Jarrad Robertson is the captain of the scurrilous pack Sea Lungs, with Andi Lennon as the vocal navigator and linguist, while Robertson and first mate Micheal Johnson steer the musical course. “Parlour Tricks” is the latest single which has magically appeared on Bandcamp for your listening pleasure. (Ignore the 12th of April date, because it is available NOW!!)
If you haven’t guessed from the cover photo, it is about those that dabble in the occult for an audience, deceitfully conjuring up the dead, using smoke and mirrors, for fame and money. “Parlour Tricks“is decidedly heavier than previous tracks, with a more deathrock drone of guitars. Lennon never misses a beat, which is amazing with his wordy lyrics that would be tricky for less nimble tongues. The lumbering death march for those passed, and a message for the living that no amount of incantations from charlatans can communicate with the dead. Sea Lungs are here to say. It’s all a “ParlourTrick” but rock on anyway.
Antipole & Paris Alexander are hitting us hard and fast with the singles, giving us the release of their next in the form of “Midnight Shadows“. This is the second single off the album Crystalline, which is slated to be out on Young And ColdRecords as of May 12th.
Echoing sexy whispers, hang between the electronics. The guitar filters through, caressing the synths as they proceed forwards, shrouded in moonlit monochrome. It almost feels like the spirits of the past are crying out in the electronics, trying to hold you between worlds where time stands still.
Dreams, reality, or something in between? A trick of the light has given us this gorgeous darkwave track that is letting us peer through a gauzy, rhythm driven other world created by Karl Morten Dahl (Antipole) and Alexander. Beware of “Midnight Shadows” or you might fall under the spell of Antipole& Paris Alexander.
For myself, the name Girls Under Glass is heavily entwined with my memories of the 90s. The German gothic industrial icons are back baby, on the label Dependant Records, with a new single “We Feel Alright“. Even more exciting is the fact that on June the 2nd, the album Backdraft is being released, and this is the first album for Girls Under Glass in eighteen years.
The first strains of electronics made the hairs of the back of my neck tingle, before we are plunged into a maelstrom lead by guitars, which yet again morphs into synths, melding with those very guitars. The vocals break through with lyrics of finding hope and enduring companionship.
Verdict is… it’s so, so good. I feel ultra nostalgic, and I admit that my eyes teared up with pure delight hearing this track. Girls Under Glass have lost none of what made them so great, and it seems time has tempered them into an even more powerful force. Not only do “We Feel Alright” but Girls Under Glass sound pretty great after all these years.
Nothing says goth more than a story of maudlin, and that was something the Greeks excelled in. Illinois goth rock act, The Funeral March have touched the tale of “Persephone,” released as an EP on March 15th. The daughter of Demeter (Goddess of Seasons), Persephone (Goddess of Agriculture) is stolen to the underworld by Hades (God of Hell), which causes Demeter to throw the world into a constant winter. Hades finally agrees to return Persephone to her mother for six months of the year while the other half of the year is with him. And so we have the changing seasons…. Spring and Summer are full of life, which changes into Autumn/Fall and Winter when the living world becomes dormant, hibernates, or dies. However, this is a modern gothic tale on the tale.
The drums bear a striking resemblance to The Cure’s “Hanging Gardens” in the first track “Figured“. Echoing and bass heavy, there is the slow descent into a form of madness from being in a world that they never chose to be in and can not leave.
“Nite Nite” is the realisation that things may never go back to the way they were, as the world crumbles under the weight of that revelation. Graduating tones swathe the senses in a sombre atmosphere.The drone of “Two As One” is a modern take on a dark love that dances on the edge of lunacy. The music consumes the senses just as the lust and adoration devour the storyteller.
There is nothing more memorable than a last embrace and lip lock. So we have “Kiss Me (with your last breath)“, a gothic love song, with electronics swelling beneath. A final twist of the knife into madness comes with “Wasted Moon“. A cry to the universe joined by the howling guitar work as they swirl into murky abyss.
People that love The Cure era of Pornography, 17 Seconds and Faith are going to get a kick out of Persephone. Heavily imbued with the sonics of Robert Smith’s crew, the EP is full of lament and the lost visions of dreamers, wrapped in chiming guitar strains.
