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ASSASSUN is a relatively new project for German musician Alexander Leonard Donat (aka Vlimmer), with its inception back in 2021. The latest single is “Sling Me Out” off the third ASSASSUN album Post-Climax, out on Blackjack Illuminist Records.

It is evident why ASSASSUN is described as synthpunk, vocals full of sneering contempt and snappy synths. Donat spits out ‘sling me out, sling me out‘ because in the end when you are no longer wanted, what is there left to lose. There is an 80s inspired jauntiness with the electronics dipping into menacing deep tones, and quite frankly it doesn’t get better than this!

Post-Climax | ASSASSUN | Blackjack Illuminist Records (bandcamp.com)

http://www.facebook.com/assassunband

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Blackjack-Illuminist-Records

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Stream ASSASSUN – Sling Me Out by Blackjack Illuminist | Listen online for free on SoundCloud

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If you had a friend such as Irish actor and wordsmith, Ben Keaton, it would be a no brainer to collaborate on a track, and this is exactly what Lunar Paths have done with the latest single, “New.”

Keaton has written the spoken word poem that tells a story about a relationship where one promised change that could lead to a better life, yet they failed,  falling back into bad habits and violence. The rhythm laid down by Hunter lends itself to a trap feel, while Dubois had looped and extruded shoegaze guitars and clever synths.

The track slow burns, doused in regrets of a life waiting with disappointment over and over again, just like echoes within the music, heightened by the Julie Cruize (Twin Peaks) inspired floating vocals of Dubois. This is in juxtaposition with the very matter-of-fact style of Keaton where there is no candy coating. A reflection of a tale as old as when humans formed relationships,  beautifully executed while picking at your heart strings,  and as they say,  something olde, something “New.”

▶︎ New (feat. Ben Keaton) | Lunar Paths (bandcamp.com)

https://www.facebook.com/LunarPathsMusic

https://www.lunarpaths.com

https://www.instagram.com/lunar.paths

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The return of Nils Sinatsch’s Neon Insect, has arrived in the form of the latest single “THERE IS BEAUTY IN NOISE.” From Hanover, Germany, the cyberpunk flavoured industrial Neon Insect has a message…”Dictatorships must fall…”.

Laboured electronics greet your ears, as you are plunged into the chaos that is the grating industrialised melody, tortured and extruded, seemingly screeching in metallic convulsions. Sinatsch’s vocals bleed like verbal lacerations on a world that is the noise inhabits.

It is gritty and severe, set in a time of uncertainty, where making noise is the only way to be heard in a world that is already in turmoil. Indeed “THERE IS BEAUTY IN NOISE,” so check out Neon Insect.

THERE IS BEAUTY IN NOISE | Neon Insect (bandcamp.com)

https://facebook.com/neoninsect

https://www.neon-insect.de

https://www.instagram.com/neoninsect

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When you mention a video with floating Margret Thatcher heads in it… well, that just piques my curiosity. Bite Marcus is an independent musician from Manchester, and his single “Society! (There’s No Such Thing),” is the third, just before the release of the debut album, Amalgamation.

There is something delicate about the electronics and programmed rhythms in “Society! (There’s No Such Thing),” which leaves you focused on the smoothly executed vocals. An exercise at dissecting the current British politics, where the ruling party seem to have forgotten the people they are meant to be working for. 

The bonus track is a demo called “G O D ! (Is A They/Them),” a clever hybrid of two other tracks, ie Lady GaGa’s “G.U.Y” and Whitey’s “G.I.R.L.” It is subtle and wonderfully dark, and for a demo it feels very complete.

This is something that is very close to my heart…. music with something to say.  The commentary condemns the Tories for their seeking status and making money out of those who need the most protection. “Society! (There’s No Such Thing),” is a call to notice the injustice and recognise the treachery, served to you via a post-punk track that hits all the sweet spots.  All there is left to say is Bite Marcus before Marcus bites you. 

https://bitemarcus.bandcamp.com/album/society-theres-no-such-thing

http://instagram.com/bite_marcus

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Maybe our existence is really in the matrix and we are an illusion in the memory banks of a computer, and just maybe those awful relationships and people could be reduced to “JUNK FILE” fodder. Italian band, HORROR FOR BREAKFAST are Lily B. and Louis M., who have been creating music together under this moniker since 2023, and “JUNK FILE” is their second single.

The sounds of pouring rain and winds, brings forth the images of a bleak and grey day, compounded by the initial lone chimes. In creeps the synths, which take on the tune, building the anticipation, especially when the guitar joins in. The vocals beckon you to your doom by deletion because you don’t fit the normal programme.

It is kind of like toned down versions of Lacuna Coil meets Garbage, a catchy and sexy track that could have people swaying on the dance floor. So if alt+control+delete isn’t working for you, then you can hit “JUNK FILE” by HORROR FOR BREAKFAST.

