NADJIA have released their sixth studio album, 7 Ends 13, a seven-track masterpiece of experimental noise, electronic beats, and sinister, bayou-tinged melodies. NADJIA founder and frontman M (vocals, percussion, synth, samples) is joined on this latest effort by Jeff Filmore (guitar, bass) and Paul Jansen (violin, synth, backing vocals) with a special appearance from Martin Atkins (PIGFACE, MINISTRY, PiL, KILLING JOKE) on select tracks.
7 Ends 13 represents a turning point in NADJIA’s evolution. M’s role as a sound sculptor is enriched by rock sensibility and crisp, expert production values. From the industrial flood and chanting interlude of “Victory or Death” to the New Wave pleasantry of “As It Is” and the gothic lull of “Cambian Todo,” 7 Ends 13 offers a stylistic array that is both eclectic and genuine. Additionally, the band has decided to offer the album free of charge.
“We came back into the studio after an extended hiatus and picked back up where we left off. We wanted to move away from the full-band approach that we had on Angels of Rust. Jeff and I are able to take songs from concept to completion in a more timely fashion. With 7 Ends 13, it marked a big change for us in that we embraced our surroundings in Louisiana more than we have on previous albums. Martin [Atkins] has joined us in the studio several times over the last 10 or so years. We were fortunate to be in the midst of recording when he came through on a lecture tour. We were ecstatic to come full circle to the track ‘As It As’ from the first album which had used a drum sample of his from the Pigface album Gub,” M said about the album. “We’re also giving our music away from this point forward. In the past, we’ve sold it, then we moved to a cause donation. Now we’re giving it away.”
NADJIA was formed in Northeast Louisiana in 1997 and has recorded six albums to date. Their music is distributed through Bandcamp. You can also find them on YouTube.
Legendary guitarist and record producer Bob Kulick has died at the age of 70. His passing was confirmed by his brother, former KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick.
Earlier today, Bruce posted the following message on social media: “I am heartbroken to have to share the news of the passing of my brother Bob Kulick. His love of music, and his talent as a musician and producer should always be celebrated. I know he is at peace now, with my parents, playing his guitar as loud as possible. Please respect the Kulick Family’s privacy during this very sad time.”
Throughout his 40-plus-year music career, Bob Kulick has worked with an astonishing array of artists: from Meat Loaf to MOTÖRHEAD; from KISS to Michael Bolton; W.A.S.P. to Diana Ross; as well as legends such as Roger Daltrey, Alice Cooper, Lou Reed and Paul Stanley‘s first solo LP and tour.
Bob began his musical profession at 16 — when most high schoolers are still trying to figure out where they’re going in life — appearing on the 1966 album “Winchester Cathedral” from the RANDOM BLUES BAND, the “baby band” that Bob played in that played The Café Wha in New York’s Greenwich Village alongside Jimmy James and the BLUE FLAMES (later rechristened Jimi Hendrix).
1973 saw Kulick make the connection that he has been associated the most with throughout his career. He auditioned for — and got passed over by — KISS. Instead of being dejected, the six-stringer aligned himself with the band over the years, playing on the studio material on “Kiss Alive II”, providing solos on the “Killers” album, co-writing “Naked City” from “Unmasked” and guesting on Paul Stanley‘s 1979 solo album and tour a decade later. He even suggested his brother to the band.
New York’s industrial duo, Statiqbloom, has just released ‘Asphyxia Remixed’ in conjunction with the famed NYC electronic event SYNTHICIDE. Taken from 2019’s ‘Asphyxia’ album, these reworkings of Statiqbloom’s tracks provide a diverse palette of music genres curated by members Fade Kainer and Denman C. Anderson. From the electro beat of Star Eyes and the dismal techno industrial flavors of Mædon, to the undeniable EBM rhythms of Kontravoid and Multiple Man, this 8 song ‘Asphyxia Remixed’ reinterprets the growling, thunderous music of Statiqbloom. The album is available across all digital formats.
The legendary guitarist and songwriter of THE DOORS and Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee Robby Krieger will release his first solo album in 10 years on August 14. “The Ritual Begins At Sundown” will be made available via his new home at The Players Club, a division of the Mascot Label Group.
THE DOORS weren’t just one of the most iconic bands of their generation, but one of the most influential bands in rock history and Robby Krieger was responsible for writing some of their biggest hits in “Light My Fire”, “Love Me Two Times”, “Touch Me” and “Love Her Madly”.
Krieger returns for his ninth solo album and his first since 2010’s Grammy-nominated “Singularity”, and once again with his longtime writing partner and co-producer Arthur Barrow. Barrow worked with Frank Zappa through the 1970s and 1980s as well as with Giorgio Moroder, Joe Cocker, Diana Ross and Janet Jackson and worked on soundtracks for “Top Gun” and “Scarface”. The album also features other Zappa alumnus Jock Ellis (trombone), Sal Marquez (trumpet) and Tommy Mars (keys) as well as AeB Bryne (flute), Vince Denim (sax), Chuck Manning (sax), Joel Wackerman (drums) and Joel Taylor (drums).
“I was hanging out with my buddy Arthur Barrow and we had some songs we had been fooling around with then we got some other friends involved,” Krieger explains when talking about how the album came together.
The legacy of THE DOORS is enormous and a testament to this is the number of awards and accolades that have come their way; Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame, Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and the Library Of Congress selected their debut for inclusion in the National Recording Registry based on its cultural, artistic and historical significance. As of 2017, Los Angeles city council has given them their own day, “The Day Of The Doors”, every year. There was even a Hollywood biopic, directed by Oliver Stone on them.
