Over a year ago, some guy called GarrettCooper, in South Australia, decided to create a new project called BraveMistakes. He then thought that he might put out one original song a month, for a whole year. When you listen to each of the tracks, you can hear the progression as Cooper developed his singing talent and grew more comfortable in his role of songwriter. Somewhere on this journey, he has found like minded musicians and BraveMistakes is now a fully fledged band. A new single has just dropped called “UnchainedMelody“.
The style is simple and straightforward, with guitars interlacing delicately, between plucked and strummed. Cooper’s singing is definitely the focal point, smooth and rich like honey, as the lyrics roll of his tongue. The track is saturated in longing, for time and distance can be unkind to lovers.
Sounds familiar I hear you say. Yes, it is a cover of the 1965 song, first performed by TheRighteousBrothers and made famous yet again in the movie Dirty Dancing in the late 80s. This solemn rendition is near spine tingling, the musicianship stunning and I swear Cooper’s vocals get better every time I hear him. A perfect version of “UnchainedMelody” to slow dance with your dearest, by BraveMistakes.
Not often that you have a group that is known as a collective, but this is just what Flowers Of Hell is, which a group of sixteen musicians revolving through, based between London and Toronto. The project encompasses both classical and modern alternative rock and in 2012, they released the album Odes, a collection of covers, from bands that have influenced them.
Photo by Greg Jarvis
Now, in April 2023, Odes will be getting its first showing on vinyl with Space Age Recordings. At the time, back in 2012, the legend LouReed acclaimed it ‘an amazing, amazing album‘. You can’t get much better praise than from the guy who was the voice for TheVelvet Underground, about an album that bears one of their tracks. In fact, they have used the original lyrics that were penned by Reed on the Velvet’s original demo for “Walk On TheWildSide“
There are covers of BobDylan’s “MrTambourineMan“, SiouxsieAndTheBanshees‘ “LastBeatOfMyHeart“, and Stereolab’s “Super-Electric” just to give you an idea of the variation in styles. You can even go check out the new video created for the post-punk track “Atmosphere“, which is of course, originally, by the beautifully sad Joy Division. Flowers Of Hell treat both this, and all the other songs with great reverence whilst giving each a classical twist. Odes is a musical salute to the tracks that have influenced generations, and Flowers Of Hell have acknowledged they are building their own wonderful legacy on the shoulders of giants. The release date is April 22nd.
We are off to Austin, Texas, to have a look at the first EP, “WeDissolve“, from Gleaming. Maybe we can let the man behind the project, tell you about himself….
“After drumming for a handful of different screamo and indie/dream-pop bands, I found my way to electronic music. I wanted to take the inspiration and influence from artists I love and blend it with my experience in the indie and dream/synth-pop bands. Creating a dark, danceable tone with really catchy melodies and lyrics, hoping to capture the perfect segue from dark to light.” – Darryl Schomberg II
The first track is also the single “RunFaster” and the tone of this song alone sets up the whole EP, which is about putting distance between yourself and the things in life that have dragged one down the darker paths, such as depression, and finding a better future. The synths are bright and sweet, and the rhythm bounces. “TheAshes” is the second single that builds in tension, echoing vocals that explode into a cascade of crystalline synth shards. Of note is the track “RatMeOut“, feature Vestite, also from Austin, which has a great keyboard line through it as the dual vocals snake through this piece in the chorus.
I kind of wished that Schomberg relied on his own clean vocals more, which I will admit, are soooo much better than using autotune, (yeah I am the first to say I hate autotune with a fiery passion and I will blame Cher forever). The electronics have an 80s synthwave ring to them, that can soar, and having Vestite is a stroke of genius, as it made “RatMeOut” a real joy. This is just Gleaming starting out with WeDissolve, so it should be interesting to see what he does next.
VAZUM have defined their gothic rock mixed with shoegaze style as Deathgaze, and the Detroit duo of Zach Pliska and Emily Sturm have kept themselves very busy. Between 2020 – 2022 they have released approximately four full albums, a multitude of singles and even a ghoulish Christmas EP just for good measure.
