“In life you make trade-offs. In Darkmatter, you don’t.”
A spawn of the most isolated city in the world, during the most isolated time in modern history, Darkmatter bridges the gap between contemporary, extreme metal and the industrial soundscapes of the late 90s, soundtracking an ever-growing legion of disillusioned youth.
With a lethal combination of DIY spirit and meticulous attention-to-detail, the four-piece formed in the midst of a global pandemic in 2020, each with their own storied experiences performing nationally in various metal outfits and a want and need to express their personal grievance with the ever-changing world around them. Together the four would pool their collective influences, both sonically and aesthetically, to begin building and perfecting an audio-visual experience that would rival even the largest international metal acts.
Like audible conflict, the four quickly pitted elements of metal music against sounds from the trap, drum and bass and electronic worlds — this relentless experimentation bled into all aspects of the group, with guitarist Joshua Grenfell finding sounds and samples from car engines, industrial fans and video games. Combining a fresh perspective on songwriting with a collective bedrock of alternative music inspiration, they dug deeper, unearthing their own sound that takes cues from the heaviest aspects of bands like Slipknot, the groove and aggression of Rage Against the Machine and the darkness and industrial tint of Rammstein.
Debuting live at the end of 2021 with a polished and considered live show, the band quickly outgrew their position as a local support act and within just 4 months they booked their own headline show selling over 300 tickets at the iconic Amplifier bar in Perth. Catching the eye of global metal band, Alpha Wolf, Darkmatter joined them on the Western leg of their Australian tour in 2022 performing to an even larger audience. In the same year they primed the release of their debut five-track EP “Project Darkmatter” — a cathartic whirlwind of down-tuned guitars and ear-piercing electronics with vocalist Jack Bell delivering screams that are equal parts rabid and uncompromising. With their fast rise, national attention and a growing base of fans who shared their ever-growing disdain for their day-to-day lives, Darkmatter longed for the stage, setting their sights on a long-term career where they would be free to be who they are:
“You don’t understand why society can’t accept you, but in Darkmatter, on-stage, I can be who I want to be.” Says Bassist Jourdan Kestel.
With industry and label interest at an all time high, Darkmatter returned to the studio in early 2023 but like a double-edged sword, their ferocious pursuit of perfection forced them to re-evaluate their follow up EP. They would put a series of singles on the backburner, focusing all their efforts on one, “North of Hell”.
Like a barrelling freight train, “North of Hell” delivers blow-after-blow of multi-layered overwhelm with metallic guitar riffs and colossal drum sounds — all while being tinted with an industrial overtone akin to The Prodigy. Touching on vocalist Jack Bell’s adolescent trauma, his voice delivers almost hawkish aggression, as if it’s a call to war:
“North of Hell is torn from the mind of someone who feels as though they were never able to reach their true potential in life, due to their lack of medical diagnosis at a young age. The feeling of trying to grow but being unable to, like a flower trapped under cement.” Says Jack Bell.
The single release coincides with their announcement on new UK-based, global record label, Passion Eight records. Framed with a growing base of like-minded fans and their strong vision, Darkmatter are continuing their audible onslaught across Australia alongside ATLVS, in late 2023 before embarking on a larger touring schedule and sophomore EP release in 2024.
