Frost, Satyr, Kveldulv. Satyricon Press Photo for Nemesis Divina 1996.
Nemesis Divina Cover Artwork (clean)
On The Verge
22.04.26
Satyricon 'Nemesis Divina' is 30 years today. When Satyricon released their third album in 1996, their status as one of the most significant and creatively vital bands in Norwegian black metal was already beyond dispute, but Nemesis Divina was no ordinary record or just another step along the road to infamy. From its uniquely vibrant and impactful artwork, which broke every supposed rule in the black metal handbook with its vivid colours and refined aesthetic core, to the supremely confident and idiosyncratic songs and individual performances that heralded a newfound sophistication and a freshly incisive vision, Nemesis Divina almost single-handedly took black metal from its voluntarily shadowy and obscure origins into the glaring spotlight of the international metal scene. It showcased a band that finally had the skill and the musical intuition to back up the undeniable potency of their artistic vision. Sonically devastating and compositionally meticulous, songs like ‘Mother North‘ and ‘The Dawn Of A New Age‘ redefined what black metal was capable of, while proudly retaining the genre’s ageless essence and aesthetic values (...)
Spektr 'Near Death Experience' is celebrating 20 years next 6th May. Forget what you heard about experimental black metal. 'Whatever the Case May Be' may well be one of their most notorious tracks, bringing together two farfetched antagonistic moments/compositions that only a band like Imperial Triumphant could get anywhere near but 10, 15 years later.
Finally two albums that defined the 80's for me are celebrating 40 years this 1st May: Wolfgang Press 'Standing Up Straight' this 1st May and And Also The Trees 'Virus Meadow'.
970. SATYRICON - Nemesis Divina (1996) - Du Som Hater Gud (in mix 3)
969. SPEKTR - Near Death Experience (2006) - Whatever The Case May Be (in mix 80)
968. THE WOLFGANG PRESS - Standing Up Straight (1986) - Hammer The Halo (in mix 1)
967. AND ALSO THE TREES - Virus Meadow (1986) - Maps in Her Wrists and Arms
Cover Artwork for 'Play The Music of Twin Peaks' (2016)
On The Verge
16.04.26
Xiu Xiu 'Plays the Music of Twin Peaks' is 10 years today. Australia’s Gallery of Modern Art commissioned Xiu Xiu to reinterpret the music from Twin Peaks for their David Lynch: Between Two Worlds exhibition. Since then, the band has performed select concerts all over the globe culminating in a proper studio album of the compositions.
"It’s difficult to overstate the cultural impact of Twin Peaks 25 years ago. Transferring his art-house cinema ethic to the small screen, David Lynch’s cerebral, surrealist murder mystery series towered like a desert skyscraper over the wastelands of mainstream US TV drama. A large part of the series’ appeal lay in the hypnotic, spectral soundtrack that won a Grammy for its composer, Angelo Badalamenti. Invited earlier this year to reinterpret that music for a Lynch retrospective at the Gallery of Modern Art in Brisbane, Californian avant-noise trio Xiu Xiu have now taking their work on a world tour." (...)
Indian 'Guiltless' was released 15 years ago last 12th. I’m not sure if the passing of drummer Bill Bumgardner in October 2016, aged 35, precipitated the end for this unique doom/sludge band but they have certainly lost focus regardless of a follow-up album (From All Purity released in 2013), and a reunion gig in 2018. Guiltless is a very special album in my collection, it’s the kind of album that brings great memories of a good period in my life - despite the crushing nature of the music and the ominous lyrics - so I used a bunch of tracks in mixes and playlists that I revisit often. I can’t quite understand how this is already 15 years old!
A defining milestone in my music education, Unwound 'Repetition' turned 30 years last 9th April.
Finally Deathprod 'Imaginary Songs from Tristan Da Cunha' is also celebrating 30 years. Deathprod is the project of Norwegian composer Helge Sten, who is also a founder member of Norwegian improvising group Supersilent and has produced records by Motorpsycho, Susanna, Jenny Hval, Arve Henriksen and others. Tristan da Cunha in the South Atlantic is the world’s remotest island. If you want to visit for more than one day, you have to wait a year until the next boat arrives to pick you up. Imagining life in such a lonely and cut-off environment opens up a space for Deathprod’s yearning set of electronic SOS calls that are destined never to quite reach out through the airwaves.
