Coventry’s industrial and cinematic darkwave band, Attrition, led by founder Martin Bowes, is gearing up for its first-ever tour of Australia and a return to New Zealand in October and November 2024. This tour follows the release of their album “The Black Maria” which dropped earlier this year via Two Gods Records.

Joining Attrition on the Australian leg of the tour is New South Wales’ industrial synth crust outfit Schkeuditzer Kreuz. Canadian ritual-ambient artist Subterranea (also known as Alia Synesthesia of Attrition) will accompany them for all Australian and New Zealand shows, except the Melbourne date. The tour will also feature a rotating lineup of special guests from the local underground music scene, including Life Cult, The Cold Field, DevilMonkey, Mankind, and more.

The 11-date tour kicks off in Perth on October 24th, with subsequent shows in Adelaide, Frankston, Hobart, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and Nambour. Attrition and Subterranea will then travel to New Zealand, where they will perform in Christchurch for the first time, followed by shows in Wellington and Auckland.

Check Attrition’s website for ticketing details.

Attrition on tour

• 24 October: Perth, four5nine, Rosemount Hotel, with Schkeuditzer Kreuz, Life Cult, and Subterranea.
• 25 October: Adelaide, Hotel Metro, with Schkeuditzer Kreuz, The Cold Field, Subterranea + DJ Empusa.
• 26 October: Frankston, Singing Bird Studio, with Schkeuditzer Kreuz, DevilMonkey, Subterranea + DJ Varunia Khan.
• 27 October: Hobart, Altar, with Schkeuditzer Kreuz, Mankind, and Subterranea + DJ Black Paul.
• 31 October: Melbourne, The Gasometer (Halloween), with Schkeuditzer Kreuz, Death of Art, Palliative + DJ Crowley.
• 1 November: Sydney, Darling Nikki’s, with Schkeuditzer Kreuz, Sounds Like Winter, Subterranea + DJs Xerstorkitte & Action Ant.
• 2 November: Brisbane, The Cave Inn, with Schkeuditzer Kreuz, Chiffon Magnifique, Subterranea + DJs Richard & Josh.
• 3 November: Nambour, Black Box Theatre, with Schkeuditzer Kreuz, Chiffon Magnifique, and Subterranea.
• 7 November: Christchurch, The Embankment Tavern, with Acclimate, Placenta Cookbook, and Subterranea.
• 8 November: Wellington, Valhalla, with special guests.
• 9 November: Auckland, Whammy Bar, with special guests.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Eight years after their first collaboration that resulted in the album “Proslambanomenos”, Empusae and Peter Bjärgö (Arcana, Sophia, Karjalan sissit ao) released a new work entitled “Onus”. The four songs are worked out and compelling. It sounds dark and somewhere between Dark-Ambient and pure Cinematic music featuring carrying, slow, rhythms. Peter’s voice brings a magical touch to the melancholic sound composed mainly by Nicolas. It’s a subtle album that culminates in a tormented conclusion. (Rate: 7½).

Listen to “Overwhelming Cruelty”:

About Empusae

Empusae is the Belgian solo project of Nicolas Van Meirhaeghe, also known as Sal-Ocin, running for more than two decades and known for albums such as “Lueur” and “Iter In Tenebris” on Consouling Sounds. “Onus” is the project’s second collaboration with Peter Bjärgö, following “Proslambanomenos” eight years earlier.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

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Genre/Influences: Dark-Ambient.

Format: Digital, CD. 

Background/Info: “Canidia” resulted from the collaborative efforts between Chris F (Ajna) and Maurizio Landini (Onasander). Both artists are used to collaborating with other artists. This American-Italian work is inspired by Canidia, considered to be Rome’s first witch and often featured in the poems of Horace. 

Content: The work takes off with an impressive and overwhelming composition revealing Industrial sound treatments adapted into an ambient perception. The work moves on this style, but still accentuating an anguishing and hostile atmosphere composed by electronic treatments and empowered by field recordings. Humming sound waves are joining in on top of crispy noises. 

