Alternative/trap metal artist Seethe has never been one to shy away from the darker side of the human condition, and his forthcoming EP Schisms & Pendulums is yet another testament to this. Set to be released May 15th, the three-song record takes on the harrowing subjects of modern organized religion and the battle with cancer.
“I was listening to Deftones’ self-titled album and Nirvana’s In Utero quite a bit while writing this EP,” Seethe explains. “Not that it can necessarily be heard [musically], but I feel I caught the vibe and essence of both albums. Dirty, yet clean enough to not sound like garbage. This is also thanks to the production by Vixlence Beatz and Gus Wallner’s mixing and mastering.”
As with much of Seethe’s creations, Schisms & Pendulums is an EP meant to be felt as well as heard. The first track, “Coalesce,” is filled with disgust and rage, which colors every lyric, intonation, and the stylings of the accompanying music. “It’s a stab at modern day religion,” Seethe says. “Not that God and Jesus don’t exist, but more how modern religion is propagated toward political welfare and also the alarming number of cases of sexual abuse and misconduct from clergymen over the last 20-30 years.”
“Coalesce” is followed by “Cascade,” a heart-wrenching ode penned from the point of view of a person witnessing a loved one struggle with cancer. Seethe wrote the song about his mother’s second fight with the illness, and the raw pain bleeds through in the words and the way in which he screams out the emotion from within. “Lights gleaming with a sense of purpose, dimming out over the cascade/Burning out without a purpose, crashing down to one’s knees…” It is an unflinching dose of reality, the bitterness borne from watching somebody wither away while trying so hard to stay strong.
“Dreary” is the other side of the same coin, a story told from the patient’s point of view. Fraught with frustration and anger, the narrator looks back on life and wonders “Why me? I’m a good person.” The sentiment is echoed in a line that is repeated throughout: “Cure me, please, you owe me this.”
Schisms & Pendulums will hit all major streaming platforms on May 15th! You can presave the EP here, and visit Seethe’s other socials to make sure you never miss an update!
Five Finger Death Punch is hitting the road this summer and fall in support of their latest album, Afterlife, and they’re bringing along some pretty legendary friends: the infamous Marilyn Manson and Russian deathcore outfit Slaughter to Prevail. Tickets available at fivefingerdeathpunch.com (or at either of the other bands’ official sites).
8/2 – Hershey, PA – Hersheypark Stadium
8/5 – Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center
8/7 – Clarkston, MI – Pine Knob Music Theatre
8/8 – Cincinnati, OH – Riverbend Music Center
8/10 – St. Louis, MO – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
8/13 – Rogers, AR – Walmart AMP
8/14 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena
8/16 – Noblesville, IN – Ruoff Music Center
8/19 – Des Moines, IA – Wells Fargo Arena
8/21 – Omaha, NE – Chi Health Center
8/22 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena
8/27 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena
8/29 – Airway Heights, WA – BECU Live at Northern Quest
8/31 – Ridgefield, WA – RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheater
9/3 – Mountain View, CA – Shoreline Amphitheatre
9/4 – Chula Vista, CA – North Island Credit Union Amphitheater
9/6 – Anaheim, CA – Honda Center
9/8 – Las Vegas, NV – MGM Grand Garden Arena
9/10 – Phoenix, AZ – Talking Stick Resorts Amphitheatre
9/11 – Albuquerque, NM – Isleta Amphitheatre
9/13 – Durant, OK – Choctaw Grand Theater
9/15 – Atlanta, GA – Lakewood Amphitheatre
9/16 – Biloxi, MS – Mississippi Coast Coliseum
9/18 – Austin, TX – Germania Insurance Amphitheatre
Ice Nine Kills and In This Moment are teaming up once again for an epic summer Tour! Bringing along special guests Avatar and Tx2, the bands will hit the road August 6th. Snag your tickets today at iceninekills.com or inthismomentofficial.com!
8/6 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Broadview Stage at SPAC
8/7 – Buffalo, NY – Buffalo Outer Harbor
8/9 – Green Bay, WI – Capitol Credit Union Park
8/10 – Dubuque, IA – Q Casino, Backwaters Stage
8/11 – Springfield, MO – The Shrine Mosque*
8/13 – Tulsa, OK – Tulsa Theatre+
8/14 – Irving, TX – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
8/16 – Omaha, NE – The Astro
8/17 – Waukee, IA – Vibrant Music Hall
8/18 – Sioux Falls, SD – The District*
8/20 – Bismarck, ND – Bismarck Events Center
8/21 – Billings, MT – Downtown Billings Skatepark
8/23 – Calgary, AB – Grey Eagle Events Centre
8/25 – Seattle, WA – Moore Theatre*
8/27 – Idaho Falls, ID – Mountain America Center
8/28 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Great Saltair
8/30 – Airway Heights, WA – Northern Quest AMP
8/31 – Portland, OR – Alaska Airlines’ Theater of the Clouds
9/1 – Boise, ID – Revolution Center*
9/3 – Sacramento, CA – The Backyard
9/4 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Palladium
9/5 – Las Vegas, NV – The Theater at Virgin Hotels, Las Vegas
9/7 – Grand Junction, CO – Amphitheater at Las Colonias Park*
In This Moment has announced The Godmode Tour with special guests Kim Dracula, I See Stars, and Mike’s Dead. The 20-date run kicks off April 28th in Anaheim, CA, and treks from coast to coast, finding its conclusion May 25th in Syracuse, NY. Tickets are now available at inthismomentofficial.com!
4/28 – Anaheim, CA – City National Grove of Anaheim#
4/30 – Albuquerque, NM – Revel*#
5/1 – El Paso, TX – El Paso County Coliseum*#
5/3 – Lubbock, TX – Lonestar Events Center*#
5/4 – New Braunfels, TX – Whitewater Amphitheater*#
5/5 – Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall*#
5/7 – New Orleans, LA – Orpheum Theater
5/9 – North Myrtle Beach, SC – House of Blues
5/10 – Daytona Beach, FL – Welcome to Rockville 2024
Metal band A Killer’s Confession, fronted by ex-Mushroomhead member Waylon Reavis, has announced a spring run with special guest Mike’s Dead. The 19-date tour kicks off in Joliet, Illinois, and draws to its conclusion at the band’s home base, Cleveland, Ohio. Tickets and VIP are available at akcglobalrecords.com!
The Androgen is an industrial black metal project based in southern California. They have released two EPs thus far, both in 2020 – Insomnia and Words Are Knives – and are preparing to drop a new album entitled The Cave in 2024.
I was given the chance to have a conversation with front man Vincent Thorn. We discussed the project’s history, influences, writing/recording process, and more!
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Mostly Music: First and foremost, tell me about the formation of The Androgen.
Vincent Thorn: The formation of The Androgen is a long and drawn out story, with many twists and turns. But, to sum it up, the band has gone through three main stages thus far. Originally, the band was just me, then we had the introduction of its second permanent member, Angel Nightmare, and we cycle in other members for live performance.
The long story – When I lived in Culver City, California, I would do vocal covers in my room every day on a shitty little PA system. I had been doing that since I was thirteen. I am thirty-one now. One day, far in my past, I came across a song called “I Am Halloween,” by Midnight Nightmare. The vocalist, Angel, had a YouTube channel, and I watched some of his stuff. Time flew by…
Then in 2018, I bumped into him at the Whiskey A Go Go in Hollywood. He had just moved out to L.A. Crazy!!!
A year later, I was trying to put together a small underground show in Northridge, and I contacted my friend who I used to practice with when I was on the streets of L.A. (a whole other story). It was a crazy coincidence – he was in Midnight Nightmare, doing keyboards, and the band performed at the event.
After beers and many war stories, Angel would wind up helping me produce Insomnia, Words Are Knives, and the long-awaited third album, The Cave, and playing live guitar in the band.
MM: It sounds like lucky coincidences brought y’all together. That’s definitely one of the better stories I’ve heard behind a band’s formation. What’s the story behind the name “The Androgen”?
VT: The story behind the name is, an androgen is a human hormone in everyone, responsible for aggression, sexual behavior, and masculine and feminine traits. The point being a philosophical take on the humanity of the band and the reflection we provide of the public as a whole.
MM: Who are the band’s biggest influences?
VT: We at The Androgen listen to a lot of international music, mostly jazz, black metal, and aggrotech/industrial. There are too many bands to mention, but a few include Shining, Dark Fortress, Dir En Grey, Dissection, and Rose Funeral.
MM: And for you, personally, what was it that made you want to pursue a career in music? Was there any specific moment, such as hearing a certain song or discovering a particular artist/band, that made you think “That is what I want to do”?
VT: Well, I wouldn’t call it a “career” in music. Most artists work multiple 9 to 5 jobs to be able to afford the luxury of taking the stage and sharing their art. It is a struggle to get shows, but I enjoy every second onstage.
If there was one moment that made me want to do this, that is a hard one… a genuine hard one…
I wouldn’t say there was a certain song, but just like everyone else, I found an album at a low time in my life – Rose Funeral, The Resting Sonata, 2009 – and I decided to try to do that type of music as an outlet for severe anger that needed to be channelled from within myself.
MM: I know these types of things aren’t always explainable in words, but can you tell me why you think The Resting Sonata resonated so deeply with you?
VT: At the time I was sleeping on a park bench, and I used to go into the public library to listen to CDs on their computers. I eventually found an old CD player at a donation place to listen to it on repeat. The reason it resonated with me was, it was a challenging piece of art and I liked that. It was a new language musically that I had to learn, and it was like a gateway to a whole other genre of music.
MM: Switching gears just a bit, what is the writing process for The Androgen? From where do you draw most of your inspiration? (I know you mentioned channeling emotion, so I imagine that answer might be “from within.”)
VT: For Insomnia, I drew most of the lyrical writing from my experience living in Culver City, California. The EP alludes to fatalistic and defeatist ideals, referring to the city’s penchant for hedonism and overworking. The name of the EP refers to the way in which the city seems to never sleep, and I myself didn’t seem to get much sleep while living there. The guitars, synths, and drums are brainstormed in the studio by me and Angel. A typical song is usually created with a foundation of synth and guitar, followed by vocals and then finally drums and bass.
Words Are Knives was written at the very beginning of the lockdown, and was the band trying to push itself farther and is higher quality than what we had done before. The songs were more philosophical than anything else. The writing process remained the same, but we wanted to bring more polish.
The Cave is a testament to the band’s/my struggle with alcohol and drug addiction, depression, ostracization, homelessness, adoption, and disassociation. The name of the album is drawn from a sewer tunnel that between the years of 2011 and 2014 was the residence of myself and many others. Most of the lyrics, if not all, were written on random pieces of paper while living in those conditions that survived up until now.
The writing process is about the same as before with the instruments, but the mix is completely different and the mastering process is also more drawn out, using upgraded technology compared to the previous works.
The date of the release of The Cave is TBA at the moment.
MM: With the varied inspirations and approaches, do you have a track you’ve written that is your favorite? I almost hate asking that, since I imagine viewing your own art objectively might be a difficult thing. Lol.
VT: Yes. But the track is not released yet… It’s off the unreleased The Cave album. Stay tuned.
MM: You mentioned how much you love being onstage. What is your favorite thing about live shows?
VT: Overall, the best thing about live shows is that it is a rare opportunity to drop the mask of pragmatism and be more authentic; while performing I fancy myself an actor, so depending on how you look at it– jumping into another character, or dropping the mask and being myself. At least, I find, if done right.
MM: Piggybacking off that, what would be your dream tour lineup (that includes The Androgen, of course)?
VT: Dream lineup would be (in no particular order) – Dog Fashion Disco, That Handsome Devil, Igorrr, Pensées Noctournes, Watain, Shining, and Rose Funeral. And, obviously, The Androgen. I would love to open the show.
MM: In your dream lineup, The Androgen would open? I feel like that’s unusual; most artists want to be headliners. But I can see the benefit to playing first. (Now that I’m in my late 30s, the openers get all my energy. Lol.)
VT: As a band that has not paid their dues, as the other acts that I mentioned have, being able to play on the same stage, in this theoretical scenario, would be awesome for us. I’d love to be an opening act for a show with that lineup, and being an opener allows for the ability to watch all the other acts without the stress of having to prepare for your act.
MM: That makes sense. So I guess we’re nearing the end of our chat. I just have to ask, what are the band’s plans for 2024?
VT: We have a new single, “Awaiting the Apocalypse,” that is available for streaming, and a music video for it on YouTube as well. [We will release] the album, The Cave, but the date is still TBA. We also have multiple shows in September, and are working with various other bands in our industry to possibly bring more shows before then.