The Verge proposes a transformative roadmap for a new brand on the verge of making sense of fashion + underground music. We advance through work of collaboration, reaching out to a curated selection of challenging and unfettered artists leading the way in the realms of experimental and underground music. We strive to translate our combined love of music, conceptual vision and production values into timeless fashion products - a collection of signature standards made with intention, ignoring transient fads and embracing a shared path to minimise the devastating effects senseless consumerism has on our planet. (Pt. 1: Manifesto)
Introducing V.A.M.O.S. - Verge Advanced Modular Optimised System. A disruptive, shape-shifting, multi-disciplinary modular system that delivers on our mission to fight the evil of consumerism through the design and production of unique fashion products that are made to last. The program manifests through the combination of experience and know-how, superlative innovation and the drive to boost the re-utilisation of raw materials and finished products.
With this effort we invite our audience to think needs rather than wants, to dramatically reduce consumption and prioritise their products quality and longevity. (Pt. 2: V.A.M.O.S.)
The Sutekh Hexen Boot
Collaboration - 2025
Midway through 2025, I asked Kevin Gan Yuen, the mastermind behind San Francisco Black Metal/Power Noise project Sutekh Hexen if he'd be into developing a boot project with us. Kevin pitched us a duck boot look, the desire for a dark silhouette and a competent design. Everything starts with a last, it dictates the overall look, the proportions, the volume and shape of the toe that form the basis of any shoe design, but in this case the critical component is a unique last-less sole: an early 20th century Maine inspired moulded behemoth, in natural rubber, which only allows for a rare, dedicated machine to carry out the stitch. After many tweaks in prototyping we got to a very good first pair, which exceeded our expectations, and was sent out to Kevin.
But before we did, we shot the boots in my favourite childhood place, an abandoned corn grinding factory that was once in the family. This is a place well worth of a visit and in trying to describe it, I could be accused of ripping off a well known Tolkien novel. The mill thrived here from the turn of the 19th century until the 1960's, in the ancient village of Jugueiros in the district of Porto. It's a lasting landmark of the village, and its natural enchantment and close-knit connection with the river rivals nearby Roman empire relics, from the 3rd and 4th centuries AD, which abound in the village.
The boots shoot well here, they feel at home in this now untamed and harsh landscape, drawing on the references and stylistic briefing presented by Sutekh Hexen itself.
Jorge Sampaio - The Verge
Kevin Gan Yuen - Sutekh Hexen
969. XIU XIU - Plays the Music of Twin Peaks (2016) - Blue Frank/Pink Room (in mix 54)
968. INDIAN - Guiltless (2011) - Banality (in mix 20)
967. UNWOUND - Repetition (1996) - Lowest Common Denominator (in mix 34)
966. DEATHPROD - Imaginary Songs from Tristan Da Cunha (1996) - The Contraceptive Briefcase II (in mix 114)
Album cover artwork for 'No One Deserves Happiness' (2016)
On The Verge
18.03.26
The Body 'No One Deserves Happiness' is 10 years today. "On No One Deserves Happiness, The Body’s Chip King and Lee Buford set out to make “the grossest pop album of all time.” The album themes of despair and isolation are delivered by the unlikely pairing of the Body’s signature heaviness and 80s dance tracks. The Body can emote pain like no other band, and their ability to move between the often strict confines of the metal world and the electronic music sphere is on full display throughout No One Deserves Happiness, an album that eludes categorisation. More then any of their genre-defying peers, The Body does it without softening their disparate influences towards a middle ground, but instead through a beautiful combining of extremes. No One Deserves Happiness is an album that defies definition and expectations, standing utterly alone." (bc)
Elend 'Les Ténèbres Du Dehor' was 30 years last Friday 13th. I remember listening to the highlighted track below when it was included in a Nuclear Blast sampler back in 1996, squeezed between Godgory and Darkseed... god forbid. This is the second album in a trilogy, concerned with the fall and descent of Lucifer into Hell (as seen in Milton's Paradise Lost). With an impeccable sense of atmosphere and drama, Elend achieved a real sense of beauty and darkness within the framework of complex and difficult compositions. French musicians have a propensity for the avant-garde and just when symphonic black metal was starting to make waves, here's a very interesting take on that sonority, take away blast beats and raw production (check Igorrr if you want blast beats included). The vocals are provided primarily by two soprano singers - Eve Gabrielle Siskind and Nathalie Barbary - and their vocal contribution is nothing short of mesmerising. The two main composers behind Elend, Renaud Tschirner and Iskandar Hasnawi contribute vocals too, by way of whispers, spoken word, and very frightening growling. The highlighted track is a lossy file, even though a 320 mp3, nothing less than flac can do this justice.
