With Just A Hint Of Mayhem

Music reviews, gig reviews, fun trivia and extra added random stuff!

‘Beneath The Surface’ EP – SINthetik Messiah August 20, 2025

Filed under: EP,Review — justwilliam1959 @ 2:46 pm
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The new EP from ace Louisiana based artist SINthetik Messiah is called ‘Beneath The Surface’ and it is a dark shrouded, deeply pertinent comment on the world today. Musically it evokes the Prodigy and Faithless, but with even more balls. The voice samples on opener “Maniacal Means” is apt and as scary as fuck. “Caught In The Grip Of The City” layers in a Stygian industrial sound that is cinematic classic horror film in its scope and ambition. I would love to hear a Trent Reznor remix of this one. The third track “Ideological Subversion”, for me. describes exactly what Putin has done to the USA via Trump. The track explains that demoralisation stage in the US is pretty much complete now over a dub style take of Faithless’ “Insomnia” that might have been driven musically by Gary Numan. The eastern style chanting is haunting and gorgeously disturbing. The increasing control of the rich elite is covered in EP closer “Life Hack”. The music here is poppy electro put through an anti-matter blender with the painful screams adding a further edgy layer.

SINTHETIK MESSIAH is the work of the Cajun songwriter and sound designer, Bug Gigabyte. Surely that’s not their real name, is it? The PR for the EP describes it as “a descent into the undercurrent — a raw, unfiltered excavation of the chaos, cruelty, and confusion that define the world we live in. Each track is a spade hitting the dirt, digging deeper into the systems, histories, traumas, and human instincts that keep everything so relentlessly messed up. It’s not about offering answers. It’s about refusing to look away.” It is impossible to deny that in my opinion. Give the EP a listen and maybe download it too, just click here!

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‘Modern Mirror’ EP – The Bricks February 9, 2025

Filed under: EP,Review — justwilliam1959 @ 7:21 pm
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York’s very own alternative rock gang continue to furrow their unique and mightily wonderful direction with their new EP ‘Modern Mirror’. The Bricks are Guy (Guitar), Gemma (Vox), Marc (Drums) and Paul (Bass). The title track and the first song on the EP, “Modern Mirror” is dark, sharp and oozes post punk energy with Gemma’s manic performance being bold enough to make punk priestess Siouxse jealous. I can feel some solid early Sex Pistols energy and anger seeping through “A Lie”. The incessant riffage is stunning. Gemma is famous (or maybe infamous) for giving a song a title that has nothing to do with the lyrical content, that is the case, I believe, with “Snake”. The track has a bluesy, languid, punk vibe and Gemma’s voice evoke the finest moments of Lene Lovich and Poly Styrene.

The music on every track is fiery and explosive, none more so than on “Icarus”. They even throw over some great cowbell here. This song needs to be a single. “Contraption” rocks along like a punky cartoon chase with a cutting few couplets, notably “nice try, you’re boring. Nice try, I’m yawning”. This is currently my favourite track on the EP. The instrumentation on “Meantime” would fit nicely on side one of Bowie’s ‘Low’ album from 1977. There really is no one quite like the Bricks at the moment. If he were still alive John Peel would fucking love them! The EP was recorded at The Stationhouse, Armley, Leeds by James Atkinson in July of last year. It was released at the end of November last year. If you haven’t already heard it, listen now! That is an unrefusable order!

CLICK HERE to give it a spin on Bandcamp. Listen to it, stream it, or better still download it for just £5.

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‘Sydereal’ EP – Eugene January 6, 2025

Filed under: EP,Review — justwilliam1959 @ 7:28 pm
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Eugene is Eugenio Valente from Rome. He is described as an eclectic artist and producer with a special focus on electronic sounds. He also works as a remixer and soundtrack composer. His new EP is called ‘Sydereal’. I imagine that many of you are thinking, why is it called that. Well it contains some electro styled covers of some classic Syd Barrett tracks. There are two tracks from ‘The Madcap Laughs’ (1970). One track is from ‘Barrett’ (1970). Another one is from Pink Floyd’s debut album ‘Piper At The Gates Of Dawn’ (1967). Eugene captures the wonderful whimsy sound and feel that filled many of Syd’s songs. But he brings them neatly and nicely into the 21st Century.

The EP kicks off with two tracks from ‘The Madcap Laughs’. “Golden Hair” and “Love You”. “Golden Hair” has a really dark tone. It possesses an almost light horror quality. In some ways, it haunts you long after it has finished. Eugene gives “Love You” a wonderful electro pop style makeover which in some ways made me think of Mika. This is the first single to be taken from the EP, and given how catchy the sound is I am not surprised. Could anyone other than Syd Barrett have written a song called “Effervescing Elephant”? I suspect not. Eugene keeps the spirit of Syd well and truly alive with such a fun take on a fun song. The EP closes with an ethereal, fairground like, chilled dance spin on “Astronomy Divine”. I felt like I could drown or drift away in the cinematic waves of sound in this song. This is probably my favourite track of the four, but it is a close competition.

Eugene had this to say about why he likes Syd and why he decided to do this EP. “Barrett has always represented the purest example of creative freedom to me. He transcends time and evokes something cosmic—something ‘sidereal’—that gives life to unimaginable dreams, just like the cover artwork, where an electronic circuit is brought to life by a magnificent diamond through what feels like magic or alchemy.” Please check out ‘Sydereal’ I love it and I hope that you will too!

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