Поиск:dissection

In einer Ära, die darauf ausgelegt ist, das Individuum niederzuschlagen und zu schwächen, ist "Black Flame Eternal" ein Album, das Stärke, Ermächtigung und totalen Widerstand repräsentiert. Angesichts des zunehmenden Drucks, sich im modernen gesellschaftlichen Tribalismus zu engagieren, beschwört Cloak mit Album Nummer drei eine spirituelle Rebellion, die jenseits von Gut und Böse existiert. Während Cloak gegen gesellschaftliche Konventionen wüten, umarmt das Quartett aus Atlanta die rebellischen und altbewährten Traditionen des Heavy Metal.

Ob sie nun den chaotischen Geist der schwedischen Black-Metal-Vertreter Watain und Dissection beschwören, den tiefen, dunklen und sinnlichen Groove von Danzig heraufbeschwören oder die rohe Geschwindigkeit und raue Energie von Motörhead heraufbeschwören - der Einfluss der Gründerväter des Metal ist tief in der DNA von Cloak verankert. Der Charme von Cloak liegt jedoch nicht nur in der Romantik der Vergangenheit, sondern vielmehr in der Art und Weise, wie jedes dieser Genres die persönliche Identität von Cloak geprägt hat. Und mit "Black Flame Eternal" baut Cloak seinen eigenen, einzigartigen und etablierten Sound weiter aus.

FFV: Watain, Dissection, Behemoth, Rotting Christ

In einer Ära, die darauf ausgelegt ist, das Individuum niederzuschlagen und zu schwächen, ist "Black Flame Eternal" ein Album, das Stärke, Ermächtigung und totalen Widerstand repräsentiert. Angesichts des zunehmenden Drucks, sich im modernen gesellschaftlichen Tribalismus zu engagieren, beschwört Cloak mit Album Nummer drei eine spirituelle Rebellion, die jenseits von Gut und Böse existiert. Während Cloak gegen gesellschaftliche Konventionen wüten, umarmt das Quartett aus Atlanta die rebellischen und altbewährten Traditionen des Heavy Metal.

Ob sie nun den chaotischen Geist der schwedischen Black-Metal-Vertreter Watain und Dissection beschwören, den tiefen, dunklen und sinnlichen Groove von Danzig heraufbeschwören oder die rohe Geschwindigkeit und raue Energie von Motörhead heraufbeschwören - der Einfluss der Gründerväter des Metal ist tief in der DNA von Cloak verankert. Der Charme von Cloak liegt jedoch nicht nur in der Romantik der Vergangenheit, sondern vielmehr in der Art und Weise, wie jedes dieser Genres die persönliche Identität von Cloak geprägt hat. Und mit "Black Flame Eternal" baut Cloak seinen eigenen, einzigartigen und etablierten Sound weiter aus.

FFV: Watain, Dissection, Behemoth, Rotting Christ

THULCANDRA’s rise to power ignited when the Germany-based outfit unleashed their debut album, Fallen Angel’s Dominion, upon metaldom in 2010. The group, fronted by founding member and visionary Steffen Kummerer (also of Obscura fame), have tightened their hibernal grip on blackened death metal since. The desolate melodic emanations in follow-up studio records Under a Frozen Sun (2011), Ascension Lost (2015), and the chart-topping, 2021-album A Dying Wish, dedicated to the late drummer Chris Kratzer, solidified THULCANDRA as a superior force, expertly thrusting the magic and mystery of mid-’90s melodic black-death metal into the modern era. Their fifth attack, entitled Hail the Abyss, sees THULCANDRA prove yet again why they’re atop death metal’s malefic vedette! Fierce tracks such as "As I Walk Through The Gateway", or the uber-brutal "Blood Of Slaves", showcase the band‘s affinity for dark, aggressive, and mellifluous metal while the album title track and the epic, mid-tempo rager "On The Wings Of Cosmic Fire" rip and terrorize with the intensity of hell. As always, THULCANDRA's about a vibe - there's a distinct "feel" to the band's latest album that's distinctly old-school but without the tired trappings of it. The hotly-anticipated Hail the Abyss is slated for release on May 19, 2023 via Napalm Records. Cooperation with renowned producer Dan Swanö (Dissection, Opeth, Katatonia), who handled the crushing album mix, was compulsory, as was the re-invitation to cover-master Lochner. Don’t fear the reaper—fear the majestic might of THULCANDRA, as Hail the Abyss will see them ultimately rise to full power!

