Metal Rouge formed in Auckland New Zealand in 2006 by the duo of Helga Fassonaki and Andrew Scott, initially playing grimy freeform electric string music on broken electric guitars and traditional Persian instruments. After relocating to Los Angeles in 2007 the persian instrumentation was gradually replaced with pedal and lap steel guitars and the music took on the form of streamlined horizontal psychedelic continuums. Unlike much of the music coming of out of California at this time Metal Rouge stood defiantly outside of the meta-new age irony of their peers, crafting an intensely personal brand of electrified minimal maximalism at the intersection of New Zealand free noise, NYC loft minimalism and free jazz. Drummer/trombonist Caitlin Mitchell joined in 2009 bringing a more aggressive free rock aspect to the group resulting in the 'Trails' LP in 2010 and the 'Then In Shadow' tape in 2011. Mitchell left in 2011, Helga added electric guitar and pocket trumpet to her arsenal and things took a turn for the weird. Their sets over the last two years have consisted of simple guitar figures strung around drugged minimalist drum pulses interspersed with explosive treble-heavy freeform ragas and fearless outré vocalese. Currently bi-coastal with Andrew in Los Angeles and Helga in New Jersey they continue to throw ideas across the continent, some of which resulted in their new LP 'Soft Erase' out this summer on Emerald Cocoon.
"Metal Rouge take off on the clanging desert hysteria of Joy Shapes-era Charalambides while channelling avant garage moves as diverse as Teenage Jesus, Pere Ubu and The Dead C, navigating zones of levitating feedback and singing amplifier damage with sliding tones, crunching minor chords and an assaultive style that would relocate the broken bottleneck blues of Blind Willie Johnson downwind of the Silence-era titans cut with beautifully excessive female vocals…it feels like one of the greatest extensions-in-spirit of the jubilant fanfare for the end of the world style of the Albert Ayler Orchestra, albeit played with such an intuitive feel for contemporary experiments in energy-into-form that it feels peerlessly 'tomorrow'"– Volcanic Tongue
CONTACT
Contact/Booking: joy(at)emeraldcocoon(dot)com
PHOTOS
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