French post-metal unit DDENT returns as a foursome and announces the release of their new record "Feeling the Void's Luster" this July 24th on their own imprint Chien Noir — revisiting some of the band's previous material under a towering and fire-driven new light.

DDENT returns this summer with a new lineup and a new album: “Feeding the Void's Luster”. Captured in two takes, with no metronome or samples, this volcanic five-tracker finds the quartet pulling from older material, twisting and rearranging it until they become a completely different beast. Heavier, louder, more towering, more cathartic.

To embody this renewal, DDENT welcomes new drummer Alain Minot (ex-20 Seconds Falling Man), whose hardcore and punk style infuses the tracks with some new tension. Blackened vocals from bassist Nicolas Zivkovich (Les Tigres du Futur, Fiend, Krv) also make an appearance on most tracks for the first time, without ever overshadowing the instrumental part — the cornerstone of their hypnotic post-metal.

Whereas band founder Louis Lambert used to write the bulk of the material, DDENT now operates as a full-blown collective. This record marks the first step in a new process, a way to reunite the band through playing together. Next up: an album consisting entirely of new material, work on which will begin in the fall.

New record "Feeding the Void's Luster"

Out July 24th via Chien Noir (LP/CD/digital)

TRACKLIST:

1. Dis à la lune qu'elle vienne

2. Longue, obscure et triste lune

3. Arzel

4. Kohol

5. Noir taureau de douleur

DDENT formed in the early 2010s as the instrumental brainchild of guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Louis Lambert and drummer Marc Le Saux. First EP Chien Noir was released in 2014, which quickly led to the addition of live musicians to the project. This milestone laid the foundations for a dark post-rock sound that induces a gripping spiritual and sensory journey. While 2017 debut LP آكتئاب narrated the introspective journey of a poet, their sophomore album TORO (2018) dealt with the search for truth through creation. It is safe to say that literature and philosophy have always been a centerpiece of DDENT's music.

In 2019, DDENT performed at Europe's largest metal festival Hellfest, tantalizing both the audience and critics with their bewitching performance. As a result, Louis Lambert started working on the follow-up album Couvre-sang — a massive and poetic post-metal 11-track awash with dark, elegant atmospheres and intriguing thematics, described as "pure instrumental industrial bliss, a living breathing beast, crafted superbly, with real emotional levels" by The Sleeping Shaman. In 2021, Lambert kept working as a solo act and released a cinematic single and video entitled "VOLEMOI". 2023 saw the talented songwriter's return with the Ex Auditu 2xEP on Chien Noir, then entering hiatus... until now.

DDENT lineup

Nicolas Zivkovich - bass and vocals

Louis Lambert - guitar

Vincent Ghislain - guitar

Alain Minot - drums

DDENT links

Facebook⎪Bandcamp⎪Instagram

CHIEN NOIR links

Facebook⎪Bandcamp⎪Instagram

OREYEON – The Grotesque Within

Pietro Virgilio – Drums, Richard Silvaggio - Bass / Vocals, Andrea Ricci – Guitar, Matteo Signanini - Guitar

Echoes of old nightmares crushing riffs strange sounds with eerie interludes that pull you in. Nothing but impurites - Part 1 take a trip thru your strange dreams memories and emotions. Nothing but impurites - Part 2 continues the quest thru your imagination. The Grotesque within lost in distant musical mind trips. Something over there pulls you into melancholic depths of dark emotions. I'm your mistake just try and stay awake from nightmares. Dead puppet eyes pounding drums thumping bass fist pump and foot stomp.

Borrower - Killerdemons

Frank Formosa- Drums, Massimo Ratano- Vocals/Guitar, Matteo Marzo- Bass, Matteo Marini- Guitar

Killerdemon pounding drums thumping bass crunchy riffs and screaming leads with strong vocals. Der Todessoldat catchy riffs spoken words with heavy rhythms. El Degollador power metal with gruff vocals that envelop your senses, Knocking on the Coffins will have the crowd on its feet just letting loose. Stay Alive is a catchy tune that sticks in your head for days. Tough Fight fist pump head bang and play air guitar. Dream on Fire mosh shred and tear it up. A Chaos Vortex crunchy riffs strong vocals wit pounding drums and thumping bass.

