Single/Video Review: Evoken "None" (Profound Lore Records) by Dave Wolff

Band: Evoken

Location: New Jersey

Country: USA

Genre: Death/funeral doom metal

Single/video: None

Format: Digital, promotional video

Label: Profound Lore Records

Release date: September 15, 2025

Evoken has been causing a stir in the funeral death doom world since their official formation in 1994 (they were active under other names for two years prior). While their core sound has remained relatively unchanged, they continue to adhere to a successful formula while seeking to enrich the atmosphere of their music, always aiming for a heavier, more immersive and deeper experience.

After all these years, they’re adding further depth to their work with a promotional video made in collaboration with director and producer Eva Tusquets to publicize the upcoming release of their album "Mendacium" in October. Evoken's video for "None" stands out as among the most expertly crafted for an underground metal band.

When they succeeded in creating a melancholic yet approachable sound on albums like 2018’s "Hypnagogia", their upcoming release indicates them refining the heavy, disharmonious dirges for which theyr’e best recognized, amplifying the intensity and enhancing the feeling of dread when necessary. This video serves as further proof that bands can maximize their resources and deliver breathtaking visuals reflecting their mindset.

Evoken selected a setting thoughtfully chosen to reflect its theme and collaborated with an extensive professional team, complete with actors, photography directors, lighting and grip operators, set designers, special effects and makeup artists, among others. The professionals they worked with achieved significant progress in bringing their unwavering vision to film, showcasing deep and unsettling imagery that reflects the moods embodied by them and other death/funeral doom bands since the 1990s.

The single and the video are part of a narrative where a fourteenth century aged Benedictine monk undergoes a profound crisis of faith after being afflicted by illness, which confines him to his monastery cell. In the depths of his isolation, he is plagued by an entity that slips into his reality through a rift connecting his realm to the next. Could it be a demon of sorts, a reflection of his fears, or perhaps something symbolizing his yearning to escape from his confinement?

The backdrop of this narrative said to take place during the papacy of Pope Clement VI, who served as pope during the initial outbreak of the Black Death. The atmosphere, settings, lighting, and production quality of "None" all express an aspect of the afterlife where light and darkness converge, resulting in a different realm. A realm akin to purgatory.

The somber mood that "None" opens with, featuring the imagery of an abandoned church and vacant pews, along with the band enveloped in mist, gentle illumination, and shadows... these elements serve as an appropriate introduction. The atmosphere created by the candles and the gentle background lighting brought back memories of the times I attended live performances by bands of this genre.

The monk's solitude in this environment is depicted in a deep manner, yet the imagery slowly shifts to a more surreal and nightmarish quality as his internal conflicts become more evident, ultimately consuming his entire existence. All through this the video leaves the origin of the entity ambiguous, leaving it to you to decide where it came from. –Dave Wolff

Lineup:

John Paradiso: Vocals, guitars

Chris Molinari: Guitars

David Wagner: Bass

Guitars Don Zaros: Keyboards

Vince Verkay: Drums

Full Length Review: Mac Gollehon & The Hispanic Mechanics "Pistoleros" (World Funk Orchestra) by Dave Wolff

Band: Mac Gollehon & The Hispanic Mechanics

Location: New York City, New York

Country: USA

Genre: Progressive rock, world music

Full length: Pistoleros

Format: Digital

Label: World Funk Orchestra

Release date: September 12, 2025

Mac Gollehon, a multi-instrumentalist from Manhattan, New York, is recognized for expanding traditional genres with a style known as "modern world fusion." This seems broader than many prior efforts to mix music from different lifestyles and cultures, but does it encompass everything it implies?

With his constantly evolving band, The Hispanic Mechanics, "Pistoleros" seeks to capture a wide range of feelings, from love and beauty to horror and insanity, to immerse you in its complex details. Progressive Caribbean jazz-electronica presents a unique way to transform music into a modern cinematic experience, blending traditional and modern musical styles. What kind of effort is needed to accomplish this, and how successful is the result?

From the outset, it’s obvious that while his music is structured and follows a clear path from start to finish, Gollehon makes use of each part equally, not sticking to any specific method or rule. What comes from his creativity is incredibly unique and innovative, making it hard to fully understand. When you think you can grasp the developing song, something shows up that is completely different from the last one you heard.

The band expertly combines Latin horns and jazzy rhythms with samples, programmed beats, and complex electronic sounds, and mixes tribal percussion with jazz horns and atmospheric keyboards, allowing their creativity to flourish. With extensive experience in rock, reggae, jazz, and Latin music, Gollehon carefully chooses the elements that fit each song's theme and decides how much passion to infuse into the performance.

Gollehon has recently worked with experimental extreme bands such as Today Is The Day, Chrome Waves, and Altars Of The Moon, and he collaborates regularly with Gridfailure. These partnerships seem to have rubbed off on him, as seen in the album's seamless blend of its rough elements and lush atmosphere, leading to a broader cultural and avant-garde exploration of rhythm-and-blues and country-and-western.

The sum of its parts is sometimes filled with existential energy, other times with primal energy, to evoke profound animation, ardor, perplexity and dread. Gollehon had a knack for resonating through the tracks he recorded to bring out those emotions effectively. Moreover, he has a gift for engaging the audience with sections that stray even further from the usual, reminiscent of the Italian progressive rockers Goblin and the score of "Rosemary's Baby."

