CD Review: The Birthday Massacre – Pins and Needles
August 16th, 2010 Filed under: Reviews - Music by admin
CD Review – The Birthday Massacre
Pins and Needles
Metropolis Records
The clock is ticking. Counting the minutes and seconds till you heart will be pierced with pins and needles to the sound of The Birthday Massacre’s new album. Chibi and Co. are easily and masterfully doing something that modern synth-rock simply seems to be incapable of: making music that can’t be confused with anything else. Literally, moments into the first song you already know how good this album will be for the next hour.
From the start, you may get a feeling that nothing has changed, but this is not true. The Birthday Massacre became a bit heavier. There is their usual drive (multiplied by two) and a strong scent of an instant classic in the air. Remember how “Red Stars” played over repeatedly in your head? Well, get ready for “Shallow Grave”and “Pale”. Tracks like these are something that can match their European counterparts, as Ontario’s industrial gem just keeps proving who is number one in North America.
The Birthday Massacre are unique because they play music that sinks in, almost like pop but is anything but, and while being unmistakable and distinct, still manages to be an unquestionable leader of the genre in the New World. Dreamy, romantic and heavy, songs like “Secret” and “Sideways” transfer you to a place where decades are merging, safely splitting you in pieces, allowing you to experience a multitude of emotions and moods at the same time. Topping it all off is “Pins and Needles”, a brilliant song, well-deserving the name of the album itself.
So yes, the clock is ticking. You might want to draw up a will, just in case you die of pleasure.
Pins and Needles is Available September 14th, 2010
By Arceon
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Copyright © 2004-2010 ABORT Magazine. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of this publication, in whole or in part, in any form or medium without express written permission from Abort Media Publishing Corporation (AMP Corp.) is prohibited. All use is subject to our Terms of Use.
EXCLUSIVE: 21 and Under With…Katatonia
August 8th, 2010 Filed under: 21 & Under With..., Exclusive! by admin
Katatonia is a truly amazing Swedish doom/progressive/depressive-rock band, which are probably one of the few (if not the only) in the genre to have memorable albums that do stand apart and singles that are equally as good or better. Their transition from death-doom in the early days to an arcane alchemical substance that thousands adore and love is unique and even though the trend in the genre isn’t unheard of, Katatonia does it their own mind-grabbing way. Their last album Night is The New Day and the following single and EP “The Longest Year” is another step in their evolution and a surprising jump in popularity.
Jonas P. Renkse, the founder and the unmistakable front-man of Katatonia was kind enough to find time during their world tour to talk to ABORT Magazine’s European correspondent Arceon, about the departure of Norman brothers, the collaboration with Long Distance Calling and the deep dark forest of the human soul.
Arceon: First of all, congratulations on the new album and more recently, you brilliant new EP! It’s been four years since The Great Cold Distance”. What does it feel like to be back with new releases yet again?
Jonas Renske: It feels just great. Finally we can add new songs live which is a spark for us. The reception to the new album has been nothing but fantastic so it’s all good.
ABORT: What’s the concept of the album? What is the embedded philosophy in it? Bleak outlook on the future?
J.R.: Kind of, yeah. It’s not a concept album but many of the songs have a red thread going through them. Life and future at its bleakest.
ABORT: It seem that this year you have the biggest tour in the history of the band. Shows are sold-out. How do you deal with all this action and popularity? Aren’t you afraid of becoming a trendy band?
J.R.: For me it’s an achievement. To be able to expand the fan-base without compromising with the sound of the band, that’s the way it should be. I think the new album is even a little more difficult to get into compared to the previous album, so I’m not afraid to become “trendy” at all. We will keep doing the same kind of music despite what’s “hot” at the moment.
ABORT: True fans have undoubtedly noticed your compelling collaboration with Long Distance Calling. Was it interesting to work with a post-rock band? How did you decide to take them touring with you?
J.R.: It was interesting to do it because they are an instrumental band, I’d say. I had to take that into consideration. I wanted the vocals to add another dimension but still let their own music to be the main ingredient. I didn’t want to overdo it just because I had the chance. Yes, Jan (their bass player) told me they were interested in the support slot and since I know him from before, and they are a great band it was an easy choice for us to bring them along.
