Delve into the Damage of Heavy Halo – Interview

by Adele Sinnamon on November 27, 2025December 12, 2025

The 90s was such an odd time for music. Grunge had broken forth into the mainstream, electronic dance music was no longer something that was just heard in clubs and raves. People were mixing influences and genres such as post-punk, brit pop and shoegaze, while industrial musicians, such as Ministry, had grown teeth incorporating rock, or pursued a more techno, harsh edged dance style like The Prodigy. There was something very fluid in how musicians drew from whatever influence caught their fancy. Now, you may ask why I speak about the 90s and I will say that after listening to New York’s Heavy Halo, they have that sound…. that edge of possibility, of writing anything they wish with those influences and melding it into songs that are definitively theirs.

Heavy Halo are McKeever, who is from a more tradition post-punk/grunge band background and Gosteffects, who cut his teeth as a DJ on the illegal rave scene. Together, they have created music heavily influenced by gothic melodrama and melodies, while firmly planting their feet in industrial EDM. One part harmony, one part resonating cacophony and lashing of personal themes and dreams might be one way to begin to describe their sound. Vocalist, McKeever kindly let Onyx interrogate him about the latest album, Damaged, and most things Heavy Halo.

What prompted you in the first place to combine forces, creating Heavy Halo?

Gosteffects and I had been orbiting similar circles in the NYC underground, I’d been more in the indie/punk DIY scene and he’d been in the techno/rave scene. When we met we realized we had an ideal Venn diagram of musical tastes and focuses. We always say I’m the starter of songs and he’s the finisher. So when we came together to make music, the process flowed naturally.

Can you tell us a bit more about what you were both doing musically before Heavy Halo?

I played in noise rock bands growing up but also sang in choir and played jazz guitar. I came to NYC to study classical composition and poetry at Columbia which took me on a detour of writing string pieces and chamber pop. After graduating, I moved to Brooklyn and was working the door at venues like 285 Kent watching artists like HEALTH, Dan Deacon, Pictureplane, Deafheaven, Diiv, Vivian Girls, and endless others rip these warehouses to shreds. During this time I had an indietronica noise-pop type band called Life Size Maps. When that band imploded I knew I wanted to create its EVIL TWIN. That became Heavy Halo.

Gosteffects grew up in the Oklahoma City rave scene, throwing renegade techno parties in abandoned buildings. He was also DJing and producing, buying a Kurzweil sampler with money he saved from working at a pizza joint for two years. Eventually, he started the long-running OKC bloghouse party ROBOTIC that hosted hundreds of DJ’s like Skrillex and Steve Aoki at the height of the dance music explosion. This eventually led him to move to NYC to DJ and produce there, being a regular DJ at clubs like Webster Hall and The Box.

It could be said that you inhabit your music, that pieces of you are melded into the textures and lyrics. What is it like to hear that from the music you create?

It is definitely a strange phenomenon hearing your own music back. It is constantly shifting, when you first write something, hearing it back elicits a surprise of like: “wow this came out of me and exists now.” Then you go through a variety of phases of feeling differently about it while completing the song and it can be difficult to let a finished version go.

This question also reminds me of something a mentor of mine told me, “when you’re going to sing a song you have to think of 2 things: why you wrote it originally and why you’re singing it now.” The more time goes by, the more separate those feelings can be, but that’s what keeps a song vital and alive rather than being a museum piece.

Music is, for many cathartic, and many musicians say it is a kind of anchor, helping to deal with anxiety, stress and some mental disorders. What does music mean and do for you?

If you reach a true impasse and wall in your life that you can’t solve using logic or conventional means, sometimes writing a song is the only way to psychically overcome it. You have to write your way out of hell.

Heavy Halo dropped the album Damaged Dream back in the middle of the year, and I was wondering how long had it taken to write and then record?

It took a couple years to write and record the album, we did everything ourselves from production to tracking to the mix and master. Getting the final versions right took some time because we were balancing so many layers and trying to find just the right degree of bite vs clarity.

I read that the line ‘damage me’ comes from going to a show and seeing a bunch of beautiful punks, but can you tell the readers what the track is about?

So the whole song of Damage Me was written but I didn’t have the right chorus mantra. That weekend I ended up at a crust punk show at a scuzzy dive bar with a bunch of deathrock baddies and was like damn, I want someone to “damage me.” The song is about fucking each other to escape the fact that the world is fucked up.

The first single is also the title track, featuring Georgi Bangs on vocals. How did you get the gothic pop princess Georgi to be on “Damage Me” and why did you pick it as the taster for the album?

So, following the last question, after I had tracked vocals for the song, Gosteffects thought it was missing that final x-factor and suggested coed vocals. We had just met Georgi through the Brooklyn goth scene and realized she would absolutely crush the part, the rest is history.

We spent a rigorous but entirely fulfilling weekend shooting the videobrilliant Max Novaenergy of the track we decided to make it the first single we dropped for Damaged Dream.

I hear a lot of The Prodigy in the single, plus it has that high energy associated with a lot of the industrial music of the 90s. Is this an era that has a lot of influence for you both, considering both indie rock and electronic dance music were ripping up the charts back then?

The 90’s were such an incredible decade for music in several ways.

On one hand, you had some of the rawest and darkest music ever to be in the zeitgeist. Grunge, alternative, and metal were forces of nature. It’s unreal to me that music that honest and self-aware was able to bulldoze into the mainstream consciousness the way it did.

On the other hand, you had the invention of incredibly futuristic production techniques and styles of music based on those cropping up and pushing the envelope forward. From techno to big beat to triphop to IDM to drum and bass. Sampling and digital recording cracked open new worlds to explore sonically and emotionally.

Industrial is the perfect marriage of these two perspectives. Also, given how many vital new artists are mining that tradition and reinventing it today, it’s safe to say there’s a lot of lifeblood left and territory to explore.

The second single “New Blood” could not be more different, with that haunting guitar and mournful attitude, lit up brilliantly by the synths. The track definitely has a more gothy/darkwave vibe, so is it a vampire thing or a metaphor for finding connection in the world?

New Blood is probably the most straightforward and direct song on the record. It was written about livewire desire, wanting to find someone to have an explosive romance with to shake you both out of the doldrums of stagnancy and mundanity of everyday life. The vampire metaphor fit like a lace glove.

The video for “New Blood” is pretty lush as well, so what was the thought behind it and was it intentional to shoot it in black and white film noir style?

We worked with the awesome director Brendan McGowanknowledge of old monster movies as well as silent film shooting techniques and aesthetics. It was his idea to go with black and white as well as use subtitles and an antiquated aspect ratio to evoke the shadowy atmosphere of the early days of horror film.

It was definitely a conscious choice to have Damage Me be super cyberpunk and New Blood to be the total opposite. It’s fun to try and give people whiplash.

Is there an overriding theme for the album or a flow?

Simply put, a “Damaged Dream” is what you’re left with when the ideals you hold shatter. Cruel reality brings the hammer down on the purity of innocence, joy, youth, love, energy, creativity, optimism…

But while the Dream is Damaged, it is not totally destroyed. In fact, desperate times call for desperate measures, and you can use the longing spark deep within you as fuel to wage war against the negative forces pulling you down. You can reject nihilism and strive to reclaim your agency and meaning in a chaotic world.

Do you have a favorite track off the album and if so why?

Bloodrush is probably my favorite because it accomplishes everything I want a Heavy Halo song to be: melodic, melancholic, driving, romantic, aggressive with a marriage of synths, drum machines, guitars and orchestral choir samples blended beyond recognition.

Please tell us about the new remix you have done for the man with the angelic vocals, Andy Bell (Erasure) and how you have put your spin onto it?

We were honored to be asked to remix “Godspell” from Andy Bell’s new album Ten Crowns. We had to finish it within 3 days after getting home from our summer tour with Light Asylum. After sleeping for a solid 24 hours after getting home, we got right to work. The song was already really interesting melodically and lyrically and Andy Bell’s vocals are otherworldly so it was hugely inspiring to work on.

The lyrics are laced with castigating vitriol and disdain for grifters and selfish hangers-on. We tried to echo this venom in the instrumental we created and up the darkness. Musically it was also really cool to reharmonize Andy’s melody with mysterious chord progressions.

Talking of remixes, you have done quite a few for other artists, including one small band called Duran Duran. What is it like having other musicians trusting you with their baby and do you find joy in tinkering with tracks that are not yours?

Gosteffects has more experience with this as he is a mixing and mastering engineer by trade. Living together I watch him help countless artists discover their voice and get to the finish line with singles, albums, and dance mixes. When he works with already established artists it’s endlessly inspiring to see how he brings a different angle to their work.

