by on

Those two electronic guys from London and Denmark, who go under the guise of Perpacity, have released the epically named single, “Ragnarök” , as of the 3rd of March. Ian Harling and Martin Nyrup have announced that this will be the last single off the soon to be re4leased album Discordia.

Remember I said epic, as “Ragnarök” means ‘doom of the Gods‘ and is a predicted event in Norse mythology, of the destruction of worlds of men and the Gods. A mixture of future pop and something a bit darker, an echoing back to a time in history when the Gods walked the lands. Visions of the end of time that swirl in electronic motes, like flurries of snow, while the vocals dance between the icy fingers of death. The b-side is “Halls Of The Fallen” is a slower affair that speaks of the warrior’s last day before they fall in battle and then taken to Valhalla. The promise of eternal life, though they must leave all else behind, and this is reflected in the sinuous nature of the music. Building to the moment of lament and glory, and perhaps it is a Valkyrie we can hear in the march towards the appointed fate..

You might think that mixing a tale that is around a thousand years old, with electronic music, might be a bit cheesy, but this is not the case. Perpacity has pulled this off beautifully, weaving the electro with the mystical, exhibiting skill of the Sibyl that prophesised the coming of “Ragnarök“.

Ragnarök – Single | Perpacity (bandcamp.com)

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

Perpacity music

by on

There is exciting news on the horizon as Norway’s Antipole, aka Karl Morton Dahl and UK’s Paris Alexander have released the new single “Perceptions” which is off their new collaborative album Crystalline, slated to drop on May 12th on Young And Cold Records. It will be out on digital, CD and lovely vinyl.

The clack of the drum machine and sensual synths wake you out of your stupor, beckoning your eyes to open. The guitar rings in beautifully and heralds Alexander’s smooth vocals as the music waxes and wanes with his whispers, infectious and leaving you wanting more.

It is so nice to hear these two working together again, and we have a whole album to eagerly await. There is just something sublime about not only this style of darkwave but how gorgeously Antipole and Paris Alexander have crafted “Perceptions” into a coldwave track that sucks you in until the end.

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

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

https://www.facebook.com/paris.alexander.5623?mibextid=ZbWKwL

by on

From the gothic wildlands of San Jose, Costa Rica, Ariel Maniki And The Black Halos are back with the single “Supernova“. It has been bat stamped from the label Deepland Records, a precursor to the new album, FRACTALS, which is slated for release at the end of March, 2023.

There is a low ground swell that bursts forth, shimmying drums, cheeky synths, and the guitar chiming out before delivering you into vocal arms of Maniki. The brightness of the guitar work enhances the deep, melodic drawl of the vocals.

If you suffer from epilepsy, then you should probably steer clear of the video, but otherwise, drench yourself in the sumptious delights of both the visual and sonic. Maniki’s admiration of The Cure is easily heard, and yet there is no mimicry, just a reflection. A love so intense, it burns like a “Supernova“, eventually transforming into another celestial entity that affects everything around it. An extraordinarily beautiful post-punk track from Ariel Maniki And The Black Halos.

Supernova | Ariel Maniki and the Black Halos (bandcamp.com)

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

by on

Diane Dubois and Kevin Hunter are Lunar Paths, an experimental darkwave transatlantic project and the 10th of February, saw the release of their newest single “Yeraz“. Yeraz is the Armenian word for ‘dream’ and the track itself features the Armenian wind instrument called a duduk.

There is a mix and flow of both traditional and modern drone in the form of drums which could mimic the dhol (Armenian Drum) and modern percussion, that creates a hypnotic undertow, giving a platform to the vocals, piano snippets and the duduk. The duduk is an exotic inclusion that paints a picture of faraway places in the Middle East.

The duduk is the a star of the track, with its low and warm tones that conjure visions of ancient peoples and meandering waterways. It is mesmerising while the even lower tones beneath, take on the sound of deep prayers in a temple. The vocals snake through the ethereal dreamtime. Join the the Lunar Paths new world order with “Yeraz“.

Yeraz | Lunar Paths (bandcamp.com)

https://www.lunarpaths.com/

https://www.facebook.com/LunarPathsMusic/

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

by on

You are walking down a Victorian alley at night. There is drizzling rain, a fog rolling in and an eerie feeling you are being followed. This could be the setting for a Hammer Horror movie, but how about a song from Plasmata and Ben Christo with Aly Jados, named “You Call Him The Devil“. This track originally was released on the Plasmata EP, Portraits Of Pain, under the name “Ten Bells“. The glampire behind Plasmata is Trent Jeffries, while guitarist/vocalist, Ben Christo is best known for being a member of The Sisters Of Mercy and his latest band Diamond Black, and Aly Jados is the lead singer and guitarist for her heavy rock group, Blood People.

You are greeted by the ringing guitar work of Christo, which takes on its own life, soaring and racing to meet up with vocals of Jeffries and Jados, that smoothly intertwine, each picking up the tale of the Ripper through his eyes. The guitar work is glorious and simply takes this track to another level, along with the rising chorus of vocals. The urgency is palpable, for soon we will meet our doom.

Jados was also the female vocals in the original “Ten Bells” and she nails this again with her seriously brooding singing, which is gritty and sensual, a foil for Jeffries‘ smoother killer tones. The original version definitely had a harder electronic edge and grungier guitar to it, but the new version now has this epic goth rock opus quality. Jack the Ripper is lurking in the dark and he has become the grandiose figure of death himself, enjoying the hunt before the butchery in the squalid lanes of White Chapel. “You Call Him The Devil“, the Christo version, giving you the amazing combination of Plasmata and Ben Christo, with Aly Jados, and you can’t really get much better than this.

https://plasmataband.bandcamp.com/track/you-call-him-the-devil-plasmata-and-ben-christo-with-aly-jados

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

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

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

by on

Alexander Leonard Donat, I do believe, might be the crazed mad scientist of the German post-punk world. He always seems to have many experiments on the go and putting out a plethora of music. while he stirs the cauldron with his music label Blackjack Illuminist Records. His main music project is Vlimmer and the last album, Menschenleere, was out in November of 2022, and now he is back with the single “Platzwort” with the backing track “Out Of Sight“, and neither of these were on that album.

