Does society feel like it is screwing you over and that the human scum of the world get in your way, trying to drive you insane with their general stupidity? Don’t worry, you aren’t alone! PhobosReactor with guest TFG (TrollFinderGeneral) are assailing your ears with the single, “Hyi, ihmisiä” which simply means ew, people, out on the Pancimachine label.
“Illanvietto” is the first track on Bandcamp, and this means socialevening, though quite frankly, I do believe this requires human interaction. Anyhoo, I highly suggest watching the Youtube videos for a translated version of the Finnish lyrics. The music is a throwback to a more analogue sound, where our hero of the hour is inebriated just so he can deal with others of his species, in his own fashion and delicate ways, all to an electronic sound track that probably doesn’t care about his issues with this night.
Of course, you just kind of know that “Hyi, ihmisiä” is going to go kind of off the rails and leave the reservation, and so behold the introduction of the occasional angry guitar, space aliens and the vocals of a chap who thinks he’s a pretty neat fellow to pass time with, but we all know he needs to remove that stick from his rectum.
Swedish label ProgressProductions have dropped the new ABUNEIN single “Unwanted.” This is the darkwave band’s first single off their soon to be released third album.
The quick build up to the guitar and vocals, is like a release of dopamine to the system. The guitar work is darker and oppressive, especially when joined by the swirling winter soundscape synths, painting a bleak picture, with the vocals as the focal. Those vocals are beautiful and yet ooze a icy quality.
The beginning of this track became well ensconced in my head for quite a while, and in the back of your brain you can hear those sultry vocals just making your day a little more sexier. ABUNEIN have definitely make “Unwanted” a track to dance your little dark hearts out.
As a dark subculture type, I don’t take myself very seriously and tend to love groups that share that ideal. Athens based Greek band Falooda, are a new project for members Loverman (vocals, synth), Lukulukumiumiu (drums), ThemisVasiliou (guitar) and Manolo (bass), with their first release on Bandcamp ironically called Demo 2024.
The four track EP is a mix of punk and experimental noise, with the first track “Orizuru” smacking your ears with the vocals that are a mix of ReverendHortonHeat and MrFiend (AlienSexFiend), with a pinch of TomWaits. i was giggling at the end with the gurgling duck noises.
Shake your tail feathers to “BooleanReligion” as you start to wonder if you are trapped in a Japanese movie with Cheech and Chong plus a rather large consignment of weed. “Bottleneck” is a hail of screaming guitar pushed to their limit, before the final track, “Disaster Recovery” climaxes in the self imploding ecstasy of a thousand lost souls.
The guys describe their sound as ‘noise funk dessert with rose syrup, vermicelli, milk and sweet basil seed,’ and this is possibly true should you ever meet them and try a quick lick. However, a comment on Youtube said that Falooda was like ‘listening to Mr Bungle on acid‘….. and quite frankly, I completely agree. Utterly bonkers!!
Did you know that Geishas Of Doom (GOD) are a six piece punk band from the Netherlands? Me neither!! Punk has a happy little place in my heart, especially as it lent itself to the post-punk movement with its experimental stance and do it yourself ethos. May has the release of the album TheFirstFourTapes, which has a huge twenty four tracks, though in true punk form, most run under two minutes.
From the first track, ‘(Here Comes The) Snakestorm,” you get a taste for what this band is going for in sound. It is purposefully lo-fi in quality, giving it a raw edge that makes it feel like a live performance. The drums a loud and brash, getting a good workout every track, and pretty much, it is the guitars versus vocals that are the stars. However, you do occasionally catch the odd, possibly synth noise blip in the mix.
I think the track “Avoid The Fall” absolutely grabbed my attention with the classic post-punk guitar work in opposition to the screaming vocals, and it is a cracking song. Talking of cracks, there is the song “Crack” which is not about the drugs, but rather a split in the wall, which rather reminded me of the theme running through the Matt Smith era of Dr Who. Fans? “Pulse” is just another reason to really like these guys as it shows a different facet of their writing talent. So good.
You can hear a plethora of influences such as metal, prog rock, gothic rock, grunge, rockabilly and shoegaze, which makes the album a musical joy, as GeishasOfDoom fuse what makes them passionate, into a wonderful punk album with real soul. And honestly, who doesn’t like a band that sticks two fingers in the air and makes their initials GOD. Genius.
Those Norwegian lads Mayflower Madame are back with a new single “A Foretold Ecstasy,” out on the label NightCultRecords. Even better is the fact that this single heralds the release of their third album. Things to look forward to from Trond Fagernes (vocals, guitars, bass), Ola J. Kyrkjeeide (drums) and Kenneth Eknes (synth).
Bring on the post-punk goodness with those deep bass lines, while the synths sweep through like a cold breeze across a lost soul, with the warmth only found in the chiming guitar. The vocals are smoothly aloof and lost in the distress of the character portrayed.
