Listen to a dystopian playlist for the times curated by Lord Spikeheart

Welcome back to Selections, a series of artist-curated playlists from those in the know.

Known for his growling stage presence, his mastery of music’s most doom-laden sonics, and his ever influential label HAEKALU Records, Lord Spikeheart (real name Martin Kanja) has been at the beating heart of East Africa’s underground metal scene for a decade.

With an ever-experimental, always-evolving sound palette, his music is rooted in metal’s brash distorted guitars and lightning-speed smacks of percussion, but also draws influence from much more. With his latest album The Adept, released earlier this year, there are injections of club sounds and noise rap, all merging to create an apocalyptic soundtrack that’s fitting for the times.

His Selections playlist dives us into his musical psyche, packed full of abrasion, sub bass and sounds designed to make you sit straight up in your seat. “Dystopian sonic madness taken to the extreme,” is how he describes the playlist. “Intense, strident, leading to catharsis. Glorious genre-bending and textural intertwining pushed by artistic acumen [that emphasises] the new era of music we are currently living in.” Dive in below.

Lord Spikeheart plays No Bounds Festival, which takes place in Sheffield and Rotherham between 11-13 October.