Another Friday, another round-up. As always this is a look at upcoming releases, relevant music news and upcoming events and gigs worth spending some of your time at. It is by no means an exhaustive list, and I’m always on the lookout for more to include.

transmission – the amodelofcontrol.com podcast – has resumed the run through of the a-z of industrial, with transmission: 003 joining 001 and 002 online in the past week, and we’ll be continuing with c on transmission: 004 next week. You can also get it via RSS, on iTunes, on Stitcher.

If you want to submit anything to be included here? E-mail me (You know what to do with that to make it work, right?), comment/message on Facebook at the amodelofcontrol.com page, and over on Twitter (@amodelofcontrol).

New and Upcoming Releases this week

Here we go with the first of the notable releases this year. The impressive Finnish industrial act Cardinal Noire return with their second album Deluge today, while Rabbit Junk return with their first full album in over seven years – Rabbit Junk Will Die: Meditations on Mortality (and it absolutely rules).

Machine Head are also back with their latest album, Catharsis.

In new release news, we have more on Metroland’s 2018 plans. Their new album will be Men In A Frame, and it is an unusual concept to say the least – this Facebook post explains.

There is also a new Skindred album coming, called Big Tings, with the first single Machine due soon (and, of all people, featuring Gary from Reef…).

For Tom Waits fans, his first seven albums are being reissued on vinyl this year.

Upcoming gigs and clubs

As always let me know if you want your event featured. To make things a little clearer, I’ve split club and gig nights out.

Upcoming Club Nights

27-Jan: Asylum at QMU, Glasgow
03-Feb: Club 80s at The Three Compasses, EC1
03-Feb: Carpe Noctum (with Rhombus, Gothzilla & The Black Riders Cult Live) at The Library, Leeds
03-Feb: RevolutioN presents: H A R S H S I D E at Corporation, Sheffield
03-Feb: Sentinel Vol. 4 at Zombie Shack, Manchester
09-Feb: Dead and Buried at Nightclub Kolis, N19
10-Feb: REPTILE at Nightclub Kolis, N19
10-Feb: Noircastle at The Globe, Newcastle
17-Feb: Mondlicht III at The Albany, W1
24-Feb: The Light Pours Out of Me at Orleans, N4
24-Feb: Bunker 13 at Eiger Studios, Leeds
21-Apr: Delete Yourself at Aatma, Manchester

Upcoming Gigs

27-Jan: Retribution Alive (incl. Die Kur) at Electrowerkz, N1
28-Jan: EMP Resistance Tour (incl. Hatebreed and Madball among others) at O2 Forum Kentish Town, NW5
03-Feb: Das Ich Live at Electrowerkz, N1
08/09/10-Feb: Deliquium | Sound Art Triennial (Line-up includes WINTERKÄLTE, Ah-Cama Sotz, Gnaw Their Tongues and a great many more) Live at Electrowerkz, N1
03-Mar: IAMX Live at Electric Ballroom, NW1
07-Mar: Electro Brain Disaster II (DeathBoy, Beinaheleidenschaftsgegenstand, MAENG DA + Noteherder & Mc Cloud, Gardner+Salnikov) Live at Black Heart, NW1
10-Mar: Inertia 25th Anniversary Live at Electrowerkz, N1
17-Mar: Covenant + Empathy Test Live at O2 Academy Islington, N1

Other Things

Sadly this week, most of the rest of the music news is reports of deaths, and notable bands coming to an end.

Perhaps the most shocking news was the death of Jeremy Inkel, aged just 34. He joined Front Line Assembly when they resumed as a full band again, with the release of Artificial Soldier, and the new blood into the band clearly revitalised them, as they’ve barely put a foot wrong since. In addition, he was also an integral part of the Vancouver industrial-punks Left Spine Down. I met him a few times at shows in North America and in the UK, and he was always an enthusiastic, friendly person offstage whenever I saw him, and the industrial scene is genuinely a lesser place without him.

Then there was the death of Mark E. Smith, longtime frontman and sole continuous member of The Fall. His band were unique, he was somewhat unique as a frontman, and yes, he was a problematic character.

In addition to that, Jim Rodford of The Zombies also passed this week, and then there is the news that Slayer are doing one last tour before calling it quits. A band who perhaps haven’t been their best for a while, but for their album Reign In Blood alone – and the gigantic shadow that it casts over any extreme metal that has followed since – they deserve a good send-off.

Talking of extreme metal…well, kinda. Slightly surprising news is that Sigur Rós are involved in the soundtrack of the Mayhem biopic Lords of Chaos – well, with members of Mayhem refusing the use of their music in the film, I guess it might always have been different. While the film still looks like it might be worth a watch, a reminder, though, that if you want a better, more balanced book about the Black Metal scene, Evolution of the Cult is a far better (and better researched) read than Lords of Chaos ever was.

I meant to mention this last week, as well – a step in the right direction at last over developers closing venues because of noise, as the onus will now be on developers, even if it is far too late for many venues.

Finally, Mogwai Young Team: literally, as they sponsor a school football team…

amodelofcontrol.com content in the past week

Tuesday Ten: 318: Speed King
Picking up the pace with songs about speed
Transmission: 003: the a-z of industrial: c (part one)
transmission resumes, beginning a two-part look at bands beginning with “c”