FULL DISCLOSURE: I’ve had a woody for this band since the first time I heard ‘Surrender’ and have been geeking out on their sound ever since. So when I found out they were launching their U.S. tour right in my San Diego stomping ground, everything else went on hold for a night.
VR SEX is an all-star band comprised of Noel Skum (Andrew Clinco of Drab Majesty), Z. Oro (Aaron Montaigne of Antioch Arrow/Heroin/DBC), and Mico Frost (Brian Tarney). On this night, the band performed as a quintet with Noel on guitar and sharing lead vocals with Z.
The information I could gather about this LA band was a bit sparse, so I’ve just kept my ear to the ground; figuring/hoping they’d make their way down south eventually. Happily, the tour coincides with the release of their new full-length, Rough Dimension, but more on that later.
Opening the night was Oakland’s Marbled Eye. They have great musicianship with a rock-solid rhythm section. One thing that confused me, though, was when certain pre-recorded musical parts suddenly came from out of nowhere. It seemed out of place. Despite that, they seemed to win the crowd over. I look forward to seeing what comes next from this dynamic quartet.
By the time VR SEX took the stage, the venue was about two-thirds full. I was worried as, when I arrived, the place was still quiet with few people hanging out. It just goes to show that The Casbah can usually be counted on for a good time, even on a Thursday night.
I was amused that the band took the stage dressed identically as Mormon missionaries – complete with the LDS name tags. Z. hit the ground running; a non-stop bundle of energy as he danced, swished and shimmied on the stage as though he was having the time of his life. The rest of the band were tight and solid. Noel stood stoically on guitar; his towering stature totally dominating stage left. Their “wall of sound” approach was a bit dialed back from what I heard on the recordings. That was probably the band having mercy on the soundman. Any minor nit-picking about the sound could be easily explained away as the band playing their first gig of the tour and have not yet shaken the bugs out.
What amazed me most was the precise powerhouse drumming that fueled the whole experience. Early recordings utilized a drum machine. But this live lineup is as intense and powerful as any show I’ve seen in recent memory. Every song they played was a delight – even the songs I wasn’t familiar with. This was truly one of those sublime live experiences that reminded me of why I go to so many shows.
After the show, I was tempted to ask the band for an interview. But, as I had not bought the new album yet and wasn’t up to speed, I didn’t want to look like an idiot. So I just settled on a few handshakes and attaboys and was on my way. The new album, by the way, will be the subject of my next installment.
As VR SEX will be on tour through April, you should do yourself a favor and check them out when they come to your town.
Deathline International’s anticipated newest release, Pax Americana, is a nice, comfortabole mid-tempo ride. It never rushes to get where it’s going but you enjoy the journey just the same.
Spin Zone is a strong opener that’s both dark and a party jam at the same time. And I thought the Andy Griffith sample was a nice touch.
In fact, spoken-word samples permeate this whole album, giving it a classic old-school industrial feel. But if anyone has a right to get old-school it’s producer John Fryer. When Fryer wasn’t making seminal electronic music, he was in the room. These throwback elements don’t seem tired and remain fresh in Fryer’s hands.
‘Inside’ has a nice balance between clean and distorted vocals and also has one of the catchier choruses on the record, IMO.
The minimal opening to ‘Lip Service’ harkens back to somewhere between 1990s Depeche Mode and Nine Inch Nails before going into a crunchy power ballad.
‘Born Again’ has the most memorable line with the repeated chanting of, “God loves what you hate.” Also a very catchy chorus.
‘In Deb Staub’ Is the most danceable song of the bunch with smooth synths delivered over a pounding beat, crunchy guitars and an Ogre-esque vocal delivery.
‘Sinking’ is a slow jam with lead vocalist Th3Count doing his best Roger Waters and is a great example of DI’s eclectic style before closing nicely with ‘Quiet’.
Old-school rivetheads will love this record because it’s a nice reminder of what we all love about industrial rock. It’s also a great starting point for newbies who want to dive head first into what’s current.
Those of you who are not familiar with Sidewalks And Skeletons are at a disservice. This UK band has been making compelling sonic cascades for nearly a decade. ‘Exorcism’ is the newest full-length addition to their catalog (courtesy of Re:Mission Entertainment) and… Well, I supposed that S&S mastermind Jake Lee puts is best himself:
"'EXORCISM' is an album that explores the frailty of human existence,
and the harsh realities of the world. We all start the same way -
Innocence among chaos. We are all thrust into this existence and
left to find our way. And YOU have ended up HERE. So this is for you.
