Nadia Tehran - Dozakh : All Lovers Hell

Analogous to her own life, Nadia's music and art is unmistakably her own; from the album opener "Try" where her father hauntingly recalls a near death-near life experience at the frontline of the Iraq-Iran conflict, via the ornate string arrangements reminiscent of an electrified Kamancheh throughout "Jet", to the neo violent lullaby "In Tune With The Moon", "Dozakh: All Lovers Hell" is quite clearly an album by a truly endemic artist. Whilst 2016's "Life Is Cheap, Death Is Free" saw Nadia zeroing in on a particular branch of globally minded, unapologetic and vicious brand of hi-energy electronic music, "Dozakh: All Lovers Hell" broadens her horizons beyond the trenches and the struggles. "Dozakh: All Lovers Hell" doesn't hold any plain punches, but it´s fury is tempered by Nadia's emotional generosity - in particular "Nazi Killer" with it´s tender, whispered verses and explosive choruses illustrates this perfectly, and serves not only an fitting war cry for those who oppose against hate, but also as an illustration of why the political is always personal for those who are marginalized by the state.Needles to say Nadia is more than just a bruised brawler, and "Dozakh: All Lovers Hell" reflects that. Love, sadness, boredom and a full spectrum other states are present within this body of work, and each is excavated with pure honesty and open-handed vulnerability. From the soft spoken, fearful affection of "Tell Nobody", the crumbling dregs of a toxic relationship on "High" and the submerged howls of "Alcoholic Waves", Nadia effortlessly merges an old weary soul with new-born ferocity into 15 standout tracks.