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Since their inception in Tromso in 2017, the Norwegian (dark) indie (punk)rock band Heave Blood & Die has been hailed by national radio as one of the most exciting new bands, played big festivals like Oya, Roskilde, Reeperbahn and SXSW, and toured with Kvelertak. “Burnout Codes” is their fourth full-album, and is dedicated to their former bass-player Eivind Andre Imingen. On their new record you still hear their typical ‘cold and hypnotic apocalypse sounds’, but ‘more emotional, energetic, varied and colourful’ now; a mix of atmospheric ’80s darkwave, indie (post/punk-)rock and electronic krautrock!

From Tromso to Oyafestivalen, to Roskilde Festival, moving to Oslo and now with new label Fysisk Format onboard, Heave Blood & Die is ready to follow up their 2018 effort "Vol. II", with "Post People". A mournful panoramic rock piece that brings to mind the inward explosions of The Cure, Smashing Pumpkins and Killing Joke. Given life through the mix by Graham Walsh (Holy Fuck, METZ, Viet Cong) and master by Paul Gold (Angel Olsen, Preoccupations, Beach House). Post People started as a concept we talked about together as a group, the more we discussed the topic, the more it turned out to it could possibly be so many different things: A fictional universe deprived of an established society, a post-apocalyptic universe of sorts, which the concept Post People very much is. It would be humankind as a whole transcending modern society, leaving capitalism behind, laying waste to non-justified authority, achieving the climate neutral goal, equality for all and ending the war on drugs. Post People is very much an activist piece of art, a critical view on how things are, and always has been, put into rhythm and sounds sequenced in an order that makes melodies that some find pleasant.

- Limited edition Orange 2x12” vinyl LP.
- Housed in PMS printed inner sleeve, featuring custom fonts by No Format and spot gloss abstraction of the original album artwork.
- Accompanied with a double sided 2-panel insert and double sided 4 panel poster.
- All sleeved in a custom PMS reverse board outer sleeve with die cut square centre panel and belly band.

The Boy and the Tree was composed after a visit to Yakushima Island, an outstandingly beautiful world heritage site off the southern tip of Japan, scored by a deep, lush and ancient ravine, home of the ancient 7000-year old ‘Jōmon Sugi’. Tree. Also the inspiration for Miyazaki's epic anime Princess Mononoke, a conflict between the rampant greed and destructive force of humanity, and the stoic, mysterious fragility of nature.

This fleeting immersion in nature lent the album a profound introspection and mystery, and the its twelve tracks unfold in dream sequence, each drifting seamlessly into the next while still managing to steer the listener in myriad directions, from eerie butoh atmospheres, to ebullient raga, to desolate, cavernous chanson. The Boy And The Tree is definitely one of, if not the most, visually evocative and cinematic Yokota releases.

I turned the page and will never forget what I then saw.

The fountain pen scratched against the paper, whistling like fur on an abandoned tire in the
middle of the night at the centre of the universe in the core of whatever it is I’m trying to believe.
I am a patient human and I live and breathe. I know this for sure.

I read about a whispering stillness of the Stadsnacht as my blood levels gradually even out again. Beneath the ink, the words take shape. This is a secret correspondence with the Book of Change – a dialogue not meant for eyes or ears, but for the soul. Are you still with me?

The Snake Rope tightens, its Coils Dive into the deep well of patience, where waiting is an art, a
dance with the unseen. The Scientists Say we should measure, predict, contain—but here, in
the shadow of the deepest of nights, the only truth is the Celebration of Ignorance. Love is the
force that binds as it untangles the invisible thread that refuses to sever. The next page quotes the mystical figure Daim: “Never Dissever Us.”

There, in the dawning light, the Dageraad reveals the Icequeen in her frigid throne, the Topiary Man standing guard in his sculpted silence. In this quiet landscape, I wait. I continue to wait, for I have good fortune on my very hands.

If You Won’t, I Will.

Can we exhibit the power to possess conformity? Can we redeem the benefits of crossing the water? Yes. The choice, the act of breaking through the barrier of convenience, is both a burden and a liberation.The words swirl, abstract and concrete, like action and inaction. The Book of Change is a paradox to puzzle over.

The evening cool rests its shoulders on my fluffy neck. I inhale as my pen lifts itself from the
paper once more, shedding ink as though it were tears of joy. I know that I have touched the
edge of something vast, something that moves beyond the grasp of reason into the heart of the
I Ching, the ever-turning wheel of change. This is the correct orientation. This is the vivid
imagery of clouds falling from the heavens and into our laps. This was never meant for your
ears. This was meant for you to feast on as the seasons bestow upon us

The fifth album from H. Hawkline (Huw Evans), ‘Milk For
Flowers’, is released via Heavenly Recordings.
Following the 2017 album, ‘I Romanticize’, and 2015’s ‘In
The Pink of Condition’, the album was produced and
features musical contributions from long-time collaborator
and celebrated solo artist Cate Le Bon. Artwork is
designed by H. Hawkline.
Recorded at Rockfield Studios in Monmouthshire, the
album features a host of musical collaborators - Davey
Newington (Boy Azooga) on drums, Paul Jones (Group
Listening) on piano, Tim Presley (White Fence, DRINKS,
The Fall) on guitar, Stephen Black (Sweet Baboo) and
Euan Hinshelwood (Younghusband, Cate Le Bon) on sax,
Harry Bohay (Aldous Harding) on pedal steel and John
Parish (PJ Harvey, Aldous Harding) on infrequent bongo.
The record was then engineered by Joe Jones (Aldous
Harding, Parquet Courts) and mixed, after an unlikely and
fortuitous crossing of paths, by the Grammy-nominated
Patrik Berger (Charli XCX, Robyn, Lana Del Rey), and
mastered by Heba Kadry (Deerhunter, Cass McCombs,
Cate Le Bon).
‘Milk For Flowers’ is at once visceral and enlightened, its
soundscapes verdant yet delicately rendered, and with this
latest, most intimate work, H. Hawkline bares his blood,
bones and soul beautifully. And quietly, along with the
entrails and rubble held in ‘Milk For Flowers’’ reliquary,
there hides a small, green kernel of life; hope, perhaps,
that today’s decay might nourish tomorrow’s blooms.
Available on CD and LP with rigid ‘tip-on’ sleeve with antiscratch matt lamination and digital download code.

PRESIDENT delivers the highly anticipated debut album Blood Of Your Empire - 10 tracks that delve into a world in crisis challenging mortality, faith and more.

Erscheint auf schwarzem Vinyl.

Ob als Sänger und Gitarrist der benzinbetriebenen Rockband The Almighty, als Frontmann der wiederbelebten Thin Lizzy und ihrer späteren Inkarnation Black Star Riders oder als gefeierter Solokünstler – ihn treiben seit jeher Eigenschaften an, die immer seltener werden: Ehrlichkeit, Leidenschaft und Emotion. Genau diese Qualitäten sowie Warwicks unermüdliche Hingabe zur Musik haben ihm über Jahrzehnte hinweg Erfolge in den Charts beschert, darunter mehrere Top-10-Alben.

Nachdem ihm kürzlich in seiner Heimat Belfast der Lifetime Achievement Award des Ards International Guitar Festival verliehen wurde, baut Warwick sein musikalisches Vermächtnis in diesem Jahr mit seinem elektrisierenden neunten Soloalbum Fire And Vengeance weiter aus. Das Album zeigt einen Musiker auf dem Höhepunkt seines Schaffens. Auch textlich bewegt er sich auf höchstem Niveau – als Poet der Arbeiterklasse verbindet er in seinen Songs autobiografische, beobachtende, politische, zynische und zugleich zutiefst persönliche Elemente. Für das neue Album arbeitet Warwick erneut mit seinem musikalischen Partner Keith Nelson zusammen, dem ehemaligen Gitarristen von Buckcherry, der bereits das 2025 erschienene Blood Ties mitproduzierte, mitschrieb und einspielte. Darüber hinaus enthält das Album Gastauftritte von Musikern, die mit Def Leppard, Blackberry Smoke, Whitesnake und The High Kings verbunden sind. Fire & Vengeance erschließt subtile neue musikalische Wege, ohne sich jemals von dem kraftvollen, unverwechselbaren Sound zu entfernen, mit dem Warwick sich einen Namen gemacht hat.

After a career spanning over thirty five years, from UK underground upstarts and outliers, to major success on the international stage - including tours with UK icons Iron Maiden and genre legends Dio - My Dying Bride have themselves become a firmly established pillar of metal history with a refined and influential brand of Death/Doom metal. With enduring popularity across subsequent decades, My Dying Bride remains a productive and captivating vessel for tragedy and despair, with their studio output spanning fourteen full-length albums to date.

As part of the “Peaceville Three”, along with fellow countrymen Paradise Lost and Anathema, My Dying Bride truly became a primary force in highlighting Britain as an epicentre of this Doom revolution of the time, creating a highly distinguishable sound assisted by the inclusion of violin & a more poetic approach to the delivery of morbid and salacious topics, lending an additional air of eccentricity and eloquence to the darkness.

Anthology of Sombre Reflections is an expansive and comprehensive collection of the early and much-celebrated works of the Doom Gods, from the formative deathly rawness of the revered Towards the Sinister demo, ‘God is Alone’ 7” tracks and subsequent debut album, As the Flower Withers, through to the gothic-tinged funereal seductive delights of 1996’s highlight, Like Gods of the Sun.

With the addition of all-time genre classic opuses Turn Loose the Swans, and The Angel and the Dark River also representing My Dying Bride’s much-loved early to 90’s period, the band’s three cult EPs are also featured in this deluxe eight-vinyl boxset, with each record presented on 180gm heavyweight black vinyl. The four studio albums themselves have also been treated to new half-speed masters courtesy of Air Studios.

Accompanying the audio is a 48-page book featuring photographs and artwork, plus new interviews with Andrew Craighan and Aaron Stainthorpe exploring some of the influences and thought-processes behind the creation of such cherished works of the 90s, as well as reflections of their output over this period.

Anthology of Sombre Reflections also contains 2 large posters depicting the Turn Loose the Swans CD artwork image, plus the original poster included in As the Flower Withers. A selection of photo prints of the band from this era are also included.

Big strides from COZi, the dancer-turned-producer caught in perpetual motion. Movement’s been in the blood from minute one and the influence is undeniable.

Sydney-raised and Austria-based, the Energy In Motion boss steps to X-Kalay with some of the sultriest gear we’ve released. Sexy, groove-first stuff channelling tech and prog house of the '90s and early 2000s: equal parts Danny Howells inkiness, 'Heaven Scent'-era Bedrock and Saeed & Palash at their most potent.

Constructions plunge fathoms-deep into the nether-realm before darting synths and widescreen pads open the floodgates for a full-blown prog ascension. Old school sensibilities at the forefront but zero nostalgia trip.

Caught in a flow state front to back and the dancing years shine through on every groove.

It’s taken Sealed records more than five years to put this release together but finally it’s here. The one and only Bikini Mutants. The Bikini Mutants were from Yeovil, Somerset and part of the All the Madmen world. In their short life as a band they recorded two demos at Monitor Studios, Milborne Port in Somerset in 1982. Let's Mutate collects these two demos on one LP, along with a 20 page booklet featuring photos, lyrics, reviews, interviews and much more. The band played mostly in Yeovil and the West Country along with the Mob and the Review, and even though they were part of the West Country anarcho scene, the sound was a mix of scratchy post punk and indie pop. Members of the band went on to be in My Bloody Valentine and the Chesterfields. The songs are intricate, delicate and engaging with the drums and bass locked in, the fuzzed out guitar weaving on top and Christine Cole’s angelic voice taking each song to pop heaven. Think a mix of Girls at our Best, Au Pairs and the Marine Girls.

“Weird, rowdy and just a little bit black metal” – TWIN SERPENT’s sophomore album out in May via Svart Records Facilitating country influences and the energy of punk, Twin Serpent is a noisy but cute outsider band that manages to blur genre boundaries. Inspired by the likes of The Taxpayers and 16 Horsepower, this crust-country band applies lo-fi black metal aesthetics without having to bathe in blood. Songs about love, betrayal and defiance are delivered with acoustic to amp-wall dynamics, duelling vocal harmonies, shrieking solos and distorted banjos. The debut album Feels Like Heaven, North Of Hell (2022, Loyal Blood Records) was described by the press as genre-defying and compared to bands like GY!BE and Tom Waits. The sophomore TRUE NORWEGIAN BLACKGRASS turns the volume to twelve and the trainbeat races down the tracks at a derailing speed. Covering topics on windmill resistance, porn industry and post-Trump America accompanied by playful country punk with a twinkle in the eye, laced with cosmic and occult undertones. “We’re super happy to finally unbox our sophomore weirdo rocker! And we’re specially stoked to do so on the amazing Svart Records! This particularly hits home with Timo who was born in Finland.

There’s even a song in Finnish on the album, which came out great! The artwork is amazing and everything is there for a reason. We recorded it during the year of the serpent at Piir studio, just a 5-minute walk from our home in Svartlamon, Trondheim, NO. Vebjørn Svanberg Numme aka the wizard technician did an amazing job capturing the essence of the Twins during a hot summer week. 12 songs about love, betrayal and black holes with country licks, rock’n’roll kicks and heaps of punk attitude is the result and we’re super proud to present the first tease from it! We’ve kept things close to home as our resident artist Hanna and designer Tony did the cover art! It’s weird, rowdy and just a little bit black metal", comments the band on the new album. With a slew of sold out shows in their hometown of Trondheim, the band is delighted to spread their cosmic gospel to the people! Twin Serpent goes hard with in-your-face attitude and fits in barn dances as well as punk festivals!

“Weird, rowdy and just a little bit black metal” – TWIN SERPENT’s sophomore album out in May via Svart Records Facilitating country influences and the energy of punk, Twin Serpent is a noisy but cute outsider band that manages to blur genre boundaries. Inspired by the likes of The Taxpayers and 16 Horsepower, this crust-country band applies lo-fi black metal aesthetics without having to bathe in blood. Songs about love, betrayal and defiance are delivered with acoustic to amp-wall dynamics, duelling vocal harmonies, shrieking solos and distorted banjos. The debut album Feels Like Heaven, North Of Hell (2022, Loyal Blood Records) was described by the press as genre-defying and compared to bands like GY!BE and Tom Waits. The sophomore TRUE NORWEGIAN BLACKGRASS turns the volume to twelve and the trainbeat races down the tracks at a derailing speed. Covering topics on windmill resistance, porn industry and post-Trump America accompanied by playful country punk with a twinkle in the eye, laced with cosmic and occult undertones. “We’re super happy to finally unbox our sophomore weirdo rocker! And we’re specially stoked to do so on the amazing Svart Records! This particularly hits home with Timo who was born in Finland.

There’s even a song in Finnish on the album, which came out great! The artwork is amazing and everything is there for a reason. We recorded it during the year of the serpent at Piir studio, just a 5-minute walk from our home in Svartlamon, Trondheim, NO. Vebjørn Svanberg Numme aka the wizard technician did an amazing job capturing the essence of the Twins during a hot summer week. 12 songs about love, betrayal and black holes with country licks, rock’n’roll kicks and heaps of punk attitude is the result and we’re super proud to present the first tease from it! We’ve kept things close to home as our resident artist Hanna and designer Tony did the cover art! It’s weird, rowdy and just a little bit black metal", comments the band on the new album. With a slew of sold out shows in their hometown of Trondheim, the band is delighted to spread their cosmic gospel to the people! Twin Serpent goes hard with in-your-face attitude and fits in barn dances as well as punk festivals!

Iconic Atlanta quintet SEVENDUST is back with its 15th studio album, ONE, set for release on May 1, 2026 via Napalm Records. The upcoming full-length LP forges ten simultaneously lean and gut-punching tracks out of gargantuan riffs, seismic grooves, and signature soul-stirring hooks, once again produced by Michael “Elvis” Baskette (Alter Bridge, Falling In Reverse, Mammoth). The group, comprised of Lajon Witherspoon (vocals), Clint Lowery (lead guitar, backing vocals), John Connolly (lead guitar, backing vocals), Vince Hornsby (bass), and Morgan Rose (drums), busts down the door with the first single “Is This The Real You”. Its swaggering fretwork alternately wallops and gallops in lockstep with a pummeling rhythm anchored by thunderous drums. The riff rolls and seethes, and the vocals swing from guttural growls into the embrace of a jazz-y chantable chorus.

A hummable lead ties the bridge together. Echoes of a tensely picked single-note set the tone for “Threshold.” Lajon’s delicate delivery gives way to a contentious distortion-boosted refrain. Then, there’s “Unbreakable,” which has all the makings of a clarion call for the collective and a future live staple. Strains of soft piano slip into the undertow of a towering hook punctuated by a promise, “We were meant to be unbreakable… even when we’re at our lowest lows. And if it gets too cold, I’ll never let you go.” The title track succinctly sums up the record as a whole. Bellowing out of a maelstrom of roaring distortion, Lajon’s voice reaches heavenly heights. For over three decades, SEVENDUST have made countless fans feel a part of something special. The group’s community isn’t passive. Members of the “7D Army” make a very active commitment to being part of this family – as evinced by sold-out shows worldwide and innumerable tattoos of the band’s logo and lyrics. Since 1994, the band has quietly built a legacy without parallel, encompassing sales of nearly eight million albums, a GRAMMY® Award nomination for “Best Metal Performance,” three Top 15 entries on the Billboard 200, hundreds of millions of streams, and the fierce loyalty of millions of listeners in every corner of the globe.

DYING VICTIMS PRODUCTIONS is proud to present WHIRLWIND’s highly anticipated second album, 1640, on CD and vinyl LP formats. WHIRLWIND was originally conceived as a studio-project by Mark Wild, from Körgull The Exterminator among other extreme metal bands, to satisfy his will to make a classic heavy metal album, a style that changed his life during his childhood – influenced mostly by ‘80s German metal bands like early Running Wild, early Helloween, Accept, Heaven’s Gate, Gravestone, Tyrant, Grave Digger, Steeler, and Stormwitch among others, but also all kinds of classic heavy metal like Mercyful Fate, Manowar, Iron Maiden, and Judas Priest. In 2022, WHIRLWIND released their debut album, 1714, marking the band’s beginning. WHIRLWIND also established a live lineup to bring their songs to life onstage, with musicians from other known bands, like Redshark, joining as permanent members of the band. The album immediately generated a big buzz in the underground scene and led them to perform at some of the best-known festivals in Spain like Pounding Metal Fest and Skulls of Metal, alongside such bands as Visigoth, Attic, Omen, Tentation, Mindless Sinner, Witchtower, IRON CURTAIN, and Phantom Spell. Now arrives WHIRLWIND’s second album, 1640. Like its predecessor, the album is focused on historical and epic episodes of their homeland; specifically, this album revolves around the Thirty Years War that took place around Europe and the inner conflicts within Spain.

Musically, WHIRLWIND deliver a masterclass in cruising, classy Teutonic metal, running from more traditional-minded mid-tempo stompers to surging, up-tempo gallops of glory. Riff and lead form a lethal tandem, balancing both energy and color, while the rhythm section stays locked in no matter the dynamic. The production, too, of 1640 honors the mid ‘80s with authenticity – underground in spirit, Big League in execution. All told, the album is true heavy metal for true heavy metal people: no more, but definitely no less. By the blood in their veins, WHIRLWIND are marching to victory, ready to explode!

Double LP in matt-laminate gatefold sleeve with silver detail. We mark a decade since we first released COIL's landmark album 'Backwards', with a special 10 year anniversary vinyl reissue. After the ground-breaking release of 1990's "Love's Secret Domain" album, Coil were not dormant; the main project was "Backwards", which was started in 1992, updated considerably between 1993 and 1995, and transferred in 1996 to New Orleans, where it was finished in the magic of the Nothing studios of Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails). The album saw the fruition of Jhonn Balance's recent vocal coaching, producing haunting, passionate vocals, while reaching new heights. 23 years after its initiation, these tracks have been beautifully preserved by Danny Hyde and are finally available in highest quality audio. Differing substantially from the later, remixed incarnation, "The New Backwards" (2008), "Backwards" contains the original versions of Coil's much-loved tracks; 'A Cold Cell' and 'Fire Of The Mind', which have appeared on various compilations over the years, and are now presented as originally intended. his album is the essential bridge between "LSD" and the later "Musick To Play In The Dark" series. It is an essential conduit, to understand the journey that was taken. It was to be released... it should have been released... but because of issues with grey men it wasn't. It is now, so enjoy. (Danny Hyde).

TAILGUNNER return with their second album, Midnight Blitz, out February 6, 2026 via Napalm Records. Following their explosive 2023 debut, the British quintet deliver 11 powerful tracks that blend classic NWOBHM spirit with a fresh, modern edge. Produced by legendary Judas Priest guitarist K. K. Downing – after joining his band KK’s Priest on a massive tour – Midnight Blitz unites sharp riffs, galloping rhythms and soaring vocals into a thunderous celebration of heavy metal’s past, present and future.

TAILGUNNER return with their second album, Midnight Blitz, out February 6, 2026 via Napalm Records. Following their explosive 2023 debut, the British quintet deliver 11 powerful tracks that blend classic NWOBHM spirit with a fresh, modern edge. Produced by legendary Judas Priest guitarist K. K. Downing – after joining his band KK’s Priest on a massive tour – Midnight Blitz unites sharp riffs, galloping rhythms and soaring vocals into a thunderous celebration of heavy metal’s past, present and future.

Sassy 009 ist das wandelbare Projekt der in Oslo ansässigen Produzentin, Songwriterin und Sängerin Sunniva Lindgård. Dreamer+ ist ein Album, das Lindgård seit Jahren in Gedanken mit sich trägt: ein konzeptgetriebenes Werk, zusammengesetzt aus fast vier Jahren Studioarbeit – und ein ambitionierter Versuch, die volle Kontrolle über ihre Kunst auszuüben.
Gelenkt von frisch verzerrten Vocals und Elementen aus Grunge, Shoegaze, 90er-Beatronica und schimmerndem Hyperpop ist das Album zugleich ein Protokoll der Selbstentdeckung und Selbstaufgabe, durchzogen von Gastbeiträgen von Blood Orange, BEA1991 und Yunè Pinku.
Dreamer+ ist im Kern ein fiktionales Werk, ein düsteres Märchen, in dem Träume und Emotionen durch eine Landschaft von Gestaltwandlerfiguren, dunklen Kräften und moralischen Verantwortungen verarbeitet werden. Auf eine Mission in eine verlassene Stadt geschickt, wird Lindgård zur eigenen Hauptfigur, hineingestoßen in eine „magische, aber verzerrte traumähnliche Welt“ nach einer fatalen Begegnung: „Ihre Liebe zu Jakov ist absurd eng mit seinem Sterben verwoben; kein Weg könnte sie davon fortführen."

Swan Song

The vinyl LP at the heart of this éthiopiques 31 tracks 2 to 11 was one of the very last vinyl records ever released in Ethiopia. But above all it represents, we felt, the absolute masterpiece of the Ethiopian Groove – the Swan Song of Swinging Addis. The album leaves a clear idea for posterity of the level of sophistication and mastery that modern Ethiopian music had achieved, before being crushed under the Stalino-military heel of the Derg – as the bloody revolution that was unfolding came to be called.

Ethiopia1976.

The Revolution that broke out in February 1974 rolled on in a ruthless march. The whole of Ethiopian society was utterly stunned. The bouquets of flowers handed joyfully to the first tanks of the coup d'état were to wilt very rapidly. From September 1976 to February 1978, 18 months of Red Terror (the name given by the junta itself) spilled blood throughout the country. This fratricidal conflict took its heaviest toll among students and youth. The shift from feudalism to a cruel and primitive Stalinism left the country's citizens deeply traumatised, and snuffed out any pretence of activism, whatever the sector of society. This ice age was to last for seventeen long years.

ሙሉቀን፡መለሰ Mulukèn Mellèssè Muluqän Mälläsä

It was three tracks by Muluken that served as the opener for éthiopiques-1 more than 25 years ago. Seven more tracks appeared on éthiopiques-3 and 13, all accompanied by The Equators, which was soon to become the Dahlak Band.

The first track, Hédètch alu, also the very first piece that Muluken ever recorded, left audiences both unsettled and amazed. Reflecting the singer's extremely young age (he was just 17 at the time), this angelic voice mystified many, who thought they were in fact listening to a feminine voice. He was not yet 22 when he released his last vinyl record in 1976 with Kaifa Records (KF 39LP), one of the very last to be issued in Ethiopia, before the cassette tape became the dominant medium for music distribution – and before the new revolutionary regime put a stop to all independent musical life, via an unspeakable barrage of prohibitions and other persecutions.

Mulu qèn, literally, “A well filled day”. This tender maternal intention wasn't enough to ward off the cruelty of fate. His mother's premature death drove Muluken to leave his native Godjam, in northeast Ethiopia, to live with an uncle in Addis Ababa. Born Muluken Tamer, he took his uncle's last name – Mèllèssè.

The spelling Muluken appeared in his administrative records. Transcription of Amharic to the Latin alphabet, both in Ethiopia and for scholars, gives rise to controversies and quibbles that can never be neatly settled. French allows for a closer approximation of the original pronunciation, thanks to its battery of accent marks, confusing as they may be to anglophones.

Between rather accommodating administrative record-keepers and the various versions that pop up in interviews given by the artist, Muluken's year of birth oscillates between 1953 and 1955…

1954? One thing is certain: the artist's talent made itself known very early indeed, because he got his start in 1966-67, at the age of 13 or 14. Photos from the period attest to his extreme youth. It's a strange sort of initiation for a very young teenager to become a sensation in the heart of Addis's nightlife at the time, Woubé Bèrèha – the Wilds of Woubé. And what's more, in the club of the Queen of the Night, the Godjamé Assègèdètch Alamrèw herself, the very same that was portrayed by Sebhat Guèbrè-Egziabhér in his novel-memoir Les Nuits d’Addis Abeba2… The legendary female club owner who is remembered to this day by the capital's ageing boomers.

Muluken first tried his hand at the drums, before he grabbed the microphone. He emigrated briefly to the Zula Club, across the street from the old Addis Post Office, one of the ground-breaking bars of the burgeoning musical scene, before joining the Second Police Band in 1968, for around three years. He spent a few months with the short-lived Blue Nile Band founded by saxophonist Besrat Tammènè. As the musical scene grew increasingly successful, and pulled slowly but decisively away from its institutional ties, Muluken released his first 45rpm single in February 1972 (Amha Records AE 440). It was included in two LP Ethiopian Hit Parade compilation albums in September of the same year. All in all, Muluken released eight two-track 45s and the same number of original cassette tapes between February 1972 and 1984, the year that he departed for permanent exile in the USA. After converting to Pentecostalism in 1980, Muluken gradually abandoned all secular musical activity. In 1985, at the end of a concert in Philadelphia, he decided to quit concerts and recording for good. Mèlakè Gèbré, the historic bass player from the Walias band who was playing with him that night, recalls that everything appeared so irredeemably diabolical in Muluken's eyes, that it was to be the end of his contribution to Ethiopian Groove.

The end of the story, the beginning of a legend.

Dahlak Band, forgotten by History

Aside from his personal history and vocal talents, it must be remembered that Muluken Mèllèssè was one of the biggest names in the musical innovations that marked the end of the imperial period. These éthiopiques aim to convince those who are just discovering this hidden gem... As for Ethiopians themselves, they are to this day captivated by this singular and atypical figure in the Abyssinian pop landscape – even though he withdrew from public life some 40 years ago. Incorrigible devotees of poetic twists, of more or less hidden meanings, Ethiopians appreciate above all the care Muluken took in choosing his lyrics and the writers who penned them, such as Feqerte Haylou, Alemtsehay Wodajo and, here, Shewalul Mengistu (1944-1977). Love songs, written by women, a far cry from the conventional drivel that pleases sappy sentimentalists.

Muluken is equally acclaimed for his perfectionism when it came to music, the opposite of the overly casual approach that is all too common. He remained a faithful partner of musicians who came from a lineage that borrowed from several inventive and pioneering bands (Venus, Equators, Dahlak). Amongst them were certain artists who began their musical lives with Nersès Nalbandian at the Haile Sellassie Theatre and who come of age in around 1973 – at just the wrong time, you might say. Among them were the pillars Shimèlis Bèyènè (trumpet), Dawit Yifru (keyboards) and Tilayé Gèbrè (sax & flute). Most notably Tilayé Gèbrè, certainly one of the most important musicians, composers and arrangers of his generation, of the end of the imperial era, and of the early years of the Derg.

It was only in 1981 that a miraculous opportunity arose for Tilayé to escape the Stalinist paradise of the dictator Menguistou Haylè-Maryam. Once again it was Amha Eshèté (1946-2021) who provided a solution. The spirited and courageous producer, who had been in exile in Washington since 1975, succeeded, thanks to his incredible perseverence, in bringing the Walias Band to the USA. It was, in fact an extended Walias Band comprising ten musicians3, six of whom chose to slip away after a few concerts and the recording of an LP (The Best of Walias, WRS 100). Tilayé Gèbrè was one of these. He has been living in the USA ever since. There he joined the then-nascent Ethiopian diaspora, which lived largely unto itself, and was making only very modest headway in the American musical market. It seems unfair that Tilayé Gèbrè and the Dahlak Band were not able to benefit earlier from the public recognition that they do deserve.

A similar draining away of the top-rate talents would lead to the reorganization of the major groups of the “Derg Time”. The remaining artists spread themselves around between Ibex Band (renamed Roha Band), Ethio Star Band and a remodeled Walias Band. That spelled the end of the Dahlak Band.

With this record, produced by the essential Ali Abdella Kaifa a.k.a. Ali Tango, we can appreciate everything that the Derg not only destroyed, but also prevented from flourishing. This gem of Ethiopian-style afrobeat came out in 1976 (and, by way of a parenthesis, before the FESTAC 1977 in Lagos, which was attended by an impressive delegation of Ethiopian musicians — although Fela was already personna non grata in his own country). Despite everything that might distinguish this ethio-groove from Fela’s music – no colonial axe to grind, no question of political confrontation with the authorities, no claims to negritude or Africanism for the Ethiopian musicians, and less extrovertion! –, this LP fits beautifully into the saga of intense and electrified soul of the new “African” groove that Fela and Manu Dibango embodied so well from that point onwards.

In restoring this record to its place in the afrobeat epic, it can be seen that, if nothing else, the timeline bestows a legitimate pedigree and a historical primacy to works that had no international impact when they were originally released.

Warning! Masterpiece!

Heavy//Hitter are set to release their 2nd EP for Blue Grape Music, Coming to Terms. The EP is produced by Austin Coupe (The Devil Wears Prada, Citizen, Mat Kerekes) and includes features from Zayna Youssef of Sweet Pill and Yasmine Liverneaux of Face Yourself.

Rich Brown bought his first six-string bass in 1999, "Everyone made fun of me" he recalls with a characteristically warm smile - since then he"s established a reputation as first-call player for the leaders of an impressive variety of adventurous projects, from Steve Coleman to Rudresh Mahanthappa to James "Blood" Ulmer. Over the past two years, whenever time allows, he"s been paying regular visits to the studio of his friend, the guitarist and producer Elmer Ferrer. Away from the pressures of the commercial industry, Rich seized the opportunity to explore and expand the vocabulary of his instrument. "NYAEBA" took shape: written and performed entirely on the bass guitar, it"s the story of an imagined griot who journeys around the world and returns to relate his tales in song.

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard veröffentlichen ihr bereits im Jahre 2015 erschienenen Album 'Paper Mâché Dream Balloon' nun nochmal als Audiophile Edition. Das Album erscheint als heavy black Doppelvinyl inkl.Instrumentals und DL Code. Die 2LP ist auf 3.500 copies weltweit limitiert.

Hard to believe that this multiplatinum record—boasting the #1 Modern Rock single “Good”—has never been widely available on vinyl. Originally self-released by Better Than Ezra in 1993 and re-released by Elektra in 1995, Deluxe provides a ticket back to that beloved jangle-pop, college radio sound. Also features the alternative hit singles “In the Blood” and “Rosealia.” 2-LP emerald vinyl pressing inside a gatefold jacket, reissued with the full support of the band!

Nach dem überwältigenden Erfolg seiner globalen Smash-Single "Ordinary", die auf Platz 1 der Global Charts landete, Platz 3 der Deutschen Single Charts erreichte und bislang über 650 Millionen Streams generierte, ist Alex Warren bereit, die Musikwelt erneut im Sturm zu erobern: Für den 18.07.24 kündigt er nun sein mit Spannung erwartetes Debütalbum "You'll Be Alright, Kid" an!
Neben den Titeln des ersten Album Parts, wie z.B. die Standout Tracks "Carry You Home" und "Before You Leave Me", enthält das neue Werk die Erfolgssingle "Ordinary" sowie seine neueste Single "Bloodline" mit Jelly Roll - und natürlich viele weitere brandneue Songs!

A band formed out of necessity for incessant speed and the desire to keep pure unadulterated riffage alive into death metal, Recorruptor has succeeded in providing the Midwest U.S. with captivating live concerts played to the soundtrack of honest, yet unapologetic extremity. Since the first lineup formed in 2016, Recorruptor has put out two full length records in "Bloodmoon" (2017) and "The Funeral Corridor" (2020). These two records have given Recorruptor the opportunity to travel across the region and support many of the world's favorite extreme artists - notably Cannibal Corpse, The Black Dahlia Murder, Suffocation, Morbid Angel, Cattle Decapitation, and much more. This record sees the band trimming the fat, focusing solely on a concise and calculated assault of sonic riffng. Recorruptor displays a multitude of extreme sounds that sounds as much of an homage to their many influences as they can fit, while sprinkling in just enough unique flair to make their own brand stand out.

A band formed out of necessity for incessant speed and the desire to keep pure unadulterated riffage alive into death metal, Recorruptor has succeeded in providing the Midwest U.S. with captivating live concerts played to the soundtrack of honest, yet unapologetic extremity. Since the first lineup formed in 2016, Recorruptor has put out two full length records in "Bloodmoon" (2017) and "The Funeral Corridor" (2020). These two records have given Recorruptor the opportunity to travel across the region and support many of the world's favorite extreme artists - notably Cannibal Corpse, The Black Dahlia Murder, Suffocation, Morbid Angel, Cattle Decapitation, and much more. This record sees the band trimming the fat, focusing solely on a concise and calculated assault of sonic riffng. Recorruptor displays a multitude of extreme sounds that sounds as much of an homage to their many influences as they can fit, while sprinkling in just enough unique flair to make their own brand stand out.

The Australian master of the dark synth arts is back and – boy – he is out for blood.
We’ve been missing Marc Dwyer solo project Buzz Kull since his latest single Last In The Club from late 2019 and since back then we knew he was up to something. At first glimpse, the minimal wave days of We Were Lovers seem far away now that Marc has gone full Club Body Music with his upcoming new album, but there is a thread that binds Buzz Kull hits from the past such as Into The Void, Avoiding The Light and New Kind Of Cross with these ten new cuts: a thread of darkness proper to the most handsome man in the game and that’s here to stay.

Echoes of 90’s era Front 242 and Front Line Assembly will resonate from tracks like Fascination and Dead Inside; elements of early body music flirting with the dark side of British synthpop will rave from the grooves of Dancing with Machines and Man on the Beat, while late 80’s Belgian new beat cellar-like vibes rise from Do You See and Burn it to the Ground.

But Buzz Kull’s third full-length is not just about music subgenres we all know and love, it’s about a feeling that comes alive only with the dark and drives you through the small hours just to leave you drained and filled at once. The creature of the night is on the loose, the sticky dancefloor its natural habitat, its lust for the upside-down world of the club can’t be cured.

From the underground to festival main stages, they’ve built their reputation on sheer force of will, crushing live shows, and an unshakable foundation of heavy riffs and harder work.
Now, with their fourth studio album “Where Only The Truth Is Spoken”, Sheffield’s finest step into a new league. Recorded in California at Dave Grohl’s legendary Studio 606, the album was tracked through the iconic Neve 8078 console, the same desk that captured game-changing records like Nirvana’s “Nevermind,” Fleetwood Mac’s “Rumours,” and Tom Petty’s “Wildflowers.” For a band that’s always pushed forward without compromise, it was the perfect setting to carve out a record that represents everything Malevolence stands for.
The album marks a new level of songwriting precision without sacrificing the band’s trademark weight. Working alongside Grammy Award-winning producer Josh Wilbur (Lamb of God, Gojira, Trivium), the result is Malevolence at their most punishing, urgent, and anthemic.

From the underground to festival main stages, they’ve built their reputation on sheer force of will, crushing live shows, and an unshakable foundation of heavy riffs and harder work.

Now, with their fourth studio album “Where Only The Truth Is Spoken”, Sheffield’s finest step into a new league. Recorded in California at Dave Grohl’s legendary Studio 606, the album was tracked through the iconic Neve 8078 console, the same desk that captured game-changing records like Nirvana’s “Nevermind,” Fleetwood Mac’s “Rumours,” and Tom Petty’s “Wildflowers.” For a band that’s always pushed forward without compromise, it was the perfect setting to carve out a record that represents everything Malevolence stands for.

The album marks a new level of songwriting precision without sacrificing the band’s trademark weight. Working alongside Grammy Award-winning producer Josh Wilbur (Lamb of God, Gojira, Trivium), the result is Malevolence at their most punishing, urgent, and anthemic.