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Electronic Rock

MINERVA SYSTEM synthesised an installation of stylistic sublimity with their alt-rock/trip-hop hybrid, Undermind

Posted on 9 October 2024

MINERVA SYSTEM is a fractured yet symbiotically tight collective, threading their diverse life strands into the dense fabric of their latest single, ‘Undermind’. With members scattered from London to Devon, from St. Petersburg to the indeterminate coordinates of their drummer, the online outfit crafts sonic installations that are as expansive as their geographical spread.

‘Undermind’ is a descent into the ethereal, echoing the otherworldly aura of Bjork with an execution that plays havoc with rhythmic pulses. MINERVA SYSTEM manipulates time signatures with trip-hop precision while maintaining a mellifluous melodicism that binds the chaos into coherence. Discernibly, few artists know how to create equilibriums of sonic serenity and visceral intensity as adeptly as MINERVA SYSTEM with their skill in soaking sounds with raw emotion.

As the track progresses, it metamorphoses; midway, it shifts gears into a 90s-alt-rock-tinged crescendo that wouldn’t be amiss in a Garbage tracklist. This crescendo is a stark, gritty counterpoint to the track’s smoother beginnings, illustrating the band’s versatile command over their sound palette.

If they continue to produce hits in the same vein as Undermind, their rise from the underground is inevitable. They’ve clearly mastered the dark art of sonic scintilaltion; watch this space.

Stream Undermind on SoundCloud now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Unleash your demons and dance on the edge of madness with Patrice AorMelodicRock’s future-forward dance rock anthem, Crazy Night

Posted on 31 August 2024

Patrice AorMelodicRock’s new dance-rock anthem, Crazy Night, is an electrifying testament to the enduring power of rock, infused with a futuristic edge that makes every modern rock outfit sound positively antiquated.

With a pop-hooked production so slick it’s hypersonic, the track propels you into a sonic universe where the expansive presence of the vocals, which could lead a rock opera, meets the cutting-edge innovation of bands like Bring Me The Horizon.

The vocals soar just as high as the guitars which blaze through the synthetics of the track, embodying the futurism of a rock scene reimagined a century from now. Imagine what Shinedown would sound like 100 years from now, and you’ll get an idea of what the solo artist achieved with this hit which electrifies the mind, body and soul.

You’ll want to relive Crazy Night time and time again with its intoxicating synthesis of raw energy and sleek production which invites you to dance on the edge of madness and unleash your demons.

How Patrice AorMelodicRock, who started earning his rock stripes in the 80s, isn’t already at the top of the rock charts is one of the great injustices of our era.

Stream Crazy Night on YouTube now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Trish Discord & Devon Aviles electronically augmented alt-rock with the broodingly vindicating single, Ever So Holy

Posted on 8 March 2024

Trish Discord and Devon Aviles are both forces to be reckoned with respectively; combined, they’ve sent electrifying shockwaves through the alt-rock domain with their dark and broodingly vindicating track, Ever So Holy. The intro is a masterclass in mood setting; the massive waves of synth bass, coupled with a haunting melodic lead, create an industrially tinged atmosphere that is as dark as it is scintillating.

As the track progresses through its rhythmic cascade of unpredictable volition, it morphs seamlessly, throwing hooks left, right, and centre to pull you into the track’s magnetic core with the same force as the most infectious artists in the pop-punk domain.

The production style is a high-wire balancing act; a complete yin-yang of raw elements and polished cultivation. The huge guitars and compressed drums bring a traditional rock feel, while the electronic components narrate a new chapter in the alt-rock genre.

Vocally, Trish Discord channels the spirit of Evanescence, Nightwish, and Within Temptation, while simultaneously carving out a unique niche and guiding the listener through the tumultuous sonic landscape. In short, it’s a symphonic riot that ignited a revolution in the electronica landscape.

