A key member of industrial project History of Guns and also the experimental band Decommissioned Forests, Max Rael has been a strange enigma within the underground of the UK’s electronica and industrial scenes for a number of years. This solo debut finds him taking a few familiar past traits and twisting them into new shapes, creating something that preaches positivity but contrasts that with a cold, almost bleak backdrop for the world’s entertainment. It’s a contrast that really works.
Author Archives: Real Gone
Check out ‘Ash And Blood’, the new track from Perpetual Paradox
British tech metallers Perpetual Paradox have returned with a new single – and it’s an absolutely unrelenting number that pushes the band’s heavy crossover sound to its brutal limit.
THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #102
Welcome back to the Real Gone Singles Bar, the place where we explore some of the individual tracks that’ve landed in our inbox over the past few weeks. For our rock loving regulars, this selection offers a great track from Fen man Doug Harrison and some alternative leanings from an up and coming Scottish band. Exploring other genres, there’s a perfect slice of folk, some twisted pop, and even a slab of synth pop from a familiar figure. As always, this is just a small selection of the recent submissions and there will be many more singles shared in the near future. In the meantime, we hope you find something new to enjoy…
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SHANNON SMITH – Out Of The Shadows
In the last quarter of 2023, a strong musical voice emerged when Shannon Smith released his debut solo single ‘Dance The Night Away’. The track’s unashamed pop hooks called back to radio fare of the 70s, and the song’s infectiously positive lyric made it a joy for the listener. It was also clear that the performer genuinely felt the infectious vibe he’d shared. This single promised great things on the road ahead, and subsequent tunes drawing from country influences and even a couple of darker lyrical themes, suggested that Shannon was keen to explore different musical avenues and not be tagged as just another adult pop artist.
THE BRIEFS – High Society / You Can Move Me
Back in 2000, when the rock press seemed to spend a lot of their time getting excited by debut albums from A Perfect Circle and Linkin Park, and most punk was starting to be treated like old news, The Briefs burst onto the US punk scene with their debut album ‘Hit After Hit’. Behind its ironic title, the record shared a bunch of hard edged tunes, bristling with riffs on loan from The Ruts and The Clash, along with the kind of gang vocals that drove the second wave of UK punk. They sat alongside other revival bands like Lower Class Brats and Street Dogs, but were clearly superior musicians and songwriters from the get go. Twenty plus years on, their ‘Sex Objects’ album showed off slightly bigger production values, but the band’s songwriting and musical approach had clearly held firm. With a bunch of speed driven numbers that showed influences from The Clash, Buzzcocks and Lurkers, The Briefs still shared a love for older British punk, but – from a US standpoint – some of the material shared the furious energies of The Germs. In terms of style, it was a great record.