what's THIS for...!

always at the border

Killing Joke near the beginning of their tenure at Philly’s East Side Club and followed by the current regime of Jaz and co. at none other than Royal Albert Hall in London.

Which returns me to this New Zealand gem from 09: the self titled release from DIAL on Robotic Empire. Vocalist Tali Williams dredging her inner Dawn Crosby over a bludgeoning machine of AmRep-ed Killing Joke tribalism.

I believe we last heard Tali doing her thing with the more angular and abstract Human Resource.

Post punk industrial from Austin, Texas’ Deep Cross. Where their sound intersects is where I wanted the last CROWN album to cross. Pieces of this sound as if Godflesh were fronted by Jaz Coleman. Moments of this traverses territory crossed by TV on the Radio… don’t believe me, “Seraphic Tendon.” When all is said and done Deep Cross craft melancholic and monolithic music equal parts ugly and beautiful. If I were to break it down in terms of film, think Tsukamoto movies snake of june and vital.

In addition to this Deep Cross release Roman Numeral Records were home to Horsewhip. These Florida noise mongers will release their latest full length on Iodine Recordings later in 2023. For now, here is a quick hitter off that forthcoming record in addition to their song off a split with the mighty Yashira that came out in January.

Also on Iodine comes the newest from Jeromes Dream, the Gray In Between. Yes, that same Jeromes Dream from the late 90s. All indication is they are on point and set to wreck everything in their path.

Here is Foreign Body, formerly Death Drive, with Fixed. Scuzzy noise rock built upon a burly Unsane backline meets Scratch Acid unhinged vocal delivery and tangle of feedback and jangly chords with bits of Brainbombs and Body Choke for filthy measure. If there’s ever physical release it should come with hand sanitizer or a bar of soap.

From the back alleys and sewers of Brooklyn to Nancy, France for black metal served by Karne. “Caffa” is the first track to surface from their forthcoming Condamnes album.

Harboured is a project involving a pair of Allegaeon members (Michael Stancel - guitars/vocals and Brandon Michael - bass) with guitarist Nick Hennig (Vimana) and drummer Cierra White (Oak, Ash & Thorn) to create a progressive metal monster. You see the pedigree and, yes, these Denver denizens serve the goods. Dual guitar dynamics, rock steady backline, vocals suited toward post metal (at times I think I’m hearing Mike Armine from Rosetta), and focused song writing. What I enjoy with this is none of it sounds like the bands the personnel are from. It is definitely its own beast. At times a galloping racehorse, other turns a melodic and pensive, other instances full of epic grandeur. Of course I’m always going to question the synth work incorporated here and there as so much of it reeks of my first casio recording; although, when it comes down to the conventional instrumentation there is no doubt to the exacting musicianship on display. The drumming in particular stands out for me. Super precision mixed with moments of pounding berserker abandon and killer cymbal clatter during certain breaks.

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, Freedom Has No Bounds, and Doktor Dismemberment’s Midnight Murderplex…. these sites update daily and weekly.

Celebrant finds Skin Tension writing songs before pressing record. It all sounds loose, firing from the hip on all cylinders, so, there is no tempering the raw energy displayed on previous efforts. It remains rough and tumble guitar-drum freak outs. Perhaps more focus from point A to point B. But just because they know where they are going doesn’t mean there aren’t distractions along the way be it traffic inducing road rage, screaming kids in the car in need of discipline, wild animals trying to cross the road, you name it, in any case Skin Tension remain as noisy and uncompromising as ever - even if it is pre-written.

One is never quite sure what to expect from Telesterion from release to release. Myesis opens with “Arrival/Seekers” which has a lo-fi Swans lilt for its first half before adding post metal guitar chug over martial drums for a couple minutes and morphing again. Second track musically makes me think of the Diamanda Galas/John Paul Jones track “skotoseme” in molasses.

From Dresden, Germany blei offer primitive, discordant, ramshackle sludge metal noise. So raw, ragged and loose that I love it. Think Void or Kilslug/Upsidedown Cross covering Celtic Frost with a vocalist going for full on maniacal Cronos “Black Metal” screams. I hated NME and Goatlord back in the day (and still do), and I imagine people would take similar umbrage to blei, but, to me there’s a method to this madness and it reached the reptilian section of my brain for approval.

Mille/Kreator, crazy soundtrack in a German TV gang flick. Good looking out to a certain Sleepwalker for the heads up:

And, finally, KJ proshot from 2022.

Vincent Rosa/starkweather plying his trade with thrash grinders UltraMantis Black:

Second time around on The Fiendish Five Podcast for yours truly.