ATTRITION Drops Their Long-Awaited New Album, The Black Maria

Legendary dark industrial pioneers, ATTRITION have unveiled their highly-anticipated new full-length album, The Black Maria.

“The Black Maria”: a menacing 19th Century figure who would come to take away our outcasts and miscreants. The term was later used as the slang term For UK police vans. Nothing much has changed.

The music on The Black Maria weaves and shifts between gothic/industrial, neo-classical and dark ambient soundscapes, with founding member Martin Bowes’s lyrics fearlessly exploring the themes that bind and break us all – life, love, longing, loss and death; from the politics of manipulation: personal and state to the uncertainties of theosophical and philosophical thought. delivered in his dangerously anarchic yet melancholic growl. 

Teaming up with the glorious baroque female vocalists Emke from Black Nail Cabaret, Elisa Day from Hetaira Decrépita and Yvette from Vaselyne is a genius move from the ATTRITION founder, with their voices lending filigrees of ghostly ambience to the band’s rich and distinctive sound. But it’s the return of original ATTRITION vocalist Julia after twenty years that elevates this album to another realm.

The Black Maria Includes remixed/remastered versions of the singles, “The Great Derailer” and “The Alibi” and a reworking of “The Voice of Truth”. The album features special guest appearances from Alia Miroshichenko (Subterranea) Annie Hogan (Marc and the Mambas etc) on grant piano, Vancorvid and Marietta Fox on violins, Ian Arkley (My Silent Wake) on guitar, Steve Clarke (Futumche) on additional guitar/bass, and Kris Force on cello.

ATTRITION will be touring in 2024, commencing in the UK, then Europe, North and South America with autumn dates in Japan and more dates to be added.

The Black Maria is available on the following formats: CD, cassette, vinyl LP and on all major digital platforms worldwide. 

Produced by Martin Bowes at the Cage Studios, Coventry, England

You can read HERE an interview I did with Martin in 2020 regarding the 40 years of Attrition.

 

ART OF INFINITY | 20 Years “Dimension Universe” | New Video “Drift Upon The Sky”

Art of Infinity signed a record deal with BSC Music/Prudence 20 years ago. Their second album “Dimension Universe” was released on April 5, 2004 and is now considered a classic, especially by many Pink Floyd fans. It is the masterful fusion of ambient and art rock that the German duo achieved particularly well on this elaborately produced album.

Together with illustrious guest musicians, Thorsten Rentsch and Thorsten Sudler-Mainz produced a concept album that deals with the infinite expanse and mysteries of the universe. The main piece of the album is the 14-minute space opera “Drift Upon The Sky“, in which a total of 13 musicians were involved. Guitarist Klaus Major Heuser, keyboarder Matthias Krauss, saxophonist Stefan Höllering and lead singer Eva Wolf were among those involved in the editing of Thorsten Sudler-Mainz’s longtrack composition.

It was recorded and mixed at Thorsten Rentsch’s Renaissance Studio in Cologne. The analog and atmospheric vintage sound, the floydy guitars, the big space choirs and last but not least Eva Wolf’s majestic vocals make “Drift Upon The Sky” a timeless classic.

On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of “Dimension Universe” Art of Infinity release a new video for “Drift Upon The Sky”.  The fantastic space animations invite you to discover or enjoy the atmospheric and funky sounds of Art of Infinity once again.

Music between Tangerine Dream, Pink Floyd and Trance – music like stardust that constantly trickles down to earth from outer space and has made life on our blue planet possible in the first place. Art Of Infinity invite us on an exciting cosmic star journey. This album is finally being officially released by Prudence.

It is almost impossible to pick out individual tracks here. It’s the whole journey that counts. Whether “Major” Heuser plays David Gilmour brilliantly or angelic fairy voices are heard, it is always hypnotic and imaginative.

Only the 14-minute piece “Drift Upon The Sky”, in which monk chants and a “dark-side-of-the-moon saxophone” can be heard and a piano sails through distant worlds, stands out and shows how almost purely instrumental Pink Floyd pre-Wall could sound today. Truly a beautiful space journey. (Walter Sehrer, Eclipsed Rock Magazin, Germany, 2004)

Musicians on “Drift Upon The Sky:

Thorsten Sudler-Mainz: keyboard, vocals, spoken words and programming

Thorsten Rentsch: keyboard and programming

with

Eva Wolf: vocals

Klaus Major Heuser: electric and acoustic guitar

Matthias Krauss: keyboard

Stefan Höllering: saxophone

Additional choir singers: Ann Kareen Mainz, Oda Reiter, Bernhard Weiss, Susanne Werth, Gregor Ziegler, Guildo Horn, Schrader

Composer musik: Thorsten Sudler-Mainz

Composer lyrics: Thorsten Sudler-Mainz/Eva Wolf

Producer: Thorsten Rentsch und Thorsten Sudler-Mainz

Mixing engineer: Thorsten Rentsch