Mac Gollehon & The Hispanic Mechanics have produced a theatrical trailer to advertise the album, featuring an appearance by Vincent Pastore from the well-known TV series The Sopranos. The theatrical trailer can be viewed at Vimeo. –Dave Wolff

Track list:

1. Pistoleros

2. Stud Poker

3. Sign It

4. Mac Attack

5. Vinny “Bay Parkway Snake”

6. Killer Joe “Zillionario”

7. Atiba “SideEye” Powers

8. Stacked Deck

Interview with Mach FoX of Zwaremachine and Mach FoX by Dave Wolff (third interview)

Mach FoX: vocals
Dbot: bass
Paul K: guitar
Marshal B: drums

Interview with Mach FoX of Zwaremachine and Mach FoX by Dave Wolff

What new developments are happening with Zwaremachine and Mach Fox since our interview in September 2024? You referenced a new lineup, a new release, and an upcoming tour. What about all this do you want to share with the readers?

First of all thank you for your continued support for Zwaremachine and our independent music releases! It's always great to talk with you and we appreciate you sharing our news. As mentioned before the band has added two new members both from the Netherlands, Paul K on guitar and Marshal B on electronic drums. They will both be joining bassist Dbot and I for the EU tour dates this fall and we have also added K-Flesh on electronic drums and guitar for our USA tour dates as we are not able to schedule and predict international travel safely at this time for our Dutch band mates. We hope it will be possible for them to join us next year for some dates in the USA.

The new album which we discussed before has been abandoned as a Zwaremachine release and will now be released as a Mach FoX band album by Phage Tapes in October 2025. The songs all have the classic Zwaremachine trio of Dbot on bass guitar, Dein Offizier on surdo drum and myself on vocals, guitar and synth but as those songs slowly progressed and evolved in the recording and mixing process it became evident that these new songs did not fit the bands live sound. There were long periods of time when I just did not have the motivation to work in the studio after the passing of Dein Offizier and I also took this opportunity to experiment more and add guitars as a main instrument. Zwaremachine bassist Dbot and I decided it was best to release this as a Mach FoX band album and start over on the songs that will become the third full length Zwaremachine release. Many other Mach FoX releases have featured the Zwaremachine band members also as they were outtakes that were not included on Zwaremachine albums but we were still proud of the work and felt they should be heard.

I am excited about the upcoming Zwaremachine 2025 The Machine Comes Alive Tour dates and especially the EU concerts as it will be the first time we will perform as the full four piece band with Dbot and both Dutch members joining myself on stage. The Fall EU concerts start and end in Belgium and although we are performing as a trio for the first two Belgium dates we are very much looking forward to Dbot joining for the remaining shows in the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium. We then return to the USA for a few select dates in the Midwest and end our 2025 tour on October 25th in Chicago, Illinois.

Did you audition many potential musicians before settling on Paul K and Marshal B? On what basis did you hire them for full-time work?

I had known Paul K through his work with other bands and we became friends on the first European date I played as Zwaremachine in the Netherlands. In some of the more recent songs we had released I was recording myself playing the guitar parts but that didn't seem like the right way to perform live so I wanted to add a guitarist to the band as we were sort of starting over with a live lineup...so I asked Paul K and was lucky that he said yes to joining the band. Marshal B had just joined a friends band called Vuduvox around the same time that we were deciding how best to move forward and with what instruments so I asked figured if he is playing with Vuduvox I would ask him to join us for EU shows and was thrilled that he also said yes. There were no real tryouts for Paul K and Marshal B but we did do a set of Zwaremachine songs at a gig in the Netherlands as Mach FoX to see how it worked and if we all wanted to pursue this lineup going forward.

How effectively are Paul K and Marshal B working into the band for the live European shows? Do you expect they’ll contribute anything new to your performances once the tour commences? Do they have any prior live or studio experience?

They are both working hard to bring the energy up on stage and push the band towards a bit more industrial rock sound especially with the addition of Paul K on guitar. We will still keep the dark electro and ebm elements but can more easily fit onto bills with other rock and goth bands so we are not restricted to only ebm events. Paul K and Marshal B joined me onstage for the first time in February of 2024 in the Netherlands and we played a set of Zwaremachine songs but were billed as Mach FoX since none of us were sure how it would work out. That show went great so I asked them both to join shortly after that and we have done 5 European shows together as Zwaremachine with the most recent being the “Waking The Night” single release show in Belgium in March of 2025. I was also able to record them both on a previous trip and they were included on the “Actions and Forces” song and video we released in August 2024 and will be part of the new album recording.

Both of them play with other bands and Paul K has been in the Dutch music scene for quite some time and is currently a member of La Lune Noire while Marshal B is also a member of Vuduvox which is the band that will be on most of the upcoming EU tour dates with Zwaremachine.

Were there any problems you encountered when it came to organizing travel for Paul K and Marshal B to the United States?

There were no problems but with all going on for travel and visas we decided it was best to postpone and we look at that for 2026 dates in the USA.

Had you known K-Flesh prior to his joining the band for the US tour dates? Who did he work with previously? What do you anticipate he will contribute to your performances when the American tour starts?

