photos by Sebastian Gesch
New Noise Magazine is hosting the premiere of “Demon Slither,” the opening track to the eponymous debut album by Berlin/Bielefeld, Germany-based MELLOWDEATH, ahead of its release in November.
MELLOWDEATH unites Sara Neidorf (Sarattma, Mad Kate | The Tide, Hypnodrone Ensemble, ex-Brian Jonestown Massacre) on drums and Isabel Merten (No Chronicles) on bass. Founded in 2017, the duo has since toured Germany, Austria, The Netherlands, Poland, and Czechia, and in 2018, they released their debut EP, Deadly Stares, introducing their captivating style of nightmare jazz—an eerie cinematic soundscape, a haunted circus intercut with a David Lynch western—equal parts menace and mischief, which was met by positive acclaim from media and fans alike.
2025 sees the MELLOWDEATH crew eager to release their long-awaited eponymous debut album. Mellowdeath arrives with ten instantly immersive new songs that expand the duo’s sonic palette on every level, sending listeners through a ghost surf cyclone, a haunted hayride through unsettling, yet hypnotic grooves and doom-twang dirges fit for a clown’s funeral. Fans of Man or Astro Man?, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, Stinking Lizaveta, Earth, Tera Melos, Breadwinner, Doctor Nerve, and Sarattma, Sons Of Ra, and similar free-thinking cross-genre artists will find themselves immersed in its diverse, drifting movements.
Mellowdeath was recorded by Jan Oberg at Hidden Planet Studios in Berlin, after which it was mixed and mastered by Steve Roche at Permanent Hearing Damage Studios in Philadelphia, and completed with cover art by Chloe Grove. The album sees Neidorf and Merten joined by a cast of guest musicians who help round out its sonic delivery, with synths from Rachel Glassberg (Matching Outfits, Dusty Houseplants), cello from Jackie Perez Gratz (Grayceon, Giant Squid), trombone from Florian Juncker (Berlin String Theory, Ensemble LUX:NM, Hannes Zerbe Jazz Orchester), theremin from Hekla Magnusdottir, and guitar from Marco Bianciardi (The Somnambulist) and Matt Hollenberg (Cleric, John Zorn, Titan To Tachyons, Sarattma).
With “Demon Slither,” Neidorf reveals, “I named this track after the embodied feeling that settled into my bones when playing this peri-apocalyptic jaunt – a dance track about embracing the wreckage, building a home there, and letting it move through your body. The song invites a range of movements, depending on the part: a slither, a wiggle, a slow-mo shimmy, or a swagger. Choose your own adventure and inhabit whatever creature comes to the fore. Our album art by Chloe Grove also feels most directly aligned with this title. Her pre-existing body of work, involving snakily dancing ghouls, was a big impetus to reach out to her to make work for Mellowdeath.
“We asked musicians we’d encountered in various contexts to record parts for this album. For this song both guest musicians, Florian Juncker (trombone) and Rachel Glassberg (synths), were active in different scenes and projects in Berlin. We met either through friends or through seeing their other bands play shows. Both musicians have a great sense of humor, whimsy, and drama, and are great listeners/responders, bringing in references from jazz to pop to prog to klezmer. It was a great experience to collaborate with so many diverse voices for this album. An adventurous experiment.”
Hear MELLOWDEATH’s “Demon Slither” first through New Noise Magazine now at THIS LOCATION.
Mellowdeath will be released on November 14th, digitally by the band – with presaves posted HERE and preorders where “Omacore” and “1772” are streaming HERE – and on cassette via Cruel Nature Records, with preorders available HERE.
Following the release of Mellowdeath, the band will release a stripped-down version of the album, void of all outside guest collaborators’ music, showcasing the band’s usual duo setup of bass and drums.
A release show for the album has been booked for December 11th in Berlin. MELLOWDEATH is also booking new tour dates for the Fall and Winter months.
MELLOWDEATH Live:
12/11/2025 3xter – Berlin, DE *album release show
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https://mellowdeath1.bandcamp.com