You live and record in a converted 19th century hospital. I am curious how you managed to find such a cool place to occupy and do you think it influences your music and mood?

It is a pretty classic New York City story. The building was a historic Jewish hospital built in the 1800’s. If you were born in Brooklyn at that time it was probably in this building. Albert Einstein was also treated here in a life saving procedure where they wrapped part of his brain in cellophane. It worked and he lived another 5 years.

This neighborhood we live in was plagued with race riots in the 1990s around when the hospital was closed down. The laundromat in the basement was the morgue. The super of the building told me when they took over the building a body was left in the basement. Apparently the city or whoever owned it before just completely abandoned the building. That’s how bad it was here at the time. He said he just told people in the neighborhood to come take the computers and beds and everything.

The biggest influence the building has on us is more pragmatic than supernatural. Since we have 2 studio rooms in our apartment it makes it very easy to work on different aspects of tracks at the same time.

The next burning question is do you share your residence with ghostly types, and if so, what have you seen or heard?

Honestly, if there are spirits lingering around here, they seem to have good vibes. Being a hospital, maybe the doctors and nurses did a valiant job caring for the patients. If anything we are more angry and disturbed than the poltergeists…

Heavy Halo is now on the Silent Pendulum Records label. Do you find them a better fit for the band and how did you end up signing to them?

Silent Pendulum is an awesome NYC-based label run by musicians, for musicians. We ended up working with them because our band and their label are deeply ingrained in the Brooklyn underground music and art scene. The modern world tries to convince you that any creative endeavor can be accomplished over the internet, but there’s nothing quite like hashing out projects face-to-face.

What musicians or acts were your original influences?

Early in our friendship I was living in Silverlake in LA and Gosteffects was visiting and checking out the beach at Santa Monica. I drove to pick him up and it took FIVE HOURS to get there and back. In that time we listened to the same scratched Smashing Pumpkins and NIN cd’s on repeat along with some futuristic club shit like Rustie, DBridge, and Dark0. I believe the genesis of our sound formed through that arduous ordeal.

Who do you listen to now and is there anyone out there you think people should really check out?

As a side quest from Heavy Halo, I play guitar in a band called Coatie Pop. We toured with Pixel Grip and Patriarchy, both incredible bands that dropped banger albums this year, check them out!

Last question, which you don’t have to answer… If you could dig up any famous person, musician, artist, poet, writer etc, and Onyx could reanimate them for a conversation, who would you pick?

I would pick Carl Jung, his theories on the shadow self and being possessed by ”creative illness” are so deep and ahead of their time. He was a real innovator and fearless creator. In pursuit of his unique ideas he went against his mentor Sigmund Freud’s theories and was ostracized from the psychology community at large. But he won out and received recognition in the end. A true artist.

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Beautiful Astari Nite finding a Resolution of Happiness – Interview

by Adele Sinnamon on October 23, 2024October 23, 2024

Florida based Astari Nite, has clocked up ten years on the dark scene, playing people their brand of goth music. The latest album, out on Negative Gain, titled Resolution of Happiness is their fifth, and one might say, most interesting yet. The band has been incorporating a more shoegaze feel into the music, a throwback to their influences such as David Bowie and Lush. In between touring, lead singer Mychael Ghost, was gracious in talking to us about the band and the new album, which seems to have been born of both grief and the strong bonds of friendship that hold this group together.

Congratulations on Resolution of Happiness, which I believe is your fifth full length studio. Astari Nite has been releasing music since 2014, so I am wondering how the dark alternative scene has changed since you first started out?

Thank you Adele! You know, I am not too certain about what I have released in the past though “Here Lies” and “Resolution of Happiness” are still mint to me.

Sometimes it’s easier for me to leave songs that I write in specific periods of my life, far away and alone. I find it to be therapeutic that way. At least for today, I feel that way.

During the band’s travels throughout the U.S., UK and Europe, I met DJs, Promoters, bands and wonderful people who support this vibrant scene.

With social media platforms available, it also seems that more and more people enjoy sharing playlists, spinning music online and being very vocal on what they love or hate. This world is massive and there is space for everyone to share and love.

I have heard the Florida darkwave scene is pretty big, so could you tell us how you started up the band?

I met Illia, the drummer for Astari Nite at a Roller rink. I was sipping on a soda pop, and he walked up to me and said, “I like your Jeans.” Shortly after he offered me some candy and he and I ended up skating to disco for hours.

We decided to start a band influenced by what we had blasting on the jukebox religiously!

It took some time to find our guitar player Howard Melnick and bass player / Keyboardist, Danny A.E. I guess it was all fine and dandy once we agreed that Abba, Bowie and PULP rule the school!

The new album has a dreamy quality about it, through the echoing guitar work and yet it has a beating goth rock heart. Can you tell us a bit more about the concept behind the album?

I guess jumping in from putting out the Here Lies album a couple of years ago, we wanted to steer away from the gloom. We wanted to do something a little bit brighter as a nod to the nineties, which we were heavily influenced by during this record. And I think jumping down and speaking about facts in my life kind of put color to what the boys in the band were putting together musically. I was able to tell more of a story rather than hiding behind this shade of gloom, I guess you could say.

I am gathering a lot of the writing and recording for the new album happened during the height of covid. How did all this help or hinder the creative juices?

The death of my brother and father had a great deal to do with my creativity. The decline of my mother also played a part! I can’t really speak on behalf of the band, though I know they guided me through what I was going through mentally at the time. They walked with me and allowed me to sing or say whatever the fuck came to mind. The three of them saved my life! They showed me how to breathe again without being so shy.

You gradually released a few singles in the lead up of the album, one of those being the mesmerizing “Bowie in Daydreams.” How did you end up writing this track, and for you personally, how big an influence is Bowie’s music?

This was a special time for the band and I! This period is what we call the “Summer of Love.” A lot of traveling with our circle was happening. We were totally in bloom.

David Bowie was the soundtrack to our lives during all these magical memories being created. This song was a perfect way to pay respect to his beautiful soul along with telling our own story. For me, it was another way of saying goodbye to my sweet brother, Ryan. I miss him every day!

Another single is “Necessity Meal,” and I am curious about the story behind it….so what is it all about?

Danny from the start was engaging a hybrid bass line very reminiscent of The Doors and Funkadelic. His idea was to have Howard add additional guitars in respect to an alluring Hendrix style anthem, which would surely elevate the chorus. Once it was gift-wrapped, the song met its glam rock introduction. Staying true to my sincerity, I speak of feeling messy during strange and unusual occurrences while normalizing innocence.

I hear hints of early Christian Death in this album and vocally sounding like Rozz Williams, especially in the track “Tongue Tied Galore.” Was this a conscientious thing or a complete fluke?

I’ve heard so much about Christian Death and how Rozz Williams was such a beautiful person. His music is something that I have never traveled through. Some of my friends around the block mentioned that I would love his records. In time, I am certain that I will get around to it. There is a time and a place for everything. Perhaps I am not mentally prepared as of yet. Maybe sometime soon fate will come my way!

Is there a favorite track off the album?

Tongue Tied Galore

Astari Nite is very much a live band, so has it been a joy for you bring new music on tour?

I do enjoy it a bunch though at times, not having enough space to play other favorite tracks can be such a drag at concerts. I want to make people happy! It’s just a crying shame at times that I can’t play every song that is expected.

Oh, the choices that we must make in life can really make you want to swim in the deepest ocean sometimes.

After ten years, what is it about being in this band and scene that compels you to create great music?

The goth / alternative scene is a big inspiration for Astari Nite to continue to write music! The people that I have met at concerts really make me smile the most. Our band has been fortunate to share songs with the world. I am also very passionate about meeting everyone at our shows. It is important for me to attempt to say hello to everyone who took the time to make the night special.

Which bands right now do you enjoy or find inspiration in?

Abba, The Beatles, LUSH and Rosegarden Funeral Party! Yea that is where it is at currently. I’m digging all the colors that their songs throw into the sky.

What is next for Astari Nite?

Finishing up a new single that will come to life fairly soon, followed by an EP slated for a 2025 release! I’m in love with writing music. I feel happy and pretty in my current state of mind.

Although the Resolution of Happiness album was released this past June, being in the studio once again with the bandmates is the closest I will ever get to redoing a childhood that was stolen from me. I am at my best when I’m in a room with Illia, Danny and Howard. You know what I mean, love the ones you’re with!

