On August 15th, Australian doom entity MEKIGAH will release their new album, “To Hold Onto A Heartless Heart”, through Aesthetic Death.
Following the release of the single “Broken Rhythm Pressure”, today the band has given a further insight into their forthcoming album with the track “Away Drifting From”. The song is now premiering at Doomed & Stoned. Stream it HERE.
The fifth MEKIGAH full length album is a purposely designed ugly, drawn out, raw, awkward journey.
There’s no attempt or desire to either embrace the slow slow doom, to aggressively technically impress or to build upon previous motifs. Everything is caught between worlds, as MEKIGAH itself is caught between worlds. Nothing is where it belongs as things are uncomfortably forced together through the sheer necessity of only gaining satisfaction via sonic self sabotage and harm, creating audial-mazes to which then have to delicately navigated through.
“I trade in uncertainty and superstition and cant. I invent dark visions of impossible situations that can never be resolved” – Ralph Steadman
Heavily driven by basslines along with industrial, sparse, neanderthal drums. Guitars are featured heavily, but infrequently as riffs, more as screeching, wailing, floating walls of high frequency pain that are meshed with discordant piano lines – all this amidst the brief, but demented, freestyle vocal stabs and incoherent mournful chants.
Neither the gothic metal, nor the noise doom of previous releases, yet having slight nods to both in fleeting moments.
“To Hold Onto A Heartless Heart” can feel immensely detached & cold but somehow personal & emotional too. This is MEKIGAH evolving, following his own heart and creative vision.
More challenging than catchy or entertaining in any shape or form. Layers of sound to discover and uncover in detail on repeated listens. At other times there feels to be claustrophobic walls of noise that are impassable, impossible to make sense of but for the hope and glimpses of reason that are seen through the minimalist riffs and beats – simplistic, repetitive and drilled into your skull over and over again.
“What it’s all about”….. is far more dictated by however any individual interprets the music, or how it makes them feel.
With any lyrical content, words & voice serving far more as an instrument or sound than expressing a storyline or emotion. Words on this album are minimal yet the confusion & loss that inspired them were huge.
Once again featuring long time collaborator guitarist Richard Ziltch and this time joined by Tasmanian underground metal legends Leigh Ritson (Disseminate, Thrall, Ruins) & Alex Pope (Ruins, Evil Dead) along with local experimental noise-mates Sova Locus, Primal Regression Therapy, Sydney Punk/Noise stalwart Con BCTW (Blurters, Milat, Impact Statement) and local arborist Sammy.
Mastered by Greg Chandler and once again Aesthetic Death is honoured to be working together with MEKIGAH to release this on digi CD.
Tracklist:
01. Collapsing Under
02. Broken Rhythm Pressure
03. Away Drifting From
04. An infinitesimal Difference
05. It Hisses So
06. Eyes Glazed Over
MEKIGAH
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