As we get closer to the release of the long-awaited new “Boy Harsher” album GET MEAN, the beloved Darkwave duo have shared another taster of the new album titled “Tough Luck (When You Don’t Call).” About the track, vocalist Jae Matthews says “I wrote the “Wanna say / I’m okay” practically in tears on a plywood floor in the middle of West Texas last January. My bittersweet mantra.” You can watch the music video for “Tough Luck (When You Don’t Call),” as well as pre-order Get Mean below:
LA-based trio “PUREST FORM” are set to drop their new E.P. RESISTANCE on September 4th via “Dais Records,” and following their visceral Industrial Metal banger “ANIMAL,” the band have released another new track off the upcoming E.P. titled “MORE,” and it’s a musically unhinged mix of Hard Techno, Metal, Industrial, and Synth-Punk. The band describes the single as “a song about love and revolution. A love so addicting, LIKE A DRUG. A love that makes you do extraordinary things.” You can listen to ”MORE,” as well as pre-order RESISTANCE below:
Though many of us are still not over the quiet breakup of Punk trio “Control Top,” ex-members Alan Creedon and Alex Lichtenauer have moved on with their new project “Index,” and this project is quite the departure from their previous work with “Control Top.” Incorporating Electronic and Industrial elements, the band’s music packs a more visceral punch, without sacrificing their beautifully noisy style of Hardcore Punk. The band announced in July that their debut album Vis Inertiae will be released on September 25th via “Get Better Records,” and following their last two singles “Cellophane” and “Fractured,” the band have released another ripper of a track titled “Earth.” You can listen to the track, as well as pre-order Vis Inertiae below:
Five albums deep in their discography, and New York-based band “Deli Girls” still continue to reinvent themselves sonically. On their new album Losing State, it’s hard not to get the feeling that the band are embarking on a new chapter of their sound. This chapter is a departure from their previous self-titled album, an album that found the band trade in their usual Nu-Metal-tinged Digital Hardcore in favor of an abrasive yet dancey mix of Hardstyle and Rave Punk. Losing State harkens back to the anxiety-ridden heaviness of their early records, music that featured pure unadulterated anger toward the establishment, capitalism, and all forms of bigotry, but this time around the band cranks up the Industrial elements with rapid fire percussion, and lead singer Danny Orlowski’s anger is directed at even more specific realities that are a result of this country’s consumer culture, love for war, and reliance on technology. “If you’re gonna sell me, then pay me,” screams Danny on the track “Location,” a song that progressively gets more and more chaotic and sounds like the soundtrack to the end times. That viciousness in the music and vocals is carried throughout the album and never lets up, sounding like a constant state of Hell. However, with how deeply unsettling this album is musically, not once does it come across as pessimistic. This is protest music. This is fight music, and it faces our anxiety-ridden reality head on in an attempt to reach a point of catharsis. This is “Punk” in the modern age, and Deli Girls are the perfect band to lead the charge.
Due to loss, grief, and immense focus on perfectionism, New York-based act “Bustié’s” sophomore album Throb faced many delays, but now 7 years after their debut Birds of Paradise, the album has finally arrived at the perfect time. Living in the U.S. right now is frightening if you’re a person of color, LGBTQ+, or just simply don’t support a fascist regime, so now more than ever we need music that comes from people of said communities to inspire, provide hope, raise awareness, and provide a dance party of escapism, and Bustié does just that. Combining genres such as Hi-NRG, Synth Pop, EBM, and Freestyle, Throb celebrates the elements that make these genres so undeniable and infectious. Topped with lead member Angelika Padilla’s chant-like vocals that provide another layer of rhythm on top of the already entrancing beats, this music will make anyone want to move. Whether you’re the type to cut up a rug on the dance floor, or the type to stand back and bob your head to the beat, this music is for you. Thematically this album deals with lust, loss, and sexuality, and though it’s often dark sonically, it’s perfectly contrasted with heavy elements of 80’s-styled Pop which helps prevent the album from diving into doom and gloom. It’s Janet Jackson at a Nitzer Ebb concert, and it’s fantastic.
