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Photo credit: Ryan Donnelly

Calgary-based solo project Post Death Soundtrack serves as an ever-evolving amalgamation of heavy music and heavy ideas from the unpredictable mind of Stephen Moore. This lays the groundwork over which Moore showcases his crushing vocal performances, philosophical, often terrifying lyricism and untethered sonic palette. In each piece, he takes from his hall of faces to embody the essence of a theme, be it scathing fury or enlightened ambivalence. Balancing ferocity and serenity, surrealist absurdity and earworm familiarity.

Following the critical success of 2024’s “Veil Lifter“, a doom metal/grunge album that achieved features on Doom Charts, Metal Devastation Radio and recognition from several ‘Best of 2024’ year end lists, Stephen Moore decided on a fresh direction for the next release. It ended up taking form far sooner than he has anticipated.

Post Death Soundtrack‘s 5th full-length album “IN ALL MY NIGHTMARES I AM ALONE” is the sonic equivalent to an urgent magazine clipping threat tied to a rock and thrown through a window. Having grown up loving albums like Nirvana’s ‘Incesticide’ and Jeff Buckley’s ill-fated “Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk”, Stephen Moore has always had a love for rawness and truth in music – the rest is secondary. He merely asks himself ‘Is it good?’ Although this album has both brutish output, frightening, upsetting content and sublimely beautiful pieces, the themes are difficult to unpack. “TREMENS” was finalized when Stephen Moore was literally in the middle of the dreaded Delirium Tremens. There is a 15 % chance of death.

“This album is in some ways a complete breakdown in audio format, and in that there is a powerful breakthrough. I find it beautiful and powerful to express what often is not acknowledged or communicated. I learned that from Kurt Cobain and I’m very proud of this work.” – Stephen Moore

During the promotion of 2024’s acclaimed ‘Veil Lifter’, Moore discovered the bones of a forgotten album, most of which had been recorded between 2009 – 2011. Some are on the experimental industrial and noise side of the sonic realm, while many are acoustic-based, a few of which were almost too pretty to be included. From 12 or 13 initial tracks, which were often completely reimagined, with new production and instrumentation as well as vocals added, another 15 completely new offerings were written and recorded, making this release a staggering 30 songs.

Album openers “TREMENS” and “GOOD TIME SLOW JAM (IN ALL MY NIGHTMARES I AM ALONE” rage with a feral, reckless and wholly uncensored energy. Although the lyrics play a strong role, there is disturbing content here as it involves mental health struggles during crisis. Stylistically, these tracks fit well with artists like Skinny Puppy and Nine Inch Nails. “A MONOLITH OF ALARMS” recalls artists like Frontline Assembly and in many ways sums up Post Death Soundtrack‘s reason for existing and inspiring others.
“You see all the voiceless, abandoned and sick
Forgotten the beacon….I light the wick
I heard the screaming from the derelict farm
Where tongues were silent….A MONOLITH OF ALARMS

Ring them out”

“VENUS IN FURS” is an appropriately subversive interpretation of Velvet Underground’s dirge classic. “WHEN THE WORLD IS BURNING BRIGHT” is a taunting 3 am gothic post-punk piece that lyrically confounds. There are no rules in Moore’s musical world. “FAST APPROACHING RADIANT LIGHT” once again jolts the pace along with a frantic breakbeat and an explosive, rousing performance. “SOMETHING STIRS”, also recorded in May 2025, is a song of mourning, partially based on the children’s campfire story “Who Has My Golden Arm?”, and partially based on Moore having his kittens stolen in the middle of the night and whole family robbed by an ex. Yes, truth is often stranger and more twisted than fiction, and this album is an uncensored walk directly through intensive trauma. “WE FALL”, simple as it is, can be a downright upsetting listen, even for Moore. Anyone who has lost someone they felt were integral might relate to this devastating, and very short, track.

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Credit: Stephen Moore

“HYPNOTIZER” riffs on Led Zeppelin’s love for Eastern melodies that intertwine with solid hooks while delivering a message about lack of media, social and emotional literacy. “RIVER MAN”, an earnest cover of Nick Drake’s subtle classic, is very much a happy accident. Imperfect, yes. Moore recorded this himself in his apartment in 2010 after discovering he loved Nick Drake’s level of sensitivity and knack for communicating dark things through surreal lyricism. This is one of those cases where the performance just works better than a studio take and stands alone as it is. It could be the centerpiece of this release. “FINAL DAYS” is full-on punk rock with a rockabilly insanity to it, imagining the end of the world in a slightly comedic way and honoring both Refused and Swing Kids with it’s vicious energy.

“Reckless Fever”, “Oversoul”, “Start This Over” and “Surrender” are moody acoustic tracks with a similarity in their sense of existential longing. Both were written after Moore discovered his love for all things Leonard Cohen.
“CRAWLING KING SNAKE”, recorded in May 2025, delivers an altogether unpredictable take on The Doors and their stellar version of John Lee Hooker’s classic blues expression. “HYPNOTIZER” riffs on Led Zeppelin’s love for Eastern melodies that intertwine with solid hooks while delivering a message about lack of media, social and emotional literacy.
“God’s Away On Business” is another of Moore’s favorite Tom Waits tracks, and is has a new groove, as it would be inappropriate to attempt to impersonate the man. Passion runs all of this process. “What’s He Building In There?” is newly recorded in 2025. It is one of Stephen’s all-time Tom Waits favorites, although there are many of them. This is the ultimate take of the nosy neighbor.
“An Anything” is a dark and moody, obscure cover of one of Stephen Moore’s life-long friends, Ryan Smith AKA My Arm Is An Ocean.
“Song for Bonzai” and “Desert Wind” provide more beautiful more acoustic expressions. “Song for Bonzai” is the only instrumental on this release. Originally titled “Song of Joy”, after additional instrumentation and production, it is appropriately called “Song for Bonzai” in tribute of the brave black cat Bonzai, Stephen’s beloved animal companion who passed very recently after a fight with diabetes, undiscovered underlying issues, and brutish vets. He was the bravest cub, but had too much goodness for this Earth and was simply stopping by. Moore made this album happen in the throes of mourning his boy. The pain on this album is real. “Desert Wind” is another apartment recording, recently mildly treated. It is a very simple song that carries some magic with it’s presence.

The tracks “What Did You Just Call Me?”, “I Would Surmise”, “Control”, “Trigger Finger”, “White Mare”, “Get Your Tickets Ready” and “In All My Nightmares I Am Alone” were all recorded in 2025 as Stephen Moore put together this release.

Eclectic, brash, raw, revelatory, mournful and resilient. Post Death Soundtrack’s 5th album “IN ALL MY NIGHTMARES I AM ALONE” is a singular work when you look closely enough. The same heart, spirit and pain pervade this wide-ranging collection.
Currently, Stephen Moore is working on the final touches for his new album with industrial/doom metal/alternative project HE IS ME, which is a duo him and Portland artist/musician Casey Braunger formed. Casey and Stephen are artistic collaborators and very close friends as well. Their upcoming album will be called “HEL’S MOUTH”, and will contain 14 or 15 songs of dynamic shifts, tense arrangements, sludgy, guitar-driven metal, industrial, hard-edged grooves, ambient pieces and very much a battling mindset.
Post Death Soundtrack‘s “IN ALL MY NIGHTMARES I AM ALONE”, out now, is at once uncensored chaos, frustration, and subtle beauty.

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