Promonium Jesters

To Promonium Jesters vocalist Ethan Mosely, playing alongside one of his guitar heroes is like a dream come true; “I grew up listening to KMFDM. We went and saw them on the *Symbols* tour in 1997… an absolutely mind blowing experience. And to now have En Esch sitting in my kitchen having a beer, its just like my brain’s exploding.” The Canadians brought it hard on their first ever NYC show with a blistering blend of “psychedelic industrial thrash” that sounded simultaneously spontaneous and precise. Keeping two drummers, three guitar players, and keyboards sounding tight is not an easy task, but Promonium is not a rookie band. “Futurekill” features Mosely’s angry stream of consciousness ranting backed by harsh riffs courtesy of guitarist Tyler Nobel. The sonic mayhem takes several unexpected turns within the same song. Synth player Gregory Stewart Cox skillfully injects electronic and analog noises into the mix in a way that you can tell he is actually playing lead parts, and not just miming. The bass guitar duties were handled skillfully by Dave Miller, providing a good amount of groove and low end. The song “Hard” has a more industrial beat and starts out with looping speech samples over a mechanized beat provided by drummers Mike Adaptiv and Rob Mosely; it was well received by the crowd. Ethan’s high octane vocals on “Skull Duty” bring to mind other great industrial/metal front men like Jaz Coleman (Killing Joke) or Richard Patrick (Filter) only with way more dreadlocks. Promonium’s easygoing stage presence, combined with a deceptively powerful array of talent, won over the crowd and left the stage destroyed. - ReGen Magazine

To Promonium Jesters vocalist Ethan Mosely, playing alongside one of his guitar heroes is like a dream come true; “I grew up listening to KMFDM. We went and saw them on the *Symbols* tour in 1997… an absolutely mind blowing experience. And to now have En Esch sitting in my kitchen having a beer, its just like my brain’s exploding.” The Canadians brought it hard on their first ever NYC show with a blistering blend of “psychedelic industrial thrash” that sounded simultaneously spontaneous and precise. Keeping two drummers, three guitar players, and keyboards sounding tight is not an easy task, but Promonium is not a rookie band. “Futurekill” features Mosely’s angry stream of consciousness ranting backed by harsh riffs courtesy of guitarist Tyler Nobel. The sonic mayhem takes several unexpected turns within the same song. Synth player Gregory Stewart Cox skillfully injects electronic and analog noises into the mix in a way that you can tell he is actually playing lead parts, and not just miming. The bass guitar duties were handled skillfully by Dave Miller, providing a good amount of groove and low end. The song “Hard” has a more industrial beat and starts out with looping speech samples over a mechanized beat provided by drummers Mike Adaptiv and Rob Mosely; it was well received by the crowd. Ethan’s high octane vocals on “Skull Duty” bring to mind other great industrial/metal front men like Jaz Coleman (Killing Joke) or Richard Patrick (Filter) only with way more dreadlocks. Promonium’s easygoing stage presence, combined with a deceptively powerful array of talent, won over the crowd and left the stage destroyed. - ReGen Magazine

I was glad I stopped by the Slice, one of six people taking in an exceptional and loud punk show from Ontario’s Adaptive
Promonium Jesters. Photo by Richard Amery

Promonium Jesters. Photo by Richard Amery
Reaction and the Promonium Jesters, May 25.


I arrived at the beginning of Adaptive Reaction’s exciting set. the trio, a drummer, a guitarist Myke and a keyboardist vocalist, Amy, which lead to a contrast in styles.

When Amy sang, she took the crowd back to late ’70s Vancouver/Victoria punk a la the Dishrags, mixed with more modern alternative and grunge era music like Hole.

She added some queer synth sounds which were something else entirely. When Myke sang, his DOA shirt said it all as his songs were pure adrenaline fueled DOA, style punk.

Adaptive Reaction at the Slice. Photo by Richard Amery

Adaptive Reaction at the Slice. Photo by Richard Amery

The Promonium Jesters, brought more synth, a lot of energy and the spirit of the likes of Skinny Puppy and Rage Against the Machine.

