Portuguese Goth/Darkwave band Aenima has certainly paid its dues.  Soon after the release of their first full length CD, and a critically acclaimed performance at Germany's M'era Luna Festival, their label folded.  "Sentient," their superb sophomore effort, has yet to see the light of day thanks to various problems.  To top things off, Aenima recently lost two of their founding band members.  Despite all these setbacks, they have persevered, producing intelligent and tuneful music.  Their latest EP, "Never Fragile," gives us a good picture of where Aenima has been -- and where they are going.

Carmen's voice remains as impressive as ever.  She opens "At The Edge of a Cliff" by showing off the throaty, sexy low end of her vocal range.  As she climbs the scale, the backing instrumentation climbs behind her, until we're once again hearing the breathtaking trills which graced their earlier releases.  If you're dying to hear "Sentient" (and you should be), you can whet your appetite with "The Light" and "Lilith," two tracks from those recording sessions.  "Lilith" again treats us to Carmen's low range, and to swooping high notes as piercing and beautiful as starlight in winter.  "The Light" is equally impressive, full of sadness and longing and melancholy grandeur.  This is classic Aenima, and classic Gothic/Darkwave.

Impressive as Carmen's vocals are, they are matched by Aenima's instrumental work.  The opening track, "Intro to End All Intros," gives us the bleeps and blips of EBM, rising out of a classic Goth symphonic wash of sound.  "Forlorn" features Rune at his tasteful best, with a soft, melancholy guitar line that supports the singer rather than overwhelming her.  The percussion is also consistently good; the driving bass drum which powers "At the Edge of a Cliff" and the tight, razor-sharp drumming on "The Light" is unobtrusive, yet keeps things from sinking into Ethereal sludge.  (Alas, Hugo, the drummer on these tracks, is no longer with the band: let us hope that his replacement can measure up to this high standard).

The final track, "Rapture," is a departure from Aenima's previous sound.  It ipens with a whooshing synthesizer, which then becomes a Goth/dance track ala Afro-Celt Soundsystem.  I might pump up the mix a bit to show off Carmen's lilting soprano, but that's a minor quibble.  "Rapture" is really promising: it proves Aenima isn't resting on their laurels, and that their music continues to mature.  This great example of a song which is more "commercially friendly" and "modern" than previous material without selling out.  Combined with the opening, it suggests that Aenima is developing despite all the obstacles which fate has thrown in their path.  Let's hope that 2003 is the year when Aenima becomes a five-year overnight success story.

Tracks:
1) Intro to End All Intros
2) Forlorn
3) At the Edge of a Cliff
4) The Light
5) Lilith
6) Rapture

Official Aenima Webpage
http://www.aetherial.org
 

Android Lust
The Dividing
~reviewed by Brian Riggs
 
Ms. Shikhee and co. have been taken off my Christmas Card list. At first listen, the New Android Lust release reminds one immediately of quality early 90’s EBM post-industrial along the lines of NIN’s Broken and some Thrill Kill Kult, with a bit of Eric Serra (!) chucked in (think “The Fifth Element” soundtrack. Ok, ok, I’m sorry)  This would be acceptable if the early 90’s never happened. Oh dear.
 
It doesn’t necessarily fall into all the obvious traps of current drum machine-based electro.  Some of the drum lines are a bit “big and in-your-face,” if you catch my drift, there isn’t a lot of range to her vocal delivery and the lyrics are your fairly standard tortured gawth silliness.  This is nothing new; nothing original or refreshing is presented here, and the overt references I have read about in other reviews citing Android Lust as merely one in a whole cadre that ‘credit’ Skinny Puppy with influence is just depressing.  And yet, somehow, utterly unsuprising. This reminds me of the post-Carcass death metal acts that crawled out of the woodwork with names taken directly from Carcass song titles.  Who will save us from fandom.
 
The vocals are enjoyable I suppose, as is the rhythm, but I am given the sense that the shiny and crystal clear production form part of a device to disguise the lack of any real singing or songwriting ability. It actually sounds sort of doodling, almost improvisational; there are brief flashes of pleasant harmony amid the boom boom thump thump, but those looking for a genuine artistic statement should sniff elsewhere.
 
In all honesty, my first thought was that it sounded like a remastered Too Dark Park with Shikhee taking over as ‘lead raspy whisperer.’ I’m being a jerk, though. There’s nothing not to like about this music if you are the average LA Gawth Club Denizen that this kind of music is obviously geared for. Once again, I find myself being overly critical with something that clearly was not designed to withstand serious musical criticism. It’s competent dance music targeted towards modern Gawths, period. If you are an ethereal/darkwave/gothic/EBM DJ, you might as well throw this in your bag with the latest Apoptygma Beserk or VNV release. It’s full of nice, simple melodies that are sure not to put anyone off who might be frightened or confused when confronted with refreshing, energizing music. D’oh.  I’m not the only guy that reviewed this, you know.  A bit of Googling will lead you to much more relevant and in-depth reviews from people who actually like this kind of music and think it’s, uh… music.
 
The ultra-modern presentation and packaging is not misleading.  It is along the lines (and drawing from the same basic color palette, I see) of A Perfect Circle’s Mer de Noms, though the bands share little outside this and the obviously rather tasty production values.  We’re living in the Atomic Age of the Dollar, Billy, so you better get tough and fly right like those Japanese ‘cause it’s a rough and tumble world out there.
 
It’s not total poop, but it just reminds me of all spooky electronic euro-pop. It would probably fit in quite comfortably on european MTV rotation. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing; european MTV is at least a little more varied in presentation, but they still suck my ass, to a degree.
 
The more I hear, the more it sounds like the second coming of Too Dark Park.  They use a lot of the same vocal distortions and time signatures, and it’s hard not to think about Ohgr and co. when she’s screaming about sex and mutilation on track 10 (which is titled, curiously, “Sex and Mutilation.” I guess I shall have to solve that one another day). It just sounds derivative and boring, reminding you of that band you used to listen to when EBM was The Brand New Thing, like practically all of today’s dark electro-rock bands popping up like whack-a-moles out of their whack-a-mole holes. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: This is the unfortunate end product of capitalism, Billy.  The spirit of the musician has been inexplicably wedded to the business man, and now both realms will suffer.

Android Lust is Shikhee

Track Listing:
1. Division
2. Kingdom of One
3. Panic Wrought
4. Follow
5. The Want
6. Stained
7. Unbeliever
8. Another Void
9. Fall to Fragments
10. Sex and Mutilation
11. Burn

http://www.androidlust.com

The Blood Divine
Rise Pantheon Dreams
~reviewed by Matthew Heilman
 
The woeful, forlorn vocals of Darren White were what immediately appealed to most fans of Anathema’s early work (“Serenades,” “Crestfallen,” and “Pentecost III”).  Whether it was his dejected spoken word parts or the anguished suffering that animated his growls, his voice was the perfect crown to Anathema’s depressive majesty.  When Darren parted ways with the band, he formed The Blood Divine, and Anathema progressively moved away from their bleakly romantic Doom metal roots into sedate Floydian and Radiohead influenced pastures.  To many it was a marked improvement, but to most it was a most unfortunate loss.  Anathema was never the same without Darren White, and for whatever small minority of Doom fans there are across the globe, we had our sights set high for The Blood Divine to fill the void that Anathema’s change in direction was to leave.
 
The band’s best tracks and some studio outtakes have been conveniently compiled on this collection by Peaceville Records late last year.  Sadly, only shades of Darren’s former glory can be heard in the music of The Blood Divine.  While I hate to do dwell on the past, I can’t help but compare The Blood Divine with Darren’s work with Anathema.  There are several similarities, and even the title of the album could be a suggestion that The Blood Divine was a continuation of what Darren started in Anathema.
 
(In the liner notes of “Pentecost III,” the final Anathema release Darren appeared on, fans were informed that a follow up entitled “Rise Pantheon Dreams” was coming soon.  That album was never released, or perhaps more likely, it was released under the title “The Silent Enigma” with Vincent Cavanagh’s debut vocal appearance?  This, is just miscellaneous trivia for the discerning Anathema fan…but I digress)
 
Darren’s voice is much more rough around the edges, and lacks the ghostly vulnerability and painful grandeur that existed in Anathema.  But primarily, his musical backdrop is not nearly as poignant or as colourful.   The Blood Divine is a decidedly though perhaps not so successfully ‘rockin’ band, as exemplified on the clumsy Cathedral-esque “Visions In Blue” and on the brief confusing forays into metallic punk on unreleased tracks like “Revolt” and “Forever Belongs.”  The Blood Divine do however have their moments of convincing gloom, as on the moody magnificence of “As Rapture Fades,” the melodic ballad “Wilderness” and on the nine minute epic “So Serene.”  While all of those aforementioned songs are interesting and descent slabs of Gothic Metal, “The Passion Reigns” succeeds even more where other tracks do not in that the band sounds disciplined, reserved, and much more focused.  Darren’s vocals are moving yet suitably restrained, and the song’s complex arrangement of haunting pianos, lulling bass lines, and dreary guitar harmonies atop its shuffling rhythm is quite impressive.
 
But the main problem with The Blood Divine was that their music was too fragmented and they were all over the map, and they never seemed to settle on any specific direction to take the band.   This compilation is interesting and noteworthy to fans that would like to investigate Darren’s career after Anathema.  While not one hundred percent fulfilling, it definitely has its moments as a good third of the songs possess a great deal more substance than other Goth Metal bands currently available for public consumption.   Ultimately, this release is a tragic testament to what could have been.  But perhaps it may also represent what could be, if The Blood Divine decides to reapproach their sound with a greater sense of focus and a more concrete goal.   Whatever the case, it was a treat to hear Darren’s voice again and I am sure several fans of his work with Anathema will find something of value in this disc.

Track List:
1.) Aureole
2.) Visions In Blue
3.) As Rapture Fades
4.) Revolt
5.) Wilderness
6.) Sensual Ecstasy
7.) Enhanced By Your Touch
8.) I Will Bleed
9.) The Passion Reigns
10.) Leaving Me Helpless
11.) Forever Belongs
12.) So Serene
13.) Crazy Horses
14.) Aureole

The Blood Divine is:
Darren White – vocals
Paul Ryan - guitar
Benjamin Ryan - keyboards
Steve Maloney – bass guitar
W A Sarginson – drums

The Blood Divine – Official Site:
http://www.blackmetal.com/~mega/TBD/

Peaceville Records:
http://www.peaceville.com

Belisha
People Of The Dark
~reviewed by Blu

If you were lucky enough to attend one of their shows on the West Coast of the U.S.A. you probably got your hands on this new CD and will have had a chance to hear what most people won't for a few more months yet (it's slated for a mid-April release in the UK and later for the rest of the world). Lucky, lucky people you. San Francisco DJ Rick A Mortis just named People of the Dark one of his top CDs of the year alongside work such as Cinema Strange, Penis Flytrap, Peter Murphy and David Bowie. Greg Fasolino, noted alternative music journalist and guitarist for The Naked And The Dead, has said it's a "damn good" CD and named their track, "The Fall Of The Evergreen," as his favorite off the StarVox Trinity Compilation. You see, it's not just me.

So what's all the excitement about you ask? Buzzing around subjects as diverse as UFOs, ghosts and paranormal activity, matters of the heart and rebellion against unfair practices of organized religion and government, is a complex, well produced, textured and musically powerful CD.  At times it's a seething ball of fury and criticism on political fronts; at other times it has all the abandon and fun of bouncy, riotous punk and every once in a while, there are moments of pure blissful beauty and heart-felt soul. If I had to make references for familiarity's sake, I'd say mix up a bowl of one part Sex Pistols (for the angry energy) and one part New Model Army (for the politics) and toss in a bit of Killing Joke, Led Zepplin and The Damned for musical flavor. It's not a perfect CD, I don't know any that are, but it is highly superior on many levels and will undoubtedly make my "Best Of' list at the end of the year.

What I first noticed is how crystal clear the production is. The sound is really top notch. Candy to the ears -- it's as crisp and brilliant as any CD done by a big name label. What makes this even more incredible is that this CD was engineered by Belisha's very own guitarist - Byder. Talk about a DIY band!

Track one, "Tribal Gathering," is a lush instrumental introduction that sets the theme for later songs. Mixing Christian commentary with samples of Middle Eastern religious music, it's exotic and disturbing at the same time especially in our current political climate. And while the absolute horror of misguided religious paths hangs in the air, they launch into their first song, "Agnostic Jihad" where no religion is spared criticism with the hope that we may someday as human beings, get beyond those differences and stop using them as means of murder and hate. The chorus opens up the song against the backdrop of Indian music for a worldly flavor helping to drive home the point that this is not about any one religion but all of them when used as excuses for racism and genocide. Big and bold and in your face they yell: "Your gods are dead."  Hitting upon perceived hypocrisy they sing, "Holy leaders, All religions, Love thy neighbour, Embracing murder, The truth now, Your gods are dead" all to the tune of pounding, guitar-heavy anthems. Highly energetic, angry and powerful, this song may well be their first single.

Track 3 is one that many may have downloaded off Belisha's website earlier this year. They wrote "People of the Dark" for the goth scene in appreciation for our support of their music (an unusual bit of thanks that we don't normally get from a non-goth bands).  If you've read any of the interviews done with this band you know that one of their goals is to crush the way the mainstream music industry works and they're more than happy to take us along for the ride:  "Dark ones, Take hold, People of the dark will meet  -- the realm is turning, People of the dark will set the land a burning..." Musically it's a mid-tempo song with a catchy melody that I've no doubt had running through my head many times since I first heard it.

Getting into more personal territory, "Pain" is a bleak and dramatic song centered around heartache and loss. It's driving tempo and guitar melodies echo the desperation and emotional turmoil of a broken heart searching for a reason to continue on. Vocalist Dan spits out the word "pain" on the chorus as if on the verge of complete frustration and breakdown. On the flipside of this emotional roller coaster they've taken us on, is lusty track "Want." Built around a staccato, bouncing bass line that lends itself to punk inclinations, it's lyrically romantic: "I held you I felt you I want you I need you I see you I breathe you I want you I need you." There's a nice bridge here that slows it down and changes the feel of the song for a bit before rousing back into the main chorus.

Track 6 does not have a title but a symbol. Upon first listen it appears to be a scratchy radio transmission of some kind and if you know Belisha and one of their favorite past times, it's not too hard to surmise that this is a recording of a UFO encounter. What makes this terribly interesting is that it's the actual transmission from one of the UK's top UFO controversies that happened in 1980 near RAF Woodbridge in eastern England. It's been dubbed the "Rendlesham File" and ironically, only recently has this information been made public. In press releases that hit the news on Nov. 29th, the complete government files have been made accessible to the public for the first time. It's completely fascinating to be able to hear this recording especially in light of the recent news. See more info on this case on CNN here and stay tuned to StarVox for a new interview with Belisha and more about this subject.

"Negative" is one of my favorite tracks because it's massively heavy and hard hitting. We've all had those people in our lives who insist in wallowing in their own pain for illogical reasons, who don't listen to reason, who refuse to help themselves, who seem to do nothing but bring everyone around them down.  That's the theme behind this song. With guitars that are almost metal in nature and lyrics that are nearly shouted and always fueled with anger; I daresay they'd attract a few headbangers with this one.

"Eyes That Blacken" is a great example of how keyboardist Pit uses samples and keyboards in just the right places to accent a piece rather than over loading a song with them as many modern bands tend to do. It starts with vocals over synthetic percussive elements so low you almost don't hear them and then a siren comes in blaring before giving way to bell tolls all to highlight yet another song about heartbreak. It develops into a fairly fast tempo propelled by a nice bouncy bass line.

Track 9 is a 43 second track titled "Lizzard" and if you've got the capability to play it backwards you will unlock the mysteries of the universe. Otherwise, it's a bit harsh on the ears. Don't get me wrong, I find these odd interludes (tracks 6 and 13 included) completely fascinating and they often aid in understanding what motivates this band; however, when you're listening to the CD over and over again in the car for the pure joy of hearing good music, this track gets to be a thorn in your side and I'm now automatically reaching for the "skip" button when it comes up. So perhaps, the idea was good and the sentiment important but the placement of it is bothersome when listening to this CD for purely musical reasons.

Next up is the jewel of the pile for many people. "Shroud of King" has been the surprise favorite with those who picked up the CD on their recent West Coast tour. It continues a theme first explored on their CD, The Hounded, in the track "Into the Casparian Sea."  Exotic and mysterious sounding, textured with more Middle Eastern melodies, it's got a good beat and great allure with it's adventuresome tale of kings and battles. Sexy and serpent-like it winds and slithers and begs your body to move to its rhythm.

Then we have track 11. To be completely objective I have to admit that "Hero" does not work for me. While the lyrics are obviously fueled by some strong emotion, the music itself seems much too pop-ish for its own good and to me, the lyrics lose their affect in the seemingly carefree tone. Even though it starts out a bit more down beat with a great bass led melody, by the chorus it's sing-songy and light and just too happy sounding for what the subject matter is. Could just be me.  It's not a bad song mind you - it has plenty of personality and I do catch myself sometimes bopping along to it; but something just does not click with me even as they whisper "I hate you I hate you I hate you" in the background. Maybe I'm missing the irony?

"The Fall Of The Evergreen" almost needs no introduction here as this was the first song released prior to this CD on a teaser EP and then again on the StarVox Trinity Compilation. It has been the song they've gotten most club play with and certainly a favorite for fans. This CD has a different version from the one on the EP, a bit more uptempo and more textured. It's been perfected and is seamless in production. This is a perfect example of the kind of tight rock n roll Belisha is capable of. The guitar here is especially good and varied - classically jangly in all the right places, screeching and ripping in some instances and distorted and dirty in others. The chorus is very addictive and the uptempo beats are hard to resist. I predict this is the song that will get them the most comparisons as a modern version of bands like The Cult.

If you're not paying attention track 13 will buzz by and you won't notice it. Or perhaps you'll only think, "odd, that's a bit of a long silence between tracks." But it's not silence. No no, it's another odd little treat Belisha has stuck in there for us called "Altered Ones". If you turn it up and listen to it with headphones on it should make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up and chills run up your arms. At least it does to me every time I play it. Even though there is nothing to give away the subject matter per se; it is sufficiently spooky all on its own. I had a suspicion of what it was and later asked them about it and they confirmed it for me. What  you'll hear here is some EVP recordings - or Electronic Voice Phenomena - which is supposedly the low-audio sounds of paranormal activity caught on tape and only audible by intense magnification. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr... creepy. Not recommended when all alone in a dark house.

Next is my favorite track on the CD if I had to pick just one and strangely, it's the most un-Belisha song of the bunch. It's an unlikely favorite to be sure but perhaps it's because they are usually so energetic and so boisterous and loud and angry that I appreciate the quiet beauty of this acoustic track all the more. Yes, I said acoustic. Belisha does indeed have a soft tender side though lord knows they don't let it out to play too often (and we wouldn't have it any other way). The music is utterly beautiful - delicate acoustic guitar with wonderful harmonized vocals and hand beat percussion. The lyrics are mystical and magical and the sentiment soars with emotion and wonder. I've yet to unravel the mystery of this story but I'm working on it: "Silence for the approaching king, Sexless mighty and meek, Viper in a tarmac bind, Dances slow with each of, Maria and her western girls, Swirl with stealth and reach, Lies they say and fires they make, The lone ghosts gently weep."  Keyboard lines hint at heart-pulling string melodies and I can only imagine how much more dramatic this song would be backed with a real set of string players. There is a section right before the final verse where the acoustic guitar really gears up and the notes are picked bright and fast and it almost brings me to tears. I have literally set this song on repeat in order to listen to it over and over again and haven't got tired of it yet.

