from childhood and throughout his adulthood.

Godflesh gives him the means to express a lifetime of feeling misunderstood and overwhelmed by hyper sensitivity, the band being the vehicle to give him some sense of catharsis and transcendence; a way of communicating overload and constant disenchantment at the human condition, and man's abuse of power and the systems that chain us.

The album references the cycle of horror that man has always and will always put us through; those in positions of power revel in the infliction of pain and horror upon individuals, in the name of their religion, their power, their money, their flags....

8 songs, delivered in a concise fashion for fellow outsiders.

If your brain has a shortlist of bands that instantly evoke New Wave, Suburban Lawns deserve a slot right next to the likes of Devo, Talking Heads and the B-52’s. After putting out two singles on their own Suburban Industrial imprint, the Lawns signed to I.R.S. Records and released their debut LP in 1981. While the band gained cult status thanks in part to a Jonathan Demme-produced music video which aired on Saturday Night Live, their self-titled album would sadly be the five-piece’s only full-length statement. Suburban Lawns’ asymmetrical aesthetic is personified by co-vocalist Su Tissue, whose mesmerizing stage persona was at once childlike and terrifying. Her unique style embodies the awkward/arty female singer of the Reagan era, while the group’s male vocals—courtesy of Frankie Ennui, Vex Billingsgate and John McBurney—maintain the satirical themes of Southern California’s postwar mirage of limitless sprawl. Suburban Lawns’ catchiness can be attributed to their drum-tight performance and taut songwriting. Listen to the vocal trade-offs on “Anything,” which could have easily come out on any purely Punk label from LA at the time, while Tissue’s deadpan delivery on “Janitor” glides into the best art-warble this side of Lene Lovich, broaching the possibility of nuclear annihilation with a murmured “Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom.” From a West Coast scene dominated by 7-inch singles and EPs, the Suburban Lawns’ lone LP remains in a class with precious few. It’s not surprising that they found acceptance in the Hollywood punk scene, despite their Long Beach roots, and would influence other bands such as Minutemen. This is not a disc that will get parked in your collection hoping to get pulled once in a while; this is a record you will play.

2LP Glow In The Dark Vinyl Reprint limited to 3.000 units

IN FLAMES repräsentieren das Beste aus Vergangenheit, Gegenwart und Zukunft des Metal. IN FLAMES sind heute genauso vital und sogar noch energiegeladener als in den vergangenen Jahrzehnten, als sie Klassiker wie Come Clarity und Clayman herausbrachten.

Die Band hat sich einen umwerfenden Ruf erspielt, indem sie auf der ganzen Welt bei jedem erdenklichen großen Rock- und Metal-Festival mitreißende und inspirierende Auftritte absolvierte, als Headliner auf mehreren Tourneen auftrat und mit Bands wie Slipknot, Megadeth, Judas Priest, Killswitch Engage, Within Temptation und Lamb Of God tourte. Sie treten regelmäßig auf einigen der größten Bühnen und Festivals der Welt auf.

"Foregone", das furiose vierzehnte Studioalbum, verbindet die größten aggressiven, metallischen und melodischen Stärken ihrer bahnbrechenden Alben mit dem ausgereiften Songwriting ihrer postmodernen Ära. "Foregone" schafft es meisterhaft, wenn auch unwahrscheinlich, alle Seiten der In Flames-Fangemeinde mit kraftvoller Wucht zu bedienen.

Ein Gefühl von Stolz, Leistung und anhaltender Vitalität ist jedes Mal, wenn die Band die Bühne betritt, und überall auf "Foregone" zu spüren. Als Pioniere des Melodic Death Metal und innovative Verfechter des Grooves sind die Kunst, der Einfluss, die Größe und die Zukunft von In Flames so groß wie der Heavy Metal-Horizont selbst.

Five years after the release of ‘Luyando’, Zimbabwe’s most celebrated music export returns with their long-awaited follow-up album ‘Tusona: Tracings in the Sand’. The six musicians from Victoria Falls are refining their unique sound: infectious Afro grooves deeply connected to Zimbabwe’s cultural DNA. ‘Tusana’ is their most danceable album to date, a DIY production recorded in Zimbabwe. It features horns by Ghanaian highlife outfit Santrofi.

