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Let’s go back to January of this year and visit an EP from Copenhagen’s Sanity Overdrive called god.clear (). The man behind this project is Paweł Mielcarek (Anthropoid Idol, ex-Haemorrhagic Diarrhea), and he meshes dark synthwave with nihilistic industrial.

We kick off with the short lived intro “Invocatio,” which leads into “L’autoportrait binaire,” filled with the drone of an electric guitar, the focal piece, while the synths is the softer foil, making the grinding guitar even more aggressive as it gathers speed.

The electronic knocking rhythm is soon joined by the guitar in “Nur-noch-leben,” building up the growing suspense. The air is becoming thick with the ever pervading pressure of the pounding beats and driving guitar.

The final track is the galvanic “Black Screen,” as the guitar buzzes angrily with the pounding beat. It is a cohesive explosive attack from a well oiled machine, asserting its dominance, thundering in fury, with the ominous synths raising the foreboding portent of something this way coming.

There is a bleakness to the music that the industrial aspect feeds into and the synthwave is often used as the emotive over tones, seeking to coat each track in variants of darkness. Sanity Overdrive’s gods.clear() EP is an abrasive sonic journey.

gods.clear() | Sanity Overdrive

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NØIR and Silver Walks may not have been heard from recently, but that does not mean that they have not been busy. Athan Maroulis (NØIR, Spahn Ranch, Black Tape For A Blue Girl) and Daniel McCullough (Silver Walks) have collaborated again, recording a cover of “Nothing Stays” by Cyberaktif, and originally released on the Wax Trax! label.

There is a sacred reverence almost for this track. The reflective vocals bear a lament about how everything must change, an acknowledgement of time marching on. Maroulis’ unmistakeable vocals, with Veil’s delicious backing singing are in perfect sync with the electronics, that blink away, filling all the dark spaces, which leaves you nearly breathless in the utter beauty of “Nothing Stays.”

Maroulis laid down the vocals in New York, and the programming in Lancaster PA, by McCullough, also adding backing vocals from Valentina Veil (VV & the Void) recorded in Berlin, mixed in LA by Dan Evans (Die Warzau) and and mastered by Eric Oehler (KLACK) in Madison, WI.

The rest of the EP contains remixes from Luna of S Y Z Y G Y X, David Dutton of genCAB and Oehler of KLACK, with each surprising you with how different all three tracks truly are. NØIR vs Silver Walks’ cover version, eerily still has that Skinny Puppy sound that remind you that Cevin Key and Dwayne Goettel were in Cyberaktif, along with Bill Leeb of Frontline Assembly. This is so close to perfection.

Nothing Stays | NOIR

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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 The Cure, 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.

Pale Fire (single) | Chronotape

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Most people know of Ultravox, though many think of Midge Ure, but before “Vienna” and “Dancing with Tears In My Eyes,” there was originally Ultravox!, fronted by the utterly English and completely electrifying John Foxx. Beborn Beton’s Stefan Netschio (vocals) and A State of Flux (synths), have covered the track, “Dislocation,” with Kill Shelter’s Pete Burns contributing guitar.

“This cover was my break from synthpop’s familiar comfort zone – an opportunity to embrace something much heavier and darker, more visceral, a side of me that’s rarely heard.” – Stefan Netschio

The guitar is a low growl, in the bleak menace that is heightened by the warbled and warped synths. Netschio brings an animation to the lyrics that speaks of a modern disconnect to society and still stays true to the whole idea that life will continue on, even when you are not plugged into the system. Burns’ turns in some blistering guitar riffs, searing and screaming, like a beacon to drag your attention back, even while conveying a plumenting feeling of implosion.

“Inspired by the hugely influential work of John Foxx and Conny Plank, we layered analogue synths with studio-driven detail to echo the pioneering spirit of the Systems of Romance period.” – Arc, A State of Flux

“After discussing the approach, I leaned heavily into my Robert Fripp and Adrian Belew influences from that era, using abstract, angular processed guitar riffs as soaring sonic textures to reflect the song’s fractured core.” – Pete Burns, Kill Shelter

“Dislocation” was originally off the third Ultravox album, Systems of Romance, that came out in 1978, and was co-produced with the German legend Conny Plank. It was to be Foxx’s last outing with the band as he forged a solo career, inspiring other synth based new wave artists such as Gary Numan. This new version is far weightier, the music thicker and a much harder edge than the original, This is a song for the modern era, written forty-seven years ago, and lovingly darkened for a new audience. I love John Foxx and I think this is a brilliant cover of “Dislocation” by Stefan Netschio and A State of Flux.

