Author: soundsandshadows (Ken Magerman)

I am the writer of the music review page Sounds and Shadows and lead singer of the band Amaranth.

Darkness falls across the land The midnight hour is close at hand. Creatures crawl in search of the best in new darkscene music.

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It is Halloween weekend, that special time of the year where everyone celebrates leaning into the darkness which our scene embraces all year long. As I get ready for an Amaranth show on Sat I will share some reviews of what I have been listening to during the spookiest of months.

Ashes Fallen – New Normal – Brand new Single from Sacramento goth rockers, this one has this awesome Batcave B52s vibe. Energetic and dangerous like a twirling skirt on a dance floor. I can hear the curl of James lip on the vocal deliver. The keyboard has a Hammond B3 organ feel that adds to the Skoth Madness effect. banger.

New Normal | Ashes Fallen (bandcamp.com)

Cyborg Amok – Etiam – Another quirky goth rock hybrid blend from the Father/Son NJ project. A definite psychedelic Syd Barrett meets Depeche Mode flavor. The multiple decades of influence, sharing music within your family really gives a unique sound and every song feels like a legacy and discussion.

released October 8, 2022

All songs written by Greg Bullock, (except, Golden Years, by David Bowie).
All songs performed by Cyborg Amok:
Greg Bullock: Lead Vocal and Synthesizers.
Brydon Bullock: Drums/Percussion and Backing Vocal.

Additional musicians:
Adam Vaccarelli: Bass on all songs (except Wicked Close).
Frani Lugo: Guitar on (Some) Sleep Tonight.

Drums, Vocals and “(Some) Sleep Tonight” Guitar recorded at Retromedia Studios, Red Bank, NJ
Engineered by Adam Vaccarelli.
Synths, Loops, Sequencing and some backing vocals recorded in GABWorx, Studio B, New Egypt, NJ
Engineered by Greg Bullock

Produced by Greg Bullock
Mixed by Adam Vaccarelli at Retromedia Studios.
Mastered by Mark Trewella at Full Circle Mastering, Ashville, NC

https://gabworxllc.bandcamp.com/album/etiam

Desmond Doom – Surf​-​Goth EP – My favorite Shoegaze is The Jesus and Mary Chain style surf Shoegaze. It makes sense I fell immediately in love with Australian surf goth with a haunting blend of New Order Movement and the slushy cascading bop of The Ventures. A lot to get lost in here, people need to know about this.

Surf-Goth EP | Desmond Doom (bandcamp.com)

Secret Shame – Autonomy – Currently out on tour with one of my favorite modern darkscene bands Vision Video I am constantly amazed by the slippery edges and bursting intensity of the NC band. I’m just blown away by how many sonic emotions are crammed into this firefly jar. The haunting lilt of the vocals, the gnashing wolf jaw guitars, the shifty darting baselines. The production here is razor sharp. Anyone who says modern music lacks complexity is not listening to this. 10/10.

Recorded at Drop of Sun June 2021 and February 2022 by Alex Farrar
Mixed by Alex Farrar
Produced by Secret Shame and Alex Farrar
Mastered by Carl Saff

Cover art by Lena and Aster
Cover photo by Jonny Leather
Layout by Nathan

credits

released October 28, 2022

Lena – Vocals, synth
Aster – Guitar, backing vocals on Zero
Matthew – Bass, synth, backing vocals on Hide, additional guitar on Accelerate and Pink Staircase
Nathan – Drums

Additional guitar and backing vocals on Hide by Lemon Malandra

Autonomy | Secret Shame (bandcamp.com)

METAMORPH (Margot Day) – Kiss of the Witch – Lovely new shadowhouse from New York with the captivating Margot Day and produced by Erik Gustafson of (Adoration Destroyed). This is wispy ghost grind, club music with a captivating cyclone of soul circling the abyss. I love hearing Erik’s fingerprints behind Margot’s storytelling and delivery. A powerful combo to fill the room behind your cauldron.