Puce Mary's The Spiral is celebrating 10 years next 30th and Mogwai divisive Mr. Beast celebrated 20 years last 6th. This brings a lot of memories, summer festivals, a much younger self. I return to some of these songs sometimes, specially 'Travel is Dangerous?', for the fond memories of trying a hand at forcing pre teens on good music against the evil of bubblegum pop all around.
Lee Buford and Chip King aka The Body. Photo by Zachary Harrell Jones
957. THE BODY - No One Deserves Happiness (2016) - Wanderings (in mix 28)
956. PUCE MARY - The Spiral (2016) - No Memory (in mix 39)
955. MOGWAI - Mr. Beast (2006) - We're No Here (in mix 34)
954. ELEND - Les Ténèbres Du Dehor (1996) - Dancing Under The Closed Eyes (in mix 13)
Artwork for October Language
On The Verge
08.02.26
Belong 'October Language' is 20 years old today. The album was assembled, composed, and produced in Dietrich’s bedroom studio, however, the inspiration for the songs goes well beyond the walls. The album encapsulates their hometown of New Orleans, at once bathed in sunlight and colors, yet dripping in decay and a rich sadness. It is a record that attempts to display the beauty in things that are worn, decayed or destroyed. Following in the tradition of bands like My Bloody Valentine and Gas, guitars, synths and other musical sources are wrenched from their typical tones, revealing themselves in bright shards of distortion. Melodies are similarly enveloped in a sort of aural atrophy, forever repeating their blurring calls. At the end, all that remains is a noise so potent it leaves the sonic equivalent of the sun’s imprint on a retina.
Also worth noting these great albums celebrating major milestones in the first weeks of 2026, Tehni's Maaët is 20 years, Burzum's Filosofem is 30 years and Big Black's Atomizer is 40 years.
Turk Dietrich and Micael Jones aka Belong (top) and Tenhi (bottom)
953. BELONG - October Language (2006) - I Never Lose. Never Really (in mix 82)
952. TENHI - Maaäet (2006) - Varpuspäivä (in mix 101)
951. BIG BLACK - Atomizer (1986) - Kerosene (in mix 2)
950. BURZUM - Filosofem (1996) - Dunkelheit (in mix 3)
Monastery of Salzedas, Portugal (Image © Jorge Sampaio)
A Filthy Pig
On The Verge
30.01.26
The last great album by Ministry turns 30 years today. Their 6th long play is my second favourite after Psalm 69. It may not have rave hits such as Burning Inside or Thieves from 1989's 'The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste', but Filth works better as an album for me, having grown tremendously with the passing of the years, gradually removing itself from the entrapments of the sound of an era, and after all this time still sounding captivating, head and shoulders above contemporaries such as Prong or White Zombie, but failing to improve on a tired formula, soon to mutate into nu-nonsense. There are a lot of albums released in 1996 that are very important to me, from ambient to black metal, musique concrete to post-rock. This was the year I got married and moved to London. It was a year full of discoveries and experiences, specially in an exponential increase in music intake, in and outside the house, fuelled by a new reality of commuting in a big city, working in retail, the megastores (HMV on Oxford Street), in the anteroom of the mp3 and the digital domain.