+ + + : The album features 7 tracks, which is a magic number in alchemy and the least I can say is that there’s a true sonic fusion between both artists. This work is an overpowering production characterized by devastating sound blasts, but still refined with subtle sound treatments. The Dark-Ambient sphere supports the songs and creates this tormenting feeling, which in a way perfectly symbolizes the theme of the work; this album sounds like being touched by the black magic of Canidia. The work also confirms the talent of both artists who became experienced ambassadors in the genre. 

– – – : No real minus points at this work. 

Conclusion: “Canidia” is an overwhelming Dark-Ambient production between two artists who’re clearly complementary. 

Best songs: “Routing The Empusa”, “Demon Of Vengeance”, “Invoking Underworld Divinities”, “Whispering To The Fire”. 

Rate: 8½. 

Artist: www.facebook.com/onasander 

Label: www.winter-light.nl / www.facebook.com/winter.light.1

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Track 14 on our free download compilation “Face The Beat: Session 3” is by Empusa. It’s not the first time that Empusa are featured on the “Face The Beat” series, their submission “War” also made it this time. You can expect dark electro with harsh non-vocoded vocals spread through the modern melodic dark electro they are offering.

You can listen to the track below:

Empusa are an alternative electronic band, influenced largely by the electro-industrial pioneers of the 80’s and present era. The band consists of Brandy Oliver, based in Michigan, US and Richie Gray, who is currently based in South Africa.

The first album, “Domain” (2006) was followed by “In Passing”, and “Closer”. Empusa have just recently released their fourth album, “Static” in December of 2016. Additionally, Empusa have featured regularly on various artist compilations. E

Empusa’s sound would best be described as dark-electro, sometimes almost uplifting, but always with a looming darkness, Lyrically, Empusa is about the band’s own life experiences, almost a diary of events, often cynical and ominous, and at times positive.

A new collaboration album, featuring Miss FD on vocals, is currently in production and expected to be released in summer of 2016. In the past they actually had a collaboration track with Miss FD (“Burned”) featured on the first “Face The Beat” compilation.

Below are the 2 other tracks that were featured in the past:

You can find Empusa back right here on Facebook.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Officially out on December 26th, but available right here for the quick ones, is the 3rd volume in the Side-Line powered charity compilation series “Face The Beat”.

“Face The Beat: Session 3” counts 63 tracks from electro / industrial / experimental bands based allover the world. They have one thing in common, they all are supporting our charity work, which this time will go to supporting O Allos Anthropos (A Different Person), a mobile kitchen in Greece, Athens which is supporting the poorest citizens there with daily warm meals.

“Face The Beat: Session 3” was compiled by Elise Din and Bernard Van Isacker and features lots of new talents, and several familiar ‘faces’, from the electro, wave, industrial, dubstep, dark folk scene who wanted to put their shoulders under the release. You’ll find well known acts such as Kant Kino, IIOIOIOII, Essence Of Mind, Empusa, and many more next to a lot of new talents which caught our attention and which often haven’t got a label contract or have just been signed recently.

The material was carefully mastered by Kenneth Fredstie (Kant Kino) for your best audio pleasure.

Here’s a bit more info on O Allos Anthropos, the charity project we will be supporting this time. The people behind O Allos Anthropos don’t just cook healthy meals for the poorest residents, they also sit together with those people in an effort to combat the shame of receiving a free cooked meal. Another purpose of this community kitchen is to distribute any left over funds to the unemployed people who help them on a daily basis. We came aware of their work when being in Greece last year and seeing the tremendous work they have been doing, we decided to help them out.

Being in the middle of the Christmas and New Year’s festivities we count on you to be generous with your donations – it’s no obligation of course, but you’ll make sure that other people will be able enjoying a decent meal with what you donate. Good to know, there will be no middleman to transfer the donations. We’ll wire it directly to O Allos Anthropos and the Side-Line team will already be donating 500 Euro directly, just to show you how much we care about this project. You can also support this project with recurrent donations if you wish to.

You can download the compilation right here.

Many thanks to all of the bands and labels that have sent material, too many to name (over 3000 this time), and congratulations to all the bands that have made our selection! United we can show that we have our heart at the right place!

Do not forget to also get our 2 other charity download compilations, “Face The Beat: Session 1” and “Face The Beat: Session 2“.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

side-line.com