Though Gorod began as a more conventional technical death metal outfit, progressive songwriting seeps deeper into their bones with each release. The 2010 additions of vocalist Julien Deyres and Nicolas Alberny augured this shift, as 2011’s Transcendence EP and 2012’s A Perfect Absolution encouraged unconventional song structures to complement the band’s knife-edged precision. In this way, I consider Gorod to be the stylistic antithesis of Archspire within technical death metal. Rather than going bigger and faster like the speed-freak Canucks, Gorod takes a more measured approach that, while brisk and exciting, tempers their dispatches with nuance and poise. Both bands succeed down their chosen paths, and the exercise of comparison isn’t about pitting them against one another as much as demonstrating the differences in how the genre can diverge. Given Gorod’s penchant for intricately crafted drama, can eighth album, The Ember Gone, rekindle their elegant allure?
Pivoting from Gorod’s recent theses of celestial bodies and the mythologies they inspire,1The Ember Gone finds the French quintet examining more recent and pressing matters surrounding man’s role in ecological disasters. This theme carries an especially stark timeliness given the wildfires that broke out in southern France after the band began promoting The Ember Gone. Despite the change in prevailing inspiration, though, Gorod’s musical approach remains intact. Flurries of snaking riffs and clever bass countermelodies propel the album forward, this time adopting slinky grooves (“Regret,” “Ignite”) and reverb-saturated textures (“Forgiveness”) in addition to their expected acrobatics (“Remains”). Rest assured Gorod still reminds of Psycroptic, Augury, and Obscura, although this time around subdued undercurrents lighten The Ember Gone’s grandeur in favor of more intimate compositions.
On the surface, The Ember Gone doesn’t stray too far from the music of Æthra or The Orb. Guitar duo Mathieu Pascal and Nicolas Alberny unleash sidewinding flutters of perpetual riffs (“Signs,” “Remains”), occasionally relinquishing the fretboard gymnastics to build momentum with staccato chord bursts (“Devise”) or to instill emotion via delicate sustains (“Forgiveness,” “Ember”). Benoit Claus also commands attention with a sprightly bass performance, rarely content to play under what Pascal and Alberny construct. Instead, he pursues sinuous grooves that embolden Gorod’s stringed attack (“Devise,” “Ignite”). Deyres delivers an effective performance as well, especially on “Forgiveness” and “Regret,” as he unfurls stirring cleans that accompany his abrasive growls. Drummer Karol Diers likewise submits a solid outing, although he often falls into the background compared to his immediate and off-kilter patterns that made all-out brawlers “The Sentry,” “We Are the Sun Gods,” and “Breeding Silence” so explosive on prior albums.
Given how the same essential building blocks undergird Gorod’s recent releases, something feels like it’s missing from The Ember Gone. Æthra and The Orb dedicated runtimes to exploring various themes related to the moon and sun, and the music felt appropriately epic. With The Ember Gone’s thematic lens zooming in on humanity’s environmental negligence, the music too often dwells in melancholic lament. In fairness, this is an appropriate reaction, yet I yearn for some biblically righteous indignation that fans Ember’s flames into a raging inferno. Regardless, the music is unerringly gorgeous and feels richer than the DR 6 suggests, and every instrument sounds sinewy and potent while Deyres’s mix of clean and harsh vox cuts through. I’m also shocked at the number of plays I’ve accumulated over just a few days, and while part of that was born from necessity, I find myself drawn back to Gorod again and again.
Although The Ember Gone doesn’t reach the same heights as their other recent output, Gorod nonetheless delivers an invigorating dose of proggy tech death that should satisfy fans. In turns introspective and ferocious, The Ember Gone smolders with an understated confidence that stokes my appreciation higher with each listen. Evaluating it has presented an agonized challenge, as Gorod resolutely exemplifies what I love about both progressive and technical metal, yet I can’t escape the feeling that too much of The Ember Gone’s urgency is siphoned by restraint. Still, this review required a quick turnaround and even the little time I’ve spent with Gorod’s latest proves it’s a potent grower. Perhaps by the end of the year I’ll realize that The Ember Gone’s eminence was just a very slow burn.
