Condolences to family of Jimmy Durkin. Dark Angel are one of the first bands I ever interviewed back in the early 80s for a cut and paste fanzine I was involved with. Through high school and into college I kept in touch with the Atomic Clock, Gene Hoglan. So, this news, similar to Denis “Piggy” D'Amour, Steeve Hurdle, Dawn Crosby, Reed Mullin, Tom “Pig Champion” Roberts, “Slayer Hippy” Steve Hanford, and Lee Altomare crossing over hits a bit harder than most.
Very strange circumstance as I recently noticed something Tommy Victor had posted about Prong opening for Dark Angel at Irving Plaza this coming June. Funny enough, when I first wrote to Tommy prior to the release of Primitive Origins he had mentioned being a fan of Darkness Descends.
Unfortunately, we’re not getting any younger. Sometimes you see the writing on the wall. Sometimes it is a shock out of the blue.
Never mind leave scars, Jimmy Durkin departs as a legend.
And, yes, we did lift a riff here or two from Dark Angel. You may not notice it immediately because our being absolute barbarians but “the Rift” most certainly does.
Composer Ivan Vukosavljević employs Ensemble Klang (the group who states: “We've got saxes, trombone, guitars, keys and stuff we like hitting!” for the use of “playing only the newest of new music.”) on his 45 minute piece The Burning. Begins as a drone of guitars and builds into an inferno. Right now only 18 minutes are available. Very much working like a meeting between Glenn Branca and Hermann Nitsch.
Another piece of art damage, this time by composer and sculptor Marcus Vergette. Two of the 3 pieces for Tintinnabulation are currently available on bandcamp. The sound project involves sounds from Vergette’s 8 Time and Tide bells, art installations of handmade instruments that create sound with the tides, are scattered across UK coasts are collaged with field recordings from the coast and fragments of instrumental improvisation: “The result is a collection of dark and dramatic soundscapes, capturing the tumultuous nature of our waters.”
The following came to me through a notification from the humo internacional label. If you aren’t familiar with the label get sorted and immerse yourself in its diversity. This particular EP from PRESA has elements of post punk gone industrial. Big bass distortion, Daniel Ash guitar antics involving feedback and squalling noise, electronic treatments whether it comes in the form of programmed beats, ornamental textures or in different combinations. Cap this off with an unhinged vocal performance and you have the bastard child of Bauhaus and NIN and a final track that would find itself at home on one of the more sedate Sutcliffe Jugend related releases or projects.
Hands Up Who Wants to Die present Nil All via Human Worth (UK) and Sleeping Giant Glossolalia (US). Though this collaboration is actually between members of Shifting, No Spill Blood, Wild Rocket and Ten Past Seven this is the sonic answer to the question what would become of a collaboration between Tom Waits, Sightings and The Birthday Party working in a minimalist derangement. Yes, it is brilliant.
Earlier this year saw the release of Bruxa Maria’s Build Yourself a Shrine and Pray. Nate Holdren’s write up on the Riot Season Records bandcamp page sums it all up perfectly: “45 minutes of pummelling, punishing fury as unrelenting... The new record finds the band just as enraged as their 2016 debut, while continuing to evolve artistically. Bruxa Maria’s huge bass and guitar, frantic drums, and banshee shrieking vocals build tension with few moments of release, the frenzy sometimes dissolving into feedback, static, and synth drones.”
All of this brings us to new Killing Joke:
And, for what it is worth, why not the title track to last year’s EP:
Not to mention some kind soul uploaded the Killing Joke documentary for when you can spare two and a half hours:
While we’re at it, and since it was brought up during the introduction, there is a new Prong track released earlier this year that sounds pretty damn close to the Cleansing era which just so happened to have ex-Killing Joke members Paul Raven on bass and John Bechdel manning keyboards and programming.
Eat ‘em and smile? The Age of Defiance EP saw Tommy and crew doubling back to a sound most appealing to die hard fans of Prong’s work from mid 80s to 90s.
TDK / ТДК self-proclaimed “Bulgaria's disappointment. TDK is a band from the Separatist Republic of Dobrina.” You could easily believe this would be at home on Tzadik or Ipecac. Yes, it is that good, if not better. Jazz metal psyche warfare. Something you would expect from former Eastern bloc with its ecclectic and progressive approach to composition, instrumentation and overall synthesis of disparate influences. Could easily hear TDK as a descendant of Kobong, Progrram to specific acts on Ipecac (Fantomas) and Tzadik (Naked City) or Borbetomagus, ZU and in similar soundspace as current acts like Cleric, Bisbâyé, The Canyon Observer. An absolutely confident and adventurous recording.
please support: Everything Went Black, The Metal Dad and his fiendish five podcast, No Clean Singing, Stereogum: The Black Market, The Devil’s Mouth, Aversionline, Invisible Oranges, Horror Wolf 666, Into the Necrosphere, Sol Nox Podcast, The Book of Very Very Bad Things, Plague Rages, Thrown to the Abyss Podcast and Doktor Dismemberment’s Midnight Murderplex…. these sites update daily and weekly.
Monday, March 13, yours truly will be on the fiendish five podcast. We talk our top 5 favorite horror movies from 2000-09. Not quite as easy as you would think and always debatable.
Parisian powerhouse Montagne return with Poudreuse. A quiet acoustic intro and three bludgeoning tracks that wield Crowbar sludge riffs with Will Haven dynamics for you to digest. When they start playing with odd time signatures things begin to veer into Keelhaul’s wake.