Browsing Tag

industrial

Heck Vektor has unleashed their industrial garage-rock single, Superspreader.

Posted on 27 August 2021
Superspreader (Sonofabitch Mix) by Heck Vektor

Youngstown Ohio’s prodigal sons of industrial metal, Heck Vektor, have released their scathing new single, Superspreader. With the energy of garage punk, the harsh electronica stylings of Powerman 5000 and vocals that switch from Alec Empire-level slick to caustic and confrontational, it is impossible not to be drawn in by this tumultuous amalgamation of alt electronica and rock.

Even though I hit play on the covid-related track with hesitancy, the glitchy basslines, nefarious charisma and unpredictable breakdowns quickly replaced the cynicism with admiration. We can’t wait to hear what follows.

Stream and download Superspreader via Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

UK solo artist Matt Black has made his industrial-rock debut with his single, Are You Afraid of the Dark?

Posted on 20 August 2021

UK-based singer-songwriter Matt Black tapped into the collective sense of listlessness and despair with his scathing industrial rock debut single, Are You Afraid of the Dark.

The lyric-less soundscape uses samples of doom-mongering news broadcasts, featuring our seemingly dim, realistically catastrophic prime minister who seems determined to blather the country to ruin around heavy scuzzy metal guitars and percussion that could only be described as apocalyptic.

With a similar sonic palette to Machine Head’s Bloodstone and Diamonds and Disturbed’s Down with the Sickness, we’re sure plenty of the industrial rock and metal community will welcome his cathartically foreboding presence on the airwaves with open arms.

Are You Afraid of the Dark was officially released on August 20th; you can check it out via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

TUNNL19 deliver grungy industrial rock in their debut single, ‘Voices’.

Posted on 9 July 2021

TUNNL19 has been making major waves in the alt-rock scene in Puerto Rico since 2013. Originally, they performed in cover bands, their latest single, ‘Voices’, proves they have just as much talent as the artists they were covering.

It’s a bitter pill that many artists have to swallow that ‘good’ instrumentalists don’t necessarily make great songwriters; the hooks and fervent energy in Voices affirm that was never going to be an issue for TUNNL19.

After a fuzzy synthesised intro, the electronic alt-grunge track starts to unfold with scuzzy, Rob Zombie-reminiscent-guitars, high-energy grunge vocals and industrial beats that come with an alt-90’s-style-psychedelic kick. They even managed to find room for some post-punk sensibilities in the low reverberant basslines that won’t fail to pull you into the heart of this fiery feat of refreshing alt-rock.

Voices officially released on July 2nd; you can check it out for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Urban Sombreros put a theatric twist on industrial electronica with their single, ‘BAD’.

Posted on 16 June 2021

The Urban Sombreros have put a baroquely theatrical twist on industrial electronica with their latest single, BAD (Michael Jackson). As Marilyn Manson falls, The Urban Sombreros rise.

The coarse and distorted vocals, beatboxing, bluesy angular guitar riffs and trance-style interludes ensure that you’ve never heard a feat of electronica quite like this before – no matter how obscure your playlists are. It’s manic, but The Urban Sombreros’ playfully charismatic mania is one that you’ll easily get on board with.

The Cambridge, UK-residing artist is easily one of the most experimentally bold, infectiously addictive artists we have heard this year. We can’t wait to hear how they’ll follow on from BAD.

BAD released on June 9th; you can check it out for yourselves by heading over to YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

12 Below – Jetsam: Austere art-rock

Posted on 21 May 2021

South Florida’s most avant-garde art-rock artist 12 Below is back with his sophomore single, Jetsam, which pulls together as a dark and discordant mash of industrial, darkwave synth-pop and post-punk.

With an intro that shares reminiscence to Manchester post-punk outfit The Chameleons before the soundscape switches into a phantasmal feat of electro-rock that any fans of Dir En Grey or Celldweller will be familiar with, you’ll be hooked from the first haunted note to the last.

The ethereally ambient soundscape was constructed with effect-loaded guitars and glassy keys in downtempo progressions, for the visceral kick, 12 Below loaded caustic drums and a heavy serving of bass. I can’t tell you how refreshing it is to hear an artist similar to NIN, who also makes the dark electro sound their own.