Every Sunday, there is a gathering in the sweltering heat on grounds of an old local beer hall in the Chinotimba township in Mosi-o-Tunya (Victoria Falls). Entertainment is provided by various traditional groups including the Luvale Makisi masquerade. It is a day full of singing, drumming, dancing and storytelling. Mokoomba’s lead vocalist Mathias Muzaza can often be found here singing with a voice both soaring and vulnerable. In the course of the afternoon the other band members - guitarist Trustworth Samende, bass player Abundance Mutori, keyboard player Phathisani Moyo, percussionist Miti Mugande and drummer Ndaba Coster Moyo - often join in with singing. The drum driven song “Bakalubale” featured on their new album invites you to this gathering.

Mokoomba recorded ‘Tusona: Tracings in the Sand’, the follow-up album to ‘Luyando’ (2017, Outhere), in Zimbabwe during the pandemic. Instead of working with outside producers like Manou Gallo or Steve Dyer as they have in the past, this album was entirely recorded in a DIY fashion by Mokoomba. The collective from Zimbabwe put in all the experiences made over the previous years and have forged their music into a unique Zimbabwean sound. On popular demand from their fans in Zimbabwe they have even re-recorded three songs from their last more acoustic album ‘Luyando’ turning them into dancehall bangers (featured on the CD and digital versions of the album). In short, this album is more Mokoomba than any of the ones before.

On the album Mokoomba are singing about love, loss, courage in a changing society. The first single “Nzara Hapana” means “no money” in Shona. The song talks about a man who wants to ensure the future of his wife and family and is trying to protect them against the greed of his relatives. The danceable up-tempo song “Nyansola” praises the goddess of harvest and asks her for rain. “Makisi” is sung in Luvale. It celebrates the beauty of the initiation ceremony for which the whole community comes together. “Manina” is a song about losing a loved one. It was written during the pandemic and features the young singer Ulethu from Harare. Mokoomba sing in many different local languages. Their songs are in Tonga, Luvale, Shona, Nyanja and even Lingala used in “Makolo” when they team up with Congolese singer Desolo B. (The album also features horns by Nobert Wonkyi Arthur (trumpet), Bernard Gyamfi (trombone) and Emmanuel Arthur (sax) from Ghanaian highlife outfit Santrofi.)

The title of the album is a nod towards their immense respect for tradition. ‘Tusona’ refers to an ancient system of signs and symbols, drawn in the sand and used for instruction during initiation ceremonies by the Luvale in Southern Africa. Another important part of the Mukanda initiation ceremony is the incredible Makisi masquerade. Since 2008 the Makisi dances are on the UNESCO list of intangible heritage. The Makisi are masked characters, representing the spirit of deceased ancestors. During the yearly initiation ceremony the Makisi return to the living world to teach the young children to become responsible adults among the Lubale people of Southern Africa. In the last decade the interest - especially among the young people – has faded and the Makisi dances have nearly died out.

“Our inspiration comes from these gatherings”, Trustworth Samende explains, “from listening to and playing pure traditional music with everyone in the township. We then add influences from music that we listened to in our homes growing up and the sounds we experience travelling around the world.” It is the connection with the cultures around them that gives Mokoomba’s music its spiritual power. When you hear Mathias Muzaza singing and you watch closely, you will see the music carrying him away to a different sphere, a place where he is singing with the ancestors. Only a split second later though Trust Samende’s sparkling guitar riffs kick in, blending Congolese influences from neighbouring Kasai with Zamrock and Mbira inspired Chimurenga music, making you want to hit the dancefloor. It is this unique blend of local musical styles with contemporary dance music that is at the heart of Mokoomba’s music. The strong reference to tradition is also reflected in the cover illustration by young Zimbabwean visual artist Lomedy Mhako.

It has been nearly 10 years since this young energetic band from Zimbabwe has exploded onto the international music scene. Since then they have shared their music with fans all over the world: Mokoomba have performed in over 40 countries, rocking audiences in places like Roskilde festival (Denmark), WOMAD festival (UK), Sziget festival (Hungary), SXSW (USA), Apollo Theatre (New York) to name but a few.

Like anywhere in the world Africa’s musical output has become more and more producer based. Mokoomba are the living proof that Africa’s great guitar band heritage is well alive and ready to set any dancefloor on fire. Most important though is that deep below the surface of Mokoomba’s sound - flowing like the Zambezi River - you can still hear the heartbeat and the rhythm of a community connected by its music. Like ‘Tusona’, it is a source of rejuvenation, resilience and strength in these changing times. May the tracings in the sand not fade.

Mungo’s Hi Fi return with their exciting new vocal project Past And Present. Released on their Dumbarton Rock label, it’s the eagerly awaited vocal companion piece to 2021 dub album Antidote. Past And Present is unique for Mungo’s in being devoted to the Rub A Dub reggae style that arose in late 70s and early 80s Jamaica. The record has its roots in both past and present. Back in 2021, Mungo’s responded to the pandemic with the dub project Antidote, an album of reflection among wide spaces and nature. As the world has reopened, Past And Present celebrates the return of verbal communication and dancing to hypnotic basslines, with the original vocal cuts by veteran and rising microphone talent. The haunting voice of French pure singjay Pupajim encourages us to face living in the now, on title track Past and Present. Pioneering Jamaican female deejay Lady Ann toasts the importance of Good Lovin’ over a sensual, waist-winding rhythm. Ethereal UK neo lovers rock singer Hollie Cook revisits her classic Sugar Water, floating above a sparse and eerie future Rub A Dub soundscape. Honey-toned Londoner Kiko Bun exudes confidence and humility as a Riddim General while veteran talker Solo Banton shakes up the dance on his seismic, much requested, We Pulsating. The biblical voice of Jamaican legend Prince Alla sounds fresh on a revisit to his immortal Only Love Can Conquer. Fellow elder statesman of reggae Johnny Clarke contributes the sole non Rub A Dub offering with the “Flying Cymbals” driven, deep roots track Rain Keeps On Falling. French singjay Shanti D and Israeli chanter Ranking Levy pair up on the mighty Jaqueline rhythm for a warning against Total Disaster. The prodigious Charlie P joins Godfather of UK emcee-ing, Daddy Freddy, to request freer movement on Control The Border. The final statement is without words or vocals: as Mungo’s production team take centre stage for the soaring Birds Of Vice – the A side to Antidote’s closing dub, Birds Of Pleasure. In reggae, the vocal traditionally precedes the dub. By completing their pairing of Antidote with Past and Present, Mungo’s have flipped the script and reversed the process – crafting a loving tribute to Rub A Dub’s rolling basslines and upward vibes in a modern style

The Search for God is a wake-up call for a troubled world that’s still worth saving, animated by a belief in the power of small connections to add up to big changes. At 10 songs delivered in a brief 15 minutes, Jimmy Whispers’ long-awaited sophomore album feels present in a way that feels brand new for the cult auteur. Like many of us, Jimmy has been affected by the pressure of the past few years. After embracing sobriety in 2019, and now as a filmmaker sharing the stories of lesser known Los Angeles community members, he’s brought his dreaming down to earth, while turning its direction even further out.

Recorded with his longtime friend Ziyad Asrar of the band Whitney (and re-recorded after a hard drive incident destroyed the original files), The Search for God was created in the wake of Jimmy’s COVID isolation, and returns to some teen influences that are out of step with the chill/lo-fi LA indie rock scene he’s found himself lumped in with. Created mostly with two vintage synths, a single Roland CR5000 drum machine, and a busted karaoke machine, it channels Midwestern emo, the Beach Boys’ Smile, subtle nods at hyper-pop production, and forgotten jewel-box era college radio of the early aughts into a pure pop sound that transcends easy categorization.

The album’s standout single—and its statement of purpose—is “Hellscape,” which packs more into a minute and 40 seconds than you’d think possible: multiple immediately-unforgettable hooks, kaleidoscopic keyboards, and a bracing reminder that even the most transcendent moments are rooted in a world full of suffering. “This is a fucking hellscape,” Jimmy sings. “This is real life / this is happening.”

That may sound like punk nihilism, but The Search for God is anything but. Every lyrical acknowledgment of how fucked things are right now comes with a promise that we can still make positive changes. Jimmy calls it “God”; you might call it Love or Peace or A Place In the Universe That Makes Some Kind of Sense.

Will The Search for God deliver whatever that is to you? Of course not. At its heart, it’s still just a really good pop album. But maybe that’s enough. For a minute or two at a time, Jimmy’s music cracks open a space where the divine can enter our lives. The utopia we’ve all been dreaming of is already here if we’re just willing to build it. Jimmy Whispers is there, ready to add his voice, whenever we want to reach out.

