Sedonis A marks a bold introduction to Sedonis, the latest full-length by Japanese noise legend Merzbow, his first release on Chicago-based imprint Signal Noise, arriving June 27th, 2025.
For over four decades, Masami Akita has operated under the moniker Merzbow, reshaping the landscape of experimental sound. From his Tokyo studio, he’s conjured a visceral sonic language which merges industrial aggression with surrealist mischief. His influence looms large, not only over noise and avant-garde music, but across the broader spectrum of experimental and all around boundary-pushing sound.
Sedonis is both an evolution and a culmination. Emerging from the same creative palette which includes laptops, modular synths, and handmade instruments that informed his Nine Studies of Ephemeral Resonance series, this new album explores a more spacious, spectral intensity.
Opening track Sedonis A ignites with motorik drum machines and Akita’s custom koto strung with guitar wires, coaxed into eerie resonance with a violin bow.
The album also represents a deepening partnership between Merzbow and Signal Noise, the label he helped launch globally by headlining its inaugural showcase in Tokyo. Founded in 2021 by the late artist-curator Gregory Bae and sound artist Kikù Hibino, Signal Noise champions the fusion of experimental audio and visual work. With Sedonis, the label and artist collide in a perfect unison of sonic extremity and curatorial precision.
Merzbow says that the title Sedonis didn’t have a particular meaning, but the word came to him in the aftermath of recording the album. “In terms of imagery, I was thinking of something similar to Barunga, the balloon monster from Ultra Q,” he explains, describing the classic ‘60s Ultraman kaiju. “A cloud-like form floating in the sky or outer space, with tendrils or tentacles — that kind of presence.”
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