Author & Punisher shares behind-the-scenes mini-documentary & 4K live video

Industrial mastermind Author & Punisher shares a new mini-documentary, pulling back the curtain and taking fans behind the scenes of his machinery intricacy. The new behind-the-scenes interview was filmed during AUTHOR & PUNISHER’s recent European Summer tour in Warsaw, PL. 

Watch the full mini-documentary, including a full 4K live performance video of Author & Punisher’s “Doppler” on the A&P and Relapse YouTube channels HERE. Filmed by ili Jet. 

Author & Punisher creator Tristan Shone comments:

“I’ve worked pretty hard over my career to find ways to craft a live performance within the realm of electronic music. I’ve had my fill of failures, glitches, poor performances, bad soldering, etc. but no more than any band with a broken drum head, string or mic cable. That’s part of live music. I think it’s actually pretty cowardly to just play the tracks and sing along. I have a growing bitterness towards style over substance…I respect everyone’s artistry, but personally I’m not  interested in your costumes and extreme stage presence, running around in the crowd. I’m more interested in you being able to perform the songs you wrote in a live capacity and that being captivating and powerful.

At some point, we have to ask ourselves what is gained and lost by the lack of risk in a live performance? If it is perfect and the same every night with backing tracks and auto tune (or some variant thereof), then it loses something. I love to see folks work within a set of limitations that they can play live…it may take years to perfect, but show us what you practiced and developed over 100 shows, not what you recorded last week and augmented with costumes and makeup. “

With 2025’s crushing “Nocturnal Birding”, founding composer, vocalist and mechanical engineer Tristan Shone embraced the project’s broadest scope to date, out now via Relapse Records. Order & listen at https://orcd.co/authorandpunisher 

Author & Punisher formed in January 2004 as the brainchild of San Diego-based mechanical engineer, artist, and sculptor Tristan Shone. Best described as a fusion of industrial metal, doom, and drone—but with a very distinctive twist: the music is performed entirely using custom-built mechanical instruments designed by Shone himself. Author & Punisher has earned acclaim for its innovation and singular vision. His unique melding of seemingly disparate disciplines has been highlighted in a wide range of outlets, from Wired Magazine, which dubbed him a “doom metal auteur,” to Pitchfork, which noted he “literalized the idea of sound sculpture.” 

Over the years, he has released nine full-length albums and an EP: “The Painted Army” (2005), “Warcry” (2007), “Drone Machines” (2010), “Ursus Americanus” (2012), “Women & Children” (2013), “Melk En Honing” (2015), “Pressure Mine” EP (2017), “Beastland” (2018), “Krüller” (2022) and “Nocturnal Birding” (2025).

A full collection of Author & Punisher music videos are available HERE.

Official links:

Tristanshone.com
Facebook.com/authorandpunisher
Instagram.com/authorandpunisher
Twitter.com/authorandpunisher
Youtube.com/@authorpunisherofficial 
Authorandpunisher.bandcamp.com