THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA stares themes like existentialism directly in the face with brutal and harrowing melodies. It is evident that fans commend their willingness to tackle heavy topics from the success of their prior album Color Decay released three years ago. Over the years THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA have gained substantial followers and received nearly half a billion streams across platforms - a massive achievement in the metal industry! Since establishing, they have sold out many headline shows worldwide and are shortly due to go on a European tour with the incredible ICE NINE KILLS and CREEPER starting the 19th November. Flowers is a self reflection crafted into intricate soulful songs in an effort to connect with individuals battling with the same thoughts. From loneliness to grief the album articulates raw emotions into eloquent lyrics and carefully crafted instrumentals. JEREMY DEPOYSTER (guitarist and clean vocals) stated “‘Where The Flowers Never Grow' is a song about the realization that no matter how good things get from the outside, there is still a place of darkness in our minds… the place where flowers never grow” proving the band's commitment to relay honest experiences throughout tracks. Everybody Knows is themed around bubbling anxiety that cannot be contained, forcing everyone to witness vulnerability which desperately tries to be concealed. Their lyrics shine a light on the reality of trying to avoid harsh truths in order to hide worries from others. The track is catchy and has a tense increase in instrumental intensity leading into powerful choruses. A standout track to showcase the band’s savage ferocity is All Out. Throughout the track, the guitars show consistent drama and aggression through palm muted galloping, hammer ons, pull offs and resonant chugs, all at face pace. In their use of syncopation with the drums and rhythm guitars, it builds pressure towards the climax of the song, a grand open chorus with DEPOYSTER's ethereal vocal belts. MIKE HRANICA shows his prowess as a harsh vocalist, inducing rage in his full-bodied mid screams and shouts through gritted teeth about the tragedies of negative cycles of human relationships. It radiates the same feelings of anger and dread the album was intended to portray. My Paradise is a melancholy song of acceptance of allowing yourself to feel mediocre and the concept of letting life pass due to pessimism of self worth. Stated plainly “waiting is my paradise” is a lyric that takes the spotlight as a defeatist form of mantra to DEPOYSTER on this track. The song has an overarching contemplation of internal struggles we face as people and brings solace to those in a similar scenario - that they are in fact not alone in self depreciation. Despite being negative in nature, the song feels like a reconciliation to anyone feeling the same way, making it become combative to loneliness in doubt creating almost a positive experience from a negative message. It is commendable that THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA can orchestrate unity amongst those navigating troubling times in their lives. Their bravery to share their experiences through otherworldly melodies continues to show their excellence as musicians. Flowers is a clear heartfelt message to be interpreted by fans and is sure to invoke an emotional response when performed live later this year. Score: 9/10 Flowers will be released on November 14th 2025 via Solid State Records. Words: Alix England Photos: The Devil Wears Prada

HOME FRONT’s Watch It Die turns grief and disillusionment into something vital. The Edmonton duo GRAEME MACKINNON and CLINT FRAZIER have always worked at the crossroads of punk grit and synth-pop shimmer, but this record feels like a leap forward. It’s sharper, bolder, and more alive, shaped by the experience of becoming a fully-fledged live band after their earlier albums, Think of the Lie and Games of Power. Where Games of Power felt cold and intentionally claustrophobic, Watch It Die carries a sense of motion and light. Touring between releases gave the band a renewed perspective on what their songs could be. The live shows, in their chaos and catharsis, pushed them towards something fuller and more physical. That energy bleeds into this album, even though the stage and studio versions of HOME FRONT now feel like distinct entities. The result is a record that bridges intensity and melody, loss and resilience, without smoothing the edges of either. The title track sets the tone with a widescreen sound that feels almost cinematic, evoking the sweep of a coming-of-age film score. In a recent interview with Treble, MACKINNON explained that, as a track, Watch It Die began as a nod to THE JAM’s Setting Sons - a starting point that shaped the album’s mix of punk defiance and introspection. That influence definitely lingers in the songwriting, with the entire album examining grief and change with the same unguarded sincerity that once powered PAUL WELLER’s sharpest lyrics. A few tracks later, Light Sleeper stands out with its chant-like delivery of “we’re born alone, we die alone”. It’s an idea that could read as hopeless, but instead lands as communal acceptance when shouted over surging synths. The record’s emotional center lies in its ability to turn bleak ideas into shared catharsis. Eulogy reflects on mortality, but does so through the language of an anthem, while Dancing With Anxiety opens with warped, twitching rhythms that gradually unfolds into one of the album’s most danceable moments - a fitting contradiction for a band fascinated by tension and release. Young Offender is another key track, pairing some of the album’s heavier vocals with a bright, synth-driven pulse. The grit in MACKINNON’s voice cuts through the gleaming production, and when the guitars snarl in behind him, the contrast gives the song its bite. It’s a reminder of how comfortably HOME FRONT blends rawness with precision. Even at their most melodic, they never lose touch with punk’s physicality. By this third release, HOME FRONT sounds like they’ve found the sweet spot between technology and instinct. Earlier records were built remotely, with the duo still learning the machinery of their sound. Here, though, everything finally clicks. The synths feel purposeful rather than ornamental, the drums hit harder, and the production balances digital polish with the grit of guitars recorded in small rooms in their hometown. Despite its polish, Watch It Die is an album rooted in vulnerability. The lyrics circle around loss, exhaustion, and the daily work of surviving in a collapsing world. Yet rather than sink into cynicism, the record insists on momentum. The band’s message, about community and resistance, feels less like a manifesto and more like an act of care. Their outspoken support for Palestine and Indigenous rights in Canada runs parallel to the album’s themes of connection and survival, but neither overshadows the other. The politics are personal, embedded in the sense that endurance itself is a form of defiance. However, it’s also fair to say that Watch It Die won’t resonate with everyone. The hybrid of synth-pop brightness and punk abrasion is striking, but it’s not always an easy listen. Some may find its mix of nostalgia and experimentation jarring, or too specific to certain underground sensibilities. Yet that’s also what makes it compelling: HOME FRONT sounds refreshingly unbothered by convention, crafting something that feels true to their scene rather than engineered for mass appeal. For those open to it, the payoff is huge, rewarding repeat listens with new emotional detail each time. In the end, Watch It Die finds hope in persistence, refusing to stand still, accepting how devastating and messy life often is. It’s proof that survival can sound ecstatic, even when the world feels like it’s burning down around you. Score: 8/10 Watch It Die will be released on November 14th 2025 via La Vida Es Un Mus Discos. Words: Zuzanna Pazola Photos: Lyle Bell

