AUTHOR & PUNISHER SET FEB. 11 RELEASE DATE FOR NEW ALBUM, KRÜLLER (RELAPSE RECORDS) “DRONE CARRYING DREAD” RELEASED TODAY WATCH THE ILLUSTRATION-RICH VIDEO HERE: https://youtu.be/5BrAAXCbUXE ALBUM PRE-ORDERS AVAILABLE NOW | ||
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Dec. 7, 2021, SAN DIEGO – Author & Punisher, the alias for visionary San Diego musician-meets-mechanical engineer Tristan Shone, returns with the melody-laden new album, Krüller (Feb. 11, Relapse Records), featuring a suite of upgraded machines, a distilled vocal process and a handful of guest players including Tool’s Danny Carey and Justin Chancellor. A taste of the eagerly-awaited record arrives with today’s release of “Drone Carrying Dread,” and the accompanying, graphically-saturated video (https://youtu.be/5BrAAXCbUXE) “’Drone Carrying Dread’ was the first song I wrote on Krüller,” explains Shone of the album that thematically was inspired by Octavia E. Butler’s Parable series. “I had just gotten home from the final tour of the Beastland album cycle and I spent a couple weeks updating my overall tones with a nice balance of sub, saw/synth and tube amp. This track was basically the one where it all clicked and I had these chords that resonated just right, shaking the entire warehouse. It’s a simple but raw progression that was ripe for the addition of melodic guitars, as well as synthesizer programming from myself and co-producer Jason Begin (Vytear). Lyrically, it’s about escape and survival, as the events that were unfolding in 2020 were prophesied by the books I was reading throughout the year.” Shone began work on Krüller after returning from his opening slot with Tool across the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand, before being cut short due to the March 2020 lockdowns. “Melody has been and is still a part of my sound,” says Shone. “I’ve always bathed them in a lot of reverb, delay, and distortion, though. This time around, I was bothered by the wall of distortion I had created. I wanted a little more clarity. I wanted to refine the sound. I wanted to step back from my own show and analyze it a bit. I had all these competing distortions that I wanted to streamline. I like contrast and wanted the vocals to be immediately noticeable. There’s something about mixing punishing drones and rumble with a mellow thing on top that I really like on Krüller.” Shone’s digitized snarls rightfully had their place on earlier tracks like “Doppler,” “Terrorbird,” and “Nihil Strength,” but contrasting mellow vocals atop Author & Punisher’s unparalleled heft made dynamic sense. Indeed, with Shone’s singing on songs like “Drone Carrying Dread,” “Maiden Star,” and the exceptional translation of Portishead hit “Glory Box,” Author & Punisher have projected an air of uncertainty around the steely, often slow-motion grind. Part of the Krüller revamp included refining the machines that have become synonymous with Author & Punisher. As a result, Shone is also launching a bespoke audio gear company called Drone Machines to coincide with the release of Krüller. The gear company launch follows nearly two decades of Author & Punisher honing in on his craft – meticulously inventing, machining, experimenting, and creating custom musical instruments for his incredible live performances and recordings. Krüller pre-orders are available now (https://orcd.co/ | ||
 Krüller cover, artwork by Zlatko Mitev |
Krüller tracklist:
Author & Punisher has announced two rounds of 2022 European tour dates with North American performances to be announced soon. Headlining dates: February 7 Tallin, Estonia Sveta Bar February 8 Riga, Latvia Melna Piektdiena February 9 Vilnius, Lithuania XI 20 February 12 Haarlem, Netherlands Complexity February 13 Antwerp, Belgium Kavka February 14 Brighton, UK Patterns February 15 London, UK The Underworld February 16 Leeds, UK Brudenell Social Club February 17 Glasgow, UK Stereo February 18 Newcastle, UK Cluny February 19 Birmingham, UK Castle and Falcon February 20 Bristol, UK Fleece February 21 Manchester, UK Deaf Institute w/Perturbator and Health: October 6 Lille, France Aeronef October 7 Paris, France L’Olympia October 12 Bordeaux, France Krakatoa October 13 Toulouse, France Bikini October 14 Madrid, Spain La Riviera October 15 Barcelona, Spain Razzmatazz 2 October 16 Nantes, France Stereolux October 18 Lyon, France Le Transbordeur October 19 Strasbourg, France La Laiterie Oxtober 20 Lausanne, Switzerland Les Docks October 21 Munich, Germany Freheiz October 22 Vienna, Austria Arena October 23 Budapest, Hungary Akvarium Nagyhall October 25 Prague, Czech Republic Lucerna Music October 26 Wroclaw, Poland Zaklete Rewiry October 27 Warsaw, Poland Progresja October 28 Berlin, Germany Heimathafen October 29 Goteborg, Sweden Tradgar N October 30 Stockholm, Sweden Berns November 1 Helsinki, Finland Tavastia November 3 Oslo, Norway Vulkan Arena November 4 Copenhagen, Denmark Pumpehuset November 5 Hamburg, Germany Uebel & Gefahrlich November 6 Utrecht, Netherlands Tivoli November 8 Cologne, Germany Kantine November 9 Esch-Sur-Alzette, Luxermbourg Rockhall November 10 Brussels, Belgium Ancienne Belgique | ||
 Photo credit: Becky DiGiglio |
Author & Punisher formed in January 2004 as the brainchild of mechanical engineer, artist and sculptor Tristan Shone. His innovation, and the unique way he has melded his seemingly disparate background, has been highlighted in a wide range of outlets, from Wired Magazine who dubbed him a “doom metal auteur,” to Pitchfork who noted he “literalized the idea of sound sculpture.” He has released seven full-length albums and an EP over the years: The Painted Army (2005), Warcry (2007), Drone Machines (2010), Ursus Americanus (2012), Women & Children (2013), Melk En Honing (2015), Pressure Mine EP (2017) and Beastland (2018). # # # Facebook.com/authorandpunisher | ||
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