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Kapitän Platte will release the debut album from Belgium based band CHATTE ROYAL in March 2024. The four-piece group has already released two EPs in 2020 and 2022 and will present eight new songs on the first full-length, Diego Di Vito who is responsible for most of the songwriting on the album is also well known as the guitar player in cinematic-post-rock band We Stood Like Kings. CHATTE ROYAL is like the music of a film whose image we would have removed. Obsessions that result in powerful riffs accompanied by an impactful rhythm. This quartet travels through music oscillating between atmospheric and aggressive math-rock and melodic post-rock with a punk attitude. In a completely uninhibited style and imbued with virtuosity and energy on stage.

In their long career The Grateful Dead have been inspired by a stunning variety of American musical artists and traditions from blues to country to rock to folk - some of the most exciting and moving music ever recorded. Here are the original versions of The Dead's best loved cover tunes that surprise and delight with their musical depth, originality, and feeling. This collection has been lovingly compiled by a group of Dead insiders including Henry Kaiser, David Gans, and others with the enthusiastic support of The Dead itself. There are extensive notes included that give an overview detailing how the band came to cover each of these tunes and when they first played them in concert. The distinctive Robert Crumb cover artwork is an instant attraction and add to the collectability of this release.

British singer-songwriter Katherine Priddy releases her much-anticipated sophomore album "The Pendulum Swing" via Cooking Vinyl. This follows her highly acclaimed 2021 debut The Eternal Rocks Beneath, which announced Priddy as a singular new talent on the contemporary roots music scene. Once again recorded in Birmingham by producer Simon J Weaver, guest musicians comprise John Smith (lead guitar), Harry Fausing Smith (strings), Marcus Hamblett (brass/double bass), George Boomsma (guitar, backing vocals, co-writer on track "Ready To Go"), Polly Virr (cello) and even a brief appearance from Priddy"s family members right at the end of the album, in keeping with its themes. With The Pendulum Swing, Priddy has managed to keep moving forward whilst acknowledging and honouring all that has gone before. For fans of Nick Drake and John Martyn.

London-based producer Otik releases his first album 'Cosmosis' on Martyn's label 3024. The 11-track LP signifies the fourth album on the imprint across its ten-year tenure, showcasing a more introspective side to Otik's musical output.

The album leans into delicate melodies, hazy atmospheres and lush analogue sounds, often evoking blissed-out feels and ripples of brilliant colour. Produced three years ago during lockdown, 'Cosmosis' comes after a period of spiritual struggles, where Otik questioned his faith, religious beliefs, and the concepts of right and wrong. While the pandemic allowed ample time for reflection, Otik translated these thoughts into music from his Peckham-based studio, later finding a home on 3024's evolving discography.

Following Otik's EP 'Soulo' in 2021, 'Cosmosis' marks the second release from the Bristol-born DJ and producer on 3024. This time, his sound stems from a broader palette, touching on slower, aerated ambient notes through to rugged D'n'B, displaying the far-reaching breadth, vision and maturity of Otik's aesthetic.

Keen to release a body of work that explores the journey of enlightenment and the struggles to get there, Otik drew inspiration from the luminary filmmaker Terrence Malick and how Malick portrayed ideas and philosophies in films like The Tree of Life and Voyage of Time. As a result, the record conveys a compelling narrative of rebirth, told through exquisite sound design and a push-pull pace that oscillates across the album.

The lead single 'Cosmosis' binds astral breakbeats with a star-lined melody stitched against a spacious backdrop. Sparse, celestial vocals punctuate the soundscape and add a spiritual feel, culminating in a dazzling trip at just over five minutes.

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Highs and lows, anger and joy, belief and doubt reflected in raw and honest
observations of Martyn Joseph's sojourn and the state of play today. A stripped
back acoustic render reflects his weapon of choice that has provided hope and
solace and a commentary of companionship to a worldwide army of ardent fans
for decades through his passionate commitment to social justice, mystery, and
love.'From a vast goodbye to a small hello' he writes in 'Folding', the opening song
of surrender and resilience, and where else would you find an album calling for
the elimination of a tyrant alongside a call for greater love and empathy.
Embracing the contradictions and beauty with a fearless pen, Joseph continues
to cut an impressive path. If you're looking for truth, these songs will anchor you
to a horizon of hope.

With its tenth record from Fortunato Durutti Marinetti, Quindi continues to celebrate songwriting and storytelling framed by curious musicality. In keeping with the label's trajectory to date, this is an album which draws on a universal human sentimentality and presents it with an uncommon flair. In the case of Toronto-based Daniel Colussi, the man behind Eight Waves In Search Of An Ocean, his melancholic poetry cuts through with a clarity which calls to mind all-time greats from Anette Peacock through to Lou Reed and Leonard Cohen.
Turin-born Colussi has drifted through various bands, guises and styles over the past 20 years, but since settling into Fortunato Durutti Marinetti as a vehicle for his songs, he's found a strong expressive impetus which transcends genre to become entirely hinged on the power of his words and melodies. The first album under this alias was a 2020 cassette album, Desire, later pressed on vinyl due to demand in tandem with the release of 2022's Memory's Fool. On each record, Colussi has found distinct arrangements of players to set the mood, ranging from gently lilting art and folk rock through to orchestrated balladry, but Eight Waves In Search Of An Ocean widens the palette of Fortunato Durutti Marinetti to create an album in which each song feels like a tale unto itself.
Colussi's renewed approach is instantly apparent as album opener 'Lightning On A Sunny Day' unfurls, informed greatly by producer Sandro Perri's input pursuing a hybrid electro-organic sound. The addition of drum machines and synths to the musical palette bring with them the strong connotations of pop while the sax and violin sounds similarly smooth and silky, and one can't help but think of John Martyn's slide into the digital sound of Sapphire or Kraftwerk's bittersweet synthetic tenderness.
Within this sound, there's still space for the energy to fluctuate according to the whims of songs. 'The Flowers' turns inward with a soft-touch composition as delicate as the petals Colussi describes falling to the floor. 'Misfit Streams' and first single 'Clerk Of Oblivion' savour the fluid, luxuriant tone of fretless bass with all the 80s connotations intact. Colussi remains the central focus whatever happens around him, in possession of the kind of unforced charisma which drives a song deep into the listener's heart. It's at once entirely his own style and yet comforting and familiar. The lyrics might sweep you into the singer's inner world, similarly to the experience listening to late 60s Tim Buckley, or you might well inhale the mellow jazziness of the harmonic movement like you would Joni Mitchell on Hejira.
The emotional direction of each track is never linear - 'Smash Your Head Against The Wall' snarls its rhythm section before the strings sow their aching beauty to cool the song's temper, winding up as a track of distinct halves jabbing at each other. "I Need You More' leaves space for spiralling flute solos and strangely stiff, militaristic drum rolls in the midst of a sweet, slightly sad synth ballad, the final wave receding back into the tidal undulations of Colussi's unique exploration of his muse.
The artist himself dubs his musical expression as "poetic jazz rock" with a sideways glance - it's not exactly poetry, far from trad jazz and it doesn't really rock, yet the tag feels uncannily like it fits, just like the curious music it's used to describe.

