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Everything is Nothing ignited an industrial metal inferno with ‘fire breathe on me’

Posted on 21 June 2024

Everything is Nothing’s latest single, Fire Breathe on Me, aurally industrialises metal to deliver a cauterising anthem for anyone who wants to purge themselves from their own mind. The industrial electronica aesthetics are stripped back in the production, beckoning in a new era of hardcore; when they hit, they establish Everything is Nothing as one of the fiercest contenders in the past and present of industrial metal.

The unhallowed vocals prowl through the single, finding the gritty middle ground between Godflesh and Napalm Death, and attesting to the solo artist’s tenacity in chartering his own path through extreme sonic intersections.

Established in early 2023, Everything is Nothing quickly made his mark with the ravening furore in his debut EP, Beast Who Eats Everything, before exposing his cerebrally nihilistic side in his sophomore EP, Somnambulist, which explored the enduring emptiness and subjugation that bays at everyone’s door.

The latest single from the solo project, born in the mind of the UK one-man powerhouse, James Orez, embodies a raw and visceral intensity that belies the home-recorded production. It’s a relentless, uncompromising experience that you’ll want to relive every time you need a reprieve from the weight of crushing sentience.

The official music video for fire breathe on me is now available to stream on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Spyndycyt entered the industry as a zany indie pop enigma with ‘MysteryBoy’.

Posted on 20 June 2024

Spyndycyt’s seminal single, ‘MysteryBoy‘, kicks off with a short sermonic acapella narration of abstract lyrical poetry before the beat and scintillatingly strobing synths consume the track in true electro-pop style.

Yet, ‘MysteryBoy’ is far from your average pop fare. It fuses Jack White-esque aesthetics with Suicide-reminiscent indietronica and an eccentricity scarcely heard in the contemporary music industry. If Lou Reed lost all sense of restraint and approached his sound with unadulterated expression, you’d undoubtedly be treated to an exhilarant zany hit in the same vein as ‘MysteryBoy’.

Even after this soul-baring release, Spyndycyt remains somewhat of an enigma behind his avant-garde production that’s rampant with infectious zeal. His approach to music is intriguingly unconventional, but don’t get it twisted, though he may blaze through his productions driven by fantasies that far exceed his abilities, the result is a mould-breaking riot of rhythmically-charged euphoria.

His raw, almost naive touch, brings a unique authenticity to his work that seekers of fresh and boundary-pushing hits will want to devour. Break away from the mundane and predictable and hit play.

MysteryBoy was officially released on June 12th; stream the single on SoundCloud now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Prisoner harnessed thunder in their hard rock hit, Skies Are Blackened

Posted on 19 June 2024
Prisoner

Prisoner brought the hard-rock hammer down once again with their latest single, Skies Are Blackened. Prepare for the colossal impact of their hell-hath-no-mercy riffs, tumultuously tight breakdowns, and lightning bolts of dynamic vocal energy that pull you right into the centre of the frenetic furore Prisoner is quickly becoming infamous for.

There are high-energy rock bands, and there are powerhouses who go sonically supernova. With Skies Are Blackened, the Canadian three-piece firmly planted themselves in the latter camp, which any fans of Metallica, Black Sabbath, AC/DC, and Iron Maiden will want to join them in.

Vocalist Murray Emery’s ability to keep the power surging through his mirthfully electrifying vocal lines in the higher register and the instrumentals being tighter than Mick Jagger’s jeans is enough to seal the trio a place in the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame. They’re not an outfit to underestimate. Watch this space as they tear it up with hedonically high-voltage hits.

Skies Are Blackened will be available to stream on all major platforms, including Apple Music, from June 19.

Discover more about the Prisoner via their official website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Stitcher Unchained a Relentless Sonic Onslaught with ‘Distant Mirage’

Posted on 19 June 2024

Stitcher opened a mystical portal to the unfiltered soul of rock n roll with their sophomore single, Distant Mirage, which rhythmically taps into Eastern esoterism to add an arcane Arabian aura to the speaker-ravaging hit lures you in with a dusky overture before the hellbent-for-distortion guitars bolster the track beneath Annabelle Piper’s siren-esque soaring-with-soul vox.

