Agvirre and Dead Cosmonauts have released a split single in aid of the MIND mental health charity. This is a great opportunity to sample Agvirre’s “blackened Post Grunge” sounds and hear Dead Cosmonauts give their unique twist on the Bladerunner theme song. These are two brilliant tracks of high intensity, no holds barred “Post Metal” that need to be heard.
It’s a heart-warming thing to see bands who are struggling to survive in this current climate, turn their attention to those battling with something that unfortunately, can’t be fixed by a laboratory made vaccine, or a quick jab in the arm. Mental health is a constant day to day struggle for so many and any way of highlighting this has to be commended. So hats off to “post-everything!” newcomers Agvirre and “space-rock’s” Dead Cosmonauts who are releasing their forthcoming split single titled “Eye Of Mirrors”, presented on a very unique 8” vinyl courtesy of Sheffield’s “Do It Thissen Records”.
The double-A sided split single is now available as a digital download on their respective Bandcamp stores, with all proceeds going to MIND mental health charity. Pre-orders for a very special limited lathe cut 8” vinyl with a double-sided sleeve will commence on April 2nd, so that’s a nice piece of memorabilia to have for all those vinyl enthusiasts out there (myself included).
So, to the two tracks that have been released. Manchester’s Agvirre release “The Letting Go”, and have created a swirling and uplifting slice of blackened, grunge-infused high octane “black-gaze” that unfolds into a fierce and relentless wall of sound. The clever addition of the violin along with chanting and harmonised vocals only adds to the atmosphere and perfectly compliments the “shoe-gaze” dominated vibes. A torrent of blast-beats with double bass thuds and intense, high pitched screams complete the cacophony of fury and power. Its fresh uplifting and brings to mind the brilliance of Show Me A Dinosaur’s “Plantgazer” album. I’m definitely going to be keeping an eye on future releases from these guys. A terrific track.
Sheffield based Dead Cosmonauts take a daring and very successful stab at Vangelis’ iconic “Blade Runner (End Credits) theme” and transform it into a crazy, psychedelic, “post-rock” trip. Patience is rewarded with this slow-burner of a track. Warm, textured interludes bring way to explosive guitars and crashing drums to create a futuristic and sci-fi inspired journey. Lead guitars scream and soar while the bass and rhythm guitars keep it all pinned down to the earths surface. A lot of layers and sounds are squeezed into the eight minutes running time, but it all sounds clean, airy and space-like. Re-imagining classic themes isn’t an easy thing to do, but this is solid, memorable and shows the talent and creativity Dead Cosmonauts have in their arsenal. Well done guys.
Hopefully, everybody Will listen and ultimately purchase this digital download, and consider the vinyl to go with it, I know I certainly will. Congratulations to both Agvirre and Dead Cosmonauts on bringing the fight on mental health to the forefront.