Have you ever seen a war documentary? There always seems to be a mix of archival footage and sounds, with modern day documentarians and interviewees. This kind of approach is rarely seen in music. That is because most artists are not 1914. This Ukrainian blackened death metal outfit have a history of creating conceptual albums that revolve around the great war, and on their fourth album, Viribus Unitis, the band have crafted something truly spectacular. An album that is part documentary and part music, and one which captures the vibes of war unlike anything we have heard in recent times. Viribus Unitis kicks off with an intro - War In (The Beginning of the Fall) - that feels as if it was taken from an ancient documentary, with a really old-fashioned sounding song, which sounds as if it came out of a TV broadcast about the first world war. This is followed up by 1914 (The Siege of Przemyśl). This track kicks off immediately with blast beats and a very atmospheric yet fast-paced riff before the vocals kick in. The pace is consistent for the most part, but just before the two-minute mark, there is a small section where another of those old-timey songs play before the band returns with a slower section. This section is much more melancholic, and there are some really subtle vocal layers which really elevate this opening track. The song ends with a final verse and chorus which once again include blast beats galore which is what is to be expected from a black metal song. The following track is the longest by far and is a nine-minute-long black metal masterpiece. 1915 (Easter Battle for the Zwinin Ridge) perfectly captures different elements of what blackened death metal is. It is heavy at times, atmospheric at times - this song is an extremely haunting listen, especially as it progresses. The first half is just as rapid as the album opener, but it is the second half of this track that truly makes it sensational. After a relaxing guitar and bass duel, the blast beats return with the vocals, but this time they are layered to sound like a medieval choir, and to say that this sounds haunting is an understatement. Another relaxing section follows which gives us a breather as with the nature of this song, but we know something is just around the corner. The next section is a slower, much more sombre one, with the drums being slowed down, and the vocals being more melodic albeit still with the choir layering. This is how the song ends, with this eerie yet beautifully melodic section which is executed fantastically. What comes after the halfway point of this album is where the conceptual element comes into play. Here, 1914 opted to have a trilogy of songs which tells the story of a soldier, who fought in the first world war, and who struggled to come to terms of how brutal it was, and the PTSD that comes with war. The highlights here are the first and last songs in this trilogy. 1918 PT 1: WIA (Wounded In Action) is self-explanatory. It is a track about getting injured in war. This one once again opens with another documentary-esque intro before the band comes in. The mood here is vastly more serious as the instrumental parts are much simpler, and no typical blast beats are heard anywhere once this track begins. The chorus here is the easiest to distinguish on this record in terms of how obvious it is compared to the other tracks. The final song of this trilogy is entitled 1918 PT 3: (A duty to escape) and it is extremely moody and depressing. The guitar riffs are played in much lower registers which furthers the moody ambience this song emits. The vocals here are a mix of harsh and clean. Both are complimented with different drum beats and riffs which is a special touch the band gives to this track, which easily helps it stand out. The bridge on this track has a melancholic prog metal feel to it, before the final chorus kicks in which includes both the harsh and clean vocals on top of each other which is another outstanding example of how well this album has been recorded. The song that follows is the final proper song on Viribus Unitis, and it is also the second longest, clocking in at just over seven minutes long. 1919 (The Home Where I Died) is a very creepy yet beautiful ballad. Here, the clean vocals dominate, and every lyric sung is easily felt which helps remind us just how horrific war is. The drumming on this song is effective as the beats were clearly written to accompany the vocals, as opposed to being their own thing. Another notable aspect of this track is how the guitars are barely noticeable. This adds an element of eeriness to the song and helps give it a more effective minimalistic sound which at the same time, makes this a standout song which portrays the horrors of wars in the simplest of ways. Both musically and thematically, this is an outstanding album. The tracks throughout this record are mostly consistent with only a couple that are not on the same level as most of the songs here. What is consistent however, is the war theme. The vibes are consistently depressing and showcases how 1914 believe the battlefield should be represented, and the result is a record that constantly sounds haunting and extremely emotional. Bands like 1914 are here to remind us all that war is the ultimate evil humanity can pull off, and Viribus Unitis is an example of what war and at times, being a soldier may feel like as this album tackles a wide array of topics, such as battles and PTSD. The main point of this album, however, is to showcase how bad war may feel, and we believe that this is executed to near perfection. War is one of those things that may never disappear, unfortunately, but if bands such as 1914 continue to show just how devastating it can be, the world may just be a tiny bit better. Score: 9/10 Viribus United will be released on November 14th 2025, via Napalm Records. Words: Itay Gilad Photos: Sofiia Ruda

On the fourth night after Halloween, American WEDNESDAY 13 came back to London. Featuring the founder JOSEPH MICHAEL POOL (vocals, guitars), ROMAN SURMAN (guitars, backing vocals), TROY DOEBBLER (bass, backing vocals), JACK TANKERSLEY (guitars, backing vocals) and MIKE DUPKE (drums), the horror heavy metal five-piece is currently promoting their latest release Mid Death Crisis across the world, and the London stop was their first one of the UK leg. Supported by SOAP GIRLS and THE NOCTURNAL AFFAIR, all three bands took over the Islington Assembly Hall. Opening the night was the Las Vegas-based THE NOCTURNAL AFFAIR. Founded by the band’s singer BRENDAN SHANE, followed by the guitarists ANDY INGRAHAM and DRU LAPPIN, bassist MICHAEL JAMES and drummer RAISTLIN “RJ” HAMMAN, the band is putting big emphasis on emotional, crushing and melancholic music, being heavily influenced by the likes of TYPE O NEGATIVE, HIM and NINE INCH NAILS. The start of the evening was challenging, as the set started fifteen minutes later than expected and the singer had issues with his microphone that carried throughout multiple songs, but they were resolved as quickly as possible, while he also used other members' microphones. Interacting a lot with the crowd, which was not very big, the whole band carried the performance with undying enthusiasm and energy and received the same energy from the audience, who loved them. As the set quickly came to its end, the band, with big applause, cheers and few shouts for an encore, left the stage with lots of gratitude for the London crowd. The next band was the French, South African-raised female punk duo, SOAP GIRLS. Officially featuring only the two founders, sisters NOEMIE DEBRAY and CAMILLE DEBRAY, the band is using various drummers while recording and touring. The Australian duo is actively advocating for the LGBTQ+ community, inclusion and fights for the freedom of expression, in their songs and on stage, and it was evident from the beginning of their set, as they made multiple moving speeches in between their songs. Bringing in the wilderness and raw energy of punk, the sisters managed to make everyone from the barrier to the back of the floor dance, jump and sing, while performing their energetic, unapologetic and sometimes aggressive songs. They emphasised the urgency of the current political situation in the US and openly spoke about their opinions about it, as well as the support of everyone who opposes the government. The crowd actively engaged with the sisters during their performance and showed their support at the end, when it was time for them to leave the stage. After two spectacular support bands, it was finally time for the headliner to take over the venue. WEDNESDAY 13 was still loudly welcomed on the stage, while the introduction track Blood Fases To Black played. From there, the band transitioned into playing the first song of the set, Look What The Bats Dragged In, and continued without a break for a multitude of songs. With every new song, the audience, started getting more enthusiastic and excited. In the middle of the crowd formed a moshpit that grew bigger as the performance progressed, and at some point, even crowdsurfers made their way above the ground. The band played their songs like Rotting Away, Good Day To Be A Bad Guy, I Walked With A Zombie, The Ghost Of Vincent Price and Bad Things, as well as few covers of POOL’s previous bands MURDERDOLLS and FRANKENSTEIN DRAG QUEENS FROM PLANET 13, namely Summertime Suicide, 197666 and Nowhere and I Love To Say Fuck, that was the closing song of the two-song encore. Fans were interacting with WEDNESDAY 13 throughout the whole evening and were pleased when the band mentioned they are playing at Bloodstock next year. The evening went by fast, but both the crowd and the performers enjoyed every minute of it. WEDNESDAY 13, as well as SOAP GIRLS and THE NOCTURNAL AFFAIR opened their UK leg of the tour successfully at the Islington Assembly Hall and brought a unique experience to the capital. Words: Katerina Stepanikova Photos: Claire Cabanac