Kiss of the Witch | METAMORPH (Margot Day) | Metamorph (Margot Day) (bandcamp.com)

Tears for ʇhe Dying – Eyes Wide Open in the Dark – I have an upcoming interview with the raw stalking intensity from the Georgia batcave project Adria Stembridge. The purple flame fury of her truth will make the hair on your arms stand up. You can really hear the devotion to early goth sounds in every track. Blood runs down the walls of my vision when I play this EP. A wandering chaos surrounded by tendrils or The Cure Pornography and sinister siren vocals full of Switchblade Symphony. One of those bands I really look forward to seeing live to fully appreciate

Eyes Wide Open in the Dark | Tears for ʇhe Dying (bandcamp.com)

KMFDM – HY​Ë​NA – So this isn’t a band that needs my support. One of the well known voices in Industrial music. I recently saw them for this tour in Pontiac while seeing Bradley Bills of CHANT. This album brings you much of what you love if you are a fan of KMFDM. Bonfire bright drum beats overlayed with trash compactor crushing guitars. I think the biggest change from the KMFDM of my youth is the maturity of Sasha’s voice. It is a more mellow growl without losing the glistening sharp metal.

HYËNA | KMFDM (bandcamp.com) –

Kali Dreamer – October Requiem: 1988 – Derek Christopher turned me on to this Columbus OH artist who is doing a truly unique blend of old school goth and hip hop cadence with a macabre edge. I was immediately hooked, the poetry of the lyrics with the truthful confidence of cadence. You can’t mistake the terror rap elements of Esham in the dark lyric style but the talent and beauty of Kali’s vocals add a modern and gorgeous element. I was truly floored by the quality of this. I just don’t hear enough to suprise me with it’s uniqueness anymore. This album achieved that.

Favorite Track: Hellbender – This was relatable, bouncing, heavy concept gorgeous flow. The guitar was a perfect contrast. Everything about this fusion sound is pure chef kiss.

October Requiem: 1988 | Kali Dreamer (bandcamp.com)

Review Of The Burying Kind “Tragic Airwaves”

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This project will always strike a special chord in my heart. In 2020 my cat Freyja was diagnosed with aggressive cancer in her leg. It was a really dark time for me. She got an operation and I am overjoyed to report she is doing wonderful. When it happened A ton of generous souls in this scene stepped up to help me with a benefit album to offset costs. So many in fact I started running out of space. So I started pairing up artists for collaboration. One of those pairings was Chicago Industrial percussion master Dan Milligan (The Joy Thieves) and romantic goth crooner Scott-David Allen (A Covenant Of Thorns). The team up started as a drop-dead gorgeous remix of “Dahlia“, then blossomed into a friendship which produced the 2020 self titled EP that became my favorite shoegaze album of the year “The Burying Kind”

A Covenant of Thorns – Dahlia (The Joy Thieves Remix) | Sounds and Shadows | The Amaranth (bandcamp.com)

The Burying Kind is Scott-David Allen and Dan Milligan.

Additional musicians:
James Scott -bass guitar and backing vocals
Bobby Simons -bass guitar

Special thanks to Laura Glyda

Recorded at A Handful of Nothing Studio, Smoulderman Studio, & Populist Recording

All songs written, recorded and produced by The Burying Kind
Mixed by Dan Milligan at Smoulderman Studio
Mastered by James Scott at Populist Recording & Mastering

▶︎ Tragic Airwaves | The Burying Kind (bandcamp.com)

I may be too close to this record. Enraptured by the story surrounding it. I can’t help but be struck by the staggering beauty and truth of it. It was this thing I got to watch grow and refine from infancy into something that mattered. Something that transcended genre and the music business. An abstract feeling that wells within you in solitary moments, a place of memory and blurry edges. This 12-track full length is a solitary lighthouse on a grey shore with Scott-David‘s romantic tragic poetry delivered with piercing emotional impact. The music is layered and complex for decerning listeners to unravel. I love nothing more in this high-speed age than hearing the time and intent that went into an artistic concept. It’s a presence and weight that gives every listen a reverence.

Favorite Tracks:

Coming Through – I know, picking the single first is lame, but this is absolutely gorgeous. The drums here are an absolute masterwork of movement. Scott-David’s voice is an expansive whisper that grows and pleads a self-reflective honesty that offers true soul.

Explode – Something about the frantic nature of this track really speaks to me. The drums have a front edge attack in the verse that allows the chorus to spread like liquid mercury in a sunbeam. It’s the extreme dynamics of emotion without ever raising the volume or tempo that gives it a special power.