German thrash titans EXUMER are pleased to drop their new video for “Blinding Skies.” The track appears on their pulverizing new full-length, Death Mask Messiah, out now on Metal Blade Records.
Comments co-founding vocalist Mem V. Stein, “Driven by a relentless barrage of riffs, the song’s lyrical content highlights the consequences of political overreach and the influence of the military-industrial complex – pushing society into prolonged conflict that benefits a few at the expense of many. It’s a perspective we feel is important to highlight, given the platform we have and the current climate.“
Watch EXUMER‘s previously released video for “Death Mask Messiah” HERE
Death Mask Messiah marks the band’s first new studio output in seven years and further cements EXUMER‘s legacy as a dauntless thrash metal institution. A logical and compelling progression from the German legend’s three previous albums, the 11 ferocious songs, produced by Dominic Paraskevopoulos (Kreator, Caliban) and mixed and mastered by Arthur Rizk (Soulfly, King Diamond), take a more brutal and direct musical approach.
Recorded from December 2025 through January 2026, Death Mask Messiah is EXUMER‘s sixth album and fourth for Metal Blade. It’s also the first EXUMER LP recorded with the rhythm section of drummer Jerome Reil and bass player Alex Voss. “You can feel their young energy, coupled with our trademark aggression and experience,” says Mem. “The band sounds more focused and yet raw, thanks to their addition to the lineup.”
The record is inspired conceptually by US politics of the last decade, the pandemic, the use of misinformation to stir up cultural divides, and the like. Mem also mused on the 30-year anniversary of Waco, Texas and the standoff with the Branch Davidians. “David Koresh was a false prophet and wore a death mask, manipulating and leading his followers to certain death,” Mem notes. “Each song picks up an individual theme of these two strains of thought.“
With Death Mask Messiah, EXUMER wants to help listeners not feel alone as they struggle with difficult personal or universal times. The audience relates to the band’s lyrical messages and musical delivery. “Fans sing along, they show up and share their thoughts with us on tour,” Mem says. “I feel accomplished when I can reach just one individual and make them feel better or supported.”
As an added bonus, the record includes a guest and a cover song: Nasty Ronnie Galletti from American metal legends Nasty Savage sings on EXUMER‘s version of his band’s track “Unchained Angel.” EXUMER supported the band in 1988 on their first European tour.
Death Mask Messiah is out now on CD-Digipak and digital formats as well as vinyl in the following color variants:
180g Black
“Galaxy” Red/Black
“Saturn” Grey/Brown Ripple (Ltd. 250)
“Onyx” Black Ice w/ White Splatter (Ltd. 250)
Death Mask Messiah Track-Listing:
01. Death Mask Messiah
02. Blinding Skies
03. Sin Bleeder
04. Eradication
05. Ravishing Waste
06. Allocated Savagery
07. Serpent
08. Fratricide
09. Scorcher
10. Frozen Ground
11. Unchained Angel (Nasty Savage cover feat. Nasty Ronnie)
EXUMER Live:
9/19/2026 Bosphorus Open Air Metal Fest – Istanbul, TR
10/23/2026 Nuclear Winter Festival 2026 – Hirschaid, DE
11/21/2026 Alcatraz & Pluto Festival – Deinze, BE
2/20/2027 Endzeit Festival 2027 – Essen, DE
3/20/2027 Hell’s Heroes – Houston, TX
5/27-30/2027 Maryland Deathfest – Baltimore, MD
6/26/2027 Nackenbrecher Open Air – Teuchern, DE
“EXUMER is a legendary powerhouse with history to crush any stage they play. There is great history from 1988 with Nasty Savage touring Europe and I am honored to be a part of this project!” – Nasty Ronnie, Nasty Savage
“This is like jumping into a time machine set for 1986! Good old hard-nosed yet catchy German thrash metal the way it was always meant to be. Thank you to EXUMER for making me feel like I am 21 again!” – Danny Lilker, Anthrax, Brutal Truth, Nuclear Assault, SOD, etc.
