Known for pushing boundaries with their blend of heavy metal, electronic textures, and experimental sounds, Black Hole Zion have returned with their latest offering, ‘Wormhole Aliens’, an unexpected cover album that was unleashed on 30th April 2025.
As a project, it’s an interesting blend of old and new - a daring attempt at re-imagining familiar tunes through the band's unique, sci-fi-tinged sonic landscape. Breaking from their usual approach, ‘Wormhole Aliens’ is a curated collection of covers, with each track personally selected by a different member, making it both a nod to the music that shaped them and a creative experiment in sonic transformation. The title itself gives a knowing wink to ‘Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’, hinting at a journey through varied musical dimensions, ages, and eras.
The conceptual backbone of the album is rooted in the idea of alternate musical realities. As the band explained, "We approached every song like it was a different version of us from some other timeline playing it. Almost as if there was a world somewhere where Black Hole Zion had written these songs even though we didn’t."
Featuring an eclectic mix of artists including David Bowie, Anthrax, Tears for Fears, the Bee Gees, and Kiss, ‘Wormhole Aliens’ is an intriguing fusion of clean singing, powerful screams, heavy metal instrumentation, and synthesisers. Tracks like the take on Anthrax's ‘Only’ revisit a perhaps controversial chapter in metal history, while their versions of ‘I Started a Joke’ by the Bee Gees and David Bowie's ‘Starman’ highlight Mark's vocal versatility in some truly unexpected ways.
One of the album's most poignant moments is the rendition of Depeche Mode's ‘Walking in My Shoes’, serving as a heartfelt tribute to the band's late keyboardist, Stanley Benkovic. His final recorded contributions are woven throughout the album, adding a layer of emotional depth to a project that became intertwined with grief, remembrance, and artistic resilience.
The band shared the profound impact of this loss, stating: "We lost our dear friend and bandmate, Stan, to cancer during the making of this record, and it took me a long time to be able to finish it. I really loved and respected Stan. I went at it in spurts to try and deal with it all. When I finally felt ready to tackle the remainder this past summer, my sweet dog/son, Rudy was battling cancer as well. I lost him in August and it was a whole new level of pain. I wanted to make sure that we honored Stan, and everyone's playing in the best way possible. It just took me a long time to deal with it all".
As an album, it’s a mixed bag, but that’s exactly what it’s meant to be. The diverse collection of covers, tweaked, twisted, and otherwise transformed into Black Hole Zion’s style, makes for a spirited ride. It’s loud and gritty, but in moments, tastefully textured, showcasing the band’s willingness to explore a broader spectrum of sounds, and not being put off by the idea of changing a classic.
‘Wormhole Aliens’ stands as a unique snapshot of Black Hole Zion's innovative spirit and their ability to navigate diverse musical territories while honouring their influences and their lost friend.
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