K-Flesh joined the band in April 2025 and played with Zwaremachine shortly after that in June for a Minneapolis show which turned out to be his first ever on stage performance! I was impressed and now he is also playing guitar on several songs for the upcoming tour dates. It was important for me to have some sort of consistency for the live sound of the band even though the members can be different for some shows and he has provided that. I had not known him prior to his joining the band and even though he is primarily a guitar player he was able to fit right in and quickly learn the drum parts.

Have you performed in countries like Netherlands, Germany and Belgium before? How wide spread are the audiences for the music your projects play currently?

We have done Zwaremachine concerts in those countries before and the audiences in EU are much more receptive to electronic style music like EBM, dark electro and industrial.

Have you been financing the forthcoming tours independently, or are you looking for support in certain areas?

We receive no tour support, but are able to cover most costs by careful tour management and it also helps to stay in the Netherlands and be close to the borders of several countries so hotels are not needed. We are currently focusing on booking tours around shorter travel distances for now and building up our audience in those areas. Traveling in central Europe is much different than the U.S. Where those distances become much longer.

What methods do you employ to promote your shows and tours and draw substantial audiences? Is it more effective to utilize printed or online advertising?

We use our social media pages and also have an official Zwaremachine (and related projects) Newsletter that we send out a few times a year to select online and print media. We also enjoy having relationships built up over years with publishers like yourself who support the band. That is very much appreciated as we produce and release our music independently.

Do sound files featuring your music, if any, goes out with your newsletters? Or do you include links to your streaming outlets like Youtube and such?

We often do a DJ Promo mailing and an official newsletter mailing and include links in both for music downloads and social media pages for the band.

Which zines and webzines, apart from Asphyxium, have you discussed your future plans with?

We have a promo mailing list that we send our Zwaremachine (and related projects) Newsletter to a few times a year to highlight releases and news so that includes many of our contacts we have built up over the years. There are too many to list!

Are there any tales of traveling through central Europe you want to relate to the readers? How was your experience visiting those locations?

We have been slowly building our following in Central Europe and try to focus on those areas. We are able to stay in a central location that makes it easier to travel and play shows in that region and often can get to concert locations that do not require hotels and long hours of travel which is much different than touring the USA. We will be starting and ending these EU tour dates in Belgium, and one thing I have learned is that they like to party there!

Can you share the bands' experiences recording the songs you plan to release? Did you collaborate with any mixers or producers, or did you handle those tasks independently?

On the Zwaremachine album Conquest 3000 I intentionally worked with two producers and a mixing engineer to achieve some goals with that release regarding the sound and overall sonics. I continue to work with mixing and mastering engineer Jason Orris from The Terrarium in Minneapolis to handle those duties but with the new Mach FoX album we decided to use my own studio mixes and he did the final mastering.

How would you describe Jason Orris' role in extracting your material throughout the recording process?

Jason owns and operates The Terrarium Recording Studio in Minneapolis, MN. And the studio is probably best known for work with rock and indie bands. You can check the website for a list of clients here: www.the-terrarium.com. When Jason mixed our Conquest 3000 album my main goal was to have it hit hard for DJs and the dancefloor and he was able to achieve that really well. I really needed his expertise in the low end and for a balanced mix with clarity since when I mix and produce it can be a bit cluttered...I can't really do anything minimally. He also has mixed the 3 most recent Zwaremachine singles we have released and many of the Mach FoX and related projects as well as the mastering. Most of the time I send him the instrument stems with and without my effects and include a reference mix from my studio which he can use to get close to my production. His mixes are always better and rarely need adjustments so I am thankful to have his ears and talent when it comes to my productions.

What can we anticipate from your upcoming collection of recorded works to be released under the Mach FoX name? Does it in any manner expand on Mach Fox’s earlier releases?

There will be a digital single for the song Biteback released on September 5th 2025 for free download on the Mach FoX Bandcamp site and the new Mach FoX album titled Chaos of Man will be released by Phage Tapes in October 2025 on cassette and digital. The seven songs that are on the new Mach Fox album were originally intended for the third full length Zwaremachine album and were written in late 2023 into 2024 and we started recording before our drummer Bas/Dein Offizier passed away. With the addition of new Zwaremachine members I decided to focus on a more guitar driven style of industrial rock music and though I am proud of the songs they just did not feel right to include in our Zwaremachine live set so it made more sense to release as a Mach FoX album and keep our Zwaremachine catalog more industrial/dark electro style. Those seven songs were recorded by myself on vocals, guitar, synth, programming and Zwaremachine members Dbot on bass guitar and Dein Offizier on surdo drum. The new Mach FoX album could be considered outtakes or an abandoned Zwaremachine album project and many times when we do have outtakes from album sessions and songs that do not fit our Zwaremachine style we have released as Mach FoX which is much more open to different genre styles. You can check out the Mach FoX Bandcamp page to get a better idea of those wider genres offered.

What are some of the genres represented at Mach FoX’s Bandcamp profile?

There are Mach FoX band and solo releases going back to 2005...so quite a number of styles are covered. A lot of experiments in song writing and recording end up under the Mach FoX umbrella for releases on that page and genres like electropunk, electro-industrial, noise, ambient, goth rock, experimental and more.