Speaking of ghosts and paranormal things, "Old Barbed Wire" is another unusual track - a spoken word part set in a creepy dreamscape that seems to portray a vision of a battled and beat army. I like it because the subject matter is pretty morbid and being a silly American, I find the British accent completely delightful. I do have one small complaint though. Despite the superb production on all the other tracks, the beginning of this one seems entirely too loud. For some reason that first rush of harp is just overpowering and I find myself turning it down for a few seconds only to have to turn it up again to hear the vocal part. I'm unsure if this was done on purpose -- as a way of whisking the listener down into this dream world -- but it's loud enough to make me adjust the volume every time and that's a tad annoying. Beyond that little bit of criticism, I think it's a fairly effective as a descriptive soundscape on the horrors of war and the mis-guided evil that humans are capable of.

"Rising" continues their anti-religious theme but in a less aggressive way than "Agnostic Jihad" did. The lyrics are a bit more cryptic, almost riddlelike: "Buried in the certain veil, Balance form soul to sail, Suffer with the Holy Ghost, Every man needs it most." This music is laid back but still heavy in a kind of dramatic stadium-band way and it's really grown on me the more I listen to this CD. It's deceptively more complex than you think upon first listen.  Myself and others have found odd comparisons between Belihsa and bands like Led Zepplin and I find that most apparent here although I think it was entirely unintentional. It starts out with keyboard lines that are  both regal and a bit psychedelic in tone with long, drawn out guitars and rumbling low bass lines. The drums are heavy and accented. The chorus is strong and clear and very catchy. The keys are the real stars of this one because this song suddenly changes and builds to a feverish dirge of sorts, each instrument, one by one chiming in on a the same melody line until a whole orchestra is let loose and it's pounding very heavily altogether completing a dramatic climax with accompanying  break beats in the percussion (and this is where it's most like Zepplin). It never fails to make me head bang like a highschool boy. I love it.

And finally, my second favorite song and by far my favorite in their live show is "Illuminati." Accessible in a good way, aggressive and another great example of that kind of excitement I can only tag as "Belisha Energy." It's angry and alive. It's especially fun in headphones or in a good surround sound system on the chorus because you get Dan whispering in your ear and then you get pierced on all sides by the group chorus. I'm almost obsessive about this chorus - it literally just RIPS out of the speakers. It's like a good roller coaster ride. Musically they just go insane on this one. There's a guitar solo in it that's off the hook and the drumming get maniacal.  Subject wise it's their "love song" to world governments and just the kind of tongue-n-cheek cynicism that I like best in this band. On CD and especially live, Dan goes completely mad and we get the full extent of his anger as no one is left out of this political reaming: "Fuck G8, Fuck Rockefeller, Fuck Rothschild, Ruck UN, Fuck Nato, Fuck Bilderberg!"

I think Johnny Rotten would be proud.

Track Listing
1. Tribal Gathering
2. Agnostic Jihad
3. People Of The Dark
4. Pain
5. Want
6.
7. Negative
8. Eyes That Blacken
9. Lizzard
10. Shroud of King
11. Hero
12. The Fall Of The Evergreen
13. Altered Ones
14. The Lone Ghost
15. Old Barbed Wire
16. Rising
17. Illuminati

Belisha is:
Dan - Vocals
Byder - Guitar
Elrik - Bass
Pit  - Keys
Hawl - Drums

Belisha website:
www.belisha.com

Management and label:
Filthy Sonnix Records
 

Bella Morte
The Quiet
~reviewed by Basim. [Rhymes w/ Possum]

Gosh, for a scene that prides itself in being creative, Goth sure seems to ride trends often. Yesterday’s Nosferatu, Rosetta Stone and The Wake are today’s VNV, Apop and Covenant. Whether it be Sister clones, or by-the-numbers EBM, what succeeds in our scene is almost always formulaic. For this very reason, Virginia’s Bella Morte sticks out like a sore thumb among the current heap of bands today. While fellow Americans Cruxshadows seem to have taken up a decidedly Eurocentric sound drawn from a fairly limited -cynics would say reserved- list of influences (VNV, Apop), Bella Morte has done the exact opposite. There is no doubt this is an American band whose sound takes cues from a wide range of influences – many of which, I’m happy to report, have no association with the Goth/Industrial scene whatsoever!

The opener, "Regret", turned out to be my favorite song in their set at the Boston gig they played last June. It had this killer energy to it that can only be described as ROCK. Opening with a simple synth part, it’s pretty hard to imagine how intense the music gets. Alongside, Andy rants:

Where has the warmth within your voice gone?
It seems your care has died away
I wander through a thousand questions,
Never knowing what to say.
Lift your palms – your hands are soiled,
And the guilt now lights your eyes,
‘Will I know or will I wander?’
The voice of severed ties.

Years will pass and you’ll remember,
All that died within your grasp.
And I’ll be gone – you’ll sleep uneasy,
Upon a bed built of regret.
You won’t forget the loss of passion
As the past sleeps in your mind,
Years will pass and you’ll be searching
For things you’ll never find.

Beneath the days there lies indifference,
Your smile can’t retract lies,
And my nights will find their comfort,
In the knowledge that I tried.
Were your words always so empty?
Have I been blinded by your light?
My doubts were real from the beginning
Unlike the final tears you cried.

Next up is "Logic", which seems to be the antithesis of "Regret" in terms of tone and depth. "Regret"s brooding burned us from the inside, while Logic has no gripes standing up and standing out as just a fun, silly zombie song! It’s got these big arena rock drums and HUGE guitars. I’ve reached a conclusion; this is the song that should have been in Reanimator. There’s nothing I’d like to see more than Herbert West killing and reanimating crippled kittens to the sound of this track. The music has got this horror industrial feel to it, and the vocal melody really carries the sentiments well. I urge you to download it from their mp3.com site and make opinions of your own.

Moving on, here comes the lyrical prequal to "Regret" (notice how everything ties into that song?), "Whispers". To me, this is one of the most interesting tracks on the whole album. It centers on Andy’s vocal part and Gopal’s descending bass line. Like any song that has a descending bass line as its focal point, this could really shine as an acoustic ballad. Not that it doesn’t shine as is, because the song is gorgeous, and with lyrics like "Sleep another hour, dear just close your eyes // For time is fading quickly from outside", it succeeds making the girls blush. Gee, thanks for keeping every girl I ever dated distracted – Jerks! What I find really endearing about the song is that more then any other on the album, this piece reminds of material from Remains. It’s romantic, the song showcases great dynamics and interaction between real instruments (the synths are only there to add intonated fuzz), and the overall feel has the story-by-the-fire-side warmth to it that permeates their best work.

By the next track, it’s clear to me that I’m going to remember this album for times to come. While on previous releases BM kept all bases covered by having songs that fit into established caricatures of subgenres (goth rock song, synthpop song, death rock song), on The Quiet it’s clear that they’ve kept all bases covered by having songs of varying tone and meaning. This is a far more respectable and mature approach to song writing, and it serves for something more interesting to listen to. "First Light" is as fickle as it is decisive. The drum programming really shines, and I love the way it complements the quirky synth perfectly: the beat is constant to the point of redundancy, and layered over it are these synth lines that never seem to settle on a phrase for too long. It’s a sonic contradiction that fits together like puzzle pieces. Then crunchy guitars add a sort of polish and ‘swing’ to the song. It swings like a solid jazz standard, but instead of being fluid and human, we have something that operates in quick thrusts and sudden jerks. I wonder whether they planned the song to come out this way, or whether some wandered by mistake and the song found them.

The title track is next up, and with the exception of ‘living dead’, is the first of a long string of gothic dirges that are bound to perk up your day! It opens with ambience, and a funereal bass thump every measure. There’s some really pretty mandolin-like guitar strumming in the back ground, and in the foreground Andy paints, in delightful Bella Morte fashion, a tale of Love and Loss:

And this silence is her life,
Falling back into the dark November sky,
Over voices she shall cry,
Soundless screams are felt before the sun can rise.
Hear a voice as strong as stale,
Speaking long dead names to keep the evening still
In her heart rests all the time
Trapped for now in faith that death is still a lie.

Armed to shred up all the atmosphere created by The Quiet is the death rock’n Living Dead. The lyrics are camp and the music is hard. Some of the guitar phrasing behind the vocals sounds really ‘metal.’

It’s the way they’re arpegiated, I’ve realized, and it sounds strikingly similar to ‘Number of the beast’ era Maiden. It’s also got a Maiden-esque upbeat vibe to it, minus the dramatic vocals. It’s a tune that’ll definitely appeal to those of you into harder death rock, like fans of 45Grave. Feeding off the energy created by "Living Dead" is "Echoes", which has one of the most well crafted choruses on the album. It’s a fast paced synth number with some guitar bite to it: there’s actually shredding going on behind everything. It’s like the bastard child of new wave and shred metal; it’s cross genre 80s nostalgia – if there is such a thing! Well, there is now, and I’d like to hear more.

The next song is yet another ballad, and it stands out as the most depressing track on the album. This is as dirge like as they come. It also shows off Andy’s crooning and vocal talents. The guitars start off as smooth and Cure-like until the end, where it beings to writhe and scrape against its surroundings with its really rough, distortion edges. The song is called "Hope Again", and its my suspicion that Bella Morte was commissioned by Prozac to produce it, in hopes to get more people prescribed. They seem to have succeeded, as Andy bellows at the end:

And his words are the rain,
Which fall into my life,
Through the years as tears are left behind.
To the end of time, we’re holding on to faith,
This day will carry on,
No matter what shall come.
‘I want to feel’.

Speaking of interesting mixes, "I Follow" sounds like two parts vintage Bella Morte mixed with one part Run DMC! It’s easily my favorite track on the album, as it has the most infectious drum loop out all thirteen tracks. There’s this great groove established by drums, bass and guitar that makes way for a distorted industrial part every now and then. Also, while the song is the most experimental, it happens to have the most memorable break on the entire album! A little more than three minutes into it everything goes silent save for the guitar and a few electronics. Then it all EXPLODES: Loud synth, huge drums, colossal electronics and the best vocal line in the whole album:

Watch the gray
Die away
While the world is standing still
I reach for memories of Hope
See our fate leave just faith
To last the bitter day
Into such deadened times ahead!

Always is the last ballad on the disc, and it’s somber but also 80s. It’s lavender, and hot pink. It’s Eeyore in legwarmers. The lyrics and vocals really propel the song:

Careless words were spent,
Careless songs once help you near,
Have I always known,
This would be our end?
Snow obscures the Earth,
Just as time obscures the past.
Details fade away,
Visions fill the sky with ash.

Next up is the punk rocker, "Christina"! It’s got roots in the bouncy Angelic Upstarts/Cockney Rejects side of things with lyrics about seizing the day and living life moment to moment. It’s really pogo worthy, and requires much bouncing to fully appreciate it. When I listen to it, I have to make an effort not to punch a wall! It’s lively pothick gunk, and it deserves to be on play lists on College radio across America. This is spring time/dressing up music. It’s good to listen to while putting your hair up. The lyrics are a real treat, as they’re one of the few stories on the album that are clear enough to understand on the first listen. It’s a great light-hearted romp that will energize the weariest of hearts.

The next two songs compliment each other: Ember is much like the Xymox-y stuff on Remains/Where Shadows Lie with an updated, harder edge to it. There’s not much to explain, really. The thirteenth track is called "Wires", and it’s an orchestrated symphony of sampled sounds that all bear relevance to death. It’s really morbid, but romantic at the same time. It really sums up what Beautiful Death is all about, and I couldn’t think of a more appropriate way to end the album.

My eyes are sunken; My skin is cold.

Tracks:
Regret
Logic
Whispers
First Light
The Quiet
Living Dead
Echoes
Hope Again
I Follow
Always
Christina
Ember
Wires

Bella Morte is
Andy Deane – Vocals + Programming
Gopal Metro – Bass + Programming
Bn Withlow – Guitar
Tony Lechmanski – Guitar

www.bellamorte.com
www.mp3.com/bellamorte
Metropolis Records:  http://www.metropolis-records.com/

Wow, listening to this brings back memories of the first time I saw Bella Morte live. I was 18, sick of girls, sick of parents, and really sick of being told what to do by everyone. To make it to the show, I trekked all the way from Cambridge to New York by way of the super shady Chinatown bus circuit... little knowing that the Bella Bois would unveil what was to take its place along side Kommunity FK’s Close One Sad Eye as the soundtrack of my angst for times to come. Their set consisted mostly of death rock tracks, much to the entertainment of the mohawk-ed legions up front. The band was energetic and people began to mosh (where else can you see goths mosh besides a Morte show?).

I had a crackily mp3 bootleg then, and though the bit rate could have been better, listening to it succeeded in conjuring up fuzzy memories of Andy’s Bollywood-meets-Return of the Living Dead onstage "movements." You see, the first time this was released it was vinyl only. It’s taken them a while, but what I have in my disc player today is their CD reissue complete with two killer bonus tracks! I loved it then and I love it now, I urge you to all get your paws on it ASAP. It’s not to be missed and for those of you unconvinced, here’s the rest of my review:

"Demons" starts off the album with these really 70s guitars: each chord drenches everything in Sabbath-esque sludge that exudes the type of warmth only possible through analogue recording. I really caught myself doing double checks because the only thing missing here is Geezer’s tubby bass! About twenty seconds into it Andy’s voice pierces the gooey guitars with this vocal melody that seems lifted straight out of the violin passages of Nosferatu:

In their eyes we see the dawn fall to the day
Whispered fears cast light against the
gathered grey
In their minds our time is lost and ever still
They will see where horror lies.

In contrast, the next song on the EP deals with much graver subject matter. Between 1923 and 1954 there was a legendary cult magazine called Weird Tales which was known for publishing all sorts of deliciously lurid short stories. Among those was a political anti-war ghost story, in which the ghost of the Unknown Soldier haunts two Senators, who had been arguing about starting a war to protect American ‘interests’! It was Henry Kuttner’s "We Are The Dead", and it remains my favorite ghost story of all time. Bella Morte’s song, "The Dead", touches on similar themes: The dead have come back to reclaim what was taken from them.

We stand We fight We move
Into the night
We are the death of legends
We stand so black in grief
Of what has passed
We owe the world no debt

Living ends with shattered bones
across the cemetery roam
into the grey-lit twilight
and from the soil another cries
to pierce the dark against the lies
and never see them falter

"The Fallen" is up next, and with it’s classic B movie sound byte (I won’t reveal anything!) it remains the most Misfits-y song on the disc. It’s bouncy and really wears the bands Southern roots on its sleeve: Andy really sings in drawl, y’all! If Leatherface were in a punk rock band I’d fancy it would sound like this. It has the type of Zombiefied lyrics ("We wander from the grave", "all I see is hunger" "The end is drawing near, the light of day wont save you now") and frequent "woah-oh-ohs" that Danzig would be proud of. It’s a fun track, but as fun as it is there really isn’t much to write about it. It’s great fun live.

Now the next track is an epic -often melodramatic- tale of love, betrayal and retribution. Yes folks, this is just like Bollywood. Infact, if Bella Morte ever hold a make-your-own-video contest let it be known that it was my idea to turn this into a tacky/grandiose spectacle of dancing Zombie bois and choreographed ghoulish girls (wearing form fitting midriff shirts – in true South Asian style)! I thought of it, I’m entitled to it. "The Fallen" was Southern in delivery and "The Coffin don’t want me and She don’t either" takes this one step further. This is Southern in content. The vocals are accented, the syntax is a ‘lil off ("Though I’ve been dead but three weeks") and the song is about killing your ex-lover! Ok, so maybe killing your ex-lover isn’t distinctly Southern (even I have a dead hooker in my trunk!), but the rest of it is.

This song stands as one of the few new songs that are both pure camp and also inventive at the same time. Some groups like The Serpenteens and Mr. Monster may be fun, but they never really write anything that we haven’t heard the Misfits do before. It’s bands like Zombina and The Skeletones along with Bella Morte that know how to take a classic formula and make it their own. They’re smart and know how to keep the spirit alive and not get over obsessed with the icons. Isn’t that what punk was about? It’s about time the whole scene took the hint and matured into something respectable.

Ah, time for the bonus tracks. "Eyes of the Ghost" begins with this infectious, sugary guitar melody that makes way for this bass and drum gallop that reminds me of the kings of galloping rhythms: Iron Maiden! I’m seeing a pattern in all of their new Death Rock styled music... It all reminds me of Maiden. I’m pretty sure Dickenson roadied for the Clash, which would explain the punkish element in I.M’s early material – so here’s my request to the band: I love the music you’re writing now, but don’t you think it’s about time you went ahead and just covered an Iron Maiden song? Both bands have dramatic vocals, camp lyrics, talented guitar players and galloping rhythms. Any shmuck can tell you Bella Morte takes cues from Xymox on their material off Where Shadows Lie, and I’d venture to say they take just as many from Maiden during their punk moments. "Eyes of the Ghost" is a wonderful tune, with a great guitar hook and touching lyrics. It stands up there with "The Dead" as the best songs on this EP in my opinion.

The next song is somewhat of a three chord punk song with some really stunning trimmings. It’s called "A Light In The Window" and opens up with these really pretty guitar harmonics. There’s some foreshadowing going on here as midway through the song the guitar drops out and leaves the bass as the only sonic anchor for song’s chord changes. Then the guitar sweeps back in to sprinkle more chirping harmonics over everything. The lyrics are also lush, and more akin to the morose style that appears on The Quiet. The concluding passage is especially powerful:

An ending falls,
so quiet now,
The words we spoke cannot be found.
The moments lost,
Still carry on,
In unseen worlds before the dawn!
And children say,
‘That through the night,
That one can see a ghostly light’!

This is "just a punk song" like ‘We Are The Dead’ was "just a ghost story." This is something much richer. This is a story that uses punk as a medium to weave a captivating and impressive yarn. Making art that can stand on its own when viewed from multiple angles (lyrical wealth, musical value) is something that the boys in Bella Morte have done since their Remains release. Listening to the Death Rock EP, I’ve witnessed Bella Morte expand upon what they were able to do before by including songs that were political ("The Dead") and bombastic ("The Coffin..."). This is a release well worthy of purchase and I strongly advise all of you to see them play these songs live. It’s really wonderful.

The Death Rock E.P Tracks:
Demons
The Dead
The Fallen
The Coffin don’t want me and She don’t either
Eyes of a Ghost
A Light In The Window

Bella Morte is
Andy Deane – Vocals + Programming
Gopal Metro – Bass + Programming
Bn Withlow – Guitar
Tony Lechmanski – Guitar

www.bellamorte.com
www.mp3.com/bellamorte

BLACK TAPE FOR A BLUE GIRL
THE SCAVENGER BRIDE
(Projekt)
~review by Mick Mercer

I have mentioned several times I was about to put this review up, but then changed my mind, because I felt I might get closer to what this was really about. I have read what Sam has written about it, on their superb press release site, and have tried really hard to get to grips with its reality, but in the end, after endless listens, have decided it hasn’t clicked with me, which is a shame. I am only talking about the story aspect of the CD, not the music. It is by and far and away their mightiest work, and exceptionally inviting, so I recommend it to anyone. If you’ve never heard them before, and possibly been put off by the idea it may all be a bit delicate and twee, fear not. It is a beautifully artistic record, full of warmth, intrigue, and positively wetting the bed with its ideas.

We’ll get back to the failure aspect shortly, but first there’s the scope and names, because while you know Sam Rosenthal is there, and the main vocals come in fine style from Elysabeth Grant, there are a host of names to conjure with. Strings play a major part here, provided by Elsyabeth now and then, but mainly Vicki Richards and Julia Kent (Rasputina). All manner of musical oddities are infused with spirit by Michael Laird from Unto Ashes, Lisa Feuer plays a special role with her flute, and there’s even Christopher David from non-Gothsters Judith. You have major vocal contributions from Bret Helm, the lugubrious one from Audra, Athan Maroulis from Spahn Ranch and Martin Bowes.

It’s an extravaganza, wonderfully underplayed, packed with talent, and bewitchingly beautiful as a package, complete with subtly ornate artwork, and we should expect no less when you consider we’re being pitched into a concept album. That is enough to make me shudder. Having come of age with the volcanic experience of Punk, concept albums were The Devil, and that still holds today, so I was hugely sceptical about this. Fortunately, there isn’t anything pompous here, which was always the problem with concept albums. It used to be a band or individual pretending to be clever and showing off, and inevitably getting hopelessly lost up their own backside. This is more of a picturesque way to handle the usual lovelorn despair you might expect.

