Embers of Dawn : Infernal : 7 out of 10
You know how every other horror movie out there starts off with a haunted object that the main character, for some reason, can’t seem to put down even though they might mention how horror movies work? This is the exact premise for Embers of Dawn’s latest single Infernal. “Don’t open the package,” I said to myself as the protagonist of the video decided to open the package and play with the creepy, glowing music box. Hint: They didn’t listen to my warning. The song itself is an industrial metal banger filled with riffs and smashing drums that should get my blood boiling during lifting at the gym. The vocals during verse are quite fitting, sounding off as if a deadite from the Evil Dead series decided to start their own project. During the chorus vocals get a bit cleaner and growly but don’t come off as hard and are off-putting. Decent single for sure with a fun indie music video behind it.
Plagueditch : But a Nightmare (Unholy Appetite) : 6 out of 10
What drew me to this single was not only my appreciation for Plagueditch’s previous efforts but also the cover art: we have a plague doctor with pigtails wearing BDSM gear with a touch of Conan the Barbarian influence. I imagine this is someone’s dream woman represented in cartoon. Stylized drawings aside, what we get from But a Nightmare is a rather odd turn for the project as it opposes their normally rough and frenetic industrial-black-metal tones. What we get is a slow burn single that’s both good and bad. The guitars are wonderful setting the majority of the tone for the single but the overlaying electronics seem out of place and don’t mesh well with the song during the chorus. During the verse when the electronics blend into the background they’re a nice seasoning but somewhat butcher the song during the chorus. As much as I’d like to enjoy this song, I don’t. But, hey, at least this is showing that I’m not biased. Right?
Robots in Love : Convergence : 7.5 out of 10
Robots in Love? With what you might ask? Electronic music, that’s what. And its showing on their latest single Convergence; a smooth industrial rock single perfect for the summer. Though there’s about a dozen-and-a-half layers to the song between the bass and lead guitar and all the electronics and bass and both lead and backing vocals everything is mixed really well so no element is left behind and not a single one is all too overpowering. It has that feel good mix of addicting verses and a chorus that you can’t wait to sing along to. Or, at least in my case, bob my head to.
Circuit Preacher : Cut : 8 out of 10
Often times a band will use a name and never really lean into it; I can name a half-dozen at best but I won’t do that as I don’t want a barrage of music @ing me with the usual “AKHSHUALLY” preaching. Instead we’ll focus on the positive, that being Circuit Preacher, and their latest single Cut which is described as an EBM industrial sermon. And it certainly is; a slow crawling ominous single utilizing elements of clanging noise and spoken word vocals to deliver exactly what they promised: an EBM industrial sermon. Extremely experimental; you just never know where the song is going to go next and that’s beautiful. Keep me on my toes and don’t let go.
Aetherium Nebula : Erased : 8.5 out of 10
Bless my little cyberpunk-beat-loving heart and bless Aetherium Nebula even further for making this music possible. A little known project from Worms of the Earth alumni Dan Barrett, Aetherium Nebula has become a multi-media labor of love involving storytelling via authored works. Erased is his latest single under this project and it is tough to describe it as any single genre; a mixture of chill synth beats, backing ambient production, and heavy bass with chopped up vocals adding a bit of glitch. The very soul of cyberpunk leaking out into the modern world, as if someone once lost to the net is now attempting to reach out from the very cage they’re trapped in.