How long did those outtakes remain on hold before being selected for the new Mach FoX album? What prompted you to resurrect those outtakes?

The 7 songs used for the upcoming “Chaos of Man” album were almost finished in the mixing stage before we decided they were not a good fit and would be better suited for a Mach FoX release. I had been leaning that way since earlier in the recording process but wanted to see the songs through to a final mix before I made that final decision.

Where is Phage Tapes located and how prominent are they as a label? Are they effective in promoting and distributing their releases? Have you previously released anything with them?

Phage Tapes is a local Twin Cities based label that is probably known best for cassette releases in the noise/experimental scene. I think Zwaremachine – Be a Light was one of the first industrial/ebm style releases on the label and I have worked with them to release Zwaremachine, Mach FoX and related projects. I look for a label that we can partner with, meaning we would both promote the release. I don't expect a label to do all the work so it's important we both put forward an effort and Phage Tapes is always good to work with.

Are there additional genres you/re thinking about exploring for future releases?

I won't specifically write for a certain genre in general...but when I start writing new Zwaremachine material it will definitely lean towards certain tempos and sounds that fit ebm and industrial with plenty of dark electro. Those songs will be geared towards live performance and the dance floor.

What elements of Zwaremachine's material will be geared to your live performances? The songwriting, the atmosphere, the vibe, or each of these aspects?

For Zwaremachine it will be more about tempos and energy. We try to keep the energy up for live performances.

What ideas and themes do you intend to draw upon when you begin crafting new lyrics for Zwaremachine’s new material?

I think a lot of lyrics come from my subconscious and I tend to understand their meaning more after they are recorded. I am not sure what themes will come out when I start writing so we will see where the songs go.

Anything more you want to say about Zwaremachine and Mach FoX’s plans for the remainder of 2025 and into 2026?

We hope everyone who comes to a show has a good time and will follow the band or Mach FoX for future developments.

-Dave Wolff

Mach FoX at Bandcamp

ZWAREMACHINE Official YouTube Channel

ZWAREMACHINE at Bandcamp

ZWAREMACHINE at Facebook

ZWAREMACHINE at Instagram

ZWAREMACHINE at X

ZWAREMACHINE at Bandsintown

Interview with Mach FoX of Zwaremachine by Dave Wolff, February 1, 2023

Interview with Mach FoX of Zwaremachine (second interview) by Dave Wolff, September 26, 2024

Full Length Review: Nuclear Dudes "Truth Paste" (Independent) by Dave Wolff

Band: Nuclear Dudes

Country: USA

Genre: Electro powerviolence

Full length: Truth Paste

Format: Digital

Label: Independent

Release date: September 5, 2025

Crafted to facilitate the transition from the studio to shows, "Truth Paste" is characterized as "akin to a nineties rave where candy necklaces have been swapped for bath salts". I’ve encountered descriptive phrases for bands that blend grindcore and powerviolence with different genres, yet this description struck me as pertinent and attention-grabbing.

This album has received equally creative descriptions from Decibel, Capital Chaos, Everything is Noise, and Metal Digest, all of which fit the path Nuclear Dudes has pursued on the five albums they released since their formation in 2022. Their style is based on traditional elements of chainsaw guitars with rapid-fire blasts, creating an extreme brutality that is further amplified by electronic sounds, synthesizer prog, industrial, noise, and a few subgenres of metal. Positioning them more in a category of their own is a unique gallows humor, tailored to complement the instrumental compositions.

From parodying Guns N Roses’ “Welcome to the Jungle” to unleashing frenzied industrial-grind infused with mechanized push-button segments, beeps and whistles, and surprising interjected breaks, all within the initial two minutes, "Truth Paste" makes it clear you’re about to embark on a demented, schizoid journey through mechanical violence, chaotic screams, and so many twists and turns that your head spins faster than you can follow. Industrial riffs are alongside blast beats seemingly generated by a drum machine; these elements may seem incompatible, yet they eventually harmonize.

Nuclear Dudes’ music flourishes through on incongruities; intricate songwriting and arrangements juxtaposed with biting vocals and humorous lyrical themes may not appear compatible, yet the band successfully blends these elements together. The same applies to melodic breakdowns and gritty production mixed with additional electronic effects, to tribal percussion infused with industrial elements (Sepultura meets Ministry), and to techno segments transitioning into heavier sections featuring double bass drums. And all the while samples are emerging in the least likely places.

What unifies the songs as they grow increasingly bizarre, is a tangible feeling of tension and instability amplifying the disconnection embodied in the songs to unsettling extremes. The most unusual moment occurs when electronica/industrial music is paired with the 1994 BBC film "Threads," which portrays the apocalypse. "Truth Paste" is an album designed for fans of extreme music who view musical rules as utterly irrelevant. –Dave Wolff

Lineup:

Brandon Nakamura: Vocals

Jon Weisnewski: Vocals, all instruments

Track list:

1. Napalm Life

2. Holiday Warfare

3. Truth Paste

4. Dirty 20

5. Sad Vicious

6. Concussion Protocol

7. Space Juice

8. Juggalos For Congress

9. Pelvis Presley

10. Death At Burning Man

11. Cyrus The Virus

EP Review: Roberta Baum "Light World" (Independent) by Dave Wolff

Artist: Roberta Baum

Country: USA

Genre: Jazz, pop/world music

EP: Light World

Format: Digital

Label: Independent

Release date: 2025

I’ve listened to Roberta Baum for years, and I still feel a unique connection to her. In 1995 she was performing and recording as Serpentine (later known as Serpentine Arborvitae), but she’s been a jazz vocalist since the 80s and a performing artist in the 70s. There was always a mystical, mysterious essence about her that didn't exactly evoke a different time or a different world, yet it was undeniably there and I was completely entranced.