BAG X COLLAPSING DRUMS is a collaboration between experimental producer Collapsing Drums (Charlie Behrens) and spoken word/electronic duo BAG (Jody DeSchutter and Dan Allison). Modular synth, spoken word, field recording, experimental play and abstract guitar are a few of the practices visited by the project.

Momentary Lapses was born of an improvisational outburst sewn into a back and forth process, the three diverse perspectives nurturing creation and dissection along the way. This album maps multiple landscapes and conditions as drawn by the trio in an exploratory document, providing a journey through textures and atmospheres, beats and spaces, construction and reassembly. During the 18 months of the album’s creation, a series of bereavements disrupted and informed BXCD’s journey.

DeSchutter’s dada-esque verse moves purposely forward, fragmented through synaesthetic habitats. Her words, woven into the electronic compositions of Behrens and Allison, touch on themes of re-interpretation, incongruity, and longing. Momentary Lapses celebrates all that is unknown, pluralistic, and paradoxical as proposed antidotes to a binary mode of knowing. Sonically bridging the gaps between postpunk, IDM and experimental, BAG X COLLAPSING DRUMS promises a fresh take on the possibilities of sonic abstraction.

Del Jones, a poet, and proto-rapper, recorded Court is Closed in 1973. It was underground Philadelphia’s response to Amiri Baraka’s and Gil Scott-Heron’s indictments of the Black American experience - a call to action not just for his city, but for the nation. The set includes an oversized 10 page booklet by Jeremy Cargill, with contributions by Now-Again founder Eothen “Egon” Alapatt which delves into Jones’ music, milieu and life as an author, activist and orator, shining a light not only on his prescient awareness of hip-hop, but also on the struggles he confronted, and his urgent, current mandate. Court is Closed, equal parts psychedelic rock and deep funk, had a limited release of 500 copies and was rarely heard before Jones overdubbed horns on the album, remixed and augmented it with additional music, and issued it as the better-known Positive Vibes. Here we present both versions of the album on the 23rd release in the deluxe Now-Again Reserve Edition series. Jones’ story, and that of his family, is like his music: a loud, vital voice long silenced. Understanding it now is not just a visceral musical experience, but an essential dissection of racism and classism in America.

Die Mission der Band, nicht nur Brasilien, sondern die ganze Welt unsicher zu machen, scheint im Black Metal-Bereich mit dem vorliegenden neuen Album in greifbare Nähe gerückt zu sein.

Musiklisch lehnt sich der Stil der Band an die schwedische Schule ala NAGLFAR, DISSECTION oder UNANIMATED an.

Die brasilianische Black Metal Horde OUTLAW veröffentlicht mit "Reaching Beyond Assiah" ihr drittes Album

Eine rohe Manifestation des Black Metal und eine wahre Hingabe an die okkulten Riten der schamanischen Praktiken ist das, was Xalpen am besten beschreibt. Hinter Xalpen stecken die beiden chilenischen Dämonen Juan Pablo Núñez (Gitarre & Vocals) und Alvaro Lillo (Bass & Vocals). Mit 'The Curse Of Kwányep' präsentiert die Band ihren zweiten Longplayer! Klingt wie Sargeist, Behexen, Katharsis, Arkanum, Ascension, Funeral Mist, Acherontas, Celestial Bloodshed, Dissection oder Watain!

- Col. LP: (Transparent Orange Vinyl)

Truly intrigued as a kid by the weird sounds his DIY electronica building kit could make, Mich L. (aka Mich Leemans of Paper Hats and curator of AB Salon) never stopped his quest for more beauty in hidden frequencies and harmonics of modular synths and old tape recorders.