The translation of “Platzwort” is something like this place. The synths don’t ready you for the shifting drum rhythms that enhance the vocals, building in in waves as those same synths trickle in starlight. Donat’s vocals exude a certain longing within the musical magnificence. The b-side is actually a cover of “Out Of Sight” by the British 90s band, Spiritualized with the Donat twist of being translated into German. That isn’t the only difference. Spiritualized are well known for their love of the psychedelic guitars, while this new cover is kind of introspective and even is imbued with an electro dusty spaghetti western style, in the midday shadow of Ennio Morricone.

Vlimmer is a project that never fails to surprise and delight. Alexander has the knack of melding darkwave with that experimental edge, ever evolving his sound. It always makes me happy to hear his clean vocals as they hold a myriad of emotions. “Platzwort” is definitely not an empty place, but rather a sanctuary where you can lose yourself in the music.

https://blackjackilluministrecords.bandcamp.com/album/platzwort-b-w-out-of-sight

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

https://www.facebook.com/Blackjack.Illuminist/?mibextid=ZbWKwL

by on

A new year has brought us a shiny gift, in the form of the single, “Love You Like The Ocean” by the mercurial gothic trio, Ariel Maniki And The Black Halos. In further good news, there is a studio album slated for this year, so we are told by a little birdie. This track, by the band, was recorded at their home studio, in San Jose, Costa Rica, and will appear on the next album..

The synths are ephemeral and delicate as wisps of smoke, yet there is a heavy rumble below all, the bass set so low, creating almost, a pressure in your chest. The vocals are cocooned within this tumbling kaleidoscope of sounds, topped off by exquisite lyrics of a promise for unconditional adoration.

I have it on good authority that a bass VI was used, the instrument that Robert Smith, of The Cure, favoured for albums, such as Disintegration, and it is neither a bass, nor a guitar. This has imbued “Love You Like The Ocean” with that Cure like dreaminess, synths painting a vastness, a bass so low that holds the depth of that ocean… and a love of all loves.

https://arielmaniki.bandcamp.com/track/love-you-like-the-ocean

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

by on

I am going to tell you something for nothing…the new album, LOST HYMNS, from A Cloud Of Ravens, is going to blow you away. Yes, I have had the privilege of already hearing it but it isn’t going to be much longer before everyone will be able to behold it’s gothic magnificence. However, to tide you over, the lovely Beth and Matt have dropped a new single as of the 3rd of February, called “Requiem For The Sun“.

The drum machine takes hold and I will say, an uncanny likeness to the one in “Lucretia My Reflection” by The Sisters Of Mercy, so you know this is going to sound big. Unlike the forementioned song, “Requiem For The Sun” takes a more sinister turn, for what happens in the dark, when exposed to the light of day, shows an ugly truth. The low vocals are offset by the lighter keyboard, while the guitar drops in to follow the ever in motion and relentless rhythm. If you think this sounds good, wait until the vocals open right up for the intense chorus.

There is something very wonderful about A Cloud Of Ravens. Gothic rock done right might be the way to coin a phrase. Nods to the past post-punk bands before them, but they never lose sight of being their own project rather than shadowing others. The beauty is that they don’t try to sound the same twice and this is very heartening. Come and join the dirge supreme, before the “Requiem Of The Sun” turns all to ashes.

https://acloudofravens.bandcamp.com/track/requiem-for-the-sun-4

https://www.facebook.com/acloudofravens/

https://www.instagram.com/acloudofravens

by on

Madil Hardis is a German musician living in London and she has released a new single “Holding On“. This is a cover of the 2017 track from the electronic wizards, Empathy Test, which Hardis has admitted is one of her favourite bands.

A simple piano line is all that is required to kick this off, with Hardis’ solemn vocal performance an emotional affair, beseeching. Her angelic tones backing herself up in rounds that echo the fragility of life.

Such a sensuous sadness being explored in this version. Hardis’ vocals are both electrically mesmerising and gut wrenching all at the same time, still haunting you after the song has long finished. Love, loss and the mourning, fill the cup of this pared down version of the excellent “Holding On” by Madil Hardis.

https://madilhardis.bandcamp.com/

https://facebook.com/madilhardis

https://www.instagram.com/madilhardis/

http://madilhardis.com/

by on

New band time!!!! Electrinity are from Piraeus, in Greece and they have dropped their debut maxi single, “Rise“. This is an electro rock project by duo Zan Pol (vocals, bass) and Antonis Adelfidis (synthesizers, samples, drums) and the single was released on February the 1st.

As a maxi single there are two songs to delight you. The first is “Aggressive A.I.“, a mixture of rising keyboards and electric guitar, warning before the grave alert to something seriously wrong. The machines are no longer safe to be around as the synths illuminate our modern foe, while the vocals tell you of our worse nightmare. The second single is “Love“, though, in the words of PIL, this is not a love song. A cry in the electro wilderness to not be overlooked and the bass punctuate the lyrics. The synths exude a darkwave quality.

Electrinity look to be generating a theme that incorporates the vision of Terminator and Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner, with darker electro sound, the bass giving it that slightly more dirty, grungy sound. What will they do next? If you want to find out then support a new act in Electrinity and “Rise“.

https://electrinityband.bandcamp.com/album/rise

https://www.facebook.com/Electrinity-105535501995175/