F.I.V.E, also known as Fear Increases Violent Emotion, is the soon to be released fifth album for Italy’s darkwave group, Christine Plays Viola. Massimo Ciampani (vocals), FabrizioGiampietro (guitar), MarcoDiIanni (bass guitar) and GianlucaOrsini (drums) have dropped the single “MyRedemption” as your first taste for the new album.
The deep resonance of the vocals sets the shadowy mood, while the guitar sparkles and spars for equal billing. Easily danceable and even easier on the ears, “My Redemption” is pure darkwave goodness and definitely has that European sensibility. One might say a cool touch that burns the skin, so you might want to catch up with Christine Plays Viola, and check out the vintage gothic video for “MyRedemption.”
There is an ill wind and hark….is it an EP or an album??? We aren’t quite sure, but we know it is SinisterFate when we see them. Also, that the album is called ProfitofDoom, which was released back in August by the guys from Chicago, and it is a monster mash of singles, new tracks, covers and remixes.
There are the two singles, with the first on show being “beLIEve,” a cross between the horror movies that are ThePurge series and real life unrest on the home front. The rich verses poor and ideologies burning in the veins of the zealots. It is pure grimy rock with a punk ethos and a guitar solo that sings out. The other is the horror infused “MeetMister Scratch,” who is the thinly disguised devil with an agenda to sell to those whose moral compass might be a little off target, for the simple low price of a soul.
I thought the title of the track “Hey Man, Nice Shot,” was very familiar, and it turns out that is indeed a cover of the Filter song, which has that heavy hanging bass at its core and although not a cover, “VVitch” feels like an ode to TheCure through the guitar work and drums sounding like they could of come off the Pornography album.
SinisterFate carry on the proud tradition of goth horror rock, which is full of symbolism and often tongue in cheek observations about the true monsters of the world. I wonder if the band is somewhat inspired by the late, great PeteSteele, especially with the inference of the title of the album and the TypeONegative’s track “The Profit of Doom” off the 2007 album DeadAgain. Profit Of Doom is a nice mixture old and new, with the remixes that just give another facet to the band. It is part goth, part rock and all horror babe..
Italy’s VidiAquam released the album Lights and Shadows, in September. Full of post-punk goodness by members DanieleViola (electric guitars, bass, drum machine) and Nikita (voice, lyrics, synth, programming), we are going to look at the single “The Last Man on Earth.”
Purposely dark, with the only true brightness being the guitar as it twinkles between the drum machine, the heavy bass and grave vocals of Nikita. Even the synths creep through the cracks in a bleak manner, as is befitting a tale about a man who is truly alone in a apocalyptic world, living each day with only the memories of what used to be. The music video is an absolute must to watch with a nuclear nightmare vision rendered in animation. There is such sorrow in being “The Last Man on Earth” and it is beautifully conveyed by VidiAquam.
Author Edgar Allan Poe, is recognised as one of the progenitors of gothic story telling, writing tales that are both beautiful in prose, and full of lurking and foreboding grimness. Canadian Ian Revell has retold the Poe story, The Tell-Tale Heart, via his project Double Eyelid, which is an EP in four parts, set to its own gothic soundtrack.
Revell’s low and gravelled spoken vocals rumbles forth, in track one and behind him, wavers a lone violin, eerily scratching away, high pitched. The words are unhurried, with a sense of menace, and with the inclusion of a guitar, piano and drums, the singing begins. It is akin to listening to RozzWilliams (ChristianDeath), which sends me down the rabbit hole of wondering if Williams would have loved to do this. I think so. The guitar is the major driving force for the first rack, while track two, it is mostly a lone piano, that wanders and is yet to hint of the on coming terror.
The third track is where the murderer hides the body, and the proud fellow whistles along, assured of his cleverness. It is most interesting that the music has taken on, one could say, a more militaristic semblance, with the rat-a-tat of a snare drum, a popular instrument of British and American armies of the 18th and 19th centuries. Track four has a delicacy with the singular piano and when you perceive the stringed instruments, the atmosphere is quickly changing, with Revell perfectly putting across the spiralling mind of the murderer, lost in the culmination of alarm and dread.