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The March Violets and their Crocodile Promises – Interview

by Adele Sinnamon on October 19, 2024October 19, 2024

There are a few gothic rock bands that have captured the ears and imaginations that bring back people to listen time and again to their back catalogues. Sisters of Mercy, Bauhaus and Siouxsie and the Banshees come to mind as well as The March Violets. There is never a gothic nightclub that doesn’t at least play one of their songs in my experience, with “Religious As Hell” or maybe ultra catchy “Snake Dance,” filling the floor with the children of the night. Starting in Leeds in 1981, the band has popped up time and again to tantalise us, before going quiet again.

Original members Tom Ashton and Rosie Garland are back with the phoenix that is The March Violets, bring with them a new bass player, Mat Thorpe into the fold, signing to the label Metropolis Records and releasing the full length album Crocodile Promises. The new album is full of that lovely guitar work from Ashton, Thorpe holding down the infectious rhythms, and, of course, Garland’s very recognisable vocals. I was lucky enough to be able to speak to Rosie, Tom and Mat about the past, present and very importantly, the future of The March Violets, as well as the new album. On a side note, new member Mat is already awesome because he mentioned New Model Army, let alone joining a legendary gothic rock band.

It is almost guaranteed if you attend a goth nightclub, you are going to hear a track from The March Violets. What do you think it is about your back catalogue that has grabbed the imaginations and hearts of several generations?

Rosie – The March Violets were not, and never have been, ‘Goth-By-Numbers’. We never tried to fit into a category – after all, there was no category of Goth when we started out. Leeds in the early 1980s was an exciting place and time for music, one of those rare moments when bands try out new things and new technologies. We wrote songs, recorded them, performed them and all at blistering speed and with blistering energy because we were in the moment and living from day to day. Whatever bubbled up, we grabbed it and slammed it onto recording tape.

Tom – Hopefully our originality and the catchiness of the songs themselves. There was a definite energy to all the bands surrounding us which we picked up on and I think a lot of music from that era has an indefinable quality that has help up very well over the decades.

The band started in back in 1981 in Leeds, and since then has been around in different
incarnations, so what has kept you coming back to this project and do you feel differently about the music scene now as opposed to the 80s?

Tom – Can you be haunted by a band? Asking for a friend! For me it’s always been in my life and threw me out into the world at a very young age. It is like an old friend and guardian, and I can’t imagine being without the creativity it pulled out of me and continues to do. Long may it fly!

Rosie –The March Violets still have songs bubbling up and bursting out. Writing and performing wasn’t a phase I went through in my 20s, after which I settled down into beige normality and became a corporate lawyer. Creativity is a lifelong passion, and I have no intention of giving up. Ever.

Coming from the Leeds hot bed of gothic rock, and contemporaries to such bands like Sisters of Mercy and Red Lorry, Yellow Lorry, how do think the dark music scene has changed and is it for the better or worse?

Tom – I loved it in Leeds then, and I still love it now. The current scene is full of talented artists building on the foundations laid in the early 80’s and onwards. I like to think we are still part of that process, and the new album is testament to that. Back in the day technology made it harder and more expensive to record music and I’m all for the advances that have democratized access and methods of distribution.

Rosie – Today, it’s far easier to reach – and stay connected – with fans worldwide. We can build up followers via Spotify & streaming services that simply didn’t exist in the 1980s. However, it’s heart-breaking to see so many live music venues closing down across UK, EU & the USA. It makes touring much more problematic. In addition, Brexit & other visa issues have made things incredibly confusing, let alone more expensive.

The band is now based in Athens, Georgia, so has this brought about a renewed vigour from The Violets?

Rosie – Well, Tom is based in Athens, while Mat & I are based in the North of England… it
makes things interesting!

Tom – Now we have arrived at our 3-piece line up it has definitely brought a new energy and we are looking forward to working on our next release.

This year is a massive one with The Lorries releasing their last studio album soon and
The March Violets bringing out your new full length called Crocodile Promises. The theme running throughout seems to be a bit of a creature feature. Can you tell about the title and theme behind Crocodile Promises?

Tom – For me it’s about rediscovering our punk roots from the 70’s and blending all we’ve
learnt musically in the time since then. It’s full of protest songs that delve deeply into personal relationships and politics as well as firing back at the deeply flawed systems we are facing in the 21 st century.

Rosie –Don’t believe a crocodile: it may promise the world and the moon on a stick. It can’t be trusted. It’s lies, lies, lies.

“Hammer the Last Nail” was the single released just before the album and between the highly recognisable vocals of Rosie and Tom’s classic guitar riffs, it felt right as a March Violet’s track. Can you tell us more about this track and also the video created for it?

Rosie – Tom created the video – it really captures the disruptive energy of 1980s Violets, while channelling everything we’ve learnt in between. Over to you, Tom!

Tom – The music came from something I wrote for a solo project back in 2004. It’s very much its own thing and a bit other worldly and in the video I wanted to kind of put us in that world in an alluring way that matched Rosie’s impeccable vocals and words.

Always hard to pick a favourite track, but for me is the amazing “Heading for the Fire.” Do you have a favourite track so far?

Rosie – I love how reviewers each have their favourite track from the album. It’s a wonderful compliment. It’s hard to pick a personal favourite, because I love them all. Maybe “Bite the Hand.” I enjoy growling the lyrics & wish my voice were deeper than it already is. Hey, Iggy! If you’re reading this and fancy a collaboration…

Tom –All of them lol! Yes, very hard to pick a favourite but maybe “This Way Out,” it has a line I love to play on guitar and that glam sensibility we all loved back in the day plus the words are just so damn relevant to this day and age.

Mat – I have to agree with Tom, “This Way Out” is a lot of fun to play… Not as easy as it might sound, but lots of fun.

How did you guys decide it was time for an album and how did you bring new member, Mat Thorpe into the fold?

Rosie – Mat played bass at our Homecoming gig in 2007, and has been lurking behind the scenes ever since. Now the lurking is over and he’s a full time member of the band. We could not be happier.

Tom – We love Mat! His jumping in at this point couldn’t have been any more helpful. And as far as timing for a new album, we wanted to make a new statement pulling in all that we loved about The Violets past. We had a lot of material waiting in the wings and it told us to do our job with it.

Mat – I’ve been lurking in the wings on and off since I played bass in the Violets 2007 reunion show. After doing front of house sound for them last summer, the stars aligned in 2024 and I joined Rosie and Tom in early January, recording my parts for Crocodile Promises and preparing for UK, European and USA tour dates.

On the technical side, where did you record and who was involved in bringing it all
together?

Tom – I had a lot of musical ideas from the early 2000’s and we also had stuff that hadn’t made it onto Made Glorious so we combined and wrote/re-wrote the new stuff at my studio on Athens, GA. To save money and make sure it came out how we wanted it made sense to self produce and although it’s a little harder to be that involved in the finished work it definitely paid off as so many reviewers have stated.

Rosie –in January 2023, I flew over to Athens where Tom lives and we basically got together for a month and just wrote. A magical alchemy happened: we got rid of external distractions and just worked on songs. Tom had sent me some riffs and I’d sent him some words but when we finally got together it was like it was waiting to happen.

What do you think has changed about your attitude towards creating music?

Tom –I think I still have the same scenario where I tend to hear a riff and then imagine what else might be around it but the key is open mindedness. The next album might throw some surprises at our fans, but we’ll also build on familiarity and see what we can improve on. It’s definitely easier these days to throw an idea down and develop it cooperatively than when we started.

Rosie – Tom and Mat are supportive and encouraging. Which is the perfect environment when it comes to creating new music, I’d go as far to say this is vital for the Violets. We’re not our own tribute band, only playing the old tunes. We are alive. We grow, we develop, we create.

Mat – I’m looking forward to getting in a room with Rosie and Tom to work on our next album at the end of the next run of US dates. It will be the proper writing sessions together and I can’t wait.

What bands got you into music but more importantly, what are you listening to these
days?

Mat – Adam & the Ants, Alice Cooper, New Model Army. Today I am listening to English
Teacher, Sprints, Idols, Fontaines DC, Hania Rani. Ask me again next week and it will probably be different again.

Tom – The Sex Pistols, Buzzcocks, Magazine, Bauhaus and countless others. These days I’m listening to Vowws, Lebanon Hanover, Tears for the Dying and Vision Video.

Rosie – I get earworms on tour. On leg #1 of the Crocodile Promises USA tour, Rosegarden
Funeral Party’s songs got stuck in my head. Which is no bad thing at all… their music is
amazing. Go check them out.