It’s basically a story of a bride, and the men who failed to tie her down. In theory. The booklet starts the story, in a very exciting manner. A man is telling the story, apparently mysterious enough to draw the listeners in. Through the booklet extra touches and revelations are added which don’t feature in the songs, and that held my attention. It also works well with the music, once you have the idea fixed in your mind, but ultimately falls apart.

Musically this is a dream. Not as in ‘dreamy’, because that’s an ethereal stereotype. This is a fabulous record, filled with moments of true beauty, and some which could clearly have been better, and that flawed aspect only helps it grow in stature, because it pulls on you.

It begins almost like a sunrise through the mist, and keeps light until the fabulous ‘All My Lovers’ which is the Middle Eastern thread given a touch of bounce, then you’ll be thrown by the odd drama of ‘Shadow Of a Doubt’, or a fleeting ‘The Doorkeeper’. With Athan on vocals, Elysabeth contributing ‘slight viola’ and Lisa on the flute, ‘Floats In The Updrafts’ is another enchanting encounter, and you are definitely swept up in everything, but still as a mystery. The lyrics seem a touch too modern and not placed in context with ‘The Lie Which Refuses To Die’ and for ’The Scavenger’s Daughter’, with Bowes and Grant singing, it is getting almost too weird towards the end. These songs all have a shadowy touch, and then the colour can burst through, dappled, like early hand-tinted postcards. Bret stumbles his way through what is supposed to be an ‘epic, tortured’ song, in ‘Like A Dog/Letter To Brod’ and the phrasing seems clumsy compared to Elsyabeth’s exquisite handling of a similar approach in the closing track. Then it ends.

So where does it go wrong? Well, it concerns a woman and her hopes, and doubts, and of certain men, and of herself, starting in Prague 1913, and ending in 1961, which is fine, except these are fragments, and the story doesn’t hang together. There simply isn’t enough clarity about who she doesn’t hook up with , or just why she regrets not being with someone, or why the men themselves either failed or passed her by. We aren’t given sufficient details, which we could then imagine might be facts. We get the feelings of some who are affected, but no substance. The main story of her life simply isn’t there at all! And when there is a strong vocal male presence that isn’t backed up by any sold lyrical twists.

Inspired by Kafka and Duchamp it may be, but they weren’t noticeably wispy. A narrative flow accompanied by a semblance of development would have helped, but it remains steadfastly oblique. Some of the images are certainly very strong, some of them mildly disturbing, and yet somewhere along the line what should have brought all of this vividly to life simply isn’t there. This is skin, minus skeleton.

I expected to find out what was so interesting about The Bride, to learn the reason for the use of Scavenger, but in the end the best you can really say is that The Bride could be anyone, as could the Bachelors. But in the end, while that is a disappointment, it doesn’t matter. I gave up searching for the story and went with the mood and transplanted my own thoughts.

Musically, you can’t fault this. It caresses you throughout the short story, and peaks with some of the vocal moods, until you finish with the realisation you have been immensely touched by it.

It genuinely is a work of art.

Track List:
The Scavenger Bride
Kinski
All My Lovers
Shadow Of A Doubt
The Doorkeeper
Floats In The Updrafts
A Livery Of Bachelors
Das Liselottenbett
The Lie Which Refuses To Die
The Scavenger’s Daughter
Like A Dog/Letter To Brod
The Whipper
Bastille Day, 1961

http://www.thescavengerbride.com - press site with masses of detail
http://www.projekt.com
 

Butterfly Messiah
It’s Time (Single)
~reviewed by Matthew Heilman

I still maintain that Butterfly Messiah is one of the most interesting and promising new dark music acts active today.  The band’s name is starting to become more familiar to those within the scene.  Their tracks are starting to pop up on various DJ playlists, as well as on club request sheets.  And rightfully so.  This Floridian trio provides a seamless and impressive fusion of chilling Gothic atmosphere with pulsating synth pop/electro elements.   Though my interests in organic Goth Rock will reveal my bias, I am not indifferent to the current crop of electro pop pervading dark music clubs.  I just rarely hear anything that stands out in my memory or stirs my emotions.  Ultimately, it’s just a matter of taste, and as they say, to each their own.

But this single, the band’s first release since “Priestess,” their debut full length for Fossil Dungeon early last year, contains what very well may be the first truly great potential club anthem of 2003.   “It’s Time” is a very well arranged track, with a meticulous balance of spectral ambience and hard-edged dance appeal.  The song’s deliciously spooky aura will immediately appeal to most Goths, yet this up-tempo track possesses undeniable club accessibility.  An encompassing sound comprised of ominous wire synths and flanged synths pan back and forth and swell atop the pulsating (but not overbearing) obligatory thud.  The song builds to a memorable, climactic chorus accented by chimes and Shannon’s soaring vocal performance, which ascends to reach an icy soprano peak from the stark alto range she employs for the verses.  A brilliant and successful combination of what seems to be rival elements in today’s dark club scene.

While “It’s Time” is built upon a traditional and predictable pop structure, the rich layers of instrumentation captivate the listener while the song’s rhythmic consistency assures that by spinning this track, there is no risk to the dance floor. The song does not fall prey to any sense of repetitiveness, which in my humble opinion, I feel is the primary problem with most contemporary ready for club play synth pop acts.  It’s a fun and wonderfully moody track that I think DJs will love spinning and patrons will love dancing to.

The “Post Kronos Mix” of the song is practically identical to the original version, however it is a bit harder edged with punchier programming.  It sounds as though the vocal and synth tracks are the same mix.  Both tracks are equally good, and perfect for club play, while the latter is the ideal choice for DJs.  The ‘B side,’ if you will, “Monument” is a slinky, undulating track with a good solid groove but is a bit more introspective (no pun intended) than the title track.  A much improved and intensified version of “Machines” appears as well, which is an earlier track from the band’s demo EP that also has an unmistakable club appeal.  For this track, the morose monotone of Robert Davis dominates the mic while Shannon supplies ethereal background accompaniment.  Lastly, an instrumental version of “It’s Time” appears, which is cool but somewhat unnecessary honestly.

All in all, Butterfly Messiah’s latest single is a risk free necessity and one of the most exciting new releases in this genre I have heard in quite awhile.  What sets Butterfly Messiah apart from other electro and synth pop bands is their atmosphere.  My only fear is that Butterfly Messiah might get too caught up in making their music harder and club friendly, at the expense of the haunting atmospherics that make their music stand out so honourably. With “It’s Time,” they have achieved magick and I only hope they continue to stay faithful to this enchanting and refreshing formula.

* The single is available for $6 from Fossil Dungeon and Middle Pillar distribution, and samples of the songs can be heard at the band’s Mp3 site.

Track List:
1.) It’s Time
2.) It’s Time (Post Kronos Dance Mix)
3.) Monument
4.) Machines
5.) It’s Time (Instrumental Demo)

Butterfly Messiah is:
Shannon Garson: vocals, keyboards
Robert Davis: vocals, percussion, and programming
Josh Harrington: percussion, programming

Butterfly Messiah – Official Site:
http://www.butterflymessiah.com

Butterfly Messiah – Mp3 Site:
http://www.mp3.com/butterflymessiah

The Fossil Dungeon:
http://www.erols.com/tsbb/fdungeon

Distributed by Middle Pillar:
http://www.middlepillar.com

BUTTERFLY MESSIAH
IT’S TIME (The Fossil Dungeon)
~reviewed by Mick Mercer

Highly creative combination of light Industrial EBM with an ethereal slant, which gives you three mixes of the title song and two other tracks. ‘It’s Time’ is, in essence, seething synth and martial drumming, where the layered noise fills the air but allows the vocals to whisk it into intoxicating stuff, and intermittent percussive bursts colour it nicely, for this isn’t the fullest of sounds. They haven’t gone for anything flowery, but keep to basics and that makes it pretty tough. Although Shannon has her ethereal vocals on top form on their album, here it’s a little more orthodox, and that helps keep them direct and thrusting. The second mix makes them sterner still, which lets the vocals flood out elegantly, but the weirdest thing is that the simple instrumental mix is the one which shows what a brilliantly vivid piece of utilitarian music this is. You also get the strange uprising they call ‘Monument’ where Robert does his spoken, meaningful bit, and ‘Machines’ that flaps around aimlessly.

It was good to see them taking on some harder angles, and bringing the vocals through to make them a really cohesive unit because the 2001 debut album which The Fossil Dungeon were also kind enough to send, is a distinctly ambitious project which doesn’t always hit the heights. This trio have real strengths. Shannon Garsons sings and does some keyboards, Robert Nightshade does vocals, perc and prog, while Josh Harrington is keyboards again, and they have a very sharp sense of musical style. It’s either build up, and highlight the central charm of a song, or start slow with odd noises. Now and again they get almost balmly with their synthpop side. That’s fine for variety but doesn’t give you a real feel for the band. There’s also a problem with Robert.

For a man who allegedly brings together ritualistic chants and poetry, he really doesn’t need to have the mechanoid effect on his vocals because if the lyrics are meant to mean something, why do it in a way that immediately renders them lacking in humanity? It doesn’t make sense. Luckily Shannon is mostly in vocal charge, and even when their weirder noises drag against the beat, or when they get frisky but then don’t seem to know how to create an accelerated sense of rhythm to bring a song to life, it still sounds interesting.

At times it reminded me of early Human League crossed with a brittle early New Order, but at others it’s Ethereal with knobs on, and you know what I mean by that. Bare, pulsing cutely, with some mystical wailing.

The album makes for a good start but you couldn’t really call it exceptional in any way, but ‘It’s Time’ shows them moving a few steps up the ladder, very quickly, and they’re going to get very good indeed.

http://www.butterflymessiah.com
http://erols.com/ tsbb/ fdungeon

CHANDEEN
Bikes & Pyramids
(Kalinkaland Records)
~reviewed by Mick Mercer

According to the press release Chandeen are leading lights in the Heavenly Voices movement, which you’ll be relieved to find is positioned squarely between the lands of Space Pop and New Wave. In other words, like the Cocteaus minus the frothy hippy bollocks. They have stunning vocals and light music of a subtle but intricate nature billowing sweetly behind them.

So yes, these are electronic soundscapes, sure enough, and compellingly simple, which seems to be their real forte. A slight rhythm, a succulent vocal melody, and moving slower than your heartbeat they bring with them a restful mood and it’s heady stuff once you start to give it respect. Initially it’s so quiet and undemanding you can rather ignore it, but when you start to concentrate you notice it getting stronger with every play.

Light trip hop bands have a similar approach, without the clear pop savvy Chandeen have developed, but they’re also in there with Eurodance chillout merchants. When it goes wrong (‘Smooth Man’s Melody’) they’re as bad as St Etienne, and when they try to approach a more forthright sense of structure it’s a bit Nena’s second album, which isn’t as bad as you might expect, just less bewitching that their true glories.

They don’t do noise, put it that way. No DIY on a Sunday morning for this lot. Those shelf units can wait, while their heads loll in the clouds, and love songs need writing, in an inviting manner. You’ll find cute Western themes nagging at you with the elongated echoey guitar strains,  or some Mediterranean guitar warmth propping up the restful, often hazy vocals. What marks them out as very special indeed starts from the very first song, where musically they have you gripped with tendrils of the lightest vocal silk, and then a second, stronger, vocal refrain comes in and bathes you in pure aural luxury.

‘A Silent Love’ is shuffling whispers over nagging musical nuances, as the vocals get perkier and put and preen coquettishly across the percussive tincture of ‘Walking’ but it avoids getting doof-like. They abstain from unruliness. They are stately, they are idle. And it works, beautifully. Occasionally it’s just dull, as in the shitty ‘One Way Love’, or modern yet pointless, as their cover of Pink Floyd’s ‘Apples And Oranges’ demonstrates, but then again it can be whimsical and softly saucy, as with ‘Heute Nacht’ which sounds like the best song  Cibo Matto never wrote.

This isn’t a great album by any means, but it’s seriously good. I’ve played the bastard every week for over a month and there’s not many that inspire that much dedication.

Track list:
MY WORLD DEPENDS ON YOU
PINK
DAYS IN TIME
A SILENT LOVE
YOU LOVE HIM
WALKING
HEUTE NACHT
ONE WAY LOVE
APPLES AND ORANGES
SMOOTH MAN’S MELODY
LUCKY LIFE
THE SPACERIDER LEGEND

http://www.chandeen.com

Conspiracy
Electric Bitch (Artizone)
~reviewed by Uncle Nemesis

A debut EP from a new band based in the English midlands. Conspiracy are an electronic outfit who, the info-sheet tells me, take their influences from 'the raw energy of early UK gothic music'  filtered through 'post millennium electro beats and synth lines'. That's an intriguing description - the fact that Conspiracy don't seem to align themselves with the currently popular EBM scene, preferring instead to find a more individual way of referring to their music, immediately grabs my attention. And, in truth, Conspiracy don't sound anything like the kind of VNV-lite stuff which passes for cutting-edge electronica these days. They have their own sound and their own style, which does indeed have a certain old-skool feel.

'Electric Bitch' appears here in an original version and two remixes. It's a slinky little number, a sleazy red-light district of a song, with a  jaunty, bouyant, synth-line kicking it along, and a splendidly throbbing bottom end. It recalls such 80s sleazery as 'Living On Video' by Trans-X, or first-album Soft Cell. The vocals are very dry, very English, enunciated in classic half-disdainful, half-camp tones. I'm sure the singer delivers the line 'electric cream cheese' at one point. No, surely not, he must be singing the title-line of the song. Oh, well, it'll always be 'electric cream cheese' to me. Somehow, it fits.

Sure, you can find all sorts of reference points in Conspiracy's music, and guess at influences. Aside from the usual 80s-electronica suspects, I'm willing to bet the band are fans of Nekromantik's 1999 album 'Fairy Catcher'. (If Conspiracy are looking for a cover, might I suggest Nekromantik's 'Children Go Bang'?) But it's so unusual to find a band doing this kind of music today - electronic stuff that's *not* nailed down to a boring old four-on-the-floor, that has wit and humour and a singer who can deliver more than the stereotype apocalyptic bark - that they instantly stand out from the crowd.

There's a fourth track tacked on the end here - 'Solitude' - a slow and spooky melodrama, which sounds bizarrely like an out-take from David Bowie's 'Low' crossed with Specimen. It's appropriately OTT, and has no trouble punching its musical weight. This, I suspect, is an insight into Conspiracy's dark side, and hints that there's more to this band than just the bouncy stuff. I'll look forward to hearing more.

The tunestack:
Electric Bitch
Electric Bitch (Monosect remix)
Electric Bitch (Philtrator remix)
Solitude

The players:
John Murphy: Vocals, guitar, programming
Claire D.: Synths
Mark Barker: Synths

The website:  http://www.conspiracy.uk.com

Reviewed by Uncle Nemesis:  http://www.nemesis.to
 

Covenant
Northern Light
~reviewed by Anthony Flores (aka BlackOrpheus)
 
In the year 2003, we are challenged by the obvious need fortransformation and renewal. It takes mere moments for the media to barrage us with tragedy and humanity's ugliness. Ill equipped to process the shere magnitude of the daily "bad news," we retreat into our near impregnable fortresses of emotional unavailibility.
 
Music is that shining beacon atop the promontory of life, when daily existence is dashing us against the rocks of our own humanity. Covenant's new album NORTHERN LIGHT is just such a beacon. On the cover a man sits frozen in his chair, in an equally frozen environment. This could be symbolic of his association, but also his disconnectedness with his environment. He awaits the thaw of his reserve, with the full brilliance of this Northern Light.

I've listened repeatedly to this beautiful, disquieting album. I can't be complacent, I have to respond. I have to come down from my fortress and offer my hand once again. The world is not so big, that we can ever truly be alone. NORTHERN LIGHT, proved that this expressive and inspired band are feeling what I'm feeling. That gives me hope.

"Invisible&Silent" is a song worth commenting on as well. It is a song about endings. It alludes to the awkwardness experienced when it's all coming apart, when you feel so barren, desolate, and numb. One courageous part of you still hopes, but you are nearly resigned to seeing fate play out for you. It is a gem of exquisite melancholia.
 
"We Stand Alone" is the song that resonates most for me. It was one of the first singles, and has already become a frequent request on the dancefloor. The relentless beat punctuates lyrics that address the fear and uncertainty inherent in the time we live. And yet, it is defiant in its resolution to meet what comes, side by side, together. The writing is sublime, beautifully written.
 
"Winter Comes" is the last song I really need to mention. It conjures up images of stark, frozen landscapes. This imagery only serves to illustrate how we're feeling within. Winter is a metaphor for our emotional detachment, and coolness. The encroachment of Winter is unavoidable. We still live in a state of apprehension at the many changes it heralds.
 
NORTHERN LIGHT, the new album from Covenant, will be my album of the month. Covenant has already produced several fine albums. However, NORTHERN LIGHT is a near masterpiece of the fractured self, isolated and uncertain. The band hasn't abandoned those elements that lead them to success. Instead,  they have turned what feels like a very personal experience and exploration to their advantage. They have employed the music as a kind of catharsis in conflict resolution. This album illustrates the vulnerability, anguish, fear, hope, defiance and spirit that characterize our response to loss of security and innocense.

Track Listing:
01  Monochrome
02  Call The Ships To Port
03  Bullet
04  Invisible & Silent
05  Prometheus
06  We Stand Alone
07  Rising Sun
08  Winter Comes
09  We Want Revolution
10  Scared
11  Atlas

Covenant is: Joakim Montelius - Keyboards
             Eskil Simonsson - Vocals
             Clas Nachmanson - Keyboards

Official website: http://www.covenant.dk/

Web Site: WWW.Covenant.dk
         WWW.Metropolis-records.com

Dance On Glass
Daydreaming (Metal Mind)
~reviewed by Uncle Nemesis

Dance On Glass are a UK-based band, but this, their debut album, comes to us via the Polish label, Metal Mind. That's not such an illogical connection when you discover that the band's lead vocalist, Ania, was previously in the Polish band Battalion D'amour, and retains many connections with her home country.

The other principal member of Dance On Glass is Dave Blomberg, who is apparently also a member of New Model Army, although I couldn't find any reference to him on the NMA website. The rest of the band, as far as I can figure it out, comprises a 'floating' line-up which at present features ex-members of the Nephilim and Blyth Power. However, this album was recorded by Ania and Dave as a duo, which means that there are programs and sequences and electronics where human musicians would otherwise be heard. That's both an advantage and a disadvantage, because the resulting music features some rather neat electro-touches - but also occasionally sounds a bit too smooth and controlled. At times, the programmed beats 'n' sequences put a restrained, respectable gloss over everything, whereas if real musicians had been involved, I suspect they would've really let rip.

Still, for all that, it's good stuff - very assured, very professional. The title track, in particular, builds from an almost-ambient intro to a slice of slick, rhythmic, danceable, electro-rock. The guitar sound is big and bold and dominating - but drops out occasionally, to allow the electronics to carry the song along. That's an effective technique, and it gives the guitar all the more impact when it crashes back in. Ania's vocal seems to have been multi-tracked - there's an entire choir of Anias singing here, and that, too, is distinctive and effective. If Metal Mind are looking to lift a single from the album, this is the one.

Elsewhere, 'Dying So Slowly' is an impressive assemblage of electronic sounds, clattering menacingly under the vocal, creating an effect akin to a bleaker, blacker, Bjork. 'Sama' is a throbbing pulse over which a big rock guitar sound crashes down. 'Last Dance' begins like an acoustic ballad, of sorts, but it quickly changes mood when a pea-souper of a guitar riff descends on the song like a thick Atlantic fog.