Her ferociously infallible vocal lines that burn red-hot throughout the release are enough to lead you to believe that the spirit of Medusa resides in her vocal cords. The monolithic middle eight allows you to tear away from her spell, but you won’t meet any mercy here, the alchemic brutality of the guitar solo hits hard enough to leave bruises. If you thought you knew the meaning of frenetic before listening to Distant Mirage, you’ll think again once your senses begin to function after the exhilarating rampage.

Distant Mirage first played on June 6th; stream the single on Spotify and follow Stitcher’s debauched rock n roll journey on Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Gothenburg’s Feral Mind Gave Rock Fans Nowhere to Hide From Their Eponymous Debut LP

Posted on 18 June 2024

If you’ve ever wondered what the Misfits might sound like if they swapped their horror punk theatrics for mature, unfiltered rock ‘n’ roll, look no further than Feral Mind’s seminal release, State of Mind. The standout single from their eponymous debut album has been igniting the global rock scene with its raw power and hints of psychobilly, reminiscent of the Koffin Kats and The Coffin Caddies.

Founded in Gothenburg in 2023, Feral Mind comprises seasoned rockers who have honed their craft both in the studio and on live stages; their uniquely whiskey-soaked sound is grounded in rock ‘n’ roll grooves, with influences spanning from 70s hard rock to funk and prog. Yet, unlike your run-of-the-mill assimilators, Feral Mind is delivering the future of rock, surpassing the banality of pastiche while inviting you into the psyche of one of the most promising acts creeping their way up from the European underground

State of Mind is a powerhouse of rolling rhythms, technical riffs, and seductively rugged croons, which prove that Feral Mind knows exactly how to bring the rough with the smooth.

We can’t wait to hear what follows this flawless LP.

Stream the debut LP on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Oceandvst cured nihilism with their hooked-up juggernaut of an emo post-hardcore anthem, Dead End Hope

Posted on 16 June 2024

‘Dead End Hope’ is so much more than the sum of its parts; a savant polymath wouldn’t know where to start breaking the latest expansively affecting single from Oceandvst down.

The only true way to do the augmented with raw volition alt anthem any justice is by alluding to the visceral impact of the release that covers the entire emo spectrum while extending an olive branch of empathy to anyone who has ever known the claustrophobia of being trapped within their own mind.

From Paramore-esque vocal hooks to the heart-in-throat vindication of MCR to the hell-hath-no-fury like a post-hardcore breakdown of blast beats, ferociously distorted guitars and snarled basslines, Dead End Hope delivers it all while keeping the emotion of the single at its core.

Since forming in 2017, the Greek trio has lived up to their mission of becoming architects of sonic sanctuaries to the disillusioned, the lost, and the outliers with the candour in their lyrics and the intensity of their melodies. Messages of solidarity and hope underscore each of their releases which have been lauded by Billboard Magazine and Alternative Press.

If any outfit is capable of curing nihilism while simultaneously perfecting the formula for a pop-punk-post-hardcore anthemic hybrid, it is Oceandvst.

Dead End Hope was officially released on June 7th; stream the single on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Radiant alchemised sociopathic kryptonite in their alt-rock anthem, Formulaic

Posted on 16 June 2024

Alt-rock rhythms rendezvoused with moody electroclash-esque pop aesthetics in the latest single, Formulaic, from the Canadian harbingers of sonic revolution, The Radiant.

The accolade-decorated outfit used the single from their forthcoming LP, Take 3, to hold a mirror to the contrived ilk of sociopaths who always know what to say to manipulate a situation while wrapping themselves up in the narcissistic fantasy of a belief that they’re untouchable. The visceral impact of Mikhaila Anderson’s soaring with scathed soul vocals will undoubtedly make them think twice and embolden others to join The Radiant at the vanguard of silken-tongued resistance.

In their most accomplished single to date, The Radiant let their endlessly expanding audience know exactly who they are; a powerhouse with rock n roll reverence in their bones and innovation in their blood.

After receiving nominations for Rock Artist of the Year from BreakOutWest WCMA in 2020 and Alternative Artist of the Year in 2022 from North Sask Music Zine following the release of their eponymous debut EP in 2019, with the release of their debut album in the pipeline, more award nominations will naturally follow.

