Perturbator - The Uncanny Valley [FREE Download]

Sorry for the semi-hiatus, but we're back in full force ready with a slew of posts!

Synthwave, darkwave, cyberdance, retroelectro; or whatever made up name-mash you choose to call it has been steadily gaining ground since its resurgence in the early part of this decade. The new/old genre that relies heavily on synthesizers and drips with 80s nostalgia was popularized mostly by artists College and Kavinsky and the soundtrack for the 2011 Ryan Gosling movie DRIVE. Now the genre has the potential to crack the lower end of the mainstream, and has also inexplicably rose in popularity in the metal world as well. Maybe it’s the connection to old horror movie soundtracks, the use of synths by early metal/prog artists such as Black Sabbath, Tangerine Dream and Queensryche (and 'newer' band Ulver who traded folk-influenced black metal for more symphonic, electronic experimental music) or maybe deep down inside sometimes metalheads just want to dance too! Either way the genre presents a new kind of heavy for metal fans to appreciate, and more and more artists are coming out as it rises in prominence.

One such artist that's making noise in both the synthwave and metal world is Perturbator, a project started by French musician James Kent former guitarist for defunct death metal band I The Omniscient. Concentrating on cyberpunk visuals and dark, anime-influenced themes, his style of synthwave has garnered him many positive reviews including some from metal site MetalSucks and horror movie website Bloody Disgusting. His music was featured in the 2012 game Hotline Miami and its 2015 sequel Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number, and he was even chosen to play at the underground kvlt black metal festival Nidrosian Black Mass!  

His latest release The Uncanny Valley is his most aggressive yet, and is being put out by experimental metal label Blood Music. I have not been able to stop listening to this album since it came out, and I would be remiss if I didn’t share it with the Idol Threat readers! So go to the link below to download the album that got Idol Threat out of hiatus (and donate a few bucks if you can) and check out his other releases and maybe buy the album on CD, LP or TRIPLE LP while you’re at it!

Download Here: perturbator.bandcamp.com