ABORT: Are you planning to visit countries, where you’ve never been before on this tour? Is there anything special that Katatonia and you personally do when you are playing somewhere for the first time?
J.R.: We played a couple of places that we hadn’t played before, like Israel. It’s always extra fun (and sometimes it makes me nervous) because you don’t know what to expect from the audience. We also try to have an extra look around when we come to anew country, try some local beer and those kind of things.
ABORT: What do you attribute to your relatively mainstream success? In an interview you mentioned that you are number one on your label. Is the promotion that good?
J.R.: Peaceville is doing great work for us . I think they have seen the full capacity of the band now and we are very happy with how things a proceeding. As I said before, mainstream success is not a priority for us, but expanding the fanbase is. I am very humble and feel grateful when I see more people show up at our gigs. It’s what makes it worthwhile these days.
ABORT: There are many new web goodies from Katatonia: new site, polls, commentaries, notes on Facebook, tour blog. Who’s doing all this? Why did you decide to communicate more with fans?
J.R.: Today, I think people expect you to be more in touch with the fans, as there are loads of more mediums to use to reach out. I think it might take away some of the mysteriousness a band/artist could have back in the day. But it also feels good to be able to give fast and reliable information about anything happening with the band.
ABORT: Considering the fact that the Norrman brothers left the band, will it affect your future records and if yes, how?
J.R.: We will have to wait and see. Musically, I’m not sure that people will be able to hear it, but on a personal level it’s going to feel as weird being in the studio without them as it was in the beginning of the tour. They have been members for such a long time, they were expected to be there, but they weren’t. It felt kind of bleak at times.
ABORT: Why is Anders Nystrom a more frequent interview partaker? It also looks like he’s the only one overseeing the tour blog. Does he have more free time or is he just more communicative?
J.R.: He really likes to interact and he also is the person in the band with all the accurate info. He’s just that kind of person. Myself, I am more withdrawn I guess.
ABORT: I see Katatonia fans sitting in complete solitude in the darkness, listening to your music in moments when it seems that night will never end and the day will never come and nothing can save them. Do you have a message for these people? What would you like to say to them?
J.R.: I hope our music can be a good companion in those times. It is made that way.
By Arceon
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Copyright © 2004-2010 ABORT Magazine. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of this publication, in whole or in part, in any form or medium without express written permission from Abort Media Publishing Corporation (AMP Corp.) is prohibited. All use is subject to our Terms of Use.
CD Review: Katatonia – The Longest Year
March 18th, 2010 Filed under: Reviews - Music by admin
CD Review – Katatonia
The Longest Year
Peaceville
If there’s one band, who’s single and EP releases you wait for more than full-length albums, it’s indisputably Katatonia. It seems that every minor release they have ever made turned out to be nothing short of genius. The recipe is two to four tracks with mostly familiar ingredients, remixed and twisted with finesse and a mandatory brand new cherry on top. Black cherry that is. Following-up to their latest work Night is the New Day, The Longest Year EP is cooked in the best Katatonia tradition.
If you think back, My Twin, July, Tonight’s Music, Teargas, Saw You Drown, Sounds of Decay and For Funerals to Come are all very different but inherently brilliant records. The Longest Year lives up to the same expectations and in essence is one of the best releases of the year. And it doesn’t matter that the year has just begun. So press play and be prepared to be engulfed in deepest philosophy, abysmal soundscapes and a complete emotional catharsis as “The Longest Year” sucks you dry like a black hole.
It’s not just four tracks you are listening to. Just trying to begin to contemplate the profoundness of thought put in each and every song will be enough to thank Jonas Renske, Anders Nyström and every other living soul related to this record. Even a full album is usually not enough to show what Katatonia wants to share with the world , so, naturally, the long-lusted new track “Solid Heart” is going to take you by the hand and lead you into a land of sweet melancholy all the way to the gates of despair.
“Day And Then The Shade (Frank Default Remix)” is an interesting interpretation of the original, which feels very strange with electronic samples in it, but at the same time strangely comfortable and soothing in it’s darkness. To end a great record is a monumental task and it’s where Katatonia is best. “Idle Blood” is a masterpiece in itself, but “Linje 14” version is just mind-blowing. The cerebral explosion will take place slowly though (welcome back, Opium Dub) and amidst the uncertainty and in-hospitality of this world it will bring comfort and anodyne numbness.