Someone told me they were going to have a rest from creating music. They so lied!!! STAHLSCHLAG released in February, the EP Avalanche. German, Sebastian Sünkler has been busy, tinkering up a storm and he even brought along some friends for the ride.
“Mental Machines” is a bit of a treat because you get to hear the man himself, Sünkler, providing the vocals in this track of amalgamated power noise and techno. The machine, through Sünkler, speaks to you in its metal voice about loss of control, slamming against the electronic cage.
Non-Bio’sHoward Gardner is the guest vocalist/lyricist on ” Do You Think?“. Grand internal reverberations punch around Gardner’s monologue, threatening to overwhelm and consume.
There is yet another guest vocalist/lyricist on the track, “Before I Was Broken” in the form of Kimberley of Bow Ever Down. With a slower and more synth lead sound, Kimberley’s singing flows above the spike barbed beats that attempt to puncture the sincerity of the vocals, telling of a time of happiness that no longer exists.
The final track is the instrumental “Burn“. The glitching and crunchy rhythm is over laid with an eerily tinkling keyboard, like the embers starting to ignite, fuelled by the music and taking hold. It can’t be stopped as it hungrily bursts forth, those synth lines feeding into the blaze.
Honestly, I don’t think Sebastian can help himself, and the winner is us, the listeners. Each time he puts out new music, you hear him changing things up or reinventing his sound, plus having great vocalists is just the cherry on top. Maybe Avalanche refers to the onslaught of rhythmic noise, but I like to think it’s because STAHLSCHLAG is just like a force of nature.
Ner/Ogris is a fairly new project from Germany, but you have more than likely heard of the two guys involved. There is vocalist tinoC from Amnistia and kaiN of Les Berrtas, who is the keyboard player and composer. Their first album, I Am The Shadow, I Am The Light, is full of electronic beats, deep and powerful synths, and raw vocals, released at the end of February on the label Dependant. The guys were gracious enough to talk to us about the album, how it came together, their influences and their shared admiration of Anthony Rother (you lucky lucky man).
Welcome kaiN and tinoC of Ner\Ogris, to Onyx where everything is in balance, which is why we co-ordinate in black.
Neither of you are new to the electronic scene, so what inspired you to create this new project Ner\Ogris?
Ner\Ogris: kaiN had the plan to release a instrumental album under the name NER\OGRIS and sent almost all the to the guys behind AMNISTIA to get some feedback. tinoC had the idea to add vocals to one of the tracks. When kaiN heard the demo he was like “maybe you can give this treatment to some more tracks?”. After about two or three weeks we had 6 tracks ready and it was obvious that we can not name this child a “featuring”… the rest is history.
How do you feel the German dark alternative scene has impacted on how you create music now and what style of music feeds your creative juices?
tinoC: I am in the scene for a long time and I am happy that I can call a some great musicians my friends. I really like the dark music scene and I listen to a lot of old and new music. I don’t like every release of course – that would be crazy, but I know what is going on in the scene and I have my influences there. I try to use my voice in different styles and very likely you can hear this in some of the songs.
kaiN: I was lucky enough to have grown up in this scene. With my other band (Les Berrtas) we had a great time in the early 90s with bands like CalvaYNada or Liederkranz with whom we played some concerts. I can still remember the first EBM nights in Frankfurt. Of course, that left its mark and has continued to this day. Today I think it’s great that younger bands like 2nd Face are taking up this niche again. Even if there are still only a few and the rest are getting older…
Your debut album is titled “I Am The Shadow – I Am The Light” which speaks of duality, for there is no light without darkness. Can you tell us a bit more about the album?
Ner\Ogris: It’s all about contrasts – noise and silence, harsh and soft, instrumental- and vocal tracks. We think the most interesting fact about the album is, that it was not planed. It “appeared” out of the nothing in a very spontaneous way. The music is still like it was before there were words or vocals. We did not change anything on it. It felt right to add the vocals to the tracks. kaiN said on day that the tracks finally made sense with vocals on it.
There are some big beats on the album and contrasts between the synths and vocals in line with the title. Was this conscientious at the time or it was just the way it all came together?
Ner\Ogris: As we mentioned… the music was there and is still like it was. The words and vocals followed the music and they came together very fast.
Do you have any tracks off the album that are particularly your favourites and why?
tinoC: My favourite instrumental tracks are “Pájaro” and “Fiebre Oscura”. “Deepest Fear” and “Reality & Fiction” are my favorites among the vocal tracks.
kaiN: Hard to say … All the songs have somehow been around for so long … Maybe “deepest Fear”, because Vincent from 2nd Face gave the song a phenomenal climax with his co-production. Or Reality & Fiction because of its danceability. But definitely “Faith” from the bonus CD – because TinoC performs awesome vocals to the song.
Do you find working together has brought out relationship that pushes you both to go further?
tinoC: That’s a good question. We will see what happens in the future. At the moment we only know what can happen when I add vocals to finished tracks that were not planned to release with vocals on it. I’m really looking forward to new tracks because I’m sure KaiN’s compositional habits will change a bit when he knows he’s working on a track that will have vocals finally. I really hope he will not lose his craziness for the music because there are parts in the tracks that are crazy and I think that’s great.
kaiN: Yes, we will see what the future brings. TinoC can also write good songs, as he has already proven with TC75 and Amnistia. It’s exciting for me in any case and I’m looking forward to no longer being solely responsible for the music.
How does it feel to be compared musically to fellow Germans, X MARKS THE PEDWALK, circa early 90s?
tinoC: To be honest… I am a big fan of XMTP. I personally think that tracks like “Cenothaph” or “Never Dare To Ask” are some of the greatest tunes of the scene. But I do not see any similarities between NER\ORGIS and XMTP beside the fact that we both are electronic bands. But it’s nice and an honor to know that other people feel that way.
kaiN: I agree with tinoC. I’ve known XMTP since the 90s and they have had a strong influence on the German dark electro scene. It is not the worst thing to be compared with XMTP!
If you could pick any electronic artists (alive or dead) to do guest remixes of the album, who would you pick?
tinoC: Good question! Thinking big is good 😉 I would like to hear Anthony Rother and Trent Reznor remixes from our tracks 😉
kaiN: Anthony Rother is a good choice 🙂 But I would actually be interested to hear what the album would sound like if it had been produced by Rick Rubin.9.
What is in the future for Ner\Ogris?
Ner\Ogris: The album has only been out since February 24th, so there is no new release in the near future but we have some confirmed live dates. We will share them when they are ready for the public. We want to see you all at one of the events and maybe have a chat there.
Last year was a big one for Pete Burns and his project Kill Shelter, with the release of Asylum, one of the best post-punk albums of the year. March marks the drop of a new EP with fellow musician Veronica Stich, also known as Death Loves Veronica, saucily titled The Sex Tape Sessions, out on the ColdTransmission label.
Kicking off with the utterly hot “Sex Tape“, which is a very electronic affair, sensual and pulsating, the rhythm rolling off in waves, while Veronica breathily taunts you. Lyrics of titillation on a screen for the erotic delight of others. There is also an extended remix of “Sex Tape” filled with those rich tones of the forbidden and Burn’s guitar a siren in the background.
The extended remix by Kill Shelter of “The Sinner” strides out in a brazen fashion, the beats dropping heavily in the undulating synths. The confession of a sinner, who is without remorse, even after trying to turn away the person of intense desire because ‘I just want to fuck you anyway‘. The guitar burns like liquid fire and the vocals lick your ears with honey.
There are some songs you feel, settling into your chest, and “Resist” is definitely one of those. It builds like an intense storm, the pressure bearing down, making you realise you just need to give yourself over to the ravenous craving of the music.
The French say each orgasm is the little death, so can there be a “Death Kiss“? Heavy and dark with portent that one might die giving over to the hunger of wanting and need. The extended mix is a thumping trance inducing dancefloor hummer, leading you down the road… perhaps to bliss or ruin.
