Category: Review

Review of ELZ and the Cult: Psychodrama

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Review by Ivan Delint

Band: ELZ and the Cult

Album: Psychodrama

Label: Ampirik Records

Members: ELZ

Eylul Deniz on synths

Efe Akincioglu on the bass

https://www.facebook.com/pg/ELZANDTHECULT/about/?ref=page_internal

https://elzandthecult.bandcamp.com/album/psychodrama-cold-transmission-edition

I walked into this review not knowing what I was really getting into, I heard a little bit from Ken, whom only said “try this one, I think you’ll really like this”. I dug it and I said sure why not. Was I in for a SURPRISE!

I like to dive into my reviews without knowing ANYTHING about the artist, as I listen to their music I hope that they invoke a sense of wonder from me, wonder that’ll ultimately will lead me to become obsessive with knowing everything I can about them. With ELZ, It was that but in a different way, I didn’t expect myself to hold off on knowing more about them, until after the listening. I found myself so lost in their sound and only their sound that I didn’t want any other information to possibly ruin that experience for me.

Here is my journey through ‘PSYCHODRAMA’ :

Invention of Faith – Faith is a recurring word in this album, as stated before I didn’t know much about ELZ and the Cult during this listen and as I write this I really wish I had lyric book of sorts to decipher what this space journey of delicious horror was all about. Great opening track, very Mass Effect, very Muse (if you’ve heard their new album you’ll know what I mean), very She Wants Revenge.

Faith in Me -A sort of continuation from the intro track, this cyber-punk/cyber-goth, vampires in a Ridley Scott space film sound is just a perfect kind of dark. The chorus is lovely. “I have lost faith in me”… preach!

Cold War – ELZ and the Cult, keeping with the persistence of that bass synth, moves more into an aggressive industrial beat with track two. The dirty vocals that become prominent throughout the ‘PSYCHODRAMA’ make their first appearance here. The track maintains a steady darkness while still being dance floor friendly, a nice mix that’ll fit any gothic DJ’s playlists. Goth Pop indeed.

Growing Pains -Wake up! The gunshot New Order-esque drum intro coming at you from a very very dark chord progression should keep you on your feet. The vocals maintain the grime, the style however moves into a Lebanonn Hannover with Russian Utro behind the mic area. I’m loving it. This song is ready for International goth floors. Dj’s, remix this, GET AT THIS.

Die Once More – With ‘Die Once More’ ELZ and the Cult give us a break. A brief of a lull in the aggression. (As if one could say that about this album). The entire release is very industrial and literally any track could be mixed/remixed into a club banger. Creating an accessible album like that is really difficult.

Last Family Supper – The intro here is something out of a 90’s cyberpunk video game and the album, when it decides to chill, is really just sci-fi/horror space ambient suspense music. Prepping us for something killer, no doubt. The vocals once again evoke a Lebanon Hannover vibe while the drums beat like a march. The lead synth keeping it all a touch away from depressing and into real of wonder and excitement. ELZ and the Cult spoke about dying once more and again and again in ‘Die Once More’ but here he speaks about not giving up, he cannot die, he will not die and he doesn’t know why. This person is conflicted and all this conflict is fighting a cold war within his heart and mind. ELZ is the fallout. This soul is burning hot and bright within the darkness that it expresses. My favorite track thus far.

We Never Met – Moving deeper into the record, ‘We Never Met’ gives us joyful, maybe hopeful, feelings and honestly everything about this album just bleeds a sense of happy sadness. I call that life. The vocals are now touching a The Horrors vibe, something I hadn’t thought about the first couple of listens. This is a really cool track that flowed and evolved beautifully. I feel that ELZ and the Cult got the bangers that they thought everyone would like out of the way and are now exposing their true self. This is what i wanted all along and I love it. If you’ve made it this far, they reward you and it’s that journey that we as the listeners must make and upon catharsis we land a very important connection with the artist. We are no longer just listening to ELZ and the Cult, we are now experiencing ELZ and the Cult.