As we get older, there is a certain amount of clarity we are privileged in finally realising, especially in doing things for the sheer joy of it, and for me, this is what the current March Violets’ album sounds like. Do you think this is true?

Tom – Absolutely! I’m so glad that that comes to you from listening to the record. It feels like a celebration of all things that have been and will be coming for The Violets!

Mat – It’s definitely a joy for me to playing and creating music with Tom and Rosie after being a long time fan of the Violets. Long may it continue!

Rosie – You nailed it with the word ‘joy’. Rebecca Solnit says it better than I ever could, so I’ll leave it to her: “Joy doesn’t betray but sustains activism. And when you face a politics that aspires to make you fearful, alienated and isolated, joy is a fine act of insurrection.”

I gather you are playing live again so what is it like playing new music to an adoring
crowd and is this something you really enjoy?

Rosie – I never get tired of performing & connecting with a crowd. It’s such a buzz. Our fans span all ages and it’s amazing. In fact, on the recent tour we noticed around 70% of our audiences are under 30 years of age. They weren’t even thought of when The Violets started out. I have fans describe me as a Scary Gothmother, & that I’ve inspired them to take pride in their weirdness. It’s intensely moving.

Tom –It’s been a revelation playing the new songs and seeing them go down so well with our fans, what more could you ask for? We can’t wait to head out on the road in the USA again later this October and do it all again!

Mat – Playing live with Rosie and Tom this year has been perhaps the most relaxing and
enjoyable gigging experience I have ever had. The fans have been so enthusiastic and welcoming too which has been amazing to see.

What is next for The March Violets?

Tom – Ooooh! Well, we will be working on new material this year for release in 2025 so keep your ears pricked for news of that. The journey should never end!

Rosie – On leg #2 of the North American tour our main support is Die So Fluid. Plus, we had such a wonderful time with Rosegarden Funeral Party on leg #1, we invited them to join us on some dates… and they said yes! Can’t wait…

Mat – What Tom and Rosie said, but in a Mancunian accent 😉

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Ghost in the Malice Machine – Interview

by Adele Sinnamon on July 3, 2024July 3, 2024

The end of the world might be nigh the way the human race is going, between the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and the Seven Deadly Sins. Pennsylvanian based Malice Machine recently released the album “Act of Self Destruction,” showcasing the pent up fury of members Syn and Julie-X about the state of current world events, exploding out in what can be best described as a torrent of electronic rage. We asked the hive mind that is Malice Machine about the album and all the stuff….what stuff? Read on.

Welcome to the crypt of our sorrows that is Onyx, Syn and Julie-X of Malice Machine.

How did Malice Machine come into being and more to the point why?

We’ve always been a drum and bass team and spent a lot of time in various goth and industrial bands in NY before we decided to put our own project together. We went through our share of musicians looking for he right fit until we discovered we were best as a duo. Syn took over on vocals and after some thought we decided the music would have a more aggressive vibe. We decided on calling our project Malice Machine because it was an appropriate name.

Apparently Syn spits the venom and Julie-X is the eye of chaos, but could you explain your roles in the band please?

Syn became the vocalist because we just couldn’t find anyone suitable. He also took over all song writing, lyrics, guitar and studio production. Julie-X plays and writes the drums and also does the art and tech work so we have a mutually beneficial and productive relationship.

You originally started the band in New York City, but since then moved to Pennsylvania. How has this impacted on your music do you think?

NY was once a thriving scene but we left because the scene was dying and the cost of living is pretty high. We rented a small apartment with rats and roaches as room mates but worst of all, with the paper thin walls we couldn’t rehearse and rehearsal studio rates were expensive. So we wisely packed up and bought a house in Pennsylvania and now we can make all the noise we want. Writing and rehearsing is a pleasure plus the location allows us to travel easily to several states for gigs.

What is the industrial scene like in Pennsylvania compared to the Big Apple?

Where we live in Pennsylvania the goth/industrial scene does not exist. But in the cities like Philly and Pittsburgh, there’s some suitable clubs for our music. Overall the east coast isn’t the best location. We do better towards the west coast.

Your latest album is delightfully called “Act of Self Destruction,” and it is chock full of aggro tech goodness. Why did you choose that title as the all encompassing, so to speak, description?

We designed our songs to represent how we feel about our society and world are becoming dysfunctional and spiralling out of control. We’re on a path of self destruction, hence the title.

You have described your music writing technique as organic whilst also being industrial, which is very electronic. How does all this happen and what was it like writing this album?

In an era of music where people write entire songs using loops or premade elements that were written by other people, we create all our own lines, sounds and beats. Aside from this we purposely remained minimal with the vocals, giving Syn a more organic sound by using only delay and some reverb. As far as what it was like to write this album, we had an entire album written before this one but we threw it away because it felt like a continuation of our previous release. The songs just weren’t connecting well with each other and we wanted a more consistent style.

Tracks like “Delete Me,” “Damaged,” and “Desolation” are prime examples of the themes of bleak loss of hope and unyielding anger. What inspired you to write the album in the first place?

It’s hard to find peace of mind and happiness sometimes. A lot of people express their demons in different ways, Syn expresses his through music and that’s not such a bad way to exercise demons.

You guys are really DIY, and do everything yourselves including producing and mastering. Is it a challenge arranging it yourself and can you tell people what is The Morgue?

To be honest, we’ve tried working with other people for production, mastering, even collaboration, we’ve even hired professional mastering houses and spent a good amount of money only to be disappointed in the end results. In the end we realize we work best alone so the only thing left to do was to learn how to do it all ourselves. We’re still learning and that’s a continuing process. Of course all this implies that we needed to buy a lot of equipment to achieve our desired results so we built our own studio. Syn spends most of his time entombed in there, like a crypt, but “the Morgue” sounded better. Incidentally, we both once worked and lived above a funeral home on Long Island NY.

Do you guys have any particular tracks off the album that you are more drawn to, or particularly proud of?

Syn is sometimes content with a couple of them but sometimes he hates them all. Julie-X favors Hyena and Damaged but to her, they’re all good.

I cannot go past asking you about the Trans X track “Living On Video,” which you have covered and really given it a great makeover. It is an absolutely classic, so why cover this track and what was it about this song that made you think ‘hell yes, we need to do this!’?

First of all, it’s hard to find a good song to remake. All the best stuff has already been covered a million times. We did consider this song once before but didn’t feel it was going to work for us as a remake. But then Syn started evolving the concept of the song towards social media. Let’s face it we’ve all had cringe moments when looking at memes. Who knows what the hell some people are thinking when they post. That pretty much was the inspiration to actually attempt the Trans X remake. It just felt like the right vehicle to call out toxic media.

On that note, who are the acts and bands that have musically influenced you over the years?

Early industrial i.e. Front 242, Front Line Assembly, NIN, classic punk bands, some Black Sabbath, a few Nu Metal bands. To be honest we’re musically open minded and like a vast range of music from far too many artists to name.

Malice Machine is very much a live group, so what drives you to put yourselves out there in front of an audience?

We used to think live shows was the most important way to build up a fan base but in today’s musical climate, it’s more important to approach our music as a multi-faceted business and concentrate on building an online presence. We still enjoy playing shows because of the energy that feeds and flows between us and an audience. It also keeps the music feeling fresh. We also have some people discover us that wouldn’t normally be exposed to our music and that’s exciting.

This is the obligatory weird question…. if you were allowed to be little vandals, release the inner demons, and destroy something, what would you destroy and how would you do it?

Syn would say if there was a shiny red history eraser button, he might just press it. Julie-X will plead the 5th.

What is up next for Malice Machine?

We intend to be more prevalent online, building our Spotify presence, releases new songs and remixes and definitely more videos. We have some live shows coming up as well and besides working on Malice Machine, we have a few other projects we plan on doing. Lastly, Syn has been working on a stop-motion animation film for two years three quarters complete so we’re busy little creatures.

Act of Self Destruction | Malice Machine (bandcamp.com)

https://www.facebook.com/MaliceMachine

The Velatine heart of Loki Lockwood – Interview

by Adele Sinnamon on June 28, 2024June 28, 2024

Loki Lockwood has been a constant in the Melbourne music scene since the 80s, involved in both gothic and electronic genres. This has led to his creation of the label Spooky Records, as well as starting the Creepy Hollow studio. On top of all this, his most current project is the goth, electronic Velatine, where Lockwood has guest female vocalists join him on tracks. I can tell you now, Loki is one of the most genuine and unaffected people who loves what he does, so join us as we pick his succulent brains about his career, of course Velatine and why they are saying “FCK YOU ALL.”