If you’re an appreciator of dark, melancholic, and atmospheric guitar-driven music, then you may have already heard of SOFTSUN. If you’re unfamiliar, this duo, made up of guitarist GARY ACRE and bassist/vocalist PIA ISAKSEN, is difficult to pin down to a genre, and in some ways, that works to their benefit. In their latest album, Eternal Sunrise, this fluidity allows them to explore elements of atmospheric post-rock, dark doom/sludge, and ambient trip-hop. Kicking off with Sacred Heart, this track bears all with its melancholic, distorted guitars, and heavily reverbed drums that are all washed over by Pia Isaksen’s ethereal and dreamy vocals. It’s almost Celtic in its execution, reminiscent of the legendary DEAD CAN DANCE, though not quite as experimental. This vibe continues with A Hundred and Sixteen, an eight-minute baptism of aural proportions. Throughout the album, you can expect to be consistently awash with walls of sound, which, for the first two to three tracks, could almost put you in a trance. However, as the album continues, you may feel a little exhausted. Often with dark, atmospheric music, you’ll find yourself riding all of the peaks and troughs of the music as slow build-ups end in huge, crushing crescendos, only to bring you back down, floating on a cloud of satisfaction. With Eternal Sunrise, you just don’t quite get that feeling as often as not; tracks on the album hit their peaks early on and remain almost consistent throughout. Tracks such as Abandon Lands reach their summit at around 1:30 and remain consistent until they conclude. What you’ll find with Eternal Sunrise is a lot of similarities from track to track, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, especially if you’re passively listening to the album while doing other tasks. There’s a lot of substance here to soak in, but as some tracks hit the eight-minute mark, you may begin to get a little audio fatigued by the end of it. With the whole album clocking in at around 40 minutes, it may feel a little long in the tooth, and you’ll be left yearning for a climax that never quite arrives. SOFTSUN do manage to do many things great with Eternal Sunrise, like being able to create such huge songs with minimal instrumentation. It can be easy to layer too many instruments and lose elements within the whole composition. SOFTSUN manage to add just the right amount of each, with rhythm guitars gently twinkling alongside crunchy distorted guitar leads and thick, warm bass, all while atmospheric vocals swirl like smoke drifting throughout a dark Scandinavian forest. Overall, much like SOFTSUN themselves, Eternal Sunrise is a tough one to place. While on one hand, you’ll be treated to an absorbent, doomy, post-rock, shoegaze album, on the other hand, if you’re a fan of having climactic progression in your dark, atmospheric guitar-driven music, you may be left wanting more. It’s not a bad album by any stretch. The two perform incredibly well on the album; their influences are presented with clarity, and with the addition of ROBERT GARSON on drums, they don’t overpower songs with unnecessary fills and flares. It just suffers from overall compositions being a little too similar from track to track, and while you may appreciate the familiarity, it can give a feeling of being a little too drawn out. Score: 5/10 Eternal Sunrise will be released on November 7th 2025 via Heavy Psych Sounds. Words: Aaron Richardson Photos: SoftSun

For most artists and bands, albums three and four in their discography are the ones that define them and their sound. This is exactly what happened with BEARINGS. This Canadian four-piece have been developing lyrical ideas which scream maturity, and on their fourth record, Comfort Company, not only do these lyrics deliver, but musically, some of the drum fills and riffs are rapid and extremely technical, and as a result, the fourth record in the BEARINGS discography is not only executed fantastically, it is fun and fast paced, making this one of the ultimate pop rock albums to have come out this year. Comfort Company opens with the title track. There are no musical interludes or anything of that time wasting sort, we get straight into the full tracks. The title song is short, yet super catchy and fast-paced. Exactly what a song within this subgenre of music should be. The chorus is way too contagious, and the guitar riffs are able to cut through the vocal melodies giving this one a pop punk feel. Float Away continues where the opener ended with a raucous heavy riff. The verses here are a little more laid back in terms of the instrumentation, and the chorus sounds so much more impactful and loud because of it. The hook here is one of the catchiest on the record, and the band knows it as for the final chorus of the track it gets repeated to further drill the melodies into your head. Freaking Me Out marks the halfway point of Comfort Company and it kicks off with acoustic guitars accompanying the vocal melody of the chorus before the rest of the band kicks in. The highlight in this song is how vocalist DOUG COUSINS manages to use different vocal styles throughout this song, most notably the distorted vocals in the verses. This song has yet another overly catchy chorus which once again gets repeated towards the end of the song, just like with Float Away. Water Your Flowers follows and is the catchiest of this entire record. The verses are a highlight here as when the first one comes in, the vocals are accompanied by the drums and the bass as the guitars build up in the background before properly exploding in the chorus. The hook here is not only catchy because of the vocals, but also because the drums have the typical basic beat which is included in most pop songs. Another reason why this song is a highlight is because it has the only guitar solo on the album, and the lead up to it is brutal, with guitar sliding effects and riffs all over the place. Ease The Pressure is another pop punk like track. The verses are extremely fast paced as the chorus is slowed down to make it feel more atmospheric, memorable and impactful. The bridge once again highlights the drums, as even though the fills here are not overly that impressive, it is the velocity in which they are performed which makes them sound so badass. This bridge leads to the final chorus which is used to wrap the song up. Through Those Eyes is the final banger on Comfort Company. It kicks off with an insane drum fill which leads to the first verse, which is equally as rapid. The chorus is once again slowed down to give it more of an impactful feel, and it works perfectly here once again. Which is proven as it ends the song once again with repetition on top of repetition. Overall, Comfort Company is a confident yet bold take on pop rock. The drum fills and guitar work throughout the record are totally innovative, and some of the choruses here sound huge as well as catchy. All the songs are short too with not one being over three minutes long, which is refreshing as it makes for a very quick listen, and the fact that there are no silly interludes deserves to be credited. If there is anything to critique about this record is that some of the tracks here are a tad bit similar to each other, and some are not as consistently good as others are, but that is something to be expected on any album. With their fourth album, BEARINGS have created what is the album that defines their sound. It oozes creativity and passion, and the band clearly has immense amounts of talent which is showcased throughout this record. Sometimes, experimenting can lead you nowhere, but for this outfit, it ultimately led them to the result of this album, one which they hoped would showcase their passion for music, and it is that passion which will only elevate them further. If they continue making music at this level, the future of pop rock will be in amazing hands. Score: 8/10 Comfort Company will be released on 7th November 2025 via Pure Noise Records. Words: Itay Gilad Photos: Wyatt Clough