This is your Exorcism."
Guest vocalists are featured throughout these 14 songs, with Ferngazer, Goo Munday and CASHFORGOLD lending their heavenly voices to supplement the soothing yet catchy synth lines.
The remaining tracks change gears, the track Cybercrimes is an example, so there’s never a chance for any one hook to get tiresome. And believe me, this one is LOADED with tasty hooks. ‘Euthanasia Daze’ and the title track are also examples of the diversity; the beats border on hip-hop territory at times while the ghostly vocals keep the song aloft.
There is something for everyone on this record; whether you just want to tap your foot (the song ‘Holy’) or bang your head (‘Name in Blood’). In fact, it’s very clever how the breakdowns on tracks like ‘Name in Blood’ jump genres entirely.
‘Exorcism’ is a record that defies pigeonholing and is hard to categorize. And that’s a good thing.
You know how you have music playlists for certain activities? There’s your music for exercising, for driving, for getting your freak on, etc. It’s especially nice when you find a band that works for you on more than one level. LA’s HAEX clicks many of my checkboxes for music that’s good in the car, the shower, or just simply blasting loudly to annoy your neighbors.
December of 2021 saw the release of Aethyr Abyss Void, HAEX’s full-length debut effort. Adam V. Jones and Sarah Graves are the creative forces behind HAEX and have carved a nice niche of themselves in the LA scene. This album is relentless. The beats pummel you into submission. The vocals have the growl of an underworld demon calling from the depths to claim your soul. The songs are heavy and dark with aggressive guitars that work well alongside the electronic assault.
Aethyr Abyss Void is one of my recommended albums of 2021/2022. You will not be disappointed. Just put it on and enjoy, no matter what activity it’s providing background music for. And you can never go wrong by giving it your complete, undivided attention as well.
Adam and Sarah answered some questions from us when we spoke earlier in February…
Who are your influences and what did you take away from those artists? Adam: We’re both pretty eclectic in our music tastes. Both of us enjoy Industrial but we are also influenced by Black Metal, Hardcore, Hip-Hop and Pop.
I get a cinematic feel from your music. Do you draw inspiration from sources outside of music, per se? Sarah: We’re inspired by emotions which are inspired by energy, like a coiled serpent Adam: Sounds in general inspire us, we’ve made tracks that started from non-musical ideas, more than musical ones. We sample every interesting sound we can.
Please describe a typical day in the studio. What is the chemistry like? Adam: Generally our most productive work is when we’re in the same room. We prefer to prepare an atmosphere that allows the music to come naturally to us, we kill the lights and lite candles and incense and the music writes itself.
What’s next for you? How are you forming/adapting your plans in the age of COVID? Sarah: What’s next is taking this album into the live realm and working it on the road Adam: In a city near you wink
What is your take on the current state of the dark music “scene”? *Impressions, opinions, funny thoughts, etc. Adam: Some reptiles bury themselves in a hole every winter, the only difference between cold-blooded and warm-blooded mammals is we make this look good.
GMOTH’s collab with Arden & the Wolves yielded admirable results. So much so, I felt compelled to contact Arden Leigh and get her side of the story…
– Who are your influences and what did you take away from those artists?
That’s a terrific question. I have ADHD that’s been exacerbated by the way our culture fosters a brief attention span, so lately I find myself constantly seeking and finding new sources of inspiration. I finally embraced that as a singer I feel called to express myself in a large number of genres, that if I’m not challenging myself in some way I’m bored, and that it’s okay for me to feel like whatever I want to make in the moment is the opposite of the last thing I just made.
That said, I’d say my traditional influences are Paramore, Panic at the Disco, The Pretty Reckless, Pat Benatar, Blue October, Imogen Heap, Poe, WALK THE MOON, and 30 Seconds to Mars.
And I’d say my newer influences are HANA, AURORA, The Midnight, Starcadian, Poppy, Ghostemane, Aesthetic Perfection, MisterWives, Auri, and Thomas Bergersen.
For this track in particular, I mostly listened to the singer Veela for inspiration. I wasn’t accustomed to writing to the style of track Vinnie sent me, but I welcomed the challenge and sought to find a way that I could use a repetitive melody that would merge with, and not compete with, the intensity of the track. I found that many of Veela’s melodies were written in that style, and that felt like permission to try it myself.
– Do you draw inspiration from sources outside of music, per se?