Salutations Loki Lockwood and welcome to the hallowed halls of Onyx.

Thanks Adele, I’m honoured to be invited.

Loki, you have been based a long time in the Melbourne gothic/post-punk scene, Can you tell us about your early years and the bands you have been involved in?

I was consistently playing in bands from my late teens to my late 20s. I have nothing really to show from this era, most has been lost in time, very different to now where every event is tracked. One band I had was called Blackburn. Someone sent me a link of us playing on a RMIT-TV show or something like that, I think might be still floating around. I did a stint playing with Ollie Olsen for his Orchestra of Skin and Bone album alongside John Murphy [Drummer, later in Death In June]. Even this is a hard one to find, it was pre CD days so it came out on vinyl, it’s still the only format you can hear it on, fortunately I still have my copy. I was in my mid 20’s and a huge admirer of their music. I know there’s a big part of this music in Velatine, the electronics of Ollie and John’s work, the noise, discordance, percussive elements. When Ollie became the music director for Dogs in Space we all got dragged into that. Quite the experience. You’ll find me in there somewhere. After that I played guitar in another band Practical Folk Music, we played a lot of shows in Melbourne and Sydney with bands like Box The Jesuit and Lubricated Goat, there’s a split single with Hugo Race that came out in Germany and a track on a compilation. But as I said, most of these bands are lost to time which is a bit of a shame, some of it was quite fucking cool. After all that and more I was pretty much over playing in bands by the end of my 20s as they often imploded just as they were starting to get going.

Melbourne has always had a fairly strong alternative scene, so how has this impacted on you socially but more importantly, artistically?

The Melbourne scene, it’s incredibly strong artistically. It always has been. It’s always morphed from place to place to survive. All I ever wanted was to be around music in this life and as I had a fascination with sound I started mixing bands to make money, later this became studio work as well. I worked with a lot of really, really great people for a long time and so that was sort of why I stopped playing as well. I exposed myself to so much different stuff by mixing. I was always attracted to the dark side, and it seemed to be there for the finding. I worked with Rowland S Howard for many years doing his live sound, that angular guitar thing and lyrics is one influence. Ollie, for that electronic / noise stuff and merging genres. Spencer P. Jones for that garage sound and what a songwriter. Well they all wrote great songs. I guess I was also influenced by the ones combining electronic elements with conventional instruments that were on the periphery in Melbourne, I still get called up to do live sound for Snog. Any music I was doing was behind closed doors and I never really got it together to get anything out until recently. Largely because I was doing all this stuff for a lot of other people.

As an audio engineer, you have your own studio called Creepy Hollow, so who have you worked with in this capacity and is it really that creepy?

It was named Creepy Hollow when we moved into this place 10 or so years ago. The studio is in the attic rooms of the house, the walls are painted blood red, there’s paintings and posters and stuff on the wall that are special to me, the rest of the house has taxidermy, antique furniture and cats. When we got the place I was really hoping it was haunted, so the name sprang from that. It was built in 1929 and has a bit of The Amityville about it. We’re the second owners and I so wanted to be entertained by their spirits. No luck there I have to say. The studio was really built to do Velatine so it’s largely a private studio. But I mix records here and do a lot of mastering so it at least pays for itself. There’s a section of it that’s soundproofed so I can do guitars here and yeah it’s an awesome vibe. People really enjoy coming over and working here [if they’re allowed] and singers especially love working in this space.

In that vein, you also run the label Spooky Records. Why did you start up Spooky Records and tell us about the label?

I started the label with my partner Jasmine in 1999. At the time I think it was the impact of the grunge / Nirvana era. A lot of the independent labels got absorbed by the major labels hoping to find the next big grunge hit. There just seems to be a huge lack for much smaller artists who needed help to get their music out. We started putting the feelers out and really it was Spencer P Jones that got it all going. We found out he had a record that was unfinished. Tony Cohen was the engineer so we decided to take it on and this was our first release The Last Gasp. So I guess we were one of the forerunners of the new generation of independent labels. We did albums for Spencer P Jones, Drones, Six Ft Hick, Gentle Ben, Digger and the Pussycats, Link Meanies side project bands Bakelite Age, Sun
God Replica, the list goes on.

How hard is it finding balance and time for all these different roles that includes creating music?

It’s hard to say no to things but I’ve been lucky in that I have a part time job where I mentor students in the studios at RMIT, that helps handle the money side of life and allows more creative time these days, but I love writing so I just lock myself away most weekends and create.

Your most current project is the darkwave Velatine. How did you start up Velatine and who you have been working with?

It was something I always wanted to do, and as I said, I was doing it behind closed doors for so long. I discovered Ableton in 2018 after struggling with various modern programs for ages and I had an instant connection with it. It just opened up everything for me. It was like I could get the creativity out of my brain for the first time in years because of its fluency. When lockdown hit I’d been looking for women to work with, initially wanting them to do lyrics and and write vocal lines. As that became impossible I used the space to just get better at what I did, so I went down the road of making cinematic, gaming music which was the first record. Just hoping to build some sort of profile I guess while I was waiting for a singer to come along. That stretched into a second album and then after working with a few different women I came across Maggie Alley. By now I was writing the lyrics as well so we recorded a song together and it clicked. That expanded out into an album but then she wanted to concentrate on her own music so we played a show last year to celebrate it all and off she went. Late last year I was working on a song and for a second time reached out to Inga Liljeström, the first time I’d asked her, she was interested but not available. It just felt like she was the perfect voice for “Nothing To Do With You” and indeed she was, I’m immensely proud of that collaboration, and she’s so talented, I still feel the stars aligned.

Have to say that the last two singles have been pretty forthright in attitude. Can you talk us through the story behind “Nothing To Do With You?”

With “Nothing To Do With You” It’s about a friend I know, isolated at school by so-
called friends, even put down by her family who told her women were not smart enough to run a business. But she always knew what she wanted to do in life but no one would give her a chance. Over the years I’ve seen her work hard, save her money harder and then become that successful business woman she wanted to be. Years ago I remember her taking classes at Circus Oz, that’s where the imagery came from to create the narrative, there’s so much colour in a circus to draw from. As I write this I think back to all the so called outcasts that were hanging around the Seaview Ballroom. I can think of so many that continue to make their mark on the world in their chosen, mostly creative fields. Maybe that era taught us a lot about self belief, a punk rock attitude. I’m sure there’s a lot of that era in there as well. So I write with the idea that the listener might see
themselves in that story and make the story about them succeeding against all odds.

I had a little giggle at the new single “FCK YOU ALL,” especially with the death nell bells chiming and all this is actually about the mental health of artists such as musicians. What brought you to the point of writing this track?

A lot of my songs are really about optimism I guess. They’re often positioned within a negative context like with “Fck You All”. I thought I should explain it a bit when it was released. It was one song that developed quickly and the lyrics were really abstract. It’s the importance of self belief again, a reminder to myself this time, or maybe more for my friends, like Barb who helped on vocals. For those who go into battle with their own creativity. That whole “why bother” it’s a tough thing we play with.

I know it sounds like I’ve cracked it!! I’ve been looking at a lot of ways of how musicians can break through the noise. There’s just such an immense amount of music getting released and so I’ve focused a lot of energy on finding my audience. You can’t just put it out and expect people to find it, but then of course you release something, then you feel like no one has noticed it after putting in hours of work so you have to be resilient. In a way it’s a mantra to myself to hold fast believing in what I do, because I think if you deviate from being yourself, and copy music that has success you just become like everything else that’s around. Then you’re just some sort of phoney. So I’m creating music that I like, regardless of how much it’s noticed, I have to firmly believe in it and that’s the essence of the song. So yeah I’m telling myself to do this.

How would you describe your style of music and does composing come naturally?

I don’t even know what my style of music is. You said Darkwave, I guess elements from there, it’s a cross genre thing, there’s influences coming in from all directions. Post-Punk, Gothic, especially surrounding the darkness of the lyrics. Industrial Music, Industrial Noise, Orchestral, Electronica. It’s those genres I’m most keen on and so I smash them together and mess with them. Composing is a very natural thing for me, I’ve written hundreds of
pieces of music in the last five years but of course not many will ever see the light of day. I’ve learnt that inspiration is actually hard fucking work. Then you have the lyrics to deal with. Once again, hard work, it’s lots of writing for me to get a song really expressing what it should be and I’m still learning the art. But I love that I’m always learning, always discovering the new.

I am always interested in what bands and acts influenced artists, so who influenced you, Loki?