Dreams in Their Darkest Moments – (Interlude) Interludes are amazing, they can do so much to an album in such a short amount of time. Refresh your pallets, friends. I feel a sense of movie soundtrack from this. This band not only makes banger club hits but can, and I’d put money on this, easily find themselves soundtracking the next block buster sci-fi/cyber noir.

Gremlins – Excellent transition into Gremlins, seamless. This song gets me moving, the lyrical melody is also great. I wish for more clarity in the voice, less grime, nevertheless he’s hitting all the right spots. This track is also the best example we have of EZL and the Cults melodic range.


Manipulation – Cool drum work on track ten. It seems that every song has some new sound, tone, synth sound in it. Keeps for very interesting listening the most minimal song in the album, for sure.

The Witching Hour -We are now at song eleven and I must say the beat behind this, easily the most danceable song on this record. “In the witching hour the monsters come to play” So damn good. I have to be honest here, I started listening to ‘Psychodrama’ early in the morning here in Los Angeles. I had a nice cold dark brew. ELZ and the Cult, during the process of listening, have helped me upgrade from a dark roast coffee to a Dark Seas Mission Brewery Imperial Stout, ready to keep the death dance party going. Thanks!?

Dystopian Prayer – NIN all the way, with a tad of Vazquez’s The Soft Moon in it, the most different and experimental of all the tracks in my opinion. ‘Dystopian Prayer’ is a nice “near the finish line” song showing us what this project is capable of and perhaps what is yet to come.

Funeral of Queen Mary -Everything about this says the end. Finish line. Operatic! A Clockwork Orange! It’s epic and it’s majestic. Dark, evocative, dark pop at it’s finest. ’Psychodrama’ was a hell of an experience.

Overall this album was a powerful and diverse journey., in the way a film maker creates a story with a variety of shots and perspective ELZ and the Cult have created a musical journey that takes accessible dark pop and combines it with the challenge of raw emotion and dark sensual beauty.. It’s a broken roller coaster traversing a shattered futuristic city.. It builds, it fills, and it does not disapoint.. You need a ticket for this ride.

Post word by Ken Magerman

Review of Monographic: Structures

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and: Monographic

Album: Structures

Lable: Cold Transmission Records

Release Date: Oct 12 2018

Members: Björn Ullmann (vocals/Guitar) Ric Freymann (Guitar)

Recorded 2017 by Javier Ortiz at Brazil Studios (Madrid, Spain) 
Mixed and mastered by Timo Höcke at Wellenschmiede (Hamburg

https://monographic.bandcamp.com/album/structures

https://www.facebook.com/pg/MonographicBand/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1402518143386479&ref=page_internal

So my newest review is for a German band off of Cold Transmission records called Monographic. Since I have been listening to a lot of post punk music you definitely start to get lost in the landscape of this standard post punk sound. So when I hear a new one I am really looking for something that sets them apart from the pack. I also need a level of quality that pays homage to the predecessors of the genre. I know a tall order but Monographic checks those boxes. Lets first talk about where they break new ground. The singer Bjorn Ulmann croons in a beautiful baritone which is so missing in this style. He slips from highs to lows to change tone and build emotion. You can hear his hint of an accent in his well delivered English lyrics that reminded me of Marc Burgess of the Chameleons. He also has enough razor in his voice to cut past the monotone drone of his contemporaries. He sings in a lilting and energetic singing volley with the dancing guitar rifts. I found myself drawn to the straight forward truth of the lyrics. Lets talk drums, my heart was pounding from the use of driving and prominent toms that reminded me of the Happy Mondays. For being dark post punk music the drive and energy had a bright flavor that I found captivating.