'Anyway' isn't quite so effective: the bop-shuffle-bop-shuffle programmed beat is a little too weedy to do the song justice. It sounds like Dance On Glass have simply set up a preset and let it run for a while - and in this case the multi-tracked vocals remove a lot of the power from Ania's voice. She's a great singer, and on this song I think it was a mistake to bury her under layers of effects. This, I suspect, is one aspect of the band's sound which will be tweaked up a bit, as it were, when the full line-up of the band - with a human rhythm section - emerges in the near future, when Dance On Glass start playing live. The studio gloss, which is at times a little *too* glossy on this album, will be replaced by some welcome rough edges.

Oh, and there's also a cover of Depeche Mode's 'Never Let Me Down Again' which is a decent enough homage to the boys from Basildon, but ends rather anti-climactically with a long fade. I wish Dance On Glass had done something a little more adventurous with the track. The album wraps up with 'Taniec Na Szkle' which is, if my ears don't deceive me, a Polish version of 'Daydreaming'. Verdict? Good stuff, but I suspect the live version of Dance On Glass will show what the band can *really* do.

The tunestack:
Daydreaming
Flying
Delilah
Anyway
Dying So Slowly
Sama
Not Here
Last Dance
Never Let Me Down Again
Taniec Na Szkle

The players:
Ania Blomberg: Vocals, keyboards.
Dave Blomberg: Guitar, bass, programming, keyboards, backing vocals.

The website:  http://www.danceonglass.co.uk

Reviewed by Uncle Nemesis:  http://www.nemesis.to

DARK MUSE
SOUNDS FROM BEYOND THE SILVER WHEEL
(The Fossil Dungeon)
~reviewed by Mick Mercer

Oh, Dark Muse is Phyll, married to André, he of Nihil Communications. Theirs must be a weird record collection.

It’s an immaculate little work, in an equally supreme package from those reliable Fossil Dungeon people, and it fills your room with sounds that creep about at the halfway point between eerie and weary. It’s background music, which you can imagine your flat putting on to listen to when you go out, as it’s a bit delicate and all my crashing about in an ungainly fashion seems somewhat at odds with the grace of the skeletal music.

Phyll’s words, generally lost in the languid spread, are good, but it’s hard to see how you she imagines we actually follow their wispy travels. When I say languid, I don’t mean dreamlike. With her poetic intentions, the Muse in the name is obviously relevant but you’d never call this ethereal, or I wouldn’t, because of its stark simplicity. It’s a foggy form of modern classical, where orchestral resonances have been gutted.

Picking tracks is fairly pointless although ‘Certain Angst’ introduces us to the concept, of twittering percussion which slowly builds throughout the track and odd piped sounds of synth coming back to us, like whale song in sepulchral surrounds. The vocal input, such as it is, sounds like giggling ghosts if you fast-forward. In ‘Luna Flow’ imagine you’re walking alongside the sea when from the nearest large house the sound of a melancholic pianist is carried stoutly on the breeze. Or just think pastels on canvas and replace the visual with musical smears on CD. Muted, subtle shadows.

Are there any drawbacks to this puzzled beauty? It’s all so slow that you don’t feel drawn to investigate, you just let it move around you. I jotted down, ‘musical grey clouds shimmer above swaying black trees without leaves’ for ‘Once Amid A Dream’ and then checked some of her lyrics, and found shimmering and action above treetops included in the very next song! My psychic powers are evidently increasing. Be careful people, I’m dangerous! Therefore I can confidently state that were you to shrink yourself, then design a suit of armour inside a carriage clock, that is what ‘Silver Wheel Flow’ sounds like, and that if amoeba ever dance they could do so delightfully to ‘Disorder’, once the ugly bass note 23 seconds in is forgotten.

I hope that helps.

Tracks:
CERTAIN ANGST
CALM
LUNA FLOW (THE DEEP)
ONCE AMID A DREAM
SILVER WHEEL FLOW
DISORDER

Info – http://www.eyescreamjewelry.com already reviewed in my book, this is a cool jewellery site with a lovely gallery featuring superb artefacts – not just the usual subjects either, plus details of all the Dark Muse CDs – (eight in all, since 2000!!!!!!!)
Music – http://www.mp3.com/thedarkmuse
Label –  http://www.erols.com/tsbb/fdungeon
 

Elusive
Destination Zero
~reviewed by Matthew Heilman
 
Elusive is a new project that was formed by Tommy Olsson (ex-Theatre Of Tragedy) and Jan K. Barkved, once a member of Tristania.  While their metallic influences are not entirely abandoned, Elusive is a pretty direct attempt at guitar-driven Gothic Rock.  With buzz suggesting similarities to The Mission, Sisters, and the Nephilim, not to mention the fact that these two guys did spring from two of the better and trend setting bands of Gothic Metal, I had high hopes for this disc.
 
Though the catchy verses and shimmering guitar work encompassing the opening track “Last Night” does pay homage to The Mission, my personal opinion is that other press comparisons to such Goth Rock giants is unjustified.  There really isn’t anything ‘elusive’ about these guys – at their best, their sound can be described as nostalgic moody alternative and at their dullest, straightforward dark rock that unabashedly lifts most of its tricks straight from the Sisters’ “Vision Thing” CD.
 
The band’s press release boasts: “At a time when rock (and Goth rock in particular) has been pronounced dead several times, these guys are far from out of ammunition!”  Truthfully, I think they need to reload.  I am somewhat puzzled as to what Elusive and other current bands jumping the same train are doing to ‘help’ Goth Rock.  Most of this is far too slick, and seems built more upon a foundation of commercial 80s pop or early 90s hard rock rather than the anxious rawness of post-punk.  Why so many bands chose to try and recreate Andrew Eldritch’s peppy swansong, is beyond me.  At the time, “Vision Thing” was good for what it was – but it is not a sound that properly characterizes Goth Rock. It was a driving hard rock sound that mysteriously worked for the Sisters (depending upon whom you ask), but imitation is not the surest form of flattery. Though nostalgia for the 80s is quite the rage in many circles, this kind of music is not necessarily what we’re missing.
 
But only about half of this CD would I readily dismiss.  There are some rather sneakily impressive qualities that will keep the CD from being pawned at my next trip to CD Warehouse.  What are present on this disc are memorable hooks, impressive melodies, some decent guitar riffing, punchy drum programs, and a pretty good vocalist whose voice shares a close resemblance to Rosetta Stone’s Porl King.
 
What could be improved is the lyrical content (though it is not nearly as dreadful as some other recent examples that spring to mind). The intensity and depth of mood could stand to be taken up a notch or two, and I would like to just see the band go a little bit…deeper.  What is just outright missing here is originality and variety.  But the biggest flaw in Elusive’s technique is that though a handful of the songs contain some interesting and noteworthy arrangements for the verses (especially “Tomorrow Gone” and “The Circle Never Ends”), the overstated pop choruses are taxing and disruptive to whatever engrossing atmosphere that might have had the potential to flourish.
 
Elusive is best when they give in to their melancholy, even if the pathos is as exaggerated as it is in the hidden track “Susannah,” (which sounds oddly familiar, but if it is a cover, I have no idea who originally did it). They will improve if they allow themselves to further explore their darker and more sedate sides, and perhaps instead of trying to rock out with attitude, they might need to smash things up and try to scare us a bit.  Scary bands are much more admirable than bands that try to strike a ‘cool’ pose. While a few of these tracks do not immediately offer anything striking, I noticed after a few listens, you do warm to some of them.
 
Nothing spectacular, but a lukewarm effort that is not without its merits. At this stage of the game, Elusive lack the edge they need to really succeed as a convincing Goth Rock act.  But who knows what the future holds…

Track List:
1.) Last Night
2.) System Breakdown
3.) The Circle Never Ends
4.) Tomorrow Gone
5.) Pantheon
6.) Lonely Satellite
7.) Gemini
8.) Asylum
9.) Shadow Dance

Elusive is:
Jan K. Barkved – vocals
Tommy Olsson – guitars, programming
Morten Veland – additional guitars
K. Olsson – additional drums
J.E. Steinsto – additional keyboards

Elusive – Official Site:
http://www.elusive.no

Pandaimonium Records:
http://www.pandaimonium.com
 

HEXETANZ
The Sabbat Comes Softly
(The Fossil Dungeon - limited edition of 500 – vinyl)
~reviewed by Mick Mercer

It’s so long since I have listened to some vinyl that I first had to crack open the lid to the record player, as there was candle wax all down the front, which can serve as a lesson to us all. When I did then take out the single it’s on that seriously heavyweight vinyl which is close in density of acetates. Scary!

Hexetanz is a collaboration between members of The Soil Bleeds Black and Psychonaut 75 combine to bring you what they believe to be an expression of mythic sorcerous and witchcraft-related images steeped in true medieval mystery and creepiness, so you probably already have a basic idea of what this is going to sound like. Bleak, windblown atmospherics are enlivened by less than melodic singing, and an atmosphere designed to curdle the stomach lining settles everywhere.

Funnily enough, I’d just finished watching an appallingly cheap film about some Welsh pagan lunatic who wanted to re-take the country and instil in it once again the original culture. This necessitated human sacrifice and lots of unconvincing people done up in body paint looking like Burning Man participants. Stranger still, they got away with their murders and continued on their merry way of siring special children to eventually meet their doom in rites of degradation. Ah well, win some, lose some.

‘The Sabbath’ is echoes, shadows, impressively vocal rasping about spirits and going along splendidly when a funny kink in the vinyl kicked in and became unintentionally extra-dramatic, until I realised the stylus needed moving. They stick to a basic pattern rather than any actual rhythm, and it isn’t harsh like ear-pounding ambient, but selective and illustrative. It also isn’t pleasant.

Forget Burning Man and think Wicker Man, as ‘Charivari’ has that queasiness shot through it, producing a cross between a madrigal of menace and nightmares over playing the recorder in music lessons at junior school.

On the second side they opt for basic samples and curiously swelling mood music, after which they relent and introduce more conventional rhythm, plus fairly winsome vocals, but the overall impression remains one of tough, sparse sounds. It’s a fairly barren experience and wholly convincing, but it’s definitely an acquired taste.

THE SABBATH COMES SOFTLY
CHARIVARI
OSCULUM INFAME
ASMODEUS RISE

The Soil Bleeds Black  http://www.erosl.com/tsbb
Psyconaut 75 – http://www.infernalhorde.com/psychonaut
The Fossil Dungeon  http://www.erols.com/tsbb/fdungeon
 

Hypnoskull
Operation Tough Guy!
~reviewed by Saint Petrol

This ain't no disco.  This ain't no rich white kids with turntables, throwing out terms they read in a magazine somewhere, and calling themselves names that boil down to the equivalent of DJ Hardcore Trevor or DJ Molokai Dakota Love.  Those people annoy the waste product out of me; Hypnoskull is not those people.

Those of you who already know about this sort of thing will yawn at this part of the review, but for those of you who don't know, Northern Europe has a long tradition of very aggressive, very mind-blowing electronic music.  The beats per minute on some of it is really enough to make your ears bleed and your brain explode.  It's unbelievable. Hypnoskull comes from this tradition.  If you think you're gonna  throw this on and drop some acid and dance around happily, well,  see you in hell.

There is nothing quite so satisfying to me as to hear all the pretention that has taken over jungle, break beats, industrial, and techno, be  blown all to gore with deconstruction, reconstruction and irreverence. If I had to encapsulate it for you, I'd say it's like Skinny Puppy,  infused with bits of all of the above and gabbercore, and then exploded with plastique, all over some abandoned K-Mart parking lot.

There's also an insectual quality to this music that is delightfully disturbing.  I've a friend who once had a cockroach crawl into his ear as he slept.  He awoke feeling half mad, as he could feel the legs struggling furiously; and all the clicking and hissing took over his brain until he got the cursed thing out of his head.  This is an apt and affectionate allegorical description of listening to Hypnoskull's Operation Tough Guy!  Not to be missed.

Track Listing:
1.)  And Here I Stay
2.)  Operation Tough Guy (Reprise)
3.)  Technothrill
4.)  D.E.A.D. Track 2002
5.)  On&On!
6.)  Biotech Brainkillers (Deconstructed)
7.)  Operation Tough Guy
8.)  Stainless Steel Stereo Equipped Animals
9.)  Ready to Scream, Ready to Die!
10.)  Schaltlabor Zentral
11.)  No Man, You're Not Right Man
12.)  We Know It All- We Know All
13.)  Rock & Roll Into Your Electronic
14.)  The Deleted Scans Of Hidden Territories
15.)  What We Are What We Do
16.)  Dirtfunk Slam
17.)  Everything Is Operationable
18.)  Prophesies Of The Hidden Agenda
19.)  One Thousand 979 Tales Of The Dark City
20.)  Operation Tough Guy, But We'll Be Back

Hypnoskull is Patrick Stevens.

Released through ant-zen, via Soleilmoon Recordings in the U.S.
ant-zen: http://www.ant-zen.com/act/act134.htm
Soleilmoon Recordings:  http://www.soleilmoon.com
 

In Gowan Ring
Hazel Steps Through A Weathered Home
~reviewed by Matthew Heilman
 
In Gowan Ring is the musical vision of a lone composer/conductor that calls himself B’eirth and “Hazel Steps Through A Weathered Home” is his latest and fourth release.  I have long heard about this project, but have only now had the pleasure to finally hear one of his releases.  With frequent comparisons to Backworld, Sol Invictus, and Current 93, In Gowan Ring has long been of interest to fans of apocalyptic folk music.  While I am not sure what B’eirth’s earlier releases sounded like, this particular CD is much mellower and not quite as dark as the aforementioned bands.  The resultant style is still deeply moody and quite fulfilling, and because of its stronger similarities with traditional folk music, it achieves a much broader appeal.
 
B’eirth’s delicate compositions are quiet and tranquil pieces of minimalist folk, revolving around lightly finger picked acoustic guitars and soft, fragile male vocals that slightly recall Roger Waters during the very early stages of Pink Floyd.  Lush passages of violin and cello are coupled with mournful horns and airy flute segments to create a gorgeous chamber orchestra on many of the album’s tracks.  Light percussion underlies a few of the songs, demonstrated best in the unique rolling drums that propel the lilting title track forward, while waves of brooding cello weave in beautifully between slithering slide guitars and hypnotic arpeggios.  The poignant “Kingdom of the Shades” has an almost lullaby-ish quality to it, as a hypnotic synthesis of plucked harp, spidery guitar picking, and descending flute scales swirl in a downward spiral of melodious sound.  A steadier dirge-like rhythm and stark pangs of cittern lie at the heart of “A Poet’s Lyre,” my personal favourite track on this disc.  Hypnotic back-up vocal work and eerie harmonies appear throughout “Wind That Cracks The Leaves,” helping the song standout with a more textured and multi-layered effect.  And finally, B’eirth is accompanied by sweetly languid piano for the album’s closing piece, coincidentally entitled “Two Towers” (however, the song’s composition pre-dated the tragedies of September 11th).
 
The intensely personal music of In Gowan Ring has an unmistakably timeless quality to it.  These songs are rich with simple yet highly affective melodies and striking arrangements that spirit the listener to a solemn Renaissance court or to the lonely wood of a traveling minstrel and his band of heavy-hearted wanderers.  This is an eloquent and refined release, marked by class and genuine musicianship.  Charming and emotionally stirring, “Hazel Steps Through A Weathered Home” is a remarkably affective collection of organic music that is a must for fans of folk, ethereal, and the direct, soul-bearing honesty of singer-songwriters.

Track List:
1.) Orb Weavers
2.) Hazel Steps
3.) The Seer and the Seen
4.) Kingdom of the Shades
5.) Morning’s Waking Dream
6.) A Poet’s Lyre
7.) Wind That Cracks The Leaves
8.) Two Towers

In Gowan Ring is:
B’eirth – composer, conductor: guitar, cittern, harp

Special Guests:
Annabel Lee (Alraune, Amber Asylum) – violin, viola
Michael Moynihan (Blood Axis) – bodhran
Philip & Gayle Neuman (De Orgonographia, O.R.B.) – alto and tenor sackbut
Margie Wienk (Eyesores, Fern Knight, Iditarod) on violincello

In Gowan Ring – Official Site (not updated):
http://www.bluesanct.com/bands/igr/index.html

In Gowan Ring – Info:
http://www.ingowanring.com/FRONTPAGE.HTML

Blue Sanct Records:
http://www.bluesanct.com

Buy it from:
Strange Fortune: http://www.strangefortune.com
or: Middle Pillar: http://www.middlepillar.com

Joboj
X
~reviewed by Eric Rasmussen

Joboj knows how to pace an album: fast. X is the latest instrumental release from everybody's favorite L.A. based Nyquil addict, Joboj. And when X kicks off, you'll know it. The first two tracks keep the tempo hot and heavy with rapid percussion, groovy rock riffs, and manic guitar leads. By the time you make it to the third track, you might be too dizzy to notice the surfin' rock guitars that Joboj sneaks into the mix.

If I sound a bit disoriented, it's because I've made the mistake of writing while listening to X. After hearing the first three songs, you'll be disoriented too. Joboj understands the key to intensity, which is slowing down once in a while. The fourth song, "Condiment Bomb", is a testament to that fact. It opens with some clean jazzy guitars and a nice melody, taking its time to build into some really frenzied lead guitars that are bewildering and impressive all at once.

I'm pacing this review the way X goes, so now that I've thrown a bunch of information at you, let's take a step back and ask a much needed question: just who is this mysterious palindrome? Unless you're a fan of instrumental guitar albums, you might think you've never heard Joboj. Amazingly enough, his music has been played on a variety of VH-1 and MTV shows. Chances are you've inadvertently heard him at one point or another. Much like the similarly wacky Bumblefoot, Joboj exists inside and outside of the mainstream in some bizarre paradox that only applies to lunatic guitarists.

Getting back to the album, the fun certainly doesn't stop at the fourth track. X also features two trip-hop/electronica tracks, "Zero" and "Tryptophen Junkie." These songs are both laid back and melodic. But when I say something like "laid back" in regards to Joboj, we're not talking about easy listening. The percussion maintains a quick beat over the relatively peaceful guitars. The effect-laden lead guitar has a sort of loose, meandering quality, but the song never loses its focus. "Blackthumb" is another calm track, this time with a classical-ish acoustic intro and an excellent chorus that mixes acoustic strumming, a powerful bass line, and a catchy melody. "Screaming Chicken" finishes things off the way they started - with a high-octane groove and manic lead guitars.

I could spend a long time discussing each track, or I could just tell you that Joboj knows how to write a good tune. He successfully blends groovy rock, surfin' sounds, electronica, crazy guitar soloing, and tranquil melodies into one of the best guitar-oriented CDs I've heard recently. If you're in need of a comparison, one might say Joboj is a more diverse and groovy Buckethead, or perhaps a heavier and more manic Bumblefoot. X is the kind of album that you can set to repeat for hours without getting bored. What else can I say? It comes highly recommended. Be sure to visit http://www.mp3.com/joboj/ to give the man a much deserved listen.

Track List:
1) Chest Compression v.6
2) X
3) Vulcanized Rubberneck
4) Condiment Bomb
5) Zero
6) Blackthumb
7) Bitch
8) Stool
9) Tryptophen Junkie
10) Uniblab
11) Killjoy... Warp Speed
12) Screaming Chicken

Joboj is...
Joboj - everything

Official Site:
http://www.gtrbque.com

Legendary Pink Dots
All The King's Horses
~reviewed by Saint Petrol

I feel sick.  See, in art school, we were always being asked to think about if art imitates life or life imitates art and all that bosh.  I prefer Alan Watts' answer to the "chicken and the egg" question.  He said the chicken *is* the egg.  The reason I feel sick is that All The King's Horses begins with a terribly Sept. 11th, space-shuttle-Columbia sort of song, and the song was written in early 2001, long before either of those fateful days.  The chicken is the egg, and it cannot be put back together again.

The song I refer to is called, "The Unlikely Event", in which a man is on a plane that is crashing.  He decides to call his wife to say goodbye, and gets her voicemail.  'Talk about your existential angst.  But this is an LPD album.  This is no flailing about for the sake of flailing about. Grief and screaming have their wisdoms and their hopes.  There is always a still point in the fury, and All The King's Horses comes from that place.