The big influence is gotta be when I was young seeing a lot of bands at the Seaview Ballroom and other venues around Melbourne. Bands like The Cure, New Order, Gun Club, Birthday Party, The Creatures. All very raw music at its heart. Most weren’t great musicians when they started, but they made great music and became accomplished over time. I think it is probably the biggest influence. I wouldn’t say I’m a great player but I’m a good composer and of course your youth is a huge influence, so it sort of reflects back on the earlier question about what Melbourne is to an artist. These influences really map out the rest of your life in a way.

Who do you find yourself listening to these days?

Right now I’m listening to a lot of music on Spotify, I’m a new convert and that really feeds back to the rising above the noise thing that I’ve been looking at. Many of my peers gave out the message to hate Spotify, how it doesn’t pay artists so it was something I had no idea about. I finally set up my artist profile at the start of the year. They gave me a free trial and I just totally loved it. It’s the new radio, new discoveries, a place where musicians can own their own product and share it with the world and use that power to benefit their art. It’s something we really can’t challenge, you know, how much is paid out, but there’s artists who are totally using it to make an impact and even become self-sufficient. If you look at it in a different light it’s not as bad as people say. Fuck, it’s always been hard to make a living from music but the old school gatekeepers have lost their power because of this, that’s got to be a good thing. So I’m really trying to find a lot of new stuff in the sort of area where Velatine might fit. You find this stuff, you reach out to the artists and make connections and build community. I’ve got a playlist I’ve just started with lots of these finds and hope that I can engage people, to not only listen to what I do, but others making similar music. So it’s mostly electronic stuff, all of the darker genres, and heavy with female artists whose voices and composition blow my mind. Otherwise I’ll smash out an old favourite like some Laibach, Ministry or Siouxsie and the Banshees, that sort of stuff.

If money was no issue, what sort of video would you make for the track “FCK YOU ALL” and is there anyone you would have in it?

Probably some sort of parody of the “I’m Rich” hip hop clip, why is this a thing to aspire to? I just don’t get it? And I’m sure most of these artists are going into debt with their record labels to portray this shit!!! In mine we’d be travelling in beautiful old black Mercedes Limos. My friends and I, dressed to the nines partying by the pool of some amazing manor house, and women treated with respect, not as objects.

What is next for Loki Lockwood and Velatine?

The plan is to release a single every 2 – 3 months for the time being, most likely with a different singer each time. I’ve got 2 tracks done and these also have re-mixes that take the song in a different direction. I’ve also got a lot of material written ready to record so hopefully you’ll start to see more from Velatine.

On that note, spoilers sweetie… the next single is called “Orange To Black,” and you can’t get more Halloween than that!

Music | Velatine (bandcamp.com)

Facebook

http://www.velatine.com/

http://www.spookyrecords.com/

Metamorph put a HEX on you – Interview

by Adele Sinnamon on May 10, 2024May 10, 2024

A hex is a spell or a charm, bestowed by a person that might otherwise be called a witch. Margot Day is Metamorph and March saw the release of the new album HEX on Distortion Records. 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 Wasteland Witch RMX, with re-imaginings by Silver Walks 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 Margot Day 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…..

HEX | Metamorph (Margot Day) (bandcamp.com)

Wasteland Witch RMX | Metamorph (Margot Day) (bandcamp.com)

https://www.facebook.com/Metamorphmusic/

http://metamorphmusic.org/

https://www.instagram.com/metamorph_music/?hl=en

Savouring BACKBONE with Bestial Mouths – Interview

by Adele Sinnamon on March 6, 2024March 6, 2024

California’s Bestial Mouths, headed by vocalist and lyricist Lynette Cerezo, has been creating their own style of industrial/synthpop infused music with a punk edge, since 2009. 2024 has brought with it the album BACKBONE, a seventeen track remix of songs off the 2023 studio release of R.O.T.T. (In My Skin), complete with an extraordinary guest list of artists. The lovely Lynette was kind enough to chat to us about BACKBONE, music and her influences, but also, maybe more importantly is her fearlessly pushing to prove that women, and especially ladies of colour are very much spearheading great dark electronic music.

Welcome Lynette Cerezo, of BESTIAL MOUTHS, to ever inviting darkness of Onyx and its denizens.

You are the core of the project BESTIAL MOUTHS, which has been around since 2009. Looking back now, what do you think were your motivations for bringing BESTIAL MOUTHS into existence?

We started Bestial as an outlet to create something new. We were not trying to fit into any genre but wanted to make new art/music. Honestly, when we started, we did not think of much – like, will this go anywhere? What is the future? What’s the plan? etc. We were clueless, really, on the music business and felt a need in our hearts and souls to express and perform. We did not think; we just did. It’s crazy to see this and realize it has been that long, and I still feel so novice; I’ve been told it’s the whole “imposter syndrome” thing.

What is the current configuration of the band? Is it just you with guest artists and if so, who do you love coming back to play?

Me, Lynette Cerezo, as vocalist and main head with Brant Showers of AAIMON and SOLVE as the other main person and producer. Live I had been joined for a while with Raphael Gaudino on synths, who also contributed to writing I AM THE SPELL or HEX. Plus Ely of CRUNE on synth and Theremin Live. Recently, you can see Wanda playing electronic drums ~ and yes, these I love & have my heart (all so much talent and dedication).

“R.O.T.T. (In My Skin)” was the album released in 2023, that you wrote with Rhys Fulber (Front Line Assembly, Delerium, Noise Unit). Can you tell us what went into making “R.O.T.T. (inmyskin)” and what it is like working with Fulber?

Everything went into it, as it always does writing an album. But this one was a lineage from the previous two, INSHROUDSS & RESURRECTEDINBLACK. It was the next phase or culmination. The name means Road Of Thousand Tears, referring also to the trail of tears tragedy. It was time to tell my story and be more open and direct with what has happened to me. To own who I am and also why I chose to sing in Spanish and English on Road Of Thousand Tears song. I actually had the concept and lyrics for quite a while till we started making the music and taking form. I wanted something that had more repetitive lyrics or hooks to capture people and more dance-oriented – to draw people together as one and so people could all relate.

Working with Rhys was like a dream for me- I just kept thinking if teenage me knew this would happen (or back in 2009 let’s say). Of course, at first, I felt nervous and intimidated and wanted to prove my worth. Show Rhys I am professional. Rhys’s calm demeanor and amusing stories and humor made it a blast. I was really impressed by how much he really drove into the songs/music and created for this.

As the title might suggest, this is a pretty personal album it seems. How close to the truth is this and what are the underlying themes running through it?

It is written in truths from my life experiences. The truth of traumas and PTSD and what I have been through (my divorce, betrayals, abuse). I knew many have had similar experiences in this world, and I wanted to reach them to say you’re not alone, and that means I am not alone. One topic is bullies, being bullied and picked on and the pain it brings and how unfair and how helpless you feel. So for myself, I tried to reclaim my strength by continuing on and “taking back what’s mine.” This album is to show you have not destroyed me but I don’t think I can take any more in; I am exhausted; I show the scars, but we still find a glimmer of hope “we vomit the stars and gather new moons.”

2024 has already started with a bang for you, with the huge remix of “R.O.T.T” called “BACKBONE.” Was this a project that you enjoyed doing and what is it like for you hearing your music through the ears of other artists?

It is such a huge honor to collaborate with other artists you admire. It’s incredible to think your baby is getting this much attention from others. They have taken the time to dive into your music and lyrics and channel it through them and create new visions. I truly find it magical. Same with covers; maybe one day that will start happening as well.

The artists on remix duties vary greatly in style, with names like ACTORS, genCAB, Bedless Bones, Snowbeasts and Trace Amounts turning up. How did you go about organising this mammoth task and did you know most of these guys before “BACKBONE”?

Thank you for recognizing it was a large task; it was for sure, but a great one! I listen to various genres within this scene and these are some I love. I have been fortunate to have met many along the way touring and the like. Some I went out on a limb and held my breath and contacted them like REBEKA WARRIOR and Broken English Club have never met in person yet. I wanted to have a variety just as it reflects Bestial’s more diverse style.

Are there original songs of your that you particularly liked and that really now pop or have you found some of the remixes have made re-estimate certain tracks, and made you love them even more?

That’s the beauty of a remix; you now have two or sometimes more versions of a song each with its essence. Luckily, I still love the originals, haha! But look forward to hearing the remixes on the dance floors.

You are on the Negative Gain Production label. How has it been working with them and having them support you with this mammoth remix?

