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Somewhere in Victoria, Canada, you can imagine there are bears and elk but if in the woods, you might be jumped by the Skull Cultist, also known as Steve Saunders, man of rocking industrial beats. His latest album is named Hardcore Rituals.

The first track, “Chwiban Marwolaeth” sets the scene of something tribal and ancient, yet with the encroaching modern music bearing down. This is the lead up for you to drop into the title track “Hardcore Ritual,” and the magical mythos of a bygone era reverberate through the vocals and electronic tones. It builds and breaks down over and again. The cyberpunk influenced “Rivethammer” pounds and loops, revelling in the violence of the hammer. It is probably me, but I keep thinking I hear ‘timber‘ being yelled over and over again.

“Mover” features the crystalline vocals of Gaby Gustafson, who is also know as Eva X along side Saunders, as the music strikes up a rapid pace, while the electronics rattle and throb to keep up. She is the angelic in comparison to his demonic, crying ‘die, die, die.’ Nicole Turner of Orthokeras is the guest vocalist on the “Floor Sadist,” and does anyone have to ask when or where we assume the position?! This track is a mixture of rhythmic noise and dark sexual overtones, which is instantly captivating and bewitching. The last track of the album, “Duskfall,” also features Turner’s vocals, which feels expansive and sounds futuristic

Hardcore Rituals has a grand total of eleven tracks and Skull Cultist keeps you guessing what style he is going to use next, though I like to think the main style is rhythmic industrial. Having the two ladies guest on tracks is a really nice additional, taking things up a notch and I have to say that I really did like “Floor Sadist.” Maybe it is that skull crushing crunchiness but it is very satisfying. In the end, there is a primordial brooding throughout, married to something that lurks within the shadows.

HARDCORE RITUALS | Skull Cultist (bandcamp.com)

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Music | Eva X

Necrosignals | Orthokeras

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As sure as the sun will rise tomorrow, Sebastian Sunkler will probably release a few more things before the year is out. So, November was the release for the new double sided single for STAHLSCHLAG, called Abhinivesha. “Om Mani Padme Hum” and “Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo” will both be on the new album Amrita, which is slated to come out in 2024.

“Om Mani Padme Hum” starts with the charming chimes of temple bells, before the clever combination of harsher electronics and beats are injected into the track, becoming ever more demanding to be heard in the transcendental mirage of the universe.

The second track, “Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo,” has a much darker edge to it, forbidding and sharp. It echoes with the waiting ghosts of past, cavernous sounding, pounding and primitive, only promising enlightenment to those whom dare to cross those boundaries.

As always, STAHLSCHLAG have pulled something unique out of the basket yet again, combining rhythmic noise with accents of that which is ancient and otherworldly, creating a fantasy soundscape to lose yourself in.

Abhinivesha | STAHLSCHLAG (bandcamp.com)

https://www.facebook.com/STAHLSCHLAG/

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One might wonder what Fundustrial is, and the only answer can be, STAHLSCHLAG! I have been rather slack covering the new releases from Sebastian Sünkler, but every time I think he’s going to take a hiatus due to work commitments…. BOOM, there is another album/EP. The man is almost as much machine as the computers and synths that he uses, with the exception that he is one of the nicest guys in the industrial scene, though he does have the Terminator haircut. I’m just saying.

So, I have compiled the three Fundustrial EPs, Alpha!, Beta! and Gamma! into a bouncy castle, filled with clowns and glow sticks to give you an idea of what you need in your life. The Alpha! EP is just full of aggrotech dance with noise and it really smokes, like with the track “This Is Fundustrial,” being the prefect example of flesh pounding rhythms to make even the most tired cybergoth, want to stomp their New Rocks. “Whatever You Say” will make your blood pressure rise as a swirling dance floor filler, or the more rhythmic noise influenced “Dance Of Doom.” Honestly, who doesn’t like a bit of doom dancing?!

The second EP, Beta! does rather seem to be where Sünkler may have contemplated he needed a break, then thought ‘nah, it is all good,’ and so we have gotten something very much more off the wall. Glitching fast paced beats follow you through the EP, poking you with the feather of no mercy, so you can be cyber romanced by “My Generation,” or enjoy the wonderment of how potatoes and tomatoes are very entertaining with a huge techno helping of “Something Different.” Kill or be killed in the style of Tron, in the track “Get Ready,” or get lost in “I Have A Dream.”

