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Plasmata is a gothic project from the windy city of Chicago, with Trent Jeffries as the man behind it all. It all began in 2012, with a full band, being courted by music labels and on the verge of a debut album…..that is until tragedy struck. Jeffries suffered an aneurysm, which then led to a stroke. He nearly didn’t survive the whole affair and had some major hurdles to get over in order to return to the music he loves so much. Luckily for us he did, because after the release of a few singles, came the powerful EP, Portraits Of Pain in 2021.

Throughout, you can hear his love of old monster and horror flicks, which he has also connected to his near death experience, such as not dying to rise another day and that nightmares lurk in the dark crevices of your mind awaiting to take your life at their whim. This journey has also forged some deep friendships and powerful musical collaborations. What is a glampire, do they drink your blood or raid your velvet coats and can they haunt your dreams? Well darlings, better start reading to find out……..

Dear Trent Jeffries, he who is Plasmata. Welcome to the hallowed ground of Onyx.

Trent, you live in Chicago, which seems a hotbed of gothic music. Have you always lived there and what is it like to be a part of this darkwave renaissance?

I’m a lifelong Chicagoan. The only other place I could imagine living is London. I really enjoy being part of the music scene here. The city is rich with genres and sub-genres of music, and bands from adjacent styles will often play shows together. The audiences are very open minded, which leads to some wide ranging and surprising bills. And I think that’s great.

You describe yourself as a glampire. Does it surprise you to find out many do not realise the gothic scene very much has its roots in 70s glam music?

It does. Even a cursory glance back at the glam movement will show the participant’s goals were in line with today’s scene. The theatricality, statement-making attire and the blurring or eliminating of the lines of convention. The Gothic community chooses to marry that aesthetic to the more macabre, dark side of life.

What does it mean to you being a glampire of Chicago?

The city of Chicago, especially its creative community, appreciate those who show who they are and fly their flag proudly and it is very freeing and rewarding. Its an amalgamation of all that I love, and all that I wish to convey visually. People are much more interested and attracted to roses than to crabgrass. If people take the time to come see you, then I feel you should bloody well give them something to see!

Plasmata isn’t a new band, with its inception in 2005.What was the concept behind the creation of the project?

Plasmata came about because I had music in my head, and lyrics, that I was not finding elsewhere. My love of horror movies definitely shaped my creativity, and the attraction/fear/repulsion of popular vampire lore led me to various avenues of exploration for expressing myself. Nosferatu was hideous, Louie and Lestat were golden gods, Count Dracula somewhere in between. Some people fear what they don’t understand, some are intrigued and some are drawn to it. I compose to play to the myths and also dispel them. Communally, we all experience similar things in life, so I also dive in personally to exorcise demons and hopefully relate to someone who’s going through similar things.

We come to 2012 and the band suddenly disappears from the scene. Since then we have discovered you had a major health issue, which actually involved an aneurysm. What happened?

Plasmata had an entire debut album recorded, and were being courted by a few record labels. In January of that year, I suffered a subarachnoid haemorrhage, which is a ruptured aneurysm that causes bleeding in the brain. That also triggered a haemorrhagic stroke. After 6 months of recovery and rehabilitation, I was released back into the world. The band members, understandably, had each gone elsewhere since the chances of me being able to function or create at even a fraction of what I was previously seemed remote at best.

That must have been a bloody scary time for you, but you managed to survive and even thrive. Are there any issues for you since this awful period in your life and how has it impacted on you creatively?

There are, although I’ve come to accept them. It was an episode I was not supposed to survive, therefore I move forward with purpose knowing I’ve beaten the odds. I’m playing with house money from here on out, so I strive for personal happiness which aligns very well with my passion to create. But in regards to the effects of the trauma; large parts of my memory are gone, I have vertigo issues, migraines, hand/eye coordination deficiencies. I have difficulty on stairs at times. My ability to play guitar vanished. I’ve become more impulsive, which as a glampire could be both a blessing and a curse.

2020 saw you return to releasing music. How good did this feel?

It took that long to regain enough ability to translate all that I had in my head to music. Initially, I was unsure if what I was creating was any good. Fortunately I was able to have my friend William Faith listen to some of the first songs I’d done and provide encouragement and understanding. Honestly I’m not certain the EP would have happened without him. The feeling of release, of validation, was overwhelming.