His search into the deep mysterious sound spectrum unexpectedly made a surprising u-turn after a seizure of increasing tinnitus and enduring nausea.

The concept of listening, as stated by Pauline Oliveiros as 'the involuntary nature of hearing and the voluntary, selective nature of listening' took focus in his being.

These new insights, together with a studio rearrangement and the purchase of the EMS Synthi A are the keystones which shaped the contours of his debut solo album 'air near silence'

A precious, fragile and ultra personal sonic exploration of the inner self translated in carefully constructed synth and tape compositions : a microscopic auditive dissection of time and soul.

Slow burning stripped down shifting patterns, patched and wired straight from the heart, crawling steadily under your skin, with no plans to leave.

Hushed analogue splendor for patient music lovers who dare to be surprised.

File under:
deep immersive and profound listening, (dark) ambient, electronica, analogue synths, tape compositions

Recommended if you like:
Eliane Radigue, Coil, Kali Malone, Lucy Railton, The Caretaker, Pauline Oliveiros, BBC Radiophonic Workshop, Throbbing Ghristle, early electronics, DEATHPROD...

Blood Red Vinyl

Wir präsentieren 'Prelude To Obscurity', einen ungeschliffenen Edelstein des brutalen Underground Death Metal, der nach 25 Jahren endlich ausgegraben wurde! Embalm stammen aus Wisconsin und gründeten sich 1995 während ihrer Highschool-Zeit - in der Ära von Ablated Records, Frozen Dawn CD-Compilations und IllNoiz Death Fest, um nur einige zu nennen.

Embalm schufen wahrhaft denkwürdige Grooves aus mittelschnellem, eingängigem und verdammt brutalem Midwest Death Metal, der auch die üblichen Einflüsse des schwedischen Death Metal und sogar einen Hauch von Harmonie im Stil von Dissection enthielt, was dieses Demo von jeder erzwungenen Retro-Nostalgie abhebt.

Obwohl Embalm nie internationale Bekanntheit erlangten, waren sie Teil eines größeren Netzwerks und konnten sich im Vorprogramm von Bands wie Rotted, Internal Bleeding und Incantation behaupten. Während sich diese Sammlung auf das Meisterwerk und tragische letzte Demo mit dem treffenden Titel "Prelude to Obscurity" konzentriert, werden Sicko-Freaks auch mit dem buchstäblich unmöglich zu beschaffenden ersten "Demo '95" verwöhnt, das die bösartigsten und düstersten Keller-Nekro-Aufnahmen bietet, die - obwohl primitiv und grausam - immer noch eine minimalistische Erinnerung an die wahre Underground-Demo-Kassettenkultur bewahren. Ebenfalls enthalten sind die beiden letzten Live-Tracks, die es leider nie ins Studio geschafft haben. Sie wurden nach "Prelude..." geschrieben und zeigen das wahnsinnige Genie der Band: für Dunkelheit, Slam und gequälte Leads.

Die Sammlung wurde von Arthur Rizk sorgfältig von den originalen DAT- und Kassettenbändern neu gemastert und enthält ein umfangreiches Zeitkapsel-Booklet mit Flyern, Ephemera, Zine-Rezensionen und Live-Fotos aus den vergangenen glorreichen Tagen des TRUE Brutal Death Metal! Ein Wegweiser für jede neue Band, die einen Einblick in das bewährte "brutale Zeug" sucht. Eine erstmalige Co-Veröffentlichung zwischen zwei modernen Underground-Titanen, 20 Buck Spin und Hospital Productions.

Wir präsentieren 'Prelude To Obscurity', einen ungeschliffenen Edelstein des brutalen Underground Death Metal, der nach 25 Jahren endlich ausgegraben wurde! Embalm stammen aus Wisconsin und gründeten sich 1995 während ihrer Highschool-Zeit - in der Ära von Ablated Records, Frozen Dawn CD-Compilations und IllNoiz Death Fest, um nur einige zu nennen.