‘Fundustrial is back, it’s fast, it’s hard and will make you crack,’ proclaims the female voice, about Gamma!, in the first track, “Make you Crack,” or how about being lost in the trance inducing “Anthem,” that might have been instigated the secretive lizard people. The track “Milk” could be the first industrial track I have ever heard with mooing cows and some animated voice threatening to make you drink the creamy white stuff. How can you go wrong with a titles like “Let’s Get Goth,” or a revamping of “Popular Slut Club,” which, by the way, has has the treatment Singery[Cdio], creating a echoing mind fuck, pushing you over the edge with its wonderous layers of noise.

Are these EPs fun? Yes. Are they industrial. Absolutely. So there is no doubt in my mind that this is indeed Fundustrial at its very best. It is nice to see a kooky side to STAHLSCHLAG, and it is really interesting to see the progression of this series. Party hearty with Fundustrial and for the people with clown phobias…. sorry but you’ll get over it.

Alpha! | Fundustrial | STAHLSCHLAG (bandcamp.com)

Beta! | Fundustrial | STAHLSCHLAG (bandcamp.com)

Gamma! | Fundustrial | STAHLSCHLAG (bandcamp.com)

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https://www.instagram.com/stahlschlag_official/

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Take one very enthusiastic New Zealand punk, living in the Blue Mountains of Australia, give him electronics to play with, and you get Schkeuditzer Kreuz. Kieren Hills is back with a new single. “Joy“, before the release of his new album, No Life Left, on the 25th of August, and for the lucky people in Europe, he is going to be touring there between September and October.

The electronics are under stress and screaming, while voices can be heard from within. The laboured rhythm kicks in, as does the ear ripping vocals from Hills, exploding over and over again, slamming in the perfect exultation of destruction.

The anguish of crust punk, mixed with the harsh machine of industrial noise, somewhat describes Schkeuditzer Kreuz, and yet there is elements of gut wrenching internal pain balanced by frenzied highs, incorporated into the music. Destruction often heralds in a time of recreation, and perhaps this is the “Joy” for Schkeuditzer Kreuz. It is a banger of a track.

Joy – Single edit | Schkeuditzer Kreuz (bandcamp.com)

https://www.facebook.com/SchkeuditzerKreuz

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Vermin, vermin everywhere, and now there is the EP Vermin by Non-Bio. Non-Bio is UK based, Howard Gardener’s power/rhythmic noise project, when he is not working on Decommissioned Forests or Pillars Of Golden Misery.

As soon as I hear the first bars of “Vermin“, my lips turn up into a smirk. Yeah, this is the good stuff. It is heavy on the vibrating bass and fritzing electronics that are completing crescendos and decrescendos. It is verbose and Gardner’s voice is within. Feel yourself consumed by the wubbing loops of “The Feast,” as it literally feels like it is trying to pull itself apart at the seams. The rhythms fighting against each other like a battlefield, as they celebrate the gourmet banquet provided for Death.

“Center Negative” is an instrumental track and as it rolls on, it gathers more and more noise to itself, growing exponentially in terrifying voracity. It leads into the last track, “Clarity“, which is about where truths meet half truths, feeding into lies, The rhythms jackhammer with Gardner’s words and the crunchy noise threatens to overtake all.

Humans are amazing creatures but they are also the scourge of the planet. We over populate, consume resources and destroy the habitats of the other animals that we share Earth with. In fact, we will even destroy each other to gain that which is not ours. The EP is a look at this darker side/nature of the human race and Non-Bio’s disillusionment embodied in Vermin, with its beautiful, skull beating rhythms and brain addling reverberations.

Vermin | Non-Bio (bandcamp.com)

https://www.facebook.com/nonbiomusic?mibextid=ZbWKwL

http://www.downwithfreedom.com/non-bio

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Someone told me they were going to have a rest from creating music. They so lied!!! STAHLSCHLAG released in February, the EP Avalanche. German, Sebastian Sünkler has been busy, tinkering up a storm and he even brought along some friends for the ride.