As reticent as Edward Ka-Spel has always been about including lyrics on LPD albums, I'm glad he conceded to do so on this one. For me, it adds a depth to the work that'd always gone missing. I'm sorry, Edward.  I'm one of those goofy reader/listeners. Blame it on the Beatles.  Anyway.  The lyrics are beautiful to see, and when I think on them, I see the white matter streaming forth from the black hole of All The King's Horses.

The music here is apocalyptic-folksy.  Simply beautiful. 'Reminds me of Current93 circa Swastikas For Noddy, but of course with Niels and a more electronic sound mixed in. Yes, it's a sad-sounding album.  Yes, it deals with sad things. Yes, there is no meaning, no Santa Claus, no hope; yes, there is beauty; reason to keep breathing.  Just listen to the music.

Track Listing:
1.)  The Unlikely Event
2.)  The Way I Feel Today
3.)  12th
4.)  Our Dominion
5.)  Chain Surfing
6.)  Just Wave
7.)  It's The Real Thing
8.)  A Bargain At Twice The Price
9.)  Daisy
10.)  Birdie
11.)  Lisa Goes Surfing
12.)  Wax and Feathers

On this album, the Legendary Pink Dots are:
Martijn de Kleer: Guitars, violin, bass, percussion, mandolin.
Niels van Hoorn: Saxophones, electric wind instruments, flute, bass clarinet, the Silverman keyboards, electronics.
Edward Ka-Spel: Voice, keyboard.

Released on Soleilmoon Recordings: http://www.soleilmoon.com
Legendary Pink Dots site:  http://www.brainwashed.com/lpd/

MACHINIST NOISE ASSAULT
Architectural Wasteland
~reviewed by Mick Mercer

Brandon Malzahn is a one-man electronic army, with his keyboards unruly, and his quaking mind filled with artistic visions. This is the third, or fourth (his site being confusing), of six full albums. He operates betwixt the smouldering ashes of Industrial and Ambient, as he moulds murk, and lurks in mould. He is the modern sound of Youth + Computers = Varying Levels Of Pretension.

I like it! And it isn’t just me, because ginger cats, I can exclusively reveal, like it too. Reviewing it at Lynda’s her oldest cat Sam jumped from the airing cupboard where he had been contemplating the black mass set in a building site which is ‘Parasitic Symbiosis’ coming up through the floor towards him, and then raced into the front room to enjoy ‘Television’ with its pottering Fad Gadget-lite electronics. Mind you, Sammy is old enough to remember SPK. The far younger Toffee sauntered in, attracted by ‘Relaxative’ hoping the duff was about to become doof, only to be disappointed and turn away, muttering something I didn’t quite catch about Throbbing Gristle. Then there he sat, facing the fire with the perfect, haughty demeanour of one who treasures Experimental Music . You know the type. If you say you find it interesting but wouldn’t buy it they study you pityingly, because Only They Know what Real Music Is. (On a point of interest, Toffee’s head, when viewed from behind, resembles that of an owl.)

People like Brandon doubtless have their heroes from the Experimental and Industrial world, and collect records most of us would happily throw further than we’ve ever thrown anything in our lives - BUT…in ‘Isolthalamus’ Brandon creates real magic at the beginning and you should be seriously impressed, because he’s cracked it. He can do the right stuff, but he also wanders through the meaningless maze of modern light Industrial where it’s kick in with a rhythm then make funny noises. He made me laugh with ‘Television (Bedtime)’ as the noises were extremely amusing, and I liked the way ‘Glass Shards’, with just a light dusting of guitar wiggled furiously, then eleven and a half minutes of ‘Requiem For A Daydrea,’ tended not to be even remotely ambient or experimental, but beautiful and sonorous.

The guy has talent. I’m just not sure he knows what to do with it, or this album would have had a central focus. Instead it has eyesight worthy of a drunken mole.

Tracks:
PARASITIC SYMBIOSIS
TELEVISION (Just Add Nauseum)
ISOTHALAMUS
THE TREES ARE MALFUNCTIONING
RELAXATIVE
TELEVISION (Bedtime)
GLASS SHARDS
REQUIEM FOR A DAYDREAM

http://www.mentalwaste.com/
(Don’t miss http://www.mentalwaste.com/Staffduty.html)
 

Malevolent Creation
The Will To Kill
~reviewed by Matthew Heilman
 
From the opening guttural rallying cry instructing listeners to “Attack!” – you know what to expect.  Malevolent Creation is among the elite when it comes to the death metal genre.  They have been around for years, and are one of the few bands that fans can consistently count upon to deliver traditional death metal without any of the extraneous and wasted melodicism that permeates the majority of leading ‘epic’ metal acts today.  Sometimes, I think, people just need some heavy aggressive music – simple, violent, and straight up stuff that doesn’t need to be analyzed or absorbed.  Hardcore and Nu Metal are often too preachy and brandish a kind of arrogant testosterone, so that often doesn’t hit the spot.  Death metal does.  It is just something to crank up loudly when your neighbor’s kids piss you off or when you jump into your car and you need to get somewhere quick.  Malevolent Creation provides this essential kind of suburban weapon and an appropriate diversion to vent your anger.
 
While my musical tastes have been changing drastically over the past year, I firmly believe that there will always be apart of me that will respond to certain aspects of death metal, especially when it is performed with an honest and genuine conviction.  While I remain thoroughly disenchanted by the slick pomposity of current melodic and progressive metal bands, and I just can’t stomach the adolescent occultism of black metal, I am still moved to nod my head, stomp my foot, and thrash out to death metal.  Probably because it doesn’t aspire to be something that it is not and overreach its boundaries, it is still one hundred percent true to its roots, it does not compromise, and it is a genre that does not seek to elevate or align itself with current trends.  It just is.  Take it or leave it. The formula for death metal is to just bludgeon the senses and rattle the skeletal frames of its listeners.   As long as people are pissed off, there will always be a place for death metal.  And though the formula for this music has been around for almost two decades, it still can sound fresh and interesting when executed by skillful musicians that no how to balance primitive viciousness with technicality.
 
With that said, there are of course bad imitations and bands that miss the point.  But whatever primal connection I have with this music, Malevolent Creation’s latest and tenth release, as I expected, strikes the appropriate chords and that leads me to believe that it will be a massive hit with fans that hold this genre even closer to their angst-ridden hearts.
 
The vocals of death metal singers admittedly always sound rather dated and somewhat ludicrous – I mean, a grown man singing like a bear is somewhat silly when you really start thinking about it.  But when it comes to this genre, I usually tune out the vocals and hone in on the music. The vocals here are not so bad or distracting that they prevent the listener from doing just that.  They eventually mesh in with the music so well as to sound like nothing more than another instrument that successfully accentuates the rhythmic aspects of the music.
 
The bottom heavy guitars chug along with an admirable depth and a warm, encompassing fullness.  The blast beat drumming is precise while the slower more rhythmic moments plod along with a militant fury.   Despite the requisite brutality one can expect from Malevolent Creation and their ilk, there are indeed some memorable moments of melody provided by the dueling guitars – no these moments are not pretty, moving, or that atmospheric, but there are several hooks to be found in the guitar work throughout the album, best exemplified in tracks like “With Murderous Precision” and “Rebirth Of Terror.”
 
So the final verdict here is that Malevolent Creation’s latest is a quality death metal release.  Whatever readers we have that are fans of death metal, I recommend you check into this. There is no deep message, no thought-provoking lyrics, just energetic, foreboding, and intense music that is quality all the way.

Track List:
1.) The Will To Kill
2.) Pillage And Burn
3.) All That Remains
4.) With Murderous Precision
5.) Lifeblood
6.) Assassin Squad
7.) Rebirth of Terror
8.) Superior Firepower
9.) Divide and Conquer
10.) Burnt Beyond Recognition
11.) The Cardinal’s Law

Malevolent Creation is:
Kyle Symons
Phil Fasciana
Rob Barrett
Gordon Sims
Ariel Alvarado

Malevolent Creation – Official Site:
http://malevolentcreation.cjb.net/

Malevolent Creation – Mp3 Site:
http://www.mp3.com/malevolentcreation

Arctic Music Group:
http://www.arcticmusicgroup.com
 

Malory
Outerbeats
~reviewed by Kevin Filan

The best music is both timely and timeless.  It echoes the best of its era, yet transcends the commonplace and the trendy.  At its best "Outerbeats," the latest release by German outfit Malory, meets that high standard.  Variously evoking artrock, psychedelia, shoegazer, ambient/chill and Ethereal, "Outerbeats" never settles into one easy pigeonhole.  It is the work of accomplished musicians who are familiar with several genres, yet who are never merely imitative.

In place of the bleep-whoosh synth sound we've all come to know and tolerate, keyboardist Jorg Kahler gives us grand harmonies reminiscent of the mellotron.  "Lake of Doubts (Maladon Remix)" and "Painted Dreams" reminded me of the Moody Blues and early King Crimson, minus the pomposity and the  pretensious lyrics.  Both would have been standouts on a 70s Krautrock album. "Xirius Polar Station," on the other hand, would fit in nicely in any Ambient/Chill DJs set.  A slow, pretty guitar shimmers above a keyboard wash, then gives way to  tasteful drum/bass interplay from Sven Ziesche and Jorg Jakel.  "The Choice You Have" and "I Can't Stand" are smoother, cleaner Shoegazer, while the standout tracks "Space in your Mind" and "Deja Vu" are tasty slices of neopsychedelia.

Malory's vocals are exceptional.  Jorg Kahler's smooth tenor and Jordis Marschner's sweet soprano combine for harmonies which are greater than the sum of their parts.  Alas, Jordis has since left the band.  Her replacement, Daniela Neuhauser, makes her debut on "Falling Shine."  Neuhauser is a superb vocalist -- but her lovely, ethereal wisp of a voice tends to get lost amidst the three-guitar-and-keyboard background.  This is more a problem with production than anything else: bringing Neuhauser's soft Mazzy Star-esque singing to the forefront is no mean feat, particularly in a lushly instrumental band like Malory.  Still, this is a minor quibble, and I suspect that they will have those bugs sorted out by their next release.

Malory's music is leisurely but rarely meandering.  Much of the credit for this goes to drummer Jorg Jakel.  His steady hand is particularly evident in "The Choice You Have" and "Argo Night Shuttle."  To see what an important role he plays in the band, one need only listen to "Three Elements (Wanatu Remix)."  While it's a nice enough song, and danceable (or "twirl-about-like-you're-changing-a-light-bulb-able", as the case may be), it really never takes off.  The electronic drums keep the beat, but they're no substitute for the real thing.

I took a while to review "Outerbeats:" I couldn't find it.  My girlfriend listened to this CD once and fallen in love with it.  It went into her heavy rotation list, providing the soundtrack for her morning's commute into the city... and, once I finished reviewing it, I suspect it will go back into her "Bag O'Subway CDs."  If you buy this CD, I suspect that you too will find yourself listening to it over and over... and, if you have a domestic partner, you may want to buy two copies.

Jorg Kahler: Vocals, guitar, programming
Jordis Marschner: Vocals
Sven Ziesche: Bass
Jorg Jakel: Percussion
Daniel Hammer: Guitar, programming
Daniela Neuhauser: Vocals on "Falling Shine"
Katja Ziesche: Vocals and Lyrics on "Three Elements"

All songs written and performed by Malory

Clairecords Webpage
http://www.clairecords.com

Malory homepage
http://www.malory-music.com

The Maschine Made Flesh
Order
~review by Kevin Filan

Pittsburgh multimedia artist Jacob Ross combines his love for industrial music, anime and science fiction in one slick and disturbing package.  Order is the first chapter of "SubTerra," a novel-length animated project which features music from his experimental-electronic outfit The Maschine Made Flesh and shockwave animations.  Alas, I was unable to open the animations on either my Windoze machine or my PowerMac... and so I'm forced to judge Mr. Ross's musical efforts on their own.  Thankfully, this was a pleasant task: this maiden voyage of The Maschine Made Flesh is promising and shows real talent, albeit with some room for improvement.

Ross lists bands like Frontline Assembly, Skinny Puppy, and NIN as major influences.  This helps to explain the distorted screams underlying "Deformist" and "Defective."  Alas, all these electronic treatments are more bug than feature.  Ross is obviously a creative individual who enjoys working with synthesizers and graphic design programs: I'd like to hear what he has to say, and suspect his words are interesting enough to stand on their own without electronic aid.

I'd also like to see Ross edit his work a bit more.  Many of these songs are a bit overlong.  At 5'54", "Omen" might have worked better at 5' or even at 4'30".  The songs frequently have powerful openings (I particularly liked the skewed Asianesque introduction to "Defective") and strong closings, but sag a bit in the middle.  Noise artists must edit their work ruthlessly, lest they land on the wrong side of the fine line between "challenging" and "self-indulgent."  Ross has a solid, if twisted, sense of melodic hooks, and should have no problem with this in later releases.

This is not your standard 4/4 industrial/EBM release.  Ross's creative use of beat boxes shines throughout this EP. The interesting syncopations of "Omen" and "Deformist" pave the way for the closing track, "Recombine."  Jangly blips and bleeps join together in a tenuous circus rhythm, which gains in intensity until it becomes a powerful noise track which sounds like something out of a childhood nightmare.  Ross also shows some skill with a keyboard.  The smooth-with-a-twist dance cut "This Revelation" reminded me of Mahavishnu-era Jan Hammer.

As he matures as an artist, I suspect Ross will gain greater confidence in his abilities.  At present, he occasionally relies on unnecessary studio trickery. "This Revelation" is quite strong enough as a keyboard track; the standard-issue distorted vocals and faster-than-light beatbox don't really add anything. I'd also like to see him expand his horizons.  On his webpage, he says he wants to create music which bears "little resemblence to the "Four on the floor" techno-industrial heard in danceclubs."  Yet much of this EP is standard EBM/industrial, stuff that NIN and Skinny Puppy did a decade ago.  Looking at his illustrations, I'm guessing that Ross is familiar with Japanese Anime.  I'd recommend he start checking out some of the Japanese noise bands, like Merzbow or the work of Keiji Haino.

Overall, Order is a solid EBM/industrial release, and The Maschine Made Flesh is a solid EBM/industrial unit.  I'm hoping that "Chaos," Ross's second release, will fulfill the promise I've seen here.  If this review has appeared critical, it's only because there's room for improvement AND the potential for improvement.  This release is good: I'm hoping that five years from now Ross is going to be making stuff that's great.

1) Omen
2) Deformist
3) Defective
4) This Revelation
5) Recombine

All content (c) and (P) 2001 dogSolitude_9, Jacob R.Ross
http://www.dogsol9.com
 

Molly Zenobia
Wind Chains
~reviewed by Anthony Flores aka BlackOrpheus

[Pregnant pause]... Can I just say I've made a most serendipitous discovery. I was just sitting here clearing my plate of waiting reviews, when I pick up this cd "Wind Chains" by Molly Zenobia. Intriguing album cover of a fair, dark haired girl staring back at me through a filter of blue. It almost looks post-mortem...She certainly "looks" goth.
 
Intrigued, I slide the disc into my player. A brief flourish of an electro intro, before the piano and yes, the voice is introduced. This is an old voice, a lived in voice. She could very well be channeling long dead songstresses of the golden age of Jazz and Blues. She possesses an old worldliness, and a new world edginess that makes for an irresistable combination. Her piano is a living, breathing extension of her already more than adequate means of expression. It breathes, swells, moans, and weeps. I'm tempted to compare her to artists I already know and love, as a means of reference. However, Molly Zenobia deserves more than comparisons. She is doubtless influenced, and yet still an original that will only grow more so with time. She may not be "goth" by popular definition. But, I've always held to the idea that goth is a view of the world and feelings that spring from that unique view, that differentiate one from the masses living at life's surface.. And so, I embrace this dark hued music as the familiar messanger of my own heart. Below are just a few favorites off an album by no means spare in exquisite offerings.

FROZEN - Is the opening track on this disc, and it writhes in the exposure of a wound, still raw. Drawn to and repelled by one another, how can love prevail against the defenses and inconsistency of emotional unavailibility? If it's going to happen, it's got to happen soon. "Frozen" is a particularly effective lament and plea in one.

PORCUPINE - is a smokey, lilting inventory of a love life, perhaps. I read porcupine, as an aka for prick. The possibilities aren't inspiring, but she is conscious of the fact that her own investment in these "pricks" isn't that serious. She doesn't know any more about her own expectations, than they do about fulfilling them..."I'm walking, I'm talking, I can't see where I'm going." This is a frequent replay, great song!

FADE - Zenobia's voice opens this chiller up, and then her piano chimes in, in assent. It is another moving lullaby of loss and regret. She struggles with the recurrent theme of two lives passing and never meeting, strangers in the night. It is short, but it says what I've found her to say all to articulately.

As I close out this sojourn with Molly Zenobia, I'd like to encourageany lover of piano, vocals, and great song writing to delve into thisdeep, still, and still disturbing well. This is thoughtful, meditative music, cloth cut from the coat of all our experience.

Track Listings
1. Frozen
2. Porcupine
3. Whirlpool
4. Mermaids
5. Porcelain
6. Hello
7. Bubblegum
8. Paper Clip
9. Tombstone
10. Lullabee
11. King Aeolus
12. Fade
13. Silent Spring
14. Night Light

Web Site: MollyZenobia.Com
 

Myrkur
Transitions Without Light (Self-released CD-R)
~reviewed by Uncle Nemesis

Myrkur tell us they play 'Gothic Electronic Metal'. This touch-all-bases term seems to boil down to a basic brand of drum-machine driven rock, built around heavy-heavy-heavy guitar riffing and effect-laden, half-chanted vocals. This CD-R gives us four slices of the band's musical formula, and although there are odd bursts of promise, by and large it serves more as a showcase for the band's limitations rather than their strengths.

'Circle In The Snow' is essentially just a big rhythm 'n' riff workout which never quite resolves itself into a song. 'Song 1b' is faster, the synthesised hi-hat ticking away like a crazed clockwork toy, while the guitars chug-chug along and the vocal is chanted out in a curious cod-American accent. Odd, that, since the three members of the band hail from the agreeable English counties of Devon and Hampshire. It all sounds a bit ersatz to my ears: the band are trying to do something that doesn't come naturally to them. The production is resolutely bedroom-standard throughout, which is a bit of a let-down. It's possible to create a far better quality of sound than this, even in a DIY home-studio environment (which is, I assume, how Myrkur record).

'Wasted On You' has a jittery, lo-fi, electro-rhythm of the sort which would've been hailed as innovative and radical...in about 1978. I don't know whether this is Myrkur's attempt to go for a bit of retro-industrial kudos - maybe they're genuinely inspired by old-skool Cabaret Voltaire, although the doom-metal riffing which rumbles bad-temperedly in the background of this song suggests otherwise. The vocals here are essentially a rap, and the overall effect of these disparate elements is rather curious. In a funny sort of way, this is the best track here, although I suspect the fact that it sort-of works is more due to accident than design. It's as if Myrkur have thrown random ingredients into a saucepan, and unexpectedly cooked up something that tastes quite good.

The CD wraps up with a cover of Orchestral Manouevres In The Dark's vintage hit,  'Joan Of Arc', which is actually rather fun. The strengths of OMD's songwriting - that nagging pop hook, that build-up-and-break-down chorus - are noticably superior to Myrkur's own talents in this direction. 'Joan Of Arc' is a *song*, and Myrkur's own excursions into riff-and-chant territory seem simplistic and ham-fisted by comparison. Perhaps it was rather unwise of Myrkur to include this cover, since it throws their own songs into a somewhat unflattering relief. Having said that, the fact that it *is* a cover is not acknowledged anywhere on the CD sleeve or accompanying info-sheet. Naughty!

