The Tower - Let There Be Dark - VINYL LP

Unexpected disruption. Challenge. Paralyzing chaos and confusion. A reality check. These words all run the gamut of what the world had experienced since the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020. They also serve as the inspiration for Shock to the System, the second full-length album from New York City classic metallers Tower. Tower was halfway finished with writing Shock to the System when the pandemic hit. It forced the band (comprised of vocalist Sarabeth Linden, the guitar tandem of James Danzo and Zak Penley, and drummer James Jones) to find creative ways to complete the album's ten cuts. For a band accustomed to regular rehearsals and live appearances, the ensuing lockdown enabled them to get together only once before heading into Artifact Audio in Ridgewood, New York with producer/engineer Sasha Stroud this past May and June. However, the less-than-ideal situation helped spawn an album of immediacy and energy. The freewheeling nature of the writing and recording process helped give rise to several firsts for Tower. While their trademark vintage metal-on-'70s rock sound is still dominant, elements like thrash and doom have entered the equation (one such song had the working title of InchSkynyrd SabbathInch), not to mention some ultra-catchy pop hooks for InchOn the LineInch to the point where Tower decided to omit a guitar solo - yet another first. Elsewhere, InchIn DreamsInch features quiet experimentation in a song that nearly reaches the seven-minute mark, showcasing even more diversity. Lyrically, Shock to the System tackles political themes, personal loss and the volatility of relationships and life in general. And while the outside world continues to rear it's ugly head and unending grimness, there is only one thing left to do - put on Shock to the System and turn it up to 11!

Cold voids and desolate plains. Snow-capped mountains and dense forests. Northern lights and cosmic vibrations. The images Dråpsnatt paint in your mind are vivid and stark, to which their now finally re-issued 2009 debut InchI denna skogInch stands testimony. Nine tracks of melodic blackened metal tell bleak yet grand tales of winter, death and nature in a most Scandinavian manner. Expertly arranged keyboards enhance the atmosphere with both textural ambience as well as majestic melodies and riffs, and clean guitars and vocals bring a harmonic yet melancholic counterpart to the abrasive blasts and screams. Rocking riffs harken back to the primitive sounds of the 80's, while the more symphonic and melodious parts rival the work the likes of BORKNAGAR, ARCTURUS and TARTAROS made in the 90's. This is music that will instantly transport you into the somber silence of a freezing midwinter night, breath steaming as you gaze between snowy treetops at the distant stars, and ponder about the cosmic secrets only death can reveal. InchI denna skogInch is a mystical and rare beast, give it a finger and it'll devour your soul - and you'll be grateful it did!

Many things have been said about this band they were called the godfathers of techno, the pioneers of EBM and the forefathers of electropunk. Yet they only laugh coolly and remain tight-lipped in the face of any attempt to historicize them. Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft better known as DAF is a myth. What we know is that they released four albums in a short time span between 1980 and 1982, and that those albums changed the history of music worldwide. 1. Sato-Sato2. Der Mussolini3. Rote Lippen4. Mein Herz macht Bum5. Der Rauber und der Prinz6. Ich und die Wirklichkeit7. Als war's das letzte Mal8. Verlier nicht den Kopf9. Alle gegen Alle10. Alles ist Gut