Overall: This is an album for connoisseurs. For fans of My Bloody Valentine and The Cure a like. It is a place for diving into mystery and unraveling the depths of something that doesn’t come simple in a world where everything is designed not to make you think harder. We used to rejoice in music that made us swim beneath the surface. It’s time to rejoice in it once again.

Bands You Should Know In 2022 That Won’t Cost As Much as Depeche Mode.

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So the last week I have heard a ton of people talking about the insane ticket prices of the new Depeche Mode tour. Now I have been lucky enough to see the life affirming spectacle of Depeche Mode and David Gahan “Paper Monsters” and everyone who can, should see it. It is truly one of those goosebump shows from a band that boasts a four-decade catalog. Gahan can still FULLY pull off the leather vest. While I saw a lot of folks complaining about the post Capitalism ticket prices, I didn’t hear nearly enough discussion of exciting bands in the genre you can see live in their prime for under $20. Let’s talk about some hot new releases now.

IAMTHESHADOW – The Wide Starlight – Things you can always count on from a new IAMTHESHADOW release: 1) Pedro delivering the richest baritone in modern darkwave. 2) Soul baring poetry 3) Perfect precision of mix and master. Everything else about the sound is completely in the air. “The Wide Starlight” is an expansive new sounds full of twinkling stars over violet plains. The album drops on 10/14 and marks a turn towards hope which my soul has hungered for. Cold Transmission Music has been a fertile creative ground for Portugal’s premier darkscene act.

▶︎ The Wide Starlight | IAMTHESHADOW (bandcamp.com)

IAMTHESHADOW
Pedro Code – Voices, Synths, Guitar and Programming
Herr G. – Electric Bass
Vitor J. Moreira – Synths

Track 7: Voices & Lyrics by Kristien Cools (Splendidula)

Favorite Tracks :

The Wide Starlight – Choosing the title track seems a tad on the nose , but what can you do when a song of this beauty and staggering power comes along. It is the perfect representation of what is special about this album from every previous IAMTYHESHADOW release.

I Am The Dark (Feat: Kristen Cools) – As someone who has sang a duet with Pedro, I know how intimidating it can be. This was a perfectly composed blend from the Belgium artist. Spiritual, sinister, and a wonderful halfway point to break the tone.

Overall: It is so difficult to make a statement like this about an artist I am so deeply invested in. I need to inhale this record deeply several more times. On it’s face “The Wide Starlight” has the potential to be my favorite IAMTHESHADOW album.

Panic Priest – PSYCHOGORIA – Speaking of world class baritone voices Jack never disappoints. New album out 10/21/22 on Negative Gain featuring the crooning beauty and slashing guitar mastery. The Chicago based songsmith always layers the club friendly dance beats with a healthy dose of guitar accents to make a truly distinctive blend. The tempo here is a fast paced bop, but the bottom of a chasm of the vocals give every track a sense of soul.

Favorite Track: Dead Lust – I suppose some of the other tracks have more pop appeal. This one just oozes with raw vampire sensuality. TYhe vocals split the sky and have a Dead Or Alive horror vibe I can’t let go of.

▶︎ PSYCHOGORIA | Panic Priest (bandcamp.com)

Sapphira Vee – Ascent – New remix EP from NY electronic lounge artist Sapphira Vee on Distortion Records. Featuring reimagines by several up and comers as well as scene legends. I love the eclectic blend here from Texas Doomdustyrial artists Dread Risks to Michigan lightening waterfall producer Chiasm. The common thread in all of Saphira’s releases are the honesty of tone that bleeds truth with every delivery.

Favorite Track: Metamorph (Dogtablet Mix ) – Martin captured this amazing slow motion crawl across the floor feeling for this track. It really highlights the higher range of Sapphira’s voice which she often uses sparingly and lends more power when leaned on.

Ascent | Sapphira Vee (bandcamp.com)

Dogtablet – Ashes – New 5 song EP from Industrial legends Martin King and Jared Louche. I had the pleasure of attending a listening party at the Post Punk Industrial museum where Martin provided some background for these songs. I love the grinding and deliberate nature of these tracks. Track 3 “Careless” Feat: Coral Scere is a haunting and memorable collaboration that shows how Martin continues to get the best out of everyone he works with.

Favorite Track: 16 Times – Martin has the ability to call on top tier vocal collaborators, I keep finding myself draw most to his own growing vocal confidence. This song is a spinning tendril of dream and imagery.

▶︎ Ashes | Dogtablet (bandcamp.com)

JUNKSISTA – 0A – This German based band on COP International is one I haven’t given nearly enough press to. Every time I hear them I am absolutely floored by the razor wire combination of owning a space in your head pop melodies and the way too cool to hang out with me punk rock attitude. It just drips with effortless expression and after party in the know. It is hard to hear this and not feel inside the most exclusive salon where everyone is invited. Speaking of invited the album features a who’s who of guest talent.

Guest Artists: Black Nail Cabaret , Die Krupps, Vaselyne , Omnimar, Helalyn Flowers.

Favorite Track: Fuck Your Pretty Face – I’m hard pressed to choose a favorite on this masterclass album. This is an unequivocal JAM. The drums, the guitar wail, the visceral vocal delivery. It’s one of those tracks I could never tire of.

We will have an interview with Junksista coming soon.

0A | JUNKSISTA (bandcamp.com)

Sounds and Shadows September 2022 Darkscene Singles Chart

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This was an amazing month for new music heading into October the most goth month of the year. In September we had our highest vote count yet. All the songs below were Sept 2022 singles released in the broad “Darkscene” genre and voted on by the S & S collection of Djs, Artists, Promotors, Reviewers, and Superfans. A LOT of BANGERS here. Please take a listen, find something you enjoy, and support artists on Bandcamp. If you have a single releasing in Oct, or know someone who does, add it to the voting poll. Also it was a lovely feeling that the majority of the artists in the chart have done an interview with us.

  1. Leathers – Ultraviolet – Artoffact Records
  2. Caustic x Grabyourface – Not Your Body
  3. A Cloud Of Ravens – The Blackest Mantra – Nexilis Records
  4. Exa X – Control – Distortion Productions
  5. Fatigue – Saudade (The Way Of Love)
  6. Ashes Fallen – A New Normal
  7. The Burying Kind – Coming Through
  8. Mark E Moon – Dark Love – Cold Transmission Music
  9. Curse Mackey – Smoking Tongues – Negative Gain Records
  10. Cyborg Amok – Wicked Close
  11. Junksista – Death By Heartache – COP International
Shannon being so Daddy I dropped my gum

LEATHERS – Ultraviolet – Brand new single from the Canadian synth extravaganza that is the project of Actors members and currently on tour with them. I love how if this was ever a “side project” it has evolved into a distinct powerhouse of twilight all on it’s own. There is a reason it was a definitive #1 in our most voted on chart to date. Force of nature single you need.

▶︎ Ultraviolet | LEATHERS (bandcamp.com)

Caustic x Grabyourface – Not Your Body – This team up of Matt Fanale and Marie has evolved into an amazing partnership that just keeps rolling out hits. This one dropped at a perfect moment when a womans right to choose is under attack and this song hits back hard.

Not Your Body | Caustic x Grabyourface | Caustic (bandcamp.com)

A Cloud of Ravens – The Blackest Mantra – I am so excited for the Brookland duo and all they have coming up. Jason Corbett of Actors mastered this at Jacknife Studios. The opening drums have this amazing old school Cult pulse and the guitar is a burning laser. Absolute banger of a single.

▶︎ The Blackest Mantra | A Cloud of Ravens (bandcamp.com)

Eva X – Control – Another Canadian talent back in our chart again with digital assault pop. I really like the rubber bounce of this single and Gaby’s light touch on the delivery for the vocals. I also love seeing the top four are all bands we have interviewed 🙂

Control | Eva X (bandcamp.com)

Fatigue – Saudade (The Way Of Love) – MA based Dj/Electronica artist with this fierce electronic builder that shimmers on the wire of a harp string. I love the breathy delivery on the vocals. What an infectious dance club banger. There is a breakdown around 2:50 that is pure artwork.

▶︎ Saudade (The Way Of Love) | Fatigue (bandcamp.com)

 Ashes Fallen – New Normal – Usually when I am discussing Sacramento CA goth rockers Ashes Fallen it usually comes back to the guitars. On this new single it is all about the 16 wheel concrete crushing drive of the bass. Tight corners and overdrive to give you a thrill ride gripping the leather of the seats.