NGP has always been amazing and truly cares about us artists. I love that they foster community and a team and connect all of us artists on the label. Having this support means a lot emotionally, mentally, and is very helpful in many ways.

Lynette, about three years ago, you said that as a woman of colour, you have basically spent a lot of time pushing to be seen and heard. Do you feel this has in many ways influenced your music writing and visual aesthetics?

Without a doubt it has; how can it not. I write and perform from who I am, which is emotions, experiences, and challenges. Being a woman in music is a challenge to be seen and taken seriously. I really fought to be seen as a human/a person as we all should be. Lots of disappointments because life is not fair a lot of the time. But I want to leave an impression that I will fight and believe in you and do it.

It also hasn’t always been a smooth ride for women, and especially females that are not white, in the darkwave/industrial scenes, so I am wondering if you personally have seen a change in attitudes from fellow musicians and the public that consume this style of music, notably with the release of the last two albums?

I believe I have, especially from when I started. Especially because we originally played a lot with the noise scene which was very male and the same with electronic music as the woman was more the eye candy of it. I like to think as this world becomes more diverse and women get more power it reflects into music. We still have a long road with the way some are fighting back and trying to take all that away again though (and I will say honestly I fear that but do all I can to fight it and with the movement).

You have worked an amazing array of producers and musicians, however one name really caught my eye. One Mick Harvey who was a member of the wonderfully explosive The Birthday Party (prev. Boys Next Door), as well as Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and having a very extensive solo career. So how did you end up working with Harvey and what was he like, as he always seemed to be the most down earth type?

I had the pleasure of working and meeting Mick in a project unrelated to Bestial Mouths. Mick had written a record on Mute Records with a friend of mine Richard Barker. I was fortunate to come sing making vocals on air during radio sessions. No practice, just pick up from the airport and here you go. Was also quite impressive to tour mute offices!

The lyrics you write are darkly descriptive, like you are creating a picture verbally but also the visual side seems equally important to you. Do you perceive that visuals give your music a more tactile quality…a sense of realism?

I do tend to write more in a cut-up or poetic way that is often more vague and less direct. I like people to use their minds and emotions, to draw upon their experiences and themselves; this way it really lives through them, then they can connect to it. The visual aspect is also very important as I feel Bestial is immersive in both sounds performance visuals. What is real? I often wonder and I feel our visuals play on that as well and are often open-ended as well in terms of story- or if wanted someone can choose to take them more directly and figuratively. Once again, it’s up to the listener or viewer.

Who’s music captured your imagination and brought you into the dark alternative fold when you were younger?

How young are we starting?? My first concert alone was The Ramones at 12 or 13. I even got to meet them in the local independent music shop and get an autograph. I remember I got to go with my friend’s older brother who drove us. He ended up getting kicked out of the show for moshing. He went across the street for snacks and got into a small car accident. I got home super late, and my mom said, “Well, you have to go to school tomorrow.” I said gladly. I can still remember being shy and feeling someone’s spike bracelet in my back too nervous to say anything.

Who do you listen to now that illicit great joy and that you find inspiration in?

There are so many contemporary musicians, artists that catch my soul – oftentimes you can hear or find them when I DJ or our mixes. Inspiration is sound, usually birds or streams, rivers, the ocean cities for me.

Lynette, thank you ever so much in taking the time to speak with us and release the bats!

Thank you for wanting to know more and letting me ramble!

-Is your BACKBONE willing to break – Never did I promise you –

BACKBONE | Bestial Mouths (bandcamp.com)

Artists | Negative Gain Productions (bandcamp.com)

http://www.facebook.com/BESTIALMOUTHS

http://bestialmouths.com/

https://www.instagram.com/bestialmouths

The Excess of Against I with Fredrik Keith Croona – Interview

by Adele Sinnamon on December 17, 2023December 17, 2023

Fredrik Keith Croona, Mathias Back and Anders Ström are the electronic triumvirate that make up Swedish aggrotech group, Against I. This is a relatively new project, where they have married Croona’s tortured vocals with some scintillating synth work, which culminated with the debut album, Carnival Of Excess, plus a new single, “I Am The Way,” that is not so subtly a sledge hammer preview of the next album, threatening us on the horizon. So, it seems no better time than now to speak to lead singer Fredrik Keith Croona about…well…all of this!

Welcome Fredrik Keith Croona to the tea rooms of the Onyx, where cake and coffee are compulsory.

Fredrik, you hail from Sweden, so we are wondering what the industrial scene is like there and how you found your way into it?

Thank you for the warm welcome! The industrial scene is well, different here, I feel like the most clubs either focus on old school ebm and or synthpop here in Sweden, and or goth/darkwave. But in all honesty you are asking the wrong guy here, since I am mostly a metal head myself and rarely go out hahaha. But to answer your question, I think the alternative scene in Sweden is doing ok, there seems to be a lot of stuff going on.

How supportive of local artists is it there?

Now that is a hard question to answer, it all comes down to what genre you play I guess. I don’t believe Against I has a big fan base and support in Sweden, but of course there are a few. Then again I know of other Swedish local artists that have a huge fan base here. So I guess it depends on the band.

What acts or musicians influenced you in the beginning?

The first ever artist that inspired me to become a vocalist was Pantera and Philip Anselmo, I just loved the music and diversity in Phil’s voice. When I found the industrial music scene it was God Module, Grendel and Suicide Commando. I think similar to a lot of dark electro/aggrotech acts tbh.

Who floats your boat now?

Haha it all depends on my mood! Everything from “Scooter” to say “In Flames” or “Night Rage”. But my latest find was “Orbit Culture” a amazing metal band from Sweden which I had the pleasure of seeing live a few months ago.

Fredrik, you are one of the founding members of Brutal Resonance, the industrial reviewing powerhouse. Do you think that experience made you more critical or aware of the sort of music you were making?

Well, I had a small part of its start up , yes. But Patrik Lindström was the mastermind behind the zine. I don’t think so to be honest. Always been trying to do what I like and experiment from time to time, but I always feel like I end up doing the same thing kinda hahaha. I’m a one trick pony it seems.

Even you, yourself, have mentioned that you are in a lot of different projects. For those unfamiliar, how many are you involved with and which are your main ones?

If we are talking active projects as of this moment , then they are the following “Feeding Upon,” “Against I” or “Curse of Eibon” . There are quite a few more but none that are making any music at this moment . Main one is Against I which I am constantly writing for together with Mathias and Anders.

Most people are familiar with Menschdefekt and your other project, Cynical Existence. This brings us to your current project, Against I, with fellow Cynic, Anders Ström. Mathias Back is yet another member, so how did the band come together?

To answer that we have to rewind back into 2020 when I started up “Curse of Eibon” and that’s when I found Martin who plays guitar and writes most of the music for that band, and through the same forum I found Mathias who can play bass and guitar. And together with Anders the four of us founded that band. From there we found out that all of us work very well together and we have a creative drive. And the diversity was just perfect for Against I.

First was the EP, O.M.G, that stands for Obscene Morbid Gore which was on the label Insane Records and featured the single “Scum.” How important was getting this EP out there?

If I could I would release something every month, but I think ppl would be fed up with me also I doubt Adovxya would want to release my stuff every month haha. So , naturally it was important to release the EP to get something released. IR was good to us , but sadly we had to split ways after the release.

The EP was followed up by the juggernaut debut full length album “Carnival Of Excess” out on Advoxya Records. Can you tell a bit more about the premise behind album?

“Carnival of Excess” was a bit of a roller coaster, because all songs stem from my mind and experience and its kinda dark. Its all a big experiment you could say, a bit of a rider on a theme park with different styles, moods etc. For me the first album is always a experiment to see which direction to go after that, you know?

Again there are a couple of remixes by Miss Suicide and Teknovore. How important for you is it to have guest remixes and am I correct in sensing George of Teknovore and yourself kind of see each other as brothers?

It’s not super important, but more fun to see what others will do with your songs. What kind of spin they would put on it. Well, since we are both straight and married loves was already taken, so next best things would be brothers. I’m kidding of course! But in all seriousness, I’ve known George since about 2009 and I hold him in such high regards because he’s one of the nicest and most talented people I know. And every time we work together everything just work, you know?

Do you have a particular track off the album that is a favourite or really stands out for you as the core sound of Against I?

“Fleshride” is probably my favorite of the album, it has a good drive in it. And I would say it has that core sound that we have on that album.

You just dropped the latest single “I Am The Way”, so can you tell us what it all about?

“I Am The Way” is the perfect way to showcase what the new album from Against I will sound like and the direction we are moving. It’s more aggressive and in your face .

