Photo Courtesy of Earsplit PR

Industrial solo-act Author & Punisher a.k.a. Tristan Shone is one of the most unique performers in music today. A former mechanical engineer, Shone left the field to study art and sculpture. He creates his own instruments, including a drum machine that looks like a robotic fist, and a neckpiece microphone that amplifies his trachea. Alone from behind his mechanical fortress he delivers harsh, beat-driven live sets that envelope the audience like a thick black cloud. 

I caught up with Shone before a captivating and sufficiently loud appearance at Toronto’s Hard Luck Bar to talk about the visual aesthetic of his instruments, why he never intended to make industrial music, and how he fits into the metal scene.

Author & Punisher’s latest album Melk En Honing (Dutch for “Milk and Honey”) is available now, and you can watch the puppet-filled video for “Void, Null, Alive” below.