Chicago Industrial Supergroup The Joy Thieves on Armalyte Industries in 2018 has a brand-new album just in time for the steady decay of the post Capitalist society. Drum Daddy Dan Milligan started this project in 2018 blending a love of live punk rock power, and industrial electronic expertise. A chance meeting through his wife with Chicago Industrial Supergroup legend Martin Atkins (Pigface) led to Milligan compiling a talent packed armada to rival any group in the genre that includes current, former, and touring members of bands such as Ministry, Stabbing Westward, Rollins Band, Killing Joke, Pigface, RevCo, PIG, David Bowie, Blue October, Machines of Loving Grace, Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails, KMFDM, Naked Raygun, Foetus, My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult, Pegboy, Nitzer Ebb, and more. I’m proud to say the “more” even includes me.
The Joy Thieves – Apocalypse Pending – Lyrics by Chris Connelly (Yes that Chris Connelly)
Additional production by: Derek Christopher –Penfield Studios Mark Pistel -Room 5 Studios Jeff Harris -JH Studios Steven Archer -House of Wolves Dee J Nelson -DJN Music Studio Jane Jensen -Autozen Music DJ Darryl Hell -HellLab Studios
Mastered by James Scott at Populist Recording + Mastering Art direction by Destiny Justic Scott Original artwork by Charlie Athanas for Burning City
2022 Sounds and Shadows Interview with The Joy Thieves
The world has steadily progressed into a pea green soup skied nightmare of political confrontation, media overload, and wealth disparity which has us all terrified for the future. Enter the sonic baseball bat with nails driven through it to fight back against the dumpster fire that is “Apocalypse Pending“. From the funky bashing buildup of 52 second title track intro (Milligan/DJ Darryl Hell) into the first single “No Anchor” (Connelly/Milligan) we are thrust into a desperate crumbling world which the Thieves immediately start beating the piss out of until it releases the sweet juice of hope.
“Why am I desperate to have no anchor? To prowl just like a panther? I can’t remain for anyone Why is it frostbite in July? So strange the time flies I can’t remain for anyone I will not stay, I’m not wanted I’m neither living, nor haunted Beauty has no anchor, don’t forget you’re here “
Things that really stand out above the pack in 2026. 1) The drums here (As expected by Drum Daddy Dan Milligan) are absolutely electric. Every track to tight, clean, but always feels like it is rattling off the tracks. It never does but the sense of anxiety created by controlled chaos releases your adrenaline. 2) This is peak Chris Connelly, not that he ever goes wrong but I think Dan and company are huge fans that really understand the pocket to create for one of the best ever to do Industrial vocals to let him shine. He snarls, croons, spits, and breathes with perfect intuitive timing. 3) The lyrics are the self-aware directed anger that this era is screaming for given voice. I just don’t spend enough time reading along with the lyrics sheet while listening to music these days, but that’s exactly what this record had me doing. 4) The guitar tones here a DIALED in, they are crunching and cooking just beating you over the head while you stomp.
Favorite Tracks: Honestly all of them. This is a hit play and let them cook album. That is a cop out answer though so here we go.
“The Wrong End Of Your Rifle” – What a flow this track has. It is so real with 90s Industrial homage and Public Enemy political intelligence.
“Not one to clash with my investors More like cardiac arresters Menace, ignorance And heavily armed court jesters
Blamin’ it all Menace becomes investor Pay to win Corporate branding on your sin of sins You came to blame And nothing will keep you stifled Menacing At the wrong end of your rifle”
“Knife Fight Nihilism” – Jensen and Connelly do a beautiful vocal volley in a slam poetry full of razor wit and funky beats. I love the old school record scratching effect and slippery phrasing.
I’m kind of warming up to you And your consistent fight To make it true A knife fight in a garden Close to paradise A royal pardon Look what’s branding us with heavy shields! And mortal stuff we can’t reveal You spilled your guts out And the dogs prepared to feast A knife fight honors every carnivore and every beast Unlikely bloodstains make a pattern Like a jigsaw on the lam Unlikely jetties rid the sea of bodies Dead serious, or just another dead man?
