Unbidden Audio / UBAii

01/12/2023

Big thanks to everyone who's been checking out my newest release (UBA-009).
It's been out for a couple of weeks on Bandcamp, but it's out today on all other major stores, links below:

https://cygnusmusic.link/q1bp7jq

Have a good weekend.
Cheers
Matt

Unbidden Audio - UBA-009

06/11/2023

Nearly a year after my last / Unbidden Audio release, I'm happy to say that UBA-009 will be released on Fri 17th November (Bandcamp), and Fri 1st December (General release) - "Fixations" explores abstract / industrial halftime territory, whilst "Slow Blink" offers contrast via rolling breakbeats, and hypnotic drones.

Big big thanks to BBC Radio Wales' for the recent airplay support. Link for the show below:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001s3mm

09/10/2023

Quick updates: UBA-009 (Kyam 2 track single) has just been sent off for mastering, so it should be seeing the light of day within the next couple of months. UBA-010 is also already well underway, so I'm looking forward to getting back to work on it ASAP. Finally, the third Doubtsower LP is very close to completion, and will hopefully see a release early-ish next year. Big thanks to everyone supporting! Cheers, Matt

12/07/2023

Photo from last week's Doubtsower DIY drum recording session, where I spent a day and a half at Music Box (Cardiff) tracking for my third LP. The lead up wasn't particularly ideal, as I'd been having some pain in my foot, and had been limping the day before, but luckily it wasn't drumming-related, and it just about stabilised enough in time for the session.

Between setting up, line checking etc, and getting enough decent takes for all the tracks, it was an extremely intense session - first day was 12 hours, with a 15 minute break, and the 2nd half-day was also flat-out - but I enjoyed the experience, and captured everything I could have realistically hoped for.

It was a fairly similar set-up to the previous LP, although on this occasion I fancied trying an overhead change, and opted for ORTF rather than a spaced pair. Also used a reso head on the kick drum rather than keeping it open, and added a 2nd rack tom / double bass pedal.

Neck is still recovering from having the laptop to the side of the drum kit :)

I'm currently working my way through the recordings to comp the best takes - happy with the way things are progressing, and looking forward to sharing once finished!

06/06/2023

Hope everyone's good. Quick update:

UBA-009 (Kyam - single release) is on the horizon - really happy with how it's shaping up musically (artwork is also now underway), and I'm looking forward to sharing once finished. More details coming soon.

On the Doubtsower LP3 front (doom metal), I've made a start on the vocals, and I've booked time in a practice room next month to DIY record the drums. It's going to be a hectic session, but I'm looking forward to it, and am really excited by how the LP is developing. Tentatively hoping for a release before the end of the year.

Big thanks to everyone supporting.

18/04/2023

Last week - satisfyingly rowdy bass re-amping session for my forthcoming 3rd Doubtsower LP - things are now falling into final place - 6 tracks, running a little over an hour in total. Mix stage is well underway, vocals and drum prep / recording on the radar

29/03/2023

Day off work yesterday, to finish off recording the final guitar parts for my 3rd Doubtsower LP. Practice room / solo DIY recording set up again - tracking with a blasting amp, without a control room, comes with its challenges, but it was a constructive and satisfying day. Was also cool to try some re-amping - looking forward to experimenting more in the future.

17/03/2023

Big thanks to Stoner HiVe for featuring my Doubtsower - The Endless Shadow of Despicable Power LP in their Quick Fire Friday music round up 🖤

Both my Doubtsower albums are available on Bandcamp at:
https://doubtsower.bandcamp.com/

Have a good weekend all
Cheers
Matt

04/03/2023

Massive thanks to Fistful of DOOM for playing my Doubtsower - Monument to Hypocrisy track on their newest show - the support is massively appreciated.

https://doubtsower.bandcamp.com/

A heavy metal podcast featuring the finest sounds from the heavy metal underground. ~All Hail Bacon https://www.facebook.com/fistfulofdoom66/ https://bandcamp.com/fistfulofdoom http://ripplemusic.blogspot.com/ https://doomcharts.com/ https://twitter.com/flatulentfuzz https://www.youtube.com/channel/...

06/02/2023

I did another Doubtsower guitar tracking session last week, recording parts for my 3rd LP - solo session in a practice room at Musicbox Cardiff.

