TACTICAL PAGAN
Helmed by Birmingham-based Andy Swan, Tactical Pagan marks a new chapter for the veteran artist, who began his music career in the early 1980s inspired by the industrial sounds of Throbbing Gristle, Whitehouse, and Cabaret Voltaire. Over the years, Swan worked alongside Justin K Broadrick in Final, before transitioning into dance music in the early ’90s, forming IROHA in the mid-2000s, and contributing to industrial metal project khost in 2014.
The first full-length from Tactical Pagan draws from the industrial soundscape of the early ’80s, weaving elements of post-industrial, trip-hop, and sprawling downtempo electronics into a hypnotic, codeine-induced haze. Discordant guitar work, eroded beats, vocal samples, and atmospheric synths contort into a mesmerizing, shot-on-VHS aesthetic. The full-length debut was recorded directly to 8-track and mastered by Justin K Broadrick.
Released worldwide by Avalanche Recordings and GIVE/TAKE, Tactical Pagan is available on limited edition maxi-style CD and digital platforms.
“Warped, stretched and layered with drum machines and queasy, tremolo-laden guitar. Bouncy, beat-driven cruisers ferry the listener deeper down the rabbit hole. Consider yourself subverted." - The Wire
“A timely examination of the current state of affairs, but also a rumination on the glacial pace of social progress, the aesthetics as much at home in the 21st century as in the proto-industrial days of Throbbing Gristle, Cabaret Voltaire & Psychic TV.” - ReGen Magazine
"Ten tracks filled with industrial anxiety and the fear of a fascist state – an intensely gritty sound." - mxdwn.com
"Showcases a breadth of sonic ideas...which reminds me of the days of warehouse parties that then became raves...The eerie openness & dark character feels more like a wake-up call than a piece of remembered past. Fans of Swan's projects, Godflesh, Justin K Broadrick's many solo endeavors, & what was known at the time as warehouse music, will certainly enjoy." - Musique Machine
"With so much to take in, this album doesn’t disappoint. I think about film and what Bram Stoker’s Dracula once said, “The blood is life.” Yeah, it is. And so is this." - Ghettoblaster
"Cutting out all the worst parts of industrial and throwing in the good, desolate, abandoned and hopelessness that echoes throughout each track." - Repartiseraren
GT068 AREC074. 2024. Limited edition CD. Professionally manufactured, packaged and shrink-wrapped in high quality clear maxi-style CD jewel case. Official first pressing. Edition of 50.
Tracklist:
1. Krasue Militia (6:21)
2. Mercury Eats Gold (4:41)
3. Ideological Subversion (6:15)
4. Personal Surveillance (4:22)
5. State Curfew (5:26)
6. Looking For Weapons (5:05)
7. Beauty In The Street (3:58)
8. Trace (4:38)
9. Realistic Manifesto (5:26)
10. Every Single Lie (4:32)