New Normal | Ashes Fallen (bandcamp.com)

The Burying Kind – Coming Through – I will never tire of this story. A goth singer ( A Covenant of Thorns) and a Industrial drummer (The Joy Thieves) making gorgeous, romantic, spinning tapestry dreamgaze. This whole album is so deep with romance, anguish, beauty, and devotion. This one hits special.

Coming Through (maxi single) | The Burying Kind (bandcamp.com)

Mark E Moon – Dark Love – From the Isle of Man off Cold Transmission Music a new single and definite new feel from Mark Sayle and crew. This single has a very 90s rebirth Duran Duran sensuality. Shelly Rourke vocal addition really adds another layer that is giving me goosebumps. Adding in Crying Vessel’s Slade Templeton is another shape on the powerful horizon. 10/10 banger.

▶︎ Dark Love | Mark E Moon (bandcamp.com)

Curse Mackey – Smoking Tongues – The Industrial legend from Texas returns for his sophomore solo offering. This single is a soulful narrative response to a world that wants art to become easier and easier to swallow. Even with slow dance singles Curse is showing trust in the intelligence of his audience to demand more.

▶︎ Smoking Tongues | Curse Mackey (bandcamp.com)

Cyborg Amok – Wicked Close – New Jersey father/son prog goth duo with this dystopian sci fi single. I love the concept and the dramatic cape twirling creep surrounding the crunching Industrial guitars.

Wicked Close | Cyborg Amok (bandcamp.com)

JUNKSISTA – Death By Heartache – Ok I am going to do a special mention here because we had a tie that came down to the decibel for the first time so I am adding the German dark pop siren on COP International to the 11 spot. Junksista is a talent I have never given their due in terms of listening time. I am always impressed with the perfect craft sound jewel shaping and dangerous delivery. This is a moment that I have experienced too often where I say “I need to listen to a lot more Junksista.

▶︎ Death By Heartache | JUNKSISTA (bandcamp.com)

Review of Rohn-Lederman “Rage”

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We love music because it has the power to change the energy inside us. To enhance, diminish, alter, the sounds and stories built by artists change our emotional chemistry. Emileigh Rohn (US/ Chiasm) and Jean-Marc Lederman (Belgium/ The Weathermen, Ghost & Writer) have found a balance in their own artistic chemistry beginning in 2021 Venus Chariot on COP International which has continued to refine in a centrifuge into a potent emotional catalyst. With this newest release “RAGE!” they have bottled a frantic and aerodynamic monorail careening over changing landscapes.

All tracks are:
Emileigh Rohn: vocals and lyrics
Jean-Marc Lederman: music and production

Except “Pets” written and composed by Perry Farrell, Stephen Perkins, Martyn LeNoble and Peter DiStefano

I would consider myself a coinsurer of the duo’s collaboration. How is RAGE! different from the previous releases? By being the culmination of a series of experiments to produce a sleeker, faster, more agile vehicle. To refine the fuel of Emileigh‘s lyrics into something that burns hotter with honesty and volatility. The songs all contain a defiance and anger. Not a heavyweight clumsy, smashing anger. A precise, defined glowing fury of purpose. The details and subtilty of the music are built like a virus in their elegance and destructive nature. The vocals hold a sharp edge without bubbling over. It adds a tension that forms the shading of the grand design.

▶︎ RAGE! | Rohn – Lederman (bandcamp.com)

Top Tracks: (Honorable Mention) – I’ll start with the Porno For Pyros cover which was a song I always loved and had forgotten about. This interpretation found a perfect home amongst the core concept on the album. Emileigh really captured the dark levity of Perry Farrel. I really enjoyed the rising tempo as a contrast to the underwater quaalude of the original.

This Ones My Own – I love the confrontational power here. The train is leaving the station, rising off the ground, gaining speed. There is a staggering gentle tapping baseline, a light contrast I found to be haunting. Awesome 99 Degrees Susanne Vega vibes. A winding track so smooth it never touches the ground.

March Right Through The Fire – This track marches forward with an unyielding determination. Full of pride and courage it treads through heavy water. The kind you courage you need to convince yourself to believe. The music is a constant motion machine of stabbing probes. With equal and opposite reaction. Something about the tempo and hint of snarl in the vocals has this song in my rotation.

Rohn – Lederman has once again proven they have a special connection and collaboration which is on my automatic buy list until proven otherwise.