The Tell-Tale Heart was first published in 1834, yet, like most of Poe’s compositions, it is ultimately about the human condition, the recognition that people are flawed and more to the point, we are able to see this is all still relevant. A narrator speaks of planning and murdering an old man, thence hiding the dismembered remains under the floorboards. They lie to the constabulary, but knowing the truth causes guilt and the narrator begins to mentally breakdown. It is the fear of being found out, and the overwhelming terror as they believe they can hear the heartbeat of the dead man, haunting them until they confess their wrongs. Already a powerful short story, DoubleEyelid has brought The Tell-Tale Heart to life in all its true gothic glory, letting you listen to a man’s decent into psychological torment, and every moment is a pure delight.
Huzzah! Halloween is in full swing, and as tradition has it, this is the time for gothic tunes to celebrate the spooky season. Behold the track “Witches‘ from Costa Ricans, Ariel Maniki and the Black Halos as a musical gift to all those that like to go bump in the night!
EvaRed’s voluptuous bass is the meat in this track, deep and the rhythmic backbone, with the drum machine in back up. The synths are the domain of JanBlack, which are willowy, echoing and haunting, only matched by the saxophone that is played by ArielManiki. Maniki’s vocals always have this really nice deep tone that are the icing on the gothic cake. so to speak.
‘Dancing with the devil
At the edge of dawn
They are always hungry
For a human soul‘
This not a track about those good and kind witches. Oh no, these are the “Witches” that sustain their lives through the centuries through the ruination of ordinary folk. A danceable gothic tribute to the not so lovely ladies of the night by Ariel Maniki and theBlack Halos.
US goth rock band, Sunshine Blind stopped releasing music about twenty years ago, with members going their own ways, including Caroline Blind (vox, lyrics), developing her successful solo career, and CWHK (guitars, bass, drum programming, production and mixing). The band has surprised us in unveiling two new tracks on the single release Scarred but Fearless, which was mastered by Ariel Maniki at MediaLuna Studio, San Jose, Costa Rica.
How do you move on when you were left behind? Just because someone is driven, does not mean they are coping with loss, but rather, sometimes, they are just holding on and this is the ‘GhostofYou.” A powerfully worded track that makes you feel the strain of sorrow and dogged weight of hope, set to a soundtrack that dares to be bold with rattling rhythms and thrumming bass.
“Ghost of You is basically another great driving song, the music evokes the movement and speed. Driving is often where I do all my best thinking and working out of whatever I need to think through, so you hear me relating all my processes into driving terms, making the connections, ‘driving as a metaphor’.” – CarolineBlind
The second track is the equally energetic “Unsinkable,” with its very vigorous guitar work by CWHK, that flies hard and fast, never allowing you to wallow in the aspect of what could have been. An anthem for courage in the face of adversity.
“Unsinkable is basically a song of triumph over adversity, a little peptalk to myself: my ‘I Will Survive’, if you will. It’s a rallying cry to those going through a lot of injustice (women in particular), so it feels very timely to me. It’s a pushing back against all the projection and gaslighting that people try to saddle us with, with the chorus of “We’re sick of carrying that which is not our shame”.” – Caroline Blind
CarolineBlind’s voice has matured, not dulled by age, but rather becoming bigger and bolder than when she originally started with SunshineBlind, adding a sonorous tone that reflects a life lived, which I don’t feel was there in the 90s, and has seeped into her later works. The band have always been fearless proponents of gothic rock and it is nice to hear them playing together again, a familiar partnership. One wonders if this is a one off new recording, or if it will lead to a possibility of more new material. For now though, that future has not been revealed, so for live today and enjoy Scarred but Fearless.
In this modern era, have you ever experienced an “Emptiness“? This is the latest single from Amsterdam based group TheDarkWave, who mix gothic rock with a new wave sensibility, on the label Walboomers Music.
Guitar slides, verses that powerup, and launch you into the chorus and jangling guitar tussling for dominance against the vocal harmonisation. All the while there is that 80s post-punk bass guitar rumbling along as the song breaks into an infectious 90s Brit pop bounciness. Who could ask for anything more alive than this?!
It is rather interesting to see the artwork seems to depict the shape of a mobile phone, a powerful mini computer that can let you see and converse with people from around the world, and yet it also makes humans feel more alone that ever before. This is the concept behind “Emptiness” where one can touch multimedia to connect to things you love, while taking us further away from real interactions. “Emptiness” is full of energy, even if you are dancing by yourself.