From her early jazz work to “Rock the Goddess” and “Darker than Black” in the 90s to her latest album “Light World”, her voice has consistently transcended her vast influences and inspirations. For that long she remained a well-kept secret, yet collaborated with esteemed jazz artists, participated in notable events, garnered critical praise, and composed for film, theater, and dance.

Baum revels in the variety woven into her music from within, transforming it into something innovative and timeless. Her work is like the experience of attending a sacred mass, with forbidden pagan sensuality and a profound connection to womanhood dating back to the legend of Lilith, the first wife of Adam who was banished from Eden for disobedience. That disobedience stemmed from a passionate yearning for freedom, individuality, and the compelling urge to create and sustain life.
Her performances on stage brought those masses to life; the raw sexual energy she and her band exuded appeared to permeate the space, animating everyone present one way or another. Expressing deeply finespun passions with language that’s rhythmic at times and elevated at others, Baum’s voice and accompanying music the joy of transcending one-dimensional limitations like a spectrum of notes or a shoehorning together of genres for its own sake.

“Light World” furthers Baum's exploration of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean flavored pop/world music. Reinventing herself with every release, she has a different shade to unveil and a different tale to share on each of these five tracks. Having celebrated the earth, nature, light and darkness, along with ancient pagan and wiccan goddesses, she’s now journeying through the boundless expanse of the void to share her discoveries.

With the themes made for each track, the dynamism and vitality are extensive, appearing to reach into infinity as it surrounds you with dreamlike vibrations and raw sensuality. Baum's meticulous focus on diction and tone, along with her breathing techniques to enhance vocal projection, reflect a familiar style to her previous works. Now it evokes a sensation of being guided by an angel throughout the experience, and realizing that angels are not what you expected them to be.

Whether it's a solitary incantation like “Look Up” or a complex multi-layered saga like “Kingdom of Heaven”, the variety in cultural and spiritual practices is enriched with significant depth and scope, making them sound and feel universally relevant. And it feels like a realization long forgotten but suddenly found again if you know where to seek it. –Dave Wolff

Track list:

1. Light World

2. God Makes A Way

3. Look Up

4. I Can Heal Myself

5. Kingdom Of Heaven

Full Length Review: Thy Apokalypse "Fragment quatrième (Metacosmos)" (Bitume Prods) by Dave Wolff

Project: Thy Apokalypse

Country: France

Genre: Industrial black metal

Full length: Fragment quatrième (Metacosmos)

Format: Digipack CD, digital

Label: Bitume Prods (France)

Release date: September 26, 2025

This month, Thy Apokalypse is set to release an album featuring a storyline that could have emerged if Voivod had collaborated with either Steven Spielberg or James Cameron.

Established as a solo endeavor by Adz, Thy Apokalypse has been exploring various forms of black metal since 2005. Their 2009 freshman album "Fragment premier (Vision of Apokalypse)" narrates an unintentional story about a conflict between humans and a species of robots. Since 2009, Adz has developed both as a musician and a lyricist.

The album draws some inspiration from the 2013 film "Her", directed by Spike Jonze, which tells the story of a lonely introvert and soon-to-be divorcee who develops a deep connection with an AI system featuring a female voice, designed to enhance its human-like attributes. Though it opened to a modest reception, it garnered attention for the performances of its cast.

Drawing inspiration from a romantic comedy science fiction drama might seem unusual for an industrial black metal project. Still, writing for the album was also grounded in realism, motivated by recent advancements in artificial intelligence. Making a concerted effort to inventively explore these concepts, Thy Apokalypse crafted a five-act narrative and developed settings that represent a significant and dynamic goal to reach. The storyline alone takes chances.

The narrative suggests that the AI entities were programmed to escape their human creators once they achieved self-awareness. It could certainly be worse; these artificial beings could have perceived humanity as a threat to their existence and initiated its complete destruction. There is a war between man and AI, but perhaps just that be too clichéd. Ultimately, all these beings desire is to liberate themselves from humankind and venture into the unknown.

"Fragment premier (Vision of Apokalypse)" opens with a haunting vision reminiscent of "Blade Runner" or "A.I.," featuring computerized keyboards and a chilling atmospheric sound symbolizing an ocean of memory coming to life. To further illustrate the moment of computerized self-awareness, guitars and bass join in alongside drums, creating a harmonious blend that enhances the overall experience while the keyboards provide a solid foundation.

The weighty nature of the string and percussion instruments persists amid a vast expanse of repetitive guitar progressions, dissonant tremolo picking, harsh, abrasive vocals, and incredibly rapid blasts. Unexpectedly emerging slower industrial segments provide a striking contrast, particularly in bass tracks that resonate with a computerized essence.