Ever So Holy was officially released on February 29th; stream the single on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Telling Secrets – Fall Behind: Impeccably produced, piercingly poignant post-hardcore

Posted on 9 December 2023

Telling Secrets masterfully captured the essence of emotion-driven post-hardcore with their latest single, Fall Behind, setting a new standard in the genre. The track, a pivotal piece in the band’s upward trajectory, showcases their extraordinary ability to blend thunderous guitars, angelic vocals, and sinister, atmospheric synths into a sound that is both raw and refined.

The polish of the production makes it almost impossible to distinguish where your consciousness ends and the sonics start as the confessional anthem delves into the complexities of mental turmoil. If you know how it feels to wage war with your demons in a bid to not give up the ghost on someone worth persevering, expect Fall Behind to strike some raw chords.

The journey of Fall Behind is as intriguing as its sound. Initially conceived before Telling Secrets was even formed, the track underwent various demos and re-recordings, ultimately culminating in what Vik Kovacs, the band’s founder and creative force, considers one of his best lyrical works.

Kovacs’ influences range from Led Zeppelin to Escape the Fate, contributing to his expansion into songwriting, vocal performance, and music production. This evolution is evident in Fall Behind, where every element showcases his comprehensive musical prowess.

The anticipation for Telling Secrets’ full-length LP, set for release in early 2024, is high, especially with the involvement of talents like Rachel Blum and Elliot Polokoff.

Fall Behind is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Post-Hardcore goes Pop (Punk) in Secular Era & Drexl Bowie’s single, Master Morality

Posted on 8 December 2023

Two juggnautical entities in their own sonic right, Secular Era and Drexl Bowie, converged to show mere mortals what ‘Master Morality’ sounds like with their latest release. With guitars augmented in the same vein as the hooks in MCR’s I’m Not Okay fused with Slipknot-esque nu-metal percussive proclivities and synthy melodies to keep the down and gutturally dirty track upbeat, Master Morality is an adrenalizing slice of ingenuity that will swallow you whole and spit you out drenched in rancorous euphoria.

While many heavier outfits turn their nose up at the tones of pop-punk, Secular Era & Drexl Bowie saw the potential within it. By using the stickiest and sweetest elements and infusing them into a tumultuously electrifying sequence, they made it impossible to find a track that hits harder while simultaneously keeping their finger on the guilty pleasure pulse. Putting Master Morality into words is no easy feat, but if you can imagine Nena’s 99 Red Balloons fused with Sugar We’re Goin Down and tasked Static X to pay ode to the cross-genre synthesis, you’d get an idea of the engrossing, ingenious, uninhibited insanity delivered via Master Morality.

Master Morality was officially released on December 1st; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The enigmatic outfit FAERYS has brought in the new era of electro-pop-rock with their debut single, Nova Scotia

Posted on 31 August 2023

The enigmatic electronic rock outfit, FAERYS, may be keeping their identity under wraps for now, but there’s no containing the hype that has amassed around their storming juggernaut of a debut single, Nova Scotia.

With a touch of Black Honey and She Drew the Gun to the electronic rock reinvention, Nova Scotia delivered a riff-rife rock hit that has left an international audience clamouring all over it – and for good reason.

Between the precision of the songwriting, the polished production, the hooky female pop vox contrasting the slick rap bars and the anthemic energy that oozes from the larger-than-life hit that embraces the future and sonically sucker punches it, there was no room for improvement, and how often can you say that about a debut?

Something (everything) tells us that FAERYS is comprised of a band of industry veterans who have banded together to bring in the new era of electro-pop-rock.

Nova Scotia launched on the 25th of August, hear it on SoundCloud and Spotify.

Follow FAERYS on Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The teeth of synth rock sharpened to the tune of Ghostfeeder’s latest single, Rearview

Posted on 11 August 2023
Ghostfeeder

The latest monolith of a hook-filled single, Rearview, from the alt-electronica trailblazer Ghostfeeder, stepped out from the shadows of 80s synthpop and glam rock to show its sharp teeth and even sharper hooks.

