For those not familiar with this act, let me explain quickly. Author & Punisher is Tristan Shone, an American doom metal one-man project who builds his own equipment, influenced by his experiences in building and maintaining telescopes. His machines create drones, riffs, beats and loads of other sounds. Every performance is a blast. The music is intense, heavy and pounding, and some people can never get enough of that.
But then there is this ep, named 'Pressure Mine', and although this one is pretty damn heavy, it shows a different side of Author & Punisher. In a way, this one is rooted more into eighties industrial and even shoegaze. Opener 'Enter This' brings Scorn to mind. 'Pressure Lover' and the monolithic 'Nazarene' someway remind me of old Ministry meets Nirvana and Godflesh. Furthermore, the vocals are a lot more melodic than what I'm used to from this project.
Nonetheless, 'Pressure Mine' is a very interesting piece of work, one where Author & Punisher dares to experiment with the seemingly endless possibilities of his machines. 'New World' is probably the most vintage industrial song I've heard since the eighties and closer 'Black Wand' is just weird, industrial approach to Depeche Mode. In all, I think this is a must-have for people who are already fans. Others, try it out, you will be surprised.
​Serge