“With Death Mask Messiah, EXUMER have elevated their craft. Tight and incisive riffing, pummeling drums, and Mem’s vocal attack at full force – the band is in top form. An extremely satisfying listen.” – Jeff Matz, High On Fire
“Classic German thrash with all the spirit and energy of their early days, but more focused and precise. EXUMER are one of the very few ‘legacy’ bands where modern production clearly enhances the musical aggression, without detracting from any of the original metal message. Well done, boys!” – Brian “Mitts” Daniels, ex-Madball
“After 7 years, EXUMER’s Death Mask Messiah continues to showcase their speed and aggression with Mensh and Stein’s classic Possessed Like Fire stylings of German thrash metal alongside a newly energized drum and bass rhythm section, complete with raw, hard-hitting production and a badass Nasty Savag” cover!” – Carlos Cruz, Nails
“…an opus of pure intensity that will be mana from heaven for the retro thrash devotees and especially those who are around back in the ’80s.” – The Great Metal Debate
“EXUMER has delivered once again. With a knack for great riffs, catchy songs, and the perfect blend of tradition and freshness, these scene veterans show they are far from running out of steam. Death Mask Messiah is exactly the kind of fuel the hungry thrash horde craves!” – Metal.de
“Death Mask Messiah is a blast of pure thrash fury that honors EXUMER’s roots while pushing the band’s intensity to new heights. Thank you to EXUMER for one hell of an album – loud, lethal and built for the pit.” – The Metal Pit
“…a thrash metal album blessed with serious punch and moments of virtuoso flair, with hardly any filler.” – Powermetal.de
“…this album sonically, is incredibly appealing. It has so much violence in it. It’s so aggressive. It’s so intense, gritty at times, penetrating as well. There’s an overall darkness as far as the riffs are concerned. But all of this doesn’t change the fact that the overall guitar sound is incredibly heavy and fat all around. This gives the album quite a bit of substance and width. It makes the tracks feel a lot chuggier, a lot heavier, a lot thicker…” – A&P Reacts
“This is a veteran band who flatly refuse to become a heritage act, taking on the ugliest currents in modern politics with the same fury they brought to Possessed By Fire four decades ago – and doing it without a bullet belt in sight. For all the record’s heaviness, EXUMER haven’t sacrificed songcraft; these tracks stick in the head rather than just flattening the listener.” – Moshville Times
“Aggressive, fast, and catchy as fuck riffs steep this offering in an old-school German and East Coast thrash coating that makes it instantly headbangable and a worthwhile listen.” – The Metal List
EXUMER:
Mem V. Stein – vocals
Ray Mensh – guitars
Marc B. – guitars
Alex Voss – bass
Jerome Reil – drums
Many modern viewers encounter postmortem photographs with a sense of unease. The images seem to belong to another world. Children appear asleep but are no longer alive. Families pose beside deceased relatives. Carefully arranged portraits preserve faces caught between memory and mortality.
To contemporary eyes, the practice often feels unsettling. For Victorian families, however, postmortem photography was not a morbid curiosity. It was an act of remembrance. In many cases, it was also a necessity.
Photography was still relatively new. Portraits remained expensive. Childhood mortality rates were dramatically higher than they are today. Many people died before a photograph had ever been taken. A postmortem portrait was often the only image a family would ever possess of a loved one.
Viewed from that perspective, the practice becomes easier to understand. The photographs were not created to celebrate death. They were created to preserve memory.
Yet they also reveal something important about Victorian culture. Unlike modern society, which often removes death from everyday life, nineteenth-century families confronted mortality directly. Death frequently occurred within the home. Mourning rituals were highly visible. Grief occupied a recognized place within social life rather than remaining hidden behind institutional walls.
