Old Scotch and New Sounds That Leave A Smokey Taste In My Throat

Sitting down to write and absorb for the first time in a few weeks. I love the way my boundaries keep getting stretched further by the sounds I am hearing. I feel like the Goth/Industrial genres are a buffet of ever widening flavors to test that adventurous streak in my heart.

SYZYGYX and ELZ AND THE CULTANXXX – Two of the sexiest bands on Cold Transmission team up for this razor hot single. Trying to put this in a box of genre or previous sound is a herculean task beyond me. This is found metal sculpture sounds, wet leather, and heavy breath. Static glitch dance beats are a 3D computer image of horror pop fingers on the back of your spine. Elz’s voice is captivating and sensual. Luna steps outside her breathy whisper to scream out with terrifying demonic exultation. The result is a horror film spectacle that leaves you frozen to the floor. Elz spoken word poetry shows a William Burroughs raw creativity and free form emotional overcharge. Everything these bands do is glorious art. Working together it is a powerful and un nerving statement.

https://syzygy-x.bandcamp.com/album/anxxx

ActorsStrangers – Another single, another amazing slow tease from Actors. This song has a synth heavy influence with wonderful understated staircase guitar. The energy is star crossed and introspective. That kind of infatuation that rattles your DNA and leaves you be lost in the journey of knowing someone that first time. The change in bass players really adds a bright bursting color to the tone. Jason takes the reins on the vocals here and every phrase is a come hither lilting rise. The way he sits in the mix like it is the scenery of this story. This album can’t come soon enough.

https://actors.bandcamp.com/track/strangers

Echo HausDeth Werk – New single from Echo Haus, one half of Chicago based Lorelei Dreaming. AJ does a focus on electronic imagery and scenery in their music. This one instills a picture of a hospital intensive care unit. The thrumming heart beat blips and tension. The journey seems to dive into the patient around 1:27 and becomes a part of the blood stream. Twisting and turning past organ and system. I love their ability to transport you with frequency and modular shift. Sometimes I want to focus on the words and energy of music. Sometimes I want to to hide behind my eyes and drift through the world. Echo Haus is the latter.

https://echohaus.bandcamp.com/track/dethwerk

aliasynesthesiamusicStop Go – Beautiful twisting tension track. I feel that sense of Bjork surrealism pop with shadowy edges. As though she is a character in a Mario Brothers adventure. City hopping on angel wings from one cloud to another and never able to escape this digital prison. One of those solo ritual dance songs made for your alone time in your room. A true imagination fuel mind gripper. This really gets me excited for the future releases. Beautifully produced and expertly crafted.

https://aliasynesthesiamusic.bandcamp.com/track/stop-go

Burnt SoulsDesolation – An Australian recommendation from Ant Banister (Sounds Like Winter) who is always a spot on source of great music. I love the complexity of emotion and overlapping sound. They have some flavor of The Church and even The Smiths but Colin Gallagher has a unique and delicate voice that really slips through the cracks of it’s own ground. It definitely rides that lo-fi throwback tone which sits perfectly within itself. The drum transitions flow like water through a rocky path. Every emotion seems to find it’s focus without screaming out. I love the steady control and thoughtful precision. This is one of those albums you can throw on and feel something different each time. Be drawn to a new aspect every time. This isn’t a record of bangers, it’s one that needs to be absorbed.

Favorite Tracks: Sacrifice, Hate, I Used To Love

https://burntsouls.bandcamp.com/releases

The Ghost Of Bela Lugosi No Way Home – I can’t take a trip to Australia without visiting my good friend Vin Price. Every single he puts out is a master class in song writing and creativity. I know I say this every time I review him but he is staggeringly underrated. This track is a beautiful synthesis of the past and future with barbed hook guitar riffs, cascading tempo shifts, and ensemble cast vocals (even though it is all him). It’s a wobbling stumble through streets with broken lights. Following the voice of the one you love to certain danger. A power your can’t ignore. Every time I hear a new TGOBL track it instantly becomes my favorite.