The songs are extremely well played with the faithful quality you are looking for in a retrospective post punk sound. This is a very city scape feeling sound. Movement and dark streets at 2am bustling home with pretty people going exciting places. It has that heartbeat thrum of life that can be captured in the sound of a band that has lived and breathed the face of an urban landscape. The guitars are full of motion and Ulmann’s chanting vocals give a blue collar punk edge that offsets the technical complexity of the guitars and music. It’s stripped down and driving in a scene full of synthesizers and texture. Monographic focuses on the driving bassline of the roots. Taking this step back in time I feel added further originality to the sound.

Stand out tracks include:

Addicted – This is a straight forward post punk driver that definitely had a feel of the Chameleons. It was sharp and edgy just to this side of post punk without crossing into a punk level of snarl. It’s a topic easy to relate to. The guitars are thick and Ulmann’s cadence keeps motion and blood flowing through the song until it’s end.

The Old Ones – Not sure if this was an HP Lovecraft shout out but it definitely had a dark and frightening elder tension. This makes excellent use of those toms to create a driving tension. I love the breakdown which drops everything away then allows the scalpel precision guitar to cut through the darkness.

Out of Time – I love when an album builds you into what you think of as the sound of this band and then flips the script on it’s head with a totally different tone and sound. This was that track. It has a bright vibrant energy that has flavors of The Church and other New wave progressive sensibility. It has an edge on the front of the beat to create urgency and is a wonderful lift in the middle of the album.

Overall this album is very familiar. It is building on concepts I know and love, but rather than re inventing the wheel it changes and blends just enough of these familiar themes to find it’s own voice. The production is first rate and the fast medium tempo keeps your foot tapping through the end. I wanted to hear more chances taken, to push further to the edge. At the same time I bask in the warm glow of a tone and sounds I love done with a unique twist that kept my attention. Listening to this album is like seeing an old friend with an exciting new story about where life is today. Hear that story for yourself.

Review of Warsaw Pact : Extended Play 1

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Band: Warsaw Pact

Album: Extended Play 1

Label: Self Release

Members: Ivan Delint , Ludwig

https://warsawpactla.bandcamp.com/album/extended-play-i

https://www.facebook.com/pg/TheWarsawPact/about/?ref=page_internal

Warsaw Pact is the creative vision of LA based Ivan Delint and Ivan Ludwig. I first became aware of them by an outstanding remix on the Antipole album of the song Someday 45. The first thing I said to Ivan when I heard this EP is this sounds very New York living in LA. A sound of what if The Jesus and Mary Chain quit shoegaze and went post punk in Andy Warhols loft. You can really hear the post punk influence but less the popular motif of classics like Joy Division/Bauhaus, more the resurgence from Interpol/The Editors. I think the other thing that really grabbed me was how a lot of Post Punk adds layers of production and clarity to what the elders had done before to create a new sound. Warsaw Pact has attacked the equation from the other side. They started at Interpol and stripped it back with a Lo-Fi edge. The bass lines are weighted and thick, the guitars are syncopated and dance on top. It’s the big buzzing wall of fuzz created by the additional guitar and Ivan’s out front vocals that create the effect I think of as Warsaw Pact.

Emotionally what I am hearing here is an erratic and twisting story of confusion and discovery. Maybe this is what reminded me of the lyrical and cadence delivery of Jim Reid. Knowing you have something to say but doing it with that lashing trauma of youth where you just can’t find the words to express yourself. It’s actually a much more difficult emotion to capture as a song writer than you might think. It’s something I relate to and can appreciate burying myself in through someone else’s eyes. It makes me feel that Ivan still has another voice waiting to be revealed on future albums that is not so influenced by the music that shaped him.


We are somewhere between an album and an EP here at 8 tracks. I found the way the tracks were listed really interesting. With a 1st track called “Introduction” and the 4th called “Interlude I” Almost a nod to an opera or soundtrack flow of the music. Here are the songs that grabbed me most.

DeadVlei – Right in with that driving thunder bass and quick chord changes. This song more than others gave me that The Chain feel. With that back ground repeated cadence and echo washed vocals seething with intensity and edge without using volume to get the effect.

