Douglas McCombs, of bands like Tortoise and Eleventh Dream Day, is also one third of the Chicago trio Black Duck, which also features Bill MacKay and Charles Rumback. Black Duck released their self-titled debut album in 2023, and now they’re teaming up with Basque musician Elena Setién for the collaborative full-length Black Duck With Elena Setién. We’ve already heard lead single “Land Of The Many Eyes,” and now they’ve shared “Funeral In My Brain,” a gorgeous six-minute reverie based on an Emily Dickinson poem. If you can imagine an extremely chill, relaxed version of Horses-era Patti Smith, that’s how this sounds. Check it out below.
8th August 2026 Support: Final Dose Words: Matthew Williams Photos: Rich Price
As thousands of metal heads headed to Derbyshire for their annual pilgrimage to Bloodstock, I ventured up to Manchester for my first live gig in about 3 weeks. This is a bit of a drought for me, but a night of black metal was calling my name at one of the best live venues in the city, Gorilla.
I’d missed Spectral Wound on their last trip to Manchester and was intrigued to see what they would sound like live. Playing several songs off their excellent 2024 release, “Songs of Blood and More” my ear plugs were firmly in place, but before them, Londoners Final Dose brought their own sinister take on the black metal genre.
Laden with punk influence, and with a stage draped in red lighting, the quintet begins with “Eternal Winter” as hooded/masked vocalist Bruno Fusco is joined by bassist Jack Thompson on terrifying vocals. They rip into “Weathered Axe” as the rapid drums from Filipe Simoes start to pummel away at your mind, body and soul. “Song 5” was written on the set list, and is a savage number, with a mental tempo and blood curdling screams.
They have an awesome intro riff for “Wretched” as the pace and intensity increases before “Golden Chalice” introduces more oomph and headbanging chaos on stage. The rumbling bass stands out on the slow and menacingly evil “Vampyric Drain” which leads into a raucous sounding “Rites of Spring”. A sound reminiscent of an alarm bell rings out during “Song 6” before the deathly screams return on “Forsaken Armor” accompanied by some shit hot solos, and they end with the brutal “Dark Paradise”.
As AC/DC’s “Whole Lotta Rosie” comes to an end, the Spectral Wound logo appears on the screen behind, as an icy, wintery intro beckons the Canadians onto the stage. There are no airs or graces about this lot, and with very little interaction with the crowd, their performance is intensely focused as they begin with “Fevers and Suffering”. The dual vocals between singer Jonah and bassist Sam, are powerful as the huge drum sound accompanies the blistering rhythm.
With fists in the air, and heads now rocking in the crowd, they play the stunning “Aristocratic Suicidal Black Metal” which is like a relentless battering brain to your skull. They have tempo changes galore, and the two guitarists, Patrick and A.A. just get on with their job of mercilessly ripping at your flesh with their solos. It’s moody and atmospheric before “Black Satanic Glamour” which sounds more demonic and fearsome, with the vocals being particularly enjoyable.
There’s no let up in the blistering pace, and they continue with “A Coin Upon the Tongue” which is very catchy, before “Less and Less Human, O Savage Spirit” and “The Horn Marauding”. They aren’t reinventing a genre here, but what they are doing is creating potent and all-consuming songs, that leave the crowd transfixed by the array of vicious vocals, towering solos and ruthless sounds that are coming from the stage.
After being blown away, they play my favourite song, “Frigid and Spellbound” which is nothing short of brilliant, as it’s wonderfully frantic yet beautifully controlled in the most manic of ways. They end with “Twelve Moons in Hell” which sees more speed and barbaric sounds with a more animated frontman giving every bit of energy to the masses gathered inside the venue, to conclude a fascinating performance.
Finnish sludge sommeliers Black Royal are primed and ready to rumble with their new album, Abyssian, on October 30 and they’re offering the first taste in the form of “Drown the Seaweed.”
If you’re not familiar with the Finnish quintet, Black Royal aren’t too sonically distant from bands like High on Fire, Crowbar and Mastodon… if those bands were stoned on Entombed and their Scandinavian cousins. “Drown the Seaweed” is on a similar vibe to “Water of the Crow,” a single Black Royal released earlier this year.
“‘Drown The Seaweed’ was born from the idea of crafting something ethereal and weightless—a sonic landscape that drifts like morning mist over a quiet summer lake,” Black Royal tell Decibel. “As the track unfolds, it dives deeper, with the C section and solos pulling the listener beneath the surface into darker, more immersive waters. The result is a beautifully melancholic piece, balancing atmosphere with a memorable, hook-driven chorus that lingers long after the song fades.”
Hear it for yourself below and head to M-Theory Audio for info on pre-orders.
A man in a perfectly tailored black coat walks through the streets of Paris. His gloves are immaculate, and his posture remains completely controlled. To most observers, he seems elegant. To Charles Baudelaire, he was something more: a living work of art.
Baudelaire transformed fashion into a form of artistic and philosophical expression.
1. Paris and the Invention of Modern Style
During the nineteenth century, Paris was rapidly transforming into a bustling modern metropolis. New boulevards replaced ancient neighborhoods, crowds moved through expanding commercial districts, and industrial culture altered daily life at an unprecedented pace. While many people celebrated these developments as signs of progress, Baudelaire saw something far more complicated. Beneath the surface excitement of modernity, he detected loneliness, alienation, and deep spiritual uncertainty.