READ OUR EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH KATATONIA IN ISSUE 16 – Spring 2010
By KatatArceon
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Copyright © 2004-2010 ABORT Magazine. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of this publication, in whole or in part, in any form or medium without express written permission from Abort Media Publishing Corporation (AMP Corp.) is prohibited. All use is subject to our Terms of Use.
CD Review: Massive Attack – Heligoland
March 17th, 2010 Filed under: Reviews - Music by admin
CD Review – Massive Attack
Heligoland
Virgin/EMI
In over two decades of shaping trip-hop in every conceivable way Massive Attack have only released four full-length albums. Heligoland is the much anticipated fifth release, which after seven years in the making will rock or much rather dissolve your world. This effect is virtually guaranteed on one condition: if you live through the first track.
Robert Del Naja and Grant Marshall sure know how to do it and almost every record they produce is associated with celebrity musicians. Heligoland is no different. The first track “Pray For Rain” is performed by Tunde Adebimpe (from TV On The Radio) but in itself is an excruciating test of your patience, being utterly unremarkable and forgettable. Massive Attack’s music definitely isn’t on the light side but compared to the initial experience the rest of the record is as bright as a July afternoon.
There are things G & D are indisputable masters at doing, like writing songs so transcendent that they are capable of transporting you to a different reality and at the same time could be perfect soundtracks to mainstream Hollywood movies. “Babel” and “Splitting the Atom” are rather fast tracks, the latter being an example of what trip-hop would be like if it was Rock & Roll. The following tracks though are an outstanding achievement of shifting your perception into a state of complete atmospheric delirium.
As Horace Andy is warming you up (or rather down) on “Girl I Love You” you might miss the point where your room is no longer living a static life. Shapes fly in and out of your mind to the sound of “Psyche” which makes you fall in love with Heligoland. Almost at the point of no return “Flat of the Blade” brings you back online with it’s surreal combination of Kraftwerk-style old-school electronic arrangements and atmospheric rock vocal delivery by Guy Garvey, who actually is your man for this track.
Complete with appearances by Damon Albarn from Gorillaz and guitarist Adrian Utley from Portishead, Heligoland is one release you have to listen to before you die. Preferably numerous times.
By Arceon
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Copyright © 2004-2010 ABORT Magazine. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of this publication, in whole or in part, in any form or medium without express written permission from Abort Media Publishing Corporation (AMP Corp.) is prohibited. All use is subject to our Terms of Use.
CD Review: De/Vision – Popgefahr
March 12th, 2010 Filed under: Reviews - Music by admin
CD Review – De/Vision
Popgefahr
Metropolis Records
Three years have passed since Noob in 2007 and this is probably the longest streak for Geman synth-pop veterans De/Vision without a full-length release. The first demos for the brand new and shiny Popgefahr have been written all the way back in 2008 and now after months of hard work Steffen Keth and Thomas Adam are ready to present it to the public. Produced by Schumann & Bach the record is to hit the shelves on 03/19.
De/Vision have been known to create a very viable species of electro pop and are a credit to the genre but in the case of Popgefahr at first you might get really scared even if you’re really into it. The first two tracks, “mAndroids” and “Rage (Album Version)”, vividly remind us of Depeche Mode to the point where you want to ask yourself – what the hell happened to De/Vision? It’s the same style of music, but hey, we’re here for the serious stuff. The only thing that saves the first impression (and, possibly, the day) is the fact that the topics that are being brought up on, say, “mAndroids” , are more than notable: if by chance you consider yourself a human being, try to prove you’re not really living your life like a robot!
After a kickstart to your brain the music begins improving radically throughout the rest of the album with “What’s Love All About?” and “Time to be Alive” to begin with. Life’s dilemmas of choice and attitude, social problems and the almost preaching-like do-it-now topics are consistent on the album and can be generally characterized as darker than the music itself. “Ready to Die” and “Flash of Life” are also great tracks, crying for all sorts of remixes. Popgefahr is not heavy, it’s melodic and profound in a way some people can’t take. If you’re one of them, you’re in the wrong place anyway, buddy.