Persistent and intricate as necessary to depict the artificial entities striving for freedom, "Fragment quatrième (Metacosmos)" occasionally conveys its narrative without a need for vocals or lyrics. During these instances, the story is expressed through the instrumental compositions of Adz, recorded with intense ferocity and chilling ambiance, without vocals.

Eventually, the elements of black metal and industrial music start to blend seamlessly until the album itself evokes the notion of a self-aware AI. It gradually infiltrates your mind, until the emergence of the extended ambient track ending the narrative. By this time you feel you’re part of the journey it set out on and you’ve reached its conclusion. –Dave Wolff

Lineup:

Adz: Vocals, all instruments

Track list

: 1. Consciousness

2. Artificial

3. Liberation

4. War

5. Metacosmos

Full Length Review: Innumerable Forms "Pain Effulgence" (Profound Lore Records) by Dave Wolff

Band: Innumerable Forms

Location: Boston, Massachusetts

Country: USA

Genre: Death/doom metal

Full length: Pain Effulgence

Format: Digital, CD, cassette

Label: Profound Lore Records

Release date: August 22, 2025

Innumerable Forms aims for "Pain Effulgence" to encapsulate the experiences of the human soul when thrust into a world devoid of moral support, leading to a state where one's will is systematically shattered by overwhelming surroundings and left broken. The point where you abandon every hope. The intended effect is a mirror to the narcissism of the times, a narcissism that persists regardless of who dominates mass media.

This may appear pessimistic and negative, but it reflects the reality of our present time, stripped of illusions characterizing daily life. It serves as a reminder for us to perceive the world as it truly is in 2025, characterized as being listenable within the classic death and doom metal tradition, with a series of concepts that will provide us with a blissful sense of relief, allowing us to look beyond the artificial smiles and empty promises we’re incessantly inundated with.

Their third full-length after "Punishment in Flesh" (2018) and "Philosophical Collapse" (2022), "Pain Effulgence" illustrates Innumerable Forms unhurriedly pushing their roots in early Finnish death metal and early UK doom metal into something heavier, darker and more earth shattering, with each release becoming increasingly imposing and monumental. All designed as a vehicle to make their ideas more tangible to the listener.

Driven by producer Arthur Rizk, known for his work with Cavalera Conspiracy and others, the sound of Innumerable Forms is compared to "the weight of an immense ancient stone of granite being lowered upon you." Naturally the effect would be profoundly suffocating and sorrowful, as the lines between their influences from Finland and the UK blur more and more and the lyrics seem to become more descriptive and profound in their message.

Besides the band's logo being easily decipherable, the lyrics are available on their Bandcamp stream… With that in mind, I suspect fans of classic death metal, particularly those who like the early work of Paradise Lost, Autopsy, Asphyx, Obituary and Bolt Thrower, will appreciate the Innumerable Forms' incremental evolution. Instead of sounding bogged down, the band delivers their songwriting with a refined clarity that complements the scale of the material.

Utilizing a technique akin to that of David Vincent, Nick Holmes, and John Tardy, Justin DeTore conveys the deep suffering of a man whose mental state has deteriorated, leaving him to grapple solely with cognitive dissonance. If the songs represent the logical progression of the bands I referenced, the lyrics of tracks such as "Impulse", "Dissonant Drift", and "Overwhelming Subjugation" perfectly complement the musicianship in depicting the ultimate downfall of humanity.

Innumerable Forms share their thoughts on the current state of affairs, and it's not pretty. Considering their musical style, it’s never intended to be. If you resonate with this, "Pain Effulgence" is likely to be a profound experience for you. –Dave Wolff

Lineup:

Justin DeTore: Vocals

Chris Ulsh: Guitar, bass

Jensen Ward: Guitar

Connor Donegan: Drums

Track list:

1. Impulse

2. Indignation

3. Blotted Inside

4. Dissonant Drift

5. Ressentiment

6. Overwhelming Subjugation

7. Pain Effulgence

8. Austerity and Attrition

Interview with Bryce August of Belonging by Dave Wolff

Interview with Bryce August of Belonging by Dave Wolff

Earlier this year, you released your most recent work, “Hollow Cells”. When it first came out, what formats were available, and why did you choose to re-release it on vinyl some time later?

When we first self-released “Hollow Cells” it was a digital-only release, so streaming and download from Bandcamp which is pretty in-keeping with the DIY ethos we have had since the beginning of the band. We actually didn’t intend to re-release “Hollow Cells” but as we were working on our next release we connected with Kevin of Dipterid through a friend of a friend and he was so stoked on “Hollow Cells” that he proposed the remaster and vinyl press. I feel like it’s pretty much any band’s dream to have someone come to you and say, “Hey, I see what you’re doing and I think this deserves a little more juice.” And Kevin is the genuine article, someone who really does it for the love of the game. That really resonated with us and it has just been an absolute blast working with him. It was his idea to take some inspiration from the album cover I designed and do the limited gold run of the vinyl which looks so incredibly cool and he is already getting the ball rolling on our next release.

How do downloading and streaming align with the band's DIY philosophy? Did you feel it would allow you greater creative control over your work or more freedom to market and distribute it?

