Release Date: November 13th 2026. Record Label: Black Space Records. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl
Die 8 - Tracklist
1. Algorythms (Mind Control)
2. War Inside (Infinite Internal Friction)
3. Party Is Over (The Last Curfew)
4. Celebr8 (We Salute You)
5. Solar Mantra
6. Deep Space Isolation (Alone, So Far, So Cold)
7. 8 Minutes To Midnight (Run!)
8. The Gr8 Dict8or (Lost In Time)
9. People (8 Billion Voices)
10. Weite (The Edge Of The Beginning)
11. The End Of Time
Members
JE - lead vocals, guitars, keyboards SEB - lead vocals, keyboards, percussion C.RIP - drums, didgeridoo π - guitars MEI - bass guitar
Review
Die 8 is the eighth album from Psych Stoner Rock legends Black Space Riders which is perhaps their most expansive and progressive record to date. As the band bring in a a heavier and cinematic style of music for this record alone. Everything feels powered by a diverse style of Prog Rock, Space Rock, Psych Rock and Hard Rock melodies with the band offering a surreal musical adventure across the whole album.
The album lasts around seventy four minutes that’s spread across eleven tracks which sees Black Space Riders offer a trippy sonic experience that can be quite funk rock driven within the opening stages of the album. The sudden transformation into shamanic cosmic doomsters is something that Black Space Riders have explored before but this feels remarkably different which you can feel from the opening tracks of Algorythms (Mind Control), War Inside (Infinite Internal Friction) and Party Is Over (The Last Curfew).
There’s a reliance on heavy electronic sounds and jazzy rock interludes which transforms into areas of Ambient Post-Rock with a thrilling Alt Rock dimension. You can hear influences such as PRIMUS, TOOL, The Cure and System Of A Down throughout this album which gives a slightly off-beat creative feel with different song structures being created and played throughout. Even the lyrics are wonderfully offbeat and quite surreal though everything works as it should.
Another highlight of the album that forms very early on is the huge danceability factor that Black Space Riders have included within every track. There’s moments of trance, post-punk and doom rock sounds that may feel out of place when you first to listen to the album especially on tracks War Inside (Infinite Internal Friction), Party Is Over (The Last Curfew), Celebr8 (We Salute You), Solar Mantra, The gr8 dict8or (Lost In Time) and epic final track The End Of Time which runs for a mind expanding sixteen minutes.
Some parts of the album are quite over the top with Black Space Riders even embracing elements of Gothic Rock lurking within the Space Rock soundscapes the band are more commonly known for. The songwriting aspect for Die 8 is spectacular with the band merging real life themes and over the top ideas for a grounded slice of reality that will keep you fully engaged throughout.
Die 8 works best when Black Space Riders start creating and playing sounds out of their comfort zone which is highly experimental and may take their established fanbase some time to fully get behind. However, the rewards are huge as Black Space Riders are constantly evolving throughout this album alone. There are certain sections of the records I still have problems with but I feel within time these will ultimately disappear and it’s always good for a band to take you out of your comfort zone.
There’s a fearless and playful attitude that emerges within Black Space Rider’s music especially when the music becomes more focused on that Electronic and Dance Rock delivery they’ve injected for this album alone. The record does feel like a slight rebirth for Black Space Riders and it’s a transformation that may divide musical opinion within the underground scene. However, there’s plenty of great grooves and instrumental passages to be discovered here with Die 8 being quite an action packed record that offers something you’ve never experienced before.
Black Space Riders have been going since 2008 and it’s great to see that the band are still reinventing themselves once more. It’s something we need to celebrate and recognise for Black Space Riders being one of the most fearless and original voices within the Psychedelic Stoner Rock scene.
Die 8 is an exquisite and outstanding record that dares to be different with Black Space Riders offering no easy answers either. Just embrace the wild ride that Black Space Riders have cooked up with Die 8 and you’ll experience one of the wildest, surreal and trippy musical adventures you’ll come across this year alone.
Words by Steve Howe
Thanks to Black Space Riders and Anger Management PR for the promo.
Die 8 is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl.