All the time. I don’t ever want to write a lyric that’s only inspired by something someone else said, you know? For me, the impetus of a song, whether it’s one that I self-generate or one I’m asked to write/sing on, is that I have to feel that what I’m saying is important. When I’m asked to do a guest vocal like on this track, I have to find something that is important enough for me to write about. If the subject and lyric doesn’t feel important to me, the song will feel flat and unfinished until I sit with it and figure out what it’s trying to say.
I’d say my main job as a vocalist/songwriter is to tune into the narrative and build out its world. That’s not always inherent to the music itself but I’m not sure it can really be separated. Also, I’m a synaesthetic, so I tend to have colorful sensory associations as it is.
– Please describe a typical day in the studio. What is the chemistry like?
Is it cheeky of me if I say it depends whose studio it is? In seriousness, I don’t have a home studio so I work with an engineer for my vocals, and nine times out of ten it’s Pete Mills of the band The Sweet Kill. We have amazing creative chemistry in the studio. Even more than chemistry, we have comfort, and for me, the safety of a regulated nervous system, knowing you’re safe to share ideas without judgment or criticism, is the most important foundation for creativity. You have to be able to say your weird ideas and have someone make the effort to grok them and help you bring them to life. Pete really understands me and supports my vision, and he will always share his feelings and ideas but also always supports me having final creative say since it’s my name on the work. It’s a wonderful creative relationship full of lots of mutual respect and fun.
Because Vinnie and I live far apart, we actually haven’t met in person yet and haven’t been in the studio together. But Vinnie makes long distance collaboration easy. He’s so supportive of my ideas and for this track we both allowed each other complete creative freedom – Vinnie let me track pretty much whatever vocals I wanted, and then I shipped them to him and let him do whatever he wanted with them. Honestly it’s really great when you have two artists who trust the quality of each other’s work enough that you’re both like, you know what, whatever we come up with will be great.
– What’s next for you? How are you forming/adapting your plans in the age of COVID?
To be completely honest, it really kinda felt like my musical career “began” with the release of my EP Who Can You Trust in 2018. Before that, I released songs but I was treating my band like a vanity project because of past traumas and worthiness issues. WCYT definitely changed that for me.
But by the time I was able to find aligned producers and get back in the studio to work on the next album, which will be my first full-length, it was already mid-2020. So to be honest, I haven’t so much had to do much adapting as learning on the fly this whole time. If anything it was an advantage for me when the pandemic hit, because all of a sudden there were all these musicians who couldn’t tour and were looking for production work to keep busy in the meantime, and I needed producers.
I will also add that even besides Covid, I think it’s safe to say that music right now is an ever-shifting landscape with no reliable model, and that everyone is being invited into more adaptability. The old ways are dying and a new sustainable way hasn’t been established yet, which I think is plain to see from how much arguing there is over the way things are currently happening. It’s intimidating but it’s also exciting. I regret to admit that I will probably have to learn about blockchain if I want to start being a part of the solution, which I do. But I anticipate this to be a 5-10 year scope, and I still have a lot of learning to do in that regard. It’s a lot of data to eat and process.
But if I could solve my mental health issues in the scope of two years, especially when that felt impossible throughout the rest of my life, and if I could create The Re-Patterning Project out of that journey and help dozens of others to do the same, then I think I can be helpful in solving this too. And at that point, who am I not to at least try, right?
– What is your take on the current state of the dark music “scene”?
Is there a scene? I have really been trying to overcome feelings of being an outsider, with historically mixed results that I’m happy to report are steadily getting better. But I’m not sure I feel like I’m part of a scene. Maybe that’s a limiting belief on my part. I will say I really appreciate the way Ken is a positive force in creating community. In fact I found Vinnie through the Sounds and Shadows group, so in that way I owe this very song to him and to everyone involved!
But I think the same lowered barriers to entry that make music so accessible these days has also meant that it is very spread out and difficult to feel like there’s any one homogenous scene, and instead that there’s pockets of communities here and there. My modus operandi is simply to be the best version of myself that I can be and operate in integrity so that I can align with people who do the same, gravitate toward and nourish the people in my immediate circles who feel like the best fit, where everything feels easy and fun and inspiring, and then keep repeating that. Into infinity, so to speak.
When you can do that, and when you start connecting with the artists around you and forming mutually positive creative friendships with them, maybe it doesn’t matter whether there’s a scene or whether you belong to it.
