Tag: Test Dept

Sounds and Shadows Podcast

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Our podcasts have been really improving. Having interviews that are a real conversation with some of the artists I love and give all their fans a feeling of knowing them on a personal level. I wanted to compile them all in one place that give you the opportunity to find and enjoy them.

2/25/21 Grabyourface – Talented French artists Marie Dragontown on Negative Gain. Talking about their breakthrough album Sea, France, and their favorite pizza.

https://grabyourfacengp.bandcamp.com/

2/19/21 Tear Down The Wall discussion with Russ Robinson (Infectious Groves Podcast) and Dan Milligan (The Joy Thieves). Here we discuss the charity compilation of Industrial artists put out by Riveting Records in Colorado that has a cover version of every song on Pink Floyd‘s iconic album “The Wall”

https://rivetingmusic4u.bandcamp.com/album/tear-down-the-walls

2/5/21 Programable Animal – Here we talk with Dropsea of the Chicago based industrial band. We talk about their vision and experience creating One Step to Hell on Negative Gain.

https://programmableanimalngp.bandcamp.com/album/one-step-to-hell

1/29/21 The Blue Hour – Video Premier of their song “Cold Bare” Also how they met and found love in the most amazing meet cute story of Sounds and Shadows history.

https://thebluehour.bandcamp.com/album/cold-bare

1/27/21 Matt Fanale of Caustic/ Klack – Talking about his projects, history, and balancing home life, Industrial Gossip, and rock stardom.

https://klack.bandcamp.com/album/deklacked-vol-1

12/22/2020 Rodney Orpheus from The Cassandra Complex – Amazing interview with one of the godfathers of goth. Telling stories of meeting Andrew Eldrich, their new album, predicting the attack on our Capital, and the past and present of Goth.

https://thecassandracomplex.bandcamp.com/track/the-crown-lies-heavy-on-the-king

12/14/20 Interview with Der Prosector – Talking about punk rock, Armilyte Records, British Premier League, and the power of curry.

https://derprosector.bandcamp.com/

12/7/20 Reaction to “Love U More” video by Actors

https://actors.bandcamp.com/track/love-u-more

12/2/20 Reaction Video to My Chemical Romance – We tried catching up on the emo classic and give thoughts as elder goths hearing MCR for the first time.

11/18/20 Raymond Watts <PIG> – Talks about his newest album Pain is God, his history, addition, and production techniques.

https://pigindustries.bandcamp.com/

10/17/20 Interview with Vazum – Talk about the Detroit scene, their Halloween album, influences, and collecting dead things.

https://vazum.bandcamp.com/

9/28/20 Interview with Caroline Blind of Sunshine Blind – Amazing interview discussing goth history, family, her new album, and breaking ground in the goth scene.

https://carolineblind.bandcamp.com/album/the-spell-between

8/14/20 Interview with Bootblacks – Talking about their new album, where Panthers name came from, touring, and working with Jason Corbet.

https://bootblacks.bandcamp.com/album/thin-skies

7/23/20 Interview with Crying Vessel – Talk about the new album, video production, horror movies, and working with Dean Garcia of Curve.

https://cryingvessel.bandcamp.com/album/pleasures-for-the-wicked

6/25/20 Interview with Dogtablet Martin King (Test Dept) and Jared Louche (Chemlab) – Where they discuss history on the road, their song writing, snowball fights with Trent Reznor, Jared’s Shoes, and rescuing dogs.

https://dogtablet.bandcamp.com/album/feathers-skin

5/25/20 Interview with Empathy Test feat. Isaac Howlett, Chrisy Lopez, and Oliver Marson – We discuss films, their groundbreaking album Monsters, futbal, how Ollie is a stalker and potential murderer.

https://empathy-test.bandcamp.com/album/monsters-expanded

5/20/20 Interview with Suzy and Andy of Cold Transmission records – About building the label and being a family in the modern music scene.