Unfortunately, in the end it sounds a lot like Depeche Mode, not De/Vision, but it’s no excuse to walk out on this record.
By Arceon
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Copyright © 2004-2010 ABORT Magazine. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of this publication, in whole or in part, in any form or medium without express written permission from Abort Media Publishing Corporation (AMP Corp.) is prohibited. All use is subject to our Terms of Use.
CD Review: Mind.In.A.Box – R.E.T.R.O.
March 11th, 2010 Filed under: Reviews - Music by admin
CD Review – Mind.In.A.Box
R.E.T.R.O.
Metropolis Records
Do you like computer games, cyberpunk and science fiction? Then you gotta like Mind.In.A.Box. And it doesn’t mean that Austrian techno/future-pop duo’s music is only for nerds. Quite to the contrary, everybody who at least once felt that the last great computer game was made in the previous century should take a look at R.E.T.R.O., a tribute to an era long gone. On this record Stefan Poiss and Markus Hadwiger have changed direction a bit after their immensely popular trilogy of albums, and by “a bit” we mean “8 bit”.
They have been making games themselves in the past so they have every right to reminisce on a glorious time in the 80′s when Commodore 64 was the big thing and in itself created a revolution in computing and gaming. At this point people who are familiar with the topic have already ran off to the record store, so to convince everybody else a bit of explanation is due. For most people 8-bit music is that annoying thing that turns on when you cr4ck software. What they don’t realize is that it was the original music in computer games and there were some true gems there.
R.E.T.R.O. will act as a time machine and will get you up to speed on what it was like to groove to the sound of Contra, Super Mario, or, better yet, Final Fantasy or Legend of Zelda. Take the best from an epoch, add modern beats, guitar sound, improvise and you get a brilliant cyber-punk album with tracks like “I Love 64” which will conquer cyber dance-floors all over the place in the name of the great Commodore. The hits are as good as the atmospheric tracks on the release and characterizing the genre in general will result in kernel.. errr.. brain panic. The record ends on a nostalgic note with a second-to-last track “We Cannot Go Back to the Past”, which is the rare time when Captain Obvious sounds sad.
You have to have grown up with this to appreciate R.E.T.R.O. to the fullest, a monument to the past that will always live in our hearts.
By Arceon
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Copyright © 2004-2010 ABORT Magazine. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of this publication, in whole or in part, in any form or medium without express written permission from Abort Media Publishing Corporation (AMP Corp.) is prohibited. All use is subject to our Terms of Use.
CD Review: Dark Tranquillity – We Are the Void
March 8th, 2010 Filed under: Reviews - Music by admin
CD Review – Dark Tranquillity
We Are the Void
Century Media
The melodic death metal center of the known universe is in Gothenburg, Sweden and everybody knows that. When you are in search for great Melodic Death Metal you have to turn your head towards the city and explore. There’s one way to be sure though, and it’s when you address your needs to the patriarchs of the genre – Dark Tranquillity. For more than two decades they have been going strong and proving time and again that they are indeed the best.
All their work deserves dithyrambs but in particular the question for 2010 is how do you beat Character and Fiction? Well the answer is nohow – you just have to at least record an album that is their equal. So when you are at level where you deliver the highest quality of music with surgical precision – the only outcome that can be is “We Are the Void”. The album sounds like a tribute to their own legacy combined with the best of melodic death metal’s evolution, all under modern seasoning.
“We Are the Void” will meet the expectations of both hardcore fans and the cave-people who never heard of the band. Rumors are those are already extinct. The living ones will go crazy to the sound of the super-hit “The Fatalist”, which is performed in the best DT tradition: catchy melody, heavy riffs and indecipherable vague and equally obscure lyrics. Aggression is entwined with gloominess, the trademark heavy sound is side-by-side with keyboards as on “Her Silent Language” , the solos and vocals are top-notch, everything seems to be in order but for some reason it doesn’t feel right. Unbelievable as it may seem, but “We Are the Void” is inferior to their previous releases because it just isn’t as dark.
It is a great release but sadly it feels like it won’t become their best ever. It’s up to you to decide.