It’s nice seeing barriers being broken in the current Metal community thanks to younger bands daring to blend differing genres and incorporate outside influences. Along with this forward thinking approach, comes the re-evaluation of a genre like Nu-Metal, particularly “Korn.” There was a time when liking a band like Korn was considered uncool amongst Metal elitists. Even during the bands chart-topping glory, there were those who dismissed the band and simply believed they were not “real Metal.” Now, we have a whole generation of young Metal fans who reject rigid views and gatekeeping, and it’s glorious. Korn’s influence is now celebrated and referenced sonically in the music of bands like “Chat Pile,” “Code Orange,” and Austin, Texas band “Portrayal of Guilt.” Fearlessly blending genres such as Screamo, Black Metal, Sludge Metal, Emoviolence and Noise Rock, Portrayal of Guilt have been gifting us abrasive and chaotic music rich in tumultuous blast beats, sludgy guitar riffs, heavily distorted bass, and shrieking vocals since 2017, and yet, with their distinct sound established, the band still manages to reinvent themselves with every album, which prevents their sound from slipping into monotony. On their new album …Beginning of the End, the band find themselves reinventing their sound once again, incorporating just the right amount of genres such as Nu-Metal, Trip Hop, and Industrial, to create more cinematically bleak soundscapes that echo some of the best 90’s gems like “Nine Inch Nails” or the “Spawn” soundtrack. Seriously, the track “Ecstasy” sounds like the band went back in time to 1997 to collab with “The Dust Brothers.” The track “Chamber of Misery Pt. IV” features a Trap-style verse from rapper Slim Guerilla, and “God Will Never Hear Me” is a slow but brooding track with a nightmarish ambience, which perfectly executes an unpredictable, but very “Portrayal of Guilt” experience, and that’s what makes this album work so well. The band never fully emulates a specific genre, but instead mixes various genres not often associated with the band, all while maintaining their usual harsh sound. Now, where does Korn come into play with all of this? Well, Portrayal of Guilt’s vocalist/guitarist Matt King has been very vocal about his love for Korn, and …Beginning of the End can be considered a continuation of the unique and innovative sound of those early Korn records. I mean, let’s face it, aside from a handful of good Nu-Metal bands that left a revolutionary mark on the genre, Korn unintentionally inspired A LOT of really bad imitators in the 90’s and early 2000’s, but in an alternate universe where more good than bad came from Korn’s mark, …Beginning of the End is the natural progression of what Korn pioneered. Oh why couldn’t we hear this stuff instead of “Last Resort” back in the late 90’s? Better 32 years late than never I guess. Whether it be the early Blackened Hardcore of Portrayal of Guilt’s early records, the Gothic-tinged sludge of Christfucker, or this new direction of Nu-Metal combined with Hellish Black Metal, it is certain that Portrayal of Guilt will continue to make whatever the Hell they feel like making, and the band happen to be very good at it.
Following their highly successful tour and incredible Coachella set, “Nine Inch Nails” and “Boys Noize” are set to release their collaborative album Nine Inch Noize this Friday. The album will feature re-imagined Nine Inch Nails tracks, as well as a reworked version of How to Destroy Angels’ “Parasite,” and a cover of Soft Cell’s “Memorabilia.” According to Trent Reznor, the album was recorded “all over the place, some of it’s live, some in studios, hotels, planes, etc.” Check out the tracklist below:
Tracklist:
01. Intro (Nine Inch Noize Version)
02. Vessel (Nine Inch Noize Version)
03. She’s Gone Away (Nine Inch Noize Version)
04. Heresy (Nine Inch Noize Version)
05. Parasite (Nine Inch Noize Version)
06. Copy Of A (Nine Inch Noize Version)
07. Me I’m Not (Nine Inch Noize Version)
08. Closer (Nine Inch Noize Version)
09. The Warning (Nine Inch Noize Version)
10. Memorabilia (Nine Inch Noize Version)
11. Came Back Haunted (Nine Inch Noize Version)
12. As Alive as You Need Me to Be (Nine Inch Noize Version)
Austin, Texas trio “Portrayal of Guilt” will release their new album …Beginning of the End on April 24th via “Run for Cover Records.” Today the band have shared two new tracks off their upcoming album titled “Human Terror” and “Ecstasy,” and both tracks find the band maintaining their harrowing and hellish sound all while incorporating newer elements the band aren’t exactly known for. Especially “Ecstasy.” The track sounds like 90s Korn-styled Nu-Metal with an Industrial flavor. Seriously, this track sounds like it could’ve been on the 1997 Spawn soundtrack. Both tracks are great, and you can listen to them below:
Detroit duo “ADULT.” have been at it since the late 90s. They were a prominent group during the “Electroclash” movement in the early 2000s, made some killer anxiety-ridden “Synth Punk” in the mid to late 2000s and in recent years have been an important group in the world of modern “EBM” and “Industrial.” However, all of those genre tags still don’t do the band justice when describing their sound. ADULT. sounds like ADULT. After all these years the band haven’t skipped a beat, and now they have a new album on the horizon titled Kissing Luck Goodbye. The album will be released on March 27th via “Dais Records,” and following their previous single “No One is Coming,” the band have released another banger titled “R U 4 $ALE.” You can listen to the track below:
The wait is finally over. Alexis Marshall of the band “Daughters” has unveiled the release date of his highly anticipated solo debut album. The album is titled House of Lull . House of When, and will be released on July 23rd via “Sargent House.” A new single titled “Hounds in the Abyss” was also released today, which follows last year’s “Nature in Three Movements,” a relentlessly intense, but enticing tune. “Hounds in the Abyss” carries that same anxiety-inducing energy, and I’m here for it. You can watch the music video for “Hounds in the Abyss” below:
MELT REVIEWS 