Void- (Maryland USA) Live 1982

John Weiffenbach- Vocals, Bubba Dupree- Guitar, Chris Stover – Bass, Sean Finnegan – Drums

Shades Of Grey one interesting mind trip. Ask Them Why punk rock madness, Ignorant People mosh shred and tear it up. Spiral Staircase Who Are You strange sounds envelops your senses. Think searing leads and spoken words. Time to Die creaming guitars rough vocals with thundering rhythms. Bloodlust fist pump and head bang. Explode dis harmonic guitars with strange sounds. Lets Party get up and rock n roll all night long My Rules lost in aggressive moments. Slow Burn spoken words with interesting turns, Self Defense punches you right in the face Organized Sports thundering drums thumping bass crunchy riffs and punk rock vocals.

The Slackers - Money is King

Jayson Nugent,- Guitar, Glen Pine- Vocals/Trombone, David Hillyard- Saxophone, Vic Ruggiero- Vocals/Multi Instrumental

Money Is King catchy ska reggae. The Whole World Was In On It sway groove and flow with the rhythms. Hold On a catchy tune that takes you back in time . Try To Beat Me Down clap foot tap and sing. No One Likes The Truth floating on a cloud of melodies.

The Slackers – Lost & Found Vol 2

Jayson Nugent,- Guitar, Glen Pine- Vocals/Trombone, David Hillyard- Saxophone, Vic Ruggiero- Vocals/Multi Instrumental

Ill Stay Away (Live) a catchy tune that envelops your senses. Treat Me Good (Live) say groove and just let loose. Sleep Outside (Live ) lost in dreams and emotions. The Boss (Live) clap foot tap and enjoy. Cooking With Tommy (Live) cruising the day away, Diskambobuated lost in emotional memories. Keep Him Away a catchy tune that sticks in your head. Love I Bring sway groove and enjoy. Kill You (Disco Mix) sing and sway. Statehouse Dub lost in emotional memories. Time Wont Set You Free Dub dance the night away.

-Xroadie

Sweden's heavy metal and doom powerhouse TIDAL WAVE return with their third studio album "Volume Tree" on Californian label Ripple Music today!

⚡️ Listen to "Volume Tree" on all streaming services ⚡️

With its electrifying blend of classic heavy metal and doom, Volume Tree captures the loud foursome at their absolute heaviest, while showcasing yet another face-melting performance from vocalist Alexander 'Sunkan' Sundqvist. Dark and menacing, these eight tracks are the most towering the band has created to date: “Hangman” churns with grunge weight, while “Temple of Humanity” twists into progressive shadow. Lyrically, it swings from Sabbath-soaked rituals on “Earth” to a snarling bully’s reckoning on “Sideburns” while keeping things fresh, modern and as punchy as a knuckleduster.

The band likes to see Volume Tree as a compilation of creative forces, since it was recorded across three studios and mixed by three engineers, with each track carving out its own unique soundscape and vibe. All tracks were mastered by the talented Joona Hassinen at Studio Underjord, with stunning cover art by Kristoffer Nordgren (Prettyshittyinc). Don't miss their recent Sideburns video!

New album "Volume Tree"

Available on Ripple Music (LP/CD/digital)

Tidal Wave is a Swedish heavy rock band that revels in the power of the riff. As they left their stamp on the Swedish stoner rock scene with their self-titled 2019 debut album "Blueberry Muffin", the talented four-piece returned in 2023 with an impressive and memorable collection of songs that aims to fill each air particle with fire, fuzz and power: their sophomore album "The Lord Knows". The loud foursome delivers the ultimate blend of in-your-face stoner rock and classic heavy metal bravura with epic riffs for ages, unstoppable dynamics and absolutely face-melting vocals from Alexander 'Sunkan' Sundqvist.

