Todays' highlight:

Ianva - Disobbedisco! (Antica Fonografia Il Levriero)

It's not common for a debut album to receive unanimous consensus, and the reason why this Ianva first full length has all the numbers of a high profile release is due to the fact that all the members of this project have in fact multiple experiences on their CV in a whole range of Italian dark and avant-garde projects, even metal bands. The sound they conjure up in Disobbedisco! is pretty unique and there's no single point of reference in modern music to compare them to. On the other hand, they draw substantially from a wide range of elements that have historically made up the spine of Italian musical heritage, not least the strong Italian folk tradition, but not only. They draw and create a "green-grey" mixture that is a totally fitting soundtrack to the concept elected as theme of this fantastic album. Yes, it is a concept album. When was last time you heard one? I can't recall myself. If the though scares you (and even more on the grounds that this is entirely sung in Italian), don't despair: on musical grounds only, this is a masterpiece moulding nostalgic, popular and melancholic moods with a taste of heroic actions in a military context. The concept lives in the aftermath of WWI and around the controversial destiny reserved to the town of Fiume, that a group of "Arditi" leaded by poet and war air hero Gabriele D'Annunzio tried -bloodily and in vain- to rescue into the boundaries of Italy. There's a love story going on, one of the forbidden type, where an Italian Major falls in love with a passionate woman that was in fact a spy from the enemy. One of the most striking qualities of this album is the richness of the musical arrangements, that easily reveal the rich background of the band members. Their interpretation of the different moods pertinent to the different chapters of the story is impeccable and you really don't need to understand the lyrics to be absorbed in this voyage in a troubled past, although, obviously, it's a bonus if you do. Military drumming underlines the opening chapter, dedicated to the battle of Vittorio Veneto, the closing event of WWI. Wailing trumpets, accordion embroideries, sad piano lines, subtle basslines, synth backdrops and effects, vocal samples are all combined in countless combinations to give life to this epic opus of sadness. Throughout the album, lead vocals are provided by Mercy also known for being the vocalist of acclaimed Italian outfits Helden Rune and Malombra and are a commanding asset of the album, and let me tell you that it wouldn't work the way it does without his unique interpretation of the main character, Major Renzi. Female counterpart and hot object of desire Elettra Stravos is interpreted by Stefania T. D'Alterio, who gives birth to her character, and an impression to last, in a single track, that is a tango, the right carrier of her flamboyance. As unfair as it might be in this context to single out tracks for praise, I can't help but point to La Ballata dell'Ardito and Di Nuovo In Armi as two uplifting and outstanding pieces of military-tinted folk noir that you'd find hard to remove from your memory for days. At least I do! Traditi is a very emotional piece that stands out as well, featuring D'Annunzio speaking to his legion after having realised that the Italian "brothers" were up to bomb their ass out of the town after all, rather than fulfilling the dream for which they were fighting and scarifying so much. Fuoco A Fiume depicts the final moments before the demise in solemn orchestral fashion and is the most dramatic moment of the album, yet not the closing one. Ianva are in many ways much atypical, not least for being a 9-piece outfit. Not only they stray from any established contemporary schemes, they successfully manage to bring the past into the present, both in terms of concept and practical interpretation. And on the stage too: in fact, I discovered this surprising album as they performed it at a festival in Switzerland last year (see Triumvirat Festival review) and it was love at first sight. Comprehensive notes, lyrics translations and information about the album and its concept are available online at www.illevriero.it

Gianfri

CD's

Aeoga - Triangle of Nebula-Devourers (Aural Hypnox)

Aural Hypnox open their CD-R release series with this half-hour long hypnotic industrial work by Aeoga. The three tracks on offer are a pure excursion in time-space, populated by ghoulish forces impregnating the scene with their omnipotent presence. The apparent chaos living in the Triangle of Nebula-Devourers is competently structured in layers, each offering a diverse, yet fitting, interpretation of the ongoing action. Like different dimensions in an extension of the space-time coordinates we are familiar with, varied sound effects, percussion, ghost voices meet each other to fill a canvas of unrealistic connotations for our ears and mind to get absorbed in. This little jewel is strictly limited to 100 copies, each coming with unique hand-paited artwork. The first 40 copies are offered with the de-luxe box of Zenith Beyond The Helix-Locus, which is the subject of our next review. www.auralhypnox.com

Gianfri

Aeoga - Zenith Beyond The Helix-Locus (Aural Hypnox)

An album of full-fledged death ambient-industrial, Zenith Beyond The Helix-Locus is a dark enigma suspended in reverberation. A Finnish duo based way up north, Aeoga give us a taste of how perception might be altered up there, offering a tremendous journey to hell and back through a variety of soundscapes that are frightening to the bone. The albums features 15 compositions for well over one hour of underworld entertainment and is very effective at stimulating imaginative stories given its powerful cinematic character. Compositions are very elaborate, dynamic as they keep the scene always alive and in focus. They use all the tricks of the trade to bring fancy devilish effects to he fore, never letting the energy content decay for a second, while drones keep the backdrops live, although never quite static. The suggested galloping pace of this primarily stagnant atmospheric work is probably the biggest achievement of Aeoga with Zenith..., moving ahead in the field of hellish-ambient with a well measured incorporation of industrial and electronica elements alike. This is an album that breaks through the dark ambient clichés by offering vivid imaginative spaces and volumes in which to immerse for a fantastic aural pleasure. Be damned and be saved... it's all in Zenith Beyond The Helix-Locus. Comes in a ltd ed of 1000 in a neatly illustrated 7" cardboard sleeve. www.auralhypnox.com

Gianfri

Ah Cama-Sotz - Ghost in The Shadow (Spectre)

An invaluable document of the fine art of darkness that every now and then emanates from the gifted hands of Mr Herman Klapholz, aka Ah Cama-Sotz. Ghost in The Shadow is a live recording of a Belgian performance back in 2003, one of the not so common events seeing Ah Cama-Sotz performing an ambient oriented set. Talking ambient here isn't simply talking dark ambient, it is more a compendium of elements ranging from fine-crafted electronics, to subdued orchestral blocks, to delirious voices, mysterious echoes, hell-ish chorals, erupting noises, that build up a classic soundtrack of devilish connotations. I particularly like the way the atmospheres morph one into one other so seamlessly to create a vast unearthly journey in the space of just under 50 minutes. Well removed from the repetitive or droning character of much dark ambient out there, Ah Cama-Sotz pursue the way to dark catharsis via a tortured path bringing meditation to rub shoulder with damnation. As a matter of fact, Ghost in The Shadow includes a number of tracks from releases that are nowadays hard to track down, making the disc even more palatable to those yet shy in exploring the many dimensions of this highly polyedric artist, one with a massive focus on the dark side of earthly life. www.ahcama-sotz.com - www.spectre.be

Gianfri

Ain Soph - Live at The Slimelight - London June 11 2005 (Misty Circles)

It's never too late for unforeseen experiences in life or career, and cult esoteric ikon Ain Soph are no exception. Giving the skimpy record in terms of live appearances of this apparently elusive combo (just over 15 gigs for a career spanning well over two decades), a live album must be a rare pearl. Indeed it is. The band have proposed a very distinctive evolution timeline (musically-wise), with their latest studio incarnation (Oktober) being the last message in terms of studio work, dating back to y 2002. Ain Soph at the Slimelight are the Oktober incarnation, with an added touch of subtle cabaret noir that is that touch of class only a combo like this seems to be able to deliver, oblivious of the crowd (or lack thereof) out there. The performance was flawless and it has been captured in its full glory on this recording, making this little unpretending disc a little jewel to treasure. Therein are all new versions of the best late classics by the band -such as Baltikum or Ragazzo di Strada, Gli Amanti Tristi or the anthemic Cuore Nero, or the moving Kobe or Le Nevi Eterne, a rare treat. Giving new life to the compositions in a retro setting is much more palatable when experienced directly from the hands of the band. This is exactly the purpose of this disc. A document of a unique event. A unique document, featuring Ain Soph in a specific (11th June 2005) time and place. History. members.xoom.virgilio.it/AinSophArs - www.artcraf.it/mistycircles

Gianfri

Allerseelen - Flamme (Aorta)

A 15-track journey through the fascinating world of Allerseelen circa 2002/2003. Enjoying contributions by diverse vocalists and players, Gerhard goes on to compile a work of lights and shadows, where melodies meet rhythms, calm mixes with uplifting moments, mystic ballads, a latent eastern flavor and that trademark looped hypnotism that is a fatal ingredient of potentially every Allerseelen work. Cello and violin confer the classical edge and texts are often borrowed by adept, more or less obscure, literary sources.The album features also a D.A.F. cover (Als wärs dias letzte Mal) and flamenco guitars, alongside poppish elements (well in context). Gerhard gives his own blueprint with some of his renewed sonic alchemism, which is the ingredient that glues all the pieces of this mosaic seamlessly together in a industrialized, obligatory lo-fi framework. There are many strong tracks on Flamme and my favorite are Kamerad and Alle Lust Will Ewigkeit which sit back-to-back approximately midway the CD. Also Sonne Golthi-Ade is very catchy on the ears and chances are you are already familiar with it from your local apopcalyptic club. While waiting for the world to succumb to its inhabitants, nothing can be better that spin this CD to enjoy the last tastes of a good time. www.geocities.com/ahnstern

Gianfri

Archon Satani - Mind of Flesh & Bones (Cold Spring)

By large regarded one of the milestones of the death ambient/industrial made in Sweden, Mind of Flesh & Bones endures quite well its own aging and proposes itself as ghastly and claustrophobic as when it first saw the darkness of a gloomy, menacing night, back in 1993. Responsible for this blanket of industrial doom are Mikael Stravöstrand of Inanna and Tomas Patersson of Ordo Rosarius Equilibrio. Truly said, Mind... is a disheartening work mired at overwhelming senses with stark repetitiveness crudely mixed with echoing voices from beyond, defining banging of industrial manufacture and an array of perceived warning signals in the forms of undefined signs of disfigured life forms. Measuring this work up to todays' standard would be purely academic, as quite a lot has happened during the intervening years in this obscure playground, flirting with the ritualistic and otherworldly. Its' enough to say that the deviated escapist value of this work is still intact after all these years, and this defunct project (albeit not officially) deserves all the attention this re-release could bring them, specially from newcomers, potentially unaware of the Archon Satani venture. www.cold-spring.co.uk

Gianfri

Axon Neuron / Vagwa - Documents :1995 - 2005: - 2CD (Eternal Soul Records)

Axon Neuron / Vagwa is a German project still largely unknown outside their homeland, operating since over a decade in the deep underground of the dark scene. Dark industrial meets celestial ambient with fine classical and perturbing martial touches. This is a monumental release, celebrating the project 10th anniversary and featuring over 2 and half hours of material that is partly new, partly belonging to live performances, partly dusted off the archives or from rare compilation appearances. I've had the luck to see the project live at work a couple of times, opening for Kirlian Camera, and an overall listen of this work gives the clear impression that there's a lot in common between the sensibilities of the two projects. I'd be quick to say that if you appreciate KC, Axon Neuron Vagwa is something to definitely check out, but bear in mind that the resemblance stops at the level of tormented and deeply touching dark, otherworldly atmospheres. AN /W ain't copycats and they seem keen on more obscure experimentation that has a certain filmic soundtrack feel all along. If we were pressed to draw parallels, I'd wind back to the Solaris era of KC. There's in all truth a collaborative track and also a live cover of U-Bahn V.2 "Heiligenstadt", re-inforcing indeed the link between the projects. The industrial mysticism that permeates Documents... is a free ticket to an unpredictable realm drenched in paganism, Euro-centric references and hints of ongoing catastrophes. This 10-year compendium depicts the story of a project whose creative dynamism makes me wonder how come they are still so widely un-heard of. Deeply rooted in a few of the hell circles, AN/W trace the lands of desolation with eclecticism, solid samplers and an open mind. Picture Ah-Cama Sotz meet Angelo Bergamini mayhem, and then diverge towards pure and serene alienation. Industrial for the selected. www.axon-neuron-vagwa.de - www.eternal-soul.de

Gianfri

Column One - Dream Time (90% Wasser)

