Author & Punisher – Krüller (2022 Relapse Records)

Artist: Author & Punisher

Album: Krüller (2022)

Label: Relapse Records

Genre: Industrial Metal / Darksynth

Spotify

Tidal

Apple Music

Bandcamp

---

Tristan Shone is the one-man bandleader and mastermind behind the industrial darksynth project Author & Punisher. Shone performs his music using a unique collection of hand-built electronic synthesizers and sound machines and has been doing so in earnest for the better part of the last decade.

With 2018’s ‘Beastland,’ Shone found a new audience by shifting to the roster of Relapse Records, a label better known for forward-thinking death metal than doom electronics. With his mind-blowing new album ‘Krüller’, Shone has achieved a clarity and purpose of sound previously unheard in his other work. Of particular note are collaborators Justin Chancellor and Danny Carey, better known as the rhythm section of alternative metal stalwarts Tool, who show up sporadically to fill in some of the low end of Shone’s electronics.

The music reveals shades of late 90’s industrial acts like Nine Inch Nails, Ministry, and Type O Negative, especially in the aggressive vocals and lush layers of metallic distortion, yet ‘Krüller’ remains an absolutely singular listening experience. Shone’s songwriting chops are on display here as well – no longer content with half-finished sound collages or drones, Shone instead focuses on a more streamlined compositional style that benefits the flow of the album as a whole.

This one’s definitely one of the stronger releases of 2022 so far and a easy recommendation for fans of industrial music, alternative metal, or darkwave electronic music. 

---

Thomas Jacob Jr is a Producer, Composer, Singer-Songwriter, Music Educator and Digital Artist currently based in Arizona – Bringing us rare and interesting selections from his extensive Vinyl collection! For more content follow his vinyl-dedicated Instagram account

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Thomas (@tjsvinyl)

Kayo Dot – Moss Grew on the Swords and Plowshares Alike (2021 Prophecy Records)

Artist: Kayo Dot

Album: Moss Grew on the Swords and Plowshares Alike (2021)

Label: Prophecy Records

Genre: Avant-Garde / Gothic Metal / Darkwave

Spotify

Tidal

Apple Music

Bandcamp

---

Kayo Dot are a shape-shifting experimental band from Brooklyn led by the inimitable multi-hyphenate Toby Driver. Over the course of the band’s history the group has recorded and performed music ranging from neo-classical chamber music (‘Blue Lambency Downward’) to neon-drenched synthwave (‘Coffins on Io’) and sprawling progressive metal (‘Hubardo’).

With ‘Moss,’ Toby has invoked a spiritual connection to Kayo Dot’s previous form, the experimental death metal group Maudlin of the Well. Bolstered by the soaring lead guitar of former Maudlin guitarist Greg Massi, the songs on ‘Moss’ take on a particularly epic scope, an expansion of the proof-of-concept of this style from the group’s previous album, the excellent and underrated ‘Blasphemy.’ Driver handles most of the other instrumentation, laying down rhythmic bass lines, flighty and progressive drum grooves, and layers of synth pads to create a dark, hazy, and foreboding aura that envelops the listener from track one. His vocal performance is once again stellar, crisscrossing between soaring clean choruses (‘Void in Virgo’ contains one of his finest) and piercing death metal howls (everywhere else).

This sense of eclecticism, coupled with a blurry production that doesn’t do the music any favors, make entering the world of Kayo Dot a daunting supposition, but it is well worth taking the plunge into the ether for the rewards buried within.

---

Thomas Jacob Jr is a Producer, Composer, Singer-Songwriter, Music Educator and Digital Artist currently based in Arizona – Bringing us rare and interesting selections from his extensive Vinyl collection! For more content follow his vinyl-dedicated Instagram account

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Thomas (@tjsvinyl)

ブラックマジック (Black Magic), by Zer0 れい

Lush, expansive, mysteriously nostalgic – Zer0 れい‘s latest full length project BLACK MAGIC is all of these things and more.

Propelling forward into interesting sonic territory, Black Magic feels like taking a slew of concepts and throwing them in a haunted blender – producing some sort of thick coffee sludge that is heavenly and rich. Zer0 れい does a magnificent job swirling together influences from Vaporwave, Mallsoft, Industrial Techno and Dark Ambient – crafting something quite unique and energetic.

One thing I immediately appreciated about this record was the attention to flow between tracks. After spinning it down twice I was noticing how fluid everything felt – much more than just a collection of tracks, attention to the detail in track listing and connections between the pieces gives me some kinda bizarre satisfaction!

My personal favorite track has got to be Smokescreen – the raw stoner guitar riffing behind absolutely massive atmospheric pads, percussion swirling all around – creating such an amazing vibe! I have found myself in traffic with this riff in my head, swooping in to fill in the spaces of my mind.

The whole project has a darkness to it – but it’s almost nostalgic, leaving the listener removed to an extent – allowing appreciation without over-saturation. Sometimes a producer will attempt to force gloom and doom down the listeners throat – which is not always in tune with how I am feeling emotionally, leading to some sort if detachment – but Black Magic finds a way to ride the melancholy wave with just a suggestion of existential dread.

It’s always thrilling seeing a producer grow and expand – this being Zer0 れい‘s first vinyl release – and it is the perfect candidate for wax in my opinion. The concept of the long-playing album is alive and well, look no further! You can grab the digital or physical copies via BRC30 Productions Bandcamp page.

 

OSEDAX LP, by MOISTBVRP

Have really been enjoying this release from Seattle based experimental project MOISTBVRP (excellent name I must say) – OSEDAX LP. A lush 15-track project with massive energy seeming to tear its way through the synthesizers. Fragmented dissonance from a post-apocalyptic FM station, our madman DJs mash together feelings of darkness, darkwave, drone, noise, some witch housey stuff, all folding together with urgency.

Highly recommended listen if you’re looking for something dense and atmospheric yet still packed with energy and rhythm…

Bandcamp
Soundcloud
Fanlink
Twitter
Instagram

Resistance Fatigue, by TAXXESS

Texas Producer TAXXESS dropped this dense industrial-cyberpunk project back in December – It’s packed full of harsh buzzing drones, big beats and bizarre sonic abnormalities. Even with the diverse palette of destroyed sounds, there is a beautiful rhythm to each track, encouraging you to get lost inside….

Ghost in the Machine Vol. 3

Lots of dank and dark tunes within the most recent Ghost in the Machine Broadcast. Nearly an hour of Indie/Electronic goodness, now streaming via Mixcloud.

Moving EP, by VOIA // Glass Islands

VOIA brings us this new EP with Glass Islands, a brief 3 minute journey with a very deep feeling. The project gains momentum and energy as the songs progress, with the first track drifting in ambient bliss leading to the third track with near-dancefloor rhythms and sultry vocals. Though short, it is a fantastic listen for a smokey evening or cruising around the neon nights…

Favorite Track: 2. Moving