A rainy Sunday evening in Nottingham seems like the perfect backdrop, for not only a live show from Belgian shoegaze stalwarts SLOW CRUSH, but for a chance to sit down and talk with vocalist ISA HOLLIDAY to talk about their latest album Thirst, the unexpected but welcome addition of a saxophone, and the emotional weight of touring across continents. What unfolded was a candid conversation about creativity, exhaustion, and the ever-evolving sound of one of shoegaze’s most compelling bands. We met with ISA, who opened up about the making of their latest album, Thirst, a record that doesn’t just mark a new chapter, but encapsulates everything SLOW CRUSH has ever done. For the band, the creative process wasn’t driven by a single influence. Instead, it was shaped by years of lived experience. “I think it's just like all of the experiences we've built up throughout the years,” she reflects. “As with everything that we do, a lot of emotions and just experience lead to our music, whether it's in the sound or the themes behind the albums. And I think this one is really an album that covers everything that SLOW CRUSH has ever done, but also brings new aspects to it. So, yeah, it's not really like there's one main influence, it’s just the influence of life itself.” The writing process for Thirst began almost immediately after Hush was released. Some ideas were already forming while that album was still being finalised. But with nonstop touring, the band had little time to sit down and shape those ideas. “We just kind of gathered everything together and had to chew the fat at some point,” ISA explains. “We got the songs that really meshed together and felt right at the time.” Eventually, they carved out time to step back from live shows and focus on the album. “We knew we had something special, but it was just needing some finishing touches and just perfection to make it all studio ready,” ISA says. “We needed the time to polish off the songs and then learn all the songs so that they're all muscle memory for when we go in the studio.” That moment came in the Autumn, when the band hit The Ranch with producer Lewis Johns and brought Thirst to life. One of the album’s most surprising elements came from Lewis himself. “We had the track, all of the guitar parts and vocals were down,” ISA recalls. “And then he was like, ‘You know what? I've just got this idea in my head... a saxophone.’ We were like, oh, that sounds very odd. He said, ‘I'll just put it on a keyboard and then play it back to you and see what you think.’” ISA and guitarist JELLE RONSMANS were the only ones in the studio at the time, but they were intrigued. “We really dug it,” Isa says. “But thought maybe we should send a video to the rest of the guys and see if they agree. Everyone loved it. It was a very out-of-the-box idea that you wouldn't think would fit. But then again, there are other great bands with saxophone and a lot of effects. So if they can do it, so can SLOW CRUSH.” When it comes to favourite tracks on the album, ISA finds it hard to choose. “Covet is a great one, the saxophone brings an extra level to it. It was unexpected, but it fits so well. While You Dream Vividly is just laden with a lot of feelings. Haven is great because it exposes a different timbre in my voice that I don't usually touch upon. And yeah, Thirst is also really great.” Touring for SLOW CRUSH has been intense. “It's kind of crazy to think about it,” ISA says. “We look at it like, we've only got three more shows in the UK. And then we remember,, we're only back home for one night then we're off again for Europe.” The band has been on the road for two and a half months, and while it’s energising, it’s also exhausting. “We love seeing the people at the shows and feeling the energy that comes back to us. So it's great. It's been really, really good.” Some shows have stood out more than others. “California is always really good for us, so the show in LA was special,” ISA says. “In the UK, it's always good to catch up with old friends and family. The Ireland shows were also great. That was our second time in Northern Ireland and Ireland. And with this package, it's awesome because we're touring with friends, SOM and Blanket. We've played with them before and they're great guys.” Touring the US came with its own set of challenges. “There was already chaos, but the extreme chaos probably happened while we were already out there,” ISA explains. “When you're on tour, you're just in a bubble. You don't have time to turn on the TV, so you don't see what's going on in the world. We were just hearing bits and bobs, but not really seeing the entire story.” Despite the chaos, the venues offered a sense of unity. “Everyone's there to enjoy music and have fun. And generally, the people there look after each other, which is something you can't always see when you're outside.” But the visa process was gruelling. “It's always a struggle to get a Visa,” ISA says. “The process seems to be longer and more expensive. It cost us an arm and a leg, which is extremely unfair, seeing as the other way around, not a penny needs to be spent. For us, it was like 10 grand just to get a one-year visa. And next year we've got to do it all over again. It’ll still take nine to 12 months to get approval. It's ridiculous. But what can you do?” As for what’s been playing in the van, when driving between cities, ISA admits it’s been quiet. “I can't say I'm listening to anything extremely new or anything at all in the van. But the new GREET DEATH album is amazing. We've been talking to them for a long time about doing something together. The stars haven’t aligned yet, but hopefully soon.” Influences shift, but some artists keep returning, ISA tells us of her inspirations “Something unexpected maybe, you probably hear a little bit of influence on the vocals but THE JAPANESE HOUSE. We've used some of those effects in Hush and also on Thirst. ART SCHOOL GIRLFRIEND as well. Totally different vibes.” When asked to describe their music in three words, ISA pauses. “Dreamy. Heavy. Balanced? Maybe balanced. We're trying to sort of create that yin-yang effect. I think that's the most important thing. Our music is sort of a 4D experience. It embraces you. To do that, it has to be balanced. It has to give you both the ups and the downs, to have that full 360 effect.” We don’t think you could find a more perfect description of the music SLOW CRUSH creates if you tried. As the rain continued to fall outside the venue, casting a poetic soft blur over Nottingham’s streets, SLOW CRUSH’s music found its perfect setting. Thirst is shining proof of the band’s fearless creativity and their skill at crafting soundscapes that envelop and resonate. Whether it’s the unexpected saxophone or the emotional weight of touring, ISA HOLLIDAY and her bandmates have proven that growth doesn’t mean abandoning your roots, it means deepening them. As they head out for the final leg of the album release tour in Europe, there is without a doubt SLOW CRUSH will keep pushing the boundaries of music, one reverb-soaked note at a time. Thirst was released on August 29th 2025 via Pure Noise Records. Words: Lou Viner-Flood Photos: Slow Crush / Good as Gold PR

Imagine the life of a 13th Century monk, channelling his spirituality in a draughty stone cell, candle flickering in permanent semi-shadow, the unearthly howling of wind through the cloisters. He’s probably been there for decades, living with his oath of silent communion. And then, what if, on returning to his cell one day, he finds an unusual object, it says ‘Korg’ on it, and by the same freakish act of the divine, it's somehow plugged in! Hark, a miracle! With no fear and his faith to guide him, he starts to play. How would this new spiritual connection sound, transmuted via a multi-channel signal, resonating around his stone cell? It's gonna be deep, gotta be something profound. Our guess is, it’ll sound something along the lines of Magnetism. Hallelujah! Magnetism was begat as a quick creative release by KALI MALONE and DREW MCDOWALL. Recorded in DREW’s New York apartment, they left it to mature for a year before they returned to it. Finding it ripening nicely, the textures and timbres cured, they were encouraged to finalise, and release it. In an era of lightning quick content reels and doom scrolling, this record is a careful and purposeful meander. The opening bars of the first track, Nothing Here Is Lost, fills the air with this electronic medieval hymn. The sound easily slips off the headphones and into your ears, a paired back richness and warmth achieved by the gentle meeting of artistry and experience. The electronic dissonance as we drift along into The Secret of Magnetism encapsulates MCDOWALL's mastery over electronics. Pitching a sound that confidently rides the line between harsh and cathartic, it pierces the plodding synth in the background with a velvety burr. Using delay and distortion with Karplus–Strong synthesis (that's the synthesized ‘plucking’ sound to the rest of us), they restricted their fields purposefully and kept the tonal range fairly neat and compact. The record takes KALI's hauntingly