By 2021, we see you releasing your EP, “Portraits Of Pain”. The music is a mixture of gothic rock and industrial, but it is the imagery I would like to touch on. The EP feels painted, like a Victorian Hammer Horror set and indeed it would not feel odd to see Cushing, Lee or Price loom out of the darkness. Was this something you purposely did or did it just end up that way?

It was definitely an unconscious occurrence. Thank you very much for the compliment! William and I have a lot of similar musical and celluloid references and that probably had a lot to do with the way the songs were developed and executed. I cannot say enough about how he understood exactly what I was trying to accomplish, and the right brushes to use for the “painting”.

The EP was recorded at 13 Studio by the masterful William Faith. This seems to have become a firm friendship, with Faith mixing your single “Leviathan”. There is also your friendship with Michel Rowland (Disjecta Membra). How important are these relationships to you?

My friendship with Michel came about via a recommendation from William as to whom I should trust to handle my publicity. He’s become a dear friend and confidant, we get on famously, and I tell anyone who will listen that working with Michel has been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made musically. Its a wonderful thing when you get to work closely with people who truly understand you as an artist and a person. I also treasure my friendship with William for similar reasons. He just gets me. Our friendship grew exponentially during the recording process. I would describe a particular sound I was looking for, and he would reference a band or particular song that was immediately spot on. Lots of time swapping stories and laughing at all that we’ve been able to experience. I admire and respect both of these gentlemen immensely.

The last single “You Call Him The Devil”, is originally the track “Ten Bells” off the EP, which also features Aly Jados, the lead singer of Blood People. The single version a re-working by Ben Christo (Sisters Of Mercy), so how did all this happen?

Ben and I met through a mutual friend several years ago. He was already playing in Sisters at that point, plus we were both endorsed by the same guitar company at the time. So lots of things to bond us. And I’ve been to London several times. I knew I wanted Ben to try his hand at remixing one of the tracks, so I sent him links to the EP. Well, being a Brit and having lived in London, He was eager to have a go at Ten Bells. He said he could give it a proper reworking since he was very familiar with the story of Jack. I gave him free reign to do what he liked with it, and was blown away with the results.

The track itself is about Jack the Ripper. How much are you into the Ripper lore?

Very much. And to my surprise (and extreme pleasure), William was very well versed on the story as well. That enabled us to really give it a raw, visceral feel. Aly’s vocal was the icing on the cake. I love her voice; its powerful, raspy, smoky, seductive and urgent all at the same time.

So far, do you have a favourite track you have released and if so why?

I was just talking to a friend recently who asked the same question. Its funny, but on different days any one of them could be a favorite. But If I had to choose one, it would be Death of Hope. That song was written in the absolute depths of despair, and is a challenge to perform live because I invariably float in that dark water as I deliver the lines. But every show I look forward to baring my soul and showing that its ok to be vulnerable. It has become a centerpiece of our live set, and is a powerful moment that we get to share with the audience.

Trent, you blew life into this project when the world seemed to be going to hell in a hand basket. Now with Covid no longer shutting down cities, are you planning on more live gigs, and is this something you enjoy?

Collectively, we live for the stage. The live band is a juggernaut. We have been playing a show every month since February and will continue to do so. We’ve been offered some touring opportunities which we will probably agree to, with sights set on a UK swing in the spring of ’24.

What are the musicians that first lured you into the grasp of gothic music?

Bauhaus for sure. The Sisters of Mercy, the Cure, and although they are probably not on a lot of “Goth” checklists, Black Sabbath. Also, horror movie soundtracks have shaped me musically.

What do you listen to now?

I am obsessed with Chelsea Wolfe. I’ve also been listening to Then Comes Silence, Gary Numan, Peter Murphy, Killing Joke.

You are putting together a compilation of your favourite darkwave tracks. Who is making the cut?

That’s a tough one. A lot of what I listen to has hints of what would be considered Darkwave. I suppose it would include Bootblacks, Actors, Clan of Xymox, Panterah, The Bellwether Syndicate, early VNV Nation, Wolfsheim

What is in the future for Plasmata?