This album is a must have and an early contender for my album of the year.
In 2024 I lost a friend and the scene lost a passionate supporter in Joe Whiteaker. Joe Recorded “It All Falls Apart” in 2023, which would end up the final EP from The Funeral March of the Marionettes. The remaining band and William Faith worked together to release Joe’s final vision in March 2025. This record is a story, an important story, a human story. Joe always had a beautiful voice. One that dripped with soul. This was truly the culmination of his journey.
The Funeral March of the Marionettes is: J. Whiteaker – Vocals, Bass, Keyboards, Programming D. McCaskey – Bass, Programming, Backing Vocals W. Thiele – Guitar, Backing Vocals
Additional performances by: Ria Aursjoen (of Octavian Winters and AURSJOEN) – Vocals on “Stars at Night” and “Save Us” Rob Hyman (of [melter]) – Drums on “Save Us” and “It All Falls Apart” Renard Platine – Bass VI on “Bobblehead”
Stars At Night : The album opens on this sinister misty streets in autumn banger. Gorgeous opening tom lead right out of the Martin Hannett playbook. I love how well the music matches the concept in the lyrics. Life is fast, brutal and full of beauty. “The stars at night are burning silver Burn bright and quickly fade away Our fates are written on flash paper Touched to the flame and burnt away”. You don’t need the context to feel the universal core of mortality.
Shadow Games : The tone and vocals speed forward for a more modern edge. A New York City early 2000s feel that lets Joe croon and resonate. The Rhythm section is more open and pastel to let the poetry breath. A haunting chorus hopeful and tragic in equal measure. “No matter which path that you take It all ends the same Fire reflects in your dark eyes A moth drawn to the flame Silently, you will make your move In this fatal game”
Bobblehead: Slowing things down for introspection. A touch of shoegaze slush and delay to the cadence. I love that understated guitar line that matches the baseline. The lyrics drip with longing and the melody is a whisper that leaves you leaning in to be a part of the secret. “How did you keep from showing? Did the awful secret break your heart? The distance kept on growing You knew that one day that you would depart”
Save Us: Comes snarling up with delayed Love and Rockets guitars and some hunger to the vocals. William Faith has his fingerprints on a lot of the tone and sound of this record, but here most of all. Obsidian axe death rock stalking towards you with purpose. The punk rock political overtones really bleed out of this track. The background wails at 2:20 gave me chills. I love different tracks for different reasons but if I had to pick a favorite gun to my head it is Save Us. “The world is on fire now As we watch it burn Dance on a funeral pyre Everyone will take their turn”
Joe was beloved by this scene and Chicago in particular. it took a lot of people and a lot of love to make this happen. I have an interview with Darius we recorded shortly after the memorial show which I will add to this review. The 4 standout remixes by Tweaker, Bellhead, and The Joy Thieves. The art by Greg Rolfes (eleven12design.com). The Mixing and Mastering by William Faith (williamfaith.studio). All came together to show the lasting legacy Joe had on all of us. If you are new to The Funeral March of the Marionettes maybe go start with “Resurgence” and work your way forward, but they really did save the best for last. This was the highest evolution and the way I always want to remember a friend and artists who shared everything in his heart.
In 2024 Raymond Watts continues to be one of the great innovators and provocateurs of the industrial music genre. Always finding some new musical thread (Gospel/Soul/Rock/HonkeyTonk) to feed through the electronic percussion meat grinder churning out new flavor. His career as an electronic artist has spanned decades working with KMFDM, Psychic TV, Chemlab, Revco, The Joy Thieves, and countless more. Working with illustrious company the PIG character remains distinctive in every project he crosses. This new album “Red Room” shifts the tone back to an oily glamorgrime full of hanging hooks and spicy rock licks. This is dance music at it’s core. Not high octane jump around the club music. This is sensual drunken master slithering through the masses music.
A true rogues gallery of guest talent for the ages graces this record Alexis Mincolla (3Teeth), Chris Hall (Stabbing Westward), and the PIG Choir: Chris Connelly (Revco, Ministry etc), Emily Kavanaugh (Night Club), I Ya Toyah, Marc Heal (Cubanate) and Burton C Bell (Fear Factory), En Esch, Susannah Doyle, Anita Kyoda, Mark Alan Griffiths, Mike Watts, Jimmy Livingstone, and more! It speaks to your capacity as a producer when you can pack this many top tier talents into one place and make everyone shine.