ethereal organ compositions, to deftly provide a utilitarianly ambient melody. It’s hard not to get carried away with your imagination listening to this record, in part because it's soaked in heavy atmospheric shifts and in part because there's so much space to do so. As we reach The Sound In My Mind and A Sound That Is Alive, the austerity of the cell starts to transform into a heatwave rippling over a dusty road, less spiritual wondering and more pilgrim wandering. Worthy of a cinematic backdrop, it’s VANGELIS on Ket, scoring a resolute, bitter-sweet ending. The subtlety of the track is reinforced with the reverb, warbles and resonance from the synths. The clarity and depth of the recording is what brings it to life, and you get the impression the devil was definitely in the detail. Researching for this review was as much fun as listening to the record. Both artists CV’s are awash with fascinating sub-cultural touch points and ‘did that really happen’ anecdotes. Both have clearly perfected their sounds and how they want to deliver them. Cutting her teeth on the DIY noise scenes around Denver, KALI MALONE went on to study electroacoustic music in Sweden, studying with exquisite detail the intricacies of a lost art in organ music. Considered a wunderkind of experimental drone, she has gained a solid reputation for producing otherworldly music that connects with the soul. DREW MCDOWALL began life on the outskirts of 1960s Glasgow, contributing personally to its status as one of the most dangerous cities in the world as a member of one of its notorious gangs. He found his exit strategy via the early punk scene and then on, into the burgeoning scene of Industrial music evolving from the post industrial British landscape. Helping establish and push forward this latest vanguard of musical reinterpretation, working with groups like PSYCHIC TV and later becoming part of COIL, he was already cultivating his signature sound. By the time he got to NYC in the late 90s, his musicianship was in full swing and he has since become a stalwart of its experimental music scene. Highly influential, with infamously transcendent live shows, he has simultaneously gained a reputation as being the most genuine and supportive mascot for the entire scene. We recommend, whilst enjoying this thoughtful and reflective album, finding DREW's SKREWDRIVER anecdote to read alongside it. This man truly needs an autobiography out asap. MAGNETISM will be released on the 7th November 2025 on Ideologic Organ. Score: 8/10 Words: Alana Madden Photos: Ryan Foerster

Hallo-weekend in Manchester was underway with the second stop of the European leg of HANABIE.’s 2025 world tour, accompanied by LAKE MALICE for the UK portion. An emerging powerhouse of metalcore, HANABIE., played their first English show to a sold out crowd in the Manchester Academy 2 with all the vigour of a band hitting their stride. Entry into the Manchester Academy 2 proved a little confusing as there was an Emofest taking place next door, resulting in a mixture of the queues. For those that were in the right building, there was one thing on the mind - merchandise. The queue lines for the t-shirts, caps and photocards stretched the length of the venue for almost the whole evening, and for a good reason; not only were the t-shirts beautifully designed, HANABIE. had also introduced a Gacha machine on this date of the tour where for only £5 fans could get stickers, magnets, pins, and some mystery extra prizes written on the back of the leaflets. Inside the Academy 2 the support act LAKE MALICE burst on stage with a scream, starting with a high energy performance they maintained for their whole fourty-minute long set. ALICE GUALA was the first of the remarkable show-women to entertain Manchester on Saturday and warmed up the crowd perfectly from respectful headbanging, to the pit opening for the first time around fifteen minutes into the set; not to say there was no LAKE MALICE fans in the crowd, a look around to the left and there was a pair who had cleared enough space for themselves to dance, and by the time Scatterbrain hit its pre-breakdown, the rest of the room was clapping along on their own. The highlight of LAKE MALICE’s set was saved until the end, when guitarist BLAKE CORNWALL entered the circle-pit and managed to only fall to the ground when he chose to kneel down and play, although he has mastered this trick since the group formed in 2021. Right after they played the song Stop The Party, which saw BLAKE stealing their drummer’s floor tom to help out with the final chorus, and by their last two songs the crowd was electrified. Half an hour later it was time for the main event, where frontwoman YUKINA’s presence was a dominating force. Skipping onto the stage in layered pink and leopard prints, the sweetness left as soon as the first notes rang out, replaced by a fierce stance to fill the time before her gravelly screams spread around the Manchester Academy 2. That is not to say the sweetness was completely dissipated; before latest single Spicy Queen, the bassist HETTSU let Manchester know via A1 papers that she had lost her voice because of an eight hour phone call with YUKINA, that was met with pantomime-style “awhs” and “hays” from the crowd. While performing the song, YUKINA donned a headband with a chilli pepper on and danced with a spicy sauce squishmallow during the chaotic hyper-metal breakdowns, while the first pit of the set opened in the middle of the floor. The setlist was a balanced mix of the old and new songs, with all tracks from latest EP Buccigirl Tokyo spaced out between an even mix of Reborn Superstar and Girls Reform Manifest. As the set hit its stride, YUKINA asked what Manchester loved - sweets, was the answer, as the whole room head-banged, hinting at one of their hit songs. At the midpoint, the jokes set in: from YUKINA downing a Guinness at the beginning of Kotoshi Koso Gal ~Shoka ver.~ and getting the crowd to scream “what the fuck”, to YUKINA reminiscing about the things they loved on their first visit to Manchester - Buckfast and Satan’s Hollow to start, with the fans chanting “down it” at the mention of the first one, to discovering the infamous Jet2 Holiday meme before the end of the set, recited with passion by the fans before launching into LOVE Ranbu. YUKINA did not stop moving and interacting for the entirety of the set, not only whilst leading the crowd with claps and fist pumps, but also while dancing behind MATSURI during her clean vocal segments. The energy calmed down in the second act but came back for the final tracks, with Tosou and Pardon Me I Have to Go Now bringing it round enough to gain an encore from the Academy 2 in the form of Ghost Mania and Sentimental Heroine from Girls Reform Manifest. This section saw the crowdsurfers take their chance and the last two steps of the evening taken, while the grins of the members of HANABIE. were from ear to ear. HANABIE.’s second stop on the UK/EU leg of their world tour was a perfect evening of performers who had all aspects of their craft perfected - YUKINA and ALICE have their vocals and ability to work the crowd down to a science. The joy of being on tour was clear for both bands and it filled the room, giving the crowd the energy they needed to start off their Saturday night. The opportunity to see HANABIE. on their first full UK tour was a dream; lucky are the few to catch them on this run. Words: Julia Brunton Photos: Libby Percival

As the speakers at Out Of Rage HQ can surely attest, AGRICULTURE’s new album The Spiritual Sound is a glorious record, and one that could come to define a new movement within any or all of black metal, noise, and the weirdest of indie. With such a potent release only a month old, we sat down with Leah Levinson (bass, vocals) and Richard Chowenhill (guitar) to discuss the albums themes, the songwriting process, and the depth of meaning within the swirling vortex of sound they have mustered from the void. Asking first about the structure of the album, Leah went into detail about how the album evolved to become, in essence, two sonically distinct halves: Leah: “It just came from how the music gets written for the band - we tend to come in with material that gets stretched into more and more material, so what we think might be one song, we start to flesh it out, and we realize there's like several songs worth of material in it; that happened twice on this album. Once with what became tracks two through five, which were all one song at one point, but then became four interconnected songs, and it also happened with Bodhidharma into Hallelujah. So we wrote these songs, and they became interconnected and sonically sat in similar spaces because of that, or followed similar concepts and musical ideas. And then once you have that with an album structure - one thing we appreciate about album structures is that they give us a way to think about the larger work - if we just think a traditional record with a Side A and Side B, it gives us some constraint, and that's helpful for a band that can get very wrapped up in bigger ideas and more ambitious ideas. It can be really helpful for us to be like, ‘Okay, if something splits the album and we have a moment that can reset, which is the transition from side A to side B, then we suddenly have a much more contained structure we can work with.’ That helps ground us a lot, I think in all of our releases, whether it's with the EP’s or albums, having a fixed length that a side of vinyl can be helps. I think that's how it ended up being the side A and side B, but all of that would be practical reasons - creatively, or artistically, I think we came to feel that there was a really nice ‘as above, so below’ sort of thing, or this duality thing happening. There are references for albums that work that way, that I know Dan likes to reference. I think of Kid A for doing that. I also know Kate Bush, I think it’s The Dreaming, which is the one with all those great songs on side A? And it spirals out on side B, or there’s Before And After Science, by BRIAN ENO. That's another one for me that is so clearly split, but it still works as a whole statement, and that became interesting to us - ‘what if we put people through the intensity and the firestorm on side A, and then we just crack it open and let those emotional spaces and some of that formal experimentation really sit on side B?’” Leaning further into the album as a whole, and the large volume of lyrical content that dives into facets of the Buddhist faith - more notably on side B, but found throughout - Richard gave us an insight into whether the album was intended as a manifesto, an exploration, a teaching opportunity, or something else entirely: Richard: “Well it's definitely not a manifesto at least. Leah can correct me if I'm wrong, but, at least from my perspective, I want to be clear about that. We're not prescribing anything for anyone, or even really for ourselves - more than anything, my way of understanding it is that it's a reflection of our feelings about how the quotidian can be really spiritual, the daily process. Daily practices of non-conventional or organized spiritual things like friendship, or just the practice of living in the world and going about your day, there's a certain spirituality in the way you connect to your work, to your music, to your friends, the way you can mindfully go through life and appreciate things for what they are. In My Garden, Dan's lyrics are about the Buddhist concept of seeing things for what they are, not what we want them to be, “Mountain is a mountain”. I think all four members will give you a slightly different answer to that, but for me at least, it’s about reflection and encouraging the fact that the quotidian can be spiritual, and that's cool! Spirituality is just however the spirit moves you, and being open to that is a nice way of going through life, especially when I know it's crazy in your country - it's insane in our country right now. Like, you know the political landscape, and as a result the social landscape is the trickle down we get with the cultural war and everything like that. And I think there are a lot of things to do, there's a lot of activism. People talk a lot about outward things we could do, which is extremely important, but I think there's also inward practices that are important in terms of taking care of ourselves and our community, and making sure that we stay on top of that. And as I said, thinking about the quotidian as spiritual and therefore something that is worth practicing, caring for, maintaining, and tending to.” After both graciously dove into the album as a single entity, we then burrowed into individual songs. We started by talking through Flea and the themes found within, as well as the sonic shifts that the track encompasses: Leah: “Yeah, Flea was a confusing song from start to finish, but one that I knew was really important to me and what I wanted to do on this album. Structurally, I think of that song as a bit of a labyrinth. At one point, when it started to make more sense to us while we were writing it, we were talking about a spiral sort of thing, the way it circles around to revisit themes, but when it comes back it's in a different place, you know? So it kind of spirals then, and that's just what it's doing musically. Ideas come back, but they're slightly different, and they've changed a little bit by the idea that preceded them and so on. I think part of that song is the haziness and the getting lost in it, and I think that ties to what it's doing lyrically, which is talking about spirituality and the quotidian, and persevering in daily life, and connecting to others and all of that. But that doesn’t always happen in this confusing murkiness that is daily life. Things come up. You don't know where you are in terms of what you're doing in life, or what life means, and it's about finding a way through that. I guess the more emotive side of that, I think of as a sort of softness that allows a lot of that to happen, bringing things to a more vulnerable and tender, almost heart to heart space - even while we're doing blast beats and heavy distortion and post punk beats, there's something in the harmonies there and the way the music is functioning that has this moving effect where we can take it where it needs to go. I appreciate you asking about that song. A lot of that really sets the themes for what I want to do on the songs that follow it.” After such a poignant discussion, things turned to the end of the album, with the final song The Reply. The song is filled with reference and metaphor, with a powerful final line evoking water that counters the multiple previous references to fire across the album, and Richard deftly explained the meaning within: Richard: “It's a great question, and to answer that question is to reveal two things about the band, both of which I think are important. Those are Dan’s lyrics, and one of these things is Dan's fascination with history. So Dan's a big history guy. The zoomed in reality is that Dan is a guy who will be in Europe, and he'll just be looking out the window, or looking at the water or something, and he will be thinking about World War One or whatever, you know. Isn't it crazy that you know? And it's ‘Oh, yeah, okay’, you know. Like, wake up from a nap, look out, comment about history, go back to sleep, something like that, that's Dan. That's how he views the world right now. And it's awesome because I think everybody's interested in history, but Dan goes for it. He'll go through his phases with what he’s interested in, and what types of things. So on the one hand, it's that, and it's just very real because this is just Dan. He’s going to be talking about history stuff. But also, I remember the initial kernel for that song in particular was Bernstein. Leonard Bernstein was at a lecture or an address following the JFK assassination, and it was about what do you do in the face of an assault on your way of life or your way of being? So it's kind of confusing. It's a reply to the current state of the world going away. Because last year, when we were putting that song together, obviously we were going through an insane election cycle that didn't turn out the way a lot of us wanted it to, and that set off a chain reaction of other things that we're having. So there's that, and then pairing it with the reflection of how the history of Western Europe had this continually building history, and then in 1914 closed on itself - so it’s reflecting on the destructive pattern that humans seem to, or at least society seems to, engage in. So yeah, it's kind of this amalgamation replying to where the world is right now, drawing a comparison to the downfall of the Western European tradition at that particular point in time, and then having the deeply personal, which is Dan's way of viewing the world, often through the perspective of his deep interest in history.” Leah: “I think that sounds right to me knowing Dan, and he also loves water. Dan loves water - the ocean is on the cover of our first LP, and it’s the theme of a lot of Dan's lyrics on that album. And, yeah, I think that is a spiritual thing for him. I don't know. I don't know if he would think as structurally with those themes as you're suggesting, that hadn't occurred to me, but I think a lot of the fire stuff is also Dan's lyrics on the album. So, yeah, I'm not sure if that's where that was coming from, but it’s a cool, interesting read of that.” From one song weighted heavily with metaphor, interest and passion, to a pair of songs that