5/17/20 Interview with Pedro Code of IAMTHESHADOW – Our first video interview to discuss Pitchblack, song writing, Love, passion, and life in Portugal.

https://iamtheshadow.bandcamp.com/album/pitchblack-2

Hot New Music To Climb Your Walls To

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As isolation has crept on I have felt myself turning more and more to the solace of music to both find peace, and to feel a sense of connection. I have been listening to a lot of great live streaming shows like Obscura Undead, The Witching Hour, and PostEverything. So I am picking up on a lot of new releases and thought I would share some of what is currently kindling the dark fire in my heart.

Radio Shows Mentioned Above 🙂

https://www.facebook.com/obscuraundead/
Obscura Undead
https://www.facebook.com/posteverythingdjp/
Post-Everything
https://www.facebook.com/GothNightTWH/?eid=ARAlIG_Gy9GoxEvzh6XDzlb0cT68aQTvKesjGNdzKiYsDT88YCJ7ovh67gTeCzlQVBA0qTw9MysjxZ81&fref=tag
The Witching Hour with DJ Little Rose

DogTablet – The first release I want to discuss is the Muscle and Bone Remixes from Dogtablet. This project is an amazing team-up of Martin King (Test Dept/Pigface) and Jared Louche (Chemlab) . The original album was an exciting homage to totem culture with beautiful high art aspects seldom heard in traditional industrial. Here they have brought in an impressive who’s who of Electronic music to re-imagine this breathtaking album. 20 tracks each with a different lens and feel. This album really needs it’s own in depth review but I wanted to call out a few tracks. Listen to this all star list: Hepster, Mary Byker, The Joy Thieves, Stoneburner, Bootblacks, Jim Marcus (GoFight), Curse Mackey, Sapphira Vee, Melodywhore. This whole album is an emotional powerhouse and a fitting tribute to King/Louche two of the most beloved in this scene.

https://dogtablet.bandcamp.com/album/muscle-bone-the-remixes

Adoration Destroyed – Our favorite glitter gloom rockers from Austin Tx have released a new EP with a cover of Billie Eilish “You Should See Me In A Crown” Look the young pop star has a divisive effect on the goth community, one thing that can’t be denied is she does badass hooks. Erik and Ritch have made this track positively explode. I really enjoyed the song “Tonight” as well. It has that tension building scene in an 80’s action film feel. Erik’s voice drips with oil soaked longing while crawling towards that chorus on the floor. Then everything leaps forward like a vampire in fast motion. I understand the cover was the focus of the release, but this song is the real gem.

https://adorationdestroyed.bandcamp.com/album/you-should-see-me-in-a-crown

The Ghost Of Bela Lugosi – Just when I think Vin can’t surprise me any more with his ability to zig and zag in new directions he does a perfect latin flavor deathrock. It shakes hips, it sizzles, he rides that baseline like a chopper through downtown. That cutting upstroke guitar is a blistering cadence. Vocals calling like ancestors from beyond the veil. I love everything about this song.

https://ghostoflugosi.bandcamp.com/album/dia-de-los-muertos

Then Comes Silence – The newest album Machine from the Swedish post punk stars is tight, modern, and crackling with life. Vocalist Alex Svenson has this deep rich Micheal Hutchence flavor and star appeal. The more I listen the more impressed I was by the blood pumping through every song. This is not that post punk that sits in the back of a room smoking a cigarette trying to look cool. This is that post punk jumping off the stage getting in the crowd dripping sweat and sending it’s precision out with reckless abandon.

https://thencomessilence.bandcamp.com/album/machine

Secret French Post Card – More greatness from Sweden, this Cold Transmission band has a new release Out Of You. A great contrast to Then Comes Silence they have a beautiful more subtle flavor. The music put me in mind of The Cure Pornography. Olli Ohlander voice has a great range and romantic crooning quality. Intelligent and introspective music for a cold rainy night.

https://thesecretfrenchpostcards.bandcamp.com/album/out-of-you

Sóvárgás – Really cool Hungarian post punk sent to me from Brandon of Sonsombre, so you know it’s good. Really dynamic time changes here. That organ effect melody that floats through the background really creates movement. Crunching thick guitars give it some teeth. The vocal delivery is bottom of the well deep with an intense cadence. They only have a few tracks out but i hear a lot of potential here.