Formulaic will be available to stream on all major platforms from June 16th. Find your preferred way to listen via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Todd Hearon echoed arcane serenity through his folk-pop-meets-alt-country-reverie, Looking Glass

Posted on 15 June 2024

The warmth of 70s folk-pop radiates through the arcane aura of Todd Hearon’s latest alt-country serenade, Looking Glass, taken from his eagerly-anticipated forthcoming album, IMPOSSIBLE MAN. The rendered with holistic resolve release almost seems out of place in the modern era of music; rarely do new singles so organically pure in their sense-awakening and placating catharsis surface, making Hearon a diamond in the digitised rough.

Very few artists can match the rugged-with-emotion soul-exhilarating appeal of Cat Stevens, but the way the melodies in Looking Glass ascend until they touch nirvana gave the Texas-born, North Carolina-raised and New Hampshire-based singer-songwriter almost exclusive access to that affectingly sincere pantheon.

The lush-with-reverie production, with trippy psychedelic aesthetics in all the right places, pairs shimmering organs with evocative piano pop rock progressions, vintage-hued guitar chords and a vocal register so euphonic you can’t help but melt into it.

With the imminence of his third LP, IMPOSSIBLE MAN, due for release in August, you won’t want to tear your attention away from Todd Hearon for too long. Get a taste of what is to come by streaming Looking Glass on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Novit Terminus Orchestrated A Darkwave Descent Into a Euphoric Descent With ‘Take Me Down’

Posted on 15 June 2024

Take Me Down by Novit Terminus plunges listeners into unchartered intersections of EBM, Post-Punk, Darkwave, and Techno and drenches its audience in an infectiously rhythmic rendition of sonic Jungian shadow work that is poised to become a sanctuary for darkwave electronica fans seeking liberation from the dark reverberations of their own minds.

Fans of VNV Nation, Ari Mason, Electro Spectre, and Black Nail Cabaret will find themselves irresistibly drawn to this release, which offers a cathartic outlet for emotions as blackened as the industrial-tinged, Eastern-rhythm-influenced progressions.

Each element of Take Me Down attests to Novit Terminus’ cultivated skills as a sonic architect. The euphoria-inducing crescendos, tension-fraught build-ups, and spectral whispers of philosophical poetry come together seamlessly. The result is a track that permeates the soul as deeply as the rhythmic pulses permeate the body.

Novit Terminus’ return to music after a successful tenure in historic preservation and higher education is marked by a profound exploration of trauma and recovery. This project is not just a return to form but a therapeutic journey through shadow work, making Take Me Down a significant and poignant piece in the artist’s discography.

Take Me Down was officially released on May 31; stream the single on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

IST IST dominated the Manchester post-punk pantheon with their latest single, Repercussions

Posted on 14 June 2024
IST IST

Look at Manchester as a landscape and you’ll be confused by the claim that we do things differently here; the proverb only materialises through the mettle of sonic architects in the same trailblazing vein as IST IST.

Since their debut single, IST IST has been an unreckonable authentic force that has easily earned its place in the post-punk pantheon. With their latest single, Repercussions, taken from their fourth LP, Light a Bigger Fire, they emerge once again as an unextinguishable paragon of eminence.

From the first angular note that leads you into a neon-lit hedonic tour de force, you’re hooked into an exhilarant earworm that delivers scintillation and kinetic rhythmic propulsion by the smorgasbord.

By extrapolating the brooding vocal presence of Sisters of Mercy, the cerebral intensity of Magazine, the coruscating synths of Arcade Fire, and the menacingly pulse-pounding beats of Depeche Mode, and synthesising them into a cocktail that could only be stirred by their own hand, IST IST delivered a broodingly expansive testament to their cultivated fortitude.

Producer Joe Cross (Courteeners, Hurts) ensured that the single, which unravels as an exposition of how insidious thoughts can spill from the psyche into reality, becomes an invitation to liberate yourself from your introspective vexation – if only for the duration of the emancipating hit that surpasses ear candy and becomes an elixir for oppressive reflections.

Stream Repercussions on all major platforms, including Spotify, from June 6th.

Follow the band on Facebook, X, and Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast