If Florence Welch lent the firepower of her vocal cords to darkwave-drenched post-punk that hums with the identical ominous cost as Sisters of Mercy’s most shadowy sonic spectres, the outcome would sound loads like The Everlasting Flame (Burning Shiny) by The Judas Kiss. The Newcastle collective summoned a cinematic storm on the opening single from their debut LP The Mirror Crack’d, the place moody synth stabs, snarling basslines, and caustic guitar solos circle round commanding vocals that teeter between seduction and menace. The sincerity is perhaps stylised, nevertheless it thrums by means of each bar, turning the monitor right into a gothic prayer for the misplaced and the stressed.
Shaped out of the ashes of Newcastle’s underground scene in 2021 by Steve “Mel” Melaney, who channelled his twenty years of session work and manufacturing into constructing an immersive one-man soundscape earlier than increasing right into a full band, The Judas Kiss have constructed a fame for crafting soundscapes that really feel extra like ritual than rock. Their music weaves themes of religion, horror, temptation, and concrete decay into shimmering chorus-drenched guitars, cathedral-sized drums, and lyrical confessionals that reduce near the bone. With BBC Introducing already giving The Everlasting Flame (Burning Shiny) its first spin and trade curiosity gathering tempo, The Judas Kiss are poised to etch their identify into the annals of goth-rock historical past with an album that guarantees to burn simply as intensely.
The Everlasting Flame (Burning Shiny) is now out there on all main streaming platforms, together with Spotify.
Assessment by Amelia Vandergast