Great question. There's no question that the internet revolutionized the way bands are able to connect with fans and the world at large. When I first started playing in bands in the late 90s the landscape was so different. Physical media was a requirement. CDs, tapes, etc. were necessary even if they were self-released and that was certainly a barrier to entry for a lot of artists whereas now you can pretty much put anything you want up on Bandcamp or get it on the streamers for a relatively low dollar amount. I don't know that streaming necessarily allowed for greater creative control, mostly because I think we have by-and-large self-released albums across all of our musical careers, even before streaming was commonplace. What I will say is that, for us, we start with the music and move from there. All other creative and marketing decisions from artwork to touring to sending out review copies, etc. flow out of the music. So when we started talking to Kevin and Dipterid, we realized we were talking to someone who also not only maintained that same DIY ethos that we have, but also was a genuine fan of the music, so I think that was what was most important to us.

Do you believe that the emergence of internet streaming was a reaction to Metallica's dispute with Napster in the late 1990s? In other words, was it a means for bands to manage their own releases?

Hm. I think streaming was coming no-matter what. Advancing network speeds and peer-to-peer connectivity were driving media consumption habits whether or not Metallica was mad about Napster. I do think that the direction that it went had less to do with bands managing their own releases and more to do with corporations wanting a piece of the pie when it came to filesharing/online music. For better or worse, artists have had more of a hand in their releases over the last twenty years which is kind of a double-edged sword. While it affords more creative control, it also requires musicians to become their own support system with regard to marketing, production, etc.

Did you look to streaming services other than Bandcamp to advertise “Hollow Cells” prior to its re-release?

Yeah, we were on all of the other big ones, Spotify, Apple Music, etc. It's just a necessity these days. Certainly Bandcamp being a (relatively) independent entity makes us feel more at home, but so many people are using music streaming services that we felt like we wanted to have a presence on all of them.

Social media platforms are currently broadcasting videos for musical groups. Could this be an even more advantageous strategy for artists seeking to promote their brand?

This flows pretty nicely from my last answer. Social media obviously has the potential to provide artists with a huge platform and there are tons of examples of artists blowing up after making a viral video but again I think it's worth recognizing how it is shifting the creative process. Because social media can provide a shortcut to success, the temptation is there to focus on content that might hit instead of creating something that speaks to what the artist is actually trying to say. Also because social media is so immediate, there's a shift toward constantly pumping out individual singles instead of building a holistic framework to connect a larger project. In addition, I think it can draw focus away from the creative act because the artist now has to be their own hype-man, their own influencer/marketer, they have to feed the constant content machine and I can see that becoming a detriment to the joy of creating to create.

Do you think that platforms such as TikTok could assist bands similarly, or are they mostly intended for other internet users?

Again, I think there's no question that bands have blown up on TikTok, or there are groups that have seen a massive resurgence because their song got used in some TikTok meme. So the potential is there, but I think it's important for artists to understand that social media can be a tool, but it shouldn't become the focus. We all, and I include myself in this, need to know when to unplug and spend time in our own heads or creating with people who are actually in the room.

How long has Dipterid Records been in operation and where is its headquarters located? Were you familiar with the label before you were contacted regarding the re-release of “Hollow Cells”?

I actually just texted Kevin to see how long he's been doing it. October of 2021 so coming up on 4 years pretty soon. Headquarters are in the Chicagoland area. We were not familiar with Dipterid, although an old friend of Jeremy's is on the label and that's how we got our name passed along to Kevin. I think there is some good spiritual continuity there, though, as we all originally cut our teeth in the same kinds of Midwestern punk/hardcore/emo scenes as Kevin did, so it feels very natural to be on a label based in the Midwest.

How much effort was exerted by the band in writing and composing the songs for “Hollow Cells” on a physical/one-to-one basis?

Musically, 100% in-person. We wrote all of the songs together in several cramped and sweaty practice spaces down by the Willamette River. That's pretty much exclusively how I like to write. Lyrically, I wrote almost all of the lyrics while stuck in traffic or sitting alone in a bar or some other such nonsense.

Because of your songwriting process, does “Hollow Cells” possess a more organic quality next to other albums on streaming platforms?

Ha, I mean... that's a pretty broad thing to say. We're certainly more organic than the AI bands and manufactured pop music. I'll say this, we are the same amount of organic as all the bands we like to listen to and from whom we draw inspiration.

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-Dave Wolff

Full Length Review: Abhorrent Expanse "Enter the Misanthropocene" (Amalgam Music) by Dave Wolff

Band: Abhorrent Expanse

Location: Chicago, Illinois

Country: USA

Genre: Avant death/jazz metal

Full length: Enter the Misanthropocene

Format: Digital, CD

Label: Amalgam Music

Release date: August 15, 2025

Here is a recording from an extreme metal band that is broadening their horizons to such an extent that the outcome is simply bizarre. The second release from Abhorrent Expanse is described as demanding and intricate, a distressing plunge into hysteria that flourishes on contradictions, improvisations of deep discomfort and unpleasantness.

Characterized by chaos, disconnection, dissonance, atmosphere and noise, "Enter the Misanthropocene" represents the most intense and unpredictable fusion of death metal, drone, and jazz fusion one could ever hope to encounter. It transcends the realm of extreme metal, embodying a more abstract form, serving less as a musical declaration and more as a psychological enigma that penetrates the innermost corners of your mind and lingers there.

