{"product_id":"autobahn-ecstasy-of-ruin","title":"AUTOBAHN - Ecstasy of Ruin","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #ff0000;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLP - Limited Edition White Vinyl with \u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eartwork by Musheto Fernandez\u003c\/span\u003e. Only 500 copies pressed in this edition.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eReports of their demise have been greatly exaggerated - the North has risen again. Close to five years since their last record, Leeds denizens \u003cstrong\u003eAutobahn\u003c\/strong\u003e re-enter the fray with the release of their third record, \u003cem\u003eEcstasy of Ruin\u003c\/em\u003e, on 28th April via \u003cstrong\u003eTough Love\u003c\/strong\u003e. Half a decade is both a long time and no time at all: forever changes while some things remain eternal… So it goes that Autobahn may have re-emerged with many of the hallmarks of their characteristic blend of industrial post-punk intact, but under the bonnet they’re a much leaner, more focused machine. \u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAutobahn\u003c\/span\u003e 3.0.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eIf 2017’s \u003cem\u003eThe Moral Crossing\u003c\/em\u003e was a record defined by its dramatic rhythm section, then it’s not insignificant that the 2023 incarnation of \u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAutobahn\u003c\/span\u003e arrives shaved to a four piece and sans their previous drummer. The change necessitates an evolution. Live drums have given way to drum-machines and sample-based percussion, and with it see the band reconfigure their typically blackened aesthetic into a hardened take on \u003cem\u003eElectronic Body Music\u003c\/em\u003e. As with their previous record, it’s an entirely self-produced collection, recorded between two self-built studios on a range of analogue equipment, the ghosts of their industrial forefathers haunting the circuits. Indeed, some of \u003cem\u003eEcstasy of Ruin\u003c\/em\u003e was made with pieces salvaged from \u003cstrong\u003eMartin Hannett\u003c\/strong\u003e’s legendary studio. The mark of their presence is clear and \u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAutobahn\u003c\/span\u003e certainly feel part of the long tradition of crepuscular music to emanate from Northern Britain, be that the transgressive activities of COUM Transmissions from Hull, Sheffield Steel City or the gothic history of their very own hometown. It’s a noble torch they carry.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eStill, if \u003cem\u003eEcstasy of Ruin\u003c\/em\u003e forms part of a rich lineage, it also speaks to right now. No album opens with a song titled ‘\u003cem\u003ePost-History\u003c\/em\u003e’ and closes with another called ‘\u003cem\u003eClass War\u003c\/em\u003e’ without some concession to the current condition and its place within it. Industrial music by its very nature is a physical concern, often placing the human body and its experience in the context of technology, reflecting the varying trevails of late capitalism. \u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAutobahn\u003c\/span\u003e strive towards some kind of articulation of that conflict. The music is unrelentingly taut and terse, and the vocals of frontman \u003cstrong\u003eCraig Johnson\u003c\/strong\u003e are invariably intense, though lyrically there are repeated allusions to beauty, empowerment and, ostensibly, hope. As such, the title of the album is an instructive one - there’s some kind of bliss in all this mess. \u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAutobahn\u003c\/span\u003e don’t so much push against the pain as ride it out to its (il)logical ends. As Johnson implores on the title track, “focus on living, the pain wont be forgotten”. It’s a relatable sentiment. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRIYL:\u003c\/strong\u003e Bauhaus, Sisters of Mercy, PIL, EBM, Skinny Puppy, Wax Trax.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Tough Love","offers":[{"title":"LP - White Vinyl","offer_id":42863787278497,"sku":"SDZ-02399","price":24.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0588\/3455\/0945\/products\/AUTOBAHN_-_Ecstasy_Of_Ruin_-_LP_White_Vinyl.jpg?v=1675358691","url":"https:\/\/spindizzyrecords.com\/products\/autobahn-ecstasy-of-ruin","provider":"Spindizzy Dublin","version":"1.0","type":"link"}