The Fifth Stigma cultivates a modern Industrial vinyl and digital album release titled “Sieging Through Fire & Flames” on LA’s Venaeform imprint featuring a broken beat remix by Austrian power player Codex Empire alongside a remix from LA-based heavy hitter and Venaeform Records head, Spheric.
Since its inception in 2022, Venaeform has been a pinnacle of the LA post-punk, EBM, and Industrial tonal textures. In a climate where fast and hard has become the precedent for what many consider to be the standard of an Industrial record, the label has focused on the finer qualities of the genre and continues to release albums that hold the core elements and sound designs that’ve made the genre what it is today and given it the influence it began with. The label has seen a streak of resounding success since the first album release “Unlike Us” by Ixian which featured 6 dynamic cuts available in both digital and vinyl copies.
With the second release, the rogue imprint brings forth another forward thinking artist, this time hailing from Paris. Enter The Fifth Stigma. With a focus on EBM, Industrial, and Noise styles of sound design, The Fifth Stigma fits perfectly into the range of textures and inflections that curate the Venaeform style with “Sieging Through Fire & Flames.”
The release features 4 individual originals by The Fifth Stigma bridging ominous and dystopian tonalities with heavy and aggressive kicks and percussive patterns that span through the artist’s signature sound elements. Starting the release, “The Last Leader In The Ruins Of Eternity” powers into overdrive with EBM movements that set a tone for the entire release before entering into the chugging textures of “Final Ramparts To The City Lights” spinning down the rabbit hole of manic vocal pads and wild atmospherics. As the track progresses however, an almost serene moment provides a bit of a break in the fray before jumping head first back into the deep end.
“Sieging Through Fire & Flames” moves the album into an almost mystical and melancholy shore. Featuring choral sonics and a guttural punching kick, it bridges into a similar but different movement than the tone set by the preceding cuts of the album. Finally, “Blinded By Wrath ” ends the individual originals of the album and lives up to its name. Aggressive in nature with artfully distorted elements are a pointed style that The Fifth Stigma has become recognized for over the years, and each aspect of their signature sound shows through in this cut.
Moving to the remixes, Spheric’s edit of “The Last Leader In The Ruins” is a testament to the knowledge and power behind this LA artist’s tenure in production and vein of music. Throbbing low ends and panning sample ranges create a wide auditory scope that creates the illusion of large dark rooms and corners that is tangible through the movement in the remix.
Finally, Codex Empire ends the entire album with a remix of “Sieging Through Fire & Flames” with a broken beat edit of the original. Codex Empire has been involved in all formats of music since the ‘90s, and the Vienna-based producer showers the remix with the elements that’ve become a staple in their productions over the decades. With a history filled to the brim with industrial knowledge, Codex Empire fits the bill perfectly to cap off the release on a well rounded note.
-Colin Cook
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