Tidal Wave is

Alexander 'Sunkan' Sundqvist - Vocals

Jesper 'Jupiter' Sjödin - Guitar

Adam 'Aden' Nordin - Bass

Rasmus 'Raz' Sundberg - Drums

Tidal Wave links

Facebook⎪Bandcamp⎪Instagram

Ripple Music links

Website⎪Facebook⎪Bandcamp⎪Instagram

If your first thought when someone mentions a Norwegian band involves snowstorms, corpse paint and grim-looking men disappearing into dark forests, Masheena are here to send you in a completely different direction. Their road leads straight into a sweaty rock bar somewhere between the golden age of the ’70s, the Californian desert and a tube amp that's working overtime.

What makes "Let The Spiders In" so appealing is that it never sounds like a band trying to recreate a bygone era. Plenty of groups borrow from classic hard rock, stoner rock and blues these days. Masheena sound like they simply belong there.

That feeling hits almost immediately. "Been Waiting", "Going To The Mountain" and "One Eye" roll out of the speakers with the relaxed confidence of musicians who know exactly when to push and when to let a riff do the talking. Nothing feels rushed. Nothing feels forced. The grooves are allowed to breathe, the melodies stick around longer than expected and before you know it you're reaching for the volume knob.

And that's really the story of this album: riffs, groove and songs. Lots of them.

"In Her Eyes" is a perfect example. What starts with a bluesy sway slowly grows into one of the album's finest moments, wrapped in layers of fuzz, melody and pure atmosphere. Elsewhere, "A Game You Don't Want To Lose" and "Life Is But A Sin" lean into heavier territory, proving that Masheena can hit hard without sacrificing the warmth and movement that define the record.

Then there's "Riffy". Any song carrying a title like that had better deliver, and thankfully it does. Gloriously. It's the kind of track that reminds you why rock music was never meant to be overanalysed. Sometimes a great riff, a killer groove and a band locked into the pocket are all you really need.

The best thing about "Let The Spiders In" is that it feels lived in. You can hear decades of record collecting, gigging and music obsession flowing through these songs. There are nods to Clutch, Kyuss, Led Zeppelin, Sabbath and plenty of others, but Masheena never disappear beneath their influences. They take those ingredients and cook up something with its own flavour.

By the time "You Owe Me" storms in and sends the album out in a cloud of dust and ringing ears, there's only one real conclusion: Masheena have made a rock record that understands one simple truth. Great songs don't need tricks. They just need heart, groove and conviction. "Let The Spiders In" has all three in abundance.

-Helge Neumann

It’s been almost 7 years since I’ve written for the Ripple Effect.  Not because I’ve stopped listening to music, not because the platform was taken away from me - but because I felt like - I didn’t really have the energy - the fire -that I used to.  Life was - a lot - caregiving, routines, etc… I didn’t have that spark to share the things that made me light up - that made my brain lemonade bubble like crystal pepsi when the chords hit just right.

Until last month.

All credit goes to the youtube channel Metal School https://www.youtube.com/@MetalSchoolChannel     if you’re a fan of 80’s metal and haven’t subscribed - go there right now.  They go in depth on 80’s classic metal bands.  So how did an incredible Youtube channel lead me to start writing again???