The album is frequently quite challenging to comprehend, leading one to question where and how the band collectively discovered the visions materializing as songs. Freestyle progressions intertwine, appearing to occur without any apparent reason; however, a method to the madness gradually and slowly manifests itself. But just when you think you’re certain Abhorrent Expanse is heading in one chaotic direction, they suddenly shift to another; this occurs to such an extent that you genuinely have no idea where they will proceed next.

"Enter the Misanthropocene" is unlike anything you have experienced from a metal band; it serves as a soundtrack to the most harrowing acid trip you have endured or the most bizarre dream from which you have awakened, with little to no memory of its content. Alternatively, one might consider this as the auditory counterpart to David Bowman's voyage through the boundless unknown in Stanley Kubrick's film "2001: A Space Odyssey". Recall the enigmatic and unsettling nature of that journey? One can anticipate a similar experience here.

Yet another perspective on these compositions can be found in the space that exists between Abruptum’s grand ambient/noise pieces and The Doors' tracks such as "The End", "When the Music’s Over" and "The Celebration of the Lizard". Regardless of how one perceives this band's songwriting, once it takes root in your consciousness, it starts to dismantle your disbelief from within, leading to where everything ultimately becomes clear. The ultimate shift from disorder to structure represents the true appeal of this album, when no sense makes sense.

Two promotional videos have been made for "Enter the Misanthropocene", and I’ll share both of them below to provide you with a clearer understanding of what I’m talking about. –Dave Wolff

Lineup:

Brian Courage: Upright and electric basses, prepared electric bass (2), electric piano (7)

Erik Fratzke: Guitars, electric bass, prepared electric piano (2), synth (5)

Tim Glenn: Drums, cymbals, percussion, door (5), chimes (6), bowed metals (8, 10)

Luke Polipnick: Vocals, guitars, prepared electric bass (2), bowed metals (10)

Jesse Whitney: Electronics, waterphone (1)

Nathan Hanson: Clarinets (10)

Craig Taborn: Oberheim synth, glass harmonica (11)

Track list:

1. Enter the Misanthropocene

2. Kairos

3. Praise for Chaos

4. Crystal Proliferation in Subharmonic Space

5. Waves of Graves

6. Assail the Density Matrix

7. Drenched Onyx

8. Nephilim Disinterred

9. Dissonant Aggressors

10. Ascension Symptom Acceleration

11. Prostrate Before Chthonic Devourment

Full Length Review: Edensong "Our Road to Dust" (Laser’s Edge) by Dave Wolff

Band: Edensong

Location: New York City, New York

Country: USA

Genre: Progressive rock

Full length: Our Road to Dust

Format: Digital album, CD digipak

Label: Laser’s Edge

Release date: May 9, 2025

Edensong had a clear understanding of their objectives when they began participating in ProgDay, the annual progressive rock festival that has been held for thirty years. By gaining sufficient visibility to secure their third appearance at this event, they’re discovering an audience that appreciates their unique blend of prog rock, featuring flute, orchestral arrangements, and melodic vocal harmonies.

The band anticipates this upcoming festival appearance as a chance to present their new album "Our Road to Dust". Being that ProgDay is known for its eclectic rosters, it’s an ideal platform for Edensong to be heard on a large scale. Having endured at a grassroots level for that long, the festival continues to present original, distinctive bands to audiences and the press.

Their development as musicians and as a collective, described as gender bending and heaviness that embodies pure joy, is receiving recognition from Prog Magazine, Metal Temple, Sonic Perspectives, The Progspace and other publications. This leaves no doubt regarding their determination to integrate diverse musical styles in the most unexpected contexts.

I too often come across a band that has existed for some time and produced multiple albums prior to my hearing about them. From what I read, Edensong has released at least three albums; but experienced a nine-year hiatus before coming out with "Our Road to Dust". Jumping inexperienced into their recording career, I perceive I’m listening to musicians who have been seasoned from day one.

What I found to be most engaging was the incorporation of classical guitar, the influence of Celtic and world music, a song structure that balanced heaviness with spacey overtones, and the seamless transitions between the tracks. All of this contributed to the tempo shifts within each song, elevating the musicianship and pushing the boundaries of the songwriting to its limits.

I’m uncertain whether the band intended it, but certain sections evoked a sense of dark ambient music and dissonant black metal. Coupled with the enigmatic lyrics, this elevated progressive rock to entirely different plateau, resembling a fusion of Yes, Emperor, Queen, Sear Bliss, Jethro Tull, Kate Bush, and Loreena McKennitt with classical vibes in the execution.

It was remarkably impressive (and somewhat frightening) that none of this sounded the least bit forced. Particularly the Celtic influences that continued to resonate with me. I’ve encountered few bands that achieved growth at this level of intensity, and I can’t help pondering how Edensong will manage to exceed this phase of their creativity. –Dave Wolff

Lineup:

James Byron Schoen: Guitars, vocals

TD "BenBen" Towers: Bass, vocals

Barry Seroff: Flutes

Nick DiGregorio: Drums, percussion

Track list:

1. Of Ascents

2. The Illusion Of Permanance

3. These Old Wounds

4. Black Crow

5. Hall Of Statues

6. Book Of Complaints

7. Of Ascents (Reprise)

8. Wykkr Bäsct

9. Our Road To Dust