CHRISTMAS 7" BY THE SENSIBLE GRAY CELLS! Both tracks exclusive to this release! 500 copies on red vinyl / 500 copies on green vinyl, randomly picked. DG released some truly brilliant Christmas records over the years, even if they do say so theirselves! This one is up there with the best of them and is sure to sell out quickly! The Sensible Gray Cells are Captain Sensible (The Damned) on guitar/vocals, Paul Gray (The Damned) on bass/vocals, with Marty Love (Johnny Moped) on drums. Join with them in celebrating all things that are daft and frustrating about the festive season. The band's Xmas ditty 'A Stupid Xmas' captures everything you love to hate about this very special time of year. It also has the catchiest chorus since Slade and Wizzard ruled the charts! AND wait till you see the video! Then when you're bored of eating Quality Street, watching Morecambe and Wise, and can't face another mince pie, flip the record over for the record's "non-Christmas" track 'Keep it to Yourself' which sees the band in full on 'armchair detective' mode, taking a look at the as yet still unresolved Madeleine McCann mystery.

DevilDuck wagt sich in neue Gefilde vor! WISENT heißt die bisher "härteste" Band im Label-Kontext und sicher liegt man mit dem Genre "PostHardcore" bei dem Quartett aus Leipzig ziemlich richtig. Allerdings mutet nicht nur das Genre etwas ungewöhnlich für das Hamburger Label an, sondern auch die Tatsache, dass es das erste Konzeptalbum einer Band auf DevilDuck ist. "The Acceptance. The Sorrow" heißt das recht ambitionierte Debütalbum der aus dem irischen Sänger Stephen Lyons, dem Bassisten Morris Duff, dem Gitarristen Mathias Bauer und dem Drummer Oliver Ruß bestehenden Band. "The Acceptance. The Sorrow" ist nicht nur musikalisch ein recht harter Brocken voller Kummer und Reflexion über viele vergangene Ereignisse und Gedanken, aber auch über die Hoffnung, die weiter in uns und den Menschen um uns herum herrscht, ohne die das Leben einfach unerträglich scheinen würde.

Scandinavian jawbreakers Harmagedon offer up a nightmare future on their debut album Dystopian Dreams, with a refreshingly modern concoction of melodic death metal and crust punk. Three piece riff machine from Stockholm Sweden, Harmagedon is a raw festering carcass of dynamic grind and roll. Featuring members of Martyrdöd and Freedom raising hell once again, Harmagedon’s debut record Dystopian Dreams is a fusion of heaviness that is difficult to pin down but makes all the damn sense in the world! With focus on primal minimalism but maximum animalism, Dystopian Dreams is the ground zero of an explosive power trio summoning raw energy into being. With no frills and no gimmicks, just relentless heaviness, Harmagedon is a matured brew of “crust punk” or “d-beat” (“kängpunk” for the diehards) infused with ravishing death-metal. Dystopian Dreams is made by adepts of distortion and grime to be imbibed by connoisseurs of rage and chord-fury. Recorded live at their own studio, Dystopian Dreams was conjured with the help of Fred Forsberg of Mass Worship at the controls, capturing Harmagedon’s wildfire and blending this dense stew together. With the addition of Magnus Lindberg of Cult of Luna mastering it, Dystopian Dreams has that exceptional flavour of a future classic, where all the cogs and wheels of this merciless weapon fire on all cylinders. Black Sabbath, Entombed, Neurosis & High on Fire spring to mind, as the calibre of Harmadgedon’s riff whirlwind is of the finest quality, the antithesis of royalty but epic and majestic in delivery. Dystopian Dreams’ hulking magnetism leads you expertly to headbang and worship at the altar of timeless metal, without the slightest remnant of doubt. Songs like Reptilian and Controlled Chaos groove and churn, but pack a hell of a concrete punch, with nihilistic, gravelled guitars and spewing vocals of molten brimstone. Guitarist and vocalist Tim Rosenquist says: “Controlled Chaos is about propaganda actions and distractions but Reptilian is about how hard work makes you into this emotionless beast of a being. That song is best served blasting on the factory floor or in the car on your way to the office! Reptilian’s themes are at the core of what Harmagedon is about”. Look to the masters to deliver true heavyweight metal when the current scene lacks enough muscle and teeth. From a band made up of underground titans, Harmagedon is drawn from the well of eternal heaviness, living in death forever, what nightmares are made of. Harmagedon is: Tim Rosenquist - Guitars & Vocals Magnus Berglund - Bass Jens Bäckelin - Drums

Scandinavian jawbreakers Harmagedon offer up a nightmare future on their debut album Dystopian Dreams, with a refreshingly modern concoction of melodic death metal and crust punk. Three piece riff machine from Stockholm Sweden, Harmagedon is a raw festering carcass of dynamic grind and roll. Featuring members of Martyrdöd and Freedom raising hell once again, Harmagedon’s debut record Dystopian Dreams is a fusion of heaviness that is difficult to pin down but makes all the damn sense in the world! With focus on primal minimalism but maximum animalism, Dystopian Dreams is the ground zero of an explosive power trio summoning raw energy into being. With no frills and no gimmicks, just relentless heaviness, Harmagedon is a matured brew of “crust punk” or “d-beat” (“kängpunk” for the diehards) infused with ravishing death-metal. Dystopian Dreams is made by adepts of distortion and grime to be imbibed by connoisseurs of rage and chord-fury. Recorded live at their own studio, Dystopian Dreams was conjured with the help of Fred Forsberg of Mass Worship at the controls, capturing Harmagedon’s wildfire and blending this dense stew together. With the addition of Magnus Lindberg of Cult of Luna mastering it, Dystopian Dreams has that exceptional flavour of a future classic, where all the cogs and wheels of this merciless weapon fire on all cylinders. Black Sabbath, Entombed, Neurosis & High on Fire spring to mind, as the calibre of Harmadgedon’s riff whirlwind is of the finest quality, the antithesis of royalty but epic and majestic in delivery. Dystopian Dreams’ hulking magnetism leads you expertly to headbang and worship at the altar of timeless metal, without the slightest remnant of doubt. Songs like Reptilian and Controlled Chaos groove and churn, but pack a hell of a concrete punch, with nihilistic, gravelled guitars and spewing vocals of molten brimstone. Guitarist and vocalist Tim Rosenquist says: “Controlled Chaos is about propaganda actions and distractions but Reptilian is about how hard work makes you into this emotionless beast of a being. That song is best served blasting on the factory floor or in the car on your way to the office! Reptilian’s themes are at the core of what Harmagedon is about”. Look to the masters to deliver true heavyweight metal when the current scene lacks enough muscle and teeth. From a band made up of underground titans, Harmagedon is drawn from the well of eternal heaviness, living in death forever, what nightmares are made of. Harmagedon is: Tim Rosenquist - Guitars & Vocals Magnus Berglund - Bass Jens Bäckelin - Drums

As the warehouse-rave season approaches, it’s perfect timing for Shadow Child & Mark Archer to make their collaborative debut on Food Music with a special release that includes 2 vinyl only exclusives that saw a digital release on DJ Haus’ Dance Trax label earlier in 2023. Adding to these is a brand new slice of big-room Techno in the form of ‘Chinwah (Big DJs)’, which will no doubt be pounding its way out of the worlds cooler parties in the coming months with a controversial spoken-word message to boot.

DJ Support:

Horse Meat Disco, Doc Scott, Josh Wink, Pangaea, Joyce Muniz, Benjamin Damage, KE (Kid Enigma), Yung Singh, Anja Schneider (Club Room), Pinch, Tom Findlay (Groove Armada), Elle Clark, Joshua James, Monty Luke, Adam Beyer, Otik, Tom Ravenscroft, Nightwave + Martyn Bootyspoon, Violet, TEED, Addison Groove, Mad Miran, Emerald, Dusky

Repress! With all due respect to New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Miami, the epicenter of the rap universe in 2016 just may be Chicago. With young stars ranging from Chief Keef to Chance The Rapper to Lil Bibby to Vic Mensa, the Windy City continues to push the boundaries of hip-hop music and culture.

The latest artist to emerge from this hotbed of talent is Mick Jenkins, a gifted lyricist who has built a strong buzz online with a series of acclaimed mixtapes. Now, one of those collections will be available in physical format for the first time ever, with a limited-edition vinyl pressing of “The Waters” set to hit stores soon. Originally released online in late 2014, “The Water

‘Life And Death - The Five Chandeliers Of The Funereal Exorcisms’ pulls back the veil unto a nocturnal scene populated by shadows, embers burning coldly in the underworld. Marina Zispin is your guide, siren and protector both. Marina Zispin is the negative space between musicians Bianca Scout and Martyn Reid. Love And Death is the duo’s debut release, five chandeliers of melancholic, vibrant synth pop twinkling in the inky blackness. Both originally hailing from the North East of England and forming a musical partnership before lockdown, Bianca Scout and Martyn Reid initially worked remotely. Having relocated to South London and Newcastle respectively, Marina Zispin was born in earnest after the duo could begin writing and practising in the same space. Bianca Scout is a celebrated musician and dancer with a number of solo and collaborative works in her discographywhile Martyn Reid is a mainstay of the UK noise and power electronics scene, most recently with solo project Depletion. Marina Zispin largely eschews both Scout’s deconstructed approach to song and Reid’s focus on visceral, noise- based productions; the result is a new entity, the underground pop star that exists only in darkened dreams. Marina Zispin, then, is an avatar cajoled, nurtured and directed by Scout and Reid. Analogue electronics redolent of the early 80s Cold Wave and Synth Pop era form the base of the Zispin worldview, with Bianca Scout donning the Marina disguise, embodying the character over five songs of swooning drama, playful melodic interplays and tear-stained, doe-eyed sentiment. Flowers In The Sea opens with an austere 4/4 beat and hypnotic synth parts before Scout/Zispin floats in across the lagoon. Scout’s vocal tone is an instant winner, sweet like honey pouring down over the cold, robotic productions and stereo-panned synth work. We can almost see the petals drift into the horizon before being pulled under by the artist’s sadness. Ski Resort bursts out with a Jacno-inspired bassline and backing that could have been buried in a French disco in 1982 (think Stereo or Linear Movement) before Scout’s narrative details frivolousness and regret before a magical shift for the final coda into major key. Backworth Gold Club closes Side A, a mysterious rigid beat and minor chord synth arpeggios swimming in space, floating and obscure. On Side B, Hymn carries the tone on, church-like synths holding down the pattern for Zispin/Scout to float above in a flowing gown of reverb. The marriage of Reid’s cold musical backbone and Scout’s effortless vocal and co- production is in full flow here, the vocals at times rising to the rafters of this nocturnal place of worship, at other points they’re fuzzy samples cutting in and drifting out or sung with an extreme autotune, abstract and perfect in the moment. Surprise Party is the most straightforward pop bullet, Scout/Zispin’s vocal peering out more from the fog, perhaps revealing more than usual: vulnerability, maybe, the wandering muse of the artists behind the veil or just another layer of mystery behind the enigma? Marina Zispin’s Life & Death - The Five Chandeliers Of The Funereal Exorcisms ends as it began, scintillating in obscurity, leaving everything unanswered but open.

Multi-instrumentalist Oscar Browne's roots lie in the foundational intricacy of golden-age songwriting A founding member of the London based folk- collective Broadside Hacks (amongst other banded- ventures), Oscar Browne's debut solo endeavour 'Never Quite Right' was released in 2022 to critical acclaim; an established inauguration which saw him eventually signing to So Young Records in the spring of 2023. Following a six-month spree in which Browne found himself tirelessly writing in order to process the changes taking place around him, the five songs which would eventually go on to form his debut EP 'If Only', are a deep- dive into the heart and soul of an artist who masterfully captures all the joys and heartaches of life in your early-twenties. Recorded over one week at Bristol's The Playpen, home to producer Ali Chant (Aldous Harding, Katy J Pearson), 'If Only' was all-in-all, a long time coming. Selfaccustomed to doubling things up and hiding imperfections, it was through the art of collaboration, and Ali's teachings in the power of emotional transparency that the pairing of Browne and Chant really shined. "Ali was a massive part in keeping the recordings minimal" notes Browne "he kept the rawness". Oscar Browne's creative- capability is a limitless array of captivating delights. These aren't simply re-interpretations of eras gone by. Browne channels as much Ben Howard or Kurt Vile as he does Nick Drake and John Martyn. Rather, it's through his ear for musical- lucidity, highlighted throughout the course of these selected songs, that enables Browne to transport his love of traditional folk and folklore, into a uniquely contemporary realm. His fearlessness in baring- all to those who'll listen creates an artistic magnitude will only keep growing with fine prowess, as Browne continues to cut his teeth as a beguiling 'one to watch'

The Chills reissue their celebrated early singles compilation, this 24-track expanded version of Kaleidoscope World gathers together tracks from the ‘Dunedin Double’ compilation, live recordings, Doledrums’ single and the band’s seminal ‘Pink Frost’. The collection also contains ‘The Lost EP’, with early takes on their groundbreaking ‘Submarine Bells’ album, alongside the aching ‘I Love My Leather Jacket’, perfectly illustrating the rollercoaster ride of Martin Phillipps and The Chills as portrayed in the award film The Triumph And The Tragedy Of Martin Phillipps. “Singer/guitarist Martin Phillipps’ group was at the forefront of the extraordinary little guitar-pop scene in New Zealand in the early ’80s.. Kaleidoscope World is the major document of their early era.” Pitchfork. Part of the 80’s extraordinarily vibrant and innovative independent music scene in New Zealand, The Chills became flag bearers, taking the Dunedin sound, as championed by the Flying Nun label, to the world. Long recognised as one of New Zealand's most influential bands, Kaleidoscope World is a definitive artifact from Martin Phillipps’ groundbreaking project.

His jaw- dropping, natural sounding, and unschooled skill on acoustic guitar, matched with an authentic 'Belfast Blues' voice, drew comparisons to John Martyn and Rory Gallagher, with nods to Van Morrison and Foy Vance. In addition to being an acoustic guitar star, Dom is equally adept on electric guitar, showcasing his talents with his power trio.

Dom has won a handful of European and UK Blues Music Awards. His sophomore studio album, 'A Savage Life' received rave reviews with Rock and Blues Muse declaring, "Dom Martin is the next rising star in the global roots scene.

Jump aboard now before he passes you by." Blues in Britain declared that Dom was "A rare talent of such sheer genius," and Classic Rock effused, "The Belfast guitarist is a sprawling talent."

His latest effort,' Buried in the Hail 'was co- produced by Grammy nominated producers Chris O'Brien & Graham Murphy. The album takes the listener on a very personal journey. "Unhinged" is all anger and fury, sparks and smoke and flames, from screaming amps. Taking a positive turn is "Daylight I Will Find", a song about life's challenges and how through self- love, one can find the answers. The sole cover on the album is a broken down, heartbroken version of "Crazy".

Das neue Album, welches auf das 2018 erschienene Debüt "Embody" des dänischen Liedermachers folgt, wurde erneut in Sebbersund in der Nähe von Ross' Elternhaus mit John Wood aufgenommen. Wood, der vor allem für seine Arbeit an der Seite von John Martyn, Cat Stevens, Nico, Nick Drake, Pink Floyd und anderen bekannt ist, bat dieses Mal seinerseits um eine Zusammenarbeit mit Hjalte, nachdem dieser den legendären Produzenten vor seiner ersten Platte um Rat gebeten hatte. Nach der zerbrechlichen und zurückhaltenden Schönheit des Debüts, gibt es nun ein neues Gefühl des Selbstvertrauens, einen zusätzlichen Biss in den Texten, eine zusätzliche Tiefe in dieser besonderen Stimme. "Ich bin ein besserer Songwriter, ein besserer Sänger und ein besserer Gitarrist geworden", betont Hjalte. "Ich habe jedoch die gleiche Absicht wie beim letzten Mal beibehalten und mich darauf fokusiert, ein Album in voller Länge zu machen und mich dabei absolut und gänzlich auf die Musik zu konzentrieren. "Waves of Haste" ist eine subtile und gleichfalls mutige Erweiterung seines Sounds. Das Album besteht aus neun fesselnden Songs und wurde nach der Begegnung in New York mit Daniel Goodwin von diesem gemischt und gemastert, einem Produzenten, der für seine Arbeit mit Künstlern wie Kevin Morby und Whitney und vielen anderen bekannt ist. Diese Paarung bringt das Beste in Hjaltes Songwriting zum Vorschein, hebt die Gegensätze von Norwegen und New York hervor, gelangt dabei zu etwas gemeinsamen Größerem "Waves Of Haste" klingt gleichzeitig modern und elegant alt(modisch), erinnert an den gefühlvollen Sound der 70er Jahre und ist außergewöhnlich grandios. Die LP - gepresst bei Optimal - kommt als klassich schwarzes Vinyl in aufwendig gestaltetem Klappcover inklusive Prägedruck. Das Artwork wurde entworfen vom erfolgreichen dänischen Maler/Bildhauer Kasper Eistrup (auch ehemals von der Band Kaschmir bekannt). Für Liebhaber der Genres Singer/Songwriter, Folk, Independent, für Fans von Nick Drake, Kevin Morby, José Gonzales, Robert Wyatt, John Martyn, Leonard Cohen...

The Good People, consisting of producer Saint and lyricist Emskee, hail from Brooklyn, New York. The dynamic duo brings a fresh take on the nostalgic elements of East Coast hip-hop. The Good People are coming off of two acclaimed albums, each showcasing their soulful instrumentals and flawless lyricism. In 2019, the duo dropped Good For Nuthin’ featuring Large Professor, Lilí Fame, Sadat X, Napoleon Da Legend, Cella Dwellas, G-Roc and Red Alert. They followed up with The Greater Good in 2021 featuring Lords of the Underground, Shabaam Sahdeeq, Craig G, Rasheed Chappell, DJ C-Reality, DJ Ace, Tone Spliff, Mikey D, Skanks the Rap Martyr, John Jigg$, DJ Eclipse, Rockwelz, Mouf and Nam Nitty. Now, The Good People bring you the new limited edition run of A Good Year. In 2022 they dropped a new single digitally every month which would become the tracklist for the new album. The new 12-track album features Dinco D, Charlie Brown, Makeba Mooncycle, John Jigg$ and Bobby J From Rockaway and is the perfect addition to their growing catalog

In the late '70s, The Avengers established themselves as one of the US's preeminent punk bands. Fusing incisive guitar hooks, explosive rhythms and adolescent venom, the group forged some of the most in-your-face songs of the era. Their live shows were legendary, playing up and down the West Coast and even blowing Sex Pistols off the stage at the latter's final performance.

As Byron Coley writes in the liner notes, "Of the best bands of San Francisco's first wave in 1977, The Avengers were by far the coolest and youngest sounding. They roared without irony, as though this were indeed Year Zero (and, for a moment, it was) with history being overwritten by the new. The honesty of their belief was carried by their sound. And it was convincing!"

Originally released in 1983, four years after the band's dissolution, The Avengers' self-titled LP is often referred to as "The Pink Album" for its magenta-hued cover design. Frontwoman Penelope Houston's iconic voice and razor-sharp lyrics resonate on anthems "We Are The One" and "The American In Me," while penetrating ballads like "Corpus Christi" reveal a truly out-of-body euphony.

The Pink Album remains The Avengers' definitive statement - collecting their classic Dangerhouse EP, sessions recorded with the Pistols' Steve Jones and a half-dozen revelatory demos. While much has been written about The Avengers in the past three decades, rock critic Greil Marcus puts it succinctly, "The word I always come back to is mystical, and that remains almost theirs alone."

A true surprise success for Paharas Musica, originally written during the end of the pandemic, 'White Isle Memories' captured the loss of not being able to visit the white isle of Ibiza and combines the producer talents of Ridney & Inner Spirit (aka Richard Earnshaw).

A production aimed at the beach bar culture of the island the production duo are joined by multiinstrumentalist, vocalist and loop pedal extraordinaire Michael Sebastian. In it’s original guise the track has racked up well over 1.3 million streams and in that gained the attention of German producer SOMMA (1.7 million monthly listeners), who was keen to grab the stems and deliver a special 2023 remix.

Adding to the package Ridney’s sunset reprise from his Café Mambo Ibiza DJ sets and Inner Sprits own incredible 2023 remix.

DJ Support:

Mark Knight (support on Kiss FM), Purple Disco Machine, Mousse T, Ken Fan (Café Del Mar), Ryan McDermott (Café Mambo Resident), Hector Romero, Des Mitchell (Radio One Mallorca), Mr V, Lenny Fontana, Loeca, Jazzy M, Dario D’Attis, Danny Rampling, Chad Jackson, Brandon Block, Booker T, Black Legend, David Dunne, Graham Sahara, Lizzie Curious, Martyn the Hat.5

Described as a ‘minor classic’ by Luke Haines.
Available on vinyl for the first time in 36 years. and CD for the first time in 30 years.
12-Track LP compilation pressed on Clear Vinyl with printed innersleeve.
CD in digipack with 8 page booklet. Sleeve notes by Luke Haines.
Band features Luke Haines, Martyn Casey (The Triffids/Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds ) & Alsy Macdonald (The Triffids).
Includes: DW’s ‘Westlake’ album from 1987; BBC session recorded with members of The Go-Betweens plus two studio demos of unused songs.
David Westlake’s first album finally gets a new day in the sun in the wake of his brilliant current LP ‘My Beautiful England’. 36 years after it first appeared in 1987 on Creation Records
David Westlake formed The Servants in 1985, who released 2 excellent singles and appeared on the NME compiled C86 LP.
Searching for a stable Servants line-up to release an album he recruited Luke Haines (The Auteurs/Black Box Recorder) via an NME advert , who came on board, and stayed for five years. After failing to find a committed rhythm section, he enlisted the help of Martyn Casey (The Triffids/Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds ) & Alsy Macdonald (The Triffids)and recorded the 1987 ‘Westlake’ album for Creation. Overlooked at the time, the record was later described as a minor classic by Luke Haines himself. It is included here on Side One of the album, available on vinyl for the first time in 36 years. and CD for the first time in 30 years
Side Two contains the previously unreleased Janice Long BBC session recorded in the summer of 1987 featuring Go Betweens members Robert Forster, Amanda Brown & Robert Vickers
As chronicled in an interview in US music magazine The Big Takeover (issue 53, 2004), Belle and Sebastian frontman Stuart Murdoch was a huge Westlake fan and tried to locate him in the early 1990s in hope of forming a band with him, before launching Belle and Sebastian in his school class instead

High Roller Records, reissue 2023, black vinyl, ltd 400, 425gsm heavy cardboard cover, insert, poster, Transfer by Marcus Mossmann (R.I.P.) at PHONOGRAPHIC ARTIFACTS in 2018. Audio cleaning and mastering for vinyl by Patrick W. Engel at TEMPLE OF DISHARMONY in October 2022. Cutting by SST Germany on Neumann machines for optimal quality on all levels

High Roller Records, reissue 2023, red vinyl, ltd 400, 425gsm heavy cardboard cover, insert, poster, Transfer by Marcus Mossmann (R.I.P.) at PHONOGRAPHIC ARTIFACTS in 2018. Audio cleaning and mastering for vinyl by Patrick W. Engel at TEMPLE OF DISHARMONY in October 2022. Cutting by SST Germany on Neumann machines for optimal quality on all levels

Nach 12 Jahren bei DragonForce präsentiert Sänger MARC HUDSON sein erstes Soloalbum Starbound Stories, das am 25. August 2023 über Napalm Records erscheint. Starbound Stories ist ein packendes Animeinspiriertes Power Metal-Abenteuer mit Einflüssen von japanischer Musik und Videospiel-Soundtracks, die der Sänger gemeinsam mit einer Vielzahl von bemerkenswerten Gästen umsetzt.

Das instrumentale „As The Twilight Met The Sea“ eröffnet die phnantasievolle Klanglandschaften des Albums und wird von Samurai Metal-Meister Ryoji Shinomoto (RYUJIN, früher bekannt als Gyze) auf traditionellen japanischen Instrumenten begleitet. Shinomoto steuert seine Stimme außerdem auf dem Track „Freedom Heart“ bei, der auch ein Solo des Gitarrenvirtuosen Syu (Galneryus) enthält. Auf der explosive Power Metal-Hymne „Dracula X“ steuert Jacky Vincent (ex Falling in Reverse, ex-Cry Venom) einen Gitarrensolo bei und der Gastgesang kommt von Adrienne Cowan (Seven Spires).

Das emotionale Stück „Stars“ wird von der klassisch ausgebildeten Violinistin Mia Asano mit einer elektrischen Violine untermalt. „One More Sight Of The Sun With You“ wird auf Japanisch gesungen und bleibt den Hauptthemen des Albums treu.

MARC HUDSONs Debüt-Soloalbum ist ein herausragendes musikalisches Abenteuer, das zwischen Power Metal, Videospiel-Soundtracks, japanischer Musik und sogar Pop-Einflüssen balanciert und von virtuosen Musikern eingespielt wurde!

One of the inventors of the modern bebop style of drumming, Blakey is known as a powerful musician and a vital groover; his brand of bluesy, funky hard bop was and continues to be profoundly influential on mainstream jazz.

For more than 30 years his band, Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers included many young musicians who went on to become prominent names in jazz. Recorded in 1956, Art Blakey's Drum Suite is a wonderful hybrid of African, Latin, and hard bop rhythms that prefigures the concept of Afro-beat by at least a decade. The sheer energy, not to mention its very special and fresh-sounding intimacy, make it especially astounding.

Even more amazing is that the three parts of the suite -- Blakey's "The Sacrifice," Ray Bryant's "Cubano Chant," and Oscar Pettiford's "Oscalypso" -- were recorded straight through live, and were only intended to be a pre-take run-through. As is obvious here, Blakey and company nailed the whole thing right out of the box.

Groundbreaking for its time, and still sounding vital, powerful, and visionary, the Drum Suite album is somewhat of a lost masterpiece that deserves a fresh audience.

"Art Blakey's first release for Columbia Records is essentially two records. Side one is a percussion ensemble playing what would, ten years later, be called Afro-Cuban drumming. Side two is the mid-fifties version of the Jazz Messengers featuring Jackie McLean on saxophone. Side one features Blakey, Jo Jones and Charles Wright on drums, Candido and Sabu on bongos, and Oscar Pettiford and bass and cello. The group plays three compositions, one by Blakey, one by Pettiford and one by Ray Bryant, fusing African, Cuban, and calypso percussion into a well-integrated suite.

"The group recorded a run through and it was so perfectly executed that they used the practice run for the release, unedited except to add some Swahili chants by the percussionists during a few passages. One cannot help but think of Olantunji's Drums of Passion, another Afro drumming landmark, here. Blakey's drum suite was recorded at Columbia's 30th Street studios in New York in 1957 and is in mono. The almost stereoscopic image is truly remarkable. Mastered by Kevin Gray and pressed at RTI, Drum Suite is a valuable record of one of the most important figures in jazz history. Recording: 9/10. Music 9/10." - Dennis Davis, Hifi+

"...The three-part suite was laid down in one take with no arrangements, and begins with a few tympani thwacks followed by an African chant. Soon the ensemble kicks in and the group takes off an a sweaty Afro-Cuban-bop journey that will leave you breathless, as the thing crackles with terrific energy. Side Two is more conventional hard bop, but given this group's mastery of if not invention of the style, these tracks are extremely satisfying. Kevin Gray's remastering is detailed and immediate, with plenty of bit and air, if not the widest dynamic range. For anyone interested in percussion of this genre, this is not to be missed." - Wayne Garcia, The Absolute Sound

A complex and sometimes belligerent character in real life, on record,
John Martyn was the epitome of the folk-dreamer, embodying the spirit
of the bourgeoning London acoustic scene of the late 60s
Well- known and respected for his 70s albums Solid Air and One World, this is
where it began.John Martyn met Beverley Kutner and the pair married in 1969.
Kutner was a dazzling folk singer who had been invited by Paul Simon to sing on
Simon & Garfunkel's Bookends album. It was obvious that two such talents united
in love should also unite in music. Stormbringer! – produced by Joe Boyd – was
the first of two albums billed to both of them.
Recorded in Woodstock, the album featured The Band's Levon Helm on drums on
Beverley's standout, eight-minute long Sweet Honesty. Not to be overshadowed
John also contributed John The Baptist, one of his career highlights, with
Beverley adding sweet backing vocals.
This re-issue faithfully replicates the original 1970 Island Records UK release and
is pressed onto high quality 180g vinyl.

