French hardcore duo Birds In Row and Franco-American techno duo Maelstrom & Louisahhh have teamed up for a new quartet dubbed Pain Magazine. Both groups released albums not too long ago -- Birds In Row dropped Gris Klein in 2022 and Maelstrom & Louisahhh shared Sustained Resistance in 2023. But, a "let's fuck around and find out" studio session turned into a little over two weeks and an entire album. Their debut single and album title track "Violent God" is a pressing reminder why hardcore and techno are a match made in spine-tinglingg heaven.
"Do I believe in a violent god? You make me believe," Louisahhh wails over a pounding drumbeat and anxious, throbbing strings. There's plenty of hypnotic hissing and crackling that fall somewhere between a tea kettle scream and the poltergeisty screech of dial-up internet. Towards the track's end, there's some ominous sorta spaghetti western guitars that come in making the anguished vocals build to a triumphant resolution.
There's no album release date yet, but this single has me waiting on the edge of my seat.
Listen to "Violent God" below.