Now we have V- (V negative), the greatest hits of this period. All tracks have been re-recorded to reflect their live performances, so don’t expect the usual crystal clear sound but rather, you are listening to a band recreating the live experience.
Sure enough, it feels like we are privy to a VAZUM show as we revisit some of their tracks such as the SiouxsieandtheBanshees like “RazorSmileV–” with its swirling guitars or the wonderfully bass heavy “Thief V-” and enjoy the interchange of male and female vocals. If you like yourself some VAZUM, dig really interesting gothic rock or really love the warm style of live music, then V– might be your glass of absinthe.
Deathdrift are a dark, post-industrial duo from Germany and their debut album, LiminalNocturnes, was released at the beginning of March. We have the mysteriously named SH on synths, programming, engineering, sampling and mixing, while DS is the vision, the voice, bass, piano, bones and programming
What a way to start out. “VeinOfGod” has creepy whispers, joined by a death nell piano chiming. Like laboured breathing with the growled vocals, it lumbers on without heed, consuming all with divine retribution. The eulogy of “TheGreyHeavens” drones and DS’s vocals are sonorous and sluggish, as if the colour is leaching out of everything, while the electronics waver and stab out in the single “IncendingNight“. There is a beautiful symmetry between light and dark, as if the scales are being stacked with demons and angels. The low tones can be felt in the core of your chest in “BeSacrifice“, with the shamanistic drums beats, grinding oppressive ambience and chanting.
A portent of warning, a slow ticking joins with the grandiose blasts of the divine hosts, that could take down the walls of Jericho. This is “AllumfassendesVersinken” or all-encompassing sinking and a lone strummed guitar is the oddity. The vocals go from growled to beautiful in short succession, following the the mania in “Rise (Spirit Of The Depth” as it swirls around, dragging you into its maelstrom. “Come” seems so much lighter in tone and yet it is eerily creepy with the echoing and whispering. There is an intensity like they are raising the dead. Violated piano keys colour the track as they keep the rhythm with the drum machine, until they are given a short reprieve only to be tortured again, an opus of pain for “InAdoration“. The last track is “TheUniverseAsAHalfsleeper’sOpiaticVision” and for the first minute you start to wonder if there is something wrong with the playback, but slowly the disjointed piano gets louder and louder, a modern ideal of a waking dream, or perhaps nightmare.
This album is a bit of a trip. Industrial meets ambient electronics and tinged with black metal. It delves into the imagery of Heaven, Hell and the planes in between as well as the human psyche, when it comes to loss and wanting to be saved by a force higher than themselves. If I didn’t know any better, I would say that SH and DS have had some classical training of some description. The music is heavily saturated in textures, and with the vocals of DS being rich like plush black velvet, there is a lot to love about LiminalNocturnes by Deathdrift.
The debut album, Post Tenebras Lux, for Brisbane band, Balloons Kill Babies, is a point of great pride and yet there is a bitter sweet tinge, as it is also, currently, their last album for the foreseeable future. Bass player Karl O’Shea is no stranger to Onyx, being a member of Daylight Ghosts and Ghostwoods, plus it seems a hundred other bands (and have your noticed the fact all project names are related to death or after death??). ChristianCarter plays guitar and ScottDavey on drums, making up the trio. This instrumental album doesn’t just have value in the music, but also for the band members Carter and O’Shea, there have been years of life shattering challenges, such as addiction, and they are very open about their mental health which has influenced their music.
“This album means so much to me, after the treatment for Catatonia I was left suffering from Amnesia and regular Seizures, sometimes up to 7 a day with the worst lasting an hour. The remarkable thing was listening to the album again after the onset of amnesia, as if for the first time; and being able to pick up my guitar again and play the songs in their entirety. It was a massive part of my rehabilitation. The piano piece written by Karl and performed by his partner James Lees (Ghostwoods, Silver Sircus) “Flexibilitas Cerea”, we decided to name after one of the symptoms of Catatonia, “Waxy Flexibility”, where my limbs could be placed in various positions and I would stay in that position until someone moved me back.
Even though the album was written before the events of these illnesses, the title of the record rings truer than ever. It became the soundtrack to my recovery and rehabilitation from the worst period of my life. The project has simply run its course and I couldn’t think of a better record to go out on.” – Christian “Twiggy” Carter
A dream like air surrounds the first track “Creeper“, sinuous and gradually becoming foreboding in tone as the guitars start you on this journey. The track “L’appelDuVie“, drenched in beautiful guitar tones has the feelings of something lost and regrets that are a part of the past, swinging from gentle to manic.
Joined by on piano by JamesLees, from Ghostwoods, Lees puts in a haunting performance in piece “FlexibilitasCerea“, with a heaviness that sucks you under. The fervour of “MtCarmel” twists around you soul, flooding your ears with searing guitar that reaches out and “PostTenebrasLux” is truly a joyous piece that breaks out, trickling with gorgeous interludes. This is only a taste of what you can find on the album.
“Simply put, everyone behind the creation of this album has gone through significant changes over the last 5 years or so. Whether they be creative differences, a need to explore other projects or just simply wanting to move on, we’re all different people than we were at the beginning of all this. I think I speak for all of us when I say we’re fiercely proud of what we’ve managed to accomplish over the last decade plus and we couldn’t be happier with how the album turned out. It’s as perfect an ending as we could have asked for.” –Karl O’Shea
Davey is one busy guy on the drums and with O’Shea, they make a really tight rhythm section, while Carter just oozes sophistication on the guitar. The album has a huge sound to it, like if Tool was purely instrumental and they were creating rock inspired soundscapes, within someone’s brain. There is experimentation with noise which makes for a much more interesting experience. I am not surprised they are proud of this album. It is a great alternative rock release and if you appreciate well crafted music then you should really check out Post Tenebras Lux, because after the dark is light with BalloonsKillBabies. Cheers guys.
Texan band, InADarkenedRoom, came together in 2020 during the pandemic lockdown, made up of CJDuron, Svia Svenlava and Kandi Hardee. After releasing a few singles, 2023 has seen them drop the debut album Sorrows. The album is a very gothic affair with Duron’s deep and smooth vocals, together with the jangle of his guitar, Hardee’s indispensable synths that colour the music and Svenlava’s fabulous post-punk saturated bass.
There is a languid tone to the music, together with maudlin topics, lending itself to the southern gothic sound with hints of TheCure and very missed RolandSHoward. As we are ever curious, we found ourselves lucky enough to talk to lead singer CJ to talk about the band, the creation of Sorrows, videos and even about the Texan scene.
Welcome denizen CJ of In A Darkened Room, to Onyx, where we are very familiar with our favourite places being night lit spaces.
You are all involved in other bands – you, CJ, in Cursus (doom sludge) and Sick City Daggers (psychobilly.) Svia in Shadow Fashion (darkwave) and Kandee in Love Hate Affair (electro darkwave.) How different has it been for you playing together in this new project?
Well, I can only answer for myself there. Working with Svia and Kandee is pretty organic. We are all close friends and navigate each other fairly well, I think. The process has been similar to other musical projects, but this music is much more personal. The songs have been a sort of reckoning for me. I revealed a lot of personal loss and tragedy on Sorrows that I had to learn how to express.
My previous bands have all been heavier and more aggressive with screaming and indecipherable lyrics for the most part. It’s easy to hide behind that anger and angst vocally. But with this project, I had to reach down and be more real with myself than I had ever been because I wanted my lyrics to be clear and articulate and honest. It felt very vulnerable.
How did CJ Duron, Svia Svenlava and Kandi Hardee find themselves all In a Darkened Room?
I played with Svia in projects for over 10 years. We share a lot of the same musical upbringing, so to speak. We became friends through music years ago playing in a punk band together. And it doesn’t hurt that he rents a room in my house, and our studio is in the basement. It makes it easy to get together to write and work out the music. And after working through a few songs, we both agreed adding synth to the melodies would create more of the lush sound we were trying to create. Our close friend and keyboard player, Kandi was the obvious choice. She has been with us since early 2020.
Were you aware that you share your name with a Skid Row track?
We were not aware of that at the time. We found out only recently when we googled our band name and Skid Row stuff came up. What a odd surprise! I’m realizing that finding a name without association can be more difficult than it seems. In a Darkened Room fit the atmosphere of our moody studio, and also the kind of place we envision people listening to the music – a seedy night club, or their own darkened room.
Do you all originate from Texas and what is the alternative/darkwave/industrial scene like?
All born and raised on the south side San Antonio, Texas. Our studio is in a small rural town south of the city in what local elders call “pueblo viejo”. It was considered its own town in the early 1900s because it had a doctor, a butcher, a blacksmith, and a small post office. So that was basically enough to make it a town. I bought one of the first houses built in there, and it had a basement – unheard-of in Texas. Naturally, it became our studio and is where we record all our music. The dark alternative music scenes here are extremely varied, but they all overlap. We have a large extended family of bands and fans in those genres. San Antonio is a big city, but it has, as of yet, maintined it’s small town feel. We have the best fans in the world here. We love the music with an abiding passion. Local musicians, DJs, artists, and venues all work to support each other as best we can. We are fortunate to know a lot of like-minded folks here. It’s really a scene unlike any other I’ve known.
How do you feel that the scene has influenced your music?
We are surrounded by amazingly talented and creative people in our scene. We are lucky to call many of them friends. Musicians, writers, visual artists, DJs, photographers, stage performers, the list goes on. It’s safe to say we are influenced by all of them to some degree. Our more recent songs are directly influenced and inspired by the local dance scene and the DJs who keep them moving. They have been incredibly supportive all along, but especially with the new more driving, upbeat songs. The newer songs are driven by the response we’ve received. People are dancing at our shows, and it’s a great feeling to make people want to dance. And we’re completely stoked to hear DJs, local and otherwise, spinning our music. People seem to be resonating with the pulsing, dark, building momentum of the newer songs. We love it.
This project began in the throes of the world pandemic, so was it something you had been thinking about doing or was it more so, a venture out of necessity?
It was a little of both. We had a lot of time on our hands and, like the rest of the world, were in isolation. My roomate, Svia, was the only one I got to make music with for a while. So the initial songs definitely carried some of that weight with them. It brought this kind of naturally slower more spacious sound to the fore, music with room to breath.
Now we are in 2023 and your debut album “Sorrows” has been released. Why did you go for the title “Sorrows” instead of using a title track?
The name Sorrows seemed to fit well with underlying theme of these tracks. The thread that weaves together all of the songs on the debut is love and loss. It’s a collection of stories, really, with no one story more important than another, and Sorrows speaks to all of them. These songs helped us in a lot of ways, you can hear the lament and longing in each piece. It was very cathartic for me writing these. I held back tears hearing us play these on stage for the first time. Slowly, I have been able to release the emotions that inspired them. Now they belong to everyone.
We wrote other songs but they didn’t quite fit the tone and purpose we wanted to give this particular group of songs. They have a different energy that is evolving our sound for future setlists. The final song on the album “Water Under the Bridge” is about letting go of all the burden we had taken on ourselves and about finding healing. We briefly discussed what we were going to go for before the session, and to our astonishment came out with the full 8 minute song in one take, playing it for the first time. We were glad we recorded it and soon we realized it had all the energy and resolution we needed for our final track on the album.
The band name, In a Darkened Room, alludes to the fact that you spent time writing and rehearsing in a basement. Do you think this bunkering down also adds to the ambience of the album?
Definitely. Our basement studio is a reflection of who we are. We surround ourselves with records, music, and instruments. Several amps and a few drum kits line the walls. There is moody ambient colored light and brocade tapestries covering every wall. I always find inspiration in that space.
“Wall Of Sadness” was your first single, setting a goth rock tone for future releases. There is that beautiful rich guitar that permeates the track and deep vocals. Was this the ideal sound for you from the outset?