I want to touch on a compilation you were heavily involved in and very close to your heart. You lost your father to cancer (fuck cancer), and you brought together 23 musicians, each donating a track, where the money collected goes towards cancer research, with the combined help of Advoxya Records and Twisted Flesh Recordings. Can you please tell us how you orchestrated this mammoth task?

“A cure for darkness” is something I hold very close to exact the reason you wrote above. And when my father passed, I wanted to do something to help others who are battling and or know someone who is battling cancer. And an idea was to try and bring together some amazing bands and people to help out and create something amazing. All all praise should go to the artists and supporters and not me.

How much do you appreciate the musicians and labels championing your cause which touches everyone?

As cliché as it sounds, words can’t be written to say that. All people who are have helped are amazing and only earns the highest of praise from me.

Do you think you might make it a regular thing to release these compilations against cancer as well as to remember the victims and those affected by this blight?

Nah, don’t think so. If ppl wanted more then for sure, but I just want to focus on my music. It’s all I care about at the moment.

As you are constantly creating music, what is next for Fredrik Croona?

To create more music and evolve and move forward. I don’t want to release the same album every time. Then there is no point in making music. I have a job that earns me money, music is what I write for fun. The moment I get tired of making music, I will just call it quits. Simple as that.

Bats or no bats in the belfry, we wish you all the luck in everything you do.

Thank you so much, and I hope my answers has been satisfying.

And indeed they were!

Carnival Of Excess | Against, I | Advoxya Records (bandcamp.com)

I Am The Way | Against I | Twisted Flesh Recordings (bandcamp.com)

O.M.G | Against I | Insane Records (bandcamp.com)

VA – A Cure For Darkness | Twisted Flesh Recordings (bandcamp.com)

Facebook (Against I)

Facebook (Twisted Flesh Recordings)

Sonum Unum reading “Signals From The Sun” – Interview

by Adele Sinnamon on October 19, 2023October 24, 2023

Signals From The Sun is the debut album for American duo, Craig Douglas and Michael Goldberg, collectively known as Sonum Unum, a dreampop project. You know they have to be something incredible when they have been signed to the Negative Gain label on the strength of the first track, but also having the mastering done by Rob Robinson of Kervorkian Death Cycle fame. With that in mind, we thought it was time to speak to Craig Douglas for the low down on Sonum Unum.

Welcome to Onyx Sonum Unum, where we are hungry like the wolf for music.

First of all, what does the band name, Sonum Unum mean, if anything at all?

Craig: It means “One Sound” in Latin.

The band is made up of you, Craig Douglas and Michael Goldberg, with both of you being multi-instrumentalists. Has this been a long term friendship and have you created music together previously?

Craig: Mike and I met via a Craigslist ad in 2023 so this is all very new for us.

Where are you both based and what music projects have you been involved in?

Craig: I live in western, MA and I have been in a number of projects that range in style throughout the years. I currently have a solo project where I record and play shows under the moniker “Neonach” doing experimental vocal ambient drone and improv. I also recorded two albums under that name that are sort of ethereal and progressive rock formulated.

Both of you were swapping computer files over the winter of 22/23. Did this just start out as a clear idea of a band you wanted to create or did it just seem to evolve into something that just really worked?

Craig: The original intention was to make ambient music with super ethereal vocals. We wrote one track “Holding On Forever” which is the last song on the album. We were aiming for that type of sound but things evolved and got more dynamic as we wrote more tracks.

Who does what on the album?

Craig: We both contributed heavily to the music and arrangements, whether it was Mike writing something musically and sending it to me to arrange and add things or me sending him some synth structures to write instrumentation around. I am the vocalist on the album but Mike does sing lead on two tracks, “Snow Days” & “Know It All”.

The end result is the synthpop, ten track album “Signals From The Sun,” yet there actually isn’t a track on the album with that name. Is the name a reference to the idea that there is something bigger than us out there or something else?

Craig: I sort of had a concept for the artwork before we had a title. These sort of triangular waves beaming out from the sun. Our first track “Rescue” has a lyric that goes, “The lost will follow signals from the sun” so putting the visual element of that and the art together it seemed like a fitting title.

There is a lot of harmonization on the tracks, giving them a very warm feel. Was this a conscious thing and do you think it was influenced by the cold weather?

Craig: I appreciate the perspective of associating it with cold weather…but no… it has always been ingrained in me as a singer to incorporate vocal harmonies in all of the songs I’ve written. I always found harmony makes a song more interesting and keeps listeners a bit more engaged. I don’t think you will ever hear a track I sing on without some type of harmony.

Do you have a favourite track off the album, and if so which one and why?

Craig: I like them all but if I had to choose I think I would pick “Misinteraction”. It was the quickest song we wrote together and I am quite proud of the results.

You both are producers, and in fact, both of you produced “Signals From The Sun”, so how hard was it to agree on the production values?

Craig: I found working with Mike has been incredibly easy. Like most bands there are disagreements or opinions that clash. We had a few of those probably but overall we tend to work well together. I trust Mike entirely with mixing our material because I think he is a much more proficient producer than I am in that regard. I am more into the arrangement side of producing.

The mastering was done by Rob Robinson of Kervorkian Death Cycle, which is beautifully done. How did you get Robinson involved?

Craig: Big thanks to Micah and Roger from our label Negative Gain for getting Rob connected with us. Rob is an incredibly sweet guy and was so easy to work with. I agree he did a beautiful job.

Your debut has been released on the mighty Negative Gain label. What has that been like?

Craig: It’s been incredible. Micah and Roger heard one demo we uploaded to Bandcamp and they immediately reached out telling us they wanted to hear more from us. They were there following us every step of the way through the creation of this album and I am so grateful for that because I think that motivation helped us. We are so appreciative of them and their support for us. I’ve always wanted that from a label and Negative Gain absolutely delivers.

What are the bands/acts that brought you into the music fold?

Craig: My early days bands like Voivod, Fates Warning and Vangelis. My later years The Cure, Cocteau Twins, Radiohead, Sigur Ros.

What or who do you currently listen to that you find inspiration from?

Craig: From a vocal standpoint Liz Fraser from Cocteau Twins for sure. Early Nine Inch Nails when Trent would incorporate tons of dynamics with his vocals. Peter Gabriel too. I know I sound nothing like any of them.

What is next for Somun Unum?

Craig: We want to play gigs for people. We already have some new material in the works so recording will be a thing too.

Thank you so much!

Signals From The Sun | Sonum Unum (bandcamp.com)

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INSTAGRAM: @SONUMUNUM

Robots In Love – “Gossip In Your Head”

by Adele Sinnamon on October 3, 2023October 4, 2023

The latest single from Robots In Love is here, with a video included, for the track “Gossip In Your Head.” Ex-pat Aussie, Elenor Raynor, who is based in Ōtepoti (Dunedin), is the driving force behind the project, and the other current members are Alex Burchell on drums, guitarist Pierre Higbee and bassist Tony Lumsden.

“This year, friends The Sound Key played me some of their music and I was particularly enthralled by a song called ‘Gossip in Your Head’, and so it was recorded in the Robots In Love studio with Pierre Higbee on guitars and Alex Burchell on drums. Alex then produced a remix which was even more atmospheric than the original recording, emphasising the haunting vocal harmonies. The depth of emotion in the remix captivated everyone who heard it, and so it became the A-side of the single release: a masterpiece of beautiful dark pop.” – Elenor Rayner

The gossamer tendrils of this song are hauntingly beautiful and are only enhanced by Rayner’s delicately phenomenal vocals. The words are weighted by melancholy, as the speaker seems to have an internal discussion, torn by the voices that feed self doubt, plucking at mental health. I love there is such a simplicity to the music that showcases the play between the vocals and guitars. Robots In Love have most definitely brought out the darkness in “Gossip In Your Head,” and it is a jewel of a track.

Gossip In Your Head | Robots In Love (bandcamp.com)

https://www.facebook.com/robotsinlovemusic

https://www.instagram.com/robotsinlove/

Onyx Music Reviews

Interview

Delve into the Damage of Heavy Halo – Interview

Beautiful Astari Nite finding a Resolution of Happiness – Interview

The March Violets and their Crocodile Promises – Interview

Ghost in the Malice Machine – Interview

The Velatine heart of Loki Lockwood – Interview

Metamorph put a HEX on you – Interview

Savouring BACKBONE with Bestial Mouths – Interview

The Excess of Against I with Fredrik Keith Croona – Interview

Sonum Unum reading “Signals From The Sun” – Interview

Robots In Love – “Gossip In Your Head”

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