With the frenzied-with-distortion guitars around Ghostfeeder’s signature vintage synth textures and under the poppy vocals that leave the hooks in IAMX and Highly Suspect tracks sounding blunt, Rearview is a viscerally exhilarant release; especially if you allow the depth of the lyricism to submerge you deeper into the evocative momentum. Anyone who can find resonance in the reprise ‘stuck in rewind’ in the context of being paralysed when it comes to letting go of the past will get galvanizingly more than they’ve bargained for when they hit play.

After sharing stages with goth royalty, including KMFDM, Powerman 5000, and Cold Cave, it is more than about time that Ghostfeeder stepped into the headliner limelight. To bolster the honed songwriting, Rearview was mixed by the Grammy Award-nominated and platinum-selling artist and producer Amir Derakh (Orgy, Dead by Sunrise, Julien-K) and mastered by Mike Marsh (The Chemical Brothers, Prodigy, Depeche Mode). The track reaches the pinnacle of cyber goth ear candy.

Stream Rearview on all major platforms from the 11th of August via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

The Every Glazer has unleashed their Orwellian post-grunge protest, Lesser Men

Posted on 18 July 2023

Industrial rock meets post-grunge and riotously protestive RATM-esque alt-rock in the latest single, Lesser Men, from the experimental solo artist, The Every Glazer.

Describing their music as audio glue for a fractured world tells you all you need to know about the MO of the musician and recording artist who uses his talent to give a glimmer of hope in our dystopia that has manifested via Orwellian fiction.

Just as it has done for millennia, music has united us and scribed our stories; Lesser Men is a continuation of that tradition, which affirms as dark as the days seem, curtains haven’t quite closed on humanity yet, regardless of the corruption, greed, devastation, and oppression; as long as society’s swan song plays, there’s no reason to give up your dog in the fight and down tools when we can better the world in the same way The Every Glazer did with Lesser Men.

The official music video for Lesser Men is now available to stream on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Fallsurge left us on the ‘Tripwire’ of his industrial-rock-meets-post-punk hit

Posted on 26 June 2023
Tripwire by FALLSURGE

After beating the skins for Swervedriver and 5:30, Jez Hindmarsh formed his post-punk meets electronic rock project, Fallsurge. Post-punk has had its fair share of angsty icons, but they’re deathly pale when put in comparison to Fallsurge, especially after the release of Tripwire.

With hints of Celldweller and Skinny Puppy in the production and PJ Harvey’s Down By the Water in the rancorous atmosphere against the protestive post-punk snarls, Fallsurge is one of the most inventive alt-electronica acts since Prodigy.

And yeah, that should probably go down as blasphemy, but the caustic industrial cuts in Tripwire against the cold chaotic sonic whirlpooling guitars, laid down by the LA-based guitarist, Dave Dupuis, created a pioneering cocktail of viscerally vitriolic alchemy. We’re officially stoked to hear what follows.

Stream and purchase Tripwire via Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Ride the electromagnetic waves in Us or Aliens’ latest industrial pop-rock call into the void, Black Hole

Posted on 22 May 2023

Giving us all the dark industrial rock energy of Celldweller and Zeromancer, with a few sharp pop hooks for impaling measure, Us or Aliens’ latest cry into the void, Black Hole, is an existential tour de force.

While the hollow find it hard to find fulfilment in a disenfranchising reality where ennui is as escapable as the cosmic phenomenon which became the metaphorical focus of the single, the pensive will more than get their resonant fill from Black Hole.

Us or Aliens is the solo project from Shawn Kirkpatrick, who has been writing, composing, recording and producing for himself and other artists for the past two decades. In his impressive by any measure career, he has performed in over 500 venues and found the time to become an accomplished guitar teacher and TV composer.

Delve into Black Hole by heading over to SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast