GUNSHIP - BLACK BLOOD RED KISS ( featuring KAT VON D )

OBSYDIANS NEW SINGLE : PSYCHODYNAMICS

 There is a distinct Strapping Young Lad flavour to this crushing new single from Thomas 'Drop' Betrisey and his post-Sybreed project. Featuring guests Bjorn "Speed" Strid (Soilwork) on vocals and Dirk Verbeuren (Megadeth, ex-Soilwork) on drums.

BRAND NEW VIDEO FROM OBSYDIANS - 'ASCENSION' ( feat. Steve Fari )

A more downtempo and contemplative - but still heavy - track from cyber-metal mastermind Thomas 'Drop' Betrisey. It showcases Steve Fari, the third and final of his three vocalists for the studio-only project known as OBSYDIANS.

Click here to check out our interview with Thomas from earlier this year.

NEW OBSYDIANS! - AXIOM FALLACY ( feat. Guillaume Bideau )

The latest single definitely has echoes of the classic SYBREED album Antares. Check it out!

NEW SCANDROID ALBUM IMMINENT!

The greatest 80s Synth-Rock band that never existed is about to release its debut album!

One of the many brainchildren of production mastermind Klayton ( who is also Circle of Dust, Argyle Park and of course, the legendary Celldweller ), Scandroid are the spiritual gene-splice of New Romantic pop stars Duran Duran and William Gibson's Neuromancer.

The album features 15 tracks of ridiculously catchy cyber-rock, ideal for those late nights when you've got Near Dark, Bladerunner or Akira on subtitles and you want a more rockin' soundtrack to go with the visuals.




''The debut, self-titled Scandroid album features 15 tracks, ranging from the driving instrumental energy of "Destination Unknown," to melodic vocal tracks like "Awakening With You," "Aphelion," and "Neo-Tokyo," rounded out with the cinematic epics "2517" & "Singularity." As a child of the 80's, Klayton has also included a cover of the classic Tears For Fears song "Shout," that he has been patiently waiting to cover since he first heard the song on U.S. radio in 1985. The digital album concludes with a bonus remix from synthwave artist Waveshaper. The 72 minute album depicts themes of a cyberpunk future where humans and sentient robots struggle to find a connection in their dystopian world.''

The album is out on November 11th, with an early-bird release the day before, via the label website ( see below ).

'THE ULTIMATE IN RETRO-TECH'

Yes, for Eighties completists, you can also experience the album via the extremely convenient cassette format!

Available as a strictly limited edition.

This and many other collectables are available at FIXTSTORE.

OBSYDIANS IS THE NEW SYBREED: INTERVIEW WITH THOMAS 'DROP' BETRISEY

''I think 'Antares' is my fave too. I want to go more that way for OBSYDIANS.''

A rather nice but somewhat bittersweet aspect to the internet culture, is that you can unwittingly become a fan of a band years after they've stopped operating. So, while there are undoubtedly people out there still writing fan letters to Kurt Cobain and Jim Morrison, you also get people like us at Future-Rocker getting massively into bands only to find, after a few Googles, that they no longer exist.

So it is with the monumental SYBREED. Formed in Switzerland in 2003 by guitarist and producer Thomas 'Drop' Betrisey, they were a virtuoso industrial metal band whose sound encapsulated tight-as-a-gnat's-arse metalcore riffage and the best use of a melodic/harsh vocal style since Ihsahn of Black Metal legends Emperor ( whom the singer Benjamin sometimes resembled vocally ).

Sybreed's four albums each built upon and refined their big, layered sound, but for us at Future-Rocker, it is the glorious 'Antares' ( the second album ) that is a true rock classic. Crushing industrial grooves, and screamed vocals contrasted with soaring, stadium-shagging choruses, cloaked in an otherworldly cosmic atmosphere, it is a truly uplifting sonic experience.

 We discovered 'Antares' thanks to French metal singer Rachel Aspe's heroic cover version of the album's opening track, 'Emma-O', on France Has Got Talent. We ask Thomas what it was like to see Sybreed gather a new following after the band sadly imploded.

FUTURE-ROCKER: First of all, we have to ask – what did you think of Rachel Aspe’s performance on France Has Got Talent?

I think it was pretty cool to see this on local television. I know a lot of people have been impressed by her performance. Also it's great to hear Sybreed's music on prime-time TV, and that would have never happened without this kind of performance. I would have liked it more if she were singing the chorus with clean vocals, but it was about a woman with a male voice so it would have been less impressive for a certain type of person.

Did you know that she was going to be doing it?

Yes. She wrote me a few months before, to ask if I could provide an instrumental version of Emma-0. I had to reopen the old Antares sessions and make a really quick mix before sending it over, but I think that was worth the time. And also I'm happy for her, I think this has contributed to her being hired by the French band ETHS.

How do you feel about it getting your music so much attention, given that Sybreed is no longer functioning?

It's always great to have your music broadcasted and liked by people, even after the band's death ... Anyway, I would prefer having less attention, and Sybreed still on air, but life's what it is, the balance between good and bad needs to be in the middle. Really great things happened since the split, things that would have not been the same with Sybreed alive.

Sybreed were a fantastic band, whose stature has probably grown since you split.

Thanks!

For those that don’t know, why did you split up?

The singer Benjamin decided to quit the band right before a huge European tour with Soilwork. He had some personal problems, and he had no other choice. I decided to not continue the band without him. I think the singer is more than 50% of the bands identity. I prefer to start something new, it's called Obsydians, it will be Sybreed-like music, with other singers.

Explain how you started out. How did you get to be both a great musician as well as producer?

My father is a musician, so I was kinda born with a guitar in my hands. I remember he has a Casio guitar that was making helicopter noises, a good thing to make your little boy start playing guitar, haha! I started writing songs at ten years old, recording with a tape machine he also bought for me. So I assume if people like my music, they have to thank him first.

I started my first band, Rain, in 1997, releasing a demo, three albums and two EP's until 2003. During these years the line up evolved, becoming Sybreed's line up. We decided to change name in 2004 and recorded our first album 'Slave Design', then 'Antares', 'The Pulse of Awakening', and finally, 'God is an Automaton' in 2012.

Besides that, I started producing bands since 2003, the first studio was called The Drone Studio, in my room. It all started when Rain's producer had to find a better job and he told me to finish the last EP on my own. And since 2011, I have Downtone Studio with two friends, a much bigger one this time. I'm really busy on it.

What’s the music scene like in Switzerland? - Along with Samael, Apollyon Sun ( Tom Gabriel's first band after Celtic Frost broke up ), and Young Gods, it’s seems that industrial rock and metal is quite prominent there.

I'm not really aware of the scene in Switzerland but I know we have a lot of great bands. Samael was my favorite band when I was a teenager, they changed a lot my way of making music, they were the major influence of my first band Rain.

I record a lot of bands in my studio Downtone Studio in Geneva, some good industrial metal from Switzerland, bands like Clawerfield and Nakaruga, that all the Sybreed fans will like for sure, check them out.

Also, my friends Promethee from Geneva are becoming big right now, I'm happy 'cause they really deserve it!

Are you also a permanent member of Samael, or was filling in on bass just a temporary thing?

Yes, I'm a permanent member now, I exchanged my guitar with a bass and let's go. I'm really happy about it, as I told you it was my favorite band some years ago, so it's like a child's dream coming true.

Below: Thomas ( left ) with SAMAEL.

 What are your influences?

I'm influenced by music, all kinds of music, from metal to electronic, I also really like rock music. I prefer melodic things. When I go on tour or on holiday, the traditional music of the country I'm in can provide some ideas too. I like to jam, but usually I have a melody or a riff in my mind before starting to record it. Everything needs to be done really quickly, without thinking a lot. I like honest things, the ideas of the moment. All Sybreed songs were composed really fast. Sometimes I don't even remember the song the day after, and that's good because I can be the external ear myself, haha!

Without wanting to limit what you do by labelling it...how do you describe your music?

Metal with electronics, cinematic influences and athletic riffs - ( producer ) Rhys Fulber found this last description, I think it's funny and true at the same time. I like a lot of layers, the music needs to be as wide as possible.

Give us your Top 5 list of classic albums, any genres.

This is not easy to chose, so I will write the first 5 that comes into my head, but you have to know there are around 100 more to add to that list :

* Samael "Passage"

* Depeche Mode "Songs of Faith and Devotion"

* The Smashing Pumpkins "Machina - The Machines of God"

* In Flames "Whoracle" or "The Jester Race" (impossible to chose here)

* Katatonia "The Great Cold Distance"

What are you listening to at the moment?

At this precise moment I'm under a palm tree in Mexico, listening to Soilwork's "The Ride Majestic" which is one of their best records to date, I really like it.

Ghost's "Meliora". For now it's my album of the year, so great, but a bit short. I love this band since the first album.

The new Soulsavers album ( Dave Gahan from Depeche Mode's side project ). I like the German electro producer Paul Kalkbrenner, he just released his new album "7" and I really like the vibe.

Leprous "The Congregation" what a great surprise, finally something fresh in metal.

Otherwise I like almost everything Ulver does, also the British band White Lies and also Foals, they both have they own style and it's hard to beat their melodies. And the list goes on and on.

What famous artists would you like to produce, and why?

Sevendust! I really liked their albums "Animosity" and "Seasons", and I think it went down since then, the albums need a wider sound and better arrangements!

Depeche Mode, that would be THE dream, and then I will be allowed to die in peace hahaha.

By the way, we're reviewing the Celldweller 'End of an Empire' box-set in this issue. We notice that you've done some great Celldweller remixes in the past. Have you actually met Klayton, or was it all done over the internet?

Thanks !! Actually I never met him, I never even got in touch with him at all, hahaha. The remix kits were downloadable on his website. I know, I just exploded some of the magic, but that's what it is!

( Just thinking out loud, how great would it be to hear a Drop-produced Samael album, or maybe even a remix album...that would be too good to be true! ).

Finally, bringing us fully up-to-date, we heard that your new band, OBSYDIANS, is apparently going to release an album soon. True?

Mmm, I would have loved to say yes, but we only have a few riffs, and my schedule of the past two years has been really tight, and we didn't have the time to write properly. But I'm planning to start it before the end of the 2015. Anyway, don't expect anything before fall of 2016.

Below: An early selfie of OBSYDIANS ( l-r Thomas, Ales & Kevin ).

When the band debuts, what can the fans expect from your new music?

Sybreed! And the concept is to have different singers on all the songs, a really diverse album, with a lot of different influences. I already have some ideas written down in my phone, so now we just need to start writing songs for the singers we'd like to be on board.

Your second album 'Antares' was / is an all-time classic.

Thanks a bunch, man. I think 'Antares' is my fave too. I want to go more on that way for Obsydians.

Are you on a label yet?

No label for now. And I think we'll start releasing songs on BandCamp, then we'll see.

Any tours lined up?

Nothing for now, Samael's schedule is really busy too, and I don't want it to collide, 'cause I know Obsydians will have to cancel shows. And with a different singer in each song, that would be hard to tour. But we want to make some shows for sure, so this will happen before the world ends - I need to be quick, I think!

Also, I forgot to mention that Ales and Kevin from Sybreed, respectively bassist and drummer are permanent members of Obsydians. So when I say Sybreed as the key-word, I know I'm right.

Your next live appearance with Samael will be on the '70,000 Tons of Metal' tour in a couple of weeks. Sounds like a great excuse for a paid holiday, with a who's-who of mostly European metal. Your thoughts?

I'm looking forward to it! I know some people that already did this experience, as a band or as a fan, both sides told me it's something extraordinary. Samael already did the trip a few years ago. So yeah, I'm really excited about it. Metalheads in Jamaica, what an interesting concept!

Fantastic, thanks for bringing us up-to-date, Thomas!

Thanks to you!!

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CLICK HERE IF YOU HAVEN'T YET HEARD OUR CLASSIC SYBREED TRACK 'EGO BYPASS GENERATOR'

NEW CELLDWELLER!

Just when you thought you'd run out of Atari Hyper-Metal to listen to...Klayton delivers another brain-melting sonic sense-impact. 

Full album review coming soon, stay tuned!

SUMMER TUNES feat. DIE ANTWOORD, SKRILLEX and NEW DEATH METAL STAR RACHEL ASPE!

DIE ANTWOORD - PITBULL TERRIER

Cape Town seems to be the place to be at the moment for dusty, decayed Urban Sci-Fi environments ( as seen in the movies District 9 and Dredd ). Here's the latest video from South Africa's rap-rave duo Die Antwoord ( Afrikaans for 'The Answer' ). Stunning, creepy, and definitely not for the nervous. Contains disturbing imagery and profanity.

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SKRILLEX - RAGGA BOMB

The new video from dubstep wunderkind SKRILLEX has a grimy post-apocalyptic look, and if it has a familiar District 9 look to it, it may be because it was shot in Alexandra township, Johannesburg, South Africa. 

Enjoy the brain-melting electronic rocknroll, and make sure you stick around for the fabulous lightsabre duel.

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A HEAVY METAL STAR IS BORN - ON SIMON COWELL'S FRANCE HAS GOT TALENT!

''She sounds like the girl from The Exorcist!''

Future Rocker found this incredible clip entirely by accident, while browsing ground-breaking female metal singers like Dawn Crosby and Sabina Classen on YouTube. Lifted from the Simon Cowell franchise La France a un Incroyable Talent, and with four million page views and counting, after this performance we think Rachel Aspe's debut album could be the biggest-selling extreme metal record since Slipknot first appeared...

'Hello madame, where are you from?'

- 'Grasse.'

'And what is your talent?'

- 'I sing.'

 

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UPDATE - VIDEO AND PRESS RELEASE!

Just over a year ago, Rachel joined the established French groove metal band ETHS, and in March of this year, they released a new EP, full details below.

New EP EX UMBRA IN SOLEM

Having finally completed an extensive tour in support of our latest album III , we recently recorded an EP with our new vocalist Rachel Aspe. The new release is entitled Ex Umbra In Solem and will come out on March 14th.  

The title-track of Ex Umbra In Solem is a brand new song recorded, produced and mixed by our guitarist Staif Bihl himself. It is backed by three classic tracks of the band, recorded live on last October 24th at the Divan du Monde in Paris, mixed by Nikhertz at Studio Phantom. 

Last but not least, the EP includes three songs from the III album, re-recorded with Rachel’s vocals. 

1. Ex Umbra In Solem 

2. Samantha (live) 

3. Bulimiarexia (live) 

4. Crucifère (live) 

5. Voragine (Rachel on vocals) 

6. Harmaguedon (Rachel on vocals) 

7. Proserpina (Rachel on vocals).

Once again, the artwork was created by photographer / designer Nicolas Senegas, who already worked on the art of III and has no equal when it comes to adapt ETHS musical universe into graphic art.   

Ex Umbra In Solem will be strictly limited to 1000 numbered copies on Digipak CD and is available for pre-order on Season of Mist e-shop ( - we checked and they're already out of stock, although still appears to be available on Amazon UK ). Of course, it will also be released digitally.

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...and finally, for the completists, here is the full demo of the song featured on Rachel Aspe's Talent show appearance ( it's actually a cover version of Swiss Industrial Metal band SYBREED's song 'Emma O' )...

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: JUNKSISTA talk about getting a BAD CASE OF FABULOUS!

''...this is what keeps our music interesting, it's some sort of a clash of cultures...''

This month has seen the long-awaited release of BAD CASE OF FABULOUS, the debut album by electro-bonk-rockers JUNKSISTA. With a host of influences, the German duo - Diana and Boog - have created a hypnotically edgy sound: The band’s trademark insistent rhythms and profane, shag-mad lyrics evoke a thrilling and uniquely un-PC approach that makes Motley Crue's lyrical repertoire look like One Direction. 

We caught up with the two of them during the busy first week of the new release. They turned out to be very charming and obviously excited about the new material, but also took the time to talk about influences and how they came together.

FUTURE-ROCKER: Your debut album, Bad Case Of Fabulous, is out now. It sounds great – and we’re specifically looking forward to the Special Edition. What can we expect to find on it?

Diana: You can expect to find a rather wild mix of different musical genres and lyrics that go from silly, through sexy to dark.

We experimented with blues, glam rock, funk, metal...as it turns out, all can be mixed...who would have thought!?

Boog: It's safe to say that this album is the essence of what our band is all about. We didn't aim at fulfilling conventions but rather tried everything and just kept what we liked, no matter if it's "allowed" in the electronic genre or not - in the end we had lots of fun recording it and are really proud of the outcome!

