Roseneath "Nowhere Safe"

 

    The upcoming debut full-length album from the Richmond, VA based hard rock/grunge/shoegaze band, Roseneath, is a unique sounding mixture of raw aggression and mesmerizing calmness, thus creating a musical world of constant emotional fluctuation. Titled, “Nowhere Safe,” the band proves to have a strong grasp for writing catchy hard hitting songs, while being able to incorporate some epic melodic touches when needed. 

    I’ve reviewed an EP from this band not too long ago, and I was really impressed with their ability to put together such solid sounding tracks. The band utilizes a variety of creative sounding guitar effects and comes up with these simple yet powerful sounding riffs. On the new album I could tell that the band wanted to put even more emphasis on the chorus sections by constructing some vivid melodic hard hitting riffs to accompany the glossy soaring vocals. The mixture of shoegaze and grunge creates a very atypical sound that I think can appeal to a variety of rock fans. 

    The opening track, "Noisy," is an intense jam with plenty of adrenaline pumping rhythms and bombastic sounding chords, which is of course a perfect way to kick off an album. Roseneath is also able to create very mellow atmospheres where everything sounds so vivid as well as tranquil. I do not listen to this style of music very often, but when I do happen to come across it I always enjoy hearing bands that come up with full sounding guitar and drum arrangements. A lot of the songs on this album do have that full and all encompassing sound which drags you along by offering up a plethora of raw emotional energy. Tracks such as “Free Fall,” “Passerby” and “Over It,” really caught my attention because of the clever chord progressions and consistent drum parts. The music never sounds sloppy in terms of execution, nor does the band seem to be struggling to deliver cohesive sounding tracks. 

    Although the music is not overly technical, songs like “Rolls Credit” and “This Alone,” conjure up these refreshing riffs that at first make you feel at easy, but then can unleash a flurry of aggression. Another song that really caught my attention and ended up being my favorite song off of the album was the last song on the album, “Spill.” The opening melody and synth arrangements at the beginning of the track reminded so much of bands like Depeche Mode and The Cure. Overall the song has a very calming atmosphere along with these extremely catchy chord progressions. 

    Overall, this is an extremely well produced first album and something that can definitely appeal to a wide range of music fans. “Nowhere Safe,” is an album that I would highly recommend checking out, especially if you are looking for a refreshing hard rock release that incorporates shoegaze and post-rock elements to create a very dynamic sound. Roseneath’s ability to write such compelling and solid tracks is greatly welcomed in this day and age when a fair amount of young rock bands have come along to only offer up painfully generic mainstream sounding corporate radio friendly trash. Hopefully Roseneath keeps this same approach to recording music when working on future releases, because I would definitely welcome more music from them instead of some hipster band that plays the kazoos while crying about how the Whole Foods in their neighborhood was shutdown. 

Check out the song "Noisy" below:

Roseneath Bandcamp:

https://roseneath.bandcamp.com/album/nowhere-safe

My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult "Sinister Whisperz IV: The Bedroom Tapes 1987-1988"

    Whenever I picture a town in the Midwest where the local preacher is giving a sermon about the dangers of satanism and degenerate musical acts trying to brainwash the youth of America, My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult is always one of the first bands that comes to mind. Arguably one the most influential industrial rock/electronic bands along with the likes of Ministry, Front 242 and KMFDM, My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult has amassed a very loyal cult following over the years. 

    Originally formed in the late eighties, the bad started when founding members Groovie Mann and Buzz McCoy started coming up with some unique sounding electronic/industrial ideas for their B movie project which never fully came to fruition. However, their music caught the attention of Wax Trax! Records and from that moment on the world would be gifted with groovy electronic satanic themed industrial music. This upcoming release, “Sinister Whisperz IV: The Bedroom Tapes 1987-1988,” is part of a really cool retrospective serious which the band has been doing as of recent. I think fans will appreciate getting to hear recordings that originate from the pre-band days when the two founding members first started throwing ideas around in a small Chicago bedroom during the winter1987. 

