Tag: Not My God

Snakes of Russia and the Ghost Hat

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It all started with a ball cap. As I settled into parenthood, I maintained that silly itch to retain some of the fashion sense of my youth. While doom scrolling, I came across an artist on Instagram known as Xavier (@builtfromsketch) who makes lovely artwork if you’re into darker aesthetics. While looking over his watercolors, I noticed a simple black baseball hat with a little bed sheet ghost knitted on it. I decided to treat myself to a little consumerism, and it’s been a favorite warm-season hat ever since.

            Snakes of Russia came across my radar in autumn, 2023. They had just dropped an LP and went on tour with Not My God and Death Loves Veronica. The tour never came close to me, but that’s neither here nor there…so it made sense to spin the new Snakes of Russia record, True Surrender.

            It’s a dark, ambient collection of haunting tracks. Low tempo, huge beats, and the creepiest sounds the imagination could conjure, all of this lacking vocals, I immediately put this record into my “writing music” rotation. It feels like a soundtrack to a thriller or horror film that doesn’t exist. If you listen to it on headphones and go for a walk after dark, it’ll be no time at all before it’ll feel like you’re being watched or followed.

            Pivoting again, my youngest child constantly notices what I wear. From my work uniforms to casual day off clothes, it’s one of the details about me that he takes in and acknowledges. For now, I’m convinced it’s because he loves me…not to be confused with a decade from now when those observations will include a joke at my expense…but I digress, one thing he’s long noticed and likes is my ghost hat.

            Because my oldest child loves all things spooky, we’ve made our own warped version of hide and seek in our home that we only play after dark. We close the curtains, kill the lights save for minimal ambiance, and put on some spooky music to top off some proper atmosphere. From there, I throw a blanket over my head and chase the family around the house, occasionally hiding myself so that I can bait them into a jump scare. My youngest began to call this game, “Ghost Hat” as I resembled the figure on the hat. The name caught on with the rest of the family, and it stuck. Once we played this game a handful of times, it was determined that True Surrender by Snakes of Russia was the music for this game. If any other record is put on, the kids will protest, “that’s not Ghost Hat music!”

            All of that to say this dark ambient record has broken through and become a regular listen in my home with my kids. My son will even ask for, “Ghost Hat music” on car rides. I never expected Snakes of Russia to be so prevalent during family time, as I thought it to be a gem kept to myself for writing sessions, but here we are and I’m not complaining.

Snakes of Russia announced a forthcoming LP on the horizon. When I informed my three year old that there’s new Ghost Hat music in the works, he lit up with excitement that brings me joy. Death beats, forever!

[pictured:album art for True Surrender by Snakes of Russia]

Skold delivers with ‘Dies Irae’

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After 2019’s industrial release ‘Never is Now’ the 2020 release of the “Not My God” record with Nero Bellum, it comes as no surprise that the new Skold solo record would incorporate a healthy dose of metal guitar riffs and intricate leads. ‘Dies Irae’ is broken up in a back-and-forth pattern of guitar centric rock/metal tracks juxtaposed with the trademark heavy electronic/industrial sound I’ve come to expect from more current projects from Tim Skold. This parallel mixing of musical styles keeps the record moving in such a way as to never feel stagnant. The constant change up results in a refreshing album. While it may be the honeymoon period talking, I’m confident in feeling that ‘Dies Irae’ is my favorite Skold record yet.

The album opens with hard hitting ‘Dirty Horizon.’ This track has crisp sounding guitars that sound both contemporary, yet familiar in a nostalgic way. A scathing chorus hooked me, and I knew I was in for something fun. The guitar solo is a solid tell of things to come, and sets the tone for more metal aggression. That expectation is subverted when the second song starts up. ‘Unspoken’ breaks the ice with some of the more electronic elements I had expected. There’s a guitar solo in this one that shows off the best of Skold’s vast talent, which shouldn’t surprise me at this point, but it’s so good.

My favorite track is ‘Love is a Disease.’ There’s drum programming in the chorus that has this haphazard hi-hat pattern that is percussive icing that coats a bigger wall sound. The lyrical part of the chorus hits in a way that has lost zero impact after multiple listens. It feels like a confession, and I’m here for that kind of honesty. Another authentic confession is offered up in the atmospheric song ‘Terrified’ where Skold sings, “I’m not afraid of dying…I’m fucking terrified.”

Another track with intricate electronic drum programming is ‘Silicon Dreams.’ It’s made clear that Skold isn’t comfortable falling back on old habits when producing new material. The rhythmic work on this track reflects the coexisting grit and shine of trap music with hopeless undertones, and sparse guitar work that makes use of dynamic range.

The album ends with ‘Goodbye.’ This leans more toward elements of a metal track, and was released early as the album’s teaser. It rings as a highlight for me, as this final track was the first one I heard. It gave a good impression regarding the direction of the album, without revealing all of the tricks Skold deals out over the course of this record. This effort feels like one cohesive work, while showcasing an impressive variety and range Tim Skold brings to the table.