Thank you. Yes, that song helped to set the template of what we would become. The guitars, vocals, bass, and keys are all very distinct to me, and it does serve as a sort of blueprint for our sound. The elements are simple, and the songs have so much space to expand within themselves. They are almost trance-like, and while the album is decidedly dark, we would to think this kind of meditative wave of sound can be for everyone, not just us black-clad few.
Texas is kind of renowned for its country music, which in turn has had an influence on rockabilly etc. For me there is that air of southern gothic in the album and was that something you were hoping to incorporate of was it just a natural thing?
That is a great compliment, thank you. I don’t know that we consciously try to incorporate that sound. It’s just a part of who we are and where we come from. I love the acoustic, and am a fan of old folk and older country, so we come by that influence honestly, I suppose. Living in a rural ranch community might have rubbed off on me. The area has a lot of history. I live right next to a river which was near the Battle of Medina 1813 – the bloodiest known battle in Texas history. 1400 Mexican freedom fighters were slain by the Spanish army. 9 years later, a Mexican general ordered troops back to the area where they purportedly buried the remains of the defeated army under the largest oak tree they could find. The tree has yet to be located. History, tales, and superstitions have always permeated South Texas, so I’m sure those things influence us and our music.
Do you have a favourite track off the album and if so, which one and why?
Probably Doom and Gloom. To me, the mood of that song seems to curl throughout the rest of the album like smoke. The ashy, breathy approach I was trying to affect in the vocals and the almost opium induced tumbling of the piano melody takes me back to when we first wrote it. I’m glad we captured that correctly. I also remember the lyrics of that one just coming out as if I had always known them. Svia went upstairs for a drink, and by the time he got back, I had finished it. We didn’t want to change a thing. When a song comes out like that it’s best to leave it as it is, I’ve learned.
How do you guys approach song writing and who is the main instigator, and is there one band member who would rather check out what is in the fridge?
I write the main melody on guitar or keys then think about the way it makes me feel. I tend to create the lyrics around that feeling. Svia and Kandi help me arrange the length of parts and particular sounds. We are pretty good at figuring out if it’s something we can work with or not. We have gotten pretty adept at smoothing out the process and making it relatively easy.
Have you been playing live gigs and if so, is it something you like to do?
Oh, yes, as much as possible. We have been lucky enough to open for some hot touring acts right now coming through Texas, as well as some legendary bands that we have admired and loved for years. It has been a real privilege to share the stage with these bands. We look forward to more shows. We know it’s hard starting a new band and taking on all that is necessary to promote it, but we come into it with experience. I feel like the music is bigger than any one of us. It’s the one driving the bus, we’re just the passengers. We’ve come to a place where we need to give back to music what it gave to us, hope. So it doesn’t matter what happens as long as we stay true to ourselves, respect the music, and be open to where it might take us.
Are you just a bunch of dark romantics?
I’d like to think so. I am a lot more empathic these days. We’ve all been through some very hard times in the recent past, and have had to find out where we stand in the world these days. I’d like to think we are all trying to find a better version of ourselves.
What bands/acts got you into the dark alternative scene?
I grew up listening to early metal. It was huge growing up in San Antonio, and still is, really. From that background, industrial was a natural progression for me and piqued my interest in electronic sound. Pretty Hate Machine had just been released. It was a game-changer. It was an incredible album from start to finish, and it sounded nothing like anything else I was hearing at that time. Then I heard Skinny Puppy’s “Too Dark Park.” It simultaneously fascinated me and scared the hell out of me. It was like witnessing something forbidden, the equivalent of sonic porn.
What new acts do you listen to now?
I really like a lot of the bands that are making moves right now. Soft Kill, The KVB, Glass Spells, to name just a few. We tend toward a more traditional goth/dark wave sound with a bit of contemporary style, but our musical tastes are varied and many.
If you had an unlimited video budget, which track off the album would you choose to use, where would you set it, director/actors (dead or alive as we will generously revive) etc?
We are heavy into videos. We have a blast making them. Our plan is to release a video for every one of the 8 songs on this debut. I shoot and edit all of our videos with the help of the band and sometimes friends who volunteer to help. We like to create a vision and look for the video and keep them a little different style wise. We just released the 6th video for “Descend” which features a slow, twisted cruise through a nearby cemetery. We would go there when wanted to clear our heads and it seemed a perfect place for this song and video. The scenery and the quiet there always puts me in a creative mind.
We’ve almost finished the video for “Hollow” as well, that makes 7 videos so far. But, hm. If budget wasn’t an issue, I would choose “Water Under the Bridge” since we haven’t started it. We have some ideas but it needs more time and space to work out how to translate the depth of that song.
What is in the future for In A Darkened Room?
We love meeting new people and experiencing new places, so we hope to do more road shows, touring, festivals, and touring Europe. Writing the music and creating the videos is our focus in the meantime. Hope to see all of you soon. We sincerely appreciate your support, listens, and shares! Please visit our bandcamp for all upcoming music and merch, thank you! ~ IN A DARKENED ROOM
Italian band, Codice EGO,are back with a new single, “Errors And Repairs“, which is off their soon to be released EP, Rainbow’s End.
A whirlwind of guitars and shifting drum rhythms greet us. The vocals are an island, constant amongst the rolling instrumentation, telling a story of how something happened to them without any known reason, weaving her spell, drawing you into the musical web.
The EP is based around a sudden and unexplained illness, experienced by one of the band members. “Errors And Repairs” is part of this story, a disconnect between the sickness and struggling to comprehend why and how. This is a deeply personal journey, laid bare for the listener by Codice EGO in a raw and yet stunning track.
Spanish 80s retro synthwave project, Darkways, has released the EP Neon Lights, which is their first new work since the Dioses por la fuerza EP in 2017.
The title track of “Neon Lights” starts off beautifully, smooth as silk, and the vocals just take you away as it goes on. The term that comes to mind is utterly joyous. The next track title made me smile, called “I Like The Night (and the night likes me)” and it has a charming chiming guitar, while the high energy rhythm drives it on as there is nothing scary about the dark hours.
“Dark & Light” has that more 80s feel in the electronics which is quaint until the vocals and more modern synths change the overall feeling, that leads into the soulful “Young Again“, a beseeching to a memory of what was and a longing to return to that time. Final track, “More Than Dreams” is a culmination of love, wanting, and dreaming that has taken flight, and it is simple and gorgeous, rousing the sleepers to awaken.
If you had asked me to listen to these guys before telling me they are Spanish, I might have guessed they were German. The title track is probably my favourite, but in essence, the whole EP has a wonderful flow to it. If you want to hear synthwave done right, check out Darkways with NeonLights.
October in 2022, was the month we saw Reaper On Red bring out their debut darkwave album, Zodiac Lights. The title refers to the false dawn before true daylight, which is the time things in the darkness transition and melt away. Robert Berry and Carla Berry are Reaper On Red, with the album mixed & mastered by MikeMontgomery at Candyland Studio, containing ten tracks for your listening pleasure.
Photo by Nikita Gross
They kicked off with the title track, “The Zodiac Lights“, which also happened to be a single, and even from the beginning of the album, you can hear the British 80s influence of bands such as Jesus And The Mary Chain or Spiritualized, with the jangle guitar that also seconds as a incoming wall of impending sonic sound.
What happens when the light comes?… we have the swirling “Mourning Nights” that reverberates like a wire pulled too tight. Other tracks, the perception changes when you realise the electronics are not secondary to the guitar work or vocals. The shamanistic “Way Beyond The Waves” is an excellent example, as the synths and programming take you away to another plane of reality.
There is the cover of the Love And Rockets track, “No Big Deal“, that was off their 1989 self-titled album. They have kept that sass of the original and the swaggering guitar. “The Conjuring” is delicate like the first rays of light with its looping programming, unearthly and untouchable.
For those that love a bit of vinyl (mmmm, that sexy physical record smell….), the album is being released as a limited edition for you collectors. Psychedelic post-punk, not over dressed but elegantly understated, is Reaper On Red’s mix of heady guitar, often experimental electronics and tandem vocals, that make The Zodiac Lights a joy to listen to.
Onyx Music Reviews 