The tunestack:
Circle In The Snow
Song 1b (Obsession Song)
Wasted On You
Joan Of Arc

The players:
Graham Barter: Vocals and programming
Simon Boyes: Bass
Lee Harris: Guitar

The website:  http://www.myrkur.com

Reviewed by Uncle Nemesis:  http://www.nemesis.to

Negative Creeps
In Uterus Rebirth
~reviewed by Eric Rasmussen

Negative Creeps say they play Satancore, an unholy mix of thrash/nu/black/death metal. That's one way to look at it. The other way to look at it is that Negative Creeps play thrash metal. In fact, they sound remarkably like old Meshuggah. The even more remarkable thing about the resemblance is that old Meshuggah sounded remarkably like Metallica. Does anyone know what we get when we add 'remarkable imitations' that many times?

The answer may not be pretty. In Uterus Rebirth is something we've already heard. Twice. And I mean that in a very specific way. First we heard James Hetfield shouting over some good ol' bay area thrash. Then we heard Jens Kidman give his impressive Hetfield imitation over a Swedish version of bay area thrash. Finally, we've got Makis Kanakaris of Negative Creeps sounding just like a Greek Kidman.

You might be wondering just how useless In Uterus Rebirth is. I can't say it's entirely without redeeming value, because Negative Creeps play their chosen style with vigor. If you didn't hear Meshuggah from their early days, then you'd do just as well to give Negative Creeps a listen. The Meshuggah take on Metallica was a slightly slower, heavier, and mechanical sounding affair. Negative Creeps are playing much the same thing, except with a looser quality, some groovin' riffs, and occasional keyboard intros and transitions. There are even a couple of thrashy black metal songs that pop out of nowhere and shake things up.

Alas, there's nothing I can do to get over the fact that, at its core, In Uterus Rebirth is an imitation of an imitation. For the first 6 tracks and the ending song, the similarity to old Meshuggah is astounding. But while I wouldn't recommend buying old Meshuggah for its relative immaturity, I think that anyone looking for this particular sound might be better off with Negative Creeps. They've honed the style and manage to keep the songs fairly interesting. Particularly, the black metal songs really threw me off and give the CD a much needed edge. So if you'd like to hear a modern take on Metallica or a better developed version of Meshuggah's first couple of CDs, give Negative Creeps a listen and see what you think.

Track List:
1) Magnetic Fields
2) Code
3) Son of a Shotgun
4) Bored
5) Quantum
6) In Uterus Rebirth
7) Reincarnation
8) Last of the Ancients
9) Nipple Torture
10) One Hate

Negative Creeps is:
Makis Kanakaris - vocals
John Boulamakis - guitar
Georg Katsaitis - bass
Drums - Tomek Solomonidis

Official Site:
http://www.negativecreeps.com/

Black Lotus Records:
http://www.black-lotus-recs.com/

The End Records (US):
http://www.theendrecords.com/
 

Nicodemus
The Supernatural Omnibus
~reviewed by Matthew Heilman
 
Hailing from the sunless wintry depths of California, Nicodemus is the latest offering from Dark Symphonies records.  Their second full-length “The Supernatural Omnibus” promises a collision of black, gothic, and progressive metal elements “to create an original expression of extreme metal so addictive and intense it literally sweeps the listener into the supernatural realm.”  If that is indeed what this young band was hoping to accomplish with this disc, I regretfully have to confess that they failed miserably.  Sadly, there is really nothing original, extreme or intense about this CD, and it is certainly anything but addictive.  As much as I was hoping for a noteworthy new release from Dark Symphonies (a label that has a fairly good track record), I was let down.
 
Musically speaking, the band’s keyboards are promising – which doesn’t really say much about a predominantly metal band.  A good bit of the more orchestral influenced strings are sweeping and majestic, but they need to watch out for the spacey parts – it worked for Rush so well because it was the late 70s and the 80s.  The tolling church bells are well timed and wonderfully accent the driving rhythms of the album’s opening track “Something In The Walls.”   Most of the piano parts are good, but they have the habit of falling into gooey sappy traps, as heard throughout the first third or so of the track “Harlot.”  There are however shades of Beethoven on the short instrumental piece “Of Pride & Necessity.”  But that track is sadly only about a minute and a half, and hardly the focus of this band.   But perhaps such mature classically based music should be their focus?  Surely, they could find a better way to merge such efficient piano playing with more sincere metal arrangements.
 
The guitars are deep and relatively crunchy, but fall victim to a muddied production.  The primary drawback about a lot of the guitar riffing is that it tends to sound very dated.  They throw in a lot of major keys, and unlike bands like Opeth who somehow manage to make lighter guitar melodies just as devastating and atmospheric as minor key passages, Nicodemus end up creating a kind of classic yet watered down heavy metal sound that might possibly strike a chord or two in some more traditional metal fans, but it left me entirely unmoved.  Especially considering the band’s supposed intention on weaving a diabolical and bewitching atmosphere.
 
What really causes Nicodemus to fall into cookie-cutter territory are the vocals.  Three or four vocal styles pop up throughout the disc, most frequently a gurgling unintelligible death growl that just sounds corny and hardly monstrous or foreboding in the least.  Just outright annoying and fatiguing.  The black metal rasps are equally as sloppy, but preferable to the deeper voice by far.  There is a greater intensity to them, but they still fall short of any truly memorable effect.  The clean male vocals are flat and harmonize poorly with the below average female backup harmonies.  The vocals fail on nearly all accounts – a shame, but the unfortunate truth.
 
Nicodemus mean well – they try earnestly to produce a grandiose and epic atmosphere with their music, but somehow, the final result is less than impressive.  Personally I feel that the band latched onto the wrong elements of the genres they hoped to explore, leading to an album full of worn out ‘gothic’ (and my word do I use that adjective loosely) clichés.  The lyrics are extremely corny and the mood they hope to create seems extremely forced rather than one rich with dark fantasy.  It’s like they picked up a black metal poetry kit and went nuts on their kitchen fridge.   Antiquated phrasings – thee, thou, shalt, etc only clutter the flow of the lyrics and are glaringly out of place, rather than adding an elevated sense of mediaeval Romance.
 
Additionally words like “sorrow” “night” “shades” “solace” “passion” and images of the woods appear in unnecessary abundance and it just doesn’t work.  And truly, what exactly does the song title “Shards Of A Bitter Night Wept” mean?  How exactly can night be broken into shards?  I can see how an evening can be bitter, but why are the shards weeping?  I know, don’t take these things so literally – but then why should bands write lyrics at all?
 
Nicodemus can’t be blamed however – they are merely following procedure and doing what is expected of dark metal bands today. The dark metal scene is currently choking in its own creative bile, as bands constantly regurgitate the same formulaic material over and over.  Granted, I am all about the occult and other supernatural Gothicism in lyrics but the manner in which these subjects are presented is tiresome.  I have been saying this for quite awhile and of course things have not changed much.  But until some bands come around and put a creative spin on things, I am guarding my praise and high words.  To settle for mediocrity is only to encourage it, and therefore, I have to be tough on Nicodemus.  Throw up your middle fingers to this crusty reviewer and redeem yourselves with a stronger follow-up.

Track List:
1.) Something In The Walls
2.) Nightfall Bares My Burden
3.) Afterglow
4.) Harlot
5.) Of Pride And Necessity
6.) The Lazarus Syndrome
7.) Within The Glow Of Embers
8.) Deepening
9.) Shards Of Bitter Night Wept
10.) Benedetto Sia

Nicodemus is:
Christopher Morris – vocals, bass, keyboards
Tamar Yvonne – vocals
Mathew McGee – lead and rhythm guitars
Andrew Greene – drums

Nicodemus - Official Site:
http://www.nicodemus.us

Dark Symphonies Records/Distribution:
http://www.darksymphonies.com

Niels van Hoorn
Colours
~reviewed by Saint Petrol

I put this disc in, in the midst of a rather horrible day.  Valentine's Day, and I just broke up last weekend.  You know how it is.  Cursing all those damned little hearts everywhere, and those stupid powdery candies that say over and over, "S/he doesn't want you any more."  Kind of like having one of your best friends die at a Christmas Party. I know.  It ruins everything.

Well.  Niels van Hoorn changed my day.  I've listened to jazz since I was a youngster, and I'm getting old now.  I've never ever heard reeds like this.  I keep feeling myself be lifted up.  I keep seeing birds on a grey horizon.  Life is just better in headphones.

Also, I'm an amateur percussionist, drummer, slave to the djembe, what have you, so, in a small way I can appreciate and tell you; Ryan Moore does some pretty danged cool  stuff with congas and drums.  The combination of Ryan's rhythm and pulse with Niels'  reed instruments (Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Baritone sax, and more,)  is highly intoxicating.

The mix is like sinking into a warm bath.  Like what I imagine it'd be like to ride in a hot air balloon in a bright blue sky, somewhere above New Mexico.  It's really almost unbelievable how kindly this music is to the soul.  Even when it keens, it soothes.

Legendary Pink Dots-heads would be highly irritated, I suppose, if I did not mention that both Niels and Ryan have connections with, are members of, etc. the Dots. Trivia buffs will be impressive when they know that Niels' first major concert appearance was in 1968, at the German Rock Festival, with the likes of Yes and Traffic.  Some might even remember the Dutch psychedelic band Liberty (who, it seems to me have had some re-releases in the past 10 years or so, but I could be wrong about that,) but anyhow, yes, Niels played with Liberty.  But we digress.  If your heart is sad, give it Colours.

Track Listing:
1.)  Landscape
2.)  Indian Dakota
3.)  Space Horns
4.)  Desert Walk
5.)  Traffic Jam
6.)  Grand Canyon
7.)  Heritage part 1&2
8.)  Mist
9.)  Mellow
10.)  Strange Dream
11.)  Klaverland Sunset Jam

Colours is a solo album by Niels van Hoorn, with assistanceby Ryan Moore.
On Soleilmoon Recordings:  http://www.soleilmoon.com

Nothing Inside
Fall
~reviewed by Saint Petrol

Nothing Inside continue to be one of my favorite bands that most people have never heard of.  At one time, I went about passing out Nothing Inside CDs to anyone who'd take them.  Most people were impressed, but some people said they sounded like bad Cure or Depeche Mode imitations.  I suppose that's a fair enough criticism, but over time, I can't help but feel it's not so much imitation as fanatical and tenacious dedication.

Furthermore, Nothing Inside continue to investigate and hone a sound that is familiar to those of us who've loved the Cure, Depeche Mode, and 80s industrial music like Kraftwerk or Ministry; while the sound is familiar it also becomes increasingly unique.  Comparisons can be drawn at times to Nine Inch Nails as well, but again, I'm delighted that Nothing Inside are progressing evermore into an atmosphere that draws on what I loved about the aforementioned 80s music, and yet updates it, infuses it with something of the growing despair and isolation of the early century.  Ashes, ashes, all fall down.

Track Listing:
1.)  Trailblazer (Excerpt)
2.)  Used To Be Cool
3.)  Principia Mathematica
4.)  Fall
5.)  Burn This
6.)  Heroes
7.)  I Only Love You When It Rains
8.)  Heaven (Prelude)
9.)  Heaven
10.)  Thoughtless
11.)  This Quiet Hour
12.)  Horizon
13.)  The Secret Language of Relationships
14.)  Greyscale
15.)  Trailblazer
16.)  Tom & Jerry

Nothing Inside are:
Rome Clegg
Mike Coleman
Chris Camillo

http://www.nothinginside.com/ni/
 

Paradise Lost
Symbol Of Life
~reviewed by Matthew Heilman
 
Britain’s Paradise Lost makes a high-energy and triumphant return with “Symbol Of Life,” the band’s latest and ninth release that hit American shores late in 2002.  Hopefully some of you were fortunate enough to catch the band on tour with Opeth throughout January for the band’s first U.S. tour appearance since the mid-nineties (when they shared the bill with Morbid Angel and Kreator if I am not mistaken).  Things are looking up for Paradise Lost.   PL has rapidly moved further away from their early Death/Doom Roots with each successive album for a decidedly more accessible blend of Gothic Metal and synth pop. Some would claim that in the process they alienated their core Death/Doom fan base, but from my observations over the years, fewer have really rejected them and more people are beginning to embrace them.  Judging by the amount of Paradise Lost shirts worn and bought at their Pittsburgh show last month, I would say a fair number of fans still have faith in them and have adapted to the new sound.  As the band has grown, so have quite a few of their fans.
 
Truthfully, this English quintet has never sounded more confident nor has their material ever been as instantly electrifying.  As a longtime Paradise Lost fan, I am more than pleased with their latest offering. While I will always be more partial to darker Doom and Gothic Metal, I also enjoy good club music.  And good club music is quite hard to come by these days if your tastes are inclined to gravitate toward more organic or guitar driven interpretations of Industrial rock and the like. Several tracks on this disc could very well be the answer for starved DJs and club goers who are waiting for something a little unorthodox yet commercially substantial to storm the dancefloor.
 
The breathtaking opening track “Isolate” is a punchy testament to what contemporary club music could be.  Heavy walls of detuned guitars create a commendably dense sound while consistent, syncopated live drums bash away above electronic backdrops. Quick and to the point, the song follows a traditional verse-bridge-verse-chorus pattern, and the result is a refreshing and powerful cut that unquestionably smacks of anthem potential.  The song is perfectly packaged and ready made for dance-floors, but unlike other contemporary singles that possess similar qualities, this track has organic musical substance to boot.   It’s like say, VNV Nation with muscle, if I must throw out any comparisons.
 
Though not possessing as immediate an appeal, “Erased” is chock full of melodic vocal harmonies, upbeat rhythmic precision, energizing guitar work, and very cool atmospheric trimmings that result from twinkling piano passages and female back up vocals which are interwoven into the song’s encompassing sound.  “Two Worlds” is a heavier track, with the guitars cranked at 11 atop jagged and slinky rhythms.  A darker and more dramatic track, that I suspect will strike chords in fans of the band’s earlier work, yet delight fans of their recent direction.
 
The guitars are definitely something that listeners will immediately notice – deep, thick, and graced with a truly bottom-heavy crunch of a kind that is otherwise unheard of in this kind of music, normally because it just doesn’t usually fit.  But Paradise Lost have found a way to be unmistakably heavy without at all betraying their potential for commercial / club accessibility.  “Primal” is a perfect example of how truly intense the band can get – loud and in your face, but tempered with a crisp polish.  The band also pushes the boundaries and the levels of their amps on “Channel For The Pain,” another standout track which crunches along with eerie discordant synths slithering between the stop-start crunches of power chords.  As well, the song snaps along at a relatively fast pace that is straight-up metal and doesn’t really have the same sheen that other tracks on the album do. (Not to mention it lifts a sample of ghostly female operatic vocals from the French cult band Elend to kick the song off – ha, didn’t think anyone would catch that did you Gregor?)
 
The album’s biggest surprise is an utterly brilliant re-working of the Dead Can Dance track “Xavier,” which originally appeared on the landmark 1987 release “Within The Realm Of A Dying Sun.”  Paradise Lost is faithful to the integrity of the song, but gives its original neo-classical ambience a spin by incorporating an undercurrent of trip hop to the initial verses of the song, and then craftily they intensify the song’s inherent climactic potentials with massive metallic heaviness.  It is a perfect translation of one genre of music to another altogether, and it could not have been done any smoother.  They instinctively reworked the song to fit their own style in a remarkable and creative manner that still has the same kind of wintry ambience, but knocked up a sonic notch or three.
 
Less impressive and somewhat puzzling is their reworking of the pop track “Small Town Boy” from Bronski Beat.  A faithful cover that with the addition of PL’s signature big guitar sound works quite well, it just didn’t do much for me.  Probably because I never really cared for the original in the first place, and compared to the DCD cover, it pales drastically.
 
The good news for Paradise Lost fans is that “Symbol Of Life” reveals the band in tiptop shape.  The album is enhanced by an extraordinarily good production, and there are also some creative and moody synths at work, that provide atmosphere as well as fiery electronic blips and beeps.  The guitars that were quite reserved on a few of their more recent albums are now roaring with new life, surpassing even their presence on the previous disc, “Believe In Nothing” which was their first attempt to return to form.
 
The only weaknesses I see in this album, is that though a good half of the songs are rigorous and well-crafted tracks animated by a genuine urgency and vigor, by the middle of the album the songs start to lose their distinctions as well as their edge.  A bit of a lull, and a bit of repetition hinders the album from succeeding on every level.  Though, the good tracks are remarkably good, and those that could be referred to as ‘bad’ tracks are still enjoyable and provide at least some kind of stylistic consistency.   All albums have their strong and weak tracks.  Perhaps the most detrimental characteristic of Paradise Lost’s sound is in the vocals, which I have purposely not mentioned until now.  While Nick Holmes voice has long been familiar to fans of the band, I speculate that his occasional resemblance to Metallica’s James Hetfield in some of his more gruff and gravelly moments will turn some die-hard synth pop/club fans off.  Throughout the band’s entire career he has resembled a more polished James, but he more frequently relies on a smooth and dark tenor that perfectly crowns the music and shares the velvety quality that folks like Covenant and Assemblage 23 have in their darker melodic moments.  But I will admit, sometimes the Hetfield-isms are a bit distracting and I hope that he tones this down on the next release (Incidentally, I didn’t really notice this as much on the previous album or on 1999’s release “Host,” so this is a kind of odd development).
 
Whatever the case, Paradise Lost’s latest is definitely an album that I can stand behind, and I hope that at the very least, “Isolate” begins to make an appearance on the playlists of DJs across the globe.  Forget about Theatre Of Tragedy’s rather dreadful attempts to appeal to club audiences; this may finally be THE Goth Metal / Synth Pop crossover album.

Track List:
1.) Isolate
2.) Erased
3.) Two Worlds
4.) Pray Nightfall
5.) Primal
6.) Perfect Mask
7.) Mystify
8.) No Celebration
9.) Self-Obsessed
10.) Symbol Of Life
11.) Channel For The Pain
12.) Xavier
13.) Small Town Boy

Paradise Lost is:
Nick Holmes – vocals
Gregor Mackintosh – lead and rhythm guitars, programming, synths
Aaron Aedy – rhythm guitars
Stephen Edmondson - bass
Lee Morris - drums

Paradise Lost – Official Site:
http://www.paradiselost.co.uk

Koch Entertainment:
http://www.kochentertainment.com
 

People Like Us
Stifled Love (12" EP)
~reviewed by Saint Petrol

When I first put this on, I thought, "Bloody hell, what's wrong with my player?" This EP is like my 78-rpm collection on drugs, and I love it.  The second thing I thought after the "Bloody hell" thing, was, "Oh, it's like life.  You never know what's gonna come next."  Yeah.  Stifled Love is cool like that.

I'll just put it this way.  If you like cheesy lounge music, and cheesy country music, or hate cheesy lounge music and cheesy country music, you're gonna dig Stifled Love.  The reason is, take the above ingredients and seriously put them in a blender.  You'll get a stomach ache, a good laugh, and perhaps a re-setting of your brain.  Most certainly, you'll have at least a number of minutes of your life where you are neither bored nor void of a sense of camaraderie with that which is broken and reconstructed without deference to origin or context. Like I said, Stifled Love is like life.

Through all the brokenness and uncertainty, the cheesiness and the kitsch, there is a tenderness and a defiant quaintness here that is not just satirical. This album reminds me of Dorothy Parker.  Specifically, the "suicide poem" which she ends with something like, " might as well live."  Stifled Love reminds us that our lives are pitiful.  Most certainly much of our art has been.  (Speaking strictly here as an American, and with apologies to the Rothkos and the Pollocks.)  But there is beauty in it all too; even the most laughingly disgusting of it has moments of being sublime.  I mean, explain the Smurfs, you know?  Somehow, we are redeemed.

Aren't we?

Track Listing:
Side A:
1.)  Stifled Love
2.)  Well I
3.)  Scott Slim
4.)  Nobody Loves U

Side B:
1.)  Dolly Pardon
2.)  Bitter Dregs
3.)  Music Alone

People Like Us website:  http://www.peoplelikeus.org/home.htm
Dorothy Parker website:  http://www.levity.com/corduroy/parker.htm
This EP released by Soleilmoon Recordings: http://www.soleilmoon.com
 

Poisonblack
Escapexstacy
~reviewed by Matthew Heilman
 
Poisonblack is a newly evolved project that features guitarist Ville Laihiala of Sentenced fame and vocalist J.P. Leppaluoto from the band Charon.  The result is a rather vacuous attempt at Goth Metal, which is better described as ‘Goth Metal lite,’ having more in common with poppier bands like HIM, rather than the darker and celebrated moods of My Dying Bride and the like.   Having a link with the bland and overrated Sentenced, I sort of knew what to expect but tried to keep my mind open.
 
