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EP Review: Yersin – Born Alone, Die Alone

Reviewed by Eric Clifford

Did you ever listen to All Pigs Must Die? Mastiff? Nails? Cursed? Did you like it? If so, you and Yersin are going to get along famously.

Yersin sound like an antimatter warhead going off inside a closet. Close, immediate, violent. But there’s sophistication within it; moments of maudlin, cynical melodicism and bitter quietude. It’s a brand of grindy metallic hardcore that summons unto itself the sum total of every negative emotion you have ever felt, cages it in it’s balled fist, and rams it back down your throat. It’s dense, misanthropic music – bleak in form and function. And it starts with a guitar tone like a mine shaft collapsing. In terms of what it does to your brain, imagine hunting a chicken with a railgun. It’s an utterly castigating wall of distortion and the heft it imbues these deathly crust punk riffs with is beyond dispute. It simply crushes. And I expected as much – their last release (“The Scythe is Remorseless”) was a mightily pissed off piece of Martyrdod/Enabler adjacent fury too, but if anything the band have only given in further to their vituperative sides and unleashed something that sounds truly disgusting as a result.

It’s only an EP, and won’t lay claim to a vast tract of your precious time by any means, but when ladies tell me that it’s not how big it is but what you do with it that matters, I’m sure that they are talking solely about album lengths. And when what a band decides to do is an enflamed monstrosity of groove like “Steel Noose”, replete with scorching lead guitar, release length suddenly matters only insofar as I wish I had more of this to jam into my tender veins. While things do tend toward the brisker side (borderline grind on “Blasphemer”), it takes an unsavoury dip in the festering undercurrents of sludge that gurgle poxridden and mephitic about it on tracks like “Urban Menace”, which girdles it’s midsection with thick, venomous riffs and bellowed vocals that have to be yanking the singer’s lungs apart at the seams.

Moments of pained, haunting tunefulness exist too; beyond the tragic quiescence of the introduction, National treasure Sarah Jezebel Deva lends her gothic croon to “Die Alone”, gilding it with the same theatrical grandeur that she brought to the best Cradle of Filth have to offer. She adds the lustrous gleam of polished tombstones to the ugliness that Yersin are otherwise beating you to death with. I think that of all the tracks presented, it’s probably this one that best unifies the elements Yersin have touched on within the release as a whole; the nihilistic outlook, the sheer elephantine heaviness, the hooks launching out of each massive groove and shrill melody poised above like a noose, the speed married to moments of back-snapping slowdowns. All here, appropriately enough, as the glittering capstone of the release.

I wish there was more of it, honestly. Yes, yes, they work wonders with the time they’ve alloted themselves, and yes, if any of the bands I’ve thus far listed count amongst your favourites then you’ll likely be spurred to countless acts of extreme violence if you listen to Yersin above a sensible volume. But any good EP should leave you wanting more. I’ve always felt a sense of pride in Britain’s seemingly unlimited reserves of amazing bands, and so while the band (hopefully) commence writing a full-length folowup, please do in the meantime allow them to whet your appetite by kicking your whole jaw down your windpipe with “Born Alone, Die Alone”.

For all the latest news, reviews, interviews across the heavy metal spectrum follow THE RAZORS’S EDGE on facebook, twitter and instagram.

The post EP Review: Yersin – Born Alone, Die Alone appeared first on The Razor's Edge.

Mastodon have officially addressed founding member Brent Hinds' death in a new 35-minute video nearly a year after the tragedy took place. Continue reading…

It will serve as the theme for the anime adaptation of ‘Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games’.

The post HANABIE. Debut “Life Is Short, O Brave Girl” Music Video appeared first on Theprp.com.

Album Review: Necromonger – Emanation Of The Dying Perceptions

Reviewed by Dan Barnes

Not to be confused with the Canadian Slamming Brutalists of the same name, the Bulgarian Necromonger, a trio formed the year before the Canuks, is just about to release their debut full-length, Emanations of the Dying Perceptions, through Xtreme Music this week. Composed of former members of Goregrind outfits Fecal Body Incorporated and Cocklush, and Death Metal act, Concrete, and wrapped up like Egyptian mummies in the promo-material, percussionist Quill Rat, guitarist/ bassist, Agrogrinder, and vocalist, Pigman, have devoted themselves to sounding as filthy and repugnant as possible, whilst being uncompromisingly, bone-crushingly heavy.

First single, Slaughter to the Bones, released in April this year, hits with a Sunn O))) drone and spewed vocals, the music is dense, the production deliberately muddy and creeping, as though the gates of Hades itself had burst open and the foul beasts had loosed their bonds. Dirty riffs and dirtier vocals corrupt any hope of salvation, that even the fragile piano at the close cannot allay. On the heels of this came the second single, and the album’s opening track, Beyond the Pleasure Principle, which begins the record with a massive wall of dissonant sound, like an aural tsunami threatening to engulf everything in its path, it feels akin to the abject misanthropy and nihilistic world view of Dragging into Sunlight, Deathspell Omega and Blut Aus Nord.

