Tunisian experimental extreme music solo project Caged Bastard released second album »Solace In Virtue’s Absence«

Bizerte, Tunisia based experimental extreme music solo project Caged Bastard stream second album, »Solace In Virtue’s Absence«, which was released in digital format on August 1st, 2024.

Listen to »Solace In Virtue’s Absence« on all major streaming platforms!

Tracklist:
01. Light On The Undeciphered Transmission
02. Perished Prosperity
03. Rebel, Our Seeress Queen
04. Drunk On A Monstrous Deity
05. An Everlasting Rite
06. Into Debris
07. The Apologue
08. Solace In Virtue’s Absence
09. The Fate

“»Solace In Virtue’s Absence« is recorded during the first Covid-19 lockdown in Bizerte, Tunisia. This album explores the boundaries of black metal, psychedelic rock, ambient/drone, and electronic music.”

On the second album »Solace In Virtue’s Absence«, a journey was set to encapsulate entropy through meditative states, and dig within to raise better awareness.

Influences ranging from psychedelic black metal, tribal percussions, sludgy riffs and drones to create atmospheres, repetitions, build-ups, and raw brutality are the main focuses of the songwriting process. Delivering rage and frustration at times, melancholy and mystery are found throughout and transcendence, ritualistic themes that relate to the story within the lyrics.

“Beings from beyond receive a cryptic message from Earth, leading them to witness a conflict between two cultures. One of these cultures holds the key to the transmission‘s origin.”

The album was recorded in 2020 in Bizerte during the first Covid-19 lockdown, then the project was put on hold to release the one-track EP »Strive« in 2021. After a mini tour in Switzerland, the recording of the vocals was finished in late 2022. Then the release was delayed for personal reasons.

We try to dispose of negativity to raise potential, but chaos is order yet undeciphered. We Scoured the horizons, we strived for the ultimate price… Did we find Solace?

About Caged Bastard:

Caged Bastard is an experimental extreme music one-man band founded by Muhammad Oun in 2018. The project initially began as a blackened hardcore/grindcore band with crust punk influences. However, in 2019, Muhammad started pushing the boundaries of extreme metal by incorporating non metal musical elements and unconventional sounds into his compositions. This marked the beginning of his exploration into experimental extreme music, where he continually challenges and redefines the traditional confines of the genre. Muhammad Oun is a multi-instrumentalist, responsible for guitar, bass, synth/noise, and drum programming, as well as recording, mixing, and mastering. During live performances, he uses playback for drums and bass while delivering live guitar, vocals, noise generation, and effect manipulation.

Music written, recorded, mixed, and mastered by Muhammad Oun.
Lyrics by Mohamed Kouki.
Artwork by Nadia Zarrougui.

Guest vocals on »Rebel, Our Seeress Queen« by Mariam Benjemaa and Zayneb Mhemed.
Guest vocals on »The Apologue« by Mohamed Kouki.

Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well