A Gigantic and Edgy Album from Post Death Soundtrack
- BuzzSlayers
- 1 hour ago
- 6 min read
Post Death soundtrack is back once again with a soiree of edgy but melodically driving songs that introduce you to this sort of expanded musical universe, by way of bringing together elements of heavy rock, electronic, alternative, post-punk, industrial, and more.
GRIST is an album that runs the gamut of what must be hundreds of influences that are strewn about throughout the record, and that songwriter Steven James Moore must hold close to his heart.
This is an album that dives right in and starts engulfing you into its own world. This is from the mind of someone who likes to sculpt sound. Not just right songs, but actually creates, distorts, decimates, and brings together soundscapes that you wouldn't think fit, but he does so seemingly with ease.
The very first track on the record exemplifies exactly what I'm talking about.
The track is called "Omen", and this song delivers what I would call a cross between a classic '90s pop beat and a hip hop approach as well. It's got the hip hop high hats running triplets, but the kick in the snare feels like a '90s beat you would hear on a pop radio station.
The song also showcases a great vastness created by the use of synth pads and ethereal sounds that let you get swallowed up even more easily. It's all accompanied by vocals that are sort of crying out, melodic, powerful, and then more up close and emotionally personal.
This first track itself covers so much ground that you don't really know what to expect Next.
"Canary" gives me classic Nine Inch Nails Vibes but in a different way than you might think. The way the song is built, with its overlaying edginess, and the way the vocals are performed, make me think of classic NIN, but it also ventures in different directions at the same time.
This track has a pretty fat bass guitar line and some great grooves, so it incorporates all this other stuff in there. You have the industrial underbelly along with rock, but it also has a bit of funk infused in it just naturally.
It's a song that's kind of heavy and a bit danceable, but also edgy at the same time.
It's tracks like "SCORCH-ED" that I ended up getting attached to more. The songs have a more personal attribute about them, as they came from some genuine place, and the artist had to just get it off his chest.
They are heavily cinematic, but you can also feel that emotional pull coming through a lot of the time. Songs like this are pure brilliance because they showcase a bit of vulnerability, but it's not over the top. It's very well balanced, and you can also tell there was a lot of attention paid to the final mixes of this record.
It has that sort of hard-hitting approach, especially in terms of those beats. The beats really cut through songs and give them a bit of punch. At times, synthesizers or guitars might do the same, but for songs like this one, it's the beat that really pushes everything forward and gives it its additional closed-fisted drive.
You still have loads of spaciousness here. You are able to either rock out with it or float alongside it; either way, you're not escaping it.
As a matter of fact, if anything, you escape into an album like this one.
This is a record that pulls you away from wherever you are, whatever you're doing, it puts you in a completely different headspace for a good chunk of time.
Now, one thing that should be known about this record is that it is actually 30 tracks in length. Certain pieces of music are only a minute or so long, maybe a minute and 30 seconds, with some reaching even further, but this whole thing has such a visual aspect to it.
Certain kinds of images will pop into your head while you listen to these tracks, and for me, because they have that sort of industrial pop undertone, it makes me think of my youth, so I get bouts of nostalgia when I listen to a lot of these songs.
Certain tracks are just meant as absolutely fun Thrashers that hit kind of hard and blend that electronic and heavy sort of metal vibe like "Thelma, Louise, & The Cool Ocean Breeze".
It's tracks like this that sort of blow me away in a sense. I'm just not expecting that kind of stuff to pop in there, so when they come across it's like a pleasant surprise.
The song brings out digital beats with thrashing guitars with massive distortion and drive, which makes for an amazing combination.
There are several little interlude-style songs that are scattered throughout the record, containing chunks of songs that may have been something else at one point in time but didn't make it to the final cut. These are the ones that are usually short but still have a certain kind of connective element between the other songs.
I think one of the most important things about an album like this one is that there are a lot of emotional attributes that are all over this thing.
You can kind of feel and hear certain personality elements and get the feeling that a lot of these songs are important to the songwriter because of life experience or inner thought and emotion.
It's a very expressive record that was able to really take alternative pop, electronic, industrial, post-punk, metal, heavy rock, and plenty more, roll them into one gigantic 30-track release, and hopefully the artist finally felt free having all of that off of his chest.
So, after listening to this one, we absolutely had to have a sit-down with the artist himself and find out where this actually did come from, along with what might be next.
While you delve into this massive record, check out our interview with the artist below.
Do not forget where you heard this first.
Let's talk about GRIST! This is a massive album that bordered on vast alternative-pop and way more! It was such a great example of creating almost cinematic landscapes with edginess and flow! Where did this album come from?
"GRIST" is the second in a series of double albums. The series started with "IN ALL MY NIGHTMARES I AM ALONE", released June 30th, 2025. That album kept growing until it was 30 tracks - it was written during a time of trauma and I very much found solace and a sense of mission through creation. When I approached "GRIST", I initially intended it to be 10-15 songs, but it eventually grew. I soon realized that I might as well just make it 30 songs as well, and perhaps make this a trilogy of releases. Nobody else seems to be doing this sort of thing, and my response to those who feel it's too long is to treat it like a book or a show. It's fine to put it down and come back. I like a deep story with dynamic and surprise.
Overall, this album is heavier and more focused than the previous release. I wanted it to be very forceful and streamlined, extremely beat-heavy and with an overall industrial and cinematic sound. I think I achieved that, and the dynamics of the album make sense to me. I'm really proud of how it all fits together and comes across.
I'm hearing a few different approaches to this record! Who are some of your biggest musical influences?
Nirvana, Tool, The Beatles, Skinny Puppy, Massive Attack, Mike Patton, Tom Waits, PJ Harvey, The Doors, David Bowie, Alice in Chains, Portishead, The Stooges, Dead Can Dance, Sepultura, Windhand, Nine Inch Nails, Chore, Aphex Twin....
Did you record this at a home setup, or at a big studio?
This was all done from home.
Do you guys write songs together, or are there a few main songwriters that bring ideas back to the rest?
Post Death Soundtrack is my solo project, so everything currently comes from me.
How did this all start for you as a band?
The project started as a duo in 2006 between myself and Kenneth Buck. Over the years we have had several band members contribute, until after 'Veil Lifter', when I took the project solo in order to get more accomplished musically.
Are you performing live right now?
No, it is currently a studio project.
Now that this is out, what's next for you as a band?
I've already started working on the 3rd release in this trilogy, but will be taking my time with it as I heavily promote "GRIST". I'm also working on a new album with my industrial doom duo He Is Me.
Who's in all your headphones right now?
The new Chore album, the new Swans album, the new De La Soul album and the new Nas.
What would you tell people they can expect on this release?
They can expect surprising intensity and I hope they feel free to reach out with their experiences. This music has drawn out some deep emotions from people as if it was reaching into their subconscious through the speakers. That's the goal.
Before we go, what would you like to express to fans of the music?
Thank you for taking the time to delve in!
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