Lights – I think this track definitely has the most curbside appeal. It bounces around the puddles of a rainy dark street. Ivan’s vocals sit to the back a little more and the effect of having the bass to the front really adds a weight and power to them. I like the spoken word background breakdown. Lends a sort of art house feel to this song. If a video is shot for the album this is the song i picture first .

Midnight Cure – Very exposed in this song. The vocals charge to the front spinning around. This song is a person lost in a labyrinth wandering through the endless passages. The drums on this song have a much crisper drive in the snare snaps and it helps create motion and urgency. I want to know the rest of the story in this song, maybe I will ask Ivan in the interview.

Overall this record is the capture of a moment in time. The guitar work is stellar and puts me in mind a bit of Antipole. I love the displaced feelings, I love the New York Art House cliche’ feel. I even love that emotion of feeling lost that reminded me of New Order Movement in a where do we go from here way. However I think this also sets a bar for Ivan and company, I want another record, I want the clarity and focus of vision for the next one. I want to hear how this story ends.

Review of A Covenant of Thorns: Shadows & Serenades

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Band: A Covenant of Thorns
Album: Shadows and Serenades
Label: A Handful of Nothing 
Members: Scott-David Allen
Mastered: Gordon Young

https://www.facebook.com/ACovenantOfThorns/

https://acot.bandcamp.com/album/shadows-serenades

So this review is for a wonderful band A Covenant of Thorns which was a late release of 2018. I was lucky enough to get an early copy and have got several listens in the last few weeks. I feel like “goth” music has always had certain concepts or tones that are really getting broken down by a lot of new bands in the scene. One of the things that stood out to me so much in this album was its romantic dark beauty. That feeling in goth of lace, velvet, tortured anguish of love from afar. Such an integral idea associated with the goth movement which the music has seemed to somewhat move on from. Shadows and Serenades is rich with these concepts and since it just isn’t heard as much it made the record sound so fresh. Allen is an amazing song writer and these pop hooks are done with a clarity and quality of production that builds weight to the songs and gives a seamless flow between tracks. It’s not a dynamic album, the feel is very much an even and measured voice. Again I found myself impressed with how effective this was because as a song writer this would be so difficult for me to make drip with emotion and passion like he does.

His voice is a rich, lovely and full of silky crooning. It was stripped down and left bare to the listener. To stand alone against the expertly mixed keyboard swells and driving drum loops. His lyrics were true masterful poetry which rings with clarity and heartbreak. When you have a great vocalist that sings with sensitive beauty it is a true seduction of the listener. That’s how I felt when I heard his voice. It has some tones of Martin Gore. That other side of Depeche Mode too often overlooked. Yet it has it’s own unique quality which made the songs sound very personal. I feel like the singular tempo and feel of the songs really gives you a chance to focus in on the words being sung. Because the lyrics need to be appreciated for themselves. This might be too much info but it has become my favorite bubble bath and bottle of red wine all to myself album. My private treat to me I share with no one. I highly suggest you share it with yourself.
I had some standout tracks I felt really spoke to me:

Torn in Two – The opening track has an upbeat dancy feel reminiscent of New Order technique, with beautifully crafted keyboard leads. Then you hear his voice for the first time and it is transported to a dark and expressive place. “Street lights cast the shadows frozen in time, you don’t want it all you just want whats mine” Gorgeous, the breakdown totally changes the tone to a brighter feel. Masterfully done. 
An Open Letter – This is a dark minimalist builder. With simple and elegant keyboard tones. Breathy and shadowed vocals that speak of empathy for someone facing great loss and regret. Then at about 1:16 a new drum beat comes in and adds a tension and pulse to the same gentle feel. Again the work of a song writer who is using craft and experience to create a lovely experience.

The Distance Between us – This is the album closer. Things take a sinister turn here. The vocals come at you through a veil from miles away. About a dying friendship and feelings of betrayal. It’s such an expressive song for an accessible theme so many have felt. Huge keyboard swell for the chorus which gives both hope and defiance. Leaving us on a high note for the future.