“Mental Machines” is a bit of a treat because you get to hear the man himself, Sünkler, providing the vocals in this track of amalgamated power noise and techno. The machine, through Sünkler, speaks to you in its metal voice about loss of control, slamming against the electronic cage.

Non-Bio’s Howard Gardner is the guest vocalist/lyricist on ” Do You Think?“. Grand internal reverberations punch around Gardner’s monologue, threatening to overwhelm and consume.

There is yet another guest vocalist/lyricist on the track, “Before I Was Broken” in the form of Kimberley of Bow Ever Down. With a slower and more synth lead sound, Kimberley’s singing flows above the spike barbed beats that attempt to puncture the sincerity of the vocals, telling of a time of happiness that no longer exists.

The final track is the instrumental “Burn“. The glitching and crunchy rhythm is over laid with an eerily tinkling keyboard, like the embers starting to ignite, fuelled by the music and taking hold. It can’t be stopped as it hungrily bursts forth, those synth lines feeding into the blaze.

Honestly, I don’t think Sebastian can help himself, and the winner is us, the listeners. Each time he puts out new music, you hear him changing things up or reinventing his sound, plus having great vocalists is just the cherry on top. Maybe Avalanche refers to the onslaught of rhythmic noise, but I like to think it’s because STAHLSCHLAG is just like a force of nature.

https://stahlschlag.bandcamp.com/album/avalanche

https://www.facebook.com/STAHLSCHLAG?mibextid=ZbWKwL

https://non-bio.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/nonbiomusic?mibextid=ZbWKwL

https://boweverdown.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100034743804349&mibextid=ZbWKwL

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[gelöscht], more or less means ‘erased‘ in German, and it is also the debut industrial harsh noise album for VERFÃœHRERVERGELTER, also known as David Munster. The album has been released digitally on the label Produkt 42 and as a self release on tape.

Now here’s the challenge…. every track on the album is called [gelöscht] except for “Intro“. I’ll let that sink in. It is slightly terrifying territory for a reviewer where the only difference is the timing of each track.

Sooooo, this is a completely instrumental album, and I think it would be an injustice to break it down, so I’m going to give you the overall gist. My thinking is that if all the tracks are called [gelöscht], then this should be listened to in one sitting.

Whoever David Munster of VERFÃœHRERVERGELTER is, they have come from the black metal scene it feels like. That aspect is like a morass of inky darkness that swirls under all, constantly threatening to take over and devour all light, yet never succeeds. The electronics are the most vocal, often glitching with static. They can be like starlight one moment and be screaming blue murder the next.

There are huge soundscapes that want to swallow you whole with their vastness as they drone on. Others are claustrophobic, filing every space with noise, a horror movie. The electronics oscillate, quiver, and even sometimes bear down heavy, while the nightmarish beings in the aether converse with you in their own language.

On the Bandcamp page, VERFÃœHRERVERGELTER is described as death industrial noise, which I think sums up his style quite well. People who like harsh industrial noise are going to appreciate the effort and mastery that has gone into the creation of this album. Just listening to this makes me think it would be pretty amazing to see live. VERFÃœHRERVERGELTER is giving you [gelöscht], and if you don’t get it…. that’s okay as well.

https://verfuehrervergelter.bandcamp.com/album/gel-scht

https://www.facebook.com/Produkt42Pro/?mibextid=ZbWKwL

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Well, if you are going to do Christmas music then may you Have Yourself A Noisy Little Christmas care of STAHLSCHLAG. Sometimes I think German, Sebastian Sünkler is half man, half machine, the way he puts out music and tapping that vein of cybernetics, the noise master has graced us with an EP of Christmas covers.

Honestly, you really haven’t lived until you have heard a rhythmic noise version of “Jingle Bells“, which does seem to be a firm favourite with people, as Sünkler ramps up a screaming sleigh ride to get the heart pumping, in a most delightful way, hey! For me, however, my interest lay with the rendition of “Carol Of The Bells“, which is a beautiful track, even if it is a Christmas tradition and one can appreciate the intricacies of its splendour. Could Sünkler really pull this off? Let’s just say that I was not disappointed. Like razor edged snowflakes, perfect in their icy glory, both beautiful and full of cold fury.

