Fresh off the release of their dark new music video for the song “The Truth”, New York City based dark folk metal duo THIS IS OBLIVION join us today to give you their top 10 current artists worth a check in 2022!
To accompany the inspiring list below, the NYC based couple (featuring the drummer is Mike Kadnar of The Number Twelve Looks Like You) shared some great shots of themselves in the studio, recording the self-titled debut album, “This is Oblivion”, to be released worldwide by Silent Pendulum Records on May 6th, 2022. Mixed and recorded by Seth Manchester at Machines With Magnets and mastered by Bryan Lucey at Magic Garden Mastering, the album features beautiful photography by Rose Callahan and design by Taylor Bates.
As Flood Magazine stated, the band’s deut single “The Truth” “arrives with a dark, forest-set music video” and showcases an intriguing new project, coming as “an interesting blend of the spacious, hard-hitting doom metal of Body Void and the industrial noise of HIDE, not to mention the gothy theatricality of an artist like Chelsea Wolfe.”
This Is Oblivion’s Top 10 Favorite Current Artists,
by Michael Kadnar and Lulu Black
1.Tigran Hamasyan – The Call Within
Fav Track: Levitation 21
Tigran has been pushing the boundaries of modern jazz and jazz djent for years. My favorite album of his is the 2015 release “Mockroot,” where his trio seamlessly blends traditional Armenian folk melodies with modern jazz and metal inspired polyrhythmic breakdowns. AND it grooves HARD (Headbang city). His albums continue to push the limits of jazz composition. – Michael
2. Lingua Ignota – Sinner Get Ready
Fav track: Many Hands
As a classically-trained-musician-turned-weirdo, I feel a particular kinship with Kristin Hayter. Her use of operatic vocal technique and chorale harmonies juxtaposed with the harshest noise and most unexpected instruments (banjo and dulcimer??) is frankly inspiring. The first time I listened to “Caligula,” I had to listen all the way through twice in a row and I teared up both times, because she found a way to clearly portray the arc of an abusive relationship without explicitly stating anything about it in the lyrics, and yet I understood perfectly. She’s done it again on Sinner Get Ready, this time through the lens of Appalachian Evangelicalism. It’s so harsh and so gorgeous. – Lulu
3. Hans Zimmer – Dune (Movie Soundtrack)
Fav Track: Dream of Arrakis
I recently got deep into Hans Zimmer. My guitarist and main songwriter Brandon Cruz of So Hideous kept sending me song references while we recorded “None But a Pure Heart Can Sing.”
I was skeptical at first but when I saw the Live at Coachella 2017 video, I was brought to tears and an instant fan. – Michael
4. Alto Arc – S/T
Fav Track: Bordello
The first time I heard this I was blown away and I’ve had it on repeat since. I love the genre-bending transitions in the contrast of Isamaya Ffrench’s folk-like melodies with the eerie yet sometimes HUGE production elements, and the harsh metal vocals. – Lulu
5. Baby Keem – Melodic Blue
Fav Track: Lost Souls
What can I say, this one might be out of left field, but Baby Keem’s album “Melodic Blue” is phenomenal. From front to back, every song has its own charm and there are so many ad libs and choruses that stick with you. The cherry on top was when I saw him live at a sold out Terminal 5 show in early March 2022. The ENTIRE crowd knew every word to every song, and was as crazy, maybe even crazier than the final 3 Dillinger Escape Plan shows at Terminal 5. (RIP) – Michael
6. Box And The Twins – Zerfall
Fav track: The First Dream
Their sound brings me back to old school goth jams but with a more modern vibe. I love Box von Düe’s haunting alto vocals and the minimal but foundational synths. I learned that she recently was diagnosed with MS, so it’s uncertain whether they’ll be able to continue making music, which must be heartbreaking. – Lulu
7. Mark Guiliana – Music for Doing
Fav Track: Song for Investigating Consciousness
I’ve spoken about Mark in a lot of interviews over the years, and his career and mindset continue to inspire me immensely. From his humble beginnings in the NYC jazz scene to recording on David Bowie’s final album “Blackstar,” Mark Guiliana can play anything and everything tastefully and artistically. – Michael
8. Darkher – The Buried Storm
Fav Track: Lowly Weep
It’s not easy to make music that sounds both delicate and heavy, but Darkher pulls it off. Her artwork and aesthetics are so in line with how her music sounds–dark, portentous, obliterating, yet gentle, like a folk tale where nothing turns out quite right. – Lulu
9. Evicshen (Victoria Shen) – Hair Birth
Fav Track: Under the Stall Door
Evicshen is an experimental musical performer, sound artist, and instrument maker. I first discovered her music through some vinyl pages and was lucky enough to acquire a signature piece of hers. It is an experimental resin-based creation that was cast from 2 different albums cut in half and glued together in the middle. The result is an astonishing, rhythmic, and unique sound that challenges the mind and soul about what “music” is. – Michael
10. Author & Punisher – Krüller
Fav Track: Drone Carrying Dread
I can’t talk about Tristan Shone’s work without talking about his live shows, which are absolutely visceral and gripping. Watching him operate machinery he actually built himself to create harsh, unrelenting music is a joy and a delight. His new album is…I don’t want to say it’s gentler, but it feels more desolate than his previous work. – Lulu
