Hosted by Alex Zander and Greg Duncan
Dedicated to the memories of Publicist Tom George (Wed December 11th) and vocalist Ruthie McArdle/Lady Galor/Cherie Blue (December 16, 2024)
Featured Songs:
Blacklist
Catwalk
Metal
Spooky (Daniel Ash for Melita)
Chicago’s [melter] “of flesh, blood, and machine”Chicago’s [melter] are Robert Hyman and Jax Allos: a sonic disturbance made of flesh, blood, and machine. Released in May 2023,[melter]’s self-titled debut EP ranges from the jarring rhythms and menace of the dark “alt.rock”-meets-industrial lead video-single‘DAM’ (watch here), or the brooding, darkwave overtones of upcoming promo-single, ‘Catwalk’; through to the distorted, electronic beats of earlier tracks ‘Raw’ and 2019’s debut single ‘The Golem’, rounded out by [melter]’s glitch-meets-gloom cover of the 1960s classic, ‘The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine (Anymore)’.
The musical skeleton of [melter] formed in 2015 as the brainchild of musician and producer Robert Hyman: formerly of 1990s Cleopatra Records outfit UsherHouse, and more recently, industrial experimentalists TH Inc. Rob describes [melter]’s formation as “an experiment made of droning frequencies, found-sound samples, andbeats formed of static and noise.” The project was initially shaped with collaborator Nadia Garofalo on vocals and keys, and Rob notes that writing the early song ‘The Golem’ in particular, “changed perspective on what we could do”.
In 2019, Rob revised the onstage presentation of [melter], taking on the role of live acoustic drummer, and enlisting Ivan Russia (Bellhead) on bass. Also in 2019, this incarnation of the group released ‘The Golem’ single and video (watch here). Nadia meanwhile bowed out of the project, with current vocalist and collaborator Jax Allos(Aviatrix on Fire, Snapshot Anthology, et al) being found soon afterwards. Jax brings a powerful and foreboding new dynamic to[melter]’s overall sound and performances, and in August of that year,she told ReGen Magazine:“[melter] affords me the opportunity to explore a darker path. There’s an unholy marriage of elements of industrial,electronic, and even witch house creating something unique unto itself. We have the visceral punk power of live drums and growly bass combining with already dark textured cold wave electronics.
”Like many bands, [melter] were forced into live hiatus during the pandemic, but continued to write and develop new material,while fine-tuning the live band in rehearsals. Returning to the stage in 2022, the project was refined further with the departure of bassist Ivan in April 2023: Rob and Jax reverting to [melter]’s original duo format. On their live performances, Rob says:“
[melter] live is a dynamic, high-energy performance – drums and vocals are probably the two most exciting band members to watch, and the interplay between Jax and I on stage is a further confirmation of our conviction about our music: a balance of raw, emotional energy and a maelstrom of sound. We want audiences to get lost in that maelstrom with us.”
[melter] released their self-titled debut EP in May 2023, accompanied by the lead video-single ‘DAM’. The [melter] EP opens with two songs featuring Jax on vocals (‘DAM’ and ‘Catwalk’), with the remaining tracks featuring original vocalist Nadia, “as a way of wrapping up the past”. The EP’s next video-single, ‘Catwalk’, is currently in production.