A complex and sometimes belligerent character in real life, on record,
John Martyn was the epitome of the folk-dreamer, embodying the spirit
of the bourgeoning London acoustic scene of the late 60s
Well- known and respected for his 70s albums Solid Air and One World, this is
where it began.The second and final John and Beverley album, The Road To Ruin
came out in late 1970; it is a mature, fully realised work, and a glimpse of what
would have happened had Island not encouraged John to go back to being a solo
artist. Opener Primrose Hill was later sampled by Fat Boy Slim, and the John-led
Parcels offers a template for what would become his signature style as the
decade progressed. It is one of those rare albums that creates its own
atmosphere, late night intensity, middle age soul.
This re-issue faithfully replicates the original 1970 Island Records UK release and
is pressed onto high quality 180g vinyl.

“The Merries” is the fourth studio album by Limerick Indie outfit Anna’s Anchor. Once a solo affair, this ever evolving musical project closer resembles a collaborative, ever changing community with frontman Marty Ryan as the driving force behind it. Since the project’s inception in 2014, Marty has amassed a loyal audience from playing over 350 shows all around the world in a DIY fashion. 2021’s “A Glorious Ruction” showed the creative potential of the band with a concept album that led the band to critical acclaim in Ireland in the U.K
Musically this is the most expansive offering from Anna ’s Anchor to date. Guitars, bass, drums and brash vocals do appear as would be expected from the band but The Merries also features more stripped back songs, synthesizers, found sound and spoken word. This album also features more individuals on it than pr evious releases with Brian Scally on drums, Clare O’Brien on backing vocals as well as lead vocals for the album’s closing song and even a guest appearance from Hermitage Green’s Dermot Sheedy on Bodhrán. All of this shows that Anna’s Anchor is operating with an artistic freedom that has culminated into “The Merries”.

Wenn es ein einziges Wort gibt, um Saint Agnes zu beschreiben, dann ist es " Hingabe". Die vierköpfige Band aus dem Vereinigten Königreich steht für ehrliche Texte, raue Gesangsdarbietungen (von Frontfrau Kitty A. Austen) und wutentbrannte Musik, die denjenigen eine Stimme geben soll, die eher am Rande als in der Mitte stehen. Mehr Gang als Band, wollen Saint Agnes (römische Märtyrerin, Schutzpatronin für eine Reihe von Dingen, darunter auch Mädchen) diejenigen ermutigen, die geschlagen und verletzt wurden, sich aber weigern, sich niederzulegen, und das ist ein roter Faden, der sich durch "Bloodsuckers" zieht - das zweite Studioalbum von SA und ihr erstes für Spinefarm. Anfangend mit dem Titeltrack, ist dies ein genreübergreifendes Werk, das Elemente aus Metal, Punk, Industrial und Grunge aufnimmt, ohne an einen bestimmten Stil gebunden zu sein; die 11 Tracks kommen direkt von der Quelle, größtenteils selbst produziert und abgemischt (NIN-Kollaborateur Sean Bevan leiht seine Mixing-Fähigkeiten der zukünftigen Single / Video, 'Follow You'), und dieser in sich geschlossene Ansatz sorgt für ein zusätzliches emotionales Gewicht, mit Kerrang!-Coverstar Mimi Barks, die das Chaos auf dem kurzen, scharfen Schock, der 'Body Bag' ist, weiter anheizt.

Wenn es ein einziges Wort gibt, um Saint Agnes zu beschreiben, dann ist es " Hingabe". Die vierköpfige Band aus dem Vereinigten Königreich steht für ehrliche Texte, raue Gesangsdarbietungen (von Frontfrau Kitty A. Austen) und wutentbrannte Musik, die denjenigen eine Stimme geben soll, die eher am Rande als in der Mitte stehen. Mehr Gang als Band, wollen Saint Agnes (römische Märtyrerin, Schutzpatronin für eine Reihe von Dingen, darunter auch Mädchen) diejenigen ermutigen, die geschlagen und verletzt wurden, sich aber weigern, sich niederzulegen, und das ist ein roter Faden, der sich durch "Bloodsuckers" zieht - das zweite Studioalbum von SA und ihr erstes für Spinefarm. Anfangend mit dem Titeltrack, ist dies ein genreübergreifendes Werk, das Elemente aus Metal, Punk, Industrial und Grunge aufnimmt, ohne an einen bestimmten Stil gebunden zu sein; die 11 Tracks kommen direkt von der Quelle, größtenteils selbst produziert und abgemischt (NIN-Kollaborateur Sean Bevan leiht seine Mixing-Fähigkeiten der zukünftigen Single / Video, 'Follow You'), und dieser in sich geschlossene Ansatz sorgt für ein zusätzliches emotionales Gewicht, mit Kerrang!-Coverstar Mimi Barks, die das Chaos auf dem kurzen, scharfen Schock, der 'Body Bag' ist, weiter anheizt.

"What do you get when 2 esteemed Belgian producers/DJ's collaborate with their favorite New York / New Jersey MC's? You get a bullseye. The long awaited release of the international album 'Moving Targets' by Chillowproductions & DJ Grazzhoppa is in sight.

On March 10th, the first single ""Fly Ego"" will drop. Moving Targets pretty much speaks for itself. For this single, the duo set their scopes on New Jersey rapper Venomous2000. While he's aiming for you!"

OUTLANDERS ist ein Projekt der finnischen Sopranlegende Tarja Turunen und dem EDM Pionier Torsten Stenzel. Über 10 Jahre haben die beiden an dem Album gearbeitet und hatten dabei Unterstützung von einigen der einflussreichsten Gitarristen unserer Zeit. Bei jedem Song wirkt ein besonderer Gitarrist als Gast mit: u.a. Al Di Meola, Trevor Rabin, Joe Satriani, Jennifer Batten, Steve Rothery, Mike
Oldfield, Walter Giardino, Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal, Vernon Reid und Marty Friedman. 7 Tracks wurden bereits digital vorab veröffentlicht und nun erscheint das langersehnte gleichnamige Album am 23. Juni auf CD-Digipak und Ltd. Blue Curacao 2LP.

