Lunar Paths is the Trans-Atlantic goth duo of Diane Dubois and Kevin Hunter, and the 15th of March saw the release of a new single, “Silvania“. The band have said the track is based on the werewolf like creature, Loup Garou, from the Margaret Atwood novel Surfacing.
Layers of electronics waver throughout, chiming sleigh bells and drum loops, build a sensuous myriad of a swirling moon bound soundtrack, into which the vocals, sumptuously croon to you, which has a wonderous Siouxsie Sioux style. A vibrant ode the Lycan kind, with the wilderness in their blood that rages, driving them a little insane in the pale light of the Goddess Diana. A pertinent song for a band called Lunar Paths and “Silvania” might have you howling in delight.
Seems those guys from The Drood have a new single with video called “Hallow” out on the label eMERGENCY heARTS. Join me in listening to the experimental, dulcet and alternative tones on offer with the extra joy of a video!!
You are entering the zone of The Drood, so don’t adjust the horizontal or vertical because this is where sounds of the electronics takes on a life of their own. A psychedelic trip into a world lived, perhaps online, where humans look for attention and adulation, as if their existence depends on it. There are trap like rhythms mixed with a slow burn reverse tape feel. Even more fun with the music video, so check out the trippy “Hallow” from The Drood.
At one point or another, everyone has felt like they are invisible or unable to see their way and this is the subject of the latest Meersein single “Lost“. And who doesn’t like a bit of German darkwave synthie-pop?!
I have to say that this is some ways actually reminds me a little musically of the 80s and the likes of Howard Jones. The drum machine picks up a timely rhythm, as the synths tinkle and also create a bass undercurrent. Meersein’s vocal’s range from silk, to whispers and a rather deep sexy growl, as he tells you he is ‘lost like a ghost in a maze‘.
It is worth your while to check out this single, because a little bird revealed that the next is coming out soon, which will be Meersein and Corlyx. Something tells me that is going to be pretty amazing. “Lost” is a nice tasty treat with a video of Meersein singing in a picturesque German forest.
It was announced En Esch (ex-KMFDM, Pigface, Mona Mur/En Esch) has signed to the label GIVE/TAKE and that the first single “Push” which is off the soon to be released solo album, after a seven year break. En Esch (main vocals, programming, piano, acoustic drums) is joined by Gabriel Lennox (male vocals, programming) of Seraph Sin, Erica Dilanjian (female vocals) of Lords OfAcid and Raymond Watts (additional male vocals) of Pig and also ex-KMFDM fame.
The groove is infectious and Esch’s vocals, guttural low bring you into a a track that has all the hallmarks of a old school favourite. The flow is almost funky and yet there is a serious side to “Push” about the people in the background that work tirelessly, never recognized for their contributions and often push further out of view. There is also the “Push (KPT Further Mix)” .with Joshua Lexvold (remixing, additional synth, programming) and JQ Lexvold (guitar). Stripped back, bleaker and more apocalyptic…. but oh my goodness, the end vocals are to die for!
Went you listen to these musicians, that have so much experience under their belts, there is the realization that they gel so well together and this track is full of simmering tension, tempered with beats. En Esch is going to “Push” you to the dance floor.
[gelöscht], more or less means ‘erased‘ in German, and it is also the debut industrial harsh noise album for VERFÃœHRERVERGELTER, also known as David Munster. The album has been released digitally on the label Produkt 42 and as a self release on tape.
Now here’s the challenge…. every track on the album is called [gelöscht] except for “Intro“. I’ll let that sink in. It is slightly terrifying territory for a reviewer where the only difference is the timing of each track.
Sooooo, this is a completely instrumental album, and I think it would be an injustice to break it down, so I’m going to give you the overall gist. My thinking is that if all the tracks are called [gelöscht], then this should be listened to in one sitting.
Whoever David Munster of VERFÃœHRERVERGELTER is, they have come from the black metal scene it feels like. That aspect is like a morass of inky darkness that swirls under all, constantly threatening to take over and devour all light, yet never succeeds. The electronics are the most vocal, often glitching with static. They can be like starlight one moment and be screaming blue murder the next.
There are huge soundscapes that want to swallow you whole with their vastness as they drone on. Others are claustrophobic, filing every space with noise, a horror movie. The electronics oscillate, quiver, and even sometimes bear down heavy, while the nightmarish beings in the aether converse with you in their own language.
On the Bandcamp page, VERFÃœHRERVERGELTER is described as death industrial noise, which I think sums up his style quite well. People who like harsh industrial noise are going to appreciate the effort and mastery that has gone into the creation of this album. Just listening to this makes me think it would be pretty amazing to see live. VERFÃœHRERVERGELTER is giving you [gelöscht], and if you don’t get it…. that’s okay as well.
German industrial project, Neon Insect released the album New Moscow Underground in 2019, and now Nils Sinatsch is back after a hiatus with new music in the form of the single “REWIRED“. The single is a continuation of a storyline that Nils has been forming since 2018, about New York, after World War III broke out in the 90s, where Russia now rules, causing human experimentation in cybernetics and subjugation of the people. All this has been further influenced and fuelled by the war in Ukraine.
The rumbling, clattering start up of the mechanisms as it lurches forward, gathering momentum. The rhythmic pounding is the resolve to no longer live as part of a machine that takes away their humanity while the soaring synths on high are almost symbolic of righteous change.
All the while, Nils‘ vocals speak of a crumbling power and that we, in the end, have self-determination and are not programmed robots. The sign of a good track is one that seems to finish all too soon, and “REWIRED” goes for just over three minutes, but you could swear it was a lot less. Neon Insect is bringing the heavy.
You might need a bit of extra goth in your life, so why not try some tropical goth…. mmm, it is tasty and refreshing in the form of Australian band Locust Revival,and you can whet your appetite with the single “Good Grief“. Actually, they have been releasing darkwave goodness since 2015 and are particularly prolific. *hint hint*
The guitar twanging flourishes, combined with the drum machine, are the first things you hear. The lofi recording only adds to the atmosphere, and when the vocals kick in, it makes you feel like you are listening to an unreleased Joy Division track. Like a dream wafting through, leaving behind the pain of memories, loves great loss with a bass saturated background.
Glorious post-punk sounds from Brisbane. It’s wonderfully mopey, and yet, there is a certain degree of lightness in the guitar playing. A beautiful symbolic looking back at the bands from the past, and you can hear the joy Locust Revival finds in creating this dark expressive music. All we can say is “Good Grief” Danger Mouse, you need a listen.
Edge Of Decipher is based in Mexico with Z. H. Syle the man behind the star glazed electronic music and the latest single “Cyber Dreams, Infinity And Flux“, which will also appear on the new album Future Skies, out on the machina ad noctem label
Zead is the guest vocalist for “A Warm Dawn“. You start for a moment at the foreign phrases, but the spoken words are Thai, floating in the spaces of a dream, where the piano becomes more insistent as the track meanders. That insistence is the reminder of the music to the vocalist that they are waiting for the person who will make them whole. A promise of more.
“Cyber Dreams, Infinity And Flux” is also graced by Zead’s expressive vocals. There is a heavier industrial influence, and the electronics buzz in anticipation, curling in frenetic eddies, while the solar winds of the synths guide them along.
machina ad noctem
A longing for something more in “Your Real Name (dream version)“. The piano keys express not so much a lament but definitely an expression of desire. The final track is the “A Warm Dawn (alternate take)” where there piano and vocals vie for dominance to be heard, as it all winds down with the knowledge there is an end.
Edge Of Decipher is experimenting with music not only for pleasure but to push boundaries such as a Thai vocalist and/or imbuing his synthwave craft with emotion that you can almost feel on your skin. So bask in the “Cyber Dreams, Infinity And Flux” with Edge Of Decipher.
Those two electronic guys from London and Denmark, who go under the guise of Perpacity, have released the epically named single, “Ragnarök” , as of the 3rd of March. Ian Harling and Martin Nyrup have announced that this will be the last single off the soon to be re4leased album Discordia.
Remember I said epic, as “Ragnarök” means ‘doom of the Gods‘ and is a predicted event in Norse mythology, of the destruction of worlds of men and the Gods. A mixture of future pop and something a bit darker, an echoing back to a time in history when the Gods walked the lands. Visions of the end of time that swirl in electronic motes, like flurries of snow, while the vocals dance between the icy fingers of death. The b-side is “Halls Of TheFallen” is a slower affair that speaks of the warrior’s last day before they fall in battle and then taken to Valhalla. The promise of eternal life, though they must leave all else behind, and this is reflected in the sinuous nature of the music. Building to the moment of lament and glory, and perhaps it is a Valkyrie we can hear in the march towards the appointed fate..
You might think that mixing a tale that is around a thousand years old, with electronic music, might be a bit cheesy, but this is not the case. Perpacity has pulled this off beautifully, weaving the electro with the mystical, exhibiting skill of the Sibyl that prophesised the coming of “Ragnarök“.
There is exciting news on the horizon as Norway’s Antipole, aka Karl Morton Dahl and UK’s Paris Alexander have released the new single “Perceptions” which is off their new collaborative album Crystalline, slated to drop on May 12th on Young And Cold Records. It will be out on digital, CD and lovely vinyl.
The clack of the drum machine and sensual synths wake you out of your stupor, beckoning your eyes to open. The guitar rings in beautifully and heralds Alexander’s smooth vocals as the music waxes and wanes with his whispers, infectious and leaving you wanting more.
It is so nice to hear these two working together again, and we have a whole album to eagerly await. There is just something sublime about not only this style of darkwave but how gorgeously Antipole and ParisAlexander have crafted “Perceptions” into a coldwave track that sucks you in until the end.
Onyx Music Reviews 