Postmortem photography emerged from this world. Its history offers a fascinating glimpse into how different cultures understand loss, remembrance, and the enduring human desire to preserve those we cannot keep.
The Strange History of Postmortem Photography
Why Postmortem Photography Existed
The origins of postmortem photography become much clearer when viewed within their historical context.
During the nineteenth century, photography was gradually becoming more accessible, yet it remained far from commonplace. Many families possessed only a handful of photographs. Others had none at all.
At the same time, death was a far more familiar presence than it is today. Infectious diseases, limited medical treatments, and high infant mortality rates meant that loss touched nearly every family.
When a loved one died, families often faced a painful reality.
No visual record existed.
A postmortem photograph therefore served both practical and emotional purposes. It preserved a face that might otherwise vanish from memory. Parents who had never been able to commission a portrait while a child was alive could at least retain a final image.
Understanding this context changes how the photographs are interpreted.
Modern audiences frequently approach them through the lens of horror. Victorian families approached them through the lens of remembrance.
The photograph was not intended to document death.
It was intended to preserve a relationship.
This distinction lies at the heart of the practice and explains why postmortem photography became so widespread during the nineteenth century.
Victorian Mourning Culture
Postmortem photography emerged within a society that approached grief very differently from our own.
Victorian mourning customs governed clothing, jewelry, social behavior, household decoration, and even the length of time individuals were expected to remain in mourning. Grief was not considered a private matter to be hidden from public view. It was acknowledged openly through visible rituals.
Black garments became symbols of loss. Mourning jewelry preserved locks of hair. Memorial objects occupied important places within family homes. Entire social customs developed around the process of remembrance.
Postmortem photographs fit naturally into this broader culture.
They functioned as memorial objects intended to preserve emotional connections after death. Rather than avoiding mortality, Victorian society developed elaborate ways of incorporating it into daily life.
This difference explains much of the modern discomfort surrounding these images.
Today, death often takes place within hospitals, care facilities, and funeral homes separated from ordinary domestic life. Many people encounter mortality less directly than previous generations did.
The photographs feel unusual largely because the world that produced them has disappeared.
The emotions behind them, however, remain entirely recognizable.
Why These Images Feel Uncanny Today
The emotional response many people experience when viewing postmortem photographs reveals as much about modern culture as it does about Victorian society.
Most contemporary audiences encounter death indirectly. Hospitals, funeral homes, and professional services have largely removed mortality from everyday domestic life. As a result, many people have little direct experience with the physical reality of death.
Victorian families lived within a very different world.
Death often occurred at home. Relatives participated directly in mourning rituals. The deceased remained physically present throughout various stages of remembrance. Mortality was not hidden from view.
The images present something modern culture rarely sees. They confront viewers with death while preserving many visual signs of life. Faces appear peaceful. Clothing remains familiar. Family members sometimes stand beside the deceased as though participating in an ordinary portrait.
Photographers often arranged subjects carefully to emphasize dignity and serenity rather than tragedy. Soft lighting, formal clothing, and composed poses created an impression of stillness that could appear almost dreamlike.
Yet something fundamental has changed.
The subject remains visible while life itself has disappeared.
This tension creates the unsettling atmosphere many viewers describe. The photographs seem suspended between presence and absence, familiarity and loss, memory and reality.
Victorian viewers were not immune to these emotions.
The difference is that they possessed cultural rituals capable of giving those feelings a clear context and purpose. What feels strange to us often felt meaningful to them.
Postmortem Photography and the Gothic Imagination
The enduring fascination with postmortem photography helps explain why the practice feels so closely connected to Gothic culture.
Gothic literature has long been drawn to boundaries that resist clear definition. Ghosts exist between life and death. Ruins occupy the space between creation and collapse. Memory itself stands between presence and absence, preserving what time has already taken away.