Embalm schufen wahrhaft denkwürdige Grooves aus mittelschnellem, eingängigem und verdammt brutalem Midwest Death Metal, der auch die üblichen Einflüsse des schwedischen Death Metal und sogar einen Hauch von Harmonie im Stil von Dissection enthielt, was dieses Demo von jeder erzwungenen Retro-Nostalgie abhebt.

Obwohl Embalm nie internationale Bekanntheit erlangten, waren sie Teil eines größeren Netzwerks und konnten sich im Vorprogramm von Bands wie Rotted, Internal Bleeding und Incantation behaupten. Während sich diese Sammlung auf das Meisterwerk und tragische letzte Demo mit dem treffenden Titel "Prelude to Obscurity" konzentriert, werden Sicko-Freaks auch mit dem buchstäblich unmöglich zu beschaffenden ersten "Demo '95" verwöhnt, das die bösartigsten und düstersten Keller-Nekro-Aufnahmen bietet, die - obwohl primitiv und grausam - immer noch eine minimalistische Erinnerung an die wahre Underground-Demo-Kassettenkultur bewahren. Ebenfalls enthalten sind die beiden letzten Live-Tracks, die es leider nie ins Studio geschafft haben. Sie wurden nach "Prelude..." geschrieben und zeigen das wahnsinnige Genie der Band: für Dunkelheit, Slam und gequälte Leads.

Die Sammlung wurde von Arthur Rizk sorgfältig von den originalen DAT- und Kassettenbändern neu gemastert und enthält ein umfangreiches Zeitkapsel-Booklet mit Flyern, Ephemera, Zine-Rezensionen und Live-Fotos aus den vergangenen glorreichen Tagen des TRUE Brutal Death Metal! Ein Wegweiser für jede neue Band, die einen Einblick in das bewährte "brutale Zeug" sucht. Eine erstmalige Co-Veröffentlichung zwischen zwei modernen Underground-Titanen, 20 Buck Spin und Hospital Productions.

Originally formed in 1989 by mastermind Snorre Ruch, Marius Vold, & B
Yard Faust (Emperor), Norwegian band Thorns' has inspired a great
number of acts such as Satyricon, Mayhem, Dissection, & Emperor,
mainly due to Snorre's highly influential style of playing & creating riffs on
the early Thorns' demo tapes
So impressed was Euronymous of Mayhem, that Snorre became second guitarist
in the band for a while & his riffs were used in classic Mayhem tracks. Thorns'
was the band's debut (& only, thus far) full-length studio album. It was released in
2001 & is a cult slice of highly individual Norwegian black metal, including
experimental & sometimes industrial influences along with synth passages to
create a chilling yet clinical slice of extremity. The album was notable for
featuring Satyr of Satyricon on vocals, a duty shared between songs with the
vocal talent of Aldrahn (ex-D dheimsgard) & the recording line-up also featured
Hellhammer of Mayhem on drums. The outcome was a unique & original album
which is today considered a cult classic release by critics.This edition of 'Thorns'
is presented on single black vinyl, including printed inner sleeve with lyrics.

In einer Szene mit unzähligen Kopien und seelenlosen Versuchen, die Majestät des alten Black/Death Metal-Erbes zu beschwören, stehen WATAIN feierlich, fremdartig, aus dem Schatten heraus, in echter, siegreicher Aufrichtigkeit.

Nach ihrer von der Kritik gefeierten zweiten Veröffentlichung "Casus Luciferi" (Album des Monats im Terrorizer) und einer erfolgreichen zweimonatigen Tournee zusammen mit DISSECTION, präsentieren WATAIN nun ihren dritten Black Metal-Monolithen "Sworn to the Dark".

