Proud goth, ex DJ and music reviewer

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Nightcall is the new EP from Swedish duo, De Arma, released on May the 6th, with the label, Silent Future Recordings. Formed in 2009 by Andreas Pettersson and soon joined by Johan Marklund, it seems these guys roots lay in the black metal scene originally, though over the years, their sound has evolved into gothic rock and even darkwave/synthwave.

If the first track is an indication of the rest of the EP, I think it is a safe bet that I will like the other two tracks. “Shame Drifter” has those programmed drum loops and synths fused with fine guitar work. There are also the dancing vocals of Pettersson with Maria Oje and the music is definitely full of passion.

Photo by Nicklas Lundqvist

“After Dark, You’re There” has a Fields Of The Nephilm feel to it with that beautiful guitar work and yet this still had a more Nordic taste, a wanderer of the icy wasteland rather than the dusty plains. Then, half way through, it hits you that you could be listening to early My Dying Bride. The remorse is almost palatable, for what could be taken as a one sided love affair, filled with yearning.

The last track is “Sunset Dreams” and I love the synth start and the fact this track features the vocal talents of Oje, along with Pettersson and it is a glorious ode to love. It seemingly drifts lightly, with no effort, on the guitar solo, which I have it on good authority, is played by Häxkapell and damn, he’s a good guitarist.

For me, “After Dark, You’re There” is my favourite but then I am a bit of a sucker for that style of guitar lead, melancholic music but that isn’t to say that I didn’t enjoy the other two tracks, because I did. The fact De Arma are experimenting with their sound is a pretty exciting thing and even better that they are nailing everything they do. The fact they have gone to using Korgs and Rowland drum samples like they did in the late 70s and early 80s can be heard, especially on “Sunset Dreams“. It is goth with a twist and I seriously admire that in a band.

Nightcall (EP) | De Arma (bandcamp.com)

De Arma | Facebook

Silent Future Recordings – Swedish record label founded for the exploration of dark and dreamy music of the modern age

Silent Future Recordings | Facebook

Music | Häxkapell (bandcamp.com)

Häxkapell | Facebook

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It is not so surprising that May the 4th would spawn music of the science fiction kind. In fact, it is required and on that note, Dublin’s Circuit3 did released a single, “Future Radio“, which is off the soon to be dropped, fourth album, Technology For The Youth. Peter Fitzpatrick is the man and producer behind the project, the single was co-written with Brian McCloskey and Circuit3 is signed to Manchester label, Analogue Trash.

Photo – Paul Maxwell

The synths are beautiful and sparkle as brightly as they stars they represent and the vocals are pitch perfect (just as the Irish are renowned for). Que the electronic space chatter in all the right places and there is a pop perfection to the whole thing, as the universe is your playground for stellar exploration, as long as there is music to light your way.

I feel like I have been thrown back in time to the early 80s. It is kind of this amalgamation of David Bowie’s space odyssey, “Major Tom” (though much happier), with the quirkiness of Queen circa “Radio GaGa” and the amazing “Video Killed The Radio Star” by Buggles, due to the uptempo vibe and vocals. It is full of the joy of escapism to pastures unknown. The future and the past collide to give us Circuit3’s “Future Radio“.

Future Radio | Circuit3 (bandcamp.com)

Circuit3 | Facebook

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It doesn’t seem so long ago that the lads from the north of England, Auger, were the new kids in the gothic/industrial scene, but here we are in 2022 and they have released their fourth studio album, Nighthawks on the label The Big Chair.  Kyle J Wilson (vocals, synths, writing, production and mixing) and Kieran Thornton (guitars and backing vocals) dropped the album on April 1st.

We kick off with the very deliberately slower and immersive “City Never Sleeps“. The wailing guitar on a cool breeze of electronics and it reminds me of old friends. It evokes regret for something that was lost in a time gone past. “Oxygen” just has this magnificent movement about it that presses forward. There are sparkling synths that sprinkle points of light through the darkness and an honestly sweet expression of wanting. Spine tingling could be the statement about “Forever Mine“. The guitar solo is hauntingly beautiful about a love story that might be over before it has truly started.

Depeche Mode written all over “This Pain l Compress” in the style and attitude. There is this fantastic welling of emotion joined by buzzing guitars giving it overwhelming vehemence. We hear Wilson pushing deep on those vocals in “Libra” with the wondrous spiraling chorus that sucks you in. Maybe we are talking the astrological sign and I do like the mystical Middle Eastern strains throughout. “Holding On” features Chris Harms of Lord Of The Lost and let’s face it, Harms never does anything awful as far as I have heard and this is no different. This reminds me of early Lacuna Coil and the dueling vocals of Harms and Wilson is magnificent as they intertwine and shatter against each other.

The machine is that which will consume us without thought and without remorse, so the “Sound Of The Machine” with the mechanical vocal distortion, is an anthem to never giving in. This was the first single that gave us an inkling of what this album was going to be like. Beautiful synths desingerate ,”As The World Falls Apart” featuring Imogen Evans with her lovely vocals, mixed in swirls of guitar laden waves, only broken by electronic fractures. They are roaming into dangerous waters of attraction in “Smother“. The refrains are heavy and sexually charged, then the chorus is so wonderfully plaintive and sonorous.

Another single, “Angel Dressed In Snow” and Wilson is channeling HIM in oodles. It might be the deep voice or the way he rounding his vowels, but I am pretty sure Valo would be okay if this was one of his. Thornton proves what a skilled guitarist he is and this is a song to play that person that brings joy into your little dark heart. “Sharing Shadows” is the final track and they are going out on a slower number and it kind of feels like a soul song in some ways. a very sad and mournful piece.

Nighthawks is most definitely Auger’s most definitive album to date. It has soaring vocals, beautiful melodies, driving rhythms and sonic affairs about love, loss and obsession. You can hear many influences pulled together with that Auger sound of guitar/synth and riveting deep vocals that are completely mesmerising. The guest vocalists were perfectly picked for their parts and each track is a carefully crafted, dark crystal piece that reflect the many fragments of a beating heart.

Nighthawks | Auger (bandcamp.com)

Auger | Facebook

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New Zealamd’s System Corporation, first started in around 2012 with Scott Newth, whom happens to be the live sound engineer, and music producer for The Datsuns. He was joined by The Datsuns’ drummer, Ben Cole (The Joint Chiefs), then Andrew Newth (Southern Tribe) and Kent Newth (Rumpus Room). They have a new single that came out on the 18th of April, titled, “The Zombies Walking“.

There is a despair that hits you in the guts. Maybe it is the simple drumming or the strumming guitar or the imploring vocals of Scott, who is asking, why are people being lead astray willingly by those in power?…no will power of their own to fight back because they are following the system. Underlying, you hear the synths wailing slightly for a little before they give up to the guitars and piano in a rising fervour, before the synths return to wind down the track.

Seems to be a lot of Newth in this band but it works for them. I have to say that in a way, they remind me a lot of Midnight Oil or Spy Vs Spy. It could be the whole activist, stirring people up to motivate them out of a stupor or it could also just be that wonderful use of guitars and drums to evoke feelings with a vocalist that is truly singing from his heart. Every time I heard this, I found myself liking it more, so wake up zombie people and join the System Corporation.

System Corporation (bandcamp.com)

System Corporation | Facebook

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The Drood are coming!!!! No less than with their single, “Psychic Institute“, which was dropped on April 21st. Hailing from Denver, Colorado, they have been around in different forms since 2012, but settled as a two man electronic/post-punk unit made up of original members, Nathan Jamiel (vocals, guitars and synths) and  Daniel Watts (drums, percussion and synths).

The playoff between electronics and guitar, The bleeps and synths have that very old school feel such as early era Gary Numan, while the guitar injects a more modern post punk feel, to a track that is a hurdy gurdy of resentment within the whirling noise.

There is the bleakness of the post-punk dribbling throughout, married to the cold industrial electronics while the vocals that are cajoling and pointing to the human error of sentimentality and erring into lies. “Psychic Institute” is a catchy track from The Drood which I rather enjoyed quite a bit along with the video by Tim Nelson.

Psychic Institute | The Drood (bandcamp.com)

The Drood | Electronic-Rock Band from Denver Colorado

The Drood | Facebook

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New York’s, London Plane are soon to release their debut album titled, Bright Black in June but on April 20th they dropped a single, which happens to be the title track. This is all released via record company Declared Goods and the members of the band being David Mosey (guitar and vocals), Jessica Cole (vocals), Bryan Garbe (drums), Grant Parker (bass), Julian Tulip (synths) and Kristofer Widholm (guitar).

