[Music] Batavia – Quite Mean Spirited

For those of you into Industrial metal, goth metal and that sort of thing, I have to say that Batavia are not doing too shabby of a job. From their press release:

Batavia is a gothic industrial band from Jacksonville FL, the band is comprised of husband and wife duo Terri and Ed Cripps. The story of Batavia is less about the band, but more about the people behind it. The two had been acquainted years ago and reconnected only by chance. The chemistry between them was immediately apparent and scarcely has there been a day where they have been apart sir. They were married in November of 2019 in a retro arcade in downtown Jacksonville, before an Addams Family pinball machine, in true nerdy-goth fashion. Both being musicians, having strikingly similar musical tastes and already doing everything else together, it was a natural step to form a musical project. 
Terri’s comeuppance was in the Madison WI scene. She began playing piano and singing from a very young age. Ed spent most of his formative years playing in bands in the Providence and Boston area. He had been recording from his teenage years on, starting with primitive tracker software and thrift shop synthesizers to score video game mods.

They both came into the punk and industrial scene during its 90s stride and draw much of their inspiration from the music of that era; Skinny Puppy, 16Volt, C-Tec, Godflesh as well as goth and post-punk bands The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Smiths and a litany of other influences.

Batavia’s music is an amalgamation of all those influences, using those textures as a framework and building into new directions, painting vibrant pictures, exploring new ideas and to make more of the music they would want to listen to themselves.

Batavia are signed to Tigersquawk Records.

The newest release from Batavia, titled ‘Quite Mean Spirited‘, is an exploration of malevolence and what drives the human soul to inflict indignities upon their fellow beings.

The recording took place in our home studio in Jacksonville FL, with marathon recording and writing sessions spanning several weeks. 
The title song delves into justification of inflicting vitriol through the veil of tribalism by means of a bleak, brooding goth-rock drone. To break the morose subject matter, track 2 is a jaunty cover of The Jesus and Mary Chain’s Upside Down‘, delivered in industrial metal fashion.

Tracks 3 and 4, ‘Ab Initio‘ and ‘Finis‘, are two parts of a whole. Based on the true story of a woman in 1930s Soviet Russia who was taken from her home and sent across the sea to an island prison. Shortly after her arrival, she was assaulted by the guardsman. When she turned to her fellow prisoners for help, they instead tied her to a tree and cannibalized her. ‘An Initio‘ is based on a sailor song that was adopted by the Red Army during this time. ‘Finis‘ is a dreary, gothic orchestral illustration of the terror and despair this woman must have experienced.

Track 5, ‘The Absinthian‘, paints a picture of the malice in the individual. There are no questions to be asked, but a cavalier affidavit told from the perspective of unrepentant malevolence. A representation of the evil that lives in each and every one of us at its purest form in the form of a man. 
Track 6 closes the EP with a remix of the title track, provided by Leæther Strip

[Music] This Is Wreckage – I Don’t Live, I Exist

I’ve quite enjoyed releases from Forbidden Place Records, as I’ve come to enjoy stoner rock and more advanced and interesting forms of metal, a genre I couldn’t stand some years ago.  This Is Wreckage offer a rather brutal, bass-driven album which would remind a listener of groups like Pailhead (the collaboration between Ministry and Fugazi/Minor Threat lead singer Ian Mackaye) and the legendary Helmet, though more raw in sound and feel.

[Music] Iron Butterfly – In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida — PowerPop… An Eclectic Collection of Pop Culture

17 minutes of pure, indulgent rock & roll bliss, courtesy of both Iron Butterfly and PowerPop Blog:

One of the most indulgent rock songs ever. It is 17:05 minutes long and has a grand total of only 30 different words in this song. You might think it has a deep, mystical meaning, but it’s really a translation error. The title was supposed to be “In The Garden Of Eden.” Someone had written […]

via Iron Butterfly – In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida — PowerPop… An Eclectic Collection of Pop Culture

[Music] Southern Lord To Reissue Two More Caspar Brötzmann Recordings This Summer — Avant Music News

Source: Southern Lord Recordings. Southern Lord announces the next CASPAR BRÖTZMANN MASSAKER reissues in the ongoing series, continuing with Der Abend Der Schwarzen Folklore and Koksofen, now confirmed for release in July. Tracks from each of the two new reissues are now posted for streaming. The outfit will also be actively performing live this summer, […]

via Southern Lord To Reissue Two More Caspar Brotzmann Recordings This Summer — Avant Music News

[Music] SUNN O))) – Life Metal

The only word that came to mind while listening to SUNN O)))’s latest release, Life Metal, is thunderous.  Greg Anderson and Stephen O’Malley produce a slow, plodding, but so absolutely powerful without having to resort to cheesy metal riffs or death metal histrionics. Though they have been around for a long time now, I still feel that there are reference points to the work of the Swans during the 1980s, but even more under control.

A couple of guitars, a bit of drums, a stellar cast supporting them, including T.O.S. Nieuwenhuizen, on Moog, Hildur Guðnadóttir on Haldorophone, electric cello and voice, Tim Midyett supplying the bass guitar, and Anthony Pateras on pipe organ

[Music] Stvannyr – Valley Of Shadows

Stvannyr consist of 2/3 of the post-rock/atmospheric metal group Realm of Wolves, but this project might actually be heavier.  We’ve come to expect some fine instrumental tracks from István and his crew, and this album is no exception.  The guitar playing is clean, sharp, excellent in terms of metal music (which is not my cup of tea normally, making this album that much more exceptional).  It’s crisply recorded, and loud enough

Post-rock music keeps branching out into fresh territory, which makes musicians practicing this dark art a pleasure to enjoy.