There are also covers of “White Christmas” (no Bing Crosby in the mix), “Frosty The Snowman” and “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town“. If you don’t particularly like the Chrimbo music but want to kind of participate, then this is perfect. Christmas cyber party…. then you can’t go past STAHLSCHLAG’s, Have Yourself A Noisy Little Christmas.

https://stahlschlag.bandcamp.com/album/have-yourself-a-noisy-little-christmas

https://www.facebook.com/STAHLSCHLAG?mibextid=ZbWKwL

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November 21st saw the Norwegian’s Dødsmaskin, release their sixth full length out on the ant-zen label. Based on the master and slave morality theory of Friedrich Nietzsche, the album is divided into two parts to represent both sides.

Have you ever started to listen to an album and had to instantly stop doing anything else, stunned into silence? Rare occurrence, but I found myself slightly slack jawed as I played the first 30 seconds to “Trusselbilde“, suddenly turning off the music thinking, ‘I must play this when I am alone, so I can turn it up as loud as I want!‘.

Okay, almost every track has a Norwegian title, but I don’t see the point of looking up the meanings, as the music will speak for itself and it most definitely does. “Trusselbilde” is the single and it is brutal. Super heavy rhythmic noise and yet there are these points of synth lightness where you can ‘breath’. It doesn’t seem possible and yet the noise grows and consumes, until it’s abrupt end. The sludgy “Døpt I Bensin, Renset Med Ild“, feels ancient and full of portent, while “Imperium” is on the move, ready to mow you down. There is the perceived horns of war, hammers of destruction and waves of domination.

This is just the first three tracks off the album and that quality is throughout the whole release. Dødsmaskin are known for their crunchy rhythmic noise, but this release seems heavier and even darker, intent on searing your nerves and probing your brain with a javelin. If harsh rhythmic noise is your thing, then you must listen to Dødsmaskin and experience their album,”herremoral | slavemoral“.

herremoral | slavemoral | Dødsmaskin | ant-zen (bandcamp.com)

https://www.facebook.com/Dodsmaskinofficial?mibextid=ZbWKwL

https://www.facebook.com/antzen.official?mibextid=ZbWKwL

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MissSuicide is a one person project from Cologne of the dark electro/industrial persuasion. Demian’s (MissSuicide) latest EP is Herbivor, set free as of the 1st of October with guest artists. STAHLSCHLAG and GRENDEL.

A gypsy violin, ominous synths and a sound clip from Breaking Bad start the odyssey of “Persona Non Grata“. Dance beats enhanced by spinning synths. Like a tape in reverse, we are hit by the title track,”Herbivor“. There are dueling synths and the rhythmic signature feels like it is in constant flux, itching to fly free. “Präzisionsarbeit“, featuring STAHLSCHLAG, the maker of the rhythmic crunchy noises, just leaps out at you. Those static oscillations, tweaks and synths are great but the banging beats get the heart working.

“Ocelotte” is mentioned as a part of a video game sample and the track itself is dark and sharp. The GRENDEL remix “Herbivor” is most definitely geared towards the dance floor, with JD Tucker, tightening the synths and condensing to an almost science fiction flavour of sound. Sebastian Lohse (ex- Letzte Instanz, Die Feine Gesellschaft) does guest vocals on “De Profundis” which has been given the STAHLSCHLAG treatment. The remix has those tell tale sounds of Sünkler tweaking the track with his crunchy static, while Lohse’s singing is just the icing on the cake.

There are tracks on here that are going to to be club floor fillers but also, others that will truly tickle the taste buds of industrial connoisseurs. The mixture of styles between Demian and Sünkler, as well as Tucker, makes for very enjoyable listening. Be the Herbivor in the MissSuicide buffet.

▶︎ Persona Non Grata | MissSuicide (bandcamp.com)

https://www.facebook.com/misssuicideofficial/

http://www.misssuicide.de/

https://www.instagram.com/misssuicideofficial/

Music | STAHLSCHLAG (bandcamp.com)

Music | Grendel (bandcamp.com)