We have new songs written, and I have about 8 or 9 other ones that are in progress. We will be recording a new single soon, with an accompanying video to be released at that time. More shows, photo shoots, interviews, dark mayhem.

Thank you Trent for your time!

Thanks! It was my pleasure!

Music | Plasmata (bandcamp.com)

https://www.facebook.com/plasmataband/

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Have you ever sat, watching the sky in the dark, taking in the celestial bodies, through the substratosphere? Los Angeles darkwave band, The Sea At Midnight, have released the single, “Atmosphere“.

The vocals are tantalising, peaking your interest with the delicate bass, reined in drums and tinkling guitar. There are swells where the music lets loose, floating in the confines of a vehicle, no longer under control, but rather left to the whim of chance.

The production and mixing is by Chris King, the mastering was done by Patrick Hills at Earthtone Recording Company, while lilting saxophone was provided by Tony Bevilacqua. When you hear such tracks, you can’t help but be taken back to the original spaceman, Bowie’s “Major Tom“. A tale of leaving the Earth and floating in the unknown and boundless expanse of the heavens. “Atmosphere” is a tasty post-punk treat from The Sea At Midnight.

https://theseaatmidnight.bandcamp.com/track/atmosphere-2

https://www.facebook.com/theseaatmidnight/?mibextid=ZbWKwL

https://linktr.ee/theseaatmidnight

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I have been assured that the New Zealand band, After The Flesh, is not named after the My Life With The Thrill Kill Cult track, though that track still lurks in the back of my mind. This four piece, from Wellington, have been around since 2019, and their Bandcamp page also contains demo versions but released their debut, self-titled EP in May.

‘After The Flesh comprises the talents of Slovenian-born vocalist and keyboardist Maruša Sagadin (“Marusha”); veteran local bassist Duncan Nairn; guitarist and vocalist Alec Morris; and drummer Sam Leamy‘. – UTM Music

There is a languid melancholy within “Cold Glory“. The bass is the main instrument of focus, with the jangling guitar and synths backing up. The vocals are intertwined, sinuous, and reaching for the starry skies. “Changeling” has an electronic funk, with off beat syncopation, leaving you feeling unsure and out of step. The idea that one never really changes, as what we are, is always inside us. The track, “Perpetual Midnight“, was originally released as a single in 2021 and has been updated for the EP. It hangs in the air, delicate and sensual, the perfect balance of sorrow versus uplifting. The last song is the ode to love called “Daisychain“. The track builds on the premise that when the significant other has left, there is only bleak loneliness. There is an uncluttered feeling throughout that is saturated in want and resignation.

I really enjoyed the vocal harmonisations within the tracks, playing between female and male, capturing your ears.. The mixing by Bryan Tabuteau is glorious and subtle, allowing each voice and instrument to be heard. So, After The Flesh is a beautiful thing to hear, and the group are growing into their sound, with sonorous and lugubrious gothic melodies.

After The Flesh | After The Flesh (bandcamp.com)

https://www.facebook.com/AfterTheFleshMusic?mibextid=ZbWKwL

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German industrial project Neon Insect has released another single as of May, with the title “Implant“. Nils Sinatsch is Neon Insect, whose forte is delving into a cyber-punk future of apocalyptic proportions.

The flesh screams in defiance as the cybernetic additions consume the body, taking away pain and everything else that makes a human feel. Nils‘ gruff vocals are the programmes and nano bots seeking to assume control, as they pulsate through their victim,

It starts with a few changes of enhancement, until the machines decides mankind is frail and prone to breaking. The road to human race’s doom seems to be paved in the industrial dance rhythms of Neon Insect and his “Implant“.

IMPLANT | Neon Insect (bandcamp.com)

https://www.neon-insect.de/

https://facebook.com/neoninsect

https://www.instagram.com/neoninsect/

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Back in 2020, we covered the release of the album Prepare For A Nightmare by Norwegian post-punk band Mayflower Madame, They have now re-released their second full length album as a deluxe version, on Only Lovers Records, with five new tracks included. In celebration, Mayflower Madame have dropped the single “Dresden“.