Dislocation | Stefan Netschio and A State of Flux | A State of Flux

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Fascists, regimes and state sponsored genocide and it isn’t even 1939. 2025 is currently in a scary place and it has been mentally draining for most of us that are watching this all going down. Music has been a salvation and politically charged tracks an anathema to throw our ire and rage into. Schkeuditzer Kreuz have released the single “Sirens Of Death” from the new album Swan Grinder that drops at the end of August.

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Beware the dogs of war and if you don’t like harsh rhythms and screaming electronics, only matched by the vociferous bald man, Kieren Hills, then maybe sit this one out. The beats are the rattling of the machine guns and the klaxons herald in the injustice of conflict on huge scales. ‘We have always been at war‘ is the observation, which is carried through in the amazing video, that over the last hundred years the world has seen so much unrest and the cycle is continuing.

For those that say music should not be political, you can renounce any alternative ties you have and then fuck off with the Nazi scum. There is no middle ground and this world needs voices of dissent. Hills is one of those genuine people that feels everything and in true punk style, tells it like it is. Previous Schkeuditzer Kreuz music has been more like blunt force trauma, but this single is more like cold fuelled angst, funnelled into a controlled tsunami… powerful and undeniable in its fury. “Sirens Of Death” is the industrial synth d-beat we need and Schkeuditzer Kreuz delivers.

Swan Grinder | Schkeuditzer Kreuz

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If you are old enough or spend a lot of time in second hand record stores, you will know about the 12″ remixes called maxi singles. I love the fact that those guys, ie Tim Vester and Colten Williams, from Oregon band, Warm Gadget have named their latest single “Debutante” as a maxi and have a bunch of guests on remix duties, plus a guest vocalist/guitarist in Page Hamilton from HELMET, all brought to you by Re:Mission Entertainment.

It is unmistakably Warm Gadget, with the pernicious rhythms and physical heaviness, in their form of industrial metal. The guitars grind the very air molecules and vocals bounce between the screaming madman Vester and Hamilton’s smoother tones, which is the trade off of sour and sweet or sand paper and silk.

Lament Cityscape, Divider, Ex-Hyena, Frontal Boundary, and Fact Pattern are all label mates on Re:Mission Entertainment, and their remixes vary from heavy electronics, techno stylings and even glitch noise, but all highly diverse and engaging. “Debutante” is no shrinking flower, meaty and powerful, and picking Hamilton to feature is a stroke of genius. Go on…..touch the Warm Gadget.

Debutante | Warm Gadget | Re:Mission Entertainment

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One of the true joys about the dark alternative scene is the enormous amounts of creativity many artists have and how they use both music and video to express themselves. Maryland’s Marie Ann Hedonia is soon to drop her latest album Eclipse on the label Paul and Marie’s Country Kitchen, but from it has come forth the single “Eve Had the Metallic Shine of Summer,” which features the talents of fellow electronic artists Black Kite.

Ah, within the opening seconds, the electronics are almost forbidding, and the use of harsh noise eludes so something almost brutal. The nearly spoke words could be mistaken for sexual utterances, but if you listen carefully, Hedonia sounds defeated and lyrics lean into this as the synths slowly lurch forward. There is a chorus of…. what….. angels?… that are the hope and light, compared the Hedonia’s singing, which is smooth, but bleak and dark.

The track is inspired by the classic movie Persona, starring Ingmar Bergman, and is about giving everything to another and for them to take it all, never reciprocating. The music video sees Hedonia pouring all she has emotionally into a mannequin, yet it stays cold and aloof, though at the end we see our heroine finally break free, under stormy skies. There is tragedy and loss of self, however there is power in discovering you are on a downward spiral. Marie Ann Hedonia has immersed herself in “Eve Had the Metallic Shine of Summer” with Black Kite, and produced something beautifully sombre.

Eve Had the Metallic Shine of Summer (Single) | Marie Ann Hedonia (featuring Black Kite) | Marie Ann Hedonia

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Karen Righeimer (low bass / vocals) and Ivan Russia (high bass / vocals / drum programming) are the Chicago based, post-punk band BELLHEAD, and April brought with it the release of the latest EP, Threats.

They say good girls go to heaven but bad girls go everywhere, and in “Threats,” the woman is most definitely a bad girl. She takes what she wants and creates trauma without a single thought of regret. The music is sassy and unyielding with Russia telling you about this she devil that is trying to break his heart. “Heart Shape Hole” is about revenge, invoking a vengeful old testament God. The vocals are grim and grimy, but then there is this line with lyrics, that just hits you and I am reminded of The Rolling Stone’s “Shine A Light.”