300 transparent green vinyl 12” albums / 400 black vinyl 12”. In their relatively brief lifetime, between 1996 and 2002, Hefner enjoyed an incredibly productive four-album, multi-EP career. Their beautiful, concise, intelligent songs earned a fiercely loyal, cult audience and the long-term support of legendary DJ John Peel, for whom they recorded innumerable sessions. Originally released in 2001, their final album, Dead Media, found Hefner reaching out and taking risks. Keen to break free of their indie-folk roots, they cocooned themselves in a home studio with broken analogue synthesizers, antique drum machines and battery-powered amplifiers. The band’s naivety and guile produced some curiously engaging music, with frontman Darren Hayman’s precise, economic, poetic dissections of quotidian romance draped over awkward, fuzzy beats: something like Cat Stevens covering Warm Leatherette. Dead Media caused confusion at the time and ultimately lead to the band’s break up. However, the songs like ‘Junk’, ‘The Night’s Are Long’ and ‘When The Angels Play Their Drum Machines’ are among Hayman’s most adult and affecting essays and stand out among the finest of Hefner’s achievements. Tracks: 1 Dead Media 2 Trouble Kid 3 Junk 4 When The Angels Play Their Drum Machines 5 Union Chapel Day 6 China Crisis 7 Alan Bean 8 Peppermint Taste 9 The Mangle 10 The King Of Summer 11 The Nights Are Long 12 Treacle 13 Half A Life 14 Waking Up To You 15 Home

300 transparent green vinyl 12” albums / 400 black vinyl 12”. In their relatively brief lifetime, between 1996 and 2002, Hefner enjoyed an incredibly productive four-album, multi-EP career. Their beautiful, concise, intelligent songs earned a fiercely loyal, cult audience and the long-term support of legendary DJ John Peel, for whom they recorded innumerable sessions. Originally released in 2001, their final album, Dead Media, found Hefner reaching out and taking risks. Keen to break free of their indie-folk roots, they cocooned themselves in a home studio with broken analogue synthesizers, antique drum machines and battery-powered amplifiers. The band’s naivety and guile produced some curiously engaging music, with frontman Darren Hayman’s precise, economic, poetic dissections of quotidian romance draped over awkward, fuzzy beats: something like Cat Stevens covering Warm Leatherette. Dead Media caused confusion at the time and ultimately lead to the band’s break up. However, the songs like ‘Junk’, ‘The Night’s Are Long’ and ‘When The Angels Play Their Drum Machines’ are among Hayman’s most adult and affecting essays and stand out among the finest of Hefner’s achievements. Tracks: 1 Dead Media 2 Trouble Kid 3 Junk 4 When The Angels Play Their Drum Machines 5 Union Chapel Day 6 China Crisis 7 Alan Bean 8 Peppermint Taste 9 The Mangle 10 The King Of Summer 11 The Nights Are Long 12 Treacle 13 Half A Life 14 Waking Up To You 15 Home

Das teuflische Meisterwerk aus dem Jahr 2015 wird in limitierter Auflage auf transparentem orange/schwarz marmoriertem Vinyl neu aufgelegt!



"Instinctus Bestialis", das zehnte Studioalbum der Black Metal-Ikonen GORGOROTH, wurde von Schlagzeuger Thomas Asklund im Monolith Studio aufgenommen und abgemischt, von Infernus & Asklund produziert und von M. Lindfors, Infernus und Asklund im Cutting Room / Schweden gemastert.

Es enthält Gastauftritte an der Leadgitarre von Chris Cannella, Fabio Sperandio und Henrik Ekeroth, während das Aufnahme-Line-up aus Infernus, Asklund (ex-DISSECTION), Bøddel (Frank Watkins, ex-OBITUARY) und Atterigner besteht.

