For those not in the know, 1919 was a year of massive change and desperate rebellion. The murder of Rosa Luxembourg, the mutiny of the French fleet in the Black Sea, the Churchill/Trotsky dual, general strikes in Belfast, Glasgow and other cities, the great red scare in America, etc.

Oh, and 1919, a post-punk band, were formed in Bradford, England in early 1980.

The band was formed in late 1980 by Guitarist Mark Tighe and Vocalist Ian Tilleard. After starting life as Heaven Seventeen, and with early line-ups including a pre-Zodiac Mindwarp Mark Manning, the band eventually settled as 1919 (after a book belonging to Tighe) with Nick Hiles on Bass and Mick Reed on Drums.

Their intention was, according to Reed, "... to create a heavy melodic intense dance band with no frills and no intentions."

Sadly though the band split in 1985, but reformed in 2014 to great acclaim and numerous tours and festival appearances across Europe.

So, after having released the albums Machine (1983) and then Bloodline (2017), the British post-punk veterans 1919 have now released their brand new masterpiece of darkly melodic goth rock.

Entitled Futurecide - out now via Cleopatra Records - it's the group's (Mick Reed - Drums; Rio Goldhammer - Vocals; Karl Donner - Bass; and Sam Evans - Guitar) first album recorded since the passing of founding member and lead vocalist Mark Tighe who insisted that the band carry on - which they have done in fine form here on these 10 tracks, trust me.

1. 'Anxiety'
2. 'Isolation'
3. 'Futurecide'
4. 'Radicals'
5. 'Dali Alarma'
6. 'Speak Now'
7. 'Aurora'
8. 'Man, Myth, and the Curse of the Immortal'
9. 'Stop the World'
10. 'Where Are You Now?'

This thunderously great, alive and vibrant album kicks of with the drumtastic 'Anxiety' and backs that up with both the ferocious 'Isolation' and the melodic guitar work on the title track, 'Futurecide.'

A soaring 'Radicals' is one of the stand out tracks here for me and that's followed by the psychedelic, post-apocalyptic floating vibe of 'Dali Alarma' and then the old school vinyl sounds of 'Speak Now.'

If I thought I couldn't have loved this new album any more I was wrong for 'Aurora' is one of the best tracks of this musical ilk I've heard in a long, long time outside of the mid-'80s / early-'90s.

The album then comes to a close with the brilliant Goth ambiance of 'Man, Myth, and the Curse of the Immortal,' the drum-led, foot-tappin' 'Stop the World,' and then the Goth reverb of the grasping earthly beauty of 'Where Are You Now?'

www.1919Official.com

1919 @ Facebook