Toronto’s industrial project DHI (Death and Horror Inc.) e-mailed us to tell us about a new palette of releases based on their older material. Release’s Alex Veronac remembers a band from his old hometown.
DHI were signed to cutting edge label Fringe Product (Canada) in 1990 and steadily built a regional following by performing live and with select video and radio play. Their industrial sound was formed by power tools such as grinders, metal bars, samples, found noises, ripping guitars and dominant rhythmic percussion. Momentum built outside the Toronto industrial scene with some licensing in the USA and Europe, like KK Records. DHI returns from an absence since 1994, bar 2008′s self released digital collection “Emotional Lockout”.
The discovery of their original multi-track tapes in 2018 and an intense listen brought on the need to refresh the material from their final album CD “Pressures Collide”. The band were under constraints to get the material recorded in 1993 initially, but now with reflection and sound tools a project aimed to remaster and remix original source material has completed this year. As frontman Vicar puts it:
- Now, “Pressures Collide” is finally the album that it could have been the first time around.
It has now become a completely new 20-track digital release presented on Bandcamp as an 25th anniversary edition, complete with the “Bitter Alloys EP”. Complimenting are two other independent remasters of “Machine Altar Transmission” in a 28th Anniversary edition bundled with the “Chemical Land EP”, and “Emotional Lockout” (Remastered Edition), self-released on their own label appropriately named DHI (Death and Horror Inc.).
So 2019 marks DHI’s re-releasing of its entire catalogue so fans can purchase directly, and not have impulse to purchase from unlicensed sources. Tribes that follow Skinny Puppy, Test Dept., Front 242 and Ministry should listen keenly.