A concept and morally whipping album by Berlin electronic minimalists Column One. Quite a departure if you were a fan of the Electric Light sort of stuff, Dream Time is a sketchy collage of samples referring to the exploitation of the young in a sexually-bend direction. Female young, to be precise. Admirable theme and a very striking graphic presentation, offering genuine material said to be collected from random publicly available sources, gathered in two fat booklets in a three-way folded (and entirely illustrated) A5 cardboard sleeve. In fact, I have seen myself a few of the proposed snippets in real life and thought as well at the time about "how bad things are". Laid back down-tempo jazzy pieces of electronica offer a spare soundtrack to the theme and an overwhelming quantity of vocal samples that supposedly make up the theme material for the release end up being q big burden on the listener in the long run. You really have to be spoken-word inclined to digest Dream Time and have a jolly good time in the process. You also need to be prepared to sustain lounge style soporific tunes at any given time. Few and far between, snippets of graceful electronic appear as well. Dream Time is one exclusively for the dedicated listener prone on radio shows, even assuming the genuine intent of the underlying idea. www.90-prozent-wasser.de

Gianfri

D.B.P.I.T. - s.u.t.u.b. (Misty Circles)

Reaching back to the primordial origin of industrial music, and moving way forward in the process, D.B.P.I.T. navigate with full competence the concept of dissonant, lyrical alienation, providing the full moody estrangement of madded-up industrial, only entirely made out of acoustic sources. The man behind the project, Flavio Rivabella, provides wailing and psychotic trumpets and horns, a canvas over which a plethora of tiny percussion are deployed, accompanied by equally alienating sound effects of all kind, menacing woodwinds, mechanical noises and a lyrical, even ethereal touch courtesy of Anna Consuelo, whose vocals offer a fitting interpretation of he surreal atmosphere in which s.u.t.u.b. lives. Special Unplugged Transonic Urban Bondage, in case you were wondering. Between whispers and mad storytellers, ritual moaning and bucolic interludes, D.B.P.I.T. offer a parallel dimension that is quite challenging to the listener. Pure avant-garde, all the way off any beaten path, this courageous work opens the door to an entire new standard of acoustic perception. And not merely because of the refusal of employing electronic elements in a post-industrial context. Welcome to the other side, with Der Bekannte Post Industrielle Trompeter. www.derbekannte.com - www.artcraf.it/mistycircles

Gianfri

Del Rey & The Sun Kings - I Am The Light (Trakwerx)

Mr Jackson Del Rey (born Philip Drucker) sets to bring an arty interpretation of the pop-folk-electronic-ambient cauldron, introducing middle-easter flavours, twisting this unpredictable album in several different directions from one track to the next. Moderately pounding electro beats are part of the game in a few tracks, bringing a touch of industrialism quite well integrated in the overall frame of this atypical work. The middle-eastern references are nicely melted in as well, although only added to a few of the tracks once again. The title track is a catchy ballad of folky taste that is quite captivating with its violin riffs of clear Arab connotation. After the middle-east themes melt away, there's a change of direction at every turn, and the uniform lo-fi production provides a collating layer to what has the feel of being a collection of tracks culled from various periods of the artist career, seemingly reflecting Del Rey's varied background as a musician on the arty and experimental side of the river. From hypnotic mantras to psych-rock through cold wave, I Am The Light is a bizarre compendium of styles that will be inevitably met with a sort of love-it/hate-it attitude. Objectively quite inconsistent on the whole and a bit thin on the ground when it comes to atmosphere building-up. However, the peculiar swinging of themes make it attractive in a way and definitely a pleasant listen for those into sombre, laid back and equally hermetic atmospheres. All the way from the East Coast. www.trakwerx.com

Gianfri

Detune-x - Burnow! (Rustblade)

Burnow! is a straight to your face album of rhythmic power electronics. So what's new then? Well, Detune-X take the concept in their own hands, sequencing ferocious mechanical patterns that are harsh, destabilising and numbing at once. They come to caress the power rhythmic industrial a-la Ant-Zen/Hymen in a few of the tracks, like Violentworm, to pick an obvious contender. Their main weapon is paralysing repetition, mechanical precision, and the vigor of a powerhouse on speed. The sound is, however, contrivedly confined in a small, dry space, which somehow clashes with the whole mechano-industrial image these steamy, noisy beats conjure up straight from track one. I suppose giving more ambience power to tracks like Swinglue could lift them off further their raw rhythmic potential. So, what's new is indeed this "minimal" approach to "power" electronics, where the raw power a-la Esplendor Geometrico is tamed by well measured sonic choices, which result in confining this rhythmic mayhem in a seemingly small cabinet. Fournelius is a case in point, and possibly the best-cut number out of the nine on offer. Burnow! rides the fine line between the power and the minimal approach, resulting in a surprising album that grows on you on every play. www.rustblade.com

Gianfri

En Veloirs Noir - La Danse Interdite EP (Mvsa Ermetika)

After a relatively long period of silence, Luigi Maria Mennella resurfaces in 2005 with one of his numerous projects, En Velours Noir. The release in question resembles a little object of desire: a 3" CD packaged in a suitably mini-DVD like case, but with a definite retro look. This first contrast and the feel it generates are striking and beg you to insert the little disk in your player to further investigate what lies behind. Press play and you are instantly catapulted in a turn of the century (the previous one) street somewhere in mittel-Europa, with an accordion weaving melancholic melodies and tangos, melting the heart of the listener in a cauldron of nostalgic feelings. This is clearly a work in sepia tone, but the author pushes his well-known avant-gardist approach through, twisting the eight short compositions with rapid piano inserts and other jazzy inputs. Vocals crop up as well, notably including also some Pasolini texts, lifting the work from the mere homage au passé to a sort of re-elaboration in more contemporary key of the old tango tradition , filtered by Mr. Mennella singular sensibility. Clearly addressed to a sophisticated audience, Le Danse Interdite is really a little cult object of desire. www.mennella.info/evn.htm

Gianfri

En Veloirs Noir feat. Maethelyan - Dans Les Fleurs de Velours Noir (Mvsa Ermetika)

Just about a year after the return of En Velours Noir, a new full length is a rather welcome surprise. Between neoclassical and decadent avant-garde noir, Dans Les Fleurs de Velours Noir is a work rich in textures and packed with poetic references. The backbone is made of sultry grand piano scores, over which a plethora of extra arrangements are canvassed with a unique and refined taste that will appeal to the dark essence of the soul. While some tracks are more markedly of neo-classic extraction, others have a more avant-garde feel and feature influences ranging from chamber music all the way to organic or sacral ambiances and a lot of experimentation. Dans Les Fleurs... moves at a good pace, providing a sense of dynamism that is certainly one of the strongest qualities of the artist. Mastermind Luigi Mennella shares his chameleonic vocal duties with UK based Maethelyan, known for her work as The Blooding Mask. The lyrical content is suitably poetic, including excerpts from Baudelaire, Verlaine, Crowley, and Leopardi, besides Luigi's own poetry. Also a tread of union to his previous release is offered by a tango or two to bring again a little extra retro feel to the work. One additional mention goes for the packaging and, although I have received the least sophisticated of the three formats (a plain jewel-case), the illustrations throughout the inset and booklet are very impressive and are the right frame for a work of highly artistic sensibility.Down to the disk itself resembling a vinyl. A work of passion and decadence that I recommend to those feeding themselves on art noir. www.mennella.info/evn.htm

Gianfri

F.O.B. - Tetra Summer (Misty Circles)

If names like Circus Joy ring a bell to you, you are on the right track, as Tetra Summer is the solo debut by the band guitarists, going under the moniker of Mario "FOB". First and foremost, this is way more accessible than Circus Joy is. Not to mean that this is easy listening, obviously, as Tetra Summer is a cauldron of lo-fi excursions that couldn't care less about canons and conventions, offering a hi-cut filter, stubbornly set as part of the game. Starting up in hermetic mood, pursuing guitar experimentation and laid back sonic excursions that are fine ambient soundtracks to the lo-tech crowd, F.O.B. challenge the listener with subdued unruly tones that would spoil the day of any modern self-appointed sound designer. About half-way, Tetra Summer moves to its best part, fusing deeply dark experimentation with the ghost of the eighties, to come up with a long cavalcade whose continuous mood changes signal obvious unrest under the apparently quiet hood of an hypnotic piece of experimentation. After getting dangerously close to the very early Cure -which is the low-dawn of he album- and another flirt with early wave (or maybe the Sonic Youth?), Tetra Summer picks itself up again, adding disorderly momentum, then folding up with more unruly and dissonant phrases that scream 'listen to me if you dare'. Indeed, this is far from the trotted path, and an interesting example of 'experimental noir', of which, Misty Circles are obviously strong precursors. www.artcraf.it/mistycircles

Gianfri

Floating Mind - Peep Visions (Urgence Disk Records)

Over XX minutes of ambient electronica with deep dark, cinematic and futuristic tones in Deep Visions, the effort of aptly named project Floating Mind. The brainchild of Roberto Vitaly who is known for his activities as DJ and producer. Peep Visions floats a lot between spacey ambience and minimal electronica and retains a constant sense of projection over the border of the tangible, while returning time and again to the real with just the right dose of minimalism to suspend it in the realm of the abstract. Even the tracks that feature rhythmic elements are laid on the twilight area laying between perception and unconscious space travel. Overall, despite the ghastly tone of the compositions in general, this is a quite relaxing listen and while there's a lot of experimentation, it is by all means a coherent work with the potential to appeal to a good cross section of the ambient and electronica scenes. Blame it all on Kraftwerk, I say! www.darksite.ch/urgences

Gianfri

:Golgatha: - Icarus EP (2006) (:Ikonen: Media)

Following up on their debut album Kydos, :Golgatha: lauch this 6-track EP thematically concerned with the myth of Icaurs and Daedalus, who, back in the day of wild and savage Greece, fled custody under king Minos, literally flying away. Icarus overdid it and signed his own death in the process. This is a little jewel and the mythological background is very well evoked throughout, specially in the three collaborative tracks with Herbst 9. Evocative ambience of mystic and meditative nature, three little movies with no picture and many subdued industrial and spectral elements. Icarus' Law is the centre piece of the EP, offering soft-spoken narrative over a dark-folk backdrop, while Icarus Rising II is the central track, a 7 and half minute piece of soft and breathing ambient that is mystically mesmerizing. The theme track, Icarus, is a straightforward piece of neofolk, unexpectedly featuring a catchy melody and refrain and is featured in two versions, one aided by vocals by Patrick Leagas of Sixth Comm, the other featuring Ildiko as guest back vocalist. At just under thirty minutes, the disk wraps, leaving a desire to hear more. Probably a work better suited for long-length elaboration, Icarus EP is a work sure to stir up quite some attention. www.ikonenmagazin.de

Gianfri

H2S - Le Voyeurisme de L'Absurde"- Mini CDR (Black Orchid Productions)

H2S is a solo project, bringing pulsating wave of experimentation from the cold and foggy lands of Northern Italy. Six tracks signed by Mr. Fabio Degiorgi exploring alienating sonic themes, bleak industrialism, adding timid reference to a perverse dark-wave as he goes. Despite the fact organic instruments such bass and guitar are used, and even the drumbox from time to time produces familiar sounds, the global context of this 25-minute work is of clear industrial connotation aided by intelligent sampling choices and drastic effect treatments. There are a few interesting ideas in this work, and to me the most of it is fictious soundtrack-type compositions, waiting to be refined. Or perhaps, waiting to define the visuals to go with.The alienating/chaotic themes at the centre of Le Voyeurisme..., are a bit harsh to swallow, if you had accustomed yourself to the twisted dark experimentation of the beginning. Indeed, as the noise is laid off, two more repetitive tracks of more multi-dimensional experimentation come to redeem the flatness of the 2 central tracks and close the CD on a positive note. A nice little work conjuring up an uncanny feeling of uneasiness, augmented by the striking artwork visuals. www.audiostreet.net/h2s - www.blackorchid.host.sk

Gianfri

H.E.R.R. - The Winter of Constantinople (Cold Spring)