The songs follow traditional pop rock structures, with catchy choruses and smooth bittersweet melodies.  While the mood of Poisonblack’s music is certainly one rich with a kind of desperate sadness, it lacks the urgency and intensity necessary for true credibility.  I can’t help but feel that, like many current bands that are loosely tagged as Goth Metal, this has more in common with polished hard rock ballads than it does with the more grandiose and dramatic elements that originally made the Goth Metal genre so unique.  The lyrics are rather unimpressive, weighed down with innumerable clichés and a pitiful lack of depth.
 
For instance, a track entitled “With Her I Die” could have been quite promising.  But instead of being a starkly romantic testament to love beyond the grave, or better yet, a fearful confession of helplessness at the hands of a seductive femme fatale, it is instead a rather sappy account with winning poetical gems and phrases praising his “mistress of pain” and even worse, “the one I love, my whore/the one I hate and adore.”  Yep, they rhymed ‘adore’ with ‘whore.’  If the song possessed any remote sense of playful sarcasm, it MIGHT have worked, but instead it is delivered with grim sincerity, capped with a big chorus that resembles some of Skid Row or Extreme’s more earnest moments of passion.
 
I will admit that this disc is not without a few redeeming qualities.  The production is crisp and full, and some nice bass lines interlock with live percussion for a relatively convincing rhythm section. The guitars are mixed loud and share the spotlight with the airy synths, but the problem with the guitars is that they rarely do anything other than produce power chords and rather ho-hum clean arpeggios. The essential Goth Metal ingredients missing are those slow, lugubrious twin guitar harmonies that My Dying Bride, Anathema, and Theatre Of Tragedy made part and parcel to the genre.  The lead guitars that do appear are in the shape of melodic solos and as one should expect, they result in a dated sound, therefore further aligning Poisonblack with the ballads of sensitive 80’s hard rockers rather than with dark metal bands that are taken seriously.  The guitar work here is frankly substandard and the band makes the mistake of letting the responsibility of atmosphere fall entirely upon the keyboards. The synths are halfway decent, often resorting to ghostly strings and choirs and some twinkling pianos here and there.  But it’s nothing that hasn’t been done before, nor is it anything that other bands haven’t produced with greater finesse.
 
J.P. Leppaluoto’s vocals, despite the trite material he has to work with, are often shaded with a genuine sense of emotion. He has the potential to be a fine singer, who smartly avoids the trappings of death metal growls. My initial guess is that he just doesn’t have it in him but more likely, Poisonblack is shooting for more accessibility. At any rate, his voice is well suited for darker, moody music – and I suspect that he could possibly shine on stronger material. J.P.’s trembling raspy tenor has the ability to be very expressive, but it is just not backed up with music or content to successfully convince me that Poisonblack are a band that I should recommend to readers.
 
Overall, Poisonblack were just a big let down.  Their music is far too upbeat for my tastes, but even so and accepting the fact that they aren’t churning out sluggish Doom dirges, their material is just plain weak and falls short on nearly every possible level.  This is a disc of ten power ballads that shamefully hide behind the clichés of gothic convention, which in many respects, are being exploiting to sell records. Again, I will say this as I have said before: there is a hell of a lot more to Gothic music than keyboards and lyrics about sex, death, and sado-masochism.  And with Goth in the sad state it is in many respects, it can’t afford to be misrepresented.  What it boils down to is that Poisonblack is too ‘wussy’ for Black/Death metal heads, too shallow and up-tempo for Doom fans, too sugarcoated for Goth rockers, and far too basic and predictable for Prog aficionados.   I shrug my shoulders and move on, and suggest readers do the same…

Track List:
1.) Glow Of The Flames
2.) Love Infernal
3.) The State
4.) All Else Is Hollow
5.) In Lust
6.) Exciter
7.) Lay Your Heart To Rest
8.) With Her I Die
9.) Illusion/Delusion
10.) The Kiss Of Death

Poisonblack is:
Ville Laihiala – guitars, backing vocals
J.P. Leppaluto – vocals
Janne Kukkonen – bass
Tarmo Kanerva – session drummer
Marco Sneck – session keyboardist

Poisonblack – Official Site:
http://www.poisonblack.com

Century Media Records:
http://www.centurymedia.com

Provenance
Still At Arms Length
~reviewed by Eric Rasmussen

There's nothing quite like a work of art that inspires complex and mixed emotions. Provenance have taken your usual metal fare - guitars, drums, bass, keyboards, growly vocals, clean male and female vocals, and they've put them to good use across 8 excellent songs with Still At Arms Length. The only potential problem with listening to the CD is that it will alternately depress you, cause a great deal of anxiety, and ultimately comfort you so you'll think it's safe to listen another day. This method of songwriting is surprisingly creative, and more than a little frightening.

The first song reminds me a bit of Opeth and comes across as somewhat typical doom metal. But by the time track two comes around, you're in for something a bit... different. "Tearful, bitter, broken" has an almost singsong mocking quality. It's rather like one of those dreams where you find yourself at school completely naked, and are forced to listen to your peers' derisive laughter as you run for shelter. Needless to say, the experience is somewhat painful. The madness continues through "Carousel of descent", a song that builds and falls and builds again in the way that only great music can. The heavier beginning sections are broken down into a calmer movement with an emotive flute melody, only to eventually morph into a very powerful riff.

Rounding out the first half of the album is "The Ardbeg Experience", which is a pleasant and peaceful song. It has a sort of quiet solemnity that sets the mood for everything that follows. What I most like about the CD is the way each track distinguishes itself from the rest - nothing gets blurred together. The vocal interplay is beautifully compelling. Emma Hellstrom's singing and flute playing provide brilliant melodies and a soft touch to Provenance's sound. Meanwhile, Tobias Martinsson can fulfill the roles of "evil growly man" and "clean singing goth man" equally well. But what's best about the vocal performances is that Provenance doesn't use them in the same way for every track. The songs use whatever is most appropriate at the time, and really let the performances standout as unique.

Provenance most remind me of Green Carnation in terms of ambition, Opeth for the progressive-meets-doom sounds, and a slightly subdued Emperor as far as the keyboard melodies are concerned. The end product is something that doesn't sound particularly like any of those bands - you have to take apart the individual elements to hear the influences. Metal continues to overflow with mundane and generic music that can't hold my attention for more than a song or two, so it's a rare treat to find a band that takes pride in crafting each of their songs, and injects them with the feeling and diversity necessary to make them exceptional. If you have any taste for dark beauty in your metal, Provenance's latest release is a must have.

Track List:
1) Climing ideals
2) Tearful, bitter, broken
3) Carousel of descent
4) The Ardbeg Experience
5) Mimic
6) At random choose
7) World of hurt
8) At arms length

Provenance is:
Emma Hellstrom: Vocals/Flute/Keyboard
Joel Lindell: Drums
Tobias Martinsson: Vocals/Guitar
Joakim Rosén: Lead Guitar
Jonnie Tall: Bass

Scarlet Records:
http://www.scarletrecords.it

The End Records (US):
http://www.theendrecords.com

Robin Storey and Andrew Diey
New Cult of the SunMoon
~Reviewed by Saint Petrol

Robin Storey of Rapoon, and Andrew Diey of Black Faction and Foreign Terrain, collaborate on this amazing double-CD set.  The journey begins with a voice that says, "We live in a universe that has no beginning in time, no ending in time, no edges in space, and nothing for a Creator to do." From there, the mystery, chaos, and expanse of the universe is emotionally expressed and articulated in this music.  Of course, the music can only appropriate pieces of what any of us know and feel of the universe, specifically of what Robin Storey or Andrew Diey felt moved to record; however, this assemblage-gumbo of audio-sights and sounds is easily big enough to get lost in for a long, long time.

The first disc, or "Sun Phase" of the set, shimmers brightly, glistens,  and is full of meandering, even comforting rhythms.  I made an experiment of listening to the Sun Phase disc only in the daytime and the second, "Moon Phase" disc only in the night time for a while.  The experience of this made it almost unbearable to listen to the "Sun" disc and night, and the "Moon" disc in the day.  The chuckling, fastidious, wry rhythms of the Sun disc are all wrong at night for me now!  The "Moon" disc is so wet and full of cave-life, I'm surprised it doesn't "splat" when I put it in the CD player.  Where the Sun disc is gloriously courageous and tenacious, the Moon disc is everything that nightmares, and crimes, and rituals, and lives saved in the middle of the night are made of.

It isn't possible to recommend these discs highly enough.  I've been a longtime fan of Robin Storey anyway, so listening to this disc only strengthened my convictions as to his genius.  As has become usual, the cover and liner art are by Storey himself.  Once again, the artwork is impeccable, tactile, highly emotional, and visually engaging. The collaboration with Andrew Diey was an extremely fortuitous one for those of us who like to feel music in our bellies, bowels and brains, instead of just our ears only.  I hope these two collaborate again, but if not, we have two completely satisfying discs to enjoy until we forget to pretend we comprehend time.

Track Listing:
Disc One (Sun Phase)
Sun Phase 01 - 11

Disc Two (Moon Phase)
Moon Phase 01 - 06

More about Andrew Diey:  http://www.alchemyaudiolab.com/index1.html
Robin Storey website:  http://pretentious.net/Rapoon/
On Soleilmoon Recordings:  http://www.soleilmoon.com/

Scary Bitches
Lesbian Vampyres From Outer Space (Island Of The Damned)
~reviewed by Uncle Nemesis

I've seen many unintentional comedy-goth bands in my time, but it's rare to come across a band which is deliberately trying to be funny. The Scary Bitches, however, are just such an outfit. Their approach isn't what you might call subtle: it's end-of-the-pier-show, children's TV stuff, based around mock-horror imagery and elaborate, exaggerated stage costumes. The two women who front the band wear towering head-dresses and bustles out to here, while the boys in the background look like they've been dragged through a face-painting competition backwards. Everything about the band practically screams: 'Hey kids! Aren't we just plumb CRAZY??!!!'

The trouble with this kind of self-consciously wild 'n' wacky stuff, of course, is that it very quickly stops being amusing - and starts being just plain annoying. Subtle asides and rapier-like shafts of ironic wit have no place in the Scary Bitches' world. They'd rather poke you with a feather duster, gurning hideously all the while to show off their stick-on vampire teeth.

Allow me to quote some lyrics, to illustrate just what's going on here. Herewith some words from that classic of archly grim humour (it says here), 'Werewolfe':

'Dance around my father's lawn, in a naked state
Urinate upon a cross, then flush it down the drain
Smear hamster's blood upon my breasts, the cat will lick it off
If the neighbours should complain, tell them to fuck off.'

You know, it's just a hunch, but somehow I don't think the Scary Bitches will be among the front-runners for this year's Ivor Novello Award for songwriting.

So, the visuals are overdone, and the humour is about as subtle as a chainsaw wedgie. That leaves one thing which might possibly redeem the Scary Bitches: their music. And here's a surprise - I was expecting the band's sound to be as OTT and cod-dramatic as the visuals, but in fact it's fairly basic four-square riff-rock. The drums hold down a steady bom-chuck, bom-chuck throughout; the guitar goes chug-a-chug-chugga, chug-a-chug-chugga. In short, the Scary Bitches cook up their sound from a very limited range of ingredients.

I'll give the band this - they can do good intros. Two examples: the title track builds up nicely with a touch of atmosphere and a chittering guitar, while 'Necrofancy' has a rattling voodo-techno intro. But in both cases the drums start tub-thumping away, that all-dominating chug-a-chug guitar blunders in, and it all gets dragged down to a frankly tedious galumphing pub-rock level. It's frustrating, because there are occasional touches of musical invention which suggest that the band *could* do more than this, if they put their minds to it. 'The Hole' has an other-worldly, fairground hurdy-gurdy feel to it, and 'Strange Child' has some nice smooth saxophone interludes. But, by and large, it's simplistic beats and riffs all the way.

The weird thing is, the goth scene is undoubtedly a rich seam of humour for any band who has enough nous (and genuine insider knowledge) to mine it. There probably *is* room on the scene for a band which plays it all with a touch of dry, knowing, wit, and knows just where to point the piss-taking finger. The Scary Bitches, alas, are not that band.

The tunestack:
Lesbian Vampyres From Outer Space
Werewolfe
You Always Eat The One You Love
There's a Licanthrope On The Bus
Strange Child
Piss All Over Your Grave
Theme From The Munsters
Necrofancy
The Hole
Bad Hair Day
You'll End Up Looking Like The Scary Bitches
Necrofancy (Roman Jugg/Mark Elliott remix)

The players (Warning: wild 'n' crazy comedy names coming up):
Alma Geddon: Vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards
DEADri Ransiid: Vocals, keyboards, saxophone
Haley Chopper: Vocals, sequencers, congas
Dead Boy: Drums

The website:  http://www.scarybitches.com

Reviewed by Uncle 'wild 'n' crazy comedy name' Nemesis:  http://www.nemesis.to
 

Seventh Harmonic
Promise Of Sacrifice (First Light)
~reviewed by Uncle Nemesis

This album is Seventh Harmonic's fifth release, but only their second full-length album...and their first recordings with the present line-up. So, it's a debut of sorts, but it has all the assurance of a band who know their music backwards and forwards, and have a real vision of where they'd like to go with it. To call Seventh Harmonic 'ethereal' - the catch-all shorthand description that's often applied to them - doesn't really do the band justice: their music pulls in influences from classical, folk, electronics, and all around the world. And yet Seventh Harmonic manage the neat trick of never sounding like anyone other than Seventh Harmonic.

We've heard two of the tracks here before: 'Chains' and 'Icarus' appeared previously on the Wasp Factory compilation, 'Working With Children And Animals Volume Two'. Here, however, 'Chains' in particular sounds like it has a broader sweep, a greater depth of sound; the rolling bhangra rhythms sit surprisingly comfortably with the swooping western-classical - not Bollywood! - strings. 'Icarus' is an exhilarating percussive tumble, over which Kate Arnold's voice tip-toes with delicate precision, and again it sounds as if the song has had a bit of a make-over. I can't make up my mind whether these tracks sound better here simply because they're in context, as it were, or whether the production has been tweaked a little. Either way, these two songs are probably your best way in to Seventh Harmonic, if you're coming upon the band for the first time.

Elsewhere, 'Page Of Wands' has a baffling title, but it's a drift through an other-worldly symphony, with occasional punctuations of almost military drumming. 'Pass Within' sounds like it was recorded on a hot night in a Morocco souk, while 'Promise Of Sacrifice' itself features some splendid chiming percussion, and swathes of keyboard like silk scarves draped, just so, over the tune.

'Immortal Selene' and 'To The Mother Of Gods' are settings of Homer's hymns - and all of a sudden we're a long, long way from rock 'n' roll. On these pieces (it seems so bathetic to simply refer to them as 'tracks') Seventh Harmonic are joined by members of the Greek period folk group, Daemonia Nymphe, and there's a real sense that a door into another world has just slightly been opened. But no sooner have we got our heads round Homer than the band introduce us to another guest celebrity songwriter on 'Parisina' - for this is their setting of Lord Byron's epic poem of 1916. Somehow, Seventh Harmonic can pull in all these influences from the classics and literature without once coming across as pretentious or contrived. It seems uncannily natural: it's almost as if Homer is an old drinking buddy of the band, who agreed to let them have a crack at a couple of his numbers over a pint of Guinness one night. I think he'd be pleased with the results.

Seventh Harmonic will take you aback with their ideas, their tangents, their myriad influences: it's as if there's nowhere the band won't go, no music they won't absorb and transform into their own uniquely cool brew. This is probably the most fully-realised of all their recordings to date, the album upon which the band's tumbling ideas fall neatly into place, the first real destination on their musical journey. Listen and take the trip.

The tunestack:
De Terra Fons Exoritur
Chains
Page Of Wands
Promise Of Sacrifice
The Third Chamber
Icarus
Butterfly Kiss
Inside The Circle
Immortal Selene
To The Mother Of Gods
Parisina
A Ship, Dreaming
The Fourth Chamber

The players:
Caroline Jago: Keyboards, programming, guitar, bass
Eilish McCracken: Violin
Kate Arnold: Vocals, dulcimer

With:
Paul Nemeth, Evi Stergiou, Fionna: Vocals
Spyros Giasafakis: Vocals, table harp

Seventh Harmonic:  http://freespace.virgin.net/seventh.harmonic

'Parisina': http://readytogoebooks.com/LB-Par50.htm

Homer's Hymns: http://www.angelfire.com/nc2/musings/Homer.html

Reviewed by Uncle Nemesis:  http://www.nemesis.to
 

Stoa
Zal
~reviewed by Matthew  Heilman
 
I am extremely behind on reviews.  This exquisite CD was released late last summer, and I could be sly and say it has taken me six months to find the appropriate words to convey to you, the reader, how good it is.   Or I could just fess up and say I was too busy with school that I had to take a bit of a hiatus.  So, better late than never, I suppose…
 
Stoa have been making critically acclaimed neo-classical / ethereal music since 1991.  Not an especially prolific band, with only three full releases under their belts in those eleven plus years, it is apparent that principal songwriter Olaf Parusel takes his time composing, arranging and envisioning his stirring music.
 
A lot of artists apply the term ‘neo-classical’ to describe their music, but few truly seem to base their music on classical theory.  And even fewer produce convincing synthetic ethereal music.  Olaf’s arrangements are rich and impressive in their authenticity – much of this album sounds as if it was actually performed by a flesh and blood orchestra.  The presence of cellist Christiane Fischer provides an even more organic touch, and the soft soprano vocals of Mandy Bernhardt are beautiful and powerful all the same.  I was getting pretty worn out on the whole ‘angelic’ female vocal thing there for a while, but Ms. Bernhardt’s vocals are an aural treat and her delivery and tone has more in common with Dawn Upshaw or Rene Fleming than with the latest amateur ‘Goth’ siren.
 
Included here are ten sublime original compositions, and one venerable cover of an early and wonderfully moving Black Tape For A Blue Girl song entitled “I Wish You Could Smile.”  The overall feeling of the CD is one of a tender melancholy and quiet reflection.  Predominantly centered on buoyant orchestral strings, passages of reverberated pianos and soft mournful oboes, “Zal” unfolds like a single, coherent piece of symphonic music, with various movements, interludes, and refrains.   Though an intimate release, it is still quite interesting and holds the listener spellbound, rather than lull them into a kind of soporific ennui.  This release is comprised of fascinating and captivating music, mellow but intriguing all the same.  I found myself listening intently to the flow of the music, wondering what instrument will be introduced next, what metamorphosis the melodies will take, and in what manner the layers of melody will merge together.  Stoa’s music is transcendent and spirits the listener to a gray world of nostalgic dream and promising reverie, beautiful but not overly so.  Sweet yet tempered with a darker undercurrent of the ominous.
 
This is an extraordinarily good release for fans of ethereal, cinematic, or symphonic music, and I highly recommend it to readers with more refined tastes for classical and the like.   The female vocals are truly heavenly, the cello passages utterly gorgeous, and the arrangements are perfectly fashioned and well designed.  But above all, this CD succeeds in stirring the heart, and provides the perfect respite and trancelike escape for the listener.  Sublime and profoundly affective, you won’t regret adding this CD to your collection.

* Available through Projekt’s Darkwave store.

