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There is an ill wind and hark….is it an EP or an album??? We aren’t quite sure, but we know it is Sinister Fate when we see them. Also, that the album is called Profit of Doom, which was released back in August by the guys from Chicago, and it is a monster mash of singles, new tracks, covers and remixes.

There are the two singles, with the first on show being “beLIEve,” a cross between the horror movies that are The Purge series and real life unrest on the home front. The rich verses poor and ideologies burning in the veins of the zealots. It is pure grimy rock with a punk ethos and a guitar solo that sings out. The other is the horror infused “Meet Mister Scratch,” who is the thinly disguised devil with an agenda to sell to those whose moral compass might be a little off target, for the simple low price of a soul.

I thought the title of the track “Hey Man, Nice Shot,” was very familiar, and it turns out that is indeed a cover of the Filter song, which has that heavy hanging bass at its core and although not a cover, “VVitch” feels like an ode to The Cure through the guitar work and drums sounding like they could of come off the Pornography album.

Sinister Fate carry on the proud tradition of goth horror rock, which is full of symbolism and often tongue in cheek observations about the true monsters of the world. I wonder if the band is somewhat inspired by the late, great Pete Steele, especially with the inference of the title of the album and the Type O Negative’s track “The Profit of Doom” off the 2007 album Dead Again. Profit Of Doom is a nice mixture old and new, with the remixes that just give another facet to the band. It is part goth, part rock and all horror babe..

Profit Of Doom | Sinister Fate | SINISTER FATE

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German label Dependent, dropped the new Fïx8:Sëd8 album Octogram, in the month of October, which seems oddly apt. The guys from Wiesbaden, have really put a lot of thought and heart into Octogram, with there being eight tracks, which all have a running time of approximately eight minutes each. Further more, each track has the last words of a imprisoned person, about to receive the ultimate penalty of death.

“The Unborn” is your introduction to the concept of last words integrated into music. There is a undeniable truth is the fact that ‘everybody dies,’ but not everybody gets to choose when, The synths are sublime at times, almost serene in acceptance of the awaited fate, though there is a darkness within and it accented with the high pitch electronic feedback, breaking into your conscious.

There are probably no more powerful words than ‘I don’t want to go,’ when you know they were the last utterances from a human, who was euthanised, and “New Eden” is electronically beautiful, compared to the voice of this woman. The synths simply sparkle like stars in the sky, that will never be seen again and there is an urgency, with the metallic vocals that morph at will into otherworldly singing.

“Darkness Visible” has a delicate tone, carried with the almost oriental lines that ring out making me think of Depeche Mode, broken by the guttural vocals. It sails on mercurial synths. There feels like a righteous reign of fire just waiting to break loose in “Oathbreaker,” as if the track is on the knife’s edge, waiting to break open, throbbing and building in tension. The beats become heavier and evolves into semi rhythmic noise.

There is a point in Octogram where you begin to wonder if humanity has the right to snuff out the life of another, as you run the gamut of emotions where the music and vocals sometimes builds on the psychological state and in other tracks, can almost be diametrically opposite. The music, as always, from Fïx8:Sëd8 is really breath-taking, putting forth creations that are not just danceable, but also take you from your safe place and make your heart beat just a bit faster.

Octagram | FIX8:SED8

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Primitive Romance rose from the ashes of Florida punk outfit The Strait Jackets in 1981, based around the brothers Allen and Lester Esser, with Randall Barnwell, who would move to Massachusetts to continue the path of post-punk music. In 1987 the band folded, but it seems was never truly forgotten about by fans. 2025 has seen the release of the compilation album, The Spirit’s Still There: 1981 – 1986, and this is also a tribute from Allen to his brother Lester, vocalist/guitarist, who passed away in 2024.

Within this album, there are no less that sixteen tracks, and the initial song is also the title track, “The Spirit’s Still Here,” full of that raw, under produced guitar that is part of the ‘sound’ of the post punk era. You can hear the Bauhaus influence, a hint of “Bella Lugosi’s Dead,” and it is a wonderful reminder of a simpler time. “Motions and Pictures” had me at the unique drumming signature at the beginning, and the kind of flare in the guitar that reminds me of The Jam. The English influence is easy to hear.

The energy rippling off “Bound To Happen” is really a joy to behold. The guitar is reminiscent of Hüsker Dü and with that attacking technique, like a finger poking you in the chest, as the track rolls along, never waiting for you to catch up as it on a mission. “Every House Still Standing,” might be a very early track, as it bridges the 70s punk with mod music and interestingly, Lester utters the words ‘the spirit’s still there,’ so I am wondering if this song was inspiration for the title track, or is it a term that kind held a lot of meaning.

This compilation for Primitive Romance, just highlights how much excellent music came out in the 1980s, and though there are fans of the group that would remember seeing them play live or hearing them on college radio, having this music re-released allows people like myself the opportunity to experience their songs, unless going deep diving on YouTube. On The Spirit’s Still There: 1981-1987 they are immortalised as passionate, angry young men, the music ringing in a time of sonic upheaval and Lester’s vocals forever serenading us, even from the other side….. and there it not anything more goth than that.

The Spirit’s Still There: 1981–1986 | Primitive Romance

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Ever wondered what Americana folk, mixed with dark alternative and saturated in Australian everyday life might sound like? Most likely it would be encapsulated by the music of Gold Coast band These Idle Hands, made up of Murray Webber [lyrics, arrangements, vocals, guitar, banjo], Josh Morris [lyrics, arrangements, vocals, guitar], Benny D Williams [production, piano, backing vocals], Sue Ferrers [violin], Craig Johnston [bass guitar, double bass] and Paul Muller [drums, percussion]. In January, they released their third album, which took approximately two and a half years to records, and is self titled. In addition to the core unit, they were joined by Kieran Richardt , Amaya Indigo [backing vocals], Bess Ringham [backing vocals], Grace Lamor [backing vocals], Isla Webber [backing vocals], Fletcher Bab [flute] and Jamie Mercer [drums].

At fourteen tracks and all being original, no covers, you are getting a lot of fresh music from These Idle Hands. The first track often sets up what you might expect from the rest of the album and “Between You And The Sun” starts like an orchestra tuning up, but then morphs into a slow mash-up of guitar and violin with the drawl of the vocals, contemplating why that special person walked away. The piano injections are the bright spots of light against the crying violin as the song takes flight, and the clash of drums that are just right.

“Somewhere Else To Go” could be any of us in life, when we are young, falling in love, getting on in life and then wondering where the years have gone, yet keeping the fire of desire still burning. It is like a slow country dance for couples, as the violin serenades them, and the rumbling vocals are at odds in the chorus with the light sweetness of the ladies singing and it lends itself to the following track “Stringy Mangoes.” Lingering memories of childhood, smells, tastes and the feeling on the sun on your skin, all melding into a warmth that lives on within.

There is a 60s psychedelic folk whimsy that burns bright with the flute and stylish drumming in “Better At Love,” It is the sort of song that brings a smile to your face, when you know love isn’t easy, and the struggle makes it all the sweeter to make it through intact. It is a beautiful ode to persistence and a true heart, to which we cannot not help but mention the beautifully written “With You.” It has this joy that is infectious and just makes you have a spring in your step. Such a wonderful way to end the album on a positive track.

I am probably wrong, but the cover photo reminds me of the cane farming area of Jacobs Well, a piece of Queensland’s more rural past. The Australian accent sits well, crooning in the bluegrass folk way, something proven by the likes of Nick Cave. These Idle Hands have used that which they know best, which is real life experience to bring together an album full of snippets of extasy, sorrow and all the boring bits in between, as well as learnt lessons, set to a soundtrack which is both emotive and enjoyable. I am not the most knowledgeable human when it comes it comes to Country style music, though I do like a good guitar slide, but the bluesy overtones, combined with the more classical instruments, takes you out of your existence for fourteen tracks, so you can string along in the tender world of These Idle Hands.

These Idle Hands | These Idle Hands

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For many people, who love synth based music, will say Gary Numan is a huge influence and most will agree that his back catalogue, from 1978 to 1981 holds many memorable and ground breaking tracks, that helped fashion the sound of the 80s. In 2025, Meanjin/Brisbane based Silver Sircus have taken a selection of Numan’s songs, reinterpreting them, creating the album Metal. The lynch pins of Silver Sircus, since 2008, are Lucinda Shaw (vocalist, performer, composer) and James Lees (drummer, composer, producer), and they are joined by Mark Angel (guitars), Danielle Bentley (cello), Wayne Jennings (cello) and Karl O’Shea (bass guitar).

The title track was also the single off the album and “Metal,” recently has been covered several times, which hints to how important this song has been for musicians worldwide. Rather than anger, there is almost an over riding sense of loss and acceptance of what cannot be controlled, as the piano drifts in its accompaniment to Shaw’s vocals, and the black and white music video is equally mesmerising. They have brought a classical darkness to possibly the most famous electronic track ever of this period, “Cars.” The cellos are delightfully mournful and I doubt you have ever heard “Are Friends Electric?” quite like this. Genteel and floating on a carefully prepared cloud of dreams, with a feeling of being transported to a plane of deep reverence.

My introduction to Numan was through the release of “Down In The Park,” and as a kid, there is an emotional attachment to the what I felt was a futuristic video and a song that was not like anything else out there. The Silver Sircus version is slower and, honestly there is so much more gravitas behind the lyrics, it catches you by surprise. The chamber music style with the deep tones of the cellos, induces a powerful and overwhelming wave of pleasure. There is also other track such as “I DIe, You Die,” “Stormtrooper In Drag” and the instantly recognisable instrumental “Airlane.”

There is a lot of nostalgia when it comes to early Gary Numan and Silver Sircus have handled every track with great care, each rolling with ease into the other. The use of piano and cello prove that you can play well written synth based songs and they can still translate. If you listen carefully, you will catch the drums, bass and guitar though they sit back in the mix so as to not overshadow the stringed instruments, and we cannot go past Shaw’s vocal performance. Powerful, evocative and never trying to emulate Numan, but rather forging her own imprint. Shaw, Lees & co. have brought an elegance, and, one might say, a wonderful dark polish to this selection of singles and b-sides called Metal.

Metal | Silver Sircus

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Based in California is the project Pieti, a collaboration between musicians The Vandalorum (all instruments) and Krauhl (vocals and lyrics), where they create darkwave, influenced by dungeon synth. Their latest release is called Wedding Photos, comprised of eight tracks.

The guitar work in “Martyr,” sparkles and flows in a gorgeous way, leaving you mesmerised by the simplistic joy it brings. The vocals definitely remind me of Interpol’s Paul Banks both in tone and pace, which are propelled by the lovely deep bass. The synths break through and there is something about this track that grabs your attention completely. Love can cause a person to do many things in order to gain for themselves “Eternal Bliss.” Again there is that great post-punk styled bass and the earnest vocals of Krauhl, as the song keeps the foot tapping along.

Another stand out track is “Reservation,” and it is a myriad of ideas and emotions. The lyrics, ‘Red leather, black tie‘ give the illusion of sexual temptation or tension, and within it, a lamentation that tugs at your heart. The luscious “Clever Disarray” is far more laid back and sinuous affair, that starts off with a recording of a woman, which is apparently how the females in a jail were communicating with each other, that belonged to The Vandal’s grandmother. The vocals and synths convey a defiance and sadness, plus that guitar has an almost Mediterranean feel.

The album was recorded between 2023 and 2025, and seems to draw from life and family, whether this is blood relations or the families we create, hence the title Wedding Photos. The music itself is heavily rooted in post-punk and darkwave, with the rhythm held together by the bass and drums, while the guitar is just what makes it all perfect, equally important as the vocals in creating the atmosphere. The judicious use of synth just lends to the texture of each track. Pieti have dropped us a gem in Wedding Photos.

Wedding Photos | Pieti

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Some things are not for the faint of heart, so if you are weak of stomach or spleen, turn away now. For those who have guts of iron and a taste for the harsher music, then I have a tasty treat for you. UK based Skat Injector is experimental electronics, wearing the decimated innards of metal proudly, as they seek to drag your ears through your arse. We are going back to their 2018 release of the album, Unknown Violator, out on Slime City Records.

There are sixteen tracks in total and “A Garden Only Watered In Blood” is the greeting that tells you to strap in and enjoy the journey into madness. Are we being taunted by the ghosts of the bled? The demonic vocals bubble over the echoing cold space. However, the meaty “Slaughter is the Best Medicine” is a overwhelming onslaught of sped up black metal styled beats and tortured electronics, fritzing out and pummelling your psyche into dust, while the vocals growl.

“Urbane Misanthrope” builds and builds with sounds before letting loose with the almost danceable rhythms, however this could be trap! You don’t fit in the expected square and the gunfire of the beats is the warfare of the city streets in your head. A head pounding ode to the dispossessed that perfectly feeds into the oh so short and sweet desecration that is “Hollow Mantra.”

There is a cover of “Goodbye Horses,” originally by Q Lazzarus, right at the end, and admittedly it seems quite a reasonable version….. until you hear the vocals. Distortedly slow sounding, stretched and unfathomable in its ability to be disturbing, yet still enjoyable in that serial killer sort of way.

The cover artwork confirms the title is a mash-up of Joy Division’s Unknown Pleasures and Depeche Mode’s Violator, both iconic albums and carried through into the titles of the tracks for the most part. This is clever and in a way, I can see a certain similarity. Joy Division is one of the first post-punk bands, forging a sound that at the time was ground breaking and very much about being the outsider in a bleak world. Violator was the album that was not highly completed before Depeche Mode came together in the studio and it brought forth simpler tracks with lyrics which sound like they are full of provocation, and yet point to a guilt behind those words. Skat Injector have taken inspiration from both and created an album of modern day mental ills and truths that permeate our lives…. it is just in the form of noisecore to get your heart thundering.

Unknown Violator | Skat Injector

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Toronto based Jay Draper (The Scarlet Fever) has released the album, spookily titled Dollhouse, as Jay Draper & the Subterraneans. Draper has been joined by guest musicians, Cat Samuels (L’autre Dame/The Scarlet Fever), Ursule Marion (SU), Chris Jensen (Poor Violet), Sinéad Rua (Animal Party), Francesca Copelli (Attaloom) and Chris Woodacre (The Scarlet Fever).

One of the jewels of this album is the single “Self Control,” a cover of the 80s hit, best remembered being sung by the late Laura Branigan, though originally it was released by Italian Raf. Draper has slowed down the track, and due to its inherently dark undertones, this works so well, with the incorporation of electronics giving the song the feel of futility, and indeed “Self Control” was used in the 2024 horror-mystery movie MaXXXine. Try not to be caught up in the powerfully emotional swirl of “Just A Dream,” that grabs at the heart strings.

In this vein, you can enjoy the sinister, yet delightful, creeping terror that is “A Death in the Dollhouse.” The post-punk jangle of the guitar and Draper’s ringing clear tones are pure joy, evoking memories of The Mission or Play Dead. I really cannot emphasis how delightful it is to hear the charming guitar work that echoes back to the 80s, which is perfectly showcased in the track “Only Hope,” that holds your attention as Samuel’s vocals entwine with Draper’s in the chorus and sweep you away on a wave of euphoria.

Dollhouse is just this poetic balance of dark romance and stark realism, mixed with great tunes. Filled with lovingly crafted songs, there are great strains of guitar, finding perfect resonance with the synths and rhythms. Jay Draper & the Subterraneans invite you into the gothic dream of the perfect Dollhouse.

Dollhouse | Jay Draper & the Subterraneans | Jay Draper & The Subterraneans

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Now more than ever, we need to highlight those in the arts that not only lead the way, but also represent often harassed minorities. US gothic industrial project, Woundlicker is a trans female project, consisting of performances from Melora Cayce, Marya Alvarado and Primrose, with their latest album being “Haunted World of Mirrors.” Cayce told me she has too many fishnet, but really, no one can ever have too many lovely fishnets. Tre sexy!

The title track holds hints to the influences of Woundlicker, such as early Nine Inch Nails and the mighty Skinny Puppy, especially with the great drumming and the ferocious way the band attack the track.mHInts of trap and gothic impending gothic doom inhabit the echo chamber of “A Strange Crow.” Heavy bass and eerie church style organ, are heightened by repeated chorus lyrics, which de-evolves into a frantic snarling vocal exorcism attempt.

“Autumn Funeral Part 1” is an unbridled release of pent up anger and pain, directed towards a parent that cannot accept who they are. It is unapologetically raw in its violence, expressing mental torment as the metal guitar and industrial electronics trip over each other in their rush, yet Part 2 of the same track is a much more trippy event in finding or creating a family. There is Part 3 of “Autumn Funeral” which, for me, signifies the disparity between wanting the acceptance of blood ties, and knowing that those people will go to the grave without sharing in the highs and lows of an adult child’s life.

The album is ten songs long, full of honesty and introspection, questioning life and love while looking for ways to heal. It is dark and heavy going at times, mixing industrial noise, succulent gothic synths and liberal helpings of grinding metal, as we experience everything through the many reflections of Woundlicker. Woundlicker is watching through the “Haunted World Of Mirrors.”

Haunted World Of Mirrors | Woundlicker

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Spanish lords of industrial metal, HASSWUT, have just dropped the new album Sauerstoff, for the rest of the world, and being released in North America on the Negative Gain Production label as of the 25th of April.

Currently you can check out the two singles to give you an idea of what HASSWUT have for offer. Latest single is the monster masher “Koloss,” and it is high adrenaline about a giant creature chasing you, as koloss means colossus, but also are characters in Mistborn. Slamming electronics and beats with growled out vocals and guitar make it a fun headbanging track. First single “Sauerstoff” is so different, bassy and bouncing, reflecting a nu-metal feel.

You might be saying by now, hang on, they are singing in German. You would be correct and they do it well, and that is just half story. If you want to find out what Spanish industrial sounds like in German, then you need to seek out HASSWUT’s Sauerstoff.

Sauerstoff – North America Orders | HASSWUT

Sauerstoff | HASSWUT

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