By Arceollity
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Copyright © 2004-2010 ABORT Magazine. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of this publication, in whole or in part, in any form or medium without express written permission from Abort Media Publishing Corporation (AMP Corp.) is prohibited. All use is subject to our Terms of Use.
CD Review: KMFDM – Krieg
February 24th, 2010 Filed under: Reviews - Music by admin
CD Review – KMFDM
Krieg
KMFDM Records
Sascha Konietzko’s last year effort BLITZ has sent waves across the electro-industrial community. The word “waves” doesn’t fit, since it was more like a tsunami, so powerful that before you knew it, it traveled around the world and hit you straight in the back of your head with explosive remixes. Krieg is a yet another proof that KMFDM have been going strong and their music in still an inspiration to the best.
Not that BLITZ’s “Bait & Switch” wasn’t good as it is, but “All 4 One” remix by Combichrist will undoubtedly take the original’s place in ebm sets and even if it’s going to be 5 in the morning after a night of dark electro destruction you’ll feel a surge of pure electricity jump through you and give you a second breath when it starts playing (or twenty-second for that matter). Prong’s “Sacred Cow Mix” of the same song is different but utterly forgettable if you don’t listen it first.
Another gem would be “People of the Lie (Requiem Mix)” by Koichi Fukuda of Static-X. It completely changes the perception and achieves its goal – people will appreciate the brilliant lyrics even more with the remix’s transcending atmosphere in effect. It’s all really good from beginning to end, with solid hits both in the beginning and the end, like Assemblage 23′s “Bloody Fog Mix” of “Davai”. One band you would never expect to do this track truly nailed it. Highly energetic, heavy as usual, style margins are of no concern – it’s a trademark KMFDM release.
Are you still here? Run to the fucking record store.
READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH KMFDM IN ISSUE 10
By Arceon
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Copyright © 2004-2010 ABORT Magazine. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of this publication, in whole or in part, in any form or medium without express written permission from Abort Media Publishing Corporation (AMP Corp.) is prohibited. All use is subject to our Terms of Use.
CD Review: Grendel – Chemicals & Circuitry
January 17th, 2010 Filed under: Reviews - Music by admin
CD Review – Grendel
Chemicals & Circuitry
Metropolis Records
Dutch aggrotech activists Grendel have smashed whatever was left of the people after Prescription: Medicide in 2004 with Harsh Generation in 2007. The album was a stunning success, the music and artwork and example of perfect ebm, the way it should be. Unofficially considered the album of the year by many an industrial listener, Harsh Generation set Grendel in the forefront of the scene.
Naturally, touring and destroying dance-floors carried on for a noticeable amount of time, and as the people began growing impatient for new material, Chemicals & Circuitry turned out to be right on time. Just an EP for now, it’s already one of the best recordings you will listen to this year, albeit a bit different from what they’ve been doing. Not that they haven’t been known to experiment and do it right.
Everything on the CD is about three tracks, each deserving serious attention. “Chemicals & Circuitry” strangely doesn’t sink in right away and the rising popularity of Combichrist will probably remind you of their style, but that’s only at first sight. What steals your heart right away is the quote from A Scanner Darkly. Just when you’re already ecstatic, you’re hit straight between the eyes with “Shortwired”. Probably the next big hit around, the track is in all best tradition of combining harsh ebm and dark electro, simply fantastic.
“Serotonin Rush” comes as a treat, dwelling a bit into the down-tempo genre. The track is great, and it shows a tendency of putting down-tempo tracks on heavy industrial albums (remember “Ghost in the Circuit” from Velvet Acid Christ’s Lust for Blood”). It fits perfectly and is followed by a bunch of remixes, out of which Modulate have probably done the best job. Chemicals & Circuitry is a great beginning of the year, and leaves us craving for the new LP.
By Arcendel
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CD Review: [:SITD:] – Rot
October 14th, 2009 Filed under: Reviews - Music by admin
CD Review – [:SITD:]
Rot
Metropolis
When [:SITD:] aren’t busy casting shadows in the darkness (pun intended), doing split releases with Painbastard and playing the iconic M’era Luna festival, they are concentrating on delivering their unique brand of apocalyptic electro and igniting every dance floor their music can reach. And in 2009 as ever before they are on top of everything, including themselves.