Photo by Tim Harris

The wandering guitars echo and plunge, for going out on this night might change your life forever, whether that is for your betterment or walking into disaster. The vocals are lethargic and almost unenthusiastic, like the singer knows the future, like a fortune teller, and there is a portent of gloom, especially if you take into account, Dresden burnt to the ground in WW2..

The accompanying video for “Dresden“, is a collection of noir, mostly silent films, cut together in a lovely montage of breathtakingly porcelain females. The signature psychedelic guitars are present and the synths have created an eerie background, held together with the drums and bass. Post-punk from Norway is alive and kicking with Mayflower Madame at the fore.

Prepared for a Nightmare (Deluxe Version) | Mayflower Madame (bandcamp.com)

https://www.facebook.com/mayflowermadame

https://www.instagram.com/mayflowermadame/

http://www.onlyloversrecords.com/

https://www.facebook.com/onlyloversrecords/

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Some music projects go on hiatus, but they never truly go away. After twenty years, DC Astro and Martha A. Hoffmann, have breathed new life into their electronic/darkwave band Deep Red, and what better way to celebrate this than with the release of a new single, “Battle Lines” which features Element 104.

The low tones are heavy and bass driven, giving the track a voluminous depth, and a long with the rhythm hurtle this track forward. Hoffmann’s vocals range from whispered to clear and true, just as the synths chime out and spin about a relationship gone sour, and the fight to be able to walk away from other person.

In 2002, the album Chimera was released, which has the original version of “Battle Lines” on it. I can hear why they wanted to, in a way, resurrect this track and give it another run, modernising it. A note of interest is that the mastering was done by Doruk Öztürkcan of She Past Away fame. The over all feel of “Battle Lines” is a big break through track bound for the dance floor, which will ensure we will be hearing more from Deep Red.

Battle Lines | Deep Red featuring Element 104 | Deep Red (bandcamp.com)

https://www.facebook.com/TheRealDeepRed

https://www.instagram.com/therealdeepred/

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The first half of the year has seen a lot of really great new darkwave albums, and this includes, Crystalline, the latest from Norwegian Karl Morten Dahl, also known as Antipole and Brit Paris Alexander. This album is now out on the Young & Cold Records label with it being recorded between the UK and Norway, and the production, mixing and mastered by Alexander at his Blue Door Studio.

The album starts with “Perceptions“, which is one of three singles and it is a smooth affair between the synths and Alexander’s vocals, raising your heartbeat with anticipation with the rising guitar. “Nightshade” has been known to kill, yet the solemn delicacy of this track might make you want to live just that little bit longer so you might be able to hear “Bleached“, another single. Bleak and creeping with sorrow, but yet you cannot but be mesmerised by the sensual vocals and dirty electronic bass.

The desolate lushness of “Disjointed” brings a delicateness that sets you up for the third single, “Midnight Shadows“, where you can almost feel the spirits are reaching out to you through the echoing and enticing whispers. that draw spectral fingers up your skin, catching your breath. The rhythms knock away and the guitar draws you into its embrace as you share with Alexander, his hope and anguish in “Marble“.

We find ourselves at the gently flowing “Infractions“, bathing in its warm heart. The track has a Johnny Marr glazing with a pop sensibility. The final track is the sublimely elegant “Sentiments” with the low bass electronics balanced by the both the sweet guitar work and high end synths.

The production of the album is clean and so fluid, making it almost ethereal, and yet the tracks will also guide your feet to the dance floor. Paris Alexander’s vocals truly convey a lot of emotion, sometimes bordering on dark seduction, while Karl Morten Dahl’s playing in this conjures reminders of Robert Smith’s tantalising guitar prowess and form. Each track is devastatingly beautiful, unveiling the never ending cycle of the dark versus the light, with hints of all the shades of grey in between, as Antipole & Paris Alexander take you to the places that yesterday’s ghosts still haunt, in perfect Crystalline.

Crystalline | Antipole & Paris Alexander | Antipole (bandcamp.com)

http://www.facebook.com/antipoleband

Music | Paris Alexander (bandcamp.com)

https://www.facebook.com/parisalexandermusic?mibextid=ZbWKwL

https://bluedoormusicproductions.com/

https://www.facebook.com/youngandcoldrecords?mibextid=ZbWKwL

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From sun drenched Florida, Violet Silhouette are back with a new single, titled “Strange Wind“. This single is off the soon to be released EP Feverblue, which is the follow-up to the 2021 EP, SEMI-PERMANENTDEREALIZATION.

