Exclusives
Confrontational Challenge You to “Stand Your Ground” (Premiere)
Last Fall, we brought you not one but two premieres from Italian synth group Confrontational, who fully embrace the horror elements that the genre delved into in the 70’s and 80’s and once again in the past several years while also adding in their own unique elements and flavors. The end result is music that is highly engaging, exciting, and right up the alley of any horror fan!
Today, we’re giving you the first taste of Confrontational’s upcoming album Kingdom of Night by premiering the track “Stand Your Ground”, which is a total 80’s throwback and is packed with a catchy beat, powerful vocals, and a shredding guitar solo. So, tease up your hair, put on your blackest clothing, pop on your sunglasses, and light up a cigarette. I promise it’ll set the right mood!
In related news, the first Confrontational album A Dance of Shadows got a highly limited 500 copy translucent green vinyl pressing, which can be pre-ordered right here.
Confrontational’s Massimo Usai tells BD:
The tracks on ‘Kingdom of Night’ (the second entry in a trilogy that started with ‘A Dance of Shadows’) are sounding darker, deeper and heavier than ever before, and “Stand Your Ground” is a very good example of this new direction I’ve taken. There was a deliberate focus on trying to create some classic anthems in the songwriting process – tracks with relentless beats, an emphasis on melody and a really driving chorus. The lyrics are quite representative of the whole album as well – a reaction to the fear, isolation and disconnection of this day and age… with hope looming somewhere in the distance. I was heavily influenced by my hometown of Cagliari, Sardinia, and its esoteric aura can be felt strongly throughout the LP in more than one way. I have been working very closely on the artwork with Branca Studio, and I could not be happier with the results.
The new collaborations make me extremely proud of the release: the unmistakable lead synth of the amazing Cody Carpenter is coming back with a vengeance on “Crimson Curtains”, there’s the cinematic melancholia of Ugo Laurenti (the Italian composer who scored Pupi Avati’s ‘Nocturnal Voices’ – a huge personal inspiration) on “Midnight Wings”, and then the beautiful, haunting voice of Hélène De Thoury (of French cold-wave act Hante) on “Keep Faith”, which marks an emotional highlight on the album. The epic sound stones of the late Sardinian sculptor Pinuccio Sciola also make a special appearance on the tracklisting.
Getting to work with Tony Kim on “Stand Your Ground” is something I’ve dreamed about for quite a while – I am a really big fan of Dance With The Dead, and I think his shredding lead adds a fourth dimension to the song that makes it completely unique.
I’m truly grateful to Tony and I am looking forward to sharing the stage with Dance With The Dead at Synthzilla 2, where I’ll debut the new tracks live and once again meet with the beautiful crowd of Lyon!
Confrontational online:
Official Website
Twitter
Facebook
Soundcloud
Instagram
Bandcamp
Tour dates:
18 September – Synthzilla 2 pre-party – La Marquise, Lyon, FR (tickets)
A bedtime lullaby soothes an unsettling newborn in our exclusive clip from Nightborn, from Hatching filmmaker Hanna Bergholm.
The dark fable makes its debut on Shudder on July 31.
Seidi Haarla (Compartment No. 6) and Rupert Grint (Knock at the Cabin, “Servant”) star as new parents in Nightborn, and this exclusive clip highlights mom’s harrowing transition into motherhood.
In Nightborn, “With dreams of starting a perfect family, Saga and her British husband Jon move to the isolated house where she spent much of her childhood, deep in the Finnish forest. But as soon as their baby is born, despite the reassurance of all around her, Saga knows there’s something terribly wrong with her son. As their marriage starts to crack, Jon struggles to support his wife, but only Saga suspects the terrible truth about her newborn.”
Pamela Tola, Pirkko Saisio, Rebecca Lacey and John Thomson also star.
Bergholm teased of her maternal horror movie, “In Nordic countries, there’s a long-standing mythology of trolls living in the forests. In ancient times, people truly believed that trolls inhabited the woods and had a kind of control over nature. And in Nightborn, the forest reflects Saga’s emotions and the animalistic, primitive physical side of humankind.”
“Hanna Bergholm’s audacious sophomore follow up to Hatching delivers tension and shocking moments surrounding parenthood and self discovery — with a touch of humor,” said Emily Gotto, senior vice president of acquisitions and production at Shudder. “We are thrilled to share Nightborn with audiences.”
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