Track List:
1.) I Held The Moon
2.) Alone
3.) I Wish You Could Smile
4.) Think About Eternity
5.) Maare
6.) Chanson D’Automne
7.) Winter
8.) Ariel’s Song
9.) Soft Snow
10.) Nubibus Atris
11.) Puisque Tout Passe

Stoa is:
Mandy Bernhardt – vocals
Christiane Fischer – cello
Olaf Parusel – synths, songwriting

Stoa – Official Site:
http://www.stoa.de

Projekt Records:
http://www.projekt.com

Alice In… (Record Label):
http://www.darkdimensions.de

Stratovarius
Elements Pt. 1
~reviewed by Eric Rasmussen

Given the number of power metal CDs we're sent each month, it'd be easy to review this CD in four words: "hey, it's power metal." But Stratovarius has always stood out in the power metal scene, and indeed, they're one of its current leaders. So the question of the month is whether or not Elements Part 1 is worthy of their legacy...

drumroll... wait for it...

Yes!

How's that for an excited yes? I'm getting in a power metal mood now.  From the brightly colored rainbow cover to the happy hyper guitars and high pitched vocals, Stratovarius take a tried and true formula and make it work. The real question of the month should be whether or not real men can justifiably listen to this music. I'm not going to touch that one.

But I can tell you that Elements Pt. 1 is a very ambitious release that manages to deliver. Using a live orchestra, Stratovarius have crafted some of their best songs yet. Most notably, "Soul of a Vagabond" is worth the price of the CD. It has an epic 70's styled orchestral theme that backs a powerful, driving bass riff, memorable guitar riffs and solos, and an amazing chorus complete with choirs. The song bears more resemblance to Savatage than power metal, but Timo Kotipelto's revered voice is still falsetto - no big changes there.

The rest of the songs take you through an array of power metal standards. From the classical stylings of "Find Your Own Voice" and "Stratofortress" to the thematic and upbeat "Eagleheart", Elements Pt. 1 is as power metal as power metal can get. And that's pretty power metal, if you ask me. The CD ends on a ballad, "A Drop in the Ocean," which is surprisingly atmospheric and emotive. Whenever the word 'ballad' gets tossed around in power metal circles, it's usually a bad sign. This time, it works. The superb production allows each individual note room to breathe, so every instrument plays a large role in the sound.

Going back to my original question about whether or not real men can listen to this and remain real men, well, that's personal. But in a way this review is useless. Because if you enjoy power metal and you aren't scheming to get this CD already, then there's nothing I can do for you. For the most part, this is a love it or hate it affair. However, I do suggest that even non-power metal fans give this one a chance. I hardly consider myself a fan of the genre, but somehow Stratovarius entertain me.

They do have a tendency to resort to cliche power metal sounds every so often, but largely their focus is on powerfully evocative songwriting. So forget the genre labels for a minute, and listen to Stratovarius without any preconceptions of what they *should* sound like. You'll see that amdist the 80's cliches and occasionally whiny vocals, there is a wealth of artistic merit, memorable melodies, and excellent musicmanship. For me, the live orchestra and choir is what propels this record into the "must check out" category. I've never before been interested enough in Stratovarius to listen through a whole CD of theirs, but I can safely say that Elements Pt. 1 delivers all the way through.

Track List:
1) Eagleheart
2) Soul of a Vagabond
3) Find Your Own Voice
4) Fantasia
5) Learning to Fly
6) Papillon
7) Stratofortress
8) Elements
9) A Drop in the Ocean

Stratovarius is:
Timo Kotipelto - vocals
Timo Tolkki - guitar
Jari Kanulainen - bass
Jens Johansson - keyboards
Jorg Michael - drums

Stratovarius Official Site:
http://www.stratovarius.com/

Nuclear Blast Records:
http://www.nuclearblastusa.com/

Trespassers William
Different Stars
~reviewed by Matthew Heilman

Another CD that I am really late in reviewing, however, readers might have noticed it made my personal top ten list of 2002, and certainly with just cause.  “Different Stars” is the second release from this Orange County alternative band, the follow-up to their critically acclaimed and well-received debut, “Anchor” which was released in 1999.

I was moved considerably by the earnest, heartfelt vocal delivery of Anna-Lynne Williams on the band’s debut, and found their style of sincere, passionate music, which mixes elements of indie, shoegaze, and acoustic folk, to be a refreshing and mature alternative to what I was more accustomed to reviewing and listening to.  Truthfully, because of bands like Trespassers William, I have begun to investigate different genres and a whole other world of contemporary music has been opened up to me.  However unlikely it may seem due to my usual penchant for angst-ridden post punk and Doom metal, “Anchor” still remains one of the most treasured and inspirational CDs in my collection.

My response to the band’s sophomore material was just as ecstatic, and in some respects, I was even more impressed.  Though “Anchor” had quite a few confessional down tempo ballads, there were also a few catchier and playful tracks to keep the CD from being too emotionally overbearing for lighter hearted listeners.  This time around, the band appears to be in more sullen spirits, for a consistent tone of heartache permeates the entire disc.  Not that this is a bad thing, mind you!  After the slightly more varied moods on “Anchor,” Trespassers could have gone either way and written more commercially viable material or they could have concentrated on producing tracks with a more resolute melancholy.  I am glad they chose the latter, because it suits them better and the overall result is a poignant and sophisticated album that will still appeal to a broad audience of music fans.

The spectrum of emotion encompassed on this disc is something that any sensitive person can easily relate to.   It’s reflective, quiet music for those moments when everything else seems so silly and contrived, as many bands I have encountered lately unsuccessfully strive to fit in with specific genres or they are merely vying to get underground club attention.  This is just real, organic music performed by confident and mature songwriters, straightforward and stripped of any pretense.

The disc opens with a short intro that is comprised of hypnotic swells of gorgeous guitar flanges, which immediately anticipates the essence of tender sadness that characterizes the entire album.  This transcendent introduction gives way to the light acoustic chord strums and reverberated slide guitars of “Lie In The Sound,” the CDs first proper track.  Like the title appropriately suggests, the listeners are meant to release themselves, and do just that: ‘lie in the sound’ and bask in the warm encompassing beauty of this band.  Anna-Lynne’s pleading alto adds the final touch, as she croons the song’s initial verses “I love you more than I should / so much more than what is good for me.”  Light percussion is introduced, as additional tracks of atmospheric guitar effects build to the reach the chorus, which perfectly characterizes the band’s multi-layered sound.  Acoustic guitars strum beneath a shower of jangling clean electric arpeggios, while melodies are often accented by loose echoing piano chords and guitar slides.  Haunting and affective, stark organic simplicity never sounded so serene.

Perhaps the album’s strongest track appears fourth on the disc.  Entitled “Alone,” the song is a blissful marriage of rhythmic indie rock and hints of a slight alt.country twang.  A mid-paced rhythm produced by light rim shots and a lulling bass line is at the heart of the song’s beginning and verses, while fantastic echo guitars add a perfect shade of bluesy gloom. Matt Brown’s fluid and ethereal soloing on this track is a worthy nod to the unique guitar style of U2’s The Edge.  When the song explodes into it’s tight and rhythmic chorus, the strong drum cascades also recall U2 and some of the best work on “The Joshua Tree” (the climactic finale of “With Or Without You” in particular).  Anna-Lynne’s voice crowns the song with her vulnerable crooning, so that in the end the song is just a perfect, memorable and driving example of emotional indie rock.

“Let You Down” is among the best of the entirely acoustic based tracks, with subtle tones produced by what sounds like an accordion, murky pianos, and other assorted guitar effects.  Her breathy alto is riddled with striking ‘pinches’ of painful regret, culminating in a thoroughly enchanting and moving vocal delivery.  A swampy tribute to their heroes U2 is solidified with the band’s stark interpretation of “Love Is Blindness.”   By far the album’s darkest track, it is fraught with a tense, dreary claustrophobia that will surely appeal to fans of female fronted acts like Mira, The Sundays, and the like.  “Flicker” lightens the tone somewhat, by offering more tight but simpler drumming.  Nice layers of guitar, and Anna-Lynne seems to let go a little more on this track, revealing more of the softer, higher tones that her voice is capable of reaching.

“Just Like This” also stands out, showing the band doesn’t lose creative momentum toward the end of the CD. Reverberated drums and subdued electronics create a stark backdrop for some of Anna-Lynne’s most expressive vocal melodies this time around.  The accents of guitars are dejected, haunting, and beautifully bleak, providing suitable accompaniment and fleshing things out to result in a fine, fine track.

The album concludes with a massive untitled conclusion, that sounds as if it is three songs rolled up into one cohesive whole.  The first third is a lighter ballad that builds to an atmospheric interlude created by washes of harmonizing guitar effects.  Transcendent and dreamlike, this wistful interval gives way to the somber, minimalism of a wounded girl and her guitar for the hidden track “What Could I Say.”  Anna-Lynne’s final performance is commanding and highly expressive, as she seems to confess in defeat “I told you everything I knew/I tore my pockets out and I gave them all to you/you hold my throat like a violin/I never want to be held again…’cause there’s nobody like you.”

The final few moments of “Different Stars” takes the air right out of the discerning listener’s lungs.  When you finally catch your breath and the chills recede, a feeling of profound satisfaction washes over you and you feel grateful for having experienced this album.  I highly recommend this disc, for those looking for something beyond the confines of Gothic and Industrial music, that truly delivers the kind of romantic emotion that is for the most part, only rumoured to exist in the contemporary examples of the aforementioned genres.  I will always love Gothic music, but for whatever reason, and please forgive my preachiness, I am deeply moved by this band’s music and I suspect that other fans with similar tastes for dark, passionate, and romantic music will be equally as impressed.

Track List:
1.) Intro
2.) Lie In The Sound
3.) Different Stars
4.) Alone
5.) Let You Down

6.) Love Is Blindness
7.) Flicker
8.) Fragment
9.) Just Like This
10.) Love You More
11.) Untitled / (What Could I Say)

Trespassers William is:
Anne-Lynne Williams – vocals, acoustic guitar
Matt Brown – electric and acoustic guitars, keyboards
Trinidad Sanchez – fretted and fretless bass
Jamie Williams – drums

Official Site:
http://www.trespasserswilliam.com

Sonik Wire Studios:
http://www.sonikwire.com
 

Tyrant Eyes
The Darkest Hour
~reviewed by Joel Steudler

Hold on tight and prepare yourself for a ferocious storm of relentless mediocrity!  Get ready to hear an album of astoundingly average music!  Yield to a pulse-poundingly pedantic platter of pointless power-prog!!  Tyrant Eyes has arrived.

It's not that bad, actually.  Sort of.  'The Darkest Hour' is hardly the darkest hour I've spent listening to music.  That honor would probably go to Limbonic Art, or Internecine... both of which are bands who would eat these powder-puff power-proggers for breakfast and regurgitate them into more bile filled, hate driven invective for their latest albums.  Instead, the fellows in Tyrant Eyes have made Yet Another Power Metal Album.  I should try to get that established as a common acronym, so I don't have to type it out in nearly every review I write of powermetal based music.  Hmm... YAPMA.  That's not bad.  Sounds like a support group, though.   Come to think of it, Tyrant Eyes could use one: "Formulaic Musicwriters Anonymous".

Have you heard powermetal before?  With synthy keyboards in it?  Well, then, imagine that for an hour and you won't need to buy Tyrant Eyes' latest offering.  The only difference is that the lead vocals aren't of the usual high-enough-to-shatter-glass variety.  Instead, the band has opted for a mid-range shouter in Mr. Alexander Reimund, who may be better off if he invests any profit he earns from this album into some singing lessons.  He's not really off-key or anything- he just isn't very good.  My opinion is of course merely a mostly meaningless subjective belief... but if it were up to me, I'd prefer he take up the harmonica, or trumpet, or some other instrument that prevents him from "singing" on future albums.

There you have it, then.  'The Darkest Hour' contains sounds made by instruments such as the guitar, drums, bass, and synthesizer keyboard, and those sounds are fashioned into a well established pattern usually defined as progressive powermetal.  There's nothing especially unique or compelling about Tyrant Eyes' entry into a crowded genre.  Though the music isn't poorly played, and the album's production is crisp and clear, there is no reason for me to suggest that you spend money on it... unless perhaps you're writing a dissertation on 'The Downfall Of Modern Metal: Tired Formulas And The Bands Who Use Them'.

Track List:
01.) Night Of Defender
02.) Delight in Dying
03.) Magic Touch
04.) The Dawn
05.) Out Of The Dark
06.) NDE
07.) Command To Destroy
08.) Gladiator
09.) The Last Light

Tyrant Eyes is:
Alexander Reimund: vocals
Marcus Amend: guitars
Michael Apfel: bass
Jürgen Bormuth: keyboards
Sascha Tilger: drums

Tyrant Eyes Official Homepage:
http://www.tyrant-eyes.de

Scarlet Records:
http://www.scarletrecords.it/

The End Records (US Distribution):
http://www.theendrecords.com
 

Variété
Bydgoszcz (1986)
~reviewed by Matthew Heilman
 
Appropriately enough, you are probably wondering who Variété is and why you have never heard of them.  I had never heard of them either, but the Furia Musica label from Poland sent us this CD to review, and as it turns out, Variété were a Gothic Rock band from Poland that was active throughout the late 1980’s.  I don’t know exactly how popular they were during their existence, but over sixteen years later, their plodding and heavily atmospheric music still holds up wonderfully.  I am doubly thankful that the label saw fit to re-release this lost treasure and that they were kind enough to share this music with us because this is indeed a rare gem.  The CD collects the band’s ten track 1986 release entitled “Bydgoszcz” and then six extremely powerful live tracks recorded in 1989.
 
Variété may very well have been the only Goth band active in Poland around this time, and were probably influenced by imported British or German records.  What’s interesting is that they seemed to have honed in on the darkest and dreariest aspects of Goth.  The way in which they pulled all these disparate elements together is fresh and utterly transfixing.  I hate to do this, but when I first listened to this disc, I heard distinctive elements that instantly brought other bands to mind.  If you can imagine the perfect synthesis of early And Also The Trees, Corpus Delicti, Theatre Of Hate, Joy Division and the vocal style of Two Witches, then you will know what to expect from Variété.
 
Most of the songs creep along at a dense and doom laden pace, with either jagged tribal percussion or punchy, unrelenting rhythms pounding at the music’s black core.  Distinctive and thunderous bass lines appear consistently throughout the record, sometimes light and lulling and other times, loose and plucked with slap-dash fury.  The guitars jangle with sublime eeriness.  Rich, heavily flanged processing effects characterize the more reflective passages, giving way to sharp pinches of sonic discordance for climactic moments.  Barely any synths grace this record – instead, the band and offer spare violin passages on a few of the album’s later tracks. But primarily, ghostly wails of saxophone provide the additional dimensions of atmosphere throughout the majority of the disc.  Like quite a few bands at the time, there is a full-time saxophone player in the line-up, and it works for Variété much the same as it did for Theatre Of Hate, early Sad Lovers & Giants and the Nephilim on their debut EP.  It’s a unique sound that you definitely don’t hear too often.
 
Led by heavily accented male vocals, the voice of Variété is a stark, menacing baritone.  At times, his voice is more reserved and leering in shadow, and then as if a man pushed over the edge, he lunges forth unexpectedly, animated with a sudden rage, his words seething with spite and threatening anxiety.  Not quite screaming, but certainly not resting on his laurels.  The music surges forward, and a new dimension of theatricality and decadent earnestness animates the band that reminds me of what And Also The Trees were doing at the time this band was recording, and what Corpus Delicti would do in only a few short years.
 
Even more mysterious to American ears, is of course, the fact that all of these lyrics and song titles are in Polish.  Some might find this frustrating, but personally I found it exotic and intriguing.  For one, they could be singing about anything our imaginations wish, and the bleak urgency of their music is not spoiled by lyrics that may or may not well-suited for it.  The deep throated and edgy deliveries that shade the vocals perfectly match the musical backdrops, and as listeners, the obvious and irrevocable sense of foreign alienation only colours the experience of this disc a shade darker.
 
When it comes to Gothic Rock, sometimes its those odd or secret bands as opposed to the big name acts that end up being the most creative and interesting, and immerse themselves so heavily in the classic sound of the genre.  This is a dark and unsettling record from start to finish.  It’s cold, detached, and there is a chilling undercurrent of tension running beneath these tracks that threatens to boil over. The atmosphere builds with each track, culminating in the hypnotic tribal climax of the title track and then bonus cuts from the band’s live EP.   The final six live tracks are three times as intense as the studio performance.  With a big, jarringly raw sound, the band is at their prime of attack.  The quality of the recording is quite good though not without a few minor flaws.  But most importantly, the sheer unbridled intensity of the band’s performance is captured and instantly apparent to the listener. The slightly grainy sound only adds to the experience.
 
Variété keeps the listener on edge, crafting the kind of claustrophobic and moldy dread that can truly be referred to without hesitation as pure Gothic artistry. I highly recommend this to fans of dangerous, edgy, and dark Gothic rock.  It’s an absolutely awesome collection.  I suppose the easiest way to contact these guys is via the website and links below.  Drop them a line and inquire on how to purchase this disc, as it is well worth tracking down.

Furia Musica: http://www.terra.pl/furia

Email: furiamusica@interia.pl
 

Denver Dark Arts Festival 2002
Official Soundtrack of the Event-Various artists
~reviewed by BlackOrpheus

This cd recently made its way into my hands without fanfare as so many often do. A brief flier accompanied it, basically relating how a non-profit organization was formed in 2002 to promote the Denver dark arts scene. Their first event was apparently successfull drawing over 700 attendees. I imagine this cd was created to promote bands that played at the event? In any regard, this cd contains ten bands I've never heard of, which is a good thing. Starvox is all about promoting those bands that go undeservedly unheralded. This cd contains a fair sampling of those, below are my favorites with brief comments.

PURE DRAMA-"The Time You've Spent" I am utterly smitten. I would say I was even rendered speechless, but I feel compelled to speak for them as eloquently as I am able. This is the one band that stood out in high relief from every other band on this cd(for me anyways). The song is a delicate, fragile web of pure spun emotion. The vulnerable and poignant vocal delivery owes much to Tori Amos and perhaps Kate Bush, if I was pushed to make comparisons. The performance is assured and seasoned with an evident mixture of soulfulness and regret. I hope to hear a LOT more from this band. If you don't buy this cd for any other reason, buy it for the drama, PURE DRAMA that is.

PROJECT 12:01-"Cleo Kisses Caesar" What an imminently listenable song!This song is a delicious melange of sound, that my enraptured ears feasted on without repentance. Percussion, sampling, sly, seductive vocals, nice songwriting from what I could make out. My compliments to the band for the obvious display of chops . Great work!

THE SIREN PROJECT-"Shelter" This is another example of the many hidden gems contained on this disc. There is such artistry present in the music of Siren Project. "Shelter" is highly evocative. Shelter has more than one connotation. It can be a covering and protection, but it also has the capacity to become a prison and oppressive. Malgorzata Wacht's voice is a versatile instrument for expressing the paradox.

In conclusion, I have to express my surprised satisfaction with this disc. You never know what to expect from these offerings, and sadly my expectations are jaded. But, this really was a great sampling of the diversity and quality of the music coming out of the great city of Denver, Colorado. In addition to the above mentioned, the bands CAUSTIC SOUL and DARK ORCHID are also well worth investigating. Give this one a shot. Help to support a great cause; the promotion of a healthy scene and all of the things in it, from which we derive pleasure.

Track Listing:
1.Mind Worms - Reynaldo Alvarado
WWW.MP3.Com/Reynaldo_Alvarado

2. The Time You've Spent - Pure Drama
WWW.PureDrama.Com

3. My Shame - Solitary Sinners
WWW.SolitarySinners.Com

4. Cleo Kisses Caesar - Project 12:01
WWW.Project1201.Com

5. Watchers Of Disaster - In Ether
WWW.MP3.Com/INETHER

6. Eryx - Caustic Soul
WWW.CausticSoul.Com

7. Shelter - The Siren Project
WWW.TheSirenProject.Com

8. Hard Wired - Machinegun Symphony
Machinegunsymphony.Homestead.Com

9. Delicate - Erotic
(Phone number only-Thom 970 203-0225)

10. Painter - Dark Orchid
WWW.DarkOrchidBand.Com

Other Web Sites Relevant to This Release:
WWW.Indiego.Com
WWW.Coloradodarkarts.Org
WWW.Electrickingdom.Com