Support: FANGE |

Industrial force and sonic extremes

Author & Punisher is the musical project of Tristan Shone from San Diego, founded in January 2004.

Tristan, a mechanical engineer and artist, designed and manufactured most of the instruments himself, often referred to as Drone and Dub Machines. These are crafted from raw materials and open-source electronic circuits. Shone wanted a unique sound that conventional instruments could not produce, aiming for a full band sound while remaining a one-man operation.

The name refers to a religious T-shirt he used to wear during his student days, having attended a Catholic high school. Shone has mentioned that it was a way to poke fun at a biblical passage where Jesus is described as the 'author and finisher' (punisher) of faith.

So much for a little help from my friend 'Wikipedia', because the industrial sound of Author & Punisher—with its heavy distorted, drone, and noisy character (think back to the rise of the industrial sound in the late 80s with pioneers like Ministry and NIN)—has recently been reinforced by a guitarist.

The permanent guitarist is Doug Sabolick, known from Ecstatic Vision, who performed here at VERA in 2019 with a wonderful psychedelic sound or “Troglodyte Rock/Chromosome Deficient Jams” as they call it.

Anyway, since the 2025 album 'Nocturnal Birding', he has contributed guitar parts and massive riffs, resulting in a more guitar-oriented sound. Personally, I welcome this addition alongside the 'welcome to the end of the world' atmosphere of Author & Punisher.

Admittedly, it’s not light listening, but the guitar makes the whole thing more diverse. Live on stage, there is more movement thanks to Doug’s headbanging and swaying mane, as I witnessed during their concert at Doornroosje. You could say Shone is somewhat tied down by his battery of machines. It is, however, impressive to see what the man has produced himself.

Think you’ve heard it all? Not quite, because the French band FANGE is coming to steamroll the place as support with a searing, all-destroying industrial Death Metal Sludge sound. Brute noisy death metal riffs at times, combined with vocals that grunt and scream as if announcing the end of days (I don’t know a word of French, aside from some curse words, but I’ll leave those out).

Especially those iron-clad, tight riffs really appeal to me when they kick into high gear. Phew! As a DJ and spectator, I am genuinely looking forward to this heavy ordeal. Wonderful!

A little history on this band: formed in 2013 in Rennes, France, they now have several EPs and full-length albums to their name, the latest being the 2025 release 'Purulences'. They sing in their native language, and their music is certainly not for the faint of heart, but it is a challenge worth taking.

Industrial music didn't bypass Europe in the early 90s either. Think of Front 242, Young Gods, Nitzer Ebb, Treponem Pal, KMFDM, Rammstein, etc., so both acts tonight have had plenty of great examples to draw from.

If you’re in the mood to be sucked into industrial noise, tonight is a definite recommendation, musically supported by yours truly.

- Case

Author & Punisher | Official Website

FANGE | Bandcamp