Drawing from the legacy of punk and the DIY spirit, Death Disco emerges as an unrelenting sonic force. The duo, composed of Samuel Kerridge and Maxim “Panda” Barron, delivers with Death Notes a debut collaborative work that transcends conventional musical boundaries. Kerridge’s raw intensity, paired with Barron’s pulsating rhythms, forges an uncompromising and powerful sonic journey.
This chemistry is no accident — Barron had already laid down his guitar bass on two tracks from Kerridge’s Kick to Kill (2022). But here, it reaches another level, almost alchemical. The visceral authenticity that emanates from these eight compositions carves out a unique space in the realm of dark and immersive musical experiences.
Released on Strange Therapy in digital and cassette formats, the album is also set for a vinyl release later this year on Downwards, the legendary label run by Regis. Death Disco has already unleashed this sonic arsenal in showcases, notably in London and Amsterdam earlier this year, confirming on stage what the album suggests : a raw, frontal shock with no escape.
An explosive fusion of genres
Death Notes plunges us into a dizzying maelstrom where punk, industrial, and noise collide with controlled violence. The specters of Coil and Godflesh would haunt every corner of this sonic architecture—a lineage made even more significant by the mastering of Justin Broadrick himself (Godflesh, Jesu), who has stamped his seal onto this incandescent work.
The opening track, Goats Reverse, instantly pulls us into a destabilizing metallic vortex. Kerridge’s saturated guitar and ferocious vocals intertwine with goat bleats transformed into hallucinatory samples. Further on, Self Discipline channels a ritualistic, hypnotic energy reminiscent of Coil’s “Solar Lodge“, while Valves of Sensation stands as the duo’s most direct embodiment—a physical, frontal piece where Kerridge’s voice shifts across octaves in a near-shamanic incantation.
Breathe Light unveils an unexpected depth. Stripped of conventional rhythm, the track exposes a certain vulnerability in Kerridge, whose sensual murmur hovers above a thunderous metallic drone. Meanwhile, Barron’s bass carves abyssal furrows, saturating the space with a spectral heaviness.
Ultimately, Death Notes brilliantly fuses the raw energy of synth punk with the abrasive textures of post-industrial, blending manipulated guitars with punk and shoegaze undertones to create an atmosphere both suffocating and haunting.
Death Disco – “Death Notes” – Strange Therapy, 2025
A collaborative release by Downwards Records & Strange Therapy