Slightly different approach on this album compared to the previous two (which mainly featured amp sims, but also included a variety of amps recorded in the house) - this one is all amp-miced. Was nice to get the Marshall out again - absolute beast of an amp. Excited with progress and looking forward to getting back to work on it.

31/01/2023

Big thanks to Buzz Magazine Wales for featuring my Doubtsower "The Endless Shadow of Despicable Power" LP in their January roundup - print version came out a little while ago, but the online version is now up.

I'll be heading into a practice room this week to record some more guitars for LP3, and I've also got some new Kyam material well underway.

Cheers
Matt

https://doubtsower.bandcamp.com/

Noel Gardner and Emma Way bring you the best new Welsh music that may have (most likely, in fact) escaped your attention this January.

15/12/2022

New standalone artwork for Unbidden Audio - colour palette inspired by one of my favourite films - the glorious "Vamp" (1986).

It's been two weeks since I released UBAii-002 (Doubtsower - The Endless Shadow of Despicable Power), and three weeks since UBA-008 (Kyam - Absent / Churn). Massive thanks for the support and kind words I've received on both releases - it's been a great way to round off the year.

Lots more stuff to come in the future.

05/12/2022

Huge, huge thanks to Bandcamp for featuring my new Doubtsower album on their site’s “New and Notable” section.
I’ve been a massive fan of what they do for a long time, as both a fan and an artist - a rare platform that truly serves the needs of independent musicians - from the start, the site has been an essential external resource for Unbidden Audio - so this spotlight support really means a lot. Big thanks to everyone who has been supporting the release.

02/12/2022

Extremely grateful for further support on my 2nd Doubtsower LP. After working alone on this LP for so long, it's great to hear some people are connecting with it.

Wonderbox Metal, who featured my debut LP in their "Best Metal of 2021" list, have published a very favourable review of the 2nd, describing it as "another potent and absorbing work of doom-drenched feeling". You can read the full review at:
https://wonderboxmetal.com/2022/12/02/doubtsower-the-endless-shadow-of-despicable-power-review/

Cardiff based BuzzMagazine, who have always been highly supportive of my work over the years, have also positively reviewed the LP in their latest issue ("up [their] avenue in sound and genesis"), which can be found online at:
https://content.yudu.com/web/fiqy/0Al7zj/BuzzDec22/html/index.html?page=38&origin=reader

Huge thanks to 666MrDoom for uploading the album on his fine youtube channel, allowing it to reach a much bigger audience than I'd ever manage alone on the platform:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TXDATgeryg

Finally, big thanks to Doomed Nation for featuring the LP in their news section and helping to spread the word:
https://doomed-nation.com/uk-one-man-doom-metal-band-doubtsower-released-his-new-album-the-endless-shadow-of-despicable-power/?fbclid=IwAR2taoH9cUyfInsHtAOAHLox5ToREiWBVZdIyDYwawgQ-zlL6X3ofGGlh3k

Doubtsower - The Endless Shadow of Despicable Power is available on digital and limited run CD on Bandcamp at:
https://doubtsower.bandcamp.com/album/the-endless-shadow-of-despicable-power

Have a good weekend all.
Cheers
Matt

5 track album

02/12/2022

Big thanks to Musipedia Of Metal for their support and very kind 8/10 review of my new Doubtsower LP - much appreciated.
Out now on Bandcamp
https://doubtsower.bandcamp.com/album/the-endless-shadow-of-despicable-power

A blog about hard rock & heavy metal reviews

01/12/2022

https://doubtsower.bandcamp.com/album/the-endless-shadow-of-despicable-power

Happy to say that the 2nd LP by Doubtsower (my one-man-band) is released today, via my Unbidden Audio sub-label UBAii - "The Endless Shadow of Despicable Power" - 46 minutes (5 tracks) of doom, metal and stoner etc.

As with the first LP, it's an extremely personal piece, but sonically, it expands on the foundations laid in the debut, and I'm very happy with how it's turned out - I'm glad to finally get it out there. Bandcamp-only release (digital and limited-run CD). Youtube upload is coming very soon.

The album was very much a labour of love - written and DIY-recorded over a period of 14 months or so, it proved highly challenging (and educational) but massively rewarding. Combining live elements, as well as a number of the production techniques I use with Unbidden Audio (ambient parts / soundscapes / sub etc), the basic arrangement was completed using scratch-track guitar & bass recordings, with drum programming via SSD5, all recorded to click tracks. I then re-recorded all the guitar & bass parts as final takes (a combination of amp sims, guitar FX pedals, and mic-ed amps). Programmed SSD5 drums were then replaced with a live-kit, after I spent a day playing / recording drums in a practice room in Music Box Cardiff. Finally, I recorded vocals, and finished mixing the LP, before handing it over to the highly talented Greg Chandler (Priory Recording Studios) for mastering.

To mirror the intended aesthetic (raw, lo-fi and organic), I avoided the use of drum triggers, quantising, and auto-tune. Comping was used to select the best takes of various recordings. Despite working on this LP as five separate Cubase project files (by contrast, the debut was all contained within one), the project files ended up leading to a new level of nightmare in terms of CPU-related issues, but I've learned lessons for the future. Moving forward, I'm also planning on reducing the time period between finishing music, and releasing it.

My doom metal influences have been making an appearance on my Unbidden Audio Kyam output since the first release (Time Out etc), so I'm proud that the label has significantly and naturally expanded to reflect my tastes and inspirations. I've already written around 25 minutes of music for the 3rd Doubtsower LP (which pushes the experimental angle further, and also places a greater emphasis on mic-recorded guitar amps) and so there's more to come on the Doubtsower front, as well as the Kyam / Unbidden Audio side of things.

Big thanks to everyone who supports my music - it's very much appreciated.

Cheers
Matt

27/11/2022

Artwork for my 2nd Doubtsower album ("The Endless Shadow of Despicable Power") - forthcoming on Bandcamp (digital / limited-run CD) via Unbidden Audio sub-label UBAii, next Thursday (1st December).

If you're into doom / metal / stoner etc, and want to be kept in the loop, and want to check out last year's debut ("Asphyxiation of a Seasick Soul"), please follow:

https://doubtsower.bandcamp.com/

More details coming soon.

Big thanks to everyone who's been supporting recently released UBA-008.

24/11/2022

Happy to say that UBA-008 (jungle-inspired Kyam 2-track single) is out today.

Preview video clip audio is “Churn”, followed by “Absent”.

The full release is now available on Bandcamp to stream / buy:

https://unbiddenaudio.bandcamp.com/album/kyam-absent-churn

Release date for other online stores is 1st December 2022.

Big thanks to everyone supporting.

Have a good week
Cheers
Matt

22/11/2022

The rain in Wales falls mainly all year round - bad for the mood, good for Unbidden Audio.
The next release (UBA-008 - Kyam - Absent / Churn) is out on Bandcamp this Thursday. Big thanks to everyone who's sent kind words on the promo mail-out.

Keep up to date at:
https://unbiddenaudio.bandcamp.com/

(Link also in bio)

17/11/2022

Happy to say that my next release (UBA-008: Kyam - Absent / Churn) is forthcoming on Unbidden Audio on 24.11 (Bandcamp) and 01.12 (all stores).

I made "Absent" whilst isolating with Covid earlier in the year - dark, minimal jungles vibes. "Churn" is also jungle-inspired, but is slightly more unusual, and makes heavy use of hardware synths run through guitar pedals.

Looking forward to sharing them.

https://unbiddenaudio.bandcamp.com/

22/10/2022

Hi, hope everyone is well.

Thought I’d post a new stand-alone artwork image for Unbidden Audio, plus an update on my next two releases, which will see the light of day before the end of 2022:

First up is a Kyam 2-tracker on Unbidden Audio (“Absent / Churn”). After exploring a lot of abstract territory on recent releases, this single is a conscious return to more dancefloor-inspired ground. “Absent” was written earlier in the year, when I was isolating due to contracting Covid (I was lucky and only had fairly mild symptoms). Despite this, it was one of those tunes that came together very quickly and naturally - dark, minimal jungle vibes. “Churn” also takes its inspiration from jungle, but is a bit more unusual, and makes heavy use of hardware synths / guitar FX pedals. Forthcoming Thursday 24th Nov on Bandcamp, with general release on Thursday 1st Dec.

Following this, I’ll be releasing my 2nd Doubtsower LP (my one-man-band doom-metal project), via sub-label UBAii. Entitled “The Endless Shadow of Despicable Power”, it expands on the foundations laid down in last year’s debut, and is a staunchly uncommercial 46 minute (5 track) journey, which I’m extremely proud of. Forthcoming Friday 1st December (Bandcamp only release).