Green Vinyl

For its fifth release, french label The Bass Academy goes back into time!!! Originally written by legendary Man Parrish, "Boogie Down Bronx", a cult classic from 1984, sees a mighty resurrection with a "fresh mix" rework from UK Electro veteran Bass Junkie. Not the first time Phil Klein (Battle Trax, Breakin' Records) remixes Man Parrish as he committed in 2002 the heavy “Bass Junkie's Boogie Down Bass Mix” of “Hip Hop Re Bop”. Today, he serves up an uncompromising electro funk mayhem made of old schoolish samples, vintage synth melodies, retro congas, relentless scratches and pounding 808 beats. This brand new Sci-Fi anthem, enhanced with the legitimate legacy from the past, will invite you for some irresistible B-Boy breakdancing movements on the linoleum!!! Tuuuuuunnne! On the flipside, Phil teams up once again with long time partner in crime Simon “The Dexorcist” Brown. Together, as Gods Of Technology, (Battle Trax), they revisit another untouchable song, “Future Computer”, an exclusive to TBA track written by Jamie Jupitor and published in 2017 (TBA02). Metallic sororities melt with nasty vocoder sequences and imparable whispers turn the cut into an ode to the dancefloor thanks to harsh and hammering beats. What a timeless monster in pure West Coast tradition! With abrasive outings to appear on the forthcoming months including an incredible album with Matt Whitehead on Dominance Electricity, Phil Klein definitively returns to studios stronger than ever, putting a end to a short blackout. Rush in this hypnotizing collector 12”, limited as usual to 150 copies as it marks one of Phil Klein’s best releases to date!

In the days before “landfill” indie, and in rebellion against a developing Britpop orthodoxy, there were some weird but melodic bands coming of age outside London that drew inspiration from the US underground and the sparkly retro-futurism of Japan. Primitive guitar noise with art rock leanings, post punk DIY and fanzine culture. The best known of these bands was maybe Urusei Yatsura; “noisy stars”, named in honour of Rumiko Takahashi, legendary manga creator.

Back in 1996, after several increasingly well-received 7’s, the band travelled to Leamington Spa to record their debut album with John Rivers, producer of Swell Maps and Glasgow scene godparents, The Pastels. The resulting album won the group legions of new fans and gained them their first Independent #1 chart placing, alongside peers Ash and Super Furry Animals.

“These were fertile years in Glasgow, a scene with no name, no single sound, where the magic thread tying everyone together was words and works so personal, they couldn’t be mistaken for anyone else’s. ‘We Are Urusei Yatsura’ is a cascade of ‘why not?’ thinking. The way ‘Phasers on Stun’ spirals into ‘Sola Kola’; the sunburned 23-second improv at the end of ‘Pachinko’; the slack-echoing strings of the outro to ‘Road Song’ sprayed with the shrapnel of toy electronics. Pure pop magic, Ren & Stimpy on upstairs, ray-guns, Ian’s homemade walkie-talkie speaker, a beatbox, all sealed with a “Talking Tina” doll’s emphatic endorsement: “I love it”” – Nick Soulsby

Puce Moment is part of the French contemporary music scene. Their music is climatic, often inhabited by a strong emotional power. A procession of harmonic structures organized in a ritual way, sometimes close to trance. It can be written or improvised, vocal or instrumental. The electronic and electroacoustic arrangements summon new spaces and abstract landscapes, which can go from the purest sound to the most raw distortions. Vast, slower, deeper - distant echoes of half-faded things - and when we are lost, voices appear. Voices whose only reference would be the timeless SeeFeel.

Nicolas Devos and Pénélope Michel are visual and sound artists, one trained at the Beaux-Arts and the Fresnoy studio national des arts contemporains and the other a classically trained cellist, singer and multiinstrumentalist. They created Puce Moment, envisaged as a sound research laboratory open to experimentation, to multi-disciplinary encounters and to decompartmentalization. Their work is akin to a fictional ethnology expressed through protean projects and mutant visual, sound and musical creations.

»Epic Ellipses« is their 4th album.

They have composed the original soundtracks of more than a dozen dance performance, fiction or documentary films, virtual reality in variable formats (Christian Rizzo, Mylène Benoit, Vania Vaneau, Benjamin Nuel, Laurent Pernot, Carolina Gonçalves). Or in the form of film-concerts including David Lynch's cult film 'Eraserhead' with which they have toured intensively since 2012 in France and Europe, and since 2019 »Koyaanisqatsi«, the cult experimental documentary by Godfrey Reggio.

