This time around we have the long awaited, eagerly anticipated new album from Coventry’s ‘dark industrial pioneers’ ATTRITION, the ‘searing post hardcore, alternative metal and progressive hazy rock’ of Sons of Alpha Centauri. The ‘Italian doom mountaineers’ Cancervo and the ‘lush intertwining guitars and meticulous rhythms’ of Chastity Belt, read what we thought below.
ATTRITION – The Black Maria
This is all about the washes of dark synths lying in layers across the sound of this record. They envelop all and the rise, fall and collapse throughout. But they are always there. The beats fluctuate from barely there, through techno, drum and bass until they morph into industrial clanks and rattles. It’s an atmosphere of nighttime, of a lack of sunshine, of a love of the macabre and menacing. It’s sensual and hot in paces and in others it just wants you to move.
The vocals are a mixture of operatic ranged notes floating across a full moon and a growling whisper deep underground, combined they just work. But of course they would. Attrition have been going for over four decades and although this album is their first for eight years it’s another electronic darkwave masterpiece. Excellent.
Sons of Alpha Centauri – Pull
Exile on Mainstream
Great big supermassive guitars, strong bass and drums and a singer who can actually sing, not growl or scream. This is excellent, it has the room to breath that the best rock music gives you and the space to grow bigger and more powerful. The music stays pretty much the stuttering, swinging and grooving of the best alternative rock although does swing into classic rock occasionally. But we can forgive that on an album this strong. Makes me remember being down the front at numerous gigs bouncing. It’s emotional enough to make you care and different enough not to be mainstream corporate but it should be absolutely bloody massive.
Cancervo – III
Electric Valley Records
Cancervo start the album with a wonderfully ludicrous pipe organ recital, majestic and overpowering. Setting the scene for their Satanic Majesties to slam into fantastic black doom guitar riffs, down tuned and wide open. It’s got massive stoner riffs and beats, distorted to Hell and back. The vocal is deep, gravelly and slow with an Italian accent that just adds to the impact of the music. You get interludes so you can reload the bong and thrashing guitars held down by gigantic bass lines so you can headbang along. It’s just a stoner doom treat, an excellent album.
Chastity Belt – Live Laugh Love
Suicide Squeeze Records
Indie pop, done properly, is uplifting, emotional and gives people something that belongs to them. Chastity Belt have made a great I hesitate to say it, but it is, old fashioned indie pop album that pulls at the heart strings and is made to be played by both the lonely in their rooms and the basements and function rooms in pubs for your towns indie discos. The music resonates and makes you feel and the vocals are emotional, at times lost and at times uplifting. A really really good indie pop record.
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Attrition’s website is attrition.co.uk, they are on Bandcamp, Facebook and X as @attritionuk
Sons of Alpha Centauri’s website is sonsofalphacentauri.co.uk, they are on Bandcamp, Instagram, Facebook and X as @SoAlphaCentauri
Cancervo are on Bandcamp and Facebook.
Chastity Belt’s website is chastitybeltmusic.com, they are on Facebook, Instagram, Bandcamp and X as @CHAST1TYBELT
