Have you people in your life, where every time you interact with them, you feel flat, tired and just plain drained? You could be dealing with “Emotional Vampires,” a serious parasite and also the title to the latest single from Toronto’s Spectral Eyes. Rosie Cochrane, the gothic soul behind Spectral Eyes, has described the single as a cross between Kate Bush and Death Grips….. feeling the intrigue yet?!
Cochrane’s vocals waver between spoken word and sickly imploring, for she inhabits the psyche of an anima sucking being, drawing you down into her vortex of selfishness and self obsession. There are erratic rhythms, bleeping electronics and synths that all come together, and when that voice soars, looped into singing in harmony, the track takes on a whole new level of wow. The last line really hits home. with the vampire finally telling it’s victim, ‘Don’t tell me I can’t have it all‘.
“Emotional Vampires” is quite experimental in many ways, using tone and pitch of the vocals to great emphasis of the character, as well as glitchy beats giving a sense of instability. It is a bit groovy, a bit dark and a lot of spectacular. So, remember when out in the big, bad world, use your Spectral Eyes, and do not let the “Emotional Vampires” bite.
Melbourne’s Velatine are back with a new single, as well as a new singer. Loki Lockwood dropped the single “Oh See Me, The Siren,” with Holly Purnell debuting as the vocalist.
‘I love coats, leather coats, biker jackets, military coats, I’m obsessed. So I’m down the local thrift shop and trying on some women’s furs [love them too]. But I never seem to find the right one but I try. I put one on, the sleeves are too short, I push them up and I hear someone say ‘looks cool’. I turn around and I’m looking at this striking woman who says to me ‘you’re looking for a singer aren’t you’? ‘How do you know’? I replied. ‘I’ve seen your ad and I’ve been thinking about it’. Why hasn’t she I think? She looks the part so I ask. I get the ‘not sure whether I’m good enough or my voice is right’. ‘Well if you don’t try you’ll forever wonder’ I say.’ – Loki Lockwood
In the video, our siren Holly is saturated in deep red tones, and somewhere in the back of my mind, there is a knocking. Something familiar and then it hits me. She reminds me of a young ShirleyManson and not just vocally. The attitude is sassy and she is not going to put up with anyone’s preconceptions. In that vein, the music is equal parts sneering nonchalance and peerless seduction, for this composition created by Lockwood.
Lockwood has used synths in the chorus in such a way that heightens the feeling of suffocation and in his chameleon way, he has the ability to fluidly change from gothic rock to a more electronic sound, and everything in between, without a second thought, which keeps everything fresh. It seems Velatine might have found their gothic goddess in Holly and this means there are exciting things in the works. Find yourself drawn to “Oh See Me, The Siren,” because no one can resist creatures of the night.
“ColdHeart” is the debut single from VoxUmbra, a darkwave project started in 2025 by Tiffany in Seattle, USA and Florian from Amiens, France. A song for those who want to lose themselves in an ancient forest and live with the sprites, for the world of men can be cruel.
Tiffany’s vocals are the first to gift our ears, with a lilting quality that adds to the romantic ambient quality of the music. Like in a dream, Florian chimes in with the vocalised lament of the psychological damage done. Both singers are mesmerising in the way they compliment each other.
The accompanying video is beautifully made with pagan/wiccan overtones. The feminine is delicate and otherworldly, while the masculine is more forceful, yet questioning, but what ever is happening, you are focused utterly on the singers of VoxUmbra. The music itself is simply there floating in the background for atmosphere. The debut “ColdHeart” is a magical darkwave introduction to VoxUmbra.
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.
Portland’s Ceremony Shadows released the single “Future Past Collapse.” in September. This diverse trio, made up of musician/composer Timo Kissel, with vocalists/lyricists Anastasia Darkwater and Jakub Jerzy, and for the single, they are joined by JanaCushman (Darkswoon) and Annalisa Rose (Glori) vocally.
Jerzy’s vocals are the anchor in the human world, deep and unfazed by the electronics, while the backing singing is so precise and together, it almost seems unreal, as if they could be the computer code, enticing you in with their glossy cadence, All is enhanced by the dreamy synths, which could belong to a much more ‘innocent’ era.
The band has said that “FuturePastCollapse” was written about how AI could soon rewrite what it means to be a human, where talent and artistic ability no longer will be required for mass production, leaving us longing for the days of old. Indeed, this track feels like a link between when we were the masters of our tech and the onset of AI controlling what we hear and see, however, for now you can revel in the non artificial intelligence of CeremonyShadows.
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.
Incirrina are a two piece band from Athens, Greece and signed to the label ColdTransmissionMusic. The latest single is called “ΚΡΥΦΟ (Hidden)” by the darkwave duo George Katsanos (synthesizers, drum machines, octapad, bass guitar) and IriniTiniakou (synthesizers, vocals).
The synths ebb and flow with an incantation of gothic sorrow. “ΚΡΥΦΟ(Hidden)” is the embodiment of what should be and yet, still remains obfuscated and incomplete. The vocals of Tiniakou, sung in her native Greek, are so alive and are only matched by the insistent guitar. It builds, a vortex of singing and instruments.