It was a regular weekday morning -  I was playing my youtube subscriptions on my firestick while having my coffee - and Metal School had uploaded their latest video - a retrospective on Mercyful Fate and King Diamond.  It played in the background while I scrolled my phone.  Then - something tugged at me - “I know that song…” then “Hey that’s a great riff…” then “Holy shit that’s a fucking killer rff… “ then , “What the hell was that? Why have I never heard that before?” followed by, “that fucking bass player is a BEAST!!!”. There was an excerpt from a Danish interview with guitarist  Michael Denner talking about “Into the Coven”  being on the PMRC’s Filthy 15, saying because of the song’s inclusion on that list there was so much interest generated in the band that MF was able to tour the US for the first time “TUSIND TAK!” he grinned into the camera.  I thought any band who pissed off Tipper Gore has got to be worth my time…

Then it began.  I didn’t think, “Huh, that was cool.  I’ll just continue my life like a normal person.” Because as any of my friends will tell you - that’s not how I exist.  I started googling history - side projects demos, Old interviews, old reddit threads, Vintage youtube videos - “Hey why is this guy always cropped out…?” (More on that soon hopefully) - anything related to this band - I totally immersed myself. 

Of course I already knew about King Diamond - I had even seen him in concert in 2014.  I remember I went nuclear when he busted out “Come to the Sabbath,” but that and “Nuns Have no fun” was my total knowledge of the band at the time.

So much has been written about Mercyful Fate’s influence on the black metal scene because of their occult/ satanic lyrics.  But musically - they were a straightforward metal band who wore their influences on their sleeve.  Michael Denner and Hank Shermann were influenced by Judas Priest, Michael Schenker, the Scorpions, Wishbone Ash, Hank has even listed Status Quo and Kiss as his influences. As a guitar duo they should be talked about with the same reverence as Tipton/ Downing IMO.  In fact, go on Youtube and look for the videos of the two of them playing through Melissa and Don’t Break the Oath for their respective 30 year anniversaries on Hank Shermann’s YouTube channel.  You can see the absolute joy on Denner’s face.  He looks 20 years younger when he’s playing those songs again.  And Hank - stays 100% Danish but you could tell he’s smiling on the inside.  (links at end of article) Late bassist Timi “Grabber” Hansen played what I like to call “lead bass”  very melodic, tasteful - but not afraid to let you know he’s there.  He does NOT get enough credit - I’m not going to go off on drooling fangirl territory here (yet hehe) but seriously TIMI FUCKING HANSEN.  And Kim Ruzz on drums on the first two studio albums?  Absolutely insane - another one who doesn't get mentioned enough.  And then there’s King Diamond - his infernal Majesty. On the early Mercy stuff he hasn’t gotten quite that glass shattering screech yet. And oh - the lyrics….I’m not going to copy and paste them here for fear of the internet police shutting us down - but google is your friend .  Some people say they were a bit “hokey” or “overt” - remember - King was in his early 20’s when he wrote them. And he is very open about being “a devoted adherent of LaVeyan Satanism. He has openly championed the philosophy, noting that it acts as a self-empowering guide for individuality rather than a belief in a literal deity. “ (thank you google) .  And no, I’m not about to throw myself on an altar now that I’ve listened to the lyrics of “Don’t Break the Oath” - and if you actually listen to the lyrics of “A Dangerous Meeting" it actually warns against playing around with forces you don’t fully understand.

So this is my life now.  Yes I know MF reunited in the 90’s with some strong material  but when Denner left after 1996’s Into the Unknown he took a lot of the heart of the band with him.

And Yes, I do know the first two King Diamond albums were basically MF without Hank and Kim  and those are FANTASTIC records that I’l probably talk about another day.

The MF reunion in 2019 , supposed to be with the classic lineup with the intention of playing the classic material? (unfortunately Timi passed away from cancer right before this happened)  No - it's not a reunion without Denner. Nope. 

As a journalist I’m supposed to stay impartial - and I’m sure there’s a lot I don’t know but - NOPE.

-Rys

Photos from Pinterest and Tumblr and copyright the respective photographers

Denner/Shermann play Melissa album here: https://youtu.be/uUVDIFxBxzw?si=QGIGwbHLZpObIEJ5

Denner/Shermann play Don't Break the Oath album here: https://youtu.be/9QA4kbcX3Go?si=homY9mOt-s6Tua1X