Studio 52 is a community artist space located in the heart of Allston, and is proud to support the Boston music scene and local artist community.
Studio 52 Spotlight: Astronoid
What Studio 52 Says: Massachusetts metal quintet Astronoid isn’t a band that can be accurately described by naming a single genre… or three for that matter. Major-key black metal with elements of shoegaze in the instrumentation and dream-pop in the vocals is a decent jumping off point; but how ever you slice it up there’s no denying they’ve discovered a unique blend. They call it dream thrash, and it sets them apart from traditional metal bands.
Formed in 2011 in Lowell, Astronoid quickly got to work writing and recording, releasing their debut EP November later that year, consisting of only two songs but clocking in at almost 13 minutes long. Since their intoxicating and droning introduction to the world of recorded music they’ve released 2013 EP Stargazer and 2016 full-length Air, never faltering when it comes to keeping their songs long and dynamic, many of which surpass the five-minute mark and certainly don’t sit at one emotional level throughout. Air is the release that illustrates their potential the most, fitting the previous mold of dramatic dynamics but spread across 50 minutes of music. It’s almost as if the whole album is a single epic song that has you jumping between headbanging, spacing out, and finally singing along in an impassioned and driving banger of a debut full-length. From blast beats to grooves and heavy riffs to soaring solos, it’s all brought back down to earth by the massive euphoric vocal lines that float above everything.
Last night they kicked off their fall tour with Zeal and Ardor in Philly, a bill that hits Harvard Square tomorrow night (Saturday, September 22) at The Sinclair, before continuing across the continental United States and making two stops in Canada. Check out their website for the entire list of dates; wherever you’re located you want to be sure to catch Astronoid while they’re in your city. — Trevor McSweeney, Studio 52
Featured image by Morgan L. Laurie-Day, via Bandcamp.
Listen: Astronoid on Spotify —
Listen: Astronoid on Bandcamp —
Watch: Astronoid on YouTube —
Follow: Astronoid on Instagram —
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