The metronome drum beats are twinned with the extruded electronics reverberating, which are joined by a classic post-punk heavy bass. The clean guitar breaks through, which heralds a burst of joyous, danceable sound. The vocals complete the booming shivers down the spine, as the music runs circles around your pleasure centres.

Longing and need are palpable in this track, along with the cascading layers of instrumentation. Violet Silhouette has mixed post-punk with both industrial dance and dark pop to give us the sublime “Strange Wind“.

https://violetsilhouette.bandcamp.com/track/strange-wind

https://www.facebook.com/violetsilhouetteofficial?mibextid=ZbWKwL

https://www.violetsilhouette.com/

https://www.instagram.com/violetsilhouetteofficial/

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Darkwave duo, producer Mario Del Rio and vocalist Rayne Lew, are Adore Me. They are based between Los Angeles and Mexico City, and their EP, Kira #1 came out on the 28th of May, on the Sublime Exile label.

Oh yes… first and title track is electronic bass heavy, with a dance floor savvy. “Kira #1” is sexy musically, lyrically and the vocals melt like molten wax on bare skin. The techno is unleashed in “MABH“, crossed with 80s synth and Lew’s singing is light, floating in the uncertain grimly electronics. There is even a quote from Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliette‘, which is in relation to the fairy Queen Mab or MAbh, whom the track is dedicated too.

The vocals echo within the cocoon of deranged synths of “Psyphon“, both beautiful and yet seemingly set on the edge of cliff, poised to fall into infinity. “Bruise” is the last track, not as fast paced but just as entrancing. It is delicate with a darker undertone. The imagery from the lyrics is coloured by red or rather the blood spilt by death.

Graceful darkwave sensuality oozes from Kira #1, but it is also has a bite about it. Lust, magic and death, create an aura of funereal delight which lures the listener to move to the rhythms. Adore Me or not to Adore Me, that is the question, but you should have a listen to Kira #1 so you might know thy self.

Kira #1 | Adore Me (bandcamp.com)

http://facebook.com/adoremeband

https://subexile.bandcamp.com/

https://www.instagram.com/adorememusic/

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NØIR is the electronic project for Athan Maroulis (vocals) and Erik Gustafson (synths/guitar/producer). joined for live events by keyboard players Jamie Parganos and Kai Irina Hahn. The new single/EP “Fallen” was something NØIR had been working on just as Covid was kicking in and then was put on hold after the unfortunate passing of Metropolis Records creator, Dave Heckman, but now it has now seen the watery light of evening, in May.

There is a euro cool chic glamour that coats the slick synths and Maroulis‘ vocals are, as always, wonderfully smooth, entrancing your senses into the dance that NØIR is bewitching you with. The Paradox Obscur remix is far more filled with thumping rhythms that has a disco like attitude, that is aimed straight for your pleasure zones. The darkwave retro fingers of Silver Walks caresses “Fallen“, giving it the feel as if the track could have come from the early 80s during the time of Midge Ure’s Ultravox, while the Femme Mix features the sensual vocals of Kai Irina Hahn, as she goes from backing singer to replacing Maroulis.

You also get the brand spanking new track “Death Is Easy“, which is going to haunt you in your sleep and you are going to believe that death really is easy in a sexy, stalking and lurid way. If you are as old enough, like some of us, the Psychedelic Furs song “Love My Way“, was an iconic dark love of many in the 80s, where we could all feel the words pull at our heart strings. NØIR have taken the track, playing it as an acoustic and the vocals actually remind me very much of Bowie’s.

The synths literally sing themselves, sparkling in “Fallen” and the vocals…. well, Maroulis proves his vocals are scintillating and beautiful as ever. The remixes have been wonderfully handled, and the extra tracks definitely show the depth of the musicianship of the members of NØIR.

Fallen | NOIR (bandcamp.com)

https://www.facebook.com/NOIRmetropolis

https://www.instagram.com/noir_nyc_official/

https://metropolis-records.com/artist/noir