“AForetoldEcstasy” could be about the act of sex being the only thing that brings the main character any modicum of pleasure which seems to be very fleeting, while everything else in grey and pointless. Whatever it is about, the music is beautifully elegant and atmospheric, and ultimately, MayflowerMadame are wonderful to listen to.
The single called “Grip Of Pain” does sound… well, painful. This is the latest drop from Teknovore, as GeorgeKlontzas takes us on an electronic nightmare into Greek mythos, with JanKluge of AnySecond on vocal duties, with this the second single off the soon to be released album, on InfactedRecords, called Caerdroia.
‘Listen to me, no way out‘ grabs you by the nuts and the brutal vocals punch you in the guts. The electronics are laced with urgency, like you are being chased by unseen forces in the darkness. The techno beats echoing around in your head, duelling along with Kluge’s rasped promise of no escape in “GripOfPain.” “Anamnesis” is just throw back to hard dance style techno rave music, full of electrifying energy that builds over and over again, taking you to the point where you have to move, for now your body is not your own.
If you love dance music, electronic music or just good industrial, then you really will have to have a listen to the latest Teknovore. It is really mind blowing how well Klontzas can weave together tracks that are instantaneously likeable, plus accessing talent like JanKluge (AnySecond) to set it all on fire, speak volumes about the man. Get thee the “GripOfPain,” because we seem to have lived this life before………….
PTSD is a terrible mental affliction brought on by living in a high stress environment, and this often includes those who have served in the armed forces, in areas of both war and peace keeping. The Dreadful Tides are a heavy rock/metal band from Melbourne, a four piece comprised of Jimmy Black (vocals), Wes Hopkins (bass), Justin Strudwick (guitar) and Leland Hallett (drums), who are addressing this topic in the single “Fire In The Hole.”
Photo by Andrew Sladdins
Hear the chorus explode in the exclamation of ‘FIRE,’ crashing drums and rumbling guitar chords, with the pull and push of what for me is the essence of classic heavy rock. The guitars drive this formidable tank, while Black’s vocals call down the artillery strike.
The Dreadful Tides throw that grenade, grabbing your attention, with “Fire In The Hole,” which definitely reflects a certain Aussie rock flare, though the track has an international appeal. It is a fist pumping affair, powerful not only as a force of nature musically, but also for bringing to the fore the idea that discussing mental health can make a difference.
A hex is a spell or a charm, bestowed by a person that might otherwise be called a witch. MargotDay is Metamorph and March saw the release of the new album HEX on DistortionRecords. Day has been in the New York gothic scene since the 80s, which means the lady has a wealth of experience and as a practising witch, imbues her songs with the spellbinding heart and soul of her craft. If this wasn’t bewitching enough, May 31st sees Metamorph drop the EP WastelandWitchRMX, with re-imaginings by SilverWalks and Vetica in order to get your woo woo on. So, we played our tarot cards right and managed to conjure up a link to the enchantress known as MargotDay in order to ask her a few pressing questions about herself and HEX.
Where night nor day ever meet, welcome Margot Day to the ritual grounds that is Onyx.
Margot, you play the flute, so are we to gather you are classically trained and if so how do you think this drew you into the gothic scene?
Yes I am classically trained in flute, and my voice in opera. I drew a lot from this classical background in the arts. My mom was a dancer and theater person who put me on the stage as a 2-year-old, and my dad a artist who played the piano – I joined him on the flute when I was 7 years old – playing classical music as a child. Gothic literature. High-art with its deep meaningful themes of darkness, life and the hereafter, immortals, the supernatural, all these elements of haunting beauty—it was a natural bridge. I wanted to create music with layers of depth, timelessness, enhanced by a mystical witchy vibe – gothic is the perfect genre for me.
You have been a fixture of the New York post-punk scene since the early 80s, playing with bands such as The Plaque and Slow Walk 13. What was it like back then, and do you look back with great nostalgia or is it all a bit of a blurr?
More of a blurr! A glorious wild blurr… But honestly maybe because I am always creating something – I kinda naturally live in a blurr anyways.
Since that time, you have gone on to create the project Metamorph, where you are the lead singer. Could you give us a little background on how the band started and also members please?
I had a profound healing experience. I had lived with chronic pain for many years and then went through what I consider both a psychic and medical miracle. Its chronicled in the “Metamorph Healing Documentary” On YouTube. I had temporarily given up on making music because of the pain – during the healing process I reconnected with my life destiny and the promise I made to the powers that be that I would make music in this life-time. The Metamorph line-up is me, Thaliana on back vox and keys. My twin flame and partner Kurtis Knight sings and plays soundscapes. Our daughter Julifer Day sings on some of the Metamorph albums and contributes lyrics.
2024 has seen the new album “HEX” drop. Coming out of covid, etc, how long have you been working on this album and was it an easy or laborious task?