A fusion of neoclassical and anthemic, complete with military pounding rhythms and an epic over tone, The Winter of Constantinople is a little gem rediscovered by Cold Spring. The original edition of this album -the second full-length for H.E.R.R., was a meagre edition of 141 on Cynfeirdd, now thanks to Cold Spring, this album gets the wider exposure it deserves. One of the strengths of the work is its highly dynamic structure, rendering very well the tension of the historical theme that it depicts, the 14th century siege of the last bastion of the Roman Empire of the East by the Ottoman Turks, and its fall. There's a lot on the dish for those who enjoy epical atmospheres with a sense of inevitable defeat embedded in every track, mainly marked by crying cellos, synth layers and solemn choirs, while a variety of vocal styles, mostly within the range of spoken word, further add to the interest to this modern-day soundtrack to an ancient-day drama. herr.tegendemuur.nl - www.coldspring.co.uk

Gianfri

Hypnoskull - (G.O.D.) - Once again (Spectre)

You had a boring day and once again need a bit of a lift-up from your day-in-day-out routine. Enter Hypnoskull stage right. This sixth (if I'm not mistaken) full-length by mr. Patrick Stevens, a belgian gentleman who is plaguing the rhythmic industrial scene since well over a decade with some of the most unrestricted beat-driven output and an uncompromising attitude. Interspersed between solid industrial beats and subtly changing rhythmic patterns, are a plethora of vocal samples and spoken word treated in grotesque fashion, make this album a sharply-witted number that begs listen over and over for full amusement. As usual with Hypnoskull, there appears to be a message, unleashed with a great dose of subtlety Do we care? No. Do we really care? Yes. It doesn't matter, it's really your choice if you want to decipher the enigma or just enjoy the beats, or a combination of both. At face value, (G.O.D.) - Once Again is a great album that pushes into the core of rhythmic industrial with renovated energy, without employing bigger-than-thou beats and overwhelming noise attacks. Its' a finely crafted basher and gets to the point with skilled craftsmanship. Industrial crowd: don't miss it! www.hypnoskull.com - www.spectre.be

Gianfri

Inertia - Decade of Machines - The Best of 1994-2004 - 2CD (Cryonica)

After no less than 6 albums and a handful of singles/EPs, Inertia decide to rightly celebrate their first decade of activity with a compendium of their best tracks an this double-CD release. Starting up in the mid-nineties, the trio brought freshness to the world of electro/dance/EBM and retained it in a very healthy way, in fact, refining their production values and confirming their valuable song-writing skills. Inertia can be considered state-of-the art masters of the dance-floor and a through listen to this album is evidence that they have been so since their inception. The fine hard-edged touch they give to their production is one of the characters that puts them a tad closer to the elctro-industrial scene, while mechanical beats and punchy synth basslines provide the solid backbone on which a canvas of crafty electronics is laid to form the basis of their varied anthems, which, if stripped to the bone, are nothing less than catchy pop songs! Disc 2 shows the harder side of Inertia and is definitely more industrial in nature. The fine balance between catchiness and harshness has been the main weapon in the band arsenal even since they debuted on German Celtic Circle back in 1995, allowing every work they unleash to be devoid of downers. So is the case for Decades of Machines, very good food for mechanically motivated dance-floor stompers with an attitude. www.inertia.gs - www.cryonica.com

Gianfri

Janosch Moldau - Bleed on - CDs (Janosch Moldau Records)

Probably a very good way to get acquainted with this up and coming name in the synth scene, is getting hold of this 3-track single, offering a very good overview of what the man is capable of in the electro-melancholic arena. Aside from a version of the title track that is in my opinion inferior to the one featured on the album, the two additional titles offer a wider scope of experimentation by Mr Moldau, who introduces noises and production tricks to give his creations a few extra elements of impact. A multimedia section featuring the audio tracks plus a video to Bleed on is cleanically designed and shows that bright aesthetics are as important as crystalline production is to the artist. Which is also evident from the cover art. www.janoschmoldau.com

Gianfri

Janosch Moldau - Redeemer (Janosch Moldau Records)

A debut release featuring the full production values of a seasoned veteran, Redeemer is like fresh breeze over the whole synth scene. Sporting airy and finely chiseled synth arrangements, the sort of those you would find with the likes of Silke Bischoff, luscious backdrop of well measured soft and touching synth string parts, the work is centered around Janosch Moldau expressive pop vocals and lyrics flirting with religious themes. The album moves slowly and despite the general melancholy gravitating over it, retains a sense of flowery freshness that sets it apart in the genre. Either its strong point or its weakness, Redeemer is neither synth-pop for the masses, nor electro-pop noir for nihilo-etilists. Its gracious electronics are worked to perfection and its emotional context is just so balanced it almost feels unreal. What it lacks perhaps is a hooking title, one around which the album could rotate. Yes, the hit is missing, JM dispenses altogether with the cathy riff that is an essential element of electro-pop, which is a very courageous choice, as everything is based on the fragile -yet seamless- balance of voice, electronics textures, light beats and keyboard strings layers. As I said, fresh breeze on the synth scene, Redeemer is a work for fine palates. www.janoschmoldau.com

Gianfri

Jesus Mora - Simple Textures for A Complex World (Out Records)

Perhaps not blessed by the most captivating title, Simple Textures for A Complex World is a wonder-world of dark ambient electronica and one that begs to be listened over and over in those wee hours. Hailing from North-West Mexico and grown up in sunny California, Jesus Mora seems to be scoring some pretty nocturnal scenes out of a mind touched by the dark ray of blissful emotion. However dark it sounds, Simple Textures... is miles away from the nihilistic attitude permeating the genre. Isolationist, it is, developing the title textures in pretty joyful solitude; and a charming one. Overlaying ghastly soundscapes and otherworldly abstract entities on to complex yet laid back layers of minimal rhythmic work, JM draws an unexpected connection between soul and soulless, dynamics and mechanics, which is very much the driving motor behind this compelling work of dark electronic renaissance. Draw yourself into this sphere of positive mood travel, as rarely was dark ambient contaminated with a sense of being alive beyond the fragile or dramatic tones dominating it. www.outrecords.com

Gianfri

KK.Null - Astralloop (Urgence Disk Records)

When it comes to the art of experimental electronics and noise, we ll know the Japanese are extreme authorities in the matter. Kazuyuki Kishino aka KK.Null sports a CV that will easily fill up your hard drive with a varied load of experimental work, out of a career spanning some 25 years now. He is the mind behind projects such as Zeni Geva or Absolute Null Punkt and a plethora of collaborations and worldwide appearances have immensely enriched his notoriety. Actually. the roost of the man experimentation has natively been in guitar experimentation and only relatively recently he has concentrated more on the synthetic medium to spretoad his oblique vision of the world. Astralloop dates back to 2003 and is an album riding the path between noise and ambient electronica. Cosmic ambience are drenched in noise excursions and industrial rhythmic build-ups, with a futuristic flavour and a sense of dispersion in the wide of the cosmos. Null scatters his clusters of sidereal noises over dilated or concrete backdrops with mastering perfection, giving a taste of what it feels like to be lost in the abstraction of an industrial-bound universe. www.kknull.com - www.darksite.ch/urgences

Gianfri

Kirlian Camera - Coroner's Sun (Trisol)

Another visionary, celestial season has opened for Kirlian Camera with the release of yet another little finely-crafted piece of electronic imagery, strong of a superb and highly chameleonic vocal performance by KC primadonna Elena Fossi. Coroner's Sun sees Kirlian Camera elaborating on their quarter-of-a-century strong career, bringing equilibrium to the vast amount of elements that have become each a defining element of their music journey at some point in time. Probably due to Angelo Bergamini' determination to survive, then excel in a rather unattractive music biz panorama, KC have built up a massive defining power in a sphere of grey music that belongs to them only. Coroner's Sun is a sort of compendium of the abilities of KC. To create a smart and thoughtful piece of consumer dark electronics that rarely can be surpassed if not from themselves. Beautiful "kirlianscapes" touched by decades of fantastic and tortured visions. The ever-present touch of anger that is still tangible in some selected compositions. The unrestrained madness of electronic cavalcades. More visions..., cosmically mystic. Midway into its journey, the album transcends, bringing the full maturity of 26 years of passionate electronic militance to life in the form of another unsuspecting ballad that creeps in and leaves quietly, after having built a monumental hook to lay despair bare. Then a sweet nocturnal excursion. Coroner's Sun is by far the most consistently accessible and mature album by KC in the last decade, bound to bring new proselytes to this stronghold of electronic darkness that lives upon us. The Ltd edition of Coroner's Sun we have the fortune to review, comes with a bonus disc worth of re-mixes by the likes of Sensory Gate, :Wumpscut:, Hipnosis and Punto Omega, plus a couple of bonus tracks. It's always challenging to re-elaborate tracks like Days To Come or Dead Zone In The Sky or K-Pax, and the results seem to be purely academic, as they completely upturn the feel of the original tracks, in an unforgiving, emotively disconnected spell between the originals and the re-mix works. By the time you read this, the Ltd edition is most probably sold out, so you'll have little to worry about this. The downside is that you'll have to do without a double-sided mini-poster neatly folded inside the attractive double digipak case that has become a staple in the history of the band Ltd Ed releases, since Solaris , if memory serves me well. In this third incarnation, Kirlian Camera are a river in full flow, continuing to draw passionate pages filled with emotional power for the benefit of the sea of hardline romantics and dreamers out there. www.kirliancamera.ch

Gianfri

Kobe - Economy of Movement (Middle Pillar Presents)

Economy of Movement is an highly percussive album, featuring outstanding drumming courtesy of Kevin Dunn, aka Kobe, also the man behind the cult US label Middle Pillar Presents. Said to be influenced by Japanese Taiko/Kodo drumming, the work is a concentrate of industrial tribalism, aided by simple, yet elaborate sampling ranging from the ambient/industrial to he melodic/atmospheric. Being centered around drumming and percussion, this is a highly dynamic work, whose appeal easily extends to those into rhythmic industrial, thanks to the subtly conceived electronic work. In fact, there's a whole lot of production going on, and beats are treated and layered to the need of the industrial nation, while a layer of true-life percussion is almost always live on the work. A work finely balanced between mechanical and organic rhythms, Economy of Movement retains an high free-mind appeal, despite its quantised feel. www.middlepillar.com

Gianfri

Kraken - Amore - 2CD (Spectre)

A double CD that is spectrally heavy and dramatically real, instigating uneasiness and bleakness, possibly discomfort, despite its optimistically solar title. The voyage on disc 1 starts into a pitch black, undefined room, whose steel reverberation is suggestive in its isolationist character. The use of a wide variety of samples, including street recordings and conversations is indicative of a quite oblique approach to dark ambient, and reveals the concept quality of the work. Working more on electronic sound manipulation as opposed to pure drones, the duo manage to achieve moments of sheer anguish, while the subtle electronic textures underlining the tracks add a fourth dimension of perception and the human voices, either mashed up in the background or brought up front are very worrying in the context. This is not the kind of stuff to put in the background while going to sleep, guaranteed! Disc 2 walks into more spectrally structured dark ambience with industrial connotations. It is a very absorbing and eerie experience, conjuring up an atmosphere entirely detached from reality, with the use of clever, subtle changes of pace to walk the listener through a series of claustrophobic soundscapes. Mr human crops up again, this time in a sort of creepy medical context discussing HIV related matters. There's a lot on offer on this double-CD both for dark ambient and general dark-siders with an industrial connotation, with two hours of material to devour. Kraken are also kind enough to offer a quick shortcut to serenity, in the form of a sub-minute piece of harpsichord closing the work. In fact, so short as to possibly enhance the sense of unsettling anguish created by this worrying brand of Amore. www.spectre.be

Gianfri

Kreuzweg Ost - Edelrost - (Cold Spring)

Edelrost is a gritty work fusing martial industrial and lo-fi orchestral and bombastic arrangements to create a soulless recipe of post-industrialism. Kreuzweg Ost hail from Austria and this is their debut work, clearly indicating their penchant for the hymnic and apocalyptic while hammering the listener with crushed martial percussion and equally distorted ambience backdrops. From where, now and then, a triumphant hymn raises ponderous, glorious, conjuring feelings of invincibleness. Quite atypical in its fast shifting of scene and the overall distorted quality of the sound, this is quite a courageous step into the arena for a newcomer: Kreuzweg Ost literally make their way in with pounding, militaristic furore that borders on the oppressing. www.coldspring.co.uk

Gianfri

Kriegsfall-U - Kriegsfall-U (Cold Spring)

Debut full-length by Kriegsfall-U a relatively new entry in the post-industrial martial panorama. In fact, this self-titled album is already one year old as we write, and it did manage to raise a few eyebrows in the scene. Sonically speaking, Kriegsfall-U brings together ambient synth drones and martial/ritual drumming, while solemn declamations take the lead for the most intense moments. Production is heavy handed reverb-wise, giving that post-industrial feel that has become a staple of the genre. Some potentially great bombastic moments are as well heavily drenched in reverb, loosing their impact altogether. While the sonic backdrops are evocative enough and offer a fair share of industrial feel, Id' be hard-pressed in finding many outstanding passages, at least until track 6 -The Great Man II - Realisation - hits the speakers, bringing a serious touch of vigor to the happenings. In truth, the work has its own conceptual grounding to add to the equation, rotating around a few themes as precious to humanity as they are sadly forgotten these days, merely made of provocation and retaliation at all levels. "For the God, for the King, for the Homeland" is a motto printed in large letters in the inner insert that nicely unfolds as a mini-poster. Standing by The Truth -track seven- is where the album folds, another well conceived fragment of ritual industrialism with philosophical connotations. Playing length falls short of the 40-minute mark, and I am left with the distinct feel that that was just when the big break was meant to happen. Hitting play again, the obvious happen: everything sounds much more in context, and The Great Man I - The Stance -track two- emerges as another focal point of the album, with its ritual stance and impeccable lo-fi feel. I'd love to see this work issued on vinyl for maximum appreciation. In the meantime, it's very well worth keeping an eye on this Hungarian project. www.coldspring.co.uk

Gianfri

L'Ego + Teatro do Mar - Ladroes do Tempo (Thisco)

Being a soundtrack to an avant-gard theatre show, widely explains the open eclecticism this album has on offer. Mainly lightweight electronics, or electronica, as we got accustomed to call it, Ladroes do Tempo sports a lengthy catalogue of building blocks. Touching on the ethnic, tribal, ambient, wandering into the foggy soundscapes of dark electronics, chilling out to "chamber" electronic pieces, while integrating organic sounds such us acoustic guitars or xylophones in snippets of much psychedelic nature. In a way, this is quite a mixed bag, although there's never a sign of the plot being lost, as all the variation retains an unbelievable sense of solid coherence. While some tracks give away the impression that this could have been one of the greatest dark electronic productions of the current epoch, by touching with skilled moderation on the dark rhythmic playground, that feel is often quickly superseded by yet another episode moving to a tangent, then openly steering towards yet another direction. Accepting that avant-garde is almost inevitably an anti-climax driven expression of art, is part of the compromise you'll have to make when listening to this intriguing work. I personally find the rhythmic tracks so well crafted that I sometimes struggle through the rest of the album, depending on the mood. www.thisco.net

Gianfri

Life's Decay - Anleva (Abstraktsens)

Anleva, second full-length for this unconventional French project is of another stock if compared with their first effort that we have seen reviewed in Darklife X. There's a sense of atonal peculiarity that pervades the 12 tracks of Anleva while a number of influences fuse into each other, always keeping the anti-melody banner high on sight, belittling every other hint to melody with improbable low key hymns to psychedelic alienation. And piano driven, the most of them. A number of industrial elements permeate the work, although none is made evident unless you listen with due care, trying to distance yourself from the surreal overall atmosphere, and not to decipher how this little witchy work was put together in the first place. French female vocals are lifted up front over the down/mid tempo and low-key rhythmic backdrops, as if the music were a mere soundtrack to the sweet ramblings, wedging the tracks out and possibly gaining an elitist accusation from the pragmatists tied to schemes. Where were we? Ah, Anleva is infectiously distracting. You should definitely excuse me if I fail to list the reference ties to get this product sellable, but I just think this isn't in the spirit of Life's Decay. In fact, I would have no clue what to reference this to! This is a direction of sonic essentialism that rides a definitely not beaten path. Try and enjoy! www.lifesdecay.com

Gianfri

The Machine in The Garden - Shadow Puppet (Middle Pillar Presents)

A darkwave dream trip conducted by a talented duo is a possible way to describe this last (their fifth) creation by The Machine in The Garden. Hailing from the US, Summer Bowman and Roger Frace have been joining creative forces since well over half a decade, creating startling works of electro ethereal fusion with grace and eye open on the classic side. Shadow Puppet is seductive from the outset, and that's not only due to the sensually ethereal quality of Summer's vocals. Her airy notes go down in peaceful symbiosis with trip-hop-ish electronics that are not afraid to host more conventional guitar, bass or synth lines where due. Seamlessly shifting from pure introspection and ethereal melancholy to bodied pieces lead by catchy lines, this an album that moves the concept of gothic and darkwave a few steps forward, despite the wide general recession of the genre. Featuring an outstanding production amongst other qualities, Shadow Puppet projects The Machine in The Garden straight into the international darkwave arena. Holding together the best traits of the goth-darkwave inheritance, and injecting a considerable dose of personal interpretation seems a winning move in this album, and good news for dreamy souls. www.middlepillar.com

Gianfri

Martyn Bates - Mystery Seas (Letters Written #2) (Shayo)

A wave of electric organs droning away and a passionate vocal work is what strike you first of this solo work by Martyn Bates (of Eyeless in Gaza fame), which is a reprint of the original 1995 album, entirely remastered. Mystery Seas takes the folk song to a different realm, with the electric tones moulding organ and accordion, and monumental reverbs generating an arcane feel that is quite detached from the traditional wave of guitar based folk. There's little attempt at melodic or construction or rhythmic articulation throughout, while focus is laid on Martyn lyrical and poetic work, creating a feel of isolation in time and space, making Mystery Seas a sort of self-contained cosmo, an isolation tank. Sparse touches here and there, like a flute appearing every now and then, or a very shy piano surfacing shortly, give the potential ties to remote, even more mysterious entities. Sky After All is a neat example, and my personal fave on the album. Worth a mention is also the track If I Could See Anyone, in a way the only "organic" track with its more definite rhythmic and more complete instrumentation, bringing a touch of dramatic to the work. It's in the last few tracks, in fact, that the work gains a more dynamic momentum, evading the pure isolationist organ approach. A work evoking mystery indeed, fascinating, yet not straightforward to approach. It does take a little getting used to it, and when it does, each listening is more rewarding. www.shayo.ch

Gianfri

Merzbow - Dust of Dreams (Thisco)

True to the quintessential essence of his über-vast production that spans the best part of 2 and a half decades, Masami Akita aka Merzbow kicks off this 2005 release, Dust of Dreams, with an pounding assault of rhythmic electronic noise. The first of three tracks, 1339, is merciless and merciful on the listener at the same time. Rhythmic patterns melt in the mayhem and mould with the noises to create a trance-like atmosphere. The surprisingly 'softly' titled Dust of Dreams, the core track of the album (timing at just under 40 minutes), proceeds building on this sonic exercise, revealing a highly textural structure that becomes more evident as the track evolves. Midway through, a short pause and a change of direction, a touch of tribal is brought in with percussion patterns gently -or not much so- sandpapered by textural noises and sudden outbursts, after which chaotically structured harsh sound creations take over again, pushing the rhythmic to the background, preparing or the grand finale in which the two elements come again to terms with each other, while hints of harsh ambient are introduced and textures emerge with renewed vigor. Just until tribal percussion takes over again for a last exchange of powers. There's so much going on on this track, while the general moods point to a softer than average approach by the artists. To balance out and bring in more of the punishing mayhem that has made Merzbow a worldwide icon of noise, a 7-minute piece of blistering noise bombardments is attached as a coda of this work, effectively blowing up into dust an alleged dream. There's nothing indicating that Merzbow is going to go unnoticed anytime soon! The softer approach of this album is a good incentive to draw close to the artists all those who have been previously intimidated by some of his inhuman noise creations. www.thisco.net

Gianfri

Mimetic Collective - One by One (Urgence Disk Records)

One of the busiest acts of the contemporary elecotronic/industrial scene, Mimetic is constantly up to something. With 15 releases to his credit, supplemented by over forty compilation appearances, Jerome Soudan is also renewed for his wealth of collaborations with like-minded artists. Remixing is one of the greatest strength of the electronic and industrial scene, a practice that enormously enhance cohesion in a scene were enemies do not exists. One by One sees Jerome engaging in 15 remix projects covering a varied range of industrial and electronic tracks by 15 projects, all getting the Mimetic treatment. The blueprint of Jerome is beats to kill. Being long-time drummer with Von Magnet, Jerome has developed an inclination to drive much of his works as Mimetic with surgically elaborated electronic beats. The blueprint of his electronic treatment is great detail and crystal clarity. Despite being vastly elaborate and intricate, great sound design choices make his pulsating electronics very easy to absorb, attracting a vast cross-section of admirers from the whole horizon of the electronic scene. One by One is an anthology of Mimetic skills, as he lends his hands to the treatment of tracks by artists ranging from Iszoloscope, Ah-Cama Sotz or Sonar, to the likes of Kaltesglas or Column One, Suicide Inside or Mostrum Sepsis, Art Mode or Von Magnet and so on. The result is a nicely varied album that begs to be listened over and over. Aside from demonstrating the versatility of the artist, this disk is a great chance of appreciating a scene in which artists work closely together, enhancing each other creativity. www.darksite.ch/mimetic - www.darksite.ch/urgences

Gianfri

Morphoex - Travel (UNE Records)

Not much info is available about this French-based electronic project, based around the figure of Isthmaêl Baudri. So much for biographies. Travel is a perfectly adequate name for this work of abstract wanderings in much undefined times and places. Morphex take the liberty to span the territory between rhythmic industrial, modern electronica and dark atmospheric synth journeys, moments glued together in a generally un-consistent frame of continuity, though. Morphoex' Travel starts charged up with buckets of energy, yet offering a few interludes of class dark elecronica in between, then sobers up past the half-time mark to give way to more ambience, yet retaining -even enhancing, in fact- the enigmatic sense of abstraction that permeates the work. France has a strong tradition of electro-industrial artists with a pinch for dark atmospheres, like Flint Glass or Mlada Fronta, citing the most up-front examples. Morphoex somehow follow on these much revered foot-steps, only to fail by a large margin the goal of impeccable audio quality, somehow vital to these kinds of elaborated soundscapes. Then again, this might just be my point of view. In fact, were this a vinyl release, it would work quite well, but on digital media, it just doesn't cut it in an affective way. Originally released in a ltd ed of 500 CDs in a crystal box, meaning that the copy I'm reviewing might be much far from the real thing, quality-wise. Not an uncommon problem these days. www.unerecords.com

Gianfri

Narsilion - Arcadia (Caustic Records)

Straight out of yet another dreamy fairy-tale are Narsilion, a relatively new offering from the ever prolific Catalan scene. So new, in fact they are not. Active since 1999, they have to their credit a string of three cassette releases, followed by an EP and a first full length back in 2004. Arcadia is a fantastic voyage trough pure and dreamy landscapes filled with inebriating mysticism. It is a warming cauldron of classical, folk and ethereal influences, bringing heavenly voices to float across neo-classical arrangements, gentle flutes, classic guitar and pizzicato strings and soft synth layers. Parallels with some aspects of the likes of Ataraxia are inevitable, and I really like the additional dramatic elements that bestow additional dynamic tension to their fantastic creation, like in Winds of Eternal Profhecies. Another strong program is Beltane , featuring tribal percussion reminiscent of some Dead Can Dance works. The album comes in a precious A5 digibox sleeve, beautifully designed and illustrated to match the peaceful beauty of the ten tracks included therein. The future looks bright and idyllic for Narsillon, while I'd strongly recommend not to miss their present, and check out Arcadia, their little current arcane cosmos. www.narsilion.com - www.causticrecords.com

Gianfri

ODRZ - ODRZ06 Part I (TIBProd)

This is an industrial conceptual work by italian project ODRZ. In its complete form, it consists of 9 parts, each of them describing a portion of the working day in an industrial factory. The whole opus thus celebrates the entire working day and has spanned 5 releases over two years. Here we are dealing with part I (8 to 9 am) and, as one could easily expect, the industrial flavour of the 1-hour long track is remarkable. Real sound samples from a live factory are used, and treated to give life to an atmosphere that is surprisingly softer than one would expect. In context. Machine rhythmic noises are blended in atmospheric backdrops, giving the composition a sort of nostalgic, even ritual taste. If anything, this is a factory as it is seen by the angels. A blend of industrial infected ambient that will not fail to raise quite a few eyebrows. I'm not aware of the extent to which the ODRZ projects are known in the international scene, but they seem to deserve high profile recognition, if only on the basis of what I ear in this disk. A fitting touch is the hand-made packaging, cardboard wrapped in a thick metal mesh, showing the singular approach of the duo, willing to escape the pre-packaged format in favor of something more spontaneous and, ultimately, intriguing. www.odrz.org - www.kipple.it

Gianfri

ODRZ - ODRZ07 (Kipple)

A punishing compendium of noise and power electronics constructions, ODRZ007 picks up the legacy of the previous release and boosts it with corrosive noises and delirious exercises in high-frequency overload and charged drones, damning the listener with a long-forgotten attitude of whipping them out of their passive reception of anything that's thrown at them. Indeed, you must have a trained ear and a combat attitude to properly receive the 8 tracks included in this release. Laid back souls playing safe no need apply. And, for once, do judge the book from its cover! This particular item comes in what I would describe as the mother of industrial packaging: two discs of mammoth-grained sandpaper 'gently' encase the silver disc, the whole lot being held together by 2" metal discs that are 3 mm tick, and a 4 cm screw that's 1/2" tick, complete with bolt. The whole package even includes inlay discs and is a fitting warning to what it holds inside. This is one for the self-inflicting harsh-noise consumers. And to that end, it is as destructive as any respectable self-inflicting chap out there could hope for. www.odrz.org - www.tibprod.com

Gianfri

O Paradis - Serpiente de Luna, Serpiente de Sol (Aorta)

O Paradis is the ray of light in the newly re-discovered folk noir arena. Serpiente de Luna, Serpiente de Sol, is a luminous and hearth-warming piece of work giving a Catalan tint to sparse neo-classically shaded folk tunes, or maybe a neo-classical tint to Catalan shaded folk tunes. Either way, one of the defining characters of O Paradis are the soothing vocal tones by Demian, the project mastermind. There's little in the way of singing in all truth -as it's mostly spoken word-, which contributes to the unique character of the work, and could possibly give it a sort of love-it hate-it edge as a by-product. The more introspective and melancholic moments on the CD is what the generally targeted audience would appreciate most and, interestingly enough, the approach is still on focussing strongly on the vocals, with the accompanying tunes sometimes lacking the necessary character to lift each number to the expected emotional level. I suppose mainly electronic backing isn't the finest way to go, unless properly mastered to match the overall feel. In fact, as the album progresses, feelings change from one song to the next and if only tracks were sonically worked to match up in the background, these swift changes would have made for one of the finest works of the past few years. www.o-paradis.com - www. geocities.com/ahnstern

Gianfri

O Quam Tristis - Meditations Ultimes (Palace of Worms)

Third long-play effort by O Quam Tristis, a French combo devoted at resurrecting medieval and liturgical music and render it in a contemporary context. Following on the tradition of the likes of Qntal, they make a good effort in integrating fitting electronic elements into the ancient tradition, side by side to traditional instruments, while their most upfront trait is polyphonic vocal arrangements featuring harmoniously integrated male and female tones, and a pinch for catchiness to boot. Featuring members of Collection D'Arnell Andrea, O Quam Tristis might as well earn the tag of electronic-pop-ethereal-folk, and tracks like Terrae are exemplar of this, with their the dancefloor-bound backbeat, hooking melodic vocals and up-lifting flute passages. In fact, most of the hour-long Meditations Ultimes is well suited to the dark dancefloor of historical connotations, as its mainly sustained BPM count states quite clearly. I suppose a bit of extra work on the percussive sounds or the addition of live percussion could lift the overall arrangements a tier up, but as it stands, one could only praise this work, not least for not budging to on-going trends. O Quam Tristis bring the far past forward up to today, with competence and a light heart. The message is an entirely positive one, is breezing and uplifting. It's the light, yet in the tunnel. site.voila.fr/o.quam.tristis - www.palaceofworms.com

Gianfri

Pitch Black Inc. - Pitch Black Inc. EP (Self-Released)

Riding a fine line between synthpop and goth rock, Björn Schanz and Harald Bernstein set on a new journey with a 5-track EP that is well produced and arranged. Maybe not the most original crossover of genres out there, but the duo tackles it with competence and tracks like Queen of Desire have a lot of potential of gaining wide appeal within the dark-clad crowd. The recipe is quite simple, really, employing simple synth lines and treated electric guitar, and adding quirky electronics over plain rock drumming, yet very effective. Lots of attention is given to the detail, resulting in good production values, although I reckon there's scope for improvement. Maybe I miss some solid basslines to lift the general sound from a vague sense of flatness. It's in the songwriting department that Pitch Black Inc. clearly win, showing that knocking a cathy tune is easy life for them. Dance of The Demon will be a fave for traditional goth rockers, and a nice one for the clubs too. I'd call this debut quite a promising one and it would be interesting to see of they measure up to the full-length format, really the canonical format for this genre. www.pitchblack-inc.de

Gianfri

Plastic Noise Experience - Dead or Alive (Alfa Matrix)

This is a very good album of dark EBM, by today standards. Old school, is a good way to put it. Dear old school we danced to for a good decade or so. In fact, this work re-packages a number of hits of Klaus Cruse's Plastic Noise Experience in slightly hyped-up versions. Now, PNE do hold a certain respectability in the scene and all for the good reasons illustrated in this compendium. Quintessentially German, no-nonsense dark electro purely aimed at the dancefloor and stompingly succeeding in the task. I confess that I had mixed feeling upon going through this album. One the one hand it conjured up memories of the wildest epoch of the darkest electro, complete with a solid touch of nostalgia, on the other it does seem totally disjointed from today's developments in terms of gloomy synthetic atmospheres. Perhaps it's solely the promise of the 'good old club hits' recorded 'with the latest technology' that offset my expectations from this album. There isn't much of new-century improvements in the generous 15-track offering. A handful of tracks are actually live recordings, making a nice document for long time fans, and these are my personal favorite selections from the album. Unfortunately, including a Bronsky Beat cover helps little in these shaky circumstances and | find that hard to forgive. For the rest, I guess hard-core fans of this myth project would need little from this album, and the hope is to spread the verb to new legions. Given Dead or Alive is little in synch with modernity, i suppose this would mean turning the clock back a few many years. And who said this is a bad thing in these dancing circumstances? www.plasticnoise.de - www.alfa-matrix.com

Gianfri

Preussak - Werkshau 1989-2005 (VAWS)

Preussak is a side-venture of Josef K.better known for his Von Thronstahl project. Better described as galloping disco-industrial, Werkshau is an highly entertaining work of hard EBM-like rhythmic works with a diffused catchiness masked by industrial grittiness, tons of old style echo on tribally chanting and slogan-inclined vocals. There's a very good cover of Joy Division's They Walked In Line, close to the beginning of the album, showing at a glance that Josef does mean business here. This isn't simply a tired side-project to make a quick buck. As a matter of fact, the eighteen tracks included span over 15 years, during which Preussak have released nothing, aside for the odd couple of sampler tracks and maybe a single some time ago. There are hard-dance jewels like The German Beat (Najade-mix), surely one for the floor-stomping crown. There is loads of rhythm, there are beats and lots of smart passages and there's a strong scent of the good old days when EBM was pure adrenaline-fuelled entertainment seasoned with smart irony while the intellectuals were left to watch in disbelief and rhythmic industrial acts had yet to put pen on paper to define a new direction. Bridging Joy Division and industrial? Why not? Galloping disco-industrial, I say. www.vaws.de

Gianfri

Pro-Jekt – Defiance (Self-released)

Directly with the opener -titled Evilution, UK’s Electro-Goth band Pro-Jekt overwhelm the listener with their strong and powerful keyboard melodies, punishing bass lines, shredding heavy guitar sounds and Mick Witham’s warm and deep sounding vocals. Followed by tracks like The Day After or Morbid Interactive this album turns out to be a perfect dark-good-mood-offering. It is really a joy to listen to this kind of EBM-Goth-Rock hybrid which is memorable on the one hand because of its vocals and background rhythms much alike 80’s icons Dead Or Alive or Alphaville, but on the other hand it differences itself again with deeply fitting, ripping through, guitar parts and vocals that continuously change mood, adding to the impetus of the compositions. A nice closing touch is a cover of Abba S.O.S., slower than the original, but enriched by a nice guitar treatment. All of the 12 track of Defiance seem to be perfect for the dark dance floor and will serve different shades of appreciation, from dark-wave over goth-rock to alternative or metal. www.pro-jekt.org

Karin Zenzinger

Psychonaut 75 - Pylon of Daäth (Mvsa Ermetika)

Pylon of Daäth is an album bringing to life the most ritualistic side of dark industrial, and make no mistake, this is the genuine product. Siblings of Valefor, an occult-death industrial outfit that made it to the Cold Meat roaster at some point, Psychonaut 75 bring a melting pot of esoteric ritualism, death industrial and death ambient straight to your living room. Generally more dynamic that your average Cold Meat act, Psychonaut 75 are a collective sharing the common interest of practicing black magic and the conceptual ideas behind sorcerous literature and witchcraft. Musically speaking, the content ranges from captivating tribal rhythms, dark electronic ambient textures, spectral backdrops, further darkened by hellish voices to hypnotic mantras to soundscapes instigating mind and soul wanderings, that are pure soundtracks out of the nine circles of hell. These themes and elements are approached with a very experimental attitude that is quite simply the best selling point of the album, distancing it somehow from the conventionally trodden paths. While this is good news to the more progressively inclined minds and those into death industrial, I reckon it's still no deterrent to the most conventional gothic crowd. Given they have been desperately looking to an update to the classic goth rock cliché for ages now, while all that came up in so far was the adding of trite electronics, which made it even quicker obsolete, once those very cheesy sounds lost their short-lived edge by the hands of experimentalists and progressives of the dark variety. A truly advanced step into arcane darkness. www.mennella.info/evn.htm

Gianfri

Rapoon - Seven Pillars of Fire - EP (Thisco)

Robin Storey influential career began with Zoviet France, as early as over 25 years ago, if memory serves. Since 1992 he operates under the Rapoon moniker and his back catalogue is massive. Seven Pillar of Fire is the latest CD release, dating back to 2005, in fact, and is a 20 minute suite of haunted atmospheric ambient. Spectral passages and subtle hints of industrialism characterise the work, with cosmic, ghoulish, otherworldly drones creating a sort of magic, ritual atmosphere. When it comes to soundtrack-like compositions, those evoking all sorts of imagery with all sorts of acoustic and psycho-acoustic weapons, I'm still of the opinion that the EP format is a bit of a let-down. On the one hand, it's extraordinary how a full-album worth of themes is condensed in a 20-minute suite, with arrangement choices that are spot-on for the purpose. On the other hand, once you are projected in those fantastic worlds, the end of the dream is always a let-down. At the very least, the feel after the 20 minutes of Seven Pillars of Fire are over, is to go over and flip the disc... www.pretentious.net/Rapoon - www.thisco.net

Gianfri

Robert Ziino - Plastic Loves Global Warming (Experimental Artists)