But don’t be thinking Emanations of the Dying Perception is an hour of doom and gloom as, like the world around us, there are brief moments of joy and wonder to be found amid the misery. Dissection of Consciousness’ opening passages feel like we’re listening to the music of the cosmos, a heartbeat of the otherworldly and ethereal singing to you; this one fluctuates between light and dark, offering alternate perspectives. Confessions of a Dead Poet follows a similar path, but it shorn of the wonder and the doomy pacing is more in keeping with waiting for the moment the whole edifice comes crashing down.

Bloody Picasso takes a similarly brooding attitude to pace, extending its repeated phrasing; Autophagous Erection is bult around waves and veers into Noise territory at times. Two of Necromonger’s more direct tunes, Clite Skinner and Extract of Rotting Fetus, snap and snarl with a raw and aggressive bite; chopping riffs and primal production make both disturbing listens.

Peppered through the earlier part of the record are the brief interludes, Born in Grave Wax and Meconium Eater, rather than offering respite, double-down on the despairing ambience of the album.

Emanation… is set for release on multiple formats – as these things are nowadays – and I specifically mention this as the CD and cassette versions each include an exclusive bonus track. The shiny disc version includes the nine-minute eponymous tune, Necromonger, an epic instrumental that sees the return of Slaughter’s piano lines, fitting alongside Industrial, Drone, and Noise, all corrupting the fragility of the keys. If you opt for cassette version, you’ll get Necrocannibal Pollution’s doom-laden misery and molten riffs.

Emanation of the Dying Principle is an impressive piece of music, one that is exhausting and terrifying in equal measure. It takes sheer pessimism and blends it with hopelessness and despair and serves it up to you in forty-five minutes of some of the most uncompromisingly difficult music this side of Hatred for Mankind, Immersion or Deleted Scenes from the Transition Hospital. There is no hope here, no possibility of redemption beyond the fleeting glimpse of the piano. But, like the red-coated girl in Schindler’s List, that hope is destined to be crushed beneath the boot of history.

However, if you are a fan of Dragged into Sunlight, Primitive Man or Axis of Perdition, etc, Necromonger (Bulgaria) might just be about to issue your new favourite album.

For all the latest news, reviews, interviews across the heavy metal spectrum follow THE RAZORS’S EDGE on facebook, twitter and instagram.

The post Album Review: Necromonger – Emanation Of The Dying Perceptions appeared first on The Razor's Edge.

Raucous and heartfelt, disco beats and falsettos, guest musicians, a goodly amount of that all-too-infrequent but always blindingly brilliant Jagger harmonica, recorded in London, another post-humous appearance by Charlie Watts and ending with a Chuck Berry song — Foreign Tongues, the 25th studio album from the Rolling Stones, is a 14-song collection of goodies from a band who has just kept ‘rolling’ along for the past 60-plus years. As with 2023’s Hackney Diamonds, we have Andrew Watt producing Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood, along with Darryl Jones on bass, Matt Clifford on keyboards, and drummer Steve Jordan. Notable guests include The Cure’s Robert Smith, Steve Winwood, Bruno Mars, and Paul McCartney.

“Rough and Twisted,” fed by slide guitar and Jagger on harmonica, is the lead-off single. Trudging through the rather weak “In the Stars,” things get jumpin’ on “Jealous Lover” with Jagger incorporating his “Emotional Rescue” falsetto on this danceable track. “Ringing Hollow,” is a laid-back country rocker about the US losing its bloom-off-its-rose for Jagger and Richards. It joins tunes like “Undercover Of The Night,” and “Street Fighting Man” on the political front, though it’s slightly a little too obvious in its lyrics to rate among those two previous digs. The Ronnie Wood slide is pretty cool though. It’s one of a few swipes the Glimmer Twins manage in their lyrics here.

“Hit Me In The Head,” is straight-ahead sloppy rocker. It’s no surprise Charlie Watts is on drums on this song, dating back to 2021. In an odd twist, the Stones cover the late Amy Winehouse’s “You Know I’m No Good” with surprising results  The requisite Keith Richards delivers on “Some Of Us,” a subtle ballad with a strong chorus. Then Jagger outfits himself on what might be his best singing on “Covered In You.” Again, he plays great harmonica here as well, along with a sly rap and McCartney on bass. Perhaps one of the best songs for me on Foreign Tongues comes via Ronnie Wood’s pen, a mid-tempo tribute to Brian Wilson called “Back In Your Life.” Foreign Tongues sounds a bit looser in presentation than Hackney Diamonds, though not every song is as realized as it was the last time. Still, there are strong contenders here and the whole company are rockin’ like 60-year-olds.