In August 2020, following some typical delays at the plant, Fourth Dimension Records released the limited edition 2LP (and now sold out) set of Kleistwahr's This World Is Not My Home and Over Your Heads Forever albums, originally released by the same label in 2014 and 2016 respectively. Packaged together in a single sleeve with printed inners reproducing all the artwork found on the original CDs, the 2LP was always designed to represent the first volume in a series of them. This next volume gathers everything on the next two albums, Down But Defiant Yet and Acceptance is Not Respect, both also initially released on CD in, respectively, 2017 and 2018, and presented in the exact same way. 2017's long sold out at source album, Down But Defiant Yet, collects four lengthy cuts which catch Gary Mundy (also known for Ramleh, Breathless and Broken Flag Records) furrowing his distinct and recognisable take on a kinda contemporary psychedelia with dystopian leanings. Each piece nods towards the fug generated by certain ‘krautrock’ groups whilst retaining threads of those uncompromising power-noise surges he built his reputation on, this is music guaranteed to take you to new spaces before forcing you to nervously look over your shoulder. 2018's Acceptance is Not Respect collects two lengthy pieces themselves broken down into seven parts often tempered to the point restraint assumes new, often disturbed (and disturbing) psychedelic or even filmic, properties, this music arrives like a spitting and foaming scream into the insanity of the void and the myriad challenges and questions it inexorably keeps hurling at us. Whereas Ramleh captures the sound of at least two people dealing as best they know how with the constantly rising rivers of shit around us, Kleistwahr is akin to one man having scaled a great height poking out of an infinite chasm and wondering why he bothered. This is uneasy listening sometimes renderedvirtually elegiac by dint of a prowess rarely found in such realms. Of this, Gary himself quite prophetically, in light of how events have shaped the world since said, “I was trying to make the music more spiritual sounding this time as the album is about belief. The first half is about personal and political belief and the second half about religious belief. I was wondering about whether in the 21st Century, you can seriously get anyone to completely change their beliefs and [am] asking is there anything you believe that you would be willing to die for, and the difference between the way that most beliefs have been accepted/tolerated and [are] supposedly respected in recent times in [the UK]. Now our society is starting to break down, it becomes clear that that acceptance tends not to actually be the same thing as respect at all.”

Der Titel des fünften SATURNUS-Albums, "The Storm Within", spielt sowohl auf die Stürme an, die in der Natur tosen, als auch Aufruhr in der Seele. Es ist recht offenkundig, dass die lange Zeit, welche die Dänen für dieses Album gebraucht haben, und die persönlichen Gründe, die hinter dem Umbruch in der Band standen, dessen künstlerischen Ausdruck stark inspiriert haben. SATURNUS haben sich mit "The Storm Within" selbst übertroffen. Die musikalischen Themen Meer, Regen und stürmische Gewässer ziehen sich wie ein roter Faden durch die Songs, in denen sich Wut, Verlust, Melancholie und Schmerz gleichermaßen widerspiegeln. Die handwerkliche Reife des Albums verleiht seinen erhabenen aber auch ruhigen Momenten sowie den gelegentlichen brutalen Ausbrüchen eine äußerst spannende Dynamik. Obendrein sorgt die erneute Zusammenarbeit mit Produzent Flemming Rasmussen, dem legendären dänischen Produzenten der METALLICA-Klassiker dafür, dass der Sound von "The Storm Within" seiner herausragenden musikalischen Qualität mehr als gerecht wird. Die Anfänge von SATURNUS liegen im Jahr 1991 als Sänger Thomas A.G. Jensen im Umfeld der dänischen Hauptstadt Kopenhagen nach Mitmusikern suchte, um eine Death-Metal-Band zu gründen. Nach mehreren Umbenennungen und Umbesetzungen wurde der Name SATURNUS schließlich im Jahr 1993 in Beton gegossen. Die Band veröffentlichte ihr erstes Album "Paradise Belongs to You" im Januar 1997 und erhielt sofort eine Einladung zum berühmten Roskilde Festival. Der Auftritt wurde vom norwegischen Rundfunk (NRK) aufgezeichnet und in ganz Skandinavien ausgestrahlt, was die Band binnen kürzester Zeit in Nordeuropa zu einer Marke in Sachen Death Doom machte. Nach ihrem zweiten Album "Martyre" (2000) und dem ikonischen dritten Studioalbum "Veronika Decides to Die" sowie ständigem Touren durch Europa und zunehmend auch darüber hinaus, erschien 2012 "Saturn in Ascension", das erneut von Flemming Rasmussen produziert wurde. Zur Feier ihres 20-jährigen Bestehens kehrten SATURNUS auf Europas Straßen zurück und traten unter anderem bei renommierten Festivals wie dem Brutal Assault (CZ), Copenhell (DK) und ArtMania (RO) auf. Von 2014 bis 2017 tourten die Dänen nur mit gelegentlichen Unterbrechungen, was sie bis nach Russland und in den Nahen Osten führte. Nach einigen signifikanten Umbesetzungen stießen die Gitarristen Indee (ehemals CLOUDS und EYE OF SOLITUDE) und Julio von AUTUMNAL im Jahr 2020 zu SATURNUS. Trotz weiterer Hindernisse, die durch die Pandemie entstanden, begann die Band schließlich mit der Arbeit an ihrem nächsten Album und setzte dabei auch die Zusammenarbeit mit Flemming Rasmussen fort. Die lange, schwierige Entstehung von "The Storm Within" verlangte SATURNUS auf dem Weg einige schmerzhafte Opfer ab. Blut, Schmerz und Schweiß haben ihre Spuren auf diesem Album hinterlassen. Doch aus jeder Note spricht eine brutale Ehrlichkeit. SATURNUS offenbaren ihre Seele und genau das macht "The Storm Within" zu einem brillanten Stück Musik.

Der Titel des fünften SATURNUS-Albums, "The Storm Within", spielt sowohl auf die Stürme an, die in der Natur tosen, als auch Aufruhr in der Seele. Es ist recht offenkundig, dass die lange Zeit, welche die Dänen für dieses Album gebraucht haben, und die persönlichen Gründe, die hinter dem Umbruch in der Band standen, dessen künstlerischen Ausdruck stark inspiriert haben. SATURNUS haben sich mit "The Storm Within" selbst übertroffen. Die musikalischen Themen Meer, Regen und stürmische Gewässer ziehen sich wie ein roter Faden durch die Songs, in denen sich Wut, Verlust, Melancholie und Schmerz gleichermaßen widerspiegeln. Die handwerkliche Reife des Albums verleiht seinen erhabenen aber auch ruhigen Momenten sowie den gelegentlichen brutalen Ausbrüchen eine äußerst spannende Dynamik. Obendrein sorgt die erneute Zusammenarbeit mit Produzent Flemming Rasmussen, dem legendären dänischen Produzenten der METALLICA-Klassiker dafür, dass der Sound von "The Storm Within" seiner herausragenden musikalischen Qualität mehr als gerecht wird. Die Anfänge von SATURNUS liegen im Jahr 1991 als Sänger Thomas A.G. Jensen im Umfeld der dänischen Hauptstadt Kopenhagen nach Mitmusikern suchte, um eine Death-Metal-Band zu gründen. Nach mehreren Umbenennungen und Umbesetzungen wurde der Name SATURNUS schließlich im Jahr 1993 in Beton gegossen. Die Band veröffentlichte ihr erstes Album "Paradise Belongs to You" im Januar 1997 und erhielt sofort eine Einladung zum berühmten Roskilde Festival. Der Auftritt wurde vom norwegischen Rundfunk (NRK) aufgezeichnet und in ganz Skandinavien ausgestrahlt, was die Band binnen kürzester Zeit in Nordeuropa zu einer Marke in Sachen Death Doom machte. Nach ihrem zweiten Album "Martyre" (2000) und dem ikonischen dritten Studioalbum "Veronika Decides to Die" sowie ständigem Touren durch Europa und zunehmend auch darüber hinaus, erschien 2012 "Saturn in Ascension", das erneut von Flemming Rasmussen produziert wurde. Zur Feier ihres 20-jährigen Bestehens kehrten SATURNUS auf Europas Straßen zurück und traten unter anderem bei renommierten Festivals wie dem Brutal Assault (CZ), Copenhell (DK) und ArtMania (RO) auf. Von 2014 bis 2017 tourten die Dänen nur mit gelegentlichen Unterbrechungen, was sie bis nach Russland und in den Nahen Osten führte. Nach einigen signifikanten Umbesetzungen stießen die Gitarristen Indee (ehemals CLOUDS und EYE OF SOLITUDE) und Julio von AUTUMNAL im Jahr 2020 zu SATURNUS. Trotz weiterer Hindernisse, die durch die Pandemie entstanden, begann die Band schließlich mit der Arbeit an ihrem nächsten Album und setzte dabei auch die Zusammenarbeit mit Flemming Rasmussen fort. Die lange, schwierige Entstehung von "The Storm Within" verlangte SATURNUS auf dem Weg einige schmerzhafte Opfer ab. Blut, Schmerz und Schweiß haben ihre Spuren auf diesem Album hinterlassen. Doch aus jeder Note spricht eine brutale Ehrlichkeit. SATURNUS offenbaren ihre Seele und genau das macht "The Storm Within" zu einem brillanten Stück Musik.