Rot comes as nothing less than one of the most striking electronic releases of the year, devoted to the traditional mix of synth-pop melodies and vocals (as on “Pride”) along with dark electro-heavy beats and harsh delivery (“Frontal”). What immediately strikes you is how catchy the whole album is, maintaining the heaviness and not repeating itself. It would be a sin to say that there was any release so rich on hits since Hocico’s Memorias Atras.
To top it all off, [:SITD:] is still exemplary in lyrics, bringing sparkling intelligence into industrial, the level of which can usually only be attributed to bands like KMFDM (who are initially and deliberately oriented on verbal content at least as much as music itself). Remember this when listening to songs like “Zodiac” and especially “MK Ultra”. Rot is the album that will inhabit every music playing device that you have, and you won’t be able to stop listening to it till your ears bleed, and then, only to go and get the tissue.
[:SITD:] is the official guide to dance-floor invasion, and there’s no stopping them.
By Arceon
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AbortCast #103: SOILWORK – The ABORT Interview
March 13th, 2009 Filed under: AbortCast: Interview Podcasts, Exclusive! by admin
(Photo – Chris McKibbin | cmckibbinphotos.com)
ABORT Magazine’s Arceon caught up with Dirk Verbeuren – drummer for Swedish Death Metal Kings Soilwork, on their recent stop in Vancouver, to discuss their new upcoming album, the return of Peter Wichers, and the possibility of re-recording their classic album ” The Chainheart Machine”
Hosted by Arceon
Produced by E.S. Day
“Figure Number Five” Written and performed by Soilwork
Soilwork appear courtesy of Nuclear Blast records
___________________________________________
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Book Review – Posters for the People: Art of the WPA
February 12th, 2009 Filed under: Reviews - Books by admin
Book Review – Posters for the People: Art of the WPA
Written by Ennis Carter
Quirk Books
They say one who doesn’t know his own past is doomed to relive it. Irony is apparent when you hold a book like Posters for the People in your hands. A collection of posters, effort of the artists hired by the Works Progress Administration during the Great Depression of the 30′s is more than appropriate in our time. Set in motion by Franklin D. Roosevelt, WPA’s undertakings amount to an impressive 35 thousand posters designed to spread propaganda and inspire action in a time of grave economical disaster.
A work of a good anthropologist or historian is all about looking at past events from various angles, gathering information from unusual sources and being able to make observations and conclusions based on that information. Posters of the WPA are a rare medium and it is a very unusual and interesting window to look through. 35000 is an impressive number but unfortunately these exhibits of fine American art have not been archived and preserved properly. The Library of Congress gathered close to 900 posters and considered it to be sufficient for their records. All remaining ones were scattered across America in private and institutional collections.
The author Ennis Carter is the moving force behind the WPA Living Archive, an on-line project designed to uncover and resurrect posters created between 1935 and 1943. Posters for the People is an example of one of those things you don’t encounter too often in the world of literature. The book contains close to 500 exhibits, 114 of which are newly discovered. It is a product of more than 4 years of hard work – a unique collection and a landmark for the history of American art. Some posters are obviously outdated while others belong right there on your wall.
Only via titanic efforts of people like Ennis Carter exhibits of American art can be preserved and brought to life, shedding light on problems of the past by means rarely if ever used at all. Through the looking glass, which this book is, we observe American history and what we see is a hint that even though years go by people still don’t want to learn. Close to a century ago the artists couldn’t even imagine that their work would apply today, in the brave new world. It takes a lot of time and perseverance to gather bits and pieces and present them in a carefully prepared format. Unfortunately it gets ignored very fast, rendering it useless.
There will always be people who will dig up information like that, file it and store it. But gathering dust isn’t its purpose. It deserves our attention and the only thing that can come from reading this book is benefit: nobody wants to make the same mistakes twice.
By Arceon
Copyright © 2004-2009 ABORT Magazine. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of this publication, in whole or in part, in any form or medium without express written permission from Abort Media Publishing Corporation (AMP Corp.) is prohibited. All use is subject to our Terms of Use.