JUNK FILE | HORROR FOR BREAKFAST (bandcamp.com)

http://www.facebook.com/horrorbreakfast

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JUNK FILE by HORROR FOR BREAKFAST (soundcloud.com)

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It is probably fitting that the birth of a gothic track starts with a nightmare, and so this is how the Lunar Paths‘ track “Halo,” came into being. Drummer Kevin Hunter awoke from his sleep and proceeded to record the rhythm section before handing it onto his musical partner in crime, Diane Dubois, to add the extra magic.

The drum lines that the track are based on, are at the fore, with Dubois bringing to life this phantasm with the disturbing echoing synths and her breathy vocals haunting the very air, thick with disquiet. A song about those friends who are only there when they need something from you and are in the habit of asking until you bleed dry.

I have said this before, but Dubois‘ vocals are eerily reminiscent of Siouxsie Sioux and the experimental quality often leave me feeling that this is what The Creatures could have sounded like if they had pursued that creative well. Hunter’s rhythms are the foundation and beautifully move the track along. Lunar Paths might just be dark angels, especially with a perfect track like “Halo.”

Halo | Lunar Paths (bandcamp.com)

https://www.facebook.com/LunarPathsMusic

https://www.lunarpaths.com

https://www.instagram.com/lunar.paths

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On the day of his birthday, Sebastian Sünkler released the single “Bohdi” with his main industrial project, STAHLSCHLAG. The German noise master never fails to amaze with how productive he is, and before we know it, the new full-length album will be upon us.

Become one with the drone of “Bohdi” as STAHLSCHLAG take you into another realm, outside of your being, to where celestial souls transverse the stars, god like, as the rhythms continuously make you aware of your own heartbeat. The combination of luminous and mystical vocals with noise is perfection. The second track, “Sri Stuti,” continues this journey, with more purpose, demanding your attention be completely focused on the fragging beats while a winding synth line wanders though.

The maestro of power noise keeps his sound fresh whilst plumbing the depth of your spiritual psyche, pulling on ancient tendrils within our genetics. With the brilliance of “Bohdi,” we await the album and wish Sünkler another wonderful year making music around the sun.

Bodhi | STAHLSCHLAG (bandcamp.com)

https://www.facebook.com/STAHLSCHLAG

STAHLSCHLAG

https://www.instagram.com/stahlschlag_fundustrial

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January 25th saw the drop of the new single, “Impetus,” by Portland, Oregon trio Ceremony Shadows. Timo (synths/programming), Anastasia (vocals), and Jakub (vocals) describe their sound as ritual darkwave and the mastering engineered by Adam Stilson.

The first chiming notes, instantly had my attention, as it reminded me a lot of The Danse Society’s “Heaven Is Waiting,” thought this is never a bad thing, and the seductive female vocals curl in, followed by the deeper tones of the second vocalist, like the duality of darkness and light.

It is a sensual slow burn that gets under your skin. You can also go check out the two remixes, a club mix by Stilson and another by vyger, for this track, and “Impetus” is a taste of the soon to be unleashed new album for those craving more dark electro goodness that is Ceremony Shadows.

Impetus | Ceremony Shadows (bandcamp.com)

https://www.facebook.com/ceremonyshadows

https://www.ceremonyshadows.com/

http://www.instagram.com/ceremonyshadows

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Just before Christmas, the single “Silent Crowd – Meeting in the Dark Variant” was released by Hemlock for Socrates, who hail from Pittsburgh, USA. The band consists of members Heather Shore and Kegan Heiss, who describe their sound like the ‘sci-fi / fantasy section at the used book store’.

I am not sure which is more delightful…. those elegantly entwined synth lines with guitar or the lilting, emotive vocals from Shore that ring so true. The music encompasses bleating electronic and bell like tones, creating not only that science fiction feel but underlying there is something much older, haunting the shadows.

A tale of the silent crowd, as they travel arduous and dangerous paths, to meet in those dark enclaves, because in the end, it is about finding your own kind. It is a reworked version of this song, which appeared on the last album, and the “Silent Crowd – Meeting in the Dark Variant” by Hemlock for Socrates is a lovely darkwave track with lyrics and vocals that bring forth a rich tapestry of imagery.

https://hemlockforsocrates.bandcamp.com/track/silent-crowd-meeting-in-the-dark-variant

Silent Crowd – Meeting in the Dark Variant | Hemlock for Socrates (bandcamp.com)

https://www.facebook.com/hemlockforsocrates/

https://www.instagram.com/hemlockforsocrates/

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Nourtier Julien (drum/sample) and Enault Anthony (bass/sample) are The Shadow’s Gone Out, an industrial synth group from Tours, France. The single, “Whispering Ghost” came out on December the 1st, and the vocal samples are provided by Sandrine Grandjean-Samyn.

The grainy playback for the voice of Grandjean-Samyn, is the only human semblance of a human touch, in a track of wandering extremes, a tug of war between electronics and guitar, vying for dominance in order to gain your attention.

Grandjean-Samyn is the spectre within the music, seductively luring you into musical clutches of The Shadow’s Gone Out, as they envelop you with their experimental style of industrial music, pitching from delicate to heavy rock. Beware the “Whispering Ghost.”

Whispering Ghost | the shadow’s gone out | The Shadow’s Gone Out (bandcamp.com)

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