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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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1990 was the year the iconic album, The Good Son, was released by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. It spawned several singles, which included the slow burn wonder that was “The Ship Song.” 2023, and Lunar Paths has taken this classic track and given it their experimental, electronic sheen.

Walking in Cave’s deep, sonorous vocal footprints is no easy task, but female lead singer, Diane Dubois, pulls it off with great aplomb. The synths in the background are a constant, swelling and dropping, voluptuous in their role and the live drums of Kevin Hunter are an excellent accompaniment.

“The Ship Song” has always been a rich track, which is why it has been covered by quite a few bands…. mellow and smooth with an incandescent dark beauty that has been brought to the fore in this latest version by Lunar Paths.

https://music.apple.com/kr/artist/lunar-paths/1652044158?l=en-GB

https://www.boomplay.com/albums/80104620

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French industrial-darkwave project, Divine Shade are ending a successful year, with the release of the single “Heaven.” This track, as well as previous single “Oublier,” will be included on the album Fragments Vol.1, which will be dropping April, 2024.

Instantly attention grabbing, within the very first bars, and when the electronic drums thunder in along with the vocals, you are not disappointed. Wavering between the sweet beseeching and writhing angst, backed up by thrumming fuzzed out tones, it all courses through your veins, infecting your senses with the sheer vehemence of conviction.

“Heaven” is indeed a glorious track, magnetic in the way it calls out to the listener and utterly enjoyable. It brings together aspects of industrial and darkwave, with a sprinkle of coldwave nuances, which the French have always been so good at, blending them into something very special. “Heaven” is waiting with Divine Shade.

Heaven (Single) | Divine Shade (bandcamp.com)

https://www.facebook.com/DIVINESHADEofficial/

https://www.instagram.com/divineshade/

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Creepy creepy, in Melbourne city, where gothic delights pervade in the form of Velatine and their new single, “Nothing To Do With You.” Loki Lockwood is the man with the plan, with Inga Liljeström, the siren, and it is out on the label Spooky Records.

The electronics have the air of unquelled domination and Liljeström launches into a story of a woman maligned by many, but, it seems, through her own volution, found herself in order to make her life better. The vocals are languid like molasses and just as rich.

Liljeström’s singing, in both tempo and sound, reminds me very much of Jonette Napolitano of Concrete Blonde (a personal favourite), combined with the ringing guitar and synth/programming of Lockwood, framing the story and focusing us on the tale at hand. Maybe it has “Nothing To Do With You,” but everything to do with Velatine and this really strong darkwave track.

Nothing To Do With You | Velatine (bandcamp.com)

https://www.facebook.com/Velatine

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Edward Butt and Liam O Callaghan are a pair of very busy Irish men from Cork, who you might know better as Arctic Lights. November 17th, was the drop date for their latest single “Melting,” which was produced, mixed and mastered by the guys. Told you they were busy.

From bongos, we are launched into aggressive sawing guitar and glitching electronics. The vocals are reminiscent of Trent Reznor and the staccato style of the Nine Inch Nails track “Perfect Drug.” An air of instability is created by the slightly exaggerated guitar warbling between just becoming off key, while the vocals really just say it all with lyrics like, ‘I’m sick and tired of your crazy shit.’

When your mental health has hit rock bottom due to another person creating issues or unloading their own mental instabilities, is what “Melting” is all about. The walking on egg-shells because you are no longer able to predict what is going to happen next. You feel it in the music, as if Arctic Lights are walking on that fine edge.

Melting | Arctic Lights (bandcamp.com)

https://www.facebook.com/ArcticLightsCork

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2007 saw the birth of Swedish EBM group Spark!, with original members Stefan Brorsson (vocals) and Mattias Ziessow (synths, programming), dishing out the beats. However, in 2013, Brorsson left the band, citing personal reasons, leaving Ziessow to continue on. Fans can rejoice, as the lads are back together in 2023 with the single “66 Ton Krom,” which will be on the new album out in 2024, on the Progress Productions label.

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The direct translation is ‘66 tonnes of chrome‘, and with the frenetic pace of the rhythm, they can only be referring to a large vehicle, such as a big shiny truck. And behold there is a big shiny buff truck on the cover! Brorsson’s vocals dance between the programmed electronics that come on in rapid succession, while the synths rip down the road burning rubber with those beats.

There is something quintessentially Swedish about the EBM that comes out of that country, and it not just singing in the native tongue. A lot of joy can be felt from “66 Ton Krom,” as if the break the guys have had from each other, galvanised their sound. Industrial electro-pop from Spark! that is going to get your motor running.

66 ton krom | Spark! (bandcamp.com)

https://www.facebook.com/sparksomfan

https://progress-productions.com/

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As sure as the sun will rise tomorrow, Sebastian Sunkler will probably release a few more things before the year is out. So, November was the release for the new double sided single for STAHLSCHLAG, called Abhinivesha. “Om Mani Padme Hum” and “Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo” will both be on the new album Amrita, which is slated to come out in 2024.

“Om Mani Padme Hum” starts with the charming chimes of temple bells, before the clever combination of harsher electronics and beats are injected into the track, becoming ever more demanding to be heard in the transcendental mirage of the universe.

The second track, “Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo,” has a much darker edge to it, forbidding and sharp. It echoes with the waiting ghosts of past, cavernous sounding, pounding and primitive, only promising enlightenment to those whom dare to cross those boundaries.

As always, STAHLSCHLAG have pulled something unique out of the basket yet again, combining rhythmic noise with accents of that which is ancient and otherworldly, creating a fantasy soundscape to lose yourself in.

Abhinivesha | STAHLSCHLAG (bandcamp.com)

https://www.facebook.com/STAHLSCHLAG/