Having met Robert Ziino in issue X of Darklife, I'm glad to see a sequel to the delirious gliding electronics of his Music from the Valley of The Flowers. Aside from extending the track-lenght from 3 to 5 minutes, Plastic Loves Global Warming adds a solid rhythmic component to the synth wanderings and a touch of solid madness which translates into a work more easily accessible to the power/rhtymic electronic crowd on the look. Still infusing the minimal/paranoid paradigm into power electronics schemes, Mr Ziino is still liable to drive you candidly mad with the title track, suitably placed mid-disk. That's in fact a turning point, as from there on, the album goes cyclically mad, forgets the beats and ends up buzzing like a poisoned fly on its last mission. Hard to swallow in the end, as the square approach to electronics isn't entirely attractive when pushed way too far as it is towards the end of this work. www.experimentalartists.com

Gianfri

Roy Arne Knutsen - Old Boat House - EP (Silence Is Not Empty)

Old Bout House is a 20-minute journey into the peace of the costal soundcapes, conjuring up feelings and imagines that are everyday life for many Norwegians. Norway is a costal paradise, having experienced that in several occasions, it would be for me impossible not to appreciate this subtle ambient work, in which Roy Arne Knutsen refers to his native place in Steins, Norway. This is the most idyllic piece of haunted ambient I've been hearing in a long time. The key to the releases by Silence Is Not Empty is to be short works of ambient, and Old Boat House is a fantastic concentrate of meditative streams, punctuated by a muted, monotone rhythm that underlines the transcendent lullaby that is the centre of the work, while hypnotizing ambience conjures up visions of full moons reflecting upon calm open waters. Mesmerising. How wonderful would it be to taste a full length version of this paradise. www.roy-arneknutsen.org - www.silence-is-not-empty.com

Gianfri

Sci-fi Industries - 6.factor.ep - EP (Thisco)

Following up on the intriguing footsteps of the Air Cutter album (see review in the October 05 online extras to Darklife X), Luís Van Seixas brings his Sci-fi Industries project back with a 5-track EP that is every bit as good as we have come to expect from this talented artist who is gaining recognition at a rapid pace in the dark electronic-industrial arena. 6.factor.ep features a backbone of complex rhythmic structures over which a range of atmospheres acquire life and seamlessly blend into each other forming a coherent succession of soundscapes made of electronic textures, ambience, beats and quirky synthlines. Pulsating with energy, and rich in atmospheres, 6.factor.ep is something to look out for. As sure crowd pleaser for those into such acts as Ah Cama Sotz or Mimetic. www.thisco.net

Gianfri

Scream Silence – Saviourine (Plainsong)

Here we have again a new album of Scream Silence, German band based around front man and singer Hardy Fieting (see interviews and/or reviews on Darklife Nr. IX and X). As expected, Saviourine brings us more fantastic deep emotive melodies and lyrics, sung by the immaculate voice of Hardy, which makes out this pleasant music. Like their previous works, Scream Silence also integrate their typical classic elements, combined with electric guitars and Wolfi‘s powerful drum interludes. Scream Silence seem to be sticking reliably to their style of music, which is a good idea in my opinion, as their music was already fascinating from the beginning, and they have steadily improved with every new album they released .To those who don’t know them and who like tear-jacking melodies, vocals sung by an emotional, powerful and well trained voice, combined with more than well fitting powerful guitar and drum elements, you will love a Scream Silence song! And if you like one song, you will like the complete album, and so you will love them all! And specially Saviourine , probably their most accomplished work so far. www.screamsilence.de - www.plainsong-records.de

Karin Zenzinger

Slow Soldier/Flat Opak - Sloppy Seconds - 2CD (Thisco)

A split double CD release for these two Portuguese electronic acts who complement each other in excellent way and offer fresh rhythmic electronica with a carefree attitude. Translating the tradition of splits EPs to the digital format, each act offers some twenty minute of their own entertainment, each on their own disk. Joao Ribeiro aka Slow Soldier lines up five tracks of clean and original electronics, featuring rhythmic components and bizarre, even catchy arrangements, without following any specific rules. The beats are diminutive, the sound design offers unconventional twists, that make some of the tracks (like the opener Nose Clik or Trailertrash) memorable, while the general feel is very positive. Miguel Seixas , the man behind Flat Opak, offers more substancial rhythmic, over which he depicts a variety of moods, from quirky electronic textures, to darker and spaced out atmospheres, or harder beats to boot. Rhythmic electronica with chill-out attitudes, Sloopy Seconds is a damn captivating and highy coherent release, just tickling on the one side the appetite of the rhythmic industrial crowd and, at the other end, the borders of laptop electronica. www.thisco.net

Gianfri

Stephane Roy - Migrations (empreintes DIGITales)

Migrations is a hour-long work of abstraction by Canadian composer Stephane Roy. Mastering the art of electroacoustics (the man holds a Ph.D degree on the subject), Stephane tackles the theme of Migrations, the quest of men for a (possibly) better future in another land. He offers three works (each articulated in three further tracks), each composed during his own personal 'Migration', a five year period spend in the US Midwest. Taken at face value, the album is a highly complex work of diminutive sounds built on a elaborate canvas, likely to be most effectively appreciated in hi-end reproduction systems. Whenever I come across electroacoustic works, the obligatory association with audiophiles springs to my mind. This ain't party music nor dark ambient, just to make the context clear. This is the way the avant-garde of artists out there sees the world surrounding them. Three Petites Histories Concretes -the central of the three works- holds some uncanny moments of industrialism (albeit in sparse fashion), and remains the high point of the album in my opinion. Migrations gains momentum in its third episode -Masques et Parades- with a fair share of more solid sonic moments, as opposed to the deliberate minimalism of the opening act, Appartenances. Migrations is a captivating piece of experimentation, and I've seen it with every listen growing in me from a mere sound collage to full book of sonic rhymes. www.electrocd.com

Gianfri

Supreme Court featuring Feindflug - We'll F*** You Up! EP (Black Rain)

Two bands are better than one... Supreme Court and Feindflug, representing the creme of the German contemporary hard electro-industrial, join their brute electro forces for this 4-track release that is a pure concentrate of hard dance-floor adrenaline. At just over 20 minutes playtime, We'll F*** You Up! goes a long way into showing that this collaboration is a purely bright one, which is hardly surprising, given the curricula of the two acts involved. Shaking the dancefloor to the bone with hard and calculatedly distorted beats, great rhythmic hooks and a wealth of melodic hints, We'll F*** You Up! will easily make you forget it's rather blatantly unattractive title. www.blackrain.de

Gianfri

Tyske Ludder - Soyuz - 2CD (Black Rain)

If you're on the look for some of the best aggro-dark-electro since Suicide Commando shaped this genre with grace and fury, look no further and grab this new offering by Tyske Ludder. Back in the mid-nineties, this German act seemed like the next big thing. Churning out three album in the space of two years, they quickly gained recognition. Then nothing for ten years. Until Soyuz hit the streets like a blitz out of a clear sky. 11 tracks of relentless beats, cutting edge synth basslines and dark synth lines painting an upbeat world of mad stomping and inhospitable bleakness. Soyuz is a fully danceable album of state of the art electronics, coming in a time when it pretty much looked as the majority of the bands venturing in this musical direction were little more than Suicide Commando monotonic clones. Tyske Ludder come through with a punchy sound of their own, aggressive and atmospheric at the same time, giving bands like VNV Nation and all those who started out promising, only to decade in the cheesy mess that future pop was, a run for their money. But that's not all. Multiply that by 2 in fact, as the release includes a full album seeing 10 different artists, giving their blueprint to the album tracks. Bionic Impression, the catchy track, clear-cut to become a dancefloor classic, is given the Feindflug treatment, for example, making it an obligatory stop for DJs for years to come. In fact, virtually all the remixes add something well worth to the original tracks, making Soyuz an outstanding release in all respects. After all, Black Rain hhave established themselves by bringing out exclusively high quality acts, and this release is no exception. www.tyske-ludder.de - www.blackrain.de

Gianfri

Ultra Milkmaids & Vance Orchestra - Milk Orchestra - EP (Thisco)

A 4-track collaboration between unpredictable Ultra Milkmaids and sketchy ambient/indistrialists Vance Orchestra, the bruisingly titled Milk Orchestra shows some potential but seems to be willing to hold the goods from the audience. At 20 minutes playing time, Milk Orchestra consists of one well conceived piece of droning dark ambient underlined by interesting evolving textures, and three 'work in progress' moments. The approach to the work would obviously turn over if it were pressed as a thick 12" holding Stereo System 1 on side 2 and the first 3 tracks as side-1 appetizers. Amazing how the digital medium has the power to affect the way the music is perceived. In this case, I'd firmly stick to the 12" format. Whether more collaborative effort from the parties in question will be relevant, it's difficult to tell from this silver disk. www.thisco.net

Gianfri

The Unquiet Void - Poisoned Dreams (Middle Pillar Presents)

Described as ' the soundtrack H.P. Lovecraft would've written', Poisoned Dreams definitely lives up to the expectations. The Unquiet Void is the brainchild of Jason Wallach, an electronic master of dark and ethereal ambience and a craftsman of mysterious soundscapes. Poisoned Dreams is indeed based on the famed "Cthulhu mythos" by H.P. Lovecraft and it is a fitting soundtrack to the opus. Enter the Poisoned Dreams, enter the most dramatically deep world of darkness and mystery. A great take on ambient-industrial from a highly cinematic point of view, Poisoned Dreams is simply breathtaking in its otherworld journey made of twisted electronics, where drones ride seamlessly over geometric beat patterns, while angels occasionally take over spelling their cuddling choirs over the doomed soundscape. There's enough on this disk to fully satisfy the palate of Cold Meat and original Ant-zen fans alike, while seriously, and rightly, titillating the attention of the esoteric crowd. www.middlepillar.com

Gianfri

Vinterriket - Winterschatten (Flood The Earth)

This actually an American re-issue of a deleted 3x7" set released earlier in 2003 on German Ketzer Records. As we have been accustomed to, a nordic gelid setting dominates the artwork and the music alike. Winterschatten opens with a couple of black metal rooted tracks, although their overall sound is much grayed out by suitable synths and the guitars are much subdued, which totally suits me. In fact, you barely take note of the metal influence, as the overall tone is rich in melancholy, even more suited to goths than to metallers. Following up, the morphing begins, turning the work in a fairly swift, yet not obvious way, to dark orchestrations and ultimately cold ambient, which constitutes the main body of the work. Synths take over, spaces dilate and the darkness falls. The arrangements are fairly minimal and the sound arsenal is fairly conventional as well, suggesting Vinterriket is more prone to mood exploration rather than experimentation. As it should, a rather filmic feel emanates from the simple yet effective melodic synth lines, with desolation and melancholy morphing into a sense of idyllic peace as the disc spins on. Closing the album is a cover of Burzum's Der Tod Wuotans which fits very well the mood built up so far. All in all, this is a thumbs up moodwise, and I reckon a little extra production on those nice atmospheres would bring some gem out of Vinterriket. As a matter of fact, the man might already be on at it, as a new album has been released quite recently. Eager to check this out. www.vinterriket.com - www.floodtheearth.com

Gianfri

Vri-il - Vri-il (Misty Circles / Musica di un Certo Livello)

Vri-il propose themselves as a quite eclectic combo, following loosely on the footsteps of the likes of Coil or early psych Pink Floyd just to give you a rough idea about some of the leit-motifs of this debut release. They afford themselves the luxury of digressing from prog passages to subdued industrialism with little effort, making this work a concentrate of deep-rooted seminally stoned out expressionism. Un-comprehensible lyrics add an extra touch of mystery, while a minimalism verging on the ritual governs the compositions. Lacking a focal point, Vri-il seem to play retro and remain stuck in it, with the six tracks ending up being quite disjointed one from another, possibly the main shortcoming of he work. Choosing a difficult ground to chart for a startup is definitely a courageous choice, and Vri-il do fare quite well. Now, if only audio quality was given some extra consideration... www.vriil.it - www.artcraf.it/mistycircles

Gianfri

Wai-pi-Wai - Beat Planet - EP (Hands)

Wai-pi-Wai is the the joint venture of Jerôme Soudan and Herman Klapholz, two of the most active names in the field of electronic, industrial and... beats! Who is familiar with the rhythmic works of Ah- Cama Sotz and Mimetic should have no hesitation in getting this project up on their list (and I'm sure that's already the case), as Beat Planet is pure evidence of the synergy between the two artists. Beat Planet easily lives up to its title: it's beats, beats, beats. It's fresh and crystal clear electronic arrangements loaded with a unique dynamism. Totaling just over 25 minutes in length, the 5 tracks on this disk are some of the freshest rhythmic electronics out there on the market. Rich electronics patterns moving swiftly, melting into each other with seamless transitions, sitting with deceiving simplicity with complex rhythmic patterns that are in turn in constant evolution. The end result is both catchy and stompy, with atmospheric touches here and there, a celebration of of the electronic sculpting skills of the two partners in crime: synthesis, or better, sum of their talents. Never have rhythmic electronics been so close to the potential of mass appeal. www.ahcama-sotz.com/waipiwai - www.handsproductions.com

Gianfri

Samplers

...in the Crystal Cage - VV.AA. (:Ikonen: Media)

Subtitled 'A Collection of Isolationist Soundscapes for The Inner Cinema', ...in the Crystal Cage is a little treasure fans of Cold Meat and the likes should race to get hold of. Obviously, a lot of effort was poured in the realization of this project, and I have to say that the end result is well worth that effort: ...in the Crystal Cage is a finely balanced compendium of some of the best names in the spectral isolationist ambient and death industrial scene, proposing a whopping 14 tracks worth of out-balanced mind wanderings into gray and foggy areas, hardly inhabited by those subjects formerly known as humans. There are scene 'luminaries', such as Herbst9, Apoptose, Anenzephalia, Tho-So-Aa, Inade or Shining Vril, side-by-side to less known (and equally compelling) acts, the likes of Drape Excrement, Galerie Schallschutz or Troum. I like the way the authors choose to finally dig the listener out of the indulging deserted spectrescapes, lifting the ice curtain with acts as Naevus or Pilori tailing the disc with that soft touch of human presence that re-connects you with a yet dusty reality. Golgatha wrap the disc with a short intro and a closing track. Final words for the precious three-fold digipack package, offering essential info on all the featured tracks. An admirable venture into the darkest realms with an outstanding selection of acts and material. www.ikonenmagazin.de

Gianfri

...It Just Is - In Memoriam: Jhonn Balance - VV.AA. (Fulldozer Records & Nocharizma)

A whole panel of international artists from a variety of musical backgrounds within the ambient/industrial/experimental (but not only) genre got together to pay tribute to Jhonn Balance, whose sudden and tragic death on 13th November 2004 filled with dismay the entire world made of dark, unsettling industrial and experimental music. In a matter of minutes, a legend was wiped out off the face of the planet never to return. This double CD packs 30 acts, meticulously re-constructing offline the genial unpredictability of Coil in the person of mr Balance. You'll find "big" names such as Alec Empire or KK Null and names you've never heard of, mainly from former Soviet Union, but this is not about name-spotting, as each and every track on this precious release is a worth piece of memory dedicated to Balance. Indeed, repeated listening to ...It Just Is has prompted me researching a few of the acts included in it, only to offer very pleasant surprises. If Coil have a place in your heart, so should this CD. An initial edition of the CD, issued in 2005 sold out at blazing speed, but I've heard this is going to be re-issued (and maybe it has already) and is in my opinion a nice little gem worth tracking down. www.fulldozer.com/catalogue/19

Gianfri

Australian Independent Darkwave Vol. 2 - 2CD - VV.AA. (Crash Frequency)

A comprehensive document over-viewing the thriving Australian electro, cyber and darkwave scene, this double disk release is a very good starting point for exploring the dark realms of down-under. Not that much dark, in fact, as the variation of genres featured feature in reality very little darkwave (at least in one if its most commonly accepted forms), while electronic and guitar crossover, light weight electro-pop, trip-hop, cyber-electro or electronic with industrial influences dominate by large the 28 tracks on offer, spanning well over 2 hours of music on 2 CDs. Even the Australian darkwave "icons" (IKON themselves!), offer radio and club friendly tracks that are bright and catchy, seemingly dusting off a bit their solid darkwave reputation. Besides IKON, some of the names appearing have already got a bit of a reputation this side of the equator, like Angel Theory, Angelspit, The Crystalline Effect, Resurrection Eve, The Process Void or Lux Voltaire, while the remaining acts appearing showcase their qualitative tracks shoulder to shoulder, with little signs of shyness. Going by the numbers in this release, the Australian club scene seems very well geared towards dancefloor-dancefloor-dancefloor. Non- stop! Keep moving to the electronic beat, drawn yourself in catchy riffs and memorable hooks. Beside which, it's easy to taste quite a departure from many of he conventions of euro-centric electro as it stands since over a decade. This sampler is for those bright days and I'd be hard-pressed if I were to try and dig and find a weak point in it. The fascination with a land that must have crossed the dreams of all of us at some point in life, combined with an avalanche of their best musical offer in the genre, make this release a very attractive one in the saturated market of contemporary electro. www.carshfrequency.com

Gianfri

Broken Channel - CD+DVD - VV.AA. (C0C0S0L1DC1T1)

Starting off with two unsuspecting pieces of rhythmic electronica by Ultra Red, Broken Channel has way more to offer than a mere exercise in electronic machine mastering for the mere pleasure of the auditive senses. The concept behind this intriguing work focusses on the ever more invading phenomenon of CCTV surveillance. The theme is explored both in the visual and audio medium, with the work consisting, in fact, of a CD and a DVD. Speaking in strict musical terms, you'd have a hard time conciliating the clean electronica of, say, Battery Operated & Made and the subject theme. Matters become definitely more sinister with Kampuchea, said to have used sounds culled at an immigration office to mould his 13 minute track which is in my opinion the most intriguing track off the CD with its clear-cut experimental edge. Closing the CD is perhaps the cut that most evokes the uneasiness possibly associated with being watched behind the scenes. Approaching 20 minutes in length, Kaffe Matthews & Riz Maslen unleash a piece that will make the spectral joy of high-tech experimentalists. Obviously not the ideal companion to your daily commuting to work. The visual work is where a stance of condemnation eventually surfaces, as the main theme is clearly exploited. CCTV is a mere visual medium after all. Interestingly enough, more creative works reaching way beyond knee-jerk subversion are presented. The clips by Battery Operated are really the best of the lot, highlighting an approach that -non unlike light electronica- is possibly way more subversive than plain political condemnation. Not to mention their eye/hear-cathing minimalist value. www.cocosolidciti.com

Gianfri

[f.e.v.e.r.] Electronics - VV.AA. (Thisco)

A bizarre release this by Thisco. Despite title and reputation of the label suggesting otherwise, there's pretty little electronics in this sampler, at least apparently; most notably a 9-minute piece of rumbling industrial closing the 40 minute disc courtesy by Mechanospère, remixed by Benjamin Brejon. The disc opens with a highly charged track of guitar armageddon by Bizzarra Locomotiva, this time re-worked by Miguel Fonseca. Digging deeper into the disk, the purpose of this work becomes evident: we are dealing with eight tracks, each of which sees an artist tackling the work of someone else almost invariably of quite different background. There's a whole lot of electronics, as re-mixers match up synth and guitars and abundance of treated vocals. Quoting from the inner cover, 'the most interesting thing about the human being is diversity. Don't loose it!'. Perhaps the guitar attack tracks is a bit disorienting and the mixture struggles a bit in keeping attention in focus. Falling back into soft electronica with a track by The Ultimate Architects, but there's a prompt return to guitars with the cheesy goth/metal of Moonspell. They feature a demo track, rather than a remix, which will probably be of interest to fans of the band, who in turn, will find the rest hard to stomach. To broaden the range, even Aenima appear, opportunely dis-constructed by Paulo Baiao. This is a disk for highly eclectic audiences and it is perhaps let down by the title that seems to suggest a different sort of content. Brings back memories of improbable radio shows where requests by people calling in were played. All sort of requests, in no particular order. www.thisco.net

Gianfri

Georg Kolbe - VV.AA. (VAWS)

VAWS have re-printed a book covering -in pictures- the sculptures of Georg Kolb, a German sculptor that gained quiet a reputation during the first few decades of the XXth century, strongly influenced by the likes of Rodin. This book was originally published all the way back in 1913 and now WAVS re-propose it with a music sampler featuring 16 tracks ranging from industrial, to cold-electronics, shifting then more to the goth tradition, via a slight diversion through dark-folk. Quite a journey -as far as music styles are concerned-, but in all truth the path traced between one track and the next is always very coherent, and the whole is much reminiscent of a typical night out in a decent "true" dark club in Germany. With true I mean, not a club for posers but one in which genuinely dark music can be enjoyed. Not even sure that type of club exists any longer over in Germany, so it's good to be able to enjoy a very harmonic selection of tracks matching that styles. The CD opens in triumphant fashion with the anthemic Mars Macht Mobil II by Von Thronstahl, goes on with Langemark who keep the pace, then quickly launches into a few numbers of electronic-industrial (1979, Anonkrata). Aesthetik-Industries propose a rampant piece of rhythmic industrial. Near Death Experience, Black Sun and Hidden Place offer a glimpse into the italian cold-electronics scene, while Rose Rovine e Amanti offers his own cocktail of claustrophobic cocktail of neofolk and neoclassic, hardened up with e little extra experimentation, noise samples and a touch of bombastic. Helmond giev a go to a more dark-folk atmosphere and The Days of Trmpet Call carry on in more gothic fashion. Gothic Sex are a massive low-dawn with their highly questionable cover of Lucretia My Reflection, which is one of the two bad moments of this album. SodoMax Death offer the second, with a darl atmospheric track badly recorded and quite insignificant as a result. The last three tracks are mainly guitar oriented, leading the disk to a close in notes closer to gothic than anything else with Forthcoming Fire, Za Gev, followed by Sala with a weird electric piece hard to classify. Unfortunately we haev been offered only the CD to review, so I can't comment on the book itself. This is certainly a sampler that flows along very well and is a good listen, as well as a good opportunity to discover new names out there. Be prepared, however, to skip over one or two tracks, as they hardly fit the context at all. www.vaws.de

Gianfri

Love Session 2 - VV.AA. (Prikosnovenie)

Back in our issue 9 we covered the first Love Sessions release, a fantastic effort by cult world label Prikosnovenie to bring together musical offerings from different artists, all co-operating in the creative effort. That was an enchanting disk, and this second installment is nothing short of astounding. The collaboration is shaped up by Francesco Banchini (a.k.a G.O.R.), Loiusa John Krol and Prikosnovenie own Fred Chaplain with his contribution as Lys. If you are familiar with the music of the artists in question, then your expectations will be well rewarded by over 50 minutes of caressing and peaceful musical propositions touching on traditional styles, ethereal, spiritual with touches of exotic and middle-eastern flavoured passages. Most of the recordings are new tracks, with a few re-recorded propositions and a number of intriguing interludes taken care of by Mr. Chaplain. Harp, classic guitars, mandolin, clarinets, a wealth of hand-percussion, soft keyboards and furtive samples are the main actors playing alongside Loiusa and Francesco vocals, which quite often double as instrument tracing candid, wordless melodies. The album climaxes immediately after a short introduction, with Shofar, an absorbing ballad whose effect is to pull you out of this insane world we live in, and drive you straight into a magic dimension focussed on quiet, reflective and blissful moments. From there on, Love Sessions 2 is a transcendent experience to live through in full absorption. It's the cry of peace; it's the cry of love, it's the cry of beauty, the voice of history and ancient culture, melted with contemporary inputs, as to suggest that even nowadays we can achieve some spiritual heights despite the mess we live in. A lovely video extra featuring live snippets of live appearances by Louisa and Francesco, candid interviews and a glimpse into the recording sessions for this album is a great bonus, giving a little inside into the characters of the musicians. Confirming once again how well these artists work together, bringing each their own talent and spiritual contribution to integrate in such a seamless way, Love Sessions 2 is a no-brainer buy for those already seduced by the candid and magic world of Prikosnovenie. For anyone else who keep reading all but praises about this label, this is a golden opportunity to lend your ears and soul to their musical offerings. www.prikosnovenie.com

Gianfri

Swarm - VV.AA. 2CD (Cold Spring)

If you are familiar with Cold Spring and their fantastic catalogue of no-compromise apocalyptic industrial, bombastic, militaria, power noise, power ambient catalogue, then this double-CD compendium of the best of their best is a true godsend. Packaged in an attractive gatefold sleeve, the 2 CDs of Swarm offer close to 2 hours of off the track entertainment in the form of 22 tracks from 22 artists representing the cutting edge of a scene that doesn't cease to amaze in terms of displaced creativity. Themes of war, fierce glory and majesty alternate with unsuspecting tamed reflections, or reflective ambient, evocative soundscapes, wicked proceedings describing a world tumbling in to ruins. Then, there are curtains of grayness... imposing ones. There is a Merzbow/ Nordvargr split effort that is a gem on its own, well worth a separate 7" release. There's a call to the angels. There are devilish passages. There is Deadwood. Schloss Tegal. A Challenge of Honour. There's obscurity overall. There are intriguing collaborations -Bleiburg-Werkraum-VonThronstahl offers a striking result- and, most importantly, about the half of playing time is reserved for artists who are yet out of the spotlight (scene-wise), thus offering them an unique opportunity for exposure. And what's on offer is a t prime level in general. Ah, there's even what the eagle-eyed music seniors out there would reckon as being some "neofolk" effort. There's Werkraum. I see this sampler as a celebrating milestone for the hard work of Cold Spring in promoting in a very effective way a scene that you'll find hard to get in hand, if you really wanted to. A release with the full potential to become a classic. Well know names seamlessly mix with new shouts from the nether-world of Cold Spring. If you were not aware of this, this a recommended starting point all around. www.coldpsring.co.uk

Gianfri

Vinyls

Allerseelen - Sturmlieder - 2LP (Ahnstérn)

Originally released on CD back in 1997, the third full-length by Allerseelen and long sold-out, Sturmlieder has been dusted off and re-issued in 2005 as a double LP including 6 new tracks. The new tracks are featured at the beginning of the work and offer a nice overview of the eclecticism of this cult Austrian artist. He shift effortlessly moods while each track is like an alchemic mix of varied ingredients. Guitars and piano passages find place next to sinister sample and loops, psychotic violins, synths with strong rhythmic elements. Common denominator is a s sort of sepia tone tinting the entire work. There's ambient pop, blues noir, surrealism, hypnotic repetition. I hear eastern influences. Allerseelen is a self-contained cosmo, each album has a weird cinematic flavor and each song is another mini-cosmo inside, taking life, living intensively, then fading to give way to the next. When the original Sturmlieder album starts, after the 6 new tracks (only five of which are included in the review CD we have received), the difference is quite marked and and Heiliges Blut opens in intimidating industrial fashion. This is Allerseelen going nasty and this album is in my opinion one important milestone for both Gerhard Kadmon career and for the apocalyptic industrial scene. Stutmlieder grows in a 'spare no prisoners' type of militant industrial with a strong taste of war, culminating in the evocative and threatening track Sturmlied, featuring vocals by Gerhard's partner Ostara. Following that, chaos gives way to a glacial sense of desolation, while a sense of mysticism seems to emanate now from the ruins. If you had missed this album the first time round, this is a golden opportunity to fill the gap, as it is one of the most powerful works in the apocalyptic genre with mystic connotations. The new tracks as well add to the value of it, as does the convenient 2LP format, conveniently grouping the four different chunks of the work, each on one side. www.geocities.com/ahrnstern

Gianfri

Allerseelen / O Paradis - Split 7" (Aorta)

As a prelude for their recent collaboration on the album Serpiente de Luna, Serpiente de Sol..., Allerseelen and O Paradis teamed up for a nice little single that is a very good taste to feel what these two projects are made of these days. Allerseelen's track, titled Funke is a cold synth ballad underlined by a repetitive drum loop and vitalized by spoken vocals, apparently accentuating the detached coldness of the track, yet filling it of perverted warmness. El Astro Rey is a quintessential O Paradis song, a slow moving ballad filled with melancholic touches, highlighting the unique vocal tones of mastermind Demian. The track is also featured on the Serpiente de Luna... album and is, in fact, one of the best cuts off it. This is another very valid entry in the Allerseelen 7" single series, titillating to the point of possibly instigating an investigation on the whole series! www.geocities.com/ahrnstern

Gianfri

Electronic Renaissance - VV.AA. (Enfant Terrible)

The title says it all, really. Enfant Terrible sets out to point out that minimal electronics and compelling electro-wave are not merely a thing of the past, showcasing 12 contemporary and obscure artists who inject new lymph in a genre that nowadays is confined to pure nostalgia. However, the original synth sounds have never disappeared from the electronic music scene, and I would be really surprised is they ever will. Proof is that every single of the original analogue synthesizers, many of which -in one form or one other- were responsible for the massive electronic new-wave of the early eighties, have ben re-created -new and improved- as software instruments, undoubtedly spanning a whole new generation of users/abusers. The perspective of a new Electronic Renaissance is a jolly good one, and he actors in this Enfant Terrible playground do a damn good job at making it a credible one. Clearly the 80's are the reference point here, but it's refreshing to find fresh approaches, blending in tangential elements, but never straying from the fundamental paradigm stating that "less is more". Some of the offerings are a pure retro celebration (Jeunesse Fantôme, Wermut, Solitarien Effekten), but soon after getting over these three back to back tracks, the album opens up to a varied number of approaches. Darkwave creeps in with Black Spider Clan and Echo West, a couple dark ballads courtesy of After The Snow, It & My Computer feat. Rollinka. More minimal darkness is in the hands of Porn.Darstaller and La Comtesse Morte, offering two stand-out tracks of creepy minimalism. Komform, Soft Rider and Kompleta go even further, by touching on modern electronica, while never loosing sight of some vintage sounds. Electronic Renaissance is a bit like the missing link between the 80s and contemporary electronica. If you like the concept, hurry up, as this vinyl is offered in a edition of 500 copies only. www.enfant-terrible.nl

Gianfri

THO-SO-AA - Dying Reveal 7" (Drone Records)

Imaginative nocturnal soundscapes living on the border between reality and imagination. Cosmic or nether-worldly, human or best, rarified, subtly oscillating their way into the listener consciousness, ghastly hammering the fifth and a half sense. Side A, the title side holds a fitting soundtrack to a out in space/down in hell nightmare, where menacing drones navigate in synch with Dante's own flow of thought, while subtle noises resembling voices add an extra layer of disconcert. The flip side, titled The Undefined is grounded in more solid human territory. Distant voice samples again set the worrisome mood, while pulsating ambience and single frequency oscillations join in in a subdued crescendo until 30's melodies take over in a surreal sequence of events. The Undefined is quite a departure from Mr Lutz Rach more typical droning soundscapes and bound to spill his popularity into audiences normally oblivious to his activities. www.tho-so-aa.com - www.dronerecords.de

Gianfri

DVD's

Feindflug - ...Hinter Feindlichen Linien (Black Rain)

If you are even remotely a fan of the hard mechanical electro-industrial German project Feindflug, then there's one thing I urge you to do and it is get out there and buy yourself this DVD. Good chances are, if you don't live in Germany, you have had no opportunity to catch a live performance by them. Their flirting with belligerent imagery is the first thing that will strike you, although if you own CDs from them you are probably already aware of that. First and foremost, this DVD is produced and packaged to the highest professional standards and it's obvious that a lot of work has gone into it. It is divided in three main parts: A full live gig, a live clips section offering six further live tracks and a bonus section that, besides some video clips, goes as far as offering a short-film. The full gig is recorded in Berlin's K 17 venue and consists of over one and a half hour of footage preceded by some pre-gig footage and with short interview clips with the band and also some one-liners from the public. The band are renewed for their visually striking sets: camouflage nets, war paraphernalia, gas masks, helmets, a loop waiting for someone to be hung on, a machine-gun, even the simulated abuse and execution of a prisoner! Intriguing video projections, strictly WWII themed, unfold on the backdrop and lighting is striking on the whole. Unfortunately the director gets a bit carried away in applying his video-clip style to the entire gig, resulting in different views of the action being swapped within a fraction of a second of appearing on screen. This makes it very difficult to appreciate the action as it unfolds on stage and i generally find this practice to be highly irritating. Also the complexity of the drumming action, the very defining element of their music and live show of the band is hardly appreciated in these circumstances. The venue is well rigged as far as video cameras are concerned, leaving the director with *much* to play with! A nice touch are the aerial shots of the crowd, from the roof perpendicularly down. Anyway, it is a nice document of the band capabilities on stage, and will undoubtedly inspire those who have never had the chance to go and see them at the first opportunity. The additional live tracks of the second section are culled from various German gigs of the past years. Not all of these feature ideal illumination, but I remember seeing the band myself in some occasion and not being very impressed with the lighting work at these gigs: a bit over-crazed with lots of flashing and so on. with these clips, it's easier to get a whole picture of the stage action, although these also feature many different shooting angles. Of these six tracks, only two are duplicated on the main gig, but one of the two is Roter Schnee, one that can't ever tire. Even better, there's a live video of Totungsmaschine Mensch, that is not included in the main set. In the bonus area, there are a couple of video to tracks, notably the new Truppenschau video, another live track, some behind the scenes shots. The short film is nothing to write home about, but pleasant to see nevertheless for its bleak imagery. With a playing time approaching three hours, there's little that can go wrong fi you decide to splash for this DVD. www.feindflug.info - www.blackrain.de

Gianfri

Mortiis - Soul In A Hole (Earache)

A DVD release for Mortiis seemed like a very natural move, as the band entered their 'Era 3' with their latest album The Grudge, enjoying critical success on the wave of vast touring and aggressive promotion. Soul In a Hole captures their London concert back in September 2004, showing a thigh performance leaded relentlessly by this unique figure in the panorama of dark alternative music. The live performance is captured very effectively with a limited variety of camera angles, helping the viewer keeping a positive sense of space, while focussing when necessary (very often indeed!) on the frontman action. Luckily enough, the director didn't give in the temptation to alternate different camera views every fraction of a second, as is highly fashionable in certain circles to try and mask the lack of action in the venue. In fact, it isn't really the case with Mortiis: action is guaranteed and it's sheer energy that's on display, with a near-null amount of posing. The sound is hard and well calculated. The hard guitar play bears a well restrained style and is never pushed over the top, while sonic priority is rightly given to the vocal performance, which is a total storm. For many contemporary fans, Smell of Rain was their first approach to Mortiis and the tokens from that album that are proposed are hardened up without loosing any of their original appeal. Besides the 75-minute main feature, the DVD offers a wealth of extra material, including a 25-minute interview that's highly enjoyable in its setting, revealing a few interesting curiosities and anecdotes about the band and their recording and touring activities. The four promotional videos produced by the band are also on offer, as is an Electronic Press Kit, a picture gallery and TV adverts for The Grudge. Nice little extra bits that make this DVD a nice tool to explore this band in visual fashion with some cool insights (want to know about 'the mask'??) . www.mortiis.com - www.earache.com

Gianfri

Venus Fly Trap - Celluloid (1988 - 2004) (Big Blue Records)

A neat document tracing Venus Fly Trap career through the video clips they shot to promote their releases, from the end of the eighties through to their last full length back in 2004. Celluloid includes 8 tracks , compiled and presented in no-frills fashion, a bit unusual in this era in which high quality multimedia creation is at easy reach of basically anyone with a computer and a little spare time. The video themselves are fascinating, as each neatly captures the atmosphere at its point in time, which, for the majority of them starts to feel a bit nostalgic indeed! From the full wave swing of Morphine (Jesus & Mary Chain anyone?) trough the visionary dementia of Rocket USA to the cosmic abstraction of Sabotage, Venys Fly Trap show a matching imagery to their eclectic music offerings through the years. The press release cites a number of cineaste talents involved, but unfortunately no credits are printed in the inner sleeve, making it difficult to match them to the clips. All in all, just eight track of video is a bit lean of an offering for a DVD, it would have been nice to have some live footage tagged in as well. Hopefully the disc is aptly priced; I could not find price information on the VFT's Spiralarchive website mailorder section. www.spiralarchive.com

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