Overall this album is a breath of fresh air by using masterfully crafted modern technique and hearkening back to the ancient truth of goth music. A time of beauty, tragedy, darkness, and romance. Song after song tugged at my heartstrings and pulled me back in time for when everything just felt stronger and more intense. I highly recommend taking this journey with Scott-David Allen.

Sounds and Shadows Favorite Dj’s Shows List

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So running this review page we end up sifting through a lot of music. Some that a band or label reaches out and sends to me. Some that I just find in the endless traversing of the internet. However another often overlooked source are the hard working Dj’s doing broadcast and mixcloud shows which help sift through the vast abyss of musical darkness and highlight those burning gems that set my heart aflame. I thought it would be fun to give a shout out to some of the shows I listen to regularly. These are people doing the dark lords work out here and following and liking their pages really helps them continue to find the best new music. These are in no particular order and are by no means the end of the list, but I have to start somewhere.

This Handsome Devil is Sunil Khanna

Sunil does a live radio show in Austin TX, one of the world hubs for hot new goth/Industrial music. He has a finger firmly planted on the pulse of the scene. He does a Mixcloud every Sunday called Dj AsuraSunil’s Sunday Seven where he highlights 7 songs from different artists in a wide range of genre. Usually with some theme and no discussion just music. However he is also one of the friendliest easy to know gentlemen you could hope to meet. His show is always a source of sparkling jewels.
Next up is Pat 626 and their show SubCulture Shock. They are out of Charlottesville VA which has a really thriving goth scene. They do club Djing as well as this show every Sunday and I rarely miss it. Pat always finds incredible balance of new music and classics with just the right touch of discussion and background on some of the bands played. Pat also does a nightly feature called “So bad it’s good” where they find the cheesiest over the top song possible. We share this guilty pleasure to the point neither of us is even guilty about it. I also love this show for the live group chat which often has a lively discussion from dark music lovers (often including great musicians in the genre)
DJ Dark Dave does one of my all time favorite shows out of Toronto. However it is also live broadcast on radio-dark-tunnel.net. Dave is always finding and spinning new great music and supporting bands all over the world. He also does a fair amount of discussion and background between sets. Which I love because he is freaking hilarious. Definitely a very light hearted show but his music finds are always spot on.

https://www.facebook.com/theeleventhhourwidr/

Here we have my hometown of Kalamazoo MI’s very own Dj Shadowplay. She does a wonderful show at Wednesdays from 11 PM-12 AM ET on the local college radio station WIDR called The 11th Hour. Lots of great Post Punk/Darkwave/Coldwave and a good mix of backgound and discussion.

The Cold Transmission show put out by the German record label is a standard setter in terms of consistent brilliant playlists from the entire world stage. The genre tends towards mostly Post Punk/Cold Wave/Dark Wave but definitely not as a rule. They also set up a lot of specials such as mixcloud lists picked together with members of popular bands. I actually had the honor of doing a Sounds and Shadows/Cold Transmissions mixcloud list
DJ Kelly A from Pittsburgh PA does this wonderful show. She has been a part of the scene forever and although not exclusively I think does a great job of highlighting great female performers in the goth/post punk/darkwave genre. She has wonderful insight between sets and a warm and pleasant voice.
The lovely and insightful DJ Kelly A
The amazing Highway 7 show by Galit Korni on Ze Rock Radio in Tel Aviv Israel. This show is always on point in both the music played and the wide variety and world wide scope. She also has the most wonderful voice and although the show is in Hebrew and I can understand little of it, I find listening to it quite relaxing.

DJ Sonic Szilvi does Radio Dark Noise out of Portland Oregon. This great show has a wide range to the genre and best of all Szilvi is the most fired up energetic goth Dj I have ever heard. She is on in the morning on Sundays and sounds like she just crushed a vegan smoothie and ran five miles to the studio just be be fired up to spin great music for you.
Dj Subbababa from Rosenheim Germany manages LautFly FM. His new Music Hot but Dark shows are always on point and where I find a lot of the European bands that don’t always get picked up on other American Shows.

