It was back in 2023 that the fine Michael Aliani of Chiron (previous vocalist for iconic Australian darkwave band Ikon), contacted us in search of a guitarist for their new release. Michael has been a great supporter of Dawn Industry‘s projects over the years, and earlier incarnations of Chiron performed at several Enzyme events, including headlining for 2010’s Melbourne Fringe Festival event, Enzyme Tower.
Suffice to say, for the last two years we have been recording guitar and occasional keyboard sections in what currently comprises ten tracks, imminent for release in 2026. The task has been a most joyous and rewarding experience, working with Michael and Ikon’s bassist Dino Molinaro. It seems that since returning to Melbourne in 2023, the oft “isolated” nature of being a solo, session or guest musician, has been replaced by the fresh air and light of re-connecting with active musicians, and friends both old and new, on projects long-term.
We’re happy to report that the studio is a hive of activity these days. Sessions for Chiron. Recording and mixing of Minorarc tracks (the first as a trio with Brendan Henriques and Eric Shek). New solo works, and preparation for a Whirlpool of Souls re-issue. On top of all this, we continue to work on translating both Chiron and Minorarc’s pieces for live performance. For the latter, it has now been two years of sporadic rehearsals, experiments with equipment, changeovers of gear, attempts to de-complicate potential live setups, and practice. Above all, we wanted to eliminate the hassles of running any sequences or effects through a computer. The journey has been a long one, and it is by no means finished, but for now it appears that a Boss RC600 is our savior, allowing the live playing and layering of multiple instruments, whilst retaining ample opportunity for improvisation and experimentation. With endless possible configurations, it has taken a lot of tinkering and research to tame into the likes of allowing the live creation of neoclassical and modern metal. A 1010 Nanobox Tangerine has also become an unexpected addition, and we are grateful that such a tiny device can be loaded with the specific piano sounds (usually in a heavy rack-mount), which became central to our work back in the Mystral Tide era. Yes, technology has improved significantly since the early 2000’s!
So it is looking like 2026 will be a big year for releases, and we’re of half a mind to coordinate a live music evening for the Melbourne Fringe Festival in October too. More information on that later as planning progresses!