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It is as if I were getting a lap dance by a cyborg stripper in a vampire nightclub at the end of the world. These are my first thoughts after pressing play and letting the industrial bass of the new collaboration from Dissonance and Melodywhore take me away. They call the new single, Damage 1st Assault.
Haunting from the very beginning. Damage 1st Assault delivers complex waves of deep synth that is sure to fuel your darkest nature. Cat Hall of Dissonance first met Melodywhore after being a guest on his radio show. STORY OF DAMAGE: “I Met MELODYWHORE when I was featured on his radio show RADIO DARK TUNNEL SITUATION 47 (co-hosted by the incredible SAPPHIRA VEE). I mentioned I had been pining to work on some more aggressive tracks and this was the result. We liked the original- “Damage 1st Assault” so much that we did a second version. Damage 2nd Assault will be released by MELODYWHORE a few weeks after the DISSONANCE release. ”
– Cat Hall (DISSONANCE)
I came into this with no prior knowledge of either of these artists. However, after further exploration in to the collaboration I have found this matchup to be perfectly complimentary. Each one filling spaces that were lacking in one another to make some dark, moody scores. I love it. I have an entire sequel to The Crow writing itself in my head as I listen. I am not mad about this in the least. In fact the piece in its entirety is reminiscent of the dark wave movement of the early 90s but with more modernized rhythmic beats. This makes complete sense because Cat Hall first released her debut album back in 1997. This reviewer definitely recommends checking out this track, as well as any older pieces you can find from Dissonance. Most of which you can find on Spotify. You will not be disapointed I would be more than happy to find the DJ playing this track at the club. Matched with a sexy strobe I would be quite compelled to the dance floor. Cat Hall / Dissonance Bio DISSONANCE began in the early 90’s as part of the Texas synthpop scene, playing live at Dallas venues such as the Lizard Lounge, Curtain Club, Galaxy Club, Trees, and Arcadia. Cat’s vocals have been described by several as a “siren song,” “compelling,” and “angelic,” layering several harmonies and textures in a unique manner. DISSONANCE caught the ear of Paul Robb (Information Society) who was forming his label Hakatak International, and was signed in 1996. Her first self-titled release, Dissonance, produced by Robb, came out in 1997.
The style was edgy electronica/darkwave with Cat’s distinctively layered vocals. 1998 saw Cat working with Paul Robb on a more aggressive solo project Cat Hall – Come To Mama, also available on Hakatak. The second release from DISSONANCE came in 2000 with Reincarnate– on Nilaihah Records.
After this, the band focused on individual pursuits until 2015 when Cat revived DISSONANCE and began work on new material. Void, a much darker, more atmospheric album, was released on Hakatak in 2017.
More recent releases include: Sycamores, a darkwave/atmospheric maxi single, with mixes by Paul Robb, Federico Balducci, and Jack Alberson was released on Hakatak in 2018. Ascent, an energetic darkwave record produced and co-written by Jim Marcus (Die Warzau, GoFight) and featuring Kurt Larson (Information Society) was released on Hakatak in 2019.
Remix maxi singles of Poison Kiss and Starstuff followed the Ascent release on Hakatak in 2019, featuring mixes by Erie Loch, Ian Staer, Brian Graupner, Danny Saber, and Jim Marcus.
In 2020, Cat collaborated with Bug Gigabyte of SINTHETIK MESSIAH on his Split Damage release, providing lyrics and vocals for “Languish.”
Summer of 2020, Cat Hall / DISSONANCE released three new maxi singles for DISSONANCE: Precipice, Trials, and Ephemeral. These include remixes by Joe Haze, SINTHETIK MESSIAH, DIVERJE and more.
The first release of 2021 will be Damage: 1st Assault; available on Bandcamp on 1/28/21 and at all other retailers on 1/29/21.