https://bigmanleacock.bandcamp.com/track/m-gis-megtal-lt-az-sz

Costume – New album from the Italian electro-pop band. I’m feeling a cool art house Suzanne Vega 99 degrees vibe. Thumping base and spoken word vocals like a slow drink of whiskey. 16 tracks and quite a bit of range here. What would happen if SYZGYX got really excited and bright. This is welcome at my party at 4am.

https://costumeband1.bandcamp.com/album/unus-spiritus?fbclid=IwAR2cGsiUnC5RxqbphCBQP7MayhhPXB2EFuHOIbKvldem-igCje9u3UXX1Dc

MaÅ¡Ä«na – Newest album from the London band Awake Again With You with a slinky trip hop vibe, but with an up tempo to dance to. I really liked the vocal harmonies here. I found this from the remix they did of Loveblind and kept coming back to the style. It’s almost a Patsy Cline beautiful love song vocal with Tricky throwing beats behind it. It’s a really captivating effect.

https://masina.bandcamp.com/?fbclid=IwAR07sowinA8nq7eMWgQ2L42bq3R9jWFL7ToMqA_dUbnMupV7IA0hx8VK-LI

Keep sending me music and keep supporting bands. Next Friday Bandcamp is waiving it’s fee so artists keep all the revenue. Great time to get some new music.

Review of Dogtablet: Feathers and Skin

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Dogtablet is: Martin King (Test Dept), Roberto Soave , Jared Louche (Chemlab), Jenny Bellestar, Sapphira Vee and A-Rex {Yes, pause a moment and just take all of that in}

https://dogtablet.bandcamp.com/album/feathers-skin

Look I might not be in the best head space to try and write a review right now. It’s been a tough week. This album has been my constant companion holding me up when it felt like things were a bit too much. So I feel like it is important to share the power of what these songs have meant. My trauma has been animal related (worry for a pet). This record is so full of the intimate and animal nature. It’s energy conjures totem aspects of primal creatures which I have needed to focus on. The credentials of the artists collaborating here are too many to count. It’s real power lies in how different it sounds from it’s individual parts. Every piece is a perfect blend of the talents without ego or pretense lifting each other on dark flapping wings of intimate raw energy.

The drums are perfectly crafted and have an organic feel for such electronic elements. They remain subtle to allow the poetry and power of the vocals shine through. The motion of the synths and triplet world beat toms feel like stalking, slithering, gliding beasts. It gives a unique texture to every song. Jared Louche in particular has a distinctive vocal style and really steps outside their comfort zone with the intimacy of this delivery. These tracks are so full of blood, claw, scale, fur, and tooth.

Hawtness

Lets talk favorite tracks:

Shadowlands – The album opens strong. Beautiful distant piano coming to you from across the distance. I will probably lose goth street cred for this but one of my all time guilty pleasure albums is Rolling Stones “Emotional Rescue” This song holds that same stripped down lay bare spiritual power. The winding blues riff guitar leads are smoky and flowing. Jared’s vocals are so exposed and powerful.

Collapsing Lives – I love the contrast here. Almost like two songs overlapping. A sinister smoke rising from the sand. While mono synth effects and trip hop drums slash back and forth to create a swaying beauty. Sapphira Vee lends a delicate breathy beauty like the wind holding a bird gliding.

Things Said and Done (Snake Lies) – This track really encapsulates that feeling of an animal in music form. I feel it slither with those drum beats falling just behind where your mind wants to hear the tempo. This song is never where you expect it to be. It slithers and strikes. Jared Louche chants like a vision driven prophet whispering secrets of a forgotten time.

Martin King

Overall I found this to be a remarkable and powerful offering from several industry legends combining their abilities to create something primal and resonant in a world barely scratching the surface. Get it now, listen to it often, dream of wolves and ravens.