The uncompromising, immortal vocalist, composer, and avant-garde goddess Diamanda Galás has never really been inactive, per se, but the past several years have borne witness to a considerable uptick in activity from the dame of darkness (who we were honored to feature last year). Running through her mile-long list of accomplishments and incredible career itself would take more time than we've got, given that the end times are right around the corner, but her Wikipedia page alone is a treasure trove (and you've got the same Google I do). Suffice it to say, she's legendary—and if you're ever graced with the opportunity to watch her perform, then trust me when I say that you're going to want to drop everything and make it happen, because watching Diamanda Galás perform feels like watching God.Following a busy 2016, Galás has just announced that she'll be releasing two (!) new albums this year, her first new recorded material since 2008. Her new studio album, All The Way, will be a collection of radical re-workings of traditional and jazz standards (including tunes from Thelonious Monk and Johnny Paycheck), while the live album At Saint Thomas The Apostle Harlem was recorded during the 2016 Red Bull Music Academy Festival and features a litany of what Galás calls "death songs" sung in Greek, Italian, German, and French. According to a press release, she'll be touring across North America and Europe with a similar setlist this spring (so remember what I told you in the first paragraph).Listen to her spine-tingling renditions of "O, Death" and "All the Way" below, and look out for both albums on March 24, coming courtesy of Galás's own Intravenal Sound Operations.
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Kim Kelly is in awe on Twitter.