“Bright Black’ is at once an anti-war song and a simple, hopeful sentiment or a little prayer to whoever is listening (the universe, the gods, you), if there is no life after death, indeed if it “goes black”, then let it at least go bright black,” – David Mosey.

Photo by Alice Teeple

The bass guitar is huge and underpins everything, while the guitars chime in delightfully. With both female and male vocals, this makes it a little more different from the normal fare and that is where you hear the striking resemblance to Peter Murphy/Bauhaus. The lead guitar makes me think of The Cramps’ dark boogie surf style.

It is quite an engaging sounding track with that tight rhythm section and those wonderful guitar flourishes, though the lyrics are not as joyful. They speak of armies on the march and in the current climate, it is true that we need to find a little hope for ourselves. London Plane seem to have their roots firmly in the fertile post-punk ground, so this debut album looks extremely encouraging as one to look out for.

LONDON PLANE (bandcamp.com)

London Plane | Facebook

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Brisbane’s Disfigured Mistress, has been releasing industrial noise for just over a decade. The man behind the project is retiring in the public eye, though in real life a gregarious hugger, who likes a laugh. With that decade under his belt and a veritable catalogue of industrial noise tracks, it seems to the perfect time to compile some of these gems into a huge 17 track behemoth called Decade Of Destruction (2011-2022), which was unleashed on April, 14th.

Just by the list of track names, you have to realise that most of this was not written to be all happy joy. There is a lot of angst, self doubt and even loathing, that is not even thinly hidden. You can bask in the pounding “Sex And Violence” as the bass beats fracture in in ever heightened frustration or go from synth perfection into being stuck with pointed electronics in “Bleeding To Feed The Fake“.

The previous single “The Black Depths Of Hatred” is so fucking heavy, you could weight down a body with it, and it just gets better every time your hear it. Yet, it the midst of all this is the slower and ethereal, “Never Fade From Me” with acoustic guitar and ghostly accompaniment, that is like a breath inhaling and exhaling over and over until it is no more.. There is also the latest single, “Drown It all Out” that is overbearing and full of abrasive metalized distortion which fills your ears, unrelenting.

“In The Flesh Of Fallen Angels” has the glitching beats and the mind numbing harsh noise trying to crack your head open in “Black Mother Devourer Of All” are tracks I just need to mention because of their stellar execution and how magical they are.

The whirling “The Rage Within” is just epic and just made to murder a industrial/techno dancefloor as it screams in fury, lost in its own world. And it just goes on and the thing is that I am not trying to write about every track, because there are a lot here and yet as you listen, each one is so different in the use of synths, programming and even instrumentation. Occasionally you hear a distorted guitar that just adds to the amazing cacophony that assaults your ears, so brilliantly orchestrated.

Traditionally, it the Europeans that have this affinity with harsh powernoise but I am going to say that Disfigured Mistress could easily be just as good as any of those acts. He has a talent for weaving those electronic threads into powerful rhythms, that will touch your primal animal which lays at your core. So, there is no time like the present to immerse yourself in the Decade Of Destruction of Disfigured Mistress.

Decade Of Destruction (2011-2022) | Disfigured Mistress (bandcamp.com)

Disfigured Mistress | Facebook

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Brisbane’s HOSTILE ARCHITECT has dropped the EP, :​​:​​EX​​-​​LOG​​:​​: REMANUFACTURE ME, as of the 29th of April, on Brutal Resonance Records. This is a one man, dark industrial project by the not so hostile Mitch Kenny and this EP is the follow up to the album, LOWGRADELIFE.

This is something a little different for the hostile one. “REMANUFACTURE ME” is this amazing mix of industrial and darkwave, as Kenny goes from monotone vocals through to singing. The synths are just perfection as they skim and glide across this track with a fabulous pop sensibility. In “ECONOMIES OF SCALE” you can clearly hear the HOSTILE ARCHITECT tell tale touches but even this sound is expanding. The beats never let up and just has these incredible moments of amazing electronic noises that make you wonder how Mitch has wrangled them out of a machine. The first single, released before the EP is the brilliantly, energetic “POWER OVERWHELMING” and this is the GOLD MIX and it is a bloody amazing track that pumps along at hair singeing speed at times.

Oh yes, welcome to the “TERMINAL GRIND“, which is all stellar synths twittering at you with murderous intent in this instrumental piece. All hail your overlord, the HOSTILE ARCHITECT of techno delights. Maybe inspired by the Australian yearly heat we have the expansive “BLACK SUMMER” where the ‘Sky’s on fire and so am I‘. There is something scintillating and spine tingling about this track that makes the hairs on the back of your neck raise up. Those that have followed the releases will know that “HOSTILE THEME” was on the LOWLIFELIFE album and now there is the NYTESHAYDE RMX, Roger Menso being Nyteshade, who also did all wonderful mastering. This is the metal industrial version you never thought you would hear. Wow. I know this song so well and this was just mind blowing to hear it done this way.

“REMANUFACTURE ME” just blew me away, possibly my favourite number, from the beginning and there is not a mediocre track on this EP. Not one. Kenny always fills his music with movement and you can see his evolution of the character, the HOSTILE ARCHITECT, in the evolving sound. There is definitely some synthwave/darkwave creeping in and it sounds amazing. Mitch is a really creative and talented musician and it shows in how he crafts his tunes, so I am hoping more people pick up on this project and spread the word that the HOSTILE ARCHITECT is asking…….. IF THIS IS SUCH A BRAVE NEW WORLD WHY DO YOU SEEM SO SCARED?

:​:​EX​-​LOG​:​: REMANUFACTURE ME | HOSTILE ARCHITECT | Brutal Resonance Records (bandcamp.com)

Music | Abelisk (bandcamp.com)

HOSTILE ARCHITECT | Facebook

Brutal Resonance | Facebook

NyteShayde (bandcamp.com)

NyteShayde (facebook.com)

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Coitus Interruptus Productions have put together an extraordinary compilation of Love And Rockets covers, which includes a version of “I Feel Speed” by the lovely Caroline Blind. The Work Of Sinners, The Work Of Saints, is the name of the compilation, which was released on April 29th and coincidentally, so was a music video for the track “I Feel Speed“.

True to the title, the guitar work drives this along at a great pace with a variation of tone between the electric and acoustic, that swirl in that gorgeous way that Love And Rockets penned tunes do. Blind’s vocals perfectly meld into the psychedelic joy of ultimate freedom.

Every guitar piece in that track is played by Caroline Blind (ex-Sunshine Blind) and she has done a sterling job! She also programmed the drum machine and did the recording engineering as well, plus mixing/ production and moog synths were done by Simon ‘Ding’ Archer (1919 and Red Lorry,Yellow Lorry). The video is an extension of the music and I am very impressed by her ability to ride a motorbike, which Blind very obviously loves. The compilation can be found on Bandcamp for name your price, so honestly there is nothing stopping you from checking out both this incredible cover and others by the likes of Batávia, Mark E Moon, Stoneburner and Psyche to but name a few.

Coitus Interruptus Productions (bandcamp.com)

https://www.carolineblind.com

Caroline Blind Music (facebook.com)

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Back in February, j:dead dropped the EP, Visions Of Time, on Infacted Recordings. 29th of April hails in the latest single off said EP, called, “Hold Tight” and there is a bonus in the fact that the remixes included on the download, were exclusively on the CD release. Also to accompany the single is a music video, made with Mark from Mondo Cheapo, who also was involved with the making of the video for the previous single, “I’ll Wait“.

No matter the distance or what life throws at us, believe in us and in me, that I will be there…. that is the message in “Hold Tight“. Jay Taylor in this track, proves he doesn’t just scream and growl but also has a really good singing voice in this body moving track, that also contains a lot of personal sentiment. The synths billow out in ephemeral breathes with the impassioned vocals and body rocking rhythm.

Rotersand are the first remix and of course those guys are masters of electronic dance music, so the production is awesome and they give this warmth and a certain sound that is very much their fingerprints all over this. (Much bias here as I love Rotersand). The Summertime mix by The Saint Paul, is a joyously sparkling affair with airy synths and a light touch guiding the swirling electronics. I will stay true to my previous review, which was the Station Echo remix has such a heart felt pain about it and those cool guitar vibes, that add a more earthy feel to the track.

The video is a simple affair but that kind of makes it all the more powerful. The remixes are all very different, which means there is something for everyone or everything for you (and why not as you enjoy electronic music and these guys are all good at what they do!). So treat yourself to some brilliant synths and vocals or send it to that special someone that you want to “Hold On“.

Hold tight – digital single | J:dead (bandcamp.com)

J:dead | Facebook