Jetsam is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

DOLLSDONTCRY – ‘Manticore’: A harsh, dystopian future writ purely in sound

Posted on 30 March 2021

Leaving aside the obvious mentioning that dolls sometimes DO cry – Tiny Tears, anyone? – DOLLSDONTCRY, from Lucedale, Mississippi, via Alaska, has created a nightmarish soundscape of grinding, driving instrumentalism in the vein of early Nine Inch Nails, Ministry, or Revco music. Think a little ‘Pretty Hate Machine’, ‘Psalm 69’, or ‘Linger Ficken Good’, without vocals, and you’ve a pretty good idea of what’s on offer here. Opening with some heavily distorted bass riffing, it’s a landscape of bleeps, machine-press crashes, sampled roars, and rising sequenced keyboard parts.

It’s always difficult for young artists to make their voices heard effectively with instrumental work, but this is an excellent track, a harsh, metallic, post-Terminator world of sound, evocative and stimulating, with a definite voice.

You can hear ‘Manticore’ on Soundcloud. Follow DOLLSDONTCRY on Instagram.

Review by Alex Holmes

Paul Edward Yu – T Montana: Cinematically Harsh Alt Electronica

Posted on 17 January 2021
https://soundcloud.com/pauledwardyu/t-montana-1?in=pauledwardyu/sets/the-shape-of-sound

With their latest release, songwriter, session guitarist and electronic producer, Paul Edward Yu, proved himself to be in the tragically small minority of artists with the ability to squeeze emotion from electronic sequencing alone.

Their 2020 album, ‘the shape of sound’, is home to a plethora of electrifyingly evocative instrumental tracks, but the perfect introduction to the Boston MA-based artist’s psychedelic stance on electronica is the single, ‘T Montana’.

It’s a progressive minefield of aural curveballs, the cold ambience the prelude serves is soon stripped-back and replaced with harsh cinematically caustic industrial elements contrasted by strikingly bright tonal textures. But discernibly, Paul Edward Yu saved the best for last. After the dub-laden tremulous breakdowns, the guitars tear through to the front of the mix in a way not easily forgotten.

T Montana is available to stream and download via Bandcamp or you can check it out via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

JJ Mickey delivers adrenalizing Techno ingenuity with “Razor Elegant”

Posted on 17 November 2020

Canadian artist and producer JJ Mickey has dropped their most mesmerising release to date, Razor Elegant. From carnivalesque kaleidoscopic whirlwinds to build-ups which will leave you tense with anticipation, you can expect all of that and more.

The excitement I usually reserve for bands such as Nekrogoblikon started to manifest as soon as Razor Elegant hit it’s momentously entrancing peak. With the artist’s proclivity to play around with 8-bit and 16-bit Chiptune along with their affinity for Trance, Industrial and Classical, JJ Mickey delivered an insanely (quite literally) immersive drop with Razor Elegant.

If you have a penchant for experimental producers, you’ll definitely want JJ Mickey on your radar.

You can check out the adrenalizing mix for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Artist and Producer Ian Chamberlain has released their cinematically Avant-Garde single “Disruption”

Posted on 14 August 2020

With an intro which wouldn’t be out of place in a Nils Frahm composition, Ian Chamberlain kicks off his latest single “Disruption” with a teasing Neo-Classic start before throwing an unexpected aural curveball your way and throwing you headfirst into an experimentally electrifying soundscape.

The Adelaide, Australia-based artist and producer poured his passion for both Classical music and mechanical sounds into Disruption. Which may give you an indication of just how distinct and alchemic their sound is. Yet, to truly appreciate their talent, you’ll have to immerse yourself in the cinematically avant-garde single yourself.

Listening to Disruption is practically a full-body experience for the way the visceral notes seem to make every cell in your body stand to attention. For your sake instead of theirs, hit play. It’s not every day you’ll get to encounter such a mind-blowing feat of ingenuity.

You can check out Ian Chamberlain’s single Disruption for yourselves by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Kevin Braun has released their all too relatable single “Dark Side of the Mind”

Posted on 5 August 2020

I’m fairly sure I’m not the only one who will have been getting acquainted with the darker side of my mind in recent months, and I’m fairly sure I’m not the only one who will find Kevin Braun’s piercingly resonant single Dark Side of the Mind a playlist-worthy hit.

The Alt-Rock single experimentally incorporates elements of both Industrial and Pop. Which may not seem like an aural match made in heaven, but under Kevin Braun’s alluringly deft production, they fit hand in glove.

Thanks to the grinding rhythms, it’s as sexy as Nine Inch Nails’ more sultry tracks and as visceral and electrifying as Static X’s noisy mechanical hits. The contrast between the ferocity of the instrumentals and the harmonic magnetism of Kevin Braun’s vocals ensures you’ve never heard anything quite like this before. Even if you’ve been struggling to get excited by new music lately, Dark Side of the Mind won’t fail to hit the spot.

You can check out Kevin Braun’s latest single for yourselves via Spotify or SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast