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And so there was a convergence of two talents. Jemaur Tayle (Shelleyan Orphan) and Boris Williams (The Cure) are friends who were brought together by their love of music, which spawned the project Vamberator. Originally, Tayle had been working on a solo album, but had to endure the passing of long time Shelleyan Orphan bandmate Caroline Crawely, then found he had lost focus. Over the years, Tayle had toured with The Cure, and developed camaraderie with Williams. He helped fan the flame of the muse called music, and together brough to fruition, the debut album called “Age of Loneliness.”

The intro track is also a previous single, called “I used to be Lou Reed,” and like the namesake, it has a huge personality, with a complimentary brass section heralding in your immersive baptism for the slightly off the wall Vamberator. Tayle’s vocals are far more smooth than anything Reed ever laid done, but the elements of funk and experimentation are all there, with the idea that we have to find our own place in the universe and our own groove.

Title track, “Age of Loneliness,” is a wonderful mixture of soul sister groove and 60s Haight-Ashbury flower power, tinged with childish wonder. An amalgamation of classical and counter-culture rock, and it just works. At the other end of the scale is “I Need Contact,” and it is a slow piece, crisp and clear, that drags you to your knees with the sheer weight of the bleak sentiment. Another single is the delightful “Creature in my House,” that see-saws with that guitar riff, and lurches with the rolling drums from Williams. So one has to ask, is the creature a real creature, or is it staring out through the eyes of Tayle?

“Imps” is the latest single, and, oddly enough, the last track on the album. It reminds me of the 90s, when bands like Primal Scream and The Stone Roses were hitting their straps, but also paying homage to 60s/70s soul, and artists like The Rolling Stones and Kinks. Maybe this is the true meaning of the album. The loneliness we feel stems from a yearning for something more.. something tangible that is comfortable, which could be places, objects, sounds and people. We delve into our library of memories to find that comfort and Vamberator have set “Age of Loneliness” as a touchstone of influences and what drives them to embark forth, adding their own spin on what they love. It is an album that can be enjoyed by the musician’s musician, and, yet, it is full of soul, brilliant chorus’ and a quirkiness that can capture the average music lover’s imagination. A beautiful friendship between Tayle and Williams has borne a bounty in the form of “Age of Loneliness.”

Age of loneliness | Vamberator

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We are going back to February of 2024, when the album If Blood Comes First was released by Dallas based Happy Phantom. This five piece is made up of songwriter Jackie Legos (vocals, guitars), Zack Bigalow (drums), Colby Sias (percussion), Josh Prater (keyboards, synth), Phillip Sozansky (bass guitar) and Brendan Ladan (guitars).

It is important that the first track off an album grabs your attention, and “A Stranger Walking Shadows Through the Dark” has this in spades, from the sparkling intro, which continues through, and emotion filled jangling guitars, that harkens back to The Cure. Even Lego’s vocals remind one of Robert Smith, lending it to the feel of the legendary album Pornography, which will continue throughout. The title track is a swirling and echoing piece with the synths at the front in a winding classical soundscape domination, only broken by the vocals and occasional guitar. The lyrics in “If First Comes Blood” are beautifully poetic, and where does a relationship go to after we pass this mortal coil?

‘Waiting for the night and captured by the moon saving our goodbyes it’s over much too soon there’s nowhere left to hide when she comes to my bed with nothing but a lie dancing in my head…‘ – If First Comes Blood

“No Illusions” has great bass lines and the mood of the whole track is almost joyful, yet the lyrics tell of a loss where one cannot stay as the situation is eating them up, but they want to because of unreasonable hope. Let me guide you to track six, “I Dare To Love You,” with its booming drums rolling and subtle guitar. The conjoined voices could be a coven’s chant and the wonderful imagery of dancing on graves in a passionate tryst with a ghostly lover. The rangy guitar work is a throwback to early Cult in the track “Lust,” which is about the lack of emotion compared to love that requires as much give as take.

If you haven’t guessed, If Blood Comes First is about finding another dark soul that completes yours, bring the ultimate overwhelming gothic romance and the devastation of being bereft of that person, which leaves you a husk of your former self that yearns for what was lost. I think this album is heavily inspired by real life and also The Crow, which is about devotion, but on a deeper level, trying to be worthy enough to embrace love in death or knowing when you have to let go of those feelings that drag you under the waves of grief. Legos has professed that this is his favourite album so far, and we can hear why. If Blood Comes First is a brooding and heart wrenching ode to love, in the ideal sanctuary of a forever romance, set to a gothic serenade by Happy Phantom.

If Blood Comes First | Happy Phantom

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Splatter VHS is Caid, and Caid is Splatter VHS. They are the self professed cryptid of Brisbane, who revels in horror movies, special effects and creating synth based instrumental music. The end of 2024 marked the release of a new album in the form of Blue Haired Anime Girl, which rounds up a rather fruitful year from Splatter VHS.

The world is littered in fairy tales, of souls meeting and being pulled into equal orbits, or set for cataclysmic endings or expressing a love and admiration for someone who makes you feel like the weight of gravity is nothing. Single “Twin Stars” burns bright with the electronics bursting forth, tying in the science fiction futurism with looping and weaving synths .

An air of dark excitement pushes through in “Return To The Maze,” and may I just add this labyrinth actually does exist in real life. A basement that is a shared space with history’s ghosts, that is shrouded in comfortable crepuscule that would pulsate with this track. There is no escape from the “Vampires Kiss” and you can revel in the quirky joy contained within ‘Synthmas Kitten“

You can hear Caid’s connection to the cinema through their creations, which is a kin to using music to evoke emotions and paint scenes, just as movies do. One could say that John Carpenter has been a huge influence both theatrically and musically, plus the tracks reflect the 80s explosion of using electronic music to express the modern horror of tales such as Friday the 13th or Halloween, and fantasy love stories like Lady Hawke or Legend (1985).. It is a bit retro, a bit sci-fi, a bit jigger-poky with a pointy things, a bit modern and a whole lot of fun. Paint a picture in your head and join the creatures that inhabit Caid’s mind with Splatter VHS. You can’t always run from where you are, but that doesn’t mean you can’t dream yourself free.

Music | Splatter VHS

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Welcome to the retro-futuristic world of Splatter VHS | Splatter VHS

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US label Re:Mission Entertainment dropped the latest album from Warm Gadget called Sorrows. Tim Vester (vocals, lyrics, samples) and Colten Williams (guitar, bass, keyboards, drums, production, vocals) are the main components of this machine and they are joined by Page Hamilton (guitar), Austin Williams (bass), Davey Hemm (bass) and Dani Scythe who added additional drum programming on “Digging.”

Sit down and buckled up as they smash you with “The Masses,” which is the bouncing metal influenced first single, with its angry guitars and even angrier Vester, screaming out his disappointment with the world. “Annoyed” is yet another single and I have to say that the Nine Inch Nails game is strong for this track, and the Dread Risks‘ remix just ramps it up even further. It is contentious and instantly likeable.

Going with the single theme, “Debutante” is yet another, featuring not only the corrosive vocals of Vester, but joining him, with far more buttery tones is Page Hamilton of Helmet fame, carving up the track with his screaming hot guitar. I especially liked “Like Bats,” with its brazen chorus, tempered with the idling intermediary pieces. It kind of harks back to Stone Temple Pilots with the tone and harmonisation.

With tracks like “Annoyed,” you are dragged back to the flourishing 90s industrial rock scene that was exploding out of the North America at the time with bands such Ministry, NIN and My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult. Warm Gadget might be paying homage to those that influenced their sound with Sorrows, but this does not mean they are sticking to a formula, as they write music that suits their taste. So far, this has to be my favourite release of theirs to date. Music with a social conscious and it also slaps hard.

Sorrows | Warm Gadget | Re:Mission Entertainment

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We knew it was coming.  Those Norwegians,  Mayflower Madame have finally dropped the new album called Insight, near the end of 2024. They have been threatening this for a while,  dropping singles along the way,  like bread crumbs, in order to give you a taste but leaving you wanting more.  Wait no more, and let the darkness take you. 

We can not go past the last single, the track, “Crippled Crow.” The band’s signature guitar is there, but also the synths sound like gusts of cold air. The vocals are echoing and, for me, remind me a little of Echo and the Bunnymen. Without warning, drums and guitar fall into a wonderful vortex of noise, where you will want to save this broken ‘crow.’

There is an area in my chest that just reverberated with “Queen of the Underworld.” I am not sure if it is the heavy guitars or lonely piano, or perhaps the accompanying synths, but it resonates and captures feelings of shivering delight. The first track “Ocean of Bitterness” will instantly drag you into the dark heart of Mayflower Madame.

I am going to say that the cover brought back memories of another in the form of the UK’s Play Dead’s album Company of Justice, which is also an excellent gothic release. Mayflower Madame have that Scandinavian cool about them, mixed with a classic 80s post-punk sound, and creates magically dark and sonically expressive gothic music that strays into shoegaze. Insight is a collection of all the singles, yet there are all the other tracks here to discover and this album won’t leave you feeling disappointed.

Insight | Mayflower Madame

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Mayflower Madame – Insight

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Reza Uhdin first created gothic/industrial project Inertia, back in 1992, based in London. His new album, Estranged Icon, has been released in October on the label Distortion Productions and joining him are Andrew Lowlife (additional synths, programming), Andrew Cater (guitar), Time Stephens (guitar) and Blue Jigsaw (drums).

The opening track, “New Format” features the violin of Matt Howden of Sieben, and you know an artist is confident of their product when they kick off with a single, which bodes well for the rest of the album. It is a song that feels exotic, speaking of other worlds and foreign places, and the chorus creeps up on you, swelling and building. It also gives you the opportunity to hear Uhdin’s vocal range from near growling to melodic in the hypnotic “New Format.”

Speaking of singles, the second track, which features KMFDM and PIG’s Steve White on guitar, is the far more energetic “Scowl.” White’s guitar work buzzes, emphasizing the chorus and giving us a kick butt interlude, and there is also yet another guitarist on the single, Nick Bayford helping filling out the industrial sound. You might notice there is a soul filled female backing vocalist in the form of Alexys B, and you can appreciate her as she wails up a storm against White’s solo break..

Mika Goedrijk of This Morn’ Omina have collaborated on the track “Heartbeat,” and from this union has come a throbbing and pulsating electronic kick start, full of emotion filled singing combined with stirring synths. Both surreal and spinetingling, “Heartbeat” is a dance floor filler guaranteed to raise more than a few resting rhythms.

I have to admit that I’m always a little afraid of being disappointed with projects that have been around a while. I have no such fear here as Inertia really excels at what they do. The album is this wonderfully crafted electronic odyssey.  “Estranged Icon” drags you to the highest peaks on the glorious wings of the music and then can bring you crashing down harder than Icarus with dark imagery. Be captured by the Inertia and bow down to their “Estranged Icon.”

Estranged Icon | Inertia

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Inertia – Official Website

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French goth rock band Corpus Delicti, were pretty big in the 90s, and after several acclaimed albums, they kind of disappeared. In 2022, the band reformed and with the release of the single “Chaos,” in 2024, it was plain to see that they had not lost any of that magic. Their fan base in Mexico is huge and so in April, 2023, they played Mexico City, recording the whole thing in order to release the live album From Dust To Light.

PHOTO BY LOIC SWINY

What really hits you is the quality of the recording. So absolutely crisp and clear, with Pietrapiana’s vocals never swallowed by the music and the guitars that Delicti are famous for clean in the mix, so a shout out to the guys mixing this in the form of Téo Sarfati and Franck Amendola. . Even the drums are beautifully picked up and this album is a joy to hear. I found myself singing along with “Saraband,” “Lorelei” and “Patient,” wishing I was at this live event and yet mesmerised by how good these tracks are live and that they are as fresh as they were thirty years ago.

It is a privilege to hear Sébastien Pietrapiana (vocals), Franck Amendola (guitar), Christophe Baudrion (Bass) and Laurent Tamagno (drums) playing classic tracks drawn from across four epic albums. The band are incredibly talent musicians and there is just something magical about hearing songs played that are not hinged on backing tracks. Everything rests solely on the shoulders of players and Corpus Delicti are pure class. From Dust To Light is a wander down memory lane… another place and another time, with songs that are timeless and I have to say, I am so happy Corpus Delicti are back.

From Dust To Light | Corpus Delicti

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Corpus Delicti | Band Official Website

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Dirt Factory are a pretty industrial lot, literally, bringing out their fourth album in just as many years, on the Viral Records label in Australia. Brothers Michael Gillman and Daniel Allen have brought forth the plague in the form of Dying Planet, that has been mastered at Abelisk Audio by the HOSTILE ARCHITECT himself, Mitch Kenny.

Callum Dodds from RAZRWHP is on guitar duty for the first track “Destroy It All,” bringing the grating metallic taste, as well as finesse, while the lads truly are upping the ante with an electronic onslaught. “Bones” is the single and the dance of the dead goes hard, laying bare the futility of flesh and belief for everything is going to become dust. We are now in the “Houses of Worship” and there is a palpable 80s feel to the music and Allen’s vocals only add to the disillusionment in commercial religion.

We are going to be visited by the siren called Brianna Smith, the lead singer of RAZRWHP and there is no disappointment here, with her delicate vocals in direct contrast to Daniel’s almost spoken word. She is the angel of death while he is the disease in the title track “Dying Planet.” It could be said that “Industrial Jesus” is a form of worship of KMFDM and Nitzer Ebb, irreverent and damning of broken religious systems and in that vein is the rather catchy “Antipope,” with it’s rapid fire electronic beats and a fantastic use of vocals.

Does “Mod Matrix” mean modified matrix? A throwback perhaps to the movie The Matrix and how you could download anything you wanted to learn straight into your brain…but then do you know what is real and what is not and the music does not spark any kind of hope for a good ending. “The Body is Dead” has this very cool rhythm that instantly grabs your attention, while the synths climb and fall in tale of cybernetics gone wrong. The calm before the “Nuclear Strike,” as the track slowly builds towards midnight and ultimate fallout, taking out you out with extreme prejudice. Track ten is the last and it is the menacingly named and airless “Coathanger.” Why airless? The song has the atmosphere of smothering with its oppressiveness.

This, for me, is the best vocal outing for Daniel, as he seems to be settling more into the role and having guest musicians is a nice addition. I have to say I really enjoyed “The Body Is Dead” and my top choice would have to be the collaboration with Brianna on “Dying Planet.” I already know the lads are already creating more music, and watch this space for a new project from Michael. All is doom and a Dying Planet from Dirt Factory.

Dying Planet | Dirt Factory (bandcamp.com)

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Viral Records Australia – Record Label, Australian Alternative Music

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Hisham Zreiq is a Palestinian visual artist and film maker living in Germany. He is also an electronic musician and the Goddess Asherah Project is his outlet of experimenting with ambient soundscapes which in essence could be a soundtrack for one of his movies. August has seen the release of the album The land of Joy, which contains thirteen instrumental tracks.

The album is full of light with its chimes, oriental styled sounds and rhythms. It flows with the titles fitting so well and the feel of each track is conveyed through the music. “Delight” invokes a taste of India and it truly is a delight to listen to, while “Frisky” has playful bleeps that run at a whirlwind pace. The land of Joy should be listened to when you want to unwind or need to be taken away to a place where you can be free to dream. The Canaanite Goddess Asherah has the power to grant you joy in the electronic world.

The land of Joy | Goddess Asherah Project (bandcamp.com)

https://hishamzreiq.com/

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Robert Benaquista brings you Cucurbitophobia, the project so grim, it is named after the fear of pumpkins, and after sowing the seeds, he has reaped the new album called IV. Cucurbitophobia is a darksynth/neo-classical project hailing from New Jersey.

You have entered the time of nightmares where nothing seems real and all is covered in a pall of dusky sorrow. The fires burn cold in this hellish wasteland that is “Ignis Satanae,” dragging you into the shadow realm. “Gale of Lucifer” is the quiet before the oncoming storm, an entourage of building anticipation of dark angelic release, ticking like a timebomb, never getting any faster, as if your doom means nothing in the whole scheme of things. The solo guitar sets your teeth on edge in opposition to the piano. You are now on the “Soil of Belial,” and the devil is going to welcome you. From within the cacophony, if you listen carefully enough, you might hear the voices of lost souls wailing in the distance.

Like something from Black Sabbath, the guitar holds sway, the creator of organised chaos and then, yet, there are periods of reflective electronic dismay, distant and disconcerting. You shouldn’t be here and the tension rises for whatever is in the dark is baying for your blood. The creature in the “Bay of Leviathan: Chapter I” calls out from the deep and it almost feels like sanctuary, a ray of light in the gloom. The piano takes its place, making you feel most uneasy, rippling through the surrounds, and into the murky unknown. Unlike the previous track, “Bay of Leviathan: Chapter II” starts so differently, tasting of gentle breezes and fingers of sunshine breaking through to the shimmer water’s surface….though is it almost a lament in a way, the piano plinks in a sporadic wandering, modern avant-garde style. Final track “Memento Vivere” continues in this vein, conjuring shadows of memories along with raising the ghosts of what is lost.

If you haven’t quite caught the drift yet, Cucurbitophobia is very much entrenched in the horror genre. Music that imprints on your psyche and tugs at your base human instincts that recognises fear and aberration. Why is the album called IV? It isn’t the fourth album. Curiosity abounds. Benaquista has said that the inspiration is from John Milton’s “Paradise Lost,” a poem about the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden… a loss of innocence that can never be regained and the full realisation that what we do not know terrifies us, captured in a mirror like reflection by Cucurbitophobia.

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