Seattle’s Black Agent follows up last year’s Industrial Ruination with another strong outing in Dehumanized. And, like before, the band shares its views of the world backed by a sonic potpourri of electronics.
Opening with The World Is A Hell, the listener is immediately sucked into a two-and-a-half minute wall of sound, signaling the beginning of a nine-song decent into Black Agent’s grim and gritty view of the world. Shot Down follows this with its declarative statement:
Dollars explain your Body count
Singer Jason Pit acknowledges that there’s elements of personal loss that went into this album, more so than Industrial Ruination, which was more of a COVID era social indictment. Songs like Shot Down, Frozen Flowers and Broken Mind address the personal demons of mental illness, addiction and self-harm that many of us face. Modern Mannequins continues this examination:
Pushed out Strung out Pain throughout Pray to the chemicals that she finds
So far, I’ve been examining the lyrical content of Dehumanized, and for good reason. Black Agent never pulls punches in the articulate way they paint an easily relatable picture of the ugliness all around us – both inside and out.
However, I don’t want to overlook the music itself, which grinds and pulsates in ways that really fuel the dark tone of Black Agent’s sound. Saying an industrial band has a “classic, old-school” sound seems kind of funny to me. But fans of such industrial legends as Skinny Puppy will find what they’re looking for in these nine songs.
The appropriately-titled Show’s Over closes out Dehumanized the way it went in: unrelenting and unapologetic.
Those of you who are familiar with Black Agent will be very satisfied with Dehumanized and newcomers will hit the ground running while getting up to speed.
Part of Seraphim System’s Bandcamp description states that, “…SER:SYS architect “BL4KJ4K” focused his musical abilities to craft rave tunes that will help you slam your skull into your chest cavity.” If this is what the kids are calling “rave” music these days, I’ve definitely been missing out on something.
With Mutant Menagerie & Grimoire, their newest release, SER:SYS takesus down a dark and desolate path that would scare the living hell out of the glow stick crowd. From the opener, The High Priestess, to a very faithful cover of Slipknot’sSurfacing, SER:SYS clearly lays down the rule that says this North Carolina electro powerhouse ain’t nothing to fuck with.
One of the main things to notice about MM&G is the de-emphasis of melodic elements, focusing instead on uncompromising drums and profound lyrical content. Taking The High Priestess for instance, SER:SYS hits hard right out of gate lyrically and paints a vivid, articulate and somewhat disturbing picture. I’m still digesting such lines as…
“Nothing will ever change Nothing new is to be expected This is not what I wanted out of life”
The beat on Mutant Menagerie dips deceptively into drum-and-bass territory before distorted vocals belt out the darkly poetic lines…
“Misshapen and grotesque Hideous form and flaw Stitched together and born by lightning Given existence from the minds of madness This contagion spreads like disease Infecting any which come too close Keep my distance and sanity My mind never writhing with twisted form”
Contrition features Dark Machine Nation and is a sample of SER:SYS’s affinity for dipping into Latin for lyrical content; the other being the track Quid Est Veritas?. GRENDEL and Ratio Strain also make contributions to MM&G as well on You Do Not Recognize the Bodies in the Water and Black Aura respectively.
The title to Guns Don’t Make Goth Music, I Do actually made me chuckle a bit, but as I follow the voiceover listing different gunmakers concluded with the title line, I can’t help but think that this is SER:SYS’s make-art-not-war statement track.
I could go on, but only listening to MM&G for yourself will do true justice to SER:SYS and the unique in-your-face quasi danceable sound they have created.
In conclusion, Mutant Menagerie & Grimoire is a the kind of relentless sonic assault that grabs the listener’s ear and twists hard.
Of all the awesome clubs in the San Diego dark music scene, one thing that sets Club Nothing apart is the inclusion of live music into their events. So I was looking forward to this double bill at Corazón del Barrio. The venue itself is set within a bustling stretch of Logan Avenue in San Diego’s Barrio Logan neighborhood and works as a combination of music venue and meeting hall. I even remember attending an art show there a few years ago. The layout, size, and location are ideal for a music venue for fans south of downtown who may not always want to go clear across town to check out some live music. The smoking patio does get crowded and old-timers like myself would have appreciated a few more spots to sit down, but the crowd had a great vibe and the atmosphere was perfect for a Deathrock show. Such was the setting to welcome San Francisco’s Altar de Fey with San Diego’s own New Skeletal Faces.
The DJs were on fire this night, doing some of the best beat matching I’ve heard in Goth/Industrial since, well, EVER! Mixes including Siouxsie & The Banshees and Nitzer Ebb stood out particularly in my mind. And while the playlist included plenty of classic favorites, the song selection ran deep enough to have me playing the guessing game of “which band is this deep cut from?”.
There was one scary moment as the security guard made a stage announcement warning club goers to stay inside the venue due to a disturbance outside. (We later found broken glass along the street.) But, thankfully, there were no incidents inside the club aside from a few drunks who got a little too rambunctious in the mosh pit.
New Skeletal Faces started the live portion of the evening off right. Their elaborate, shrine-like stage decor – complete with runes and candles – created just the right setting. I’ve seen NSF live a few times and they can always be counted on for a solid live set. And they were in excellent form. Fans of NSF know that the band rarely takes breaks between songs, making the show one continuous flow of songs with wailing vocals that seem to be haunting the songs more than driving them.
Singer/guitarist Errol Fritz worked the crowd with his innate rockstar bravado while KRO and Don (bass and drums respectively) went through their set with lockstep tightness. Fans up near the stage where I was were losing their minds. Fists were pumped. Heads were banged. It was at this point that I looked behind me to see that a sizable mosh pit had broken out. Truly a rock ‘n’ roll spectacle for the books.