Der Titel des fünften SATURNUS-Albums, "The Storm Within", spielt sowohl auf die Stürme an, die in der Natur tosen, als auch Aufruhr in der Seele. Es ist recht offenkundig, dass die lange Zeit, welche die Dänen für dieses Album gebraucht haben, und die persönlichen Gründe, die hinter dem Umbruch in der Band standen, dessen künstlerischen Ausdruck stark inspiriert haben. SATURNUS haben sich mit "The Storm Within" selbst übertroffen. Die musikalischen Themen Meer, Regen und stürmische Gewässer ziehen sich wie ein roter Faden durch die Songs, in denen sich Wut, Verlust, Melancholie und Schmerz gleichermaßen widerspiegeln. Die handwerkliche Reife des Albums verleiht seinen erhabenen aber auch ruhigen Momenten sowie den gelegentlichen brutalen Ausbrüchen eine äußerst spannende Dynamik. Obendrein sorgt die erneute Zusammenarbeit mit Produzent Flemming Rasmussen, dem legendären dänischen Produzenten der METALLICA-Klassiker dafür, dass der Sound von "The Storm Within" seiner herausragenden musikalischen Qualität mehr als gerecht wird. Die Anfänge von SATURNUS liegen im Jahr 1991 als Sänger Thomas A.G. Jensen im Umfeld der dänischen Hauptstadt Kopenhagen nach Mitmusikern suchte, um eine Death-Metal-Band zu gründen. Nach mehreren Umbenennungen und Umbesetzungen wurde der Name SATURNUS schließlich im Jahr 1993 in Beton gegossen. Die Band veröffentlichte ihr erstes Album "Paradise Belongs to You" im Januar 1997 und erhielt sofort eine Einladung zum berühmten Roskilde Festival. Der Auftritt wurde vom norwegischen Rundfunk (NRK) aufgezeichnet und in ganz Skandinavien ausgestrahlt, was die Band binnen kürzester Zeit in Nordeuropa zu einer Marke in Sachen Death Doom machte. Nach ihrem zweiten Album "Martyre" (2000) und dem ikonischen dritten Studioalbum "Veronika Decides to Die" sowie ständigem Touren durch Europa und zunehmend auch darüber hinaus, erschien 2012 "Saturn in Ascension", das erneut von Flemming Rasmussen produziert wurde. Zur Feier ihres 20-jährigen Bestehens kehrten SATURNUS auf Europas Straßen zurück und traten unter anderem bei renommierten Festivals wie dem Brutal Assault (CZ), Copenhell (DK) und ArtMania (RO) auf. Von 2014 bis 2017 tourten die Dänen nur mit gelegentlichen Unterbrechungen, was sie bis nach Russland und in den Nahen Osten führte. Nach einigen signifikanten Umbesetzungen stießen die Gitarristen Indee (ehemals CLOUDS und EYE OF SOLITUDE) und Julio von AUTUMNAL im Jahr 2020 zu SATURNUS. Trotz weiterer Hindernisse, die durch die Pandemie entstanden, begann die Band schließlich mit der Arbeit an ihrem nächsten Album und setzte dabei auch die Zusammenarbeit mit Flemming Rasmussen fort. Die lange, schwierige Entstehung von "The Storm Within" verlangte SATURNUS auf dem Weg einige schmerzhafte Opfer ab. Blut, Schmerz und Schweiß haben ihre Spuren auf diesem Album hinterlassen. Doch aus jeder Note spricht eine brutale Ehrlichkeit. SATURNUS offenbaren ihre Seele und genau das macht "The Storm Within" zu einem brillanten Stück Musik.

Bound To Rise is the quietly impressive debut album from Yorkshireman Chris Brain. His songs have a gentleness and ethereality, enhanced by his softly husky, smoky vocals coupled with delicate finger-picked guitar patterns based around his alternate tunings.

The self-composed songs draw on the pastoral and the traditional, heavily centred in natural imagery featuring both as itself and as allegory. A misty ambiguity, suggestions of layered meaning and hints of multiple interpretations permeate the lyrics. And darker moods throw long shadows across this landscape.

A pre-dawn longing for the sun in title track ‘Bound To Rise’ seems to obliquely evoke springtime, primitive beliefs and lifting mood. ‘Bird Count’ is another daybreak song hinting at other, more intimate, preoccupations, “calling out your name / never to be tame”.

‘Chance To See’ celebrates the emotional significance of a relationship, and it’s easy to interpret ‘Golden Eagle’ as its flipside partner, “but you can’t choose her, she chooses you” – or maybe it’s simply a song about birdwatching. ‘Flying On Time’ continues with rare sightings paired with impressions of human air travel and distance, “she’s due tonight / just for one night / to visit our skies”.

Non-specific doubt and uncertainty edgily patrol ‘If I Could’, whilst the cheerfully pattering guitar motif of ‘Peace And Quiet’ belies an inner melancholy, and ‘Rare Find’ charmingly bookends Mary Jane Walker’s plangent violin and Simeon Walker’s subtle piano.

‘Sunday Morn’ “lays the week to rest” amongst other things but, despite the laid-back vibe, all is not sunny and “melancholy calls to greet us once more”. Brain’s songs are intriguing shifts of light and shade, and the details improve with each listen.

Coming full circle thematically, the joyous simplicity of expression in ‘Sun Song’ makes it close kin to the mighty Bright Phoebus, “the sun was born and she’s beautiful / the sun was born from the ground”. It’s an optimistic ending to an emotionally ambiguous album.

Influenced by, among others, Nick Drake, John Martyn and Joni Mitchell, it’s not hard to see where Chris Brain is coming from. More interesting is where he’s going to. Bound To Rise makes a very promising start.