Previous interview from 2021
People pay more attention to a whisper than a shout. When I think of industrial music, I think angry, aggressive, pounding, revolutionary. PIG is industrial, but a whisper you lean in to hear a secret from. You aren’t assaulted with a barrage of words. It is a tantalizing siren song, drawing you down a dark alley. A forbidden promise you accept. Dark pacts of excess and submission are forged with dashing figures in fur coats.
Let’s dig into some of my favorite tracks:
Red Room: I always love when a title track comes near the top of an album and sets the tone for everything that follows. Wicked 90s glam guitar riff to set the scene. The chorus melody is an infectious chant “There’s a Red Room among the dead, to count those guilty words you said” something in this delivery put me in mind of 70s Alice Cooper. A beautiful dark pageantry wrapped in velvet curtains
Dum Dum Bullet: I recently did an interview I will publish soon where Raymond talked about firing an idea into someone’s head where it fragmented in every direction once inside the skull. The beat has a sultry strut and a bow whip guitar. The lilting xylophone lead is one of those perfectly placed accents. The chorus harmony lends reverence and charisma white breaking apart after impact. There is magic when the construction of a song becomes a metaphor for the core concept.
PIG is at The Window: Nothing sets my nether’s on fire like a slutty muted horn. This track really brings the character out of the smoke and solidifies it into a hungry entity you feel with all five senses. Sinister early 90s glam guitar. All the hairs on my arm are standing at attention for this filthy banger.
Overall: This is another great example that Raymond Watts is still growing. The story has more to tell. I am extremely excited to witness this show live, sweaty, and intimate on the tour with Curse Mackey and Unitcode:Machine. You should be too.
I have been awful about writing to you all about the latest and greatest darkscene releases this year. It’s time for me to start making up that up. My goal this year is to dive a little deeper into feature pieces on bands and releases. Doing quick hit articles with multiple bands tagged is still valuable for getting the word out and combining fan bases. So if you love dark music and this scene, read about the bands you already know. More importantly give a chance to some you don’t recognize and please share these reviews. It costs nothing and help folks find new music to love. I appreciate everyone who supports us. Go see live music in underground venues. These bands are The Cure/Joy Division/Depeche Mode/Sister Of Mercy of tomorrow. You can see them now for under 20 dollars.
Tears for ʇhe Dying – Dead Girl Dancing (single) – Nothing feels better than watching something I already love, re-invent itself into something new and glorious. Tears For The Dying has become my favorite in a new wave of death rock. Adria and Mick have an exposed truth you cannot put a mask on. It shines with feral chaotic beauty burning outside modern popular refinement. Dead Girl Dancing is a delicate and subtle shine blasting through the cracks of traumatic armor. I love hearing a playful tone in Adria’s singing and phrase. Mick also shows wide range with this wrist flick fencers beat. This song reminds me that sometimes the most goth thing of all isn’t to wallow in despair. Instead to celebrate the beauty of the macabre. A dream which for some might be a nightmare, yet to those who want to look beyond convention, a midnight dance with the animated dead. Sometimes I fear Tears For the Dying is too honest and strange to ever feel the embrace of mainstream audiences. I hope they do find the attention of our darkscene. Other artists in the know, know Tears For the Dying.
See me, hear me, take my hand Let’s go for a walk in the boneyard See me, hear me, take my hand Let’s dance in the fog
Bootblacks – When You Want – Speaking of rebirth, the Brooklyn post punk band Bootblacks who I have heaped praise on many times have done some introspection, a lineup change, and a total sonic reboot. When it is a band you already love, it is natural to worry, if I already loved where they were heading, will I still after a 180? It’s a beautiful twist of fate when the new direction makes you fall in love over again. There is a lot of excitement right now around the “Dark Italian Disco Sound”. It seems to be the next hot thing. “When You Want” is a flame laced single that embraces modern American Dark Disco. Something brash and confident that leaves pretention at the door. I’ve never heard Panther embrace such elegance and clarity. Those raw fuzzy energy waves from “Thin Skies” have become sharp lines and complex movement. Whatever that special “it” factor that Panther and Barrett had, they managed to bring it with them. Riding the cusp of the next natural progression.