Postmortem photography belongs naturally within this tradition.
The images capture a moment that defies simple categories. The subject remains physically present, yet permanently absent. The photograph preserves identity while simultaneously reminding viewers that identity cannot be preserved forever.
Edgar Allan Poe repeatedly explored similar tensions throughout his work. Stories such as Ligeia and Morella revolve around memory, death, and the persistence of the beloved beyond physical loss. The dead remain absent, yet their presence continues shaping the lives of the living.
Postmortem photographs express a related idea through visual rather than literary means.
A face remains visible.
A relationship remains emotionally present.
Yet death remains irreversible.
This paradox gives the images much of their lasting power. They do not merely document mortality. They reveal the struggle between remembrance and disappearance.
Few artifacts embody the Gothic fascination with memory, loss, and the beloved dead more directly.
More Than a Victorian Curiosity
Modern discussions of postmortem photography sometimes reduce the practice to a historical oddity.
Doing so overlooks its deeper significance.
The photographs reveal how one society attempted to confront a universal human experience. They demonstrate the lengths to which people will go to preserve memory, maintain emotional connections, and create meaning in the face of loss.
The images may appear unfamiliar today, but the emotions behind them remain recognizable.
Grief has not changed.
Love has not changed.
The desire to remember has not changed.
What has changed is the cultural framework through which those emotions are expressed.
Understanding postmortem photography therefore requires more than studying Victorian customs.
It requires recognizing a practice that transformed remembrance into a visual form capable of surviving long after both photographer and subject had disappeared.
From Postmortem Photography to Digital Memorials
Although Victorian postmortem photography largely disappeared during the twentieth century, the human need that created it never vanished.
People still search for ways to preserve connections with those they have lost.
The methods have changed. The impulse remains remarkably familiar.
Today, memorial websites, online tributes, social media profiles, and digital archives perform many of the functions that nineteenth-century postmortem photographs once served. Families preserve images, share memories, and create spaces where remembrance can continue long after death.
The contrast between these practices is revealing.
Victorian families often possessed few photographs of a loved one. Sometimes a postmortem portrait became the only image that existed. Modern families face the opposite situation. Thousands of photographs, videos, voice recordings, and messages may survive a person’s death.
Technology has transformed remembrance.
The emotional need behind remembrance remains unchanged.
Both practices emerge from the same human desire: to maintain a connection with someone whose physical presence has disappeared.
What Postmortem Photography Reveals About Memory
The history of postmortem photography ultimately reveals something larger than a Victorian custom.
It reveals how human beings respond to loss.
Every culture develops rituals intended to preserve memory. Some create monuments. Others write elegies, preserve personal belongings, commission portraits, or construct memorials. Victorian families used photography because it offered a new and powerful way to hold on to the image of someone they loved.
The photographs could not prevent grief.
They could not reverse death.
What they could do was preserve a visual trace that might otherwise disappear forever.
This explains why the images continue to resonate today. They are not merely historical artifacts. They represent a universal struggle against forgetting.
The faces preserved in these photographs remind us that memory is both powerful and fragile. We remember, yet details fade. We preserve images, yet time continues moving forward.
Postmortem photography emerged from the desire to resist that disappearance, even if only temporarily.
The Victorian Mirror
Modern audiences often view postmortem photography as evidence of a strange and distant culture.
In reality, the photographs reveal something surprisingly familiar.
Victorian families loved, grieved, remembered, and struggled with loss much as people do today. Their methods differed from ours, but their motivations were deeply human.
The photographs endure because they expose a truth that every generation eventually confronts.
Life is temporary.
Memory is imperfect.
Love persists despite both.
Postmortem photography was never merely a Victorian curiosity.
It was a culture of remembrance created in a world where death remained visible and photographs were rare. Understanding the practice requires setting aside modern assumptions and recognizing the emotional reality that shaped it.
The images continue to fascinate because they remind us that every photograph is, in some sense, an attempt to preserve what time eventually takes away.