''At first it didn’t seem like we could even stand each other''

Your website suggests that you both come from totally different 'musical tastes and backgrounds'. How did you meet?

Diana: In 2001 Boog released an album with his former band "Pfeffer" and booked me as a DJ for the aftershow party of the release gig. We also had a common friend so we saw each other after that from time to time. At first it didn’t seem like we could even stand each other...I guess our inappropriate humour led to a friendship eventually.

Boog: You wouldn't think that this could be working out with me coming originally from a rock and metal background, and Diana being an electro and Pop DJ one. But this is what keeps our music interesting, it's some sort of a clash of cultures. The friendship kind of evolved around the music and helps us not to kill each other because of our musical tastes..!

Very intriguing – which explains why the electronic sound has a definite rock ‘edge’. What are your different musical influences? Your Top 3's, if you like?

Diana: I can't name a specific influence, I'm afraid...I am a little obsessed with the 80s...especially the Bangles, Cyndi Lauper and A-Ha, I love 90s eurodance...more recent bands and artists that I totally love would be Florence and the Machine, Garbage, Björk, Chvrches. I do enjoy some good metal too from time to time.

Boog: There's a bunch of great bands that I could name, but I don’t think they qualify as an influence for JUNKSISTA, since it's mostly Rock, Metal or Jazz. One of the more current albums I enjoy would be Daft Punk's Random Access Memories, this is just sensational!

What are your favourite Metal albums then, Boog?

There are hundreds of great releases of great bands that should make it on this list but if it has to be three this is what I currently enjoy hearing:

Anthrax - Worship Music

Trivium - Vengeance Falls

Killswitch Engage - Disarm the Descent

Some great modern Thrash Metal in that selection, Boog. OK, so where is JUNKSISTA based? What else is going on there, in the local scene?

Diana: We are based in the south of Germany and seriously...nothing is going on here. There is no local scene. We write and produce the music here, but to play gigs, we usually travel rather far...mostly abroad, even.

Boog: JUNKSISTA really is the first band of mine where there is close to no local scene where we live. But our music seems to spread really fast over the Internet, so it's not that much of a drawback.

What art, films or books influence you both?

Diana: I have an obsession with horror movies...especially the ones from the 80s, of course. I've got an impressive collection!

You sound like a connoisseur, Diana. For instance..?

Diana: Oh dear, thats a tough one. I mean, I am really obsessed and started watching them when I was a kid...so I've seen quite a few..! OK...I shall try to keep the list not too long...

First of all - that's probably the hardest question I've ever been asked...and this list won't be complete...no way I can think of all the movies I love, haha!

One of the first horror movies I've seen and that turned into one of my all-time favourites - if not my favourite - is The Exorcist with Linda Blair...every single thing about this movie is brilliant. Same goes for Evil Dead, Alien and Carrie. I also love the original Nightmare on Elm Street movies. Those would be some of my favourite classics. More recent movies I'd recommend would be American Mary, In My Skin, Martyrs, The Loved Ones, The Descent..and even though I usually don't like remakes, I loved the remake of The Ring and enjoyed the one of Evil Dead a lot!...man, I feel like i forgot at least 32 movies, haha!

Regarding books, I don't really read much these days due to a lack of time, but the last book that definitely influenced me a lot, was "The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins.

Boog: Hmmm, I'm afraid that I am not the artsy kind of guy, I enjoy mostly fantasy stories like the Tolkien ones and Science Fiction. Now and then a horror movie has to be on the screen.

Will you be doing a tour to promote the album, and will there be any UK gigs..?

Diana: We're being asked this question a lot. Sad thing is - for most bands it's a close to impossible thing to play tours or simply a sequence of gigs for album promotion. Simply because promoters won't even cover your costs. Each gig we play causes us financial loss... and certainly not because of a lack of audience. We know it's the same for most other bands in the indie scene. We love to play live but it doesn't look like we'll be able to do it as much as we'd like to! 

FUTURE-ROCKER is sure the album will be a great success, and that they'll be touring very soon. See links below for details!

Official Website

Junksista Webstore

Junksista Facebook

There's more JUNKSISTA videos featured on our MIXTAPE video page, featuring the best in electronic rock and industrial.