Isaac Howlett – House of Cards – By track three of this review a pattern is emerging. Another phoenix rises with a new sound and pallet. Isaac Howlett of the atmospheric darksynth band Empathy Test releases his first solo venture. Without a live drummer this single stays light on it’s toes. It sparkles and spins on a fantastical dancefloor. Isaac’s always beautiful voice glows warmer and wider. I feel a real “Power, Corruption, and Lies” tone in the music. I think Isaac’s vocal talent elevates the original concept in many ways. Excited to see where this new feel takes us next.
The Joy Thieves – The Heart of the Worm – Since Dan Milligan started The Joy Thieves it has been growing in membership to include over 50 members. Bringing new talents and skills to add to the color palette. Now it ranges all the way from living legends to…me. As in previous releases TJT tend to build around a vocalist in each album. The Heart Of The Worm goes back to one of the first Joy Thieves and Dan’s oldest friends Mathew Clark (Mary’s Window). Tragically Mathew had a stroke that left him with a long road to physical recovery. “Spilt Milk” embodies Matt’s trademark snarl and purr style with a crunchy new metal riff. The drums are dialed in so tightly you really feel the walls closing in. Then the chorus blows the roof off the building to scream to the heavens. It’s something special to play together so long, in so many projects it gives a song the hive mind feel. When timing becomes so precise you wonder if they used some kind of telepathic link. Track 2: Relentless features Chicago Industrial standout Mike Reidy on vocals is a frothing beast bends each phrase to match the pitch shift riff. I love when industrial leans into a groove.
ACTORS – In Real Life – It’s impossible to mention the resurgence of post punk next wave music without discussing Vancouver based band Actors. The first single of 2024 throws every color at the wall with precision and efficiency. This track is beauty celebrated, an emotional sculpture drawing your ear towards a captured moment.
Also the Actors are going back out on the road. I’m going to see them on Sat 4/27 at Fixation Festival in Detroit. I need to make it clear, in 2036 there will be two kinds of people in this scene. Those talking about how they saw Actors for less than $20 back in the day, and those complaining about the price of tickets they are still going to buy. It’s not too late to be the former.
Intrusive Pinky – I Hate You, Patriarch Fuck! – Modular duo of Jackie and Diana, a bit of Melloncampiness there, which came to my attention being the first signing of Jean-Marc Lederman’s new label Les disques de la pantoufle. If I was to pick 5 names I considered experts of knowing something has quality in the modern artistic scene, Jean-Marc would be on that list. So lets turn up the studio speakers and get some first impressions from the debut EP of Californias Intrusive Pinky.
Past Midnight – I like to think the first track of the first EP from a band is meant to send you a message. Right away the message was clear. Ken, you are not the demographic the song was aimed at. Still, you know badass when you hear it. This beat goes against the grain, still finding a pulse your heart is drawn to follow. Spoken throwing star cadence throwing sharp words at random intervals from the palm. Finding some equilibrium between hook and chaos that gives this slow electric club stomper a jazzy soul. You have my attention.
We’re The Meow Meow Generation – Give me that glitchy flapper energy like trip hop on a runaway train. Lately I’ve seen a modern trend of new video games to use advanced graphic versions of pixel art to bring the focus back to the story. This track feels like the music version of that ideal. It’s bright, bold, feather boas at a 90s Detroit warehouse rave.
I’m already invested hook like and sinker and need to have these folks on for an interview soon.
LEATHERS – Crash – Brand new single from the shimmering jewel reverse personality of Actors. Also on Artoffact but with a focus on the arm hair chills stunning voice of Shannon Hemmett. A slippery synthpop symphony in slow wide arcs. I love when a songs lyrics take you on a mystery. Hints at a story that feels familiar but lingers just out of your reach. I’ll admit to playing and reading the lyrics 5 times to reflect, and I am not done yet.