The second album from Wehrmacht, “Biermächt” saw the band maturing while still retaining their Thrashcore roots. Released in mid-1988, “Biermächt” featured a slightly cleaner production than the one found on their debut album. To some fans this rendered the album with much less intensity, but to our ears the sound was still very powerful. The massive reverb used on the first album made “Shark Attack” sound like a true shark attack and only added to the overall intensity. This time around the drums are more compressed and some blast beat parts tend to get lost in the overall blur of things. But on the same token, the guitars are much sharper sounding. Marco Zorich and John Duffy were truly evolving as guitar heroes. The thing that is really great and different compared to “Shark Attack” are the funny bit songs. We love them and enjoy them. A lot of the songs on “Biermächt” were leftovers from their demo days, including the phenomenal “Night Of Pain”, one of our all time favorite Thrash songs ever, but newer stuff like “Radical Dissection” and “Balance Of Opinion” showed the band handling a more mainstream Thrash sound somewhere in the middle of a Slayer/Kreator sound and Metallica/Megadeth. There is a certain progressiveness to those songs that hint to a more elaborate musical future. “Biermächt” is a very strong Crossover/Thrash album with a laid back party vibe to it. The sound, however, is very in-your-face. This is not a subtle album by any means. It’s not that they were the funniest bunch around (their side project Spazztic Blurr went a lot further). But Wehrmacht did have their own specific sound (mostly because of the vocals and guitars). Especially after all these years it becomes obvious all Crossover lovers and Thrashers from those days do in fact have this album and hold it dearly. The album has historic importance as well as huge sentimental value. Biermächt is a landmark in eighties Crossover Thrash and should be checked out immediately by all newbies.

 Rumours about death metal band To The Gallows
have already existed in the (Dutch) metal
underground for some years now, but an official
release has never seen the light. Until now.
 In 2013, the ‘underground super group’ To The
Gallows was formed by Swedish metalwundermaster Rogga Johansson (Heir Corpse
One, Paganizer, Stygian Dark, Massacre, Blood
Gut, Dead Sun, Megascavenger, Ribspreader,
Putrevore, Revolting), Eric Daniels (Asphyx,
Soulburn, Grand Supreme Blood Court), Bob
Bagchus (Soulburn, Asphyx, Infidel Reich, Siege
Of Power) and Henri Sattler (God Dethroned).
Master plans ended when Daniels and Bagchus
re-started their career with Soulburn. The ‘match
made in Hell’ duo Johansson and Sattler continued
with To The Gallows and ‘Fury Of The Netherworld’
is their debut-album.
 Brutal blackened death metal for fans of
Dissection, Zyklon, Belphegor, Hate, Necrophobic,
Archgoat and God Dethroned.

 Rumours about death metal band To The Gallows
have already existed in the (Dutch) metal
underground for some years now, but an official
release has never seen the light. Until now.
 In 2013, the ‘underground super group’ To The
Gallows was formed by Swedish metalwundermaster Rogga Johansson (Heir Corpse
One, Paganizer, Stygian Dark, Massacre, Blood
Gut, Dead Sun, Megascavenger, Ribspreader,
Putrevore, Revolting), Eric Daniels (Asphyx,
Soulburn, Grand Supreme Blood Court), Bob
Bagchus (Soulburn, Asphyx, Infidel Reich, Siege
Of Power) and Henri Sattler (God Dethroned).
Master plans ended when Daniels and Bagchus
re-started their career with Soulburn. The ‘match
made in Hell’ duo Johansson and Sattler continued
with To The Gallows and ‘Fury Of The Netherworld’
is their debut-album.
 Brutal blackened death metal for fans of
Dissection, Zyklon, Belphegor, Hate, Necrophobic,
Archgoat and God Dethroned.

 Rumours about death metal band To The Gallows
have already existed in the (Dutch) metal
underground for some years now, but an official
release has never seen the light. Until now.
 In 2013, the ‘underground super group’ To The
Gallows was formed by Swedish metalwundermaster Rogga Johansson (Heir Corpse
One, Paganizer, Stygian Dark, Massacre, Blood
Gut, Dead Sun, Megascavenger, Ribspreader,
Putrevore, Revolting), Eric Daniels (Asphyx,
Soulburn, Grand Supreme Blood Court), Bob
Bagchus (Soulburn, Asphyx, Infidel Reich, Siege
Of Power) and Henri Sattler (God Dethroned).
Master plans ended when Daniels and Bagchus
re-started their career with Soulburn. The ‘match
made in Hell’ duo Johansson and Sattler continued
with To The Gallows and ‘Fury Of The Netherworld’
is their debut-album.
 Brutal blackened death metal for fans of
Dissection, Zyklon, Belphegor, Hate, Necrophobic,
Archgoat and God Dethroned.