Victorian families simply confronted that truth more openly than most of us do today.
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If The Strange History of Postmortem Photography deepened your fascination with Victorian mourning culture, Gothic symbolism, and the psychology of memory, explore the Edgar Allan Poets store. Our apparel celebrates the beauty, history, and mystery that continue to shape Gothic culture.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Victorians take postmortem photographs?
Many Victorian families had few or no photographs of loved ones while they were alive. A postmortem photograph often became the only visual record they would ever possess.
Were postmortem photographs common during the Victorian era?
Yes. The practice became relatively common during the nineteenth century, particularly among families seeking a final memorial image of a deceased relative.
Why do postmortem photographs seem unsettling today?
Modern society generally keeps death out of everyday life. Victorian society was far more familiar with mortality, making these photographs feel less unusual to contemporaries than they do to modern viewers.
How is postmortem photography connected to Gothic culture?
The photographs explore themes central to Gothic culture, including memory, mortality, loss, and the boundary between presence and absence.
Did postmortem photography disappear completely?
The practice largely faded during the twentieth century, but its underlying purpose survives through modern memorial photography, digital remembrance, and online tributes.
On April 2, United States Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth asked General Randy George to stand down from his role as Army Chief of Staff, with no public explanation given for the decision.
It has now emerged that the Army’s top-ranking general was reportedly forced into early retirement after Hegseth wanted George to shelve an investigation into a military helicopter flyby that took place on March 28 near Kid Rock‘s Nashville mansion, which the singer calls the Southern White House.
Two Apache helicopters from the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade at Fort Campbell flew past Rock’s sprawling property. The musician posted a video of the flyby with the caption: “God Bless America and all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice to defend her.”
The two pilots were suspended while an investigation was launched into whether they had breached safety rules, only for the pair to be quickly reinstated by Hegseth.
The United States Secretary of Defense commented on the decision via X, writing: “Thank you @KidRock. @USArmy pilots’ suspension LIFTED. No punishment. No investigation. Carry on, patriots.”
According to The Washington Post, the Army Chief of Staff told colleagues he “felt it was important to follow typical protocol and determine whether any safety regulations had been violated.” He was driven from his role shortly after.
On April 28, both Rock and Hegseth drew criticism as they enjoyed a US military helicopter ride as part of America’s 250th birthday celebrations.
“Joined my friend @KidRock — and some of our great @USArmy Apache pilots — for a ride this morning. (More to come on that!)” wrote Hegseth. “Kid Rock is a patriot and huge supporter of our troops. The War Department is wasting no time celebrating America’s 250th — home of the free because of the brave.”
Joined my friend @KidRock — and some of our great @USArmy Apache pilots — for a ride this morning. (More to come on that!)Kid Rock is a patriot and huge supporter of our troops. The War Department is wasting no time celebrating America’s 250th — home of the free because of the… pic.twitter.com/7EyhlaCeUjApril 28, 2026
Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan shared his support for George, whom he studied alongside at the prestigious West Point Military Academy.
“As you can imagine most of my classmates at West Point Prep were there with a singular mission – to be a West Point graduate and serve in our military,” wrote Keenan. “Focus, drive, a plan, and zero compromise. I, on the other hand, was one of the few with doubts and inner conflict.
“So when my heart spoke louder than the outside influencers and I declined my appointment to West Point, most of those around me saw it as a huge mistake. But a handful were very supportive. They knew me well enough to respect that decision. One of those supportive classmates was my Cross Country teammate, Randy George.
“Randy went on to be a four-star general and Chief of Staff for the U.S. Army,” he continues. “He was approaching his 40th year of service. I can’t even imagine how disappointed and upset he must feel for having been “asked” to retire early. So I’m just here to return that favor of support. We’re here for you, Randy. Might be time for a beer or three. See you soon.”