“Death Kiss” and “The Sinner” were written and released previously by Death LovesVeronica and have been given the Kill Shelter treatment, while “Sex Tape” and “Resist” are joint efforts. VeronicaStich is known as a provocateur, and she has every right to flaunt her stuff, amping up the carnal fervour. Pete Burns is a master not only of music creation, as he did all remixes and the mixing & mastering. There is another reason for calling the EP The Sex Tape Sessions. The musicians themselves have asked fans to use what is considered out dated models of recording, to bootleg the release. Maybe a statement on how throw away society can be. Full of sexual innuendo, explicit language, liquid synths, passionate guitar work, beats to grind to and a goddess playing with your predilection for kinky seduction, this is Kill Shelter & Death Loves Veronica with The SexTape Sessions….. mmmmm, what is there not to like?!
Infacted Recordings released on the 24th of March, the new single “Already Dead“, a combined effort from TEKNOVORE (Greece) & J:dead (UK).
The beats when they kick in are like a heart in the midst of going into tachycardia, racing it feels at a hundred miles an hour. Psytrance bombastic swirling synths combine with J:dead’s vocals going from sweet to ramping up the fucking gravity with his trademark growling.
Just when you thought it couldn’t get any bigger, they smack you up the side of the head with the FabrikC remix that literally stomps. Jay Taylor is definitely not dead, with the screams being ripped from his body as the music slams into the realm of harder industrial.
And for good measure, they have The SaintPaul remix, heavy techno with scintillating synths, that lifts the track into a futuristic realm, spinning you until you are dizzy.
Wow. Just wow. If you tell me you are bored listening to “Already Dead” three times in a row, I think we might have to pronounce you, dear listener, as D.O.A…. an ex parrot pining for the fjords. It’s bloody amazing. The guys, TEKNOVORE and J: Dead, have smashed this and kudos to the remixers for their superb skills. It kicks arse and like a drug, you’ll be coming back for more.
New Zealand is the Land of the Long White Cloud or in the tongue of the original occupants, the Māori people, Aotearoa. For a small country, a lot of talent resides there. Frau Knotz is the solo project for New Plymouth electronic artist Lauren Nottingham, and 24th of March is the release date for her second single “Runway Of Reality“.
Some things in life are like that little red dress that is worn a few times and then forgotten as it is no longer needed in life, like a persona. Frau Knotz is your narrator in this song, a noir styled track, with an 80s electronic pop sound that tinkles like stardust and dowsed in shimmering darkwave vocals and rhythms.
The video features Frau Knotz as the Pierrot made-up usher of the theatre, while the stage is graced by the beautiful Erika Flash. The music video compliments the track beautifully with the near sepia tones. Join Frau Knotz on the “Runway Of Reality“, so you might also enjoy her dulcet tones while getting your groove on.
If you haven’t checked out the new goth rock single, “We All Rise“, and the accompanying video from Chicago based band, The Bellwether Syndicate, then maybe you should. William Faith and company ramp it up with an anthem off the soon to be released album, Vestige & Vigil, out on the label Sett Records.
The drums thump away, drawing our attention, with the beautiful guitar sound that The Bellwether Syndicate is becoming so well known for. However, that is nothing compared to the huge belting chorus that surges forth with such conviction and pure anger towards a culture and system that holds people back, preaches money hungry religion as your only salvation and that is discriminatory towards people (especially women, trans and those of colour) who are even losing autonomy over their own bodies . ‘WE RISE ABOVE OUR STATION, WE ECLIPSE THE LIGHT OF NATIONS, WE REVEAL THE FARCE, FOR ALL TO SEE‘….. Faith is nearly snarling during the chorus’. The most poignant verse for me however is, ‘The will to swim against the tide, To break convention, In the great divide, To dare to dream‘ which signifies a universal fight for what is right and not what is doctrine.
Faith has a very sonorous voice and sometimes you forget how much punked up rage he can muster and it is glorious in this track. The video goes from being just William and Sarah Rose Faith on the streets, and becoming a black mass marching down the street. A wonder to behold and “Rise” is a song that needs to be echoed until the world becomes a better place.
Onyx Music Reviews 