Covid stopped me in my tracks – I went into a deep funk grieving for all the shows that were cancelled. Everything fell apart. A time of re-evaluating who I am and what I wanted. Facing myself and my pain ALONE. It took about a year of curling up weeping – and then… I realized how much I wanted to create new songs in a way that was my own – isolation was key.
The songs poured out of me – nothing laborious about it – like a waterfall that just keeps flowing – I reached out producer Erik Gustafson of Adoration Destroyed and Eva X, and with his musical talent and production skills this phase of Metamorph was born. Erik is the Metamorph Alchemist and an integral part of the current Metamorph projects. First album after Covid was “Kiss of the Witch”. Then came HEX. We are deep in it with the new songs for the next album.
The album drips in subjects of witchcraft, occultism and walking between two worlds, spiritual and physical. Is this a subject that has always fascinated you?
Absolutely – Metamorph drips with Witchcraft. I am a Witch. Nature magic. Vortexes and altered dimensions. Pure healing magic.
For me, I see a lot of your music as an expression of feminine power and resilience, especially as witches are often thought of as being female. Do you think this a true statement and what are your thoughts?
My parents never made me feel like “being a girl” was some kind of handicap. So I don’t really think about myself in terms of feminine power. However, power and resilience are my mantra. It is my hope that Metamorph encourages by example for others to find their own power and resilience. Are Witches only women? I don’t know. But I doubt it.
We have to ask…what do you mean by “Woo Woo,” does it have the same connotations as the more British version of getting up to a certain type of mischief and what has this all to do with cats?
Woo Woo – I mean sexy witchy magical fun. To me black cats are the emblem of witchyness….
Here at Onyx, we are most appreciative of the title track “HEX”, and delight in the lyrics ‘Your eyes, like onyx stones, A power source deep and dark.’ You got that right baby! Do you have any favorite tracks off the new album?
No favorites. Each track has its own life. Each song is its own multidimensional jewel.
You have excellent taste in who you work with as far as remixes go including Adoration Destroyed and SPANKTHENUN. This album has some stonkingly good remixes by Assemblage 23, Grendel and MORIS BLAK. How did you get these guys involved?
Shout out to William Zimmerman of Moon Coil Media for connecting me with some of them. Having my music remixed by these brilliant successful remixers is one of the greatest joys for me. Gratitude. LOVE IT!! Just got a HEX remix done by Chris Hall of Stabbing Westward – out now all platforms. AMAZING!! My intention is to honor the Metamorph HEX album with various remixes over the next few months. Wasteland Witch remixes drop May 31 featuring Silver Walks. HEXPLAY – THE HEX CD REMIXES EP” drops July 12 with a remix from Leaether Strip and a surprise witchy chant from me – and an intense version of Red Roses from Third Realm plus a few other surprises from my label Distortion Production.
Metamorph is definitely electronic influenced but within you hear the classical music influence, and you still play the flute. How would you describe the sound of Metamorph?
Goth Pop – meaningful, deep, danceable, witchy, catchy and fun.
What music and acts drew you into the gothic genre?
It’s all a blurrrrrr lol…
Who do you get a kick out of listening to now?
I have Metamorph on repeat in my head 24/7 – songs I am writing they haunt me. Sadly not much airspace for other music….
If you were granted the ability to have one extraordinary witchy power, what would you choose and why?
The superpower to inspire others to be creative – opening their hearts and minds. I want to be the ripple in the ocean that spreads into infinity leaving a trail of fairy dust, sparkles and love.
What is next for Margot Day and Metamorph?
The next single drops at the end of the summer – this is first single for the Metamorph 2025 album…..
DollyDagger is an ex-pat Australian, living in the USA, creating her own style of dark pop music. Her new single is called “Tower,” on which she has collaborated with guitarist JesseMcInturff and producer LouieDiller.
Photo by Kim Peterson
The slow burn start builds the tension, and when we reach the chorus, there is the iteration of I’m not your prey. A call to arms amidst growling guitar work and shrieking synths, about the power of the female character.
There is also a lush video saturated in a fantasy vision of history directed by Dagger that accompanies the single. “Tower” is DollyDagger’s ode to never giving in no matter the odds, or how much people tell you that you shall never succeed by being your own tower of strength.
JelmerLuimstra is an Amsterdam based musician/producer, and in 2023, he created the post-punk project AprilAfternoon. The latest single is called “ModernLovers” is their fourth release.
The electronics are light and breezy, accompanied by the drum machine and the vocals that are easy to listen to. The lyrics are testament to a romance timeless and idealised, from a bygone era…. or are they???! It reminds me a lot of TheBolshoi, who were wonderfully whimsical and dark.
New wave is alive and dancing away in “ModernLovers.” It really harkens back to the early 80s, where you can imagine a noir style video in the style of Ultravox’s “Vienna,” draped in shadows, smoke and silk. AprilAfternoon will be dropping the EP I’m Coming Home in June, which will feature “ModernLovers.”
Onyx Music Reviews 