Legendary UK dark industrial pioneers Attrition have unveiled their highly-anticipated new full-length album, The Black Maria. The Black Maria: a menacing 19th-century figure who would come to take away our outcasts and miscreants. The term was later used as the slang term for UK police vans. Nothing much has changed.
The music on The Black Maria weaves and shifts between gothic/industrial, neo-classical and dark ambient soundscapes, with founding member Martin Bowes's lyrics fearlessly exploring the themes that bind and break us all - life, love, longing, loss and death; from the politics of manipulation: personal and state to the uncertainties of theosophical and philosophical thought. delivered in his dangerously anarchic yet melancholic growl.
Teaming up with the glorious baroque female vocalists Emke from Black Nail Cabaret, Elisa Day from Hetaira Decrépita and Yvette from Vaselyne is a genius move from the Attrition founder, with their voices lending filigrees of ghostly ambience to the band's rich and distinctive sound. But it's the return of original Attrition vocalist Julia after twenty years that elevates this album to another realm.
The Black Maria Includes remixed/remastered versions of the singles, "The Great Derailer" and "The Alibi" and a reworking of "The Voice Of Truth". The album features special guest appearances from Alia Miroshichenko (Subterranea) Annie Hogan (Marc And The Mambas,...) on grant piano, Vancorvid and Marietta Fox on violins, Ian Arkley (My Silent Wake) on guitar, Steve Clarke (Futumche) on additional guitar/bass, and Kris Force on cello.
Attrition will be touring in 2024, commencing in the UK, then Europe, North and South America with autumn dates in Japan and more dates to be added. Link
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"For my sake, I could just stop playing the old stuff, but on the other hand, I know that our fans want it." - Anders Kobro
"I hope that through our music and our words, people can feel that connection between us and them, and feel a little bit better — or at least less alone." - Alessandro Belluccio
"They wrote that we wanted to influence people's minds with our bagpipes so that they would be willing to attack the police." - Irdorath
"There were already bands doing small illustrations of symphonic metal, and I was thinking, why doesn't someone do this all the time?" - Christofer Johnsson