    The recordings on this release definitely provide insight into what fans would later hear on the band’s first couple full-length releases, although some of the tracks on this album are truly epic sounding electronic jams. I would describe their sound as new wave music with a adrenaline pumping satanic themed twisting, taking you on a rhythmically hypnotic journey. Buzz comes up with some bombastically raw sounding arrangements, while Groovie Man’s bewitching vocal parts perfectly compliment the catchy chaotic compositions. Tracks like, “Sermon 4 None” and “Absolution,” are trippy electronic surrealistic pieces of music that you could imagine being used to score some bizarre black and white avant-garde satanic themed art film. During “Absolution” Groovie Mann repeats the title of the song through the track, but he does it in such suave and haunting manner that the words can easily get stuck in your head. 

  

  Throughout the album you hear a plethora of audio clips from religious speakers talking about the dangers of Satan that are perfectly woven into the mind altering industrial arrangements. The best example of this would be, “Satan's Power,” because the main beat is extremely euphoric sounding, yet you hear all these people babbling on about the dangers of Satan. There are countless examples on this release where the compositions may be a bit rough, but the beats and synth arrangements create these unbelievably solid sounding jams. “Out of Order 87,” is one of my favorites off of the album and explores this very dreary atmospheric landscape where the vocals are muffled to give the music a truly ominous vibe. 

    From start to finish, when listening to this album you can really hear two individuals letting their creative thoughts flow without any boundaries, or fear of getting run out the community by a pack of bible thumping old women. In my opinion, the songs on this album serve as the blueprint for what would eventually lead to My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult becoming one of the most iconic industrial bands of all-time. The creativity and uncompromising mentality of this group has always stood out and I really hope more people check out their albums as they have a very prolific discography with enough music to send a televangelist preacher straight into a spastic frenzy. 

Promo video for the album which comes out May 9th :

Band's Website:

https://mylifewiththethrillkillkult.com/

Pre-Order for the album:

https://mylifewiththethrillkillkult.com/album/2457772/sinister-whisperz-iv-the-bedroom-tapes-1987-1988

Lustre “Reverence”

    The undeniably extraordinary one-man atmospheric/ambient black metal act, Lustre, allows listeners the opportunity to enter into a monumental sounding atmospheric realm with the release of the new digital EP titled, “Reverence.” After the Swedish based artist known as, Nachtzeit, graced us with a phenomenal full-length Lustre album last year called, “A Thirst for Summer Rain,” he has returned with more breath taking arrangements and haunting atmospheric musical landscapes. 

    Compared to, “A Thirst for Summer Rain,” this new digital EP explores different sounding elements that reminded of earlier Lustre recordings where the music is shrouded in a veil of tranquil darkness, while also giving off a very melancholy tone at times. The music freely flows through these forlorn sounding realms accompanied by some solemn yet extremely soothing melodies. I felt as though there was a tremendous amount of emphasis placed on the keyboard arrangements. Also, the track establishes a more celestially ambient feel at times compared to previous Lustre albums such as “Wonder” and “A Thirst For Summer Rain,” that seem to reflect and focus on ideas surrounding nature. The vocals provided by J.J. from Harakiri for the Sky add a unique touch to the overall composition, which definitely compliments the song’s spectral sounding tone. 

    This track reminded me a bit of past Lustre song’s such as, “Echoes of Transcendence” and “Lunar Light,” where the keyboard parts start off sounding very faint and distant, but eventually become more prominent as the music evolves. Once again, Nachtzeit is a brilliant composer and truly one of the most gifted minds in the world of atmospheric and ambient music. He really understands how to capture the listener’s attention by composing such immense as well as compelling soundscapes. Where some artists in this world get lost in a sea of generic and forgettable compositions, Nachtzeit is able to incorporate a plethora of creative ideas while keeping you engaged for the full twenty minutes during the song. 

    Overall, “Reverence,” is something that I would highly recommend checking out if you are a fan of Lustre and atmospheric black metal in general. For many years Lustre has gained constant recognition and praise from the atmospheric/ambient black metal community for the sheer amount of exceptional recordings. When you listen to a track from Lustre, you truly become possessed by the colossal sounding wave of raw distortion along with the gracefully dynamic keyboard compositions. If you’re ever looking for music to comfort you and to help you forget about all the chaos of everyday life, then any recording from Lustre is always a perfect choice. 

Check out the song "Reverence" below:

Lustre Bandcamp:

https://lustre.bandcamp.com/album/reverence