RIYL: Velvet Underground, Lou Reed, Nick Cave, Patti Smith, Leonard Cohen, Iggy Pop, Radiohead & Tom Waits. "If you have never heard the Doctors of Madness, you should. Musically they are the Velvet Underground, New York Dolls with shades of glam, hippie, prog and punk all rolled into one, yet are still totally original. Vastly underrated, they should have been huge. Pure genius" Vic Reeves…. The DOM are “the missing link between David Bowie & The Sex Pistols” (The Guardian May 2017). Exploding onto the music scene in 1975 with their theatrical, William Burroughs-inspired Sci-fi nightmare, they were misunderstood by many, but those who knew understood the importance of the band’s dangerous, uncompromising approach to lyrics, to music and to performance. Among the many fans of the band were acts as diverse as The Damned, Vic Reeves, Joe Elliott of Def Leppard, Spiritualized, Julian Cope, The Adverts, The Skids and Simple Minds. The Sex Pistols supported them, so did The Jam & Joy Division. They were the first to combine the avant-garde approach of The Velvet Underground with a distinctly European aesthetic. The blue hair, exotic stage-names, the lyrical themes of urban decay, political propaganda, mind control and madness were all taken up by the punk bands who followed in their wake. The DOM were trailblazers, pioneers, adventurers…pushing the boundaries of rock music and theatre to see how far it would go before it bust. What happened after them was due, in no small part, to what they achieved in 3 short years. They may not have been Jesus Christ, but they were, arguably, John the Baptist!!! Now, 40 years after they imploded, they are back…with an album seething with lyrical anger and passion. It is the most potent and incisive musical dissection of modern life and contemporary politics released the decade. With tracks titles like “So Many ways To Hurt You”, “Sour Hour”, “Make It Stop!” and the ground-breaking sonic assault of the title track “Dark Times”, Richard “Kid” Strange proves once again that he has his finger firmly on the pulse of our times, just as he had when he founded the band in 1974. Produced by John Leckie (Radiohead, Stone Roses, Pink Floyd), the new album, Dark Times, features contributions from Joe Elliott (Def Leppard), Sarah Jane Morris (Communards), Terry Edwards (PJ Harvey, Nick Cave etc), Steve ‘Boltz’ Bolton (The Who, Scott Walker) and the young protest singer Lily Bud, alongside the current thrilling and thunderous DOM rhythm section of Susumu Ukei (bass guitar) & Mackii Ukei (drums) of the Japanese extreme glam-metal band Sister Paul, and Dylan O Bates (violin and keyboards). Julian Cope, another rock star who, like Strange, found the confines of music too tight for his ambition, his energy and his imagination, was blown away when he first heard the songs, declaring, “These Dark Times are enormously informing: the RULES OF THE FUTURE are indeed being forged right now”. Top producer Martyn Ware (Human League/Heaven 17) said the album “…reminds me of Iggy Pop’s Kill City album – love it.” and Biba Kopf (The Wire) declared, “Still listening to new DOM album with immense interest and pleasure”. The first single, Make It Stop!, is an impassioned howl against the global drift to right wing extremism and persecution of minorities, and is already a live showstopper for the band. It features the thrilling cross-generational combination of Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott and Lily Bud on backing vocals. In the period since the last DOM gig in 1978, Richard has written a memoir, collaborated on a cantata with internationally celebrated composer Gavin Bryars, worked as an actor on films with Tim Burton, Martin Scorsese, Harmony Korine & Jack Nicholson, toured the world in a Russian version of Hamlet with James Nesbitt as his grave-digging co-star, played Glastonbury, sung baritone in the British premiere of Frank Zappa’s200 Motels at the Royal Festival Hall, directed a multi-media evening celebrating the life and work of William Burroughs, won Best Art Film Prize at the Portobello Film Festival last year, had his own live talk show, worked with Tom Waits and Marianne Faithfull on the William Burroughs/Robert Wilson stage play The Black Rider, curated events for the Tate Gallery, and sung Walt Disney songs with Jarvis Cocker.