~ Ralph Greco, Jr.

Purchase Foreign Tongues

The artists will perform with Madonna, Shakira and BTS in the first-ever halftime show for a World Cup final. The aim is to replicate the cultural sway of the Super Bowl.

The artists will perform with Madonna, Shakira and BTS in the first-ever halftime show for a World Cup final. The aim is to replicate the cultural sway of the Super Bowl.

Lorna Shore’s Will Ramos joined them onstage for “Antivist”.

The post Bring Me The Horizon’s 2026 ‘Hellfest’ Headlining Set Officially Released appeared first on Theprp.com.

Iron Maiden Announce Stage Times And Site Details For EddFest

Following the news last week that IRON MAIDEN’s performance at Knebworth this coming Saturday will be filmed for inclusion in next year’s forthcoming cinematic concert movie, the countdown has now started until the historic site opens and the highly anticipated EDDFEST weekend begins.
 
Gates open at midday on Friday 10^th July for weekend camping and campervan ticket holders, with the Maidenville arena starting its full programme of entertainment at 2.30pm and running through until 11pm. Saturday camping ticket holders can arrive from 10am on 11^th July, with the main EDDFEST arena opening at 1pm.
 
Stage times are as follows:
 
Friday Maidenville Stage Line Up
Tony Moore’s Awake 15:00 – 15:40
Gypsy’s Kiss 16:10 – 16:50
Airforce 17:20 – 18:00
Maiden United 18:30 – 19:10
Stray 19:40 – 20:20
Blaze Bayley 20:50 – 21:50
Hair Metal Glamageddon 22:20 – 23:00
 
Saturday Main Stage Line Up
The Almighty 15:05 – 15:45
Airbourne 16:20 – 17:00
The Hu 17:35 – 18:15
The Darkness 18:50 – 19:40
IRON MAIDEN 20:15

The Saturday night entertainment has a strict site curfew and will end at 10:30pm, with both the Eddfest arena and Maidenville closing at 11pm. Unfortunately, due to these curfew conditions – which the police and licensing authorities have re-confirmed need to be adhered to – we will be unable to screen the England vs Norway World Cup quarter final match on-site once the band finish their set.
As previously described, there is a huge array of entertainment over the entire weekend including the Infinite Dreams Museum Experience, the Unfair Funfair, Eddie’s Emporium, Eddie’s Dive Bar and so much more. Please see the site map to discover more about what to expect.

Ticket-holders are encouraged to use public transport where possible. Knebworth is easily accessed via direct trains to Stevenage from locations including Cambridge, Peterborough, King’s Cross St Pancras and Finsbury Park. Please note, there are no trains direct to Knebworth station, all attendees need to travel through Stevenage station. We strongly urge you to book your train tickets in advance and check train times before you travel. Shuttle buses will be running to and from the site, as will taxis. Further travel information and FAQs can be found here.

For anyone arriving by car, parking tickets need to be booked in advance. If you haven’t got yours yet, get them here. We encourage you to car share where possible, to help us manage the car park capacities and speed up entry to the event.
 
Remember that you will need to bring valid PHOTO ID to enter the site, and make sure you have your phone fully charged, to ensure you can show your mobile ticket at the entrance gates.
 
Please note, large bags are not permitted inside the main arena. Please avoid bringing these as there is no storage available on site. There will be multiple security checks in operation and these are for the safety and security of all in attendance. Please be aware that the checks will take time and make sure you arrive early enough to allow for that and do not bring backpacks or any unnecessary bags.
 
And with the current heatwave building in the UK, please remember to bring sun cream, a sun hat, and a reusable water bottle. In addition you’ll be permitted to bring in sealed, full 2-litre bottles of water. We’d encourage you to take advantage of this and bring one with you. There are water points around the site that you can use to refill the bottles. These are signposted so please drink plenty of water to stay hydrated!!

For further details, to purchase the final remaining tickets and to stay updated on all things to do with Iron Maiden at Knebworth including FAQs & timings make sure you check out the dedicated site: ironmaiden.knebworth.com

For all the latest news, reviews, interviews across the heavy metal spectrum follow THE RAZORS’S EDGE on facebook, twitter and instagram.

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Anarchy is an apt title for the new Pretty Sick record, whose singles “Star” and “home2hide” showcase a disinterest in being confined to genre. Instead of her typical grungy sound, Sabrina Fuentes has been having fun with electronic, clubby atmospheres. But today’s “UrNewImTrue” booms with trap beats and attitude. She says it’s “snarky and punk and experimental and inspired by crim3s and death grips :)” It’s about money, bitches, and not fucking with “this clout shit.” It comes with a very New York music video with lots of fireworks. Watch below.

The post Pretty Sick – “UrNewImTrue” appeared first on Stereogum.