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It seems that the NSF following made up a substantial portion of the crowd. I would have liked to see more of them stick around after the set. But a respectable number of partiers stuck around to see Altar de Fey, so it was all good.
AdF took the stage amid what seemed like a ritual, complete with incense and blessings to the crowd, and fully looking the part: teased Mohawks, tight black jeans, and ghostly makeup. Singer Jake Hout’s black feather arrangement was an especially nice touch. The rhythm section was filled out by Kent Cates on guitar, Aleph Kali on drums, and bassist Skot Brown.
It took a few songs for the sound to get fully dialed in, but the performance didn’t suffer for it as they went into selections from their back catalog. It is worth mentioning that, while the band first formed in 1983, most of their releases date from the 2000s and 2010s.
The crowd seemed devoted to welcoming these veteran Deathrockers to not-so sunny San Diego. (It was raining outside.) And everyone young and old we’re getting into the old school vibe.
These are the kinds of nights that, as a music fan and musician, I live for. It is my sincere hope that we San Diegans will see more from Club Nothing and the top notch entertainment they’re bringing to town.
In truth, I knew nothing about Larva before attending this show. But I had faith in the good folks running Club Rapture that they wouldn’t steer me wrong. Turns out that this Barcelona, Spain export has been doing its thing since 1998 starting with the duo of InqUest and Blackend as Morbid Mind. Officially rechristened Larva in 2003, InqUest continues to pursue dark themes with more of a focus on social issues.
Go-Go dancer Katana alongside DJ SinDrome
I was impressed with the turnout for a Thursday night. Those more informed than myself, aka the local Larva fans, turned out to show their support. It was extremely helpful that DJs Barbie Serk and SinDrome did an excellent job of warming up the crowd with some the best mixes I’ve heard at Til Two for some time.
DJ Barbie Serk
By showtime, the dance floor was dense with dancers eager to get down. I can see why, Larva’s sound is nothing if not danceable, with a keen sense of melody and floating synth leads that made me think of early Gary Numan or later Ultravox.
As a live act, Larva’s energy is contagious. This one-man show was truly engaging; often jumping offstage to dance with fans, exchange hugs, and I think I saw him give several people playful noogies. When onstage, he would gyrate, flex, and contort himself wildly while going wherever the vibe of the moment took him. New converts like myself were easily won over.
After the encore, there was an additional surprise in store as everyone joined in to wish Larva a happy birthday. And while there was a wee bit of a language barrier to contend with, he clearly got the gist and expressed his appreciation to everyone present.
Whether you understand Spanish or not, you would do well to check out Larva’s respectable catalog or take advantage of a tour date in your town. I’m glad I did.
“Finally!” I said to myself. Ever since The Damned announced their “farewell” tour in 1989, I’ve been on a mission to see them live. The Damned, with their undeniable influence on Punk, Goth, and Deathrock, has been a must-see for me since the day I saw them perform Nasty on The Young Ones back in the 80s. And for all the tours that have come and gone since then, I wasn’t interested in missing them for an eighth time. So, after many missed opportunities, I, at last, got the chance to see London’s pride and joy punkers in my hometown at the good ol’ Observatory.
Starting off the night were some stateside-based rockers back in action after a long hiatus: The Dictators (not to be confused with The Dictators NYC). This NYC proto-punk band has seen its changes since it first started in 1973, and the lineup for this night included: Andy Shernoff (bass), Ross “The Boss” Friedman (lead guitar), Keith Roth (guitar and vocals), and Blue Öyster Cult alumnus Albert Bouchard (drums).
The band’s witty stage banter was obscured by some sound problems that were sorted out by the end of the first song. I love bands that don’t feel above a little self effacing humor. It’s even better when they know how to save a joke after it bombs. Match that with Bouchard’s habit of losing drumsticks throughout the set made for entertainment both seen and heard.
The noticeably older crowd got into it whether they were familiar with The Dictators’ oeuvre or not and everyone seemed to be digging it.
After a cover of the Velvet Underground’sWhat Goes On, the band wrapped up their set with the announcement that new material has been recorded and a new Dictators album can be expected by the end of the year.
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Now… what I’ve waited over 30 years for. The Damned took the stage and proceeded to live up to their reputation as a solid and fun live act.
For starters, they looked like they haven’t lost a single step since their inception in 1976. They came onstage with a mutual playfulness that showed that they are still buddies as well as bandmates. Lead singer Dave Vanian looks like he hasn’t aged a bit with more energy than even I can muster these days; stalking the stage with animation, poise, and swagger. And his voice was spot-on and polished. Captain Sensible was wearing his signature red beret when he wasn’t wearing his guitar on his head. His wit was conveyed even when I couldn’t understand his accent. Monty Oxymoron looked like a cross between a hippie and a mad scientist as he held down the keys. Laidback bassist Paul Gray and left-handed drummer Will Taylor rounded out the night’s lineup.
Selections from Darkadelic, their newest release, were featured through the first half of the show and things got progressively heavier as the night went on from the polished refinement of later albums to the snarky angst of their early punk days.
Now I see what I’ve been missing. The Damned is nonstop fun to see live. When they’re not razzing each other (while wearing red rubber noses), they bring go-go dancers from the crowd onstage. When go-go dancers aren’t twerking alongside the band, Captain Sensible is revving up the crowd; cracking jokes in his cockney accent. When the Captain isn’t revving up the crowd, Oxymoron is dancing manically and maniacally across the stage.
The songs ran from classics like Neat Neat Neat which segued to tributes to The Doors and The Stooges. Favorites like Eloise and Smash It Up were featured, of course. They even threw in an improvised jam to open the second encore.
As the band wrapped up at last, Captain Sensible offered a parting thought with the declaration of, “We’ve still got it!”. Truer words were never spoken.