Public Image Limited divisive 'Album' is 40 years this 27th January. I was lucky to witness some of these tracks played live back in the day, in the Pavilhão Infante De Sagres in Porto on the 16th September 1989. I remember the band's vivid, colorful suits, chaotic performance in a rather small stage, and a skinhead fight breaking out in the surroundings prior to the gig, which makes for a surreal hodgepodge. I am not a fan of solos, but the highlighted track 'Ease' may have one of the best ever, courtesy of one Mr. Steve Vai.
The other tracks are taken from albums that are celebrating 10 years this last week of January, they are all excellent but a special mention to Roly Porter's exquisite Third Law, a utterly innovative album of future electronic music.
Kevin Richard Martin
On The Verge
09.01.26
Hjarnidaudi first breath Pain:Noise:March is 20 years today. An ultra obscure project from Norwegian guitarist Vidar Ermesjø (Koldbrann), of whom I am happy to feature every single track he’s ever released (seven tracks on two albums, clocking at 83' 41'') in my assembly of mixes. A project sadly unknown to most people I talk with about this punishing instrumental-only funereal doom, best filed next to Black Boned Angel.
A different kind of doom, Arcana 'Dark Age of Reason' turned 30 years yesterday the 8th. Recently re-released by Cyclic Law, in it’s original length, remastered and with new artwork on both CD and Vinyl. Very few bands evoke such awe and inspiration quite like this Swedish act driven by the legendary Peter Bjärgö. Arcana have been pillars at the forefront of the so called Neo Classical/Heavenly Voices movement with their poignant, ethereal and medieval inspired music. Sorrowful strings, doomsday horns and trumpets, massive percussion and snares, bells, dulcimer... all interlaced with exquisite male-female vocal performances which create quite a singular atmosphere of grandeur and melancholy for the times of yesteryear.
Kevin Richard Martin's 'Sub Zero' just got a 2026 version. It was originally released digitally on Bandcamp only, in the depths of winter 2022, amid the final year of the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s initial invasion of Ukraine. With persistent demand for a vinyl pressing and a full DSP release from fans, Martin thought the time was right for Sub Zero to finally surface in its full glory: remastered and paired with fresh new artwork. A slow-motion excavation of drug-tech, dub, dreamy noise and frozen ambience, the album gradually mutates into hypnotic pulsations and melodic melancholia.
Finally, Ulcerate's The Destroyers of All is celebrating 15 years next 25th January.
Pain:Noise:March Artwork
945. HJARNIDAUDI - Pain:Noise:March (2006) - Part III: March (in mix 19)
944. ARCANA - Dark Age of Reason (1996) - Angel of Sorrow (in mix 15)
943. KEVIN RICHARD MARTIN - Sub Zero (2022 - Remaster 2026) - Destroyed (in mix 106)
942. ULCERATE - The Destroyers of All (2011) - Burning Skies (in mix 27)
The Ape of Naples, original artwork by Ian Johnstone
On The Verge
02.12.25
The Ape of Naples, was released 20 years ago today. Its the final studio album by English band Coil. Produced by Peter Christopherson following the tragic death of bandmate and partner John Balance in 2004, it contains reworked and remixed material from the previous 10 years. The album was dedicated to Balance's memory. "Featuring songs recorded in final days of John's life, as well as material originally recorded at Trent Reznor's studio in New Orleans, and now substantially re-arranged by Peter Christopherson, this album is sure to be seen as the 'classic' Coil album of all time, and is not to be missed under any circumstances." Threshold House"
This miserable year of 2025 is coming to an end and so its time to wrap up and handpick the best music for posterity. The year was so bad in so many ways but there was so much good music, it brings to mind 2020, an even worst year, downright bleak for so many but held together by the hope of a few getting together to produce art statements that will be remembered along the mess and the tragedy.
Below are 3 tracks from some of the best albums this year, making the forthcoming year end lists of honor.
AYA