PrimitiveRomance rose from the ashes of Florida punk outfit TheStraitJackets in 1981, based around the brothers Allen and LesterEsser, with RandallBarnwell, who would move to Massachusetts to continue the path of post-punk music. In 1987 the band folded, but it seems was never truly forgotten about by fans. 2025 has seen the release of the compilation album, The Spirit’s Still There: 1981 – 1986, and this is also a tribute from Allen to his brother Lester, vocalist/guitarist, who passed away in 2024.
Within this album, there are no less that sixteen tracks, and the initial song is also the title track, “The Spirit’s Still Here,” full of that raw, under produced guitar that is part of the ‘sound’ of the post punk era. You can hear the Bauhaus influence, a hint of “Bella Lugosi’s Dead,” and it is a wonderful reminder of a simpler time. “Motions and Pictures” had me at the unique drumming signature at the beginning, and the kind of flare in the guitar that reminds me of The Jam. The English influence is easy to hear.
The energy rippling off “Bound To Happen” is really a joy to behold. The guitar is reminiscent of Hüsker Dü and with that attacking technique, like a finger poking you in the chest, as the track rolls along, never waiting for you to catch up as it on a mission. “Every House Still Standing,” might be a very early track, as it bridges the 70s punk with mod music and interestingly, Lester utters the words ‘the spirit’s still there,’ so I am wondering if this song was inspiration for the title track, or is it a term that kind held a lot of meaning.
This compilation for PrimitiveRomance, just highlights how much excellent music came out in the 1980s, and though there are fans of the group that would remember seeing them play live or hearing them on college radio, having this music re-released allows people like myself the opportunity to experience their songs, unless going deep diving on YouTube. On The Spirit’s Still There: 1981-1987 they are immortalised as passionate, angry young men, the music ringing in a time of sonic upheaval and Lester’s vocals forever serenading us, even from the other side….. and there it not anything more goth than that.
I am starting to think Portland, Oregon, might have something in the water. They do seem to have an unusually high amount of amazing dark alternative bands that inhabit the area. AltarGirl is an all femme band of the post-punk persuasion with members KayMorrisette (vocals, guitar), MaraVosien (guitar), SamMahon (bass, backing vocals) and ArielChamberlin (drums). Their latest single “Night Terrors” was released on June the 25th.
You will be hypnotised by the reverbing and ethereal guitars, before the percussion and vocals kick in. Morrisette’s singing is sultry and conveys a dark sweetness, that truly takes off in the chorus, with the guitars becoming almost brusque. The harmonising vocals add another opulent layer, are not overused and even the bass gets a chance to shine, duelling with the other guitars.
‘I only see you when I sleep You lie in wait in shadows at my feet I’m under your spell Or is it your hell I’m stuck inside?‘
Imagine, every time you close your eyes and go to sleep, you see the same dreaded phantom, haunting you in your dreams, only letting go when dawn breaks?! It doesn’t get much more gothic rock than that for a group that says they would be post-punk if they knew how to. Catchy, danceable and hands down enchantingly creepy to the core. You can find AltarGirl on Bandcamp for name your price and, honestly, we all need a bit of “Night Terrors” in our lives.
Sweden’s Scheitan, started off as a black metal band, back in 1996, but now in 2025, it is a far different beast. With one remaining member, PierreTörnkvist, over the years, Scheitan’s sound has become gothic rock, and the latest single is called “HeavenTonight,” out on the Greek label The Circle Music.
PHOTO BY DANIEL HOLMGREN
Woo, this could honestly be disco gothic rock with the energy of this track, ready to whisk you off to the dance floor. The thudding rhythms, the liquid vocals and the swirling electronics mix together. The lyrics are heavy with meaning, with the chorus either speaking of wanting something forever or a night of a perfect climax.
‘I will love to keep the fire alive While I know that I’m just waiting to die I will touch you in the heat of the night Oh, it’s a firefight / I’ll be in heaven tonight‘
I really like this track and it has this odd cadence that makes me think of the 80s track “IJust Died In Your Arms Tonight” by Canadians Cutting Crew… not that is a bad thing either, as it was a track about petite le mort or the little death that is an orgasm. Scheitan are looking for the perfect gothic love with “Heaven Tonight.”
Onyx Music Reviews 