Thank you for the interview, it has been quite refreshing to have such a professional interview. And thank you for your time, and god speed in your future endeavors.
MM: Thank you so much for your time and patience! I look forward to all that is coming from The Androgen!
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Check out the latest single from The Androgen, “Awaiting the Apocalypse,” and be sure to follow them on all their socials so you never miss an update!
Aggrotech/industrial metal band Combichrist is touring this spring with Dead Animal Assembly Plant and Esoterik. They also have a revolving assortment of special guests, which includes Curse, Unitcode: Machine, Treasvre, and Cultus Black. Tickets and VIP are available at dsolprod.com!
3/14 – Anaheim, CA – The Parish at House of Blues*%
3/16 – Los Angeles, CA – Whisky A Go Go*%
3/17 – San Francisco, CA – Neck of the Woods*@
3/18 – Eugene, OR – WOW Hall*%
3/19 – Portland, OR – Star Theater*%
3/20 – Seattle, WA – El Corazon*%
3/22 – Idaho Falls, ID – The Gem*
3/23 – Salt Lake City, UT – Leatherheads*@
3/24 – Denver, CO – Kulture Music Hall*@
3/26 – St. Louis, MO – Red Flag*@
3/27 – Minneapolis, MN – Varsity Theater*@
3/29 – Madison, WI – Annex*@
3/30 – Chicago, IL – Distro Music Hall*@
3/31 – Toronto, ON – Lee’s Palace*@
4/2 – Detroit, MI – Magic Bag*@
4/3 – Albany, NY – Empire Underground*@
4/4 – Montreal, QC – Foufounes Electriques*@
4/5 – Providence, RI – Fete Hall*@
4/6 – Mechanicsburg, PA – Lovedraft’s*@
4/7 – Philadelphia, PA – Warehouse on Watts*@
4/8 – New York City, NY – Brooklyn Made*@
4/9 – Pittsburgh, PA – Preserving Underground*@
4/10 – Columbus, OH – King of Clubs*@
4/11 – Piedmont, SC – Tribbles*
4/12 – Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade (Hell)*
4/13 – Tampa, FL – Crowbar*
4/14 – Orlando, FL – Conduit*
4/15 – Miami, FL – Gramps*
4/18 – Houston, TX – Scout Bar#
4/19 – Austin, TX – Come and Take It Live#
4/21 – Dallas, TX – Haltom Theater#
4/23 – El Paso, TX – Rockhouse#
4/24 – Phoenix, AZ – Rebel Lounge#
4/25 – Albuquerque, NM – Inside/Out#
4/27 – Las Vegas, NV – Sick New World Fest 2024 (Combichrist only)
Industrial/metal/glam/death pop outfit Orgy is celebrating 25 years of their debut album, Candyass. The band is hitting the road in North America this spring with Cold and special guests Horizon Theory and I Ya Toyah. You can get tickets and VIP packages at orgymusic.com and coldarmy.com!
4/11 – Chicago, IL – Bottom Lounge
4/12 – Flint, MI – Machine Shop
4/13 – Des Moines, IA – Lefty’s
4/14 – Sioux City, IA – The Marquee
4/16 – Colorado Springs, CO – Black Sheep
4/17 – Denver, CO – Marquis Theater
4/19 – Seattle, WA – Madame Lou’s
4/20 – Portland, OR – Bossanova Ballroom
4/22 – Sacramento, CA – Harlow’s
4/23 – West Hollywood, CA – Whisky A Go Go
4/24 – Fresno, CA – Fulton 55
4/25 – Santa Ana, CA – Observatory
4/26 – San Diego, CA – Brick By Brick
4/27 – Scottsdale, AZ – Pub Rock
4/28 – Albuquerque, NM – Launchpad
4/30 – Austin, TX – Come and Take It Live
5/1 – San Antonio, TX – Paper Tiger
5/2 – Dallas, TX – Trees
5/3 – Houston, TX – Scout Bar
5/4 – Shreveport, LA – Strange Brew
5/6 – New Orleans, LA – House of Blues
5/7 – Tallahassee, FL – Legacy
5/8 – Fort Lauderdale, FL – Revolution Live
5/9 – Daytona Beach, FL – Welcome to Rockville 2024*
Mostly Music 