Mezzrow sind nach 30 Jahren zurück! Sie haben sich in den späten Achtzigern einen Namen in der Thrash Metal-Szene mit ihren von der Kritik hochgelobten Demotapes "Frozen Soul" und "Cross of Tormention" erspielt.
Im Jahr 1990 veröffentlichten sie ihren Debütklassiker "Then Came the Killing" über Active Records, eine Tochtergesellschaft von Music for Nations.
Das Album gilt noch heute als eine der besten, wenn nicht die beste Thrash-Metal-Veröffentlichung aus Schweden und Skandinavien. Dieses legendäre Album wurde zusammen mit allen Demos neu gemastert und im Mai 2022 über Hammerheart Records veröffentlicht. Im Jahr 2021 stieg Mezzrow wie ein Phoenix aus der Asche auf, als Bassist Conny Welén (ex- Hexenhaus) und Sänger Uffe Pettersson (ex-Rosicrucian) beschlossen, ein neues Zeichen in der Thrash Metal-Welt von heute zu setzen.
Zusammen mit den neuen Gitarristen Magnus Söderman (Nightrage) und Ronnie Björnström (ex-Defiatory, ex-Aeon) wurden neue Killersongs geschrieben, die puren Thrash Metal der Spitzenklasse
darstellt.

Mezzrow sind nach 30 Jahren zurück! Sie haben sich in den späten Achtzigern einen Namen in der Thrash Metal-Szene mit ihren von der Kritik hochgelobten Demotapes "Frozen Soul" und "Cross of Tormention" erspielt.
Im Jahr 1990 veröffentlichten sie ihren Debütklassiker "Then Came the Killing" über Active Records, eine Tochtergesellschaft von Music for Nations.
Das Album gilt noch heute als eine der besten, wenn nicht die beste Thrash-Metal-Veröffentlichung aus Schweden und Skandinavien. Dieses legendäre Album wurde zusammen mit allen Demos neu gemastert und im Mai 2022 über Hammerheart Records veröffentlicht. Im Jahr 2021 stieg Mezzrow wie ein Phoenix aus der Asche auf, als Bassist Conny Welén (ex- Hexenhaus) und Sänger Uffe Pettersson (ex-Rosicrucian) beschlossen, ein neues Zeichen in der Thrash Metal-Welt von heute zu setzen.
Zusammen mit den neuen Gitarristen Magnus Söderman (Nightrage) und Ronnie Björnström (ex-Defiatory, ex-Aeon) wurden neue Killersongs geschrieben, die puren Thrash Metal der Spitzenklasse
darstellt.

I was lucky enough to release Godflesh 'Love is a dog from Hell' on my old label Pathological many moons ago. I was equally lucky to drop JK Flesh 'In Your Pit' on my new label PRESSURE three years ago, and then follow that up with the G36 vs JK Flesh sound clash 'Disintegration Dubs' last year. Justin has consistently handed me pure audio gold, and actually gifted me some of my favourite releases from him full stop, in an incredible career of riches which he has tirelessly. produced since Napalm Death til today. So again, I’m now totally psyched to drop 'Sewer Bait' on my label PRESSURE. The sixth album from JK Flesh, this album is a Slo-mo, Slo-fi, Sewer tech journey into utter gutter level filth. Overdriven, corroded, corrupted and absolutely blasted, it contains so many essential elements of clubland low life, but yet manages to remain beautifully original whilst pushing all levels deep into the red until it hurts in the best possible way. Anyone hooked on Andy Stott's dirtiest works, Porter Ricks deepest explorations or Techno Animal's speaker punishing grooves will find addictive nourishment within these relentlessly distorted heavyweight grooves.... Not so much hard as completely f-ckin brutal, the master stroke from Justin Broadrick however, is takin his raw materials and feeding them militantly into the dub chamber. This is like a wholesale destruction of Techno, 4/4 for people too wasted and strung out to give a f-ck about dancefloors, yet compelling enough and magnetic enough to completely insist upon fully body hypnotism in an undersized room with an oversized rig. The album's title track sounds like Drum & Bass don Digital or the peak of the Metalheadz label dragged down into hell for the ultimate bad rave trip, whilst 'Crawler' could be Killing Joke, jammin with Regis and his aggro allies from Birmingham Techno's underappreciated discography, deep in a warehouse warzone. You don’t have to dig techno to dig this dirt, you just have to enjoy having your head taken off and your body physically punished. If Jeff Mills output had been chopped, screwed and then painfully, slowly crushed, it may resemble the monolithic, psychedelic, crawl of 'Sewer Bait'.” – Kevin Martin