contrast enormously in tone and content. The Weight deals with the mental toll of assault, stalking, and queerphobia, which is immediately followed up by Serenity - a song with a message of love, but not to a person or place; towards spirituality, and peace within the soul. Leah wrote both tracks about personal experiences, and walked us through the two: Leah: “Something about The Weight is that I wrote it in a way that I wanted to bear witness to the events that are happening on it, but I wanted to do so in a space that - if I say these things to someone in daily life or daily conversation, someone might just not be able to say anything other than, ‘Oh, my God, I'm so sorry that happened’, and then we both just feel bad and confused and sad about everything. Instead, I get to say these things and, before I'm even done saying them, we have a guitar solo and rock out section that is this huge moment of catharsis. I think it's an early moment of catharsis on the album, I think we get a lot more pouring forth on side B of the album, but that is, on side A, one of the moments where things really land. Then you can just rock out of it, and I think that that's important to me about that song, is that I get to talk about these pains and these difficulties, and I get to take myself and the band and a listener somewhere else with that. You know, we build with it. And that's, I think, part of the end of the song is like the character who has had something happen to her, who's been followed as the narrative of the song, she’s been briefly stalked, and then she reaches out. She called the speaker of the song, right? So it's this moment of connection, and coming out of it, stepping away from the trapped feeling of the difficulty of everything. Serenity, for me, I would say your reading is pretty accurate. It's not a romantic love with another person, or something like that, it is a more spiritual thing - not specifically Zen Buddhist, because I just don't have the practice or the knowledge to claim that as part of my spiritual experience. But certainly I do relate to a lot of what I learned about Zen Buddhism, largely through Dan, and Richard's been practicing as well. That said, I think the point of Serenity there is to speak to the power and the effect of finding a higher power, finding some guiding principle and guiding force beyond myself and the more ego-driven sense of self that I can attach to. And for me, a lot of that has to do with community and connection to others around me, the connection to the world around me in my daily life, and connection to a deeper part of myself that doesn't relate to the ego, but is honouring a more spiritual part of myself that comes out through things like art and through things like meditation, daily practice and being of service in a way. So to me, that's what that song is about, and how it functions. It's a continuation of the thought that ends The Weight, of reaching out and calling someone, which can be a moment where you're honoring the spirit.” Our final question went to Richard, and was the most simple and open of the lot - asking him about the two most overtly Buddhist tracks on the record, Bodhidharma and Hallelujah, we simply wanted to know why they were written, and he answered in due course: Richard: Why were they written? That's awesome! Okay, so here's the chronology. Dan brought in that riff, just the initial riff, the one that opens the song, almost two years ago, and we were working on it, and started adding all the parts and blah, blah, blah, kind of how we do, tear things apart, and then everybody adds their part, and we hash things through, etcetera, etcetera. Dan's been practicing for a few years now at Zen Center Los Angeles, where I was practicing last year as well. And during that time - this goes back to Dan's sort of love of history - he was really into the story of Bodhidharma bringing Chen Buddhism to China, and the story of the disciple. Bodhidharma meditates for years and stares at a cave wall, and he cuts off his eyelids so that he doesn't fall asleep while he's meditating. It’s about dedication and devotion and it's a combination of, again, this interest that Dan brings, where there's a story either from history or from spiritual text or something, and he'll just find it fascinating, and we'll talk about it. I was thinking a lot about it at the time, it's that classic thing, when you're sitting meditating, there's a temptation to fall asleep, and then your feet fall asleep, and your body adjusts to this. You're putting yourself through this physical thing - you're not running a marathon or climbing a mountain or anything, but it takes the body, especially the contemporary body that we fill with junk food and these weird chemicals, or we sit in strange chairs and things, so to actually sit and focus on your breath and do nothing else, is this effort that you put yourself through. I think that that story of Bodhidharma is extreme, of course, but relatable in some ways. It's a big story that goes along with a big riff, to simplify it. And then Hallelujah, for a long time, was just ‘Bodhi Part Two’, was what we called it, but that really goes deep and acts as Dan’s reflections, and references the Old Testament, publicly, of course, so continues to reference the biggest sources that Dan is drawing on - but, you know, it's super metal to cut off your eyelids so you don't fall asleep while you're meditating for 10 years or whatever. But also in this sort of self mutilation way, and that type of practice and that type of focus, it's a lot, it's super compelling, and ultimately, I think, quite inspiring." With that, our time delving into this special album was up, and Richard and Leah said their goodbyes. If you’ve not listened to the album, this is as good a time as ever to do so, but perhaps even more so if you already have so you can appreciate it all over again, knowing a little more of how and why this enigmatic and profound band created The Spiritual Sound, and why it ricochets around the most vulnerable parts of your psyche the way that it does. Words: Jasmine Longhurst Photos: Agriculture With thanks to: Rarely Unable PR and Agriculture

With ever darkening nights and dreary rain, a warm welcome is The Psychedelic Furs with their 2025 UK and European Tour. Kickstarting in Wolverhampton at the Wulfrun Hall with post-punk rock to heal your soul and lift your spirits. As a steadily building crowd forms, standing shoulder to shoulder but still with plenty of room to dance, a mix of faces, ages and styles. The setup on stage is simple, nothing fancy but that only allows the audience to enjoy the music without any distractions. Mic stands, guitars, keyboard and a drum set- everything needed for a classic night of rock. Taking to the stage first is our support for the evening, Anja Huwe. Legendary in her own right from the 1980s where she was the lead singer for German post-punk band Xmal Deutschland ze, to her own separate career into visual arts and now rightfully back on stage. Commanding an entire audience with ease, phrases are repeated in German, almost hypnotic in nature. After a decades long hiatus from music and performing you might expect some nerves but Anja stands strong, confident and never missing a beat. Hands outstretched and reaching for the sky while her accompanying band blend and drift us through rhythmic, rock and even tranquil numbers. Confident, comfortable and ready to capture their audience’s attention, The Psychedelic Furs kicked off their set with “Heaven”. Using the stage to its full, our lead singer and 3 guitarists swap and wander around- interacting with each other, other members of the band and most importantly the audience. It’s clear to see that fans are having fun, with a healthy amount of dancing, singing along and for many a reminder of the success the band had from the 1980s onwards. Stretching to the top of the ceiling to crouched down as low as possible, Richard Butler- our lead singer, connects with the crowd on every level. Crouched with legs crossed with ease, dressed in a black suit and sunglasses, a true visualiser of post-punk. The Psychedelic Furs were formed by Richard Butler and his brother, fellow bandmate on bass Tim Butler in 1977. Kicked out of their family’s front room makeshift rehearsal space due to the noise, to performing on a variety of stages around the world. Completing the band lineup is Rich Good on lead guitar, Zack Alford on drums and Amanda Kramer on keyboard. “Love My Way” is met with an excited hum as the familiar tune reaches our ears. For many this is a fan favourite and easily one of their most recognisable hits, featuring the distinctive xylophone and lyrics about sexuality. A golden wash lights the stage, a fog of haze that creeps towards the roof steadily. The song was written for gay people by Richard Butler, a simple statement of not wanting people to worry about their sexuality and that it was and isn’t to this day a problem. It shouts from the rooftops that you should be uniquely you with no shame despite what others might think, it’s not a life worth living if you aren’t being 100% yourself. Famously one of their biggest hits to date in the US and UK, “Pretty in Pink” which was used in the 1986 film by John Hughes aptly titled ‘Pretty In Pink’. With pink lights framing the stage, slowly flashing in and out, and fans at the bottom of stage which blast the haze upwards and provide added movement to the bands clothes and hair, it’s easy to get lost in the fun of this number. For their Encore “It Goes On” and “India” bring a conclusion to the post-punk alternative rock evening. A shorter set but one filled with hits and a steady flow from The Psychedelic Furs catalogue. Delivered with ease and with the same quality performance the Furs are known for, a perfect night out from new wave alternative to post-punk and even some heavy, whatever you like: The Psychedelic Furs has something for everyone. Words & Photos: Tyler Whiting