There is murder afoot and those bass guitars simply reinforce the intent of bringing to an end the misery and pain. Righeimer’s singing about the “Shutters + Slutters” giving the dual tone of raggedness. A modern day song about a cowboy that still is looking for his wild west, being hard riding, hard drinking and a dead shot with a death wish. The music grinds out the dust blown tale of the contemporary gunslinger for “No Dead Horses.” The track “Double Jeopardy” has this amazing stalking feel about it, like it knows it can swan around and not get caught because it is so cool. All the ways you can go and no one will ever know what happened, but it is a cool soundtrack, so what a way to go.

So, there are no love songs but what do you expect from a title like Threats, and it is about the archetypal types you might come across in Vegas…. okay, I have never been to Vegas but this peaked my imagination. The EP also has two remixes with one being the title track, mixed by the mighty Stabbing Westwards and Clubdrugs doing their thing with “Hole Shaped Heart.” BELLHEAD really do kill it with the double bass guitar, where it always gives their music an air of grunginess, being soiled or less than savoury, but then you hear those moments of the high bass that add a touch of lightness. Is it industrial, is it post-punk or gothic rock? That is up to you, but you will enjoy all of BELLHEAD’s Threats.

 Threats | BELLHEAD

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There are songs that are timeless, that will captivate generations and translate to current world issues. “Shout” by Tears For Fears, definitely is in that category as an amazing track and Switzerland’s Sybreed have dropped their version on Listenable Records.

The beginning of this track hints at the early 2000s future pop electronic sound, until Sybreed launch into the famous chorus, where they hit you with their sonorous industrial metal signature style. Full of conviction, the music video further delves into the how still relevant “Shout” is.

If this was not enough, have no fear. There is a remix by band member Drop and it is this sublime synth heavy mix that will make any industrial dance person deliriously happy. Full of techno styled rhythms, but it is the soaring synths that will make your jaw drop.

Originally written about as way to deal with mental health, it translates now to a world in turmoil, where human rights are being ignored and we wonder when the people will learn to live in peace with each other. For myself, it is interesting that a track I heard when it first came out, still being reinterpreted and this is a good cover by Sybreed and an excellent remix.

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Some things are not for the faint of heart, so if you are weak of stomach or spleen, turn away now. For those who have guts of iron and a taste for the harsher music, then I have a tasty treat for you. UK based Skat Injector is experimental electronics, wearing the decimated innards of metal proudly, as they seek to drag your ears through your arse. We are going back to their 2018 release of the album, Unknown Violator, out on Slime City Records.

There are sixteen tracks in total and “A Garden Only Watered In Blood” is the greeting that tells you to strap in and enjoy the journey into madness. Are we being taunted by the ghosts of the bled? The demonic vocals bubble over the echoing cold space. However, the meaty “Slaughter is the Best Medicine” is a overwhelming onslaught of sped up black metal styled beats and tortured electronics, fritzing out and pummelling your psyche into dust, while the vocals growl.

“Urbane Misanthrope” builds and builds with sounds before letting loose with the almost danceable rhythms, however this could be trap! You don’t fit in the expected square and the gunfire of the beats is the warfare of the city streets in your head. A head pounding ode to the dispossessed that perfectly feeds into the oh so short and sweet desecration that is “Hollow Mantra.”

There is a cover of “Goodbye Horses,” originally by Q Lazzarus, right at the end, and admittedly it seems quite a reasonable version….. until you hear the vocals. Distortedly slow sounding, stretched and unfathomable in its ability to be disturbing, yet still enjoyable in that serial killer sort of way.

The cover artwork confirms the title is a mash-up of Joy Division’s Unknown Pleasures and Depeche Mode’s Violator, both iconic albums and carried through into the titles of the tracks for the most part. This is clever and in a way, I can see a certain similarity. Joy Division is one of the first post-punk bands, forging a sound that at the time was ground breaking and very much about being the outsider in a bleak world. Violator was the album that was not highly completed before Depeche Mode came together in the studio and it brought forth simpler tracks with lyrics which sound like they are full of provocation, and yet point to a guilt behind those words. Skat Injector have taken inspiration from both and created an album of modern day mental ills and truths that permeate our lives…. it is just in the form of noisecore to get your heart thundering.

Unknown Violator | Skat Injector

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