Urban fashion provided a creative way to respond to this shifting world. Baudelaire believed that a highly conscious style could help individuals maintain their identity amid intense social upheaval. Rather than allowing an increasingly standardized society to define him, the poet chose to construct his own striking image. This visual rebellion rejected both traditional aristocratic opulence and boring bourgeois respectability.
Closely tied to this look was Baudelaire’s famous concept of the flâneur—a passionate observer who wanders through the city analyzing its hidden dramas. The dark dandy and the flâneur were two sides of the same coin. By walking the crowded streets in a distinct, somber silhouette, the poet could participate in urban life while maintaining enough critical distance to interpret it for his art.
2. The Philosophy of the Baudelairean Dandy
Modern readers sometimes misunderstand dandyism as simple vanity or a superficial obsession with luxury. For Baudelaire, however, it represented a serious, near-spiritual discipline. In his seminal essay The Painter of Modern Life, he described the true dandy as an individual who successfully transforms life itself into an ongoing artistic project.
Elegance was merely the outward symptom of a much deeper dedication to self-mastery, independence, and emotional control. A true dandy refused to follow popular trends blindly, choosing instead to design a unique identity through deliberate personal choices. This radical concept of fashion as self-creation anticipates our contemporary obsession with personal narrative and branding by more than a century.
“The dandy must aspire to be sublime without interruption.”
Charles Baudelaire, The Painter of Modern Life
This famous statement reveals the utter seriousness with which Baudelaire approached his appearance. To him, the wardrobe functioned exactly like a poem—every single detail had to contribute to a larger, unified vision of selfhood.
3. The Wardrobe: Elegance Through Restraint
Among all the elements defining Baudelaire’s image, none proved more influential than his strict preference for black clothing. During the Victorian era, black was increasingly adopted for urban business or mourning, but the poet elevated the color into the ultimate expression of modern sophistication. Bright colors suggested cheap display and ornamentation, whereas black demanded focused restraint. It allowed the character of the individual, rather than the garment itself, to occupy center stage.
Contemporary accounts describe a man who paid extraordinary attention to grooming, favoring meticulously tailored black coats, dark trousers, waistcoats, polished boots, and elegant walking sticks. Every element served a strict aesthetic purpose. This calculated restraint explains why Baudelaire’s style feels surprisingly modern; contemporary dark aesthetics still prioritize clean silhouettes and monochromatic palettes over flashy ornament.
Furthermore, this stark aesthetic functioned as a form of psychological armor. Modern existence often felt fragmented and emotionally exhausting to the poet, so his dark dandy persona served as a protective shield. By using impeccable tailoring and a composed expression, Baudelaire established a vital boundary between his inner vulnerabilities and the noisy demands of the public crowd.
4. From Dark Dandy to Modern Gothic Legacy
Baudelaire did not invent dandyism, but he permanently injected it with darkness. Earlier Regency-era dandies emphasized high social status and aristocratic perfection. By contrast, Baudelaire introduced a captivating blend of melancholy, mystery, and intellectual isolation. Beauty was no longer meant to impress high society; it was weaponized to resist cultural conformity.
This quiet rebellion required no loud theatrics. Individuality emerged through total discipline, proving that mystery is often far more powerful than self-disclosure. Today, this exact philosophy underpins the entire visual tradition of Gothic culture and alternative fashion. Even though modern Goth style draws from punk, Victorian mourning customs, and dark literature, Baudelaire remains its premier intellectual ancestor.
Ultimately, the poet proved that a wardrobe can communicate timeless human values just as effectively as the written page. His masterful poems made him famous across the globe, but his uncompromising dark wardrobe made him unforgettable.
Wear the Darkness
If Baudelaire’s vision of elegance, individuality, and dark beauty inspires you, explore the Edgar Allan Poets store. Discover apparel and artwork created for lovers of Gothic culture, noir aesthetics, literature, and timeless mystery.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is a dark dandy?
A dark dandy combines tailored elegance and intellectual independence with a philosophical fascination with melancholy, mystery, and modern isolation.
Why did Baudelaire wear black?
Baudelaire saw black as the ultimate expression of restraint and modern sophistication, focusing attention on the individual’s mind rather than flashy garments.
How did Baudelaire influence Gothic fashion?
His unique framework of using monochromatic fashion as psychological armor and a rejection of social conformity laid the foundational blueprint for modern Gothic culture.
What is dandyism according to Baudelaire?
For Baudelaire, dandyism was not mere vanity but a strict mental discipline where personal style and self-mastery became a lifelong artistic project.
(written by Islander) We’ll keep our count going: This now marks the 15th time we’ve written about the music of the macabre Pennsylvania duo Veilburner over the last decade-plus, and the eighth time we’ve premiered some of that music. The explanation should be obvious by now: Despite how prolific Veilburner have been, their mind-boggling adventures […]
A decade ago, veteran singer-songwriters Neko Case, k.d. lang, and Laura Veirs got together as a trio and released their self-titled case/lang/veirs album. A 10th-anniversary reissue, featuring the previously unreleased track “Accidental Tattoo,” drops next month. Before that happens, Veirs will release her new solo LP Temple Songs.
After a prolonged absence that he only interrupted to release the 2024 single “Black Ice Mudra,” the Scottish electronic maximalist Rustie has been making a quiet return this year. Without posting any announcements or putting any new music on streaming services, Rustie has been steadily cranking out a series of YouTube-only tracks, giving all of them variations on the “Black Ice Mudra” cover art. We’ve posted “Amentet,” “Trizkel Sun,” “Arora,” and “Psion,” and he dropped another one over the weekend.