There wasn’t a bass in sight but the wall of sound they supplied shook the Slice to it’s very core, rattling beer glasses on vibrating tables.

I was almost afraid the roof would collapse. They almost knocked you down with that wall of sound.


They ended with four guitars creating the wall followed by the lead singer ripping the strings off of his.
— by Richard Amery, L.A. Beat Editor - The Lethbridge Alberta Beat

As the club begins to fill up, opening act Promonium Jesters immediately take the stage with no apprehension or delay. Always difficult to set the bar for such high caliber acts, the band quickly hits hard with electric rock energy that seems to practically surprise the waiting audience. Cautious yet entranced onlookers slowly gather toward the stage in a scattered procession, approaching closer and moving slowly to the tempo of the band's remarkable combination of psychedelic industrial/thrash rock. Judging by the reaction to those who immediately come to the foot of the stage, it is quite clear that this band is definitely not out of place in introducing the lineup of prominent bands to follow. Lead singer Ethan Moseley holds such an intense energy that captivates the growing crowd with ease, bringing together a unified front of musical calamity that blows your mind at the same time as it moves your body. Highlighted by strong electronic rhythm for lack of a drummer, the band manages to create an aura of pumped-up electric adrenaline that captures the attention of the waiting fans that seem to be developing a yearning for more. - ReGen Magazine

As the club begins to fill up, opening act Promonium Jesters immediately take the stage with no apprehension or delay. Always difficult to set the bar for such high caliber acts, the band quickly hits hard with electric rock energy that seems to practically surprise the waiting audience. Cautious yet entranced onlookers slowly gather toward the stage in a scattered procession, approaching closer and moving slowly to the tempo of the band's remarkable combination of psychedelic industrial/thrash rock. Judging by the reaction to those who immediately come to the foot of the stage, it is quite clear that this band is definitely not out of place in introducing the lineup of prominent bands to follow. Lead singer Ethan Moseley holds such an intense energy that captivates the growing crowd with ease, bringing together a unified front of musical calamity that blows your mind at the same time as it moves your body. Highlighted by strong electronic rhythm for lack of a drummer, the band manages to create an aura of pumped-up electric adrenaline that captures the attention of the waiting fans that seem to be developing a yearning for more. - ReGen Magazine

This CDr comes in a jewel case that feels a bit heavy, like jewel cases 20 years ago used to. It looks a little scuffed up as well, as if they just reused an old case. Listening to the disc, they might as well have recorded the music 20 years ago as well. "Heart Beatings" comes roaring out of the stereo like a "Psalm 69" demo outtake. "Rust (Long)" has a pounding beat and bass guitar reminiscent of Killing Joke. "Scar Master" seems to worship at the alter of Key and Ogre. "Omnicide" concludes the disc with an 8-minute jam of acid-fried guitars and some dubby dialogue samples.

So yes, this is heavy industrial rock, the way they made it in the early '90s. Yes, it's been done before, but it's also been done far, far worse. This has nothing to do with the type of goth club fodder that Metropolis shits out. Instead, it's noisy, sophisticated, yet hard-hitting stuff that does what it does pretty well. 7/10 - Foxy Digitalis

Leaving the indy world of rock and roll behind, this next 7" plunges us straight into the techno industrial world of underground S&M clubs, mind altering substances, dark eyeliner and women who carry big, spiked cat-o-nine-tails. Promonium Jesters attack us first with their blistering assault of old school industrial rock, "Skull Duty." Massive waves of thrashing heavy guitars, tsunamis of synths, and armored batteries of drums lead the charge as the band subversives their mix with samples and all sorts of unnamed psychedelic exploration. Revving up the BPM to levels that could cause your heart to fibrillate, the song escalates into a frantic mania of guitars and keys. Never losing that all important beat, this is dense, metallic and heavy as shit. Maybe the song should be called "Skull Crusher," instead. Influences like KMFDM and The Revolting Cocks are here, but so are all the industrial standards, thrown into their blender of terror and spewed back out fully frapped. Fortunately, the song isn't a one trick pony of high rev BPM and the crew inject enough nuance and play with speed to keep it interesting all the way through. - The Ripple Effect Music Blog