Dj Scott Durand does this great show great show from Lafayette LO. It’s all music and more EBM/Industrial based but he does a ton of new Music. He has a lot of personal contact with big name goth industrial bands and has done wonderful remixes for bands like Adoration Destroyed and Leather strip. He is usually one of the top mixcloud shows every week so that should tell you something
Dead Sound show is another I love by Victor Sevillano. Victor does an all music show as well but has such a vast variety of Goth/Industrial/Electronic. He really does a great job of finding new bands with old school flavor and is just an all around great guy. when I needed help putting together a playlist for Cold Transmission Victor helped me get my order right.
Victor Sevillano Eterna Obscuridad

Dark Nation Radio is a wonderful show with DJ Cypher (Jeff Weinstock). Great blend of discussion and background with new music. He really scours the web to find exciting new hits and is pretty broad with genre

Scary Lady Sarah (Sara Rose) has been the lifeblood of Chicago Darkwave for decades. She is in the amazing band Bellwether Syndicate and runs the local goth night. A huge promoter of the new music scene and all around amazing human.

Out ov the Coffin is an amazing show that has this wonderful campy vampire vibe. Blending cinema and music for a great immersive experience .

Much ado about Bugger All – This great show has a raunchy feel with a blend of old and new goth music. I really like the total lack of genre for this show and the DJ is funny and in your face.

DJ Reverend 23 out of Utah – This show is done by Aaron Shea a true journeyman of the scene with a finger on the pulse who promotes and understands new music. Love this show.

https://www.facebook.com/pg/Reverend23/about/?ref=page_internal

https://ultramichigan.com/podcast/episode-5-chat-about-local-music-community?fbclid=IwAR16qtWK5eJ0al7ILvKRdBid3E736VQGTPx3d3aI1O3R42eDXcyRz467k40

https://www.facebook.com/UltraMichigan/

Ultra Michigan Podcast are a group that specializes in local Michigan music of every genre. Really knowledgeable about history and the scene and a great way to hear about a wide pallet of local bands.
MK Ultra magazine does an awesome podcast that tackles lots of topics in the scene but a lot about Industrial music. They do wonderful interviews with a wide variety of guests.

https://www.facebook.com/pg/mkultramagazine/posts/?ref=page_internal

Post everything is a great show that somewhat focusing on post punk but touches on everything dark. Not much discussion most right to the music. Great mix and really does their homework on what is fresh

Communion After Dark is a burner of a show for fresh new Goth/Post Punk/Darkwave. Mark Paradise and crew are what make the Tampa scene special. This one is a must listen to.

Radio Arcane featuring several great Djs from the Louisville KY scene. Great mix of different darkness. Plus they are doing Convergence this year 🙂

Post Everything – Dj Eternal – I really love this one. Great mixes of old school and new finds. Also does a wonderful review page. This is a must follow

Melodywhore and Sapphira Vee do this Situation 47 every Monday night. It’s always a great mix of music and interviews with top bands in electronic and Industrial. They have wonderful chemistry and discussion to go with the latest music.

http://radio-dark-tunnel.net/?fbclid=IwAR0dt4TFaEOumSDaKndJ5cnXMV6TYKYGlHYqOs_quAD8A1XVivNOtFyMa9U

Cold Memories Post Punk & Gothic Stuff – With Jonas IH – Really cold blend of old school and modern hits in the genre with the focus on music.

Kate Mior – Amazingly fun shows including the Day Drunk with is always such a quirky mix and full of her dry wit and antics. So make up a pitcher of Margaritas and join in the fun.

http://hatemior.com/?fbclid=IwAR14bLPwwr1cI_supO6G9He2v1km9VPNSD1kjtMoMZ3cVYg6Sl_To9p0ptk