This track just struck me as possibly influenced by 80s Xmal Deutschland, especially with those wonderful yips recalling Anja Huwe’s vocal style. However, this is a far more modern fare with a smooth electronic bearing. Incirrina have brought forth and wonderful darkwave track in “ΚΡΥΦΟ (Hidden).”
Chronotape are a relatively new project, that started in Murmansk in Russia in 2024, and since then have relocated to Batumi in neighbouring Georgia. The darkwave duo of Eve (vocals) and Dee (music) have released the new single “Pale Fire.”
There is a lush, black and white video to go with “Pale Fire” and you can hear the influence of TheCure, circa Disintegration era, with those rivulets of guitar and washing synths, from the beginning of the track by Dee. There is an initial shock when you first hear Eve, as you are expecting the lilting tones of a woodland sprite, yet instead there is a deep feminine spoken word, accentuated by her Russian accent, giving a lament of what is no more or now may never be.
Eve reminds me so much of Nico with her unhurried, mostly spoken lyrics, and you should also lend your ear to the cover of Mike Oldfield’s “Moonlight Shadow,” which is the ‘b-side’. It is really startling to listen to a gothed up version and the vocals actually make this even better, with the popping programmed rhythms. Not going to be for everyone, but if you have loved The Velvet Underground and Nico or Anne Clarke, then Chronotape is going to enthral you.
SaccharineUnderground is the label based in Washington D.C. and run by JeremyMoore, who, incidentally is the driving force behind avant garde post-punk project, Zabus. Moore (voice, guitars, 6 string bass, strings/synthesis), released the EP Genesis in June, with fellow musicians B.B. Kille (guitars +tracks 3 and 4), Johnny Wielding (drums, 4 string bass +tracks 1-4), Alex Zorn (guitars +tracks 1 and 2) and Akane Shimizu (strings/synth +tracks 1 and 2).
In Icelandic, “Grafhysi Fyrir Alla” means ‘tombstone for everyone‘ and it is also the single off the EP, lush with unsteady echoing, which is unyielding in pouring Moore’s vocals tumbling from the turgid darkness, where lurks the dissonance of synths and guitar. It envelopes you in the forever that is the grave. “Orphalese” is a fictional city, found in the poetry book, The Prophet by KhalilGibran. There is a dynamism in the music, yet intimately, is speaks of becoming complacent and giving in to whatever comes, instead of holding onto core beliefs. The drums are unrelenting, tapping out the fall into mediocrity, and all the while the the track exudes a taste of richness, especially in the vocals.
Behold the death nell brought forth in “Tearful Symmetries.” The psychedelic plays heavily in this track and this could be the equivalent to The Doors’ “The End,” as Moore is the morose and death inspired JimMorrison, singing his ode to the inevitable demise of all. A cacophony of noise and sweeping gothic rock lays waste to you in “Golden-rot,” with roiling, powerful and deep vocals, The guitars are the wailing focal point, flooding your senses, overwhelming and full of portent that you are dying inside. The last track is also the title. “Shadow Genesis” is entirely the work of Moore, just him and a guitar, southern style gothic on the way out of town for the last time, unwilling to leave, but the reaper leaves no room for desire or wants.
“Psychopathologies like body dysmorphic disorder, at the extreme, can lead to a path of ruin, if most of your life is spent chasing a ghost—what you believe the world wants you to be. Death doesn’t discriminate. The end is always the same.” – Jeremy Moore
Yes, Shadow Genesis is about the ultimate end, but for myself, it is more pointedly about life. It is about how we could cowl and meet the end whimpering, or choose to make the most of everything and be the best person you can. Gibran wrote The Prophet, and although it speaks of humanities short comings, it more so brings into focus how beautiful life is when we treasure love, life and freedom. Zabus have given us a glimpse into the new album through the EP, which is thought provoking, full of gothic lyrics and eerily wonderful in that dark way.
Last year we were introduced to the young talented guitarist called Ja’kob, from Norway. Some of this talent comes from his equally skilled father, Karl Morten Dahl, otherwise known as Antipole. July saw the new single “Echoes,” featuring the vocals and lyrics of Portuguese darkwaver, Pedro Code of IAMTHESHADOW fame.
There is a delicate dance of the guitars as they interplay, reverberating and bouncing to the electronic beats, graceful in tone. Speaking of tone, the shivers are multiplied by hearing Code’s deep baritone, almost sliding in under the guitars, and they are deliciously sonorous.
“Echoes” speaks of things that happened in the past, like spectres of past regrets and choices made, that are still felt to this day. I don’t think I have heard anything put out by Antipole that I didn’t like, and “Echoes” is no different. The care and time put into this track can be sensed in your bones. Also there is something timeless about “Echoes” which translate well onto the dancefloor for this vast track from Antipole, Ja’kob and PedroCode.
Onyx Music Reviews 