Amy Walpole is not a witch. However, the people she knows who study witchcraft say that she’s attuned to it - some even surprised by the fact that she doesn’t practice it. It’s easy to draw conclusions, as she does like to collect things, like bones and branches, or keep special objects that hold power. She tells OOR that sometimes, she does tarot. In her art, she's inspired by natural forms and horror imagery, knotted tightly with paganism and the rural north. Above all, she likes to read about it. Diagnosed with autism at twenty-nine, she realised that maybe her neurodivergence was the root of her love of the macabre. Misunderstood for a lot of her youth and most of her early twenties, she now understands why she feels an affinity with headstrong and challenging women that shape her own narrative, just as much as those on the page: “A lot of the time they're seen as being the bad guys, when actually they're just like being themselves. They rebel.” In archetypes like Eve, who is centralised in Amy’s religious upbringing and her views on the church's subtle micro-aggressions towards women and minorities, the influence on WITCH FEVER is spellbinding. At the core of 2022’s Congregation was a narrative cut deep with Amy’s lived experience and trauma, made rotten with cathartic retorts against piety and ordnance. As angry as the record is autobiographical, there is a power in speaking your truth out loud. Biting the apple with the band’s latest album, FEVEREATEN - out tomorrow - they align the pain and the horror tropes to create one of their most conceptual works yet. Three years on, and Amy’s relationship with the divine is still complex and all-consuming, but the narrative has changed again. The Garden, their slow-burning sear on the Genesis story, is also written about Eve. Not just about sin, but the conscious conversation of navigating an archaic text in the modern world. “I think that this is just a reflection of misogyny anyway, absolutely. The song is also sort of about me, coming to terms with internalised misogyny and learning more about feminism, that just because I'm a woman doesn't immediately make me not misogynistic.” Here, WITCH FEVER’s power is in its potency. Always with a conscious angling to make their worlds engraved with symbolism and purpose - intertextually excellent and loaded with conflicting reasons. “You don't reach an end goal of feminism. It's a constant, always moving.” With her master's degree in Gothic Literature, Amy has found inspiration in haunted spaces. “More often than not, in possession fiction or film, the space around the woman that's been possessed sort of starts degrading in the same way that their body degrades. So it starts reflecting in her body.” In conversation with Helen Oyeyemi’s 'White Is For Witching', Jac Jem’s 'The Grip Of It' and even Ari Aster’s cinematic spectacle Hereditary, she explores a trauma that haunts you and the location it manifests itself in, even after the event has taken place. Striking comparisons to Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s Victorian short story 'The Yellow Wallpaper' also manifest in this space. Radical in its feminist depiction of mental illness, the narrative follows a young woman on bed rest after the birth of her baby. Confined to the upstairs nursery, the degradation of her mental condition is spurred on by the room’s yellow wallpaper, and she eventually believes herself to be trapped behind it. “I've loved The Yellow Wallpaper for so long. That's like a formative text for me. Anyway, it's so creepy and just horrible, but it's like so perfect.” “[About The Yellow Wallpaper] I was like, looking at this feeling of like being watched, being haunted, and not knowing whether it was like God, because I've had a really religious upbringing. Throughout my childhood, the church would always tell us that God was always watching. It was very based in sin and shame.” “Is this thing on my back that's always above me, watching me? Is it God? Is it like something more supernatural? Is it just like my trauma?” Whilst Amy says her influences are “blurry” and piled with horror tropes, FEVEREATEN pulls together the foundations of a truly human place to process real emotions. Carmen Maria Machado’s ‘In The Dream House’ - which Amy has also read and “loved” - uses the building, or rebuilding, of a house or ‘archive’ to understand a dark period of the narrator's life. Aside from each chapter being written in a different genre (that is, both extremely raw and gripping), it makes whatever occurs in the house a place of power and is created by its maker. The architecture is there to both comfort and reflect its owner. As Mercado writes: ‘What is placed in or left out is a political act, dictated by the archivist and the political context in which she lives.’ In this way, FEVEREATEN is the haunted house of the band's own design. As wicked and provoking as something out of a Shirley Jackson short story, with the same attention to push for progression that Mary Shelley drew from 'Frankenstein'. Discourse in gender conventions, microaggressions and managing mental health continues the narrative into the present with radical thought in mind. As much as Amy likes to read fiction, indulging in new perspectives is something that she uses to make sense of the world. In our conversation, she mentions Nada Ella’s ‘Greater Than The Sum Of Its Parts’, a deconstruction of Palestine through a feminist perspective, and Reni Eddo-Lodge’s ‘Why I’m No Longer Talking To White People About Race’. In the fleshy pulp of FEVEREATEN, the record also dazzles sonically with abrasive influences. Punchy openers Dead To Me! and Final Girl are kinetic and frantic, with moments of intense reflection. The sternum-cracking kapow of See Ya Next Tuesday throws Outbreak-infested hardcore into their murky, unrelenting sound. Tracks like Northstar and Drank The Sap delve into doom, leaving us asking if WITCH FEVER is truly folk horror (Amy seems to think so!) The record is seamless and striking, melting into itself so effortlessly, whilst also giving each track its moment to make progressive moves. More importantly, it gorgeously soundtracks the witching hour just in time for Halloween. On the surface, applying horror to her story may be seen as a point of escapism. But this could not be further from the truth. “Horror is a really good tool to reflect culture back at itself, and to hold up a mirror to what's going on in society and make people like really think, because it's such an intense genre, it's really great at making people think about what's going on in the world.” Amy Walpole is not a witch, but because of her religious upbringing, a lot of the concepts surrounding witchcraft feel so far away from reality that she’s very keen on keeping both feet on the ground and staying grounded. “I feel like there are a lot of parts of witchcraft that make me feel like I could just not be grounded at all. I’m on my own journey with it.” When it comes to horror, Amy has the final words: “There's not really that much thought that goes into it. It's just the fact that I love it so much that it ends up being there.” As WITCH FEVER take on the UK and Europe with Danish metallers Volbeat, Amy will be reading. Having the amazing capability to read on transport, she takes a stack of books with her on tour to pass the time. Included in this is Mitchell Luthi’s ‘His Black Tongue’ and Azfar Shafi and Ilyas Nagdee’s ‘Race To The Bottom: Reclaiming Antiracism’. Words: Amber Brooks Cover image and promo shot: Frank Fieber Cover Design: Robert Halls With thanks to: Stay Golden PR