Not many musicians can claim to have performed beside a huge variety of other artists from a visibly excited Lady Gaga like Krieger did in December last year, he was joined by Miley Cyrus live this February, had Marilyn Manson who is a huge fan join him on stage, as well as being asked to guest with everyone from THE RAMONES to John Mayer, STONE TEMPLE PILOTS to CREED and ALICE IN CHAINS to Alice Cooper. Elsewhere other acts to be influenced by THE DOORS includes JOY DIVISION, Iggy Pop, THE STROKES, Mazzy Star and not to mention ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN, who did an iconic version of “People Are Strange” for the “Lost Boys” (1987) movie.
So ingrained into popular culture is his music that it has also been sampled from everyone from Jay-Z to Chase and Status, Snoop Dogg to Orbital and Fatboy Slim, he even collaborated with Skrillex. Alice Cooper, Joe Perry and Johnny Depp invited Krieger in to work on their debut HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES album, whilst Depp also narrated the Grammy-winning documentary on THE DOORS “When You’re Strange” and Krieger appeared in the FOO FIGHTERS “Sonic Highways” documentary. Generation after generation has been inspired.
“The Ritual Begins At Sundown” is a 10-song instrumental record which was recorded at Robby‘s own Horse Latitudes Studio in Los Angeles and features nine originals and one cover, the Frank Zappa song “Chunga’s Revenge”, which has a worthy place in the track listing with the incredible Zappa musicians on the album.
The album really is a return to friends, with Robby‘s relationship with Barrow and Sal Marquez dating all the way back to his first solo album.
“After THE DOORS, I started becoming interested in jazz and started hanging out with a guy called Sal Marquez,” he says. “So we put this band together and that was the first Robby Krieger band and we played at the Whiskey A Go Go with Don Preston, Zappa’s keyboard player. Arthur Barrow who was a huge Zappa fan — this was before he worked with Frank — he decided that, after graduating from North Texas State music school that he was gonna come out to L.A. and try to get into Frank‘s band, which was pretty brash of him,” he laughs. “He started hanging out with Don and with Zappa, Don was in my band so we decided to put Arthur in charge of the mixing at the Whiskey for our shows, that’s when I first met him in the ’70s.”
“The Ritual Begins At Sundown” track listing:
01. What Was That? 02. Slide Home 03. The Drift 04. Chunga’s Revenge
05. Hot Head 06. Yes, The River Knows 07. The Hitch 08. Dr. Noir 09. Bianca’s Dream 10. Screen Junkies
German industrial metallers RAMMSTEIN have postponed their 2020 North American stadium tour. The trek was due to kick off on August 20 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada and conclude on September 27 in Mexico City, Mexico.
Earlier today, RAMMSTEIN released the following statement: “Sadly, but in the best interests of everyone’s health and safety, we have to postpone our North America Tour. We are now working on rescheduling the tour in 2021.”
Last week, RAMMSTEIN announced the rescheduled dates for its European stadium tour. The trek was originally slated to take place this summer but was postponed due to coronavirus pandemic restrictions.
The new RAMMSTEIN European shows will take place in May, June, July and August 2021, with all tickets purchased for the original concerts valid for the new dates.
RAMMSTEIN‘s seventh, untitled album came out in May 2019 via UME/Spinefarm in Europe and Caroline Records in the U.S. The band’s first studio disc since 2009’s “Liebe Ist Für Alle Da” was produced by Olsen Involtini with RAMMSTEIN and was mixed at a Santa Monica, California studio with Rich Costey, an American producer who has previously worked with MUSE, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE and FRANZ FERDINAND, among others.
A heartfelt narrative of loss and remembering, Snog’s “Ball and Chain” is one of the most striking and balladic moments from their acclaimed new album, ‘Lullabies For The Lithium Age.’ Animated and directed by Adam Raboczi (the award winning mind behind Snog’s “Cheerful Hypocrisy” videos amongst others), “Ball and Chain” is a pastoral, pacific tale of bondage, redemption and release of a noble life lived through service, servitude and sacrifice.
David Thrussell is an outlier, provocateur and enigma. An artist that challenges, inspires and transforms. We’re lucky to have him.
Coaxed from a fitful half-decade of semi-retirement in his outback compound, Thrussell now helms the extraordinary new Snog album ‘Lullabies For The Lithium Age.’
A mature and fully-realised statement in voice, song and philosophy: ‘Lullabies For The Lithium Age’ is the epoch-defining recording that almost wasn’t.
Wracked in his twilight years by crises of doubt, identity, emotional collapse and mental health, Thrussell had effectively withdrawn from public life and most of his creative endeavours. At its nadir, Thrussell spent nearly a year bed-ridden and virtually comatose. Only the timely intervention of internationally renowned therapist Dr. Ian White averted his final spiritual and physical disintegration.
Thrussell – that singular antipodean that had animated a generation with righteous electro-anthems and smouldering industrial-laments, that hero to legendary figures like Julian Assange and Alexander Dugin – had burned-out, cashed-out and crashed-out.
Placed under constant supervision and medicated with the most advanced treatments available, it took two years of an extreme therapeutic regimen – pain, torment, fiduciary stewardship and personal tutelage – for Dr. White to rehabilitate Thrussell: for the artist to take his first halting steps toward composing, performing and recording once again.
The result is a revelation.
‘Lullabies For The Lithium Age’ is an uncommon event of profound import – broken Gospel ballads of nihilism and regret, funereal chants of mortality and windswept ache – a spiritual song-arc that speaks in minimal yet august tones.
The barren ocean shore at the end of the world. The very last breath of the very last song.
It may not be the album you want. But it is the album you need.
For these truly are…Lullabies for the Lithium Age.
LP is Clear Vinyl with CD included. CD has 6 extra tracks.
Includes unlimited streaming of Lullabies for the Lithium Age via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