As the band comes to the end of its final tour, and played their last date on UK soil, Sean got to talk to one of his literal guitar heroes! Sepultura: official | facebook | twitter | instagram | spotify | bandcamp | tiktok | youtube
(written by Islander) Let’s cut to the chase: The track you’re about to hear from the U.S. death/doom band Besotten is an absolute horror-show of a song, and one that turns out to be insidiously infectious — a brand of death metal that’s simultaneously as foul and festering as the corruption of unburied corpses, as […]
Frontiers Music Srl has confirmed what fans have been angling for since the band got back on stage: Pretty Maids is working on a new studio album, due out in 2027. It’ll be the Danish hard rockers’ first full-length since 2019’s Undress Your Madness, opening a new chapter for a band that’s been doing this for more than four decades.
At the core of it all is the songwriting partnership of Ronnie Atkins and Ken Hammer, the pair whose chemistry has defined Pretty Maids‘ sound since day one — big riffs, bigger choruses, and keyboard textures that give the whole thing an atmospheric edge. Since forming in 1982, the band has built a catalog that includes Future World, Jump The Gun, Pandemonium, Motherland and Kingmaker, records that cemented Pretty Maids as one of Europe’s most reliable names in melodic hard rock.
The band went quiet for five years before returning to the stage in 2024, and the reception apparently made the decision easy. What started as a handful of live shows has now turned into a full studio comeback.
Jacob Hansen, the Danish producer behind records from Amaranthe, Volbeat, Epica, Primal Fear and Evergrey, will handle production on the new album. Beyond that, Pretty Maids and Frontiers are keeping details close to the chest for now, with more to come in the following months.
Pretty Maids played its first show in nearly five years on 16 June 2024 at Forbrændingen in Albertslund, Denmark, billed under the alias Kingmakers for what amounted to a low-key warm-up. The real return came four days later, on 20 June 2024, when the band took the stage at the Copenhell festival in Copenhagen.
Outside of Pretty Maids, Atkins has stayed busy on his own: his third solo album, Trinity, came out in October 2023 via Frontiers Music Srl.
The band’s 2026 lineup:
Ronnie Atkins / Vocals Ken Hammer / Lead Guitar Rene Shades / Bass Chris Laney / Rhythm Guitar and Keyboards Allan Tschicaja / Drums
You’re probably wondering, “What’s a lightsphere?” Lily Seabird, who invented the term when she titled her new album Lightspheres On Your Way, defines a lightsphere as a catalyzing presence that perennially returns to alter life’s trajectory. “A lightsphere can be so many things,” she says in promo materials, “an actual light like a star, the sun, a UFO; headlights, a flashlight in the night; but also life, living things, people, relationships.” It could even be a Lily Seabird album.
Bonnie Bloomgarden, leader of the consistently great Los Angeles psychedelic rockers Death Valley Girls, recently lost her Altadena home in the California wildfires. That loss, along with the death of her dog Tommy, informed Death Valley Girls’ upcoming album Welcome To Earth. We already posted the excellent lead single “Message From The Venus Flower.” Their new song is a bright, emotional synth-garage bop about realizing how happy you are to have someone out of your life. Here’s what she says about it:
Though Gorod began as a more conventional technical death metal outfit, progressive songwriting seeps deeper into their bones with each release. The 2010 additions of vocalist Julien Deyres and Nicolas Alberny augured this shift, as 2011’s Transcendence EP and 2012’s A Perfect Absolution encouraged unconventional song structures to complement the band’s knife-edged precision. In this way, I consider Gorod to be the stylistic antithesis of Archspire within technical death metal. Rather than going bigger and faster like the speed-freak Canucks, Gorod takes a more measured approach that, while brisk and exciting, tempers their dispatches with nuance and poise. Both bands succeed down their chosen paths, and the exercise of comparison isn’t about pitting them against one another as much as demonstrating the differences in how the genre can diverge. Given Gorod’s penchant for intricately crafted drama, can eighth album, The Ember Gone, rekindle their elegant allure?