BRIDES – Doom Profits – From the moment Adrian started this lofi Norwegian dark rock project it has stirred in me a desire to proclaim the soul of traditional goth has returned. He even calls it “Norwegian rock band Brides”, refusing to acknowledge the word goth. Just like Doom Profits who came before him. Wielding these slithering guitar riffs like a Bo-whip demonstration above a thunderous bass hook. Leaning into his own voice with rough textures on higher range to create his own tale of woe.
Nothing Left For Love – A slow driving croon with fog curling over the lip of a chasm. Lyrics that are utterly beyond hope and have given over to the void. This song takes a simple vamping riff and dials it into that exact median dot so many have searched for. Listening to this is like playing chicken with true darkness. You keep expecting a moment where the author diverts and shows it was all pageantry. He never blinks. Never
“And these dreams that spill out of my head Drip from my tongue and crawl up my throat Until I vomit them out on the page Or in a song”
Heartquake – A scorcher foot to the floor right off the line. This song is a black muscle car with flames and exposed chrome. Siren emulating synthesizers trail behind dangerous slides over broken city concrete. Hard dirty motion that doesn’t slow down as it goes around the curves.
“A shakey kiss From trembling lips Earthbeat Heartquake Skin crawls Fingers quiver Tongues slip Tendrils slither Tracing scars Unwrap the heart Muted howls Nervous touch”
In 1992 midwest goth troubadour Scott-David Allen began a musical journey called A Covenant Of Thorns which would burn a thick black candle in homage to the early forlorn roots of gothic music. To celebrate genuine emotion and the beauty found in darkness and pain. The concept of using our darkest moments to draw strength and celebrate those closest to our hearts. A vocal talent of superb beauty with lyrics of poetic elegance. Five EPs and Four albums later Scott David has imprinted a lasting mark on the goth scene leading up to his collaboration on “Tiny Gods Who Walk Beside Us” a compilation to save my cat which introduced him to Dan Milligan (The Joy Thieves). The two would then form The Burying Kind, my favorite new Shoegaze band of the last 5 years.
In May 2023 we received the eagerly awaited new album “Ashes” recorded at A Handful of Nothing Studios. Mastering by living legend Gordon Young. With Artwork by Greg Rolfes. I don’t know if this is always taken as the compliment I mean it, but the first word that comes to mind when I compare this record to previous beloved work, is maturity. A wisdom and elegance of sound. A communication in a relationship rather than expressing emotions after the fact. Ashes has a depth of sound made from living in the moment, rather than reflecting on the past. Every delivered line feels sung to the listener, rather than a description of narrative events. I was one with the concept, not a voyeur.
The Synths always play a staring role in Scott-David‘s work. These have such an organic feel. I hear horns, saxophones, organs, the guitar work charges to center stage in a way I don’t always feel from ACOT. Perhaps an influence of Gord being felt. The peaks and valleys feel effortless and vast. The darkscene of 2023 often feels obligated to bury the words of songs under oceans of effects. Here every word cascades out with clarity and shows the faith Scott-David places in his own voice to carry the story.
Stand Out Tracks:
Halos : This song has the emotive sway of a wooden ship on slow stormy waters I feel present in things like New Order “Ceremony“. Try to run away, trying just to feel nothing at all. The vocals here ring with such truth. Accent guitar pin pricks and a chorus with a smooth unexpected cadence. A pleading prayer for hope in the darkest moment. Also this includes a lovely sax sound around 4 minutes that always tugs my heart strings.
Grace (Like The Back Of A Fist) : This is a undeniable BANGER of the highest accord. This one has the edge, that shadow laced maturity I was discussing. No Boyish forlorn Robert Smith here. This is R rated danger and menace on a cold empty road surrounded by monsters. Shadows parting for a force of hope more menacing than the things in the ditches.
This album is beauty, it is inspirational, it is a blood red lantern in the darkness. It’s one of the best things I have heard so far this year. Sometimes you can take the best part of tradition and forge them into something new. Something that lives in this moment while casting a light backwards. I can’t wait to hear where A Covenant Of Thorns goes next.
