Maybe I should preface this somehow, simply because there are times when it is necessary. Well, in case you were unaware, Chelsea Wolfe is one of the greatest artists of our time. Personally, I don’t think there was a necessity for her new Undone EP (Loma Vista Recordings), featuring remixes of six (6) of her songs off She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She which was released earlier this year. But fuck it, why not? This release offers a different view of Wolfe, interpreted by others and we do see Wolfe in a different light. “House Of Self-Undoing” is remixed by electronic music duo Boy Harsher and its dancy interpretation is a different kind of vibe altogether from its shadowy percussion-propelled origins. But it works. Boy Harsher brings the luminescence to offset Wolfe’s darkness. The same could be said about the reworked “Tunnel Lights” by †††, accentuating the gloom of the original. Justin Broadrick (Godflesh, Jesu, Techno Animal) takes control of Wolfe’s “Everything Turns Blue” and layers it with more distortion giving it wider musical landscape for Wolfe to work through. It’s engaging and engulfs everything around it. Well, the Undone EP is well worth its weight in gold.

ERRONAUT – THE SPACE INBETWEEN

Technical prowess with instruments isn’t always a prerequisite, but it usually is within metal’s safe space. While considered by many to be the first heavy metal band, Black Sabbath may strongly influence the UK’s Erronaut but the quartet pulls from a variety of influences and cannot be tied down as a descendent of just one. Musically speaking, of course. Sabbath was heavily influenced by the blues, an American subgenre and just like Sabbath, Errornaut also draws inspiration from American culture. That would be desert or “stoner” rock, 90s-era heavy-handed grunge, and with its combination of styles, spark significant interest.

While the members performed previously as Black Atlas, They reconvened under a new name with its debut offering, The Space Inbetween (London Doom Collective). Comprised of Mikey Ward (vocals/guitar), Peter Hunt (guitar), Simon Wilson (bass), and Sam Gates (drums), Erronaut charts familiar territory but seems to discover new calcified items along the way. The band doesn’t take any shortcuts along the way either, with strengthened guitar attacks and gigantic rhythms that are unrelenting. “Way Down Below” is a rhythmic sonic assault with guitars drenched in distortion, as the track is propelled by Gates’ heavy-handed sticks and Wilson’s rumbling bass. Mikey Ward’s voice is rich across this musical landscape and yes, its inviting. But Erronaut can occasionally stretch out chords & notes to suit its needs which we can hear on the 7-minute plus “Lost Cause.” Ward loses himself within the music, and that’s a good thing as the band goes for broke, wading through gloom & doom with instruments that light the way. Fuck! Yes! While most groups will utilize drones to mesmerize and lure listeners in with trance-like endeavors, the band offers up sonic explosions, solos, and howls rather than inducing listeners to its will.

There is the somewhat slow-drawl of stoner afflictions here on the album but when you listen, sobriety is a must in order to take it all in. “Underneath The Sun” seems like the song that would peel paint directly off walls with guitars that reek of malevolence throughout with sublime movements. It’s powerful and for some reason fills me with dread. But it’s what you want! And “Dark Horizon” matches that same energy through its intensity, drifting off, with an atmospheric feel, although the band always brings it back with heavy power chords. Well, maybe for “Beyond Sleep Pt 2 The Subconscious Decompression” you might want to relax with a little medication. I’m not a doctor in real life but I play one on TV so 10, 20 mg, or, hell, even 30 might do the trick for this instrumental masterpiece.

I had just rewatched some post-apocalyptic movie that reeked of fire & brimstone with Revelation-sized biblical scripture. There was one line towards the end where the angel Michael told Gabriel, “You gave Him what he asked for, I gave Him what he needed.” You might say with The Space Inbetween, that’s exactly what Erronaut does for us all.

NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS – WILD GOD

There shouldn’t be a discussion surrounding artists that have established themselves with the force of a 1,000 burning suns. Their musical catalog may speak volumes as would their written works. In the case of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, it’s been a journey that has flourished for decades, 40 years to be exact and a discography that now includes the band’s 18th full-length release, Wild God (Play It Again Sam), co-produced by Warren Ellis.

While The Bad Seeds’ membership has shifted throughout the years, this time around featuring Thomas Wydler, Martyn Casey, drummer Jim Sclavunos, Warren Ellis, and George Vjestica, offering up a sound consistent as previous releases. For this release, Cave has acknowledged how albums in the past “reflect back the emotional state of the writers and musicians who played them,” and this time it’s not as gloomy. While we all are familiar with Cave’s flair for the dramatic through dark timbres and his larger-than-life vocal presence, the Australian is much more subdued through breaking daylight across the horizon.

The band opens with “Song Of The Lake” which sets the mood for the album. A fragility here is exposed, filled with confusion and doubt. Musically, vocal background harmonies accentuate Cave’s poetic lyricism while instruments float across spacious landscapes. The album’s title track hits directly like a pop freight train with Cave’s lyrics creating cascading imagery that allows listeners the ability to visualize it. The backing harmonies of The Bad Seeds bring everything to life, capturing the essence of the band in 2024, the here and now. If you listen, you’ll hear the sadness, and the melancholy through tracks like the “Final Rescue Attempt,” driven by keyboards and piano. The highs and lows are captured here and build – or just crescendos – as the heartache in Cave’s voice is channeled through around the music. This is sheer brilliance. But when we get to “O Wow O Wow (How Wonderful She Is)” that draws one in. Musically, it’s infectious in its simplicity but the group doesn’t need more than what it delivers here. It’s a love song of a different kind. When we get to the album closer, “As The Waters Cover The Sea,” I never thought I’d see the day when they’d take us to church, but this is what the group does. The beautiful choral arrangement doesn’t overshadow Cave’s voice, instead giving the song a somber beauty. It’s unexpected but welcomed.

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds has had a long and storied career as most members began their musical lives outside of the outfit. With Wild God, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds has outdone itself, giving us yet another side of the group I’m sure many never thought possible.