Looking forward to sharing these - big thanks to everyone supporting what I do.

Previous Unbidden Audio / UBAii releases are up at:

https://unbiddenaudio.bandcamp.com/
https://doubtsower.bandcamp.com/

Cheers
Matt

06/09/2022

Masters are back for UBAii-002 (2nd Doubtsower LP (doom-metal) - extremely happy with how they're sounding. The album will be released on 2nd December 2022, more details coming soon.

UBA-008 (Kyam jungle two-tracker) is very nearly ready for mastering - should hopefully see a release by the end of the year.

Big thanks to everyone who's been supporting the label.

13/08/2022

Very happy to say that my 2nd Doubtsower LP (doom metal) is finally finished - sent off for mastering yesterday. Started around 14 months ago, it’s been an intense and at times very testing journey, but I’m extremely proud of the final result. Forthcoming on my Unbidden Audio sub-label UBAii by the end of the year, more details coming soon.

In light of this, I’m now ready to add the finishing touches to a good chunk of new Kyam 170 bits, so there should be a new Unbidden Audio jungle-orientated release over the next few months, as well as hopefully another stand-alone Disjoints EP.

Big thanks to everyone supporting what I do.

20/05/2022

I recently completed the drum tracking for the forthcoming 2nd Doubtsower LP. As with the first album, I took a solo / DIY approach - was an extremely hectic 12 hour session - 2.5 odd hours of set up, 1 hour of set down, 2x5min breaks, with the rest dedicated to getting multiple takes of each track - but was happy with what I managed. I’m currently in the process of working through the best takes, mixing down, and swearing at my CPU meter.

08/03/2022

https://togetherwithukraine.bandcamp.com/releases?fbclid=IwAR1ICY5xE0_G_henaH3SJPRpvZ0Vx9y3DblNL7VDi55nE1LGDJ_9Bx3a8zI

Great initiative to support those affected by Putin's war against the Ukraine. Heart-breaking scenes.

136 track album

01/03/2022

I've now finished recording the guitars for my 2nd doom metal LP (Doubtsower). Vocals and drums up next. Very happy with how how it's sounding, looking forward to sharing when complete - forthcoming on Unbidden Audio sister label UBAii. For those who missed it, the 1st LP ("Asphyxiation of a Seasick Soul"), released last year, is up on Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oR7mpDzpqV0
and on Bandcamp at
https://doubtsower.bandcamp.com/releases

I'm also in the mixing stage for a new Unbidden Audio / Kyam EP, which focuses on the jungle / breakbeat side of things. More news coming soon.

Stay safe all.

Cheers
Matt

16/02/2022

New stand-alone image for Unbidden Audio, February 2022. Cardiff (Wales UK) on a misty morning. The next releases on Unbidden Audio (dark / electronic / jungle / experimental) and sister-label UBAii (Doubtsower - doom metal / stoner / post metal) are well underway. More news coming soon.

Previous releases up at:

https://unbiddenaudio.bandcamp.com/

https://doubtsower.bandcamp.com/

08/01/2022

The 2nd Doubtsower LP is finished in terms of arrangement, so I’ve now started the process of re-recording everything to replace the scratch takes. Bass was done today. Album should see the light of day this year, as should some new Kyam

18/12/2021

Honoured to see that Wonderbox Metal has included my Doubtsower - Asphyxiation of a Seasick Soul LP (UBAii-001) in their "Best Metal of 2021" list - massive thanks to them and everyone who supported the release.

From the article write up: "Little did I know when I came across this underground gem that it would have such impact and staying power. On this album the artist behind Doubtsower has more than shown how adept he is at crafting emotive and engrossing doom, and this is a project that’s punching well above its weight."

On that front, the 2nd Doubtsower LP is now finished in terms of writing / arrangement etc, and so re-recording of scratch tracks will begin very soon. Very excited with how it's panned out, and it should see the light of day in 2022.

The first LP is still available on Bandcamp (digital and CD) at:
https://doubtsower.bandcamp.com/releases
and to stream on youtube at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oR7mpDzpqV0

I've also got a good few 170 / drum & bass / jungle (Kyam) bits underway lined up for future Unbidden Audio releases.

Hope everyone has a great break.
Cheers
Matt

Yes, it’s that time of year again! 2021 gave us some very, very good metal, and I feel honoured to have been able to have listened to as much of it as I have done. There are some notable abse…