https://ghostoflugosi.bandcamp.com/album/no-way-home-remix-remaster

Klack Deklacked V1 – Matt and Eric are back at it once again. This time they have brought all their friends to share in the power of the Klack. To understand the power of Klack you need to grasp the friendship of the members. This in turn becomes a contagious connection which draws in the artists in this scene like moths to a flame. You can feel the affection of all these artists to these songs as they lovingly craft new lights and blips to make them their own. Assemblage 23 , Sweat Boys , Null Device, Caustic, and many more put the tender heart in a blender and spew forth visceral blood and guts to fling at the walls of your dance hall. If you love EDM/EBM no one is doing it at a level higher than Klack.

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

What am I thankful for this November? Bandcamp Day!

As the world tilts and tumbles and the chill settles into the land. What is the new music that I am feasting on this Bandcamp day? I just did the review and interview with Raymond Watts and I am a bit star struck and over the moon. You all know S & S for new up and coming bands so lets talk about what just came out.

Death Loves Veronica : Our dear friend from San Antonio has not been idle during the pandemic. Another new single and one with a totally different feel from her previous material. Lovely grinding old school industrial with her slow whisper burning ember voice. I love the gentle drone and build. A very David Lynch broken mind story. Veronica keeps finding ways to deliver and stay fresh.

https://deathlovesveronica.bandcamp.com/track/lies

The Unquiet Grave: This amazing compilation really needs it’s own review. I think Amaranth was set to be on it at one point. 32 Tracks with a huge variety of goth styles. Put together by Athan Maroulis this is the best value you are going to get in goth music. A great way to find 10 new bands you are into for $10.


1. Shadow Assembly: Languish
www.facebook.com/ShadowAssembly
2. A Cloud of Ravens: The Tempest
www.facebook.com/acloudofravens
3. Ships in the Night: Lost Times
www.facebook.com/shipsinthenightmusic
4. I Ya Toyah: Glass Eyes (The Joy Thieves Remix)
www.facebook.com/IYaToyah
5. Blood Bells: Destroy
www.facebook.com/bloodbells
6. Double Echo: Remains
www.facebook.com/DoubleEchoTheBand
7. The Kentucky Vampires: Holy Heretic
www.facebook.com/thekentuckyvampires
8. Null Device: And I Fall
www.facebook.com/NullDeviceMusic
9. Ghost Painted Sky: Cleansed
www.facebook.com/ghostpaintedsky
10. The Mystic Underground: The Ugliest Duckling
www.facebook.com/themysticunderground
11. Eva X: A Softer World
www.facebook.com/evaxband
12. Funeral DJs: Kiss of Death
www.facebook.com/funeraldjs
13. Red This Ever: Man Up Now
www.facebook.com/redthisever
14. Double Eyelid: Dead is Better
www.facebook.com/doubleeyelid
15. 51 Peg: Cut the Wire
www.facebook.com/51peg
16. Evil Symbols: Fascination (feat. Bat Kalaayan)
www.facebook.com/Evilsymbols
17. Dispel: Modal Consequence (The Threshold)
www.facebook.com/scott.doland.3
18. The Shyness of Strangers with Rhoneil: Return to the Ground
www.facebook.com/shynessofstrangers
19. ItheVirus: Obedient Delusions
www.facebook.com/ithevirusmusic
20. Ghostfeeder: Fascia
www.facebook.com/Ghostfeeder
21. Dead Blood Cells: The Candles, They Flicker
www.facebook.com/deadbloodcells
22. The Skeleton Closet: The Fine Line
www.facebook.com/SkeletonClosetMusic
23. Grey Gallows: Enemy
www.facebook.com/greygallows
24. Jaka’s Story: Dream-Land
www.facebook.com/JakasStory
25. Blood Dance: Child of Fear
www.facebook.com/BloodDanceBand
26. No Exits: Noticed
www.facebook.com/NoExitsLA
27. Rituel Encens: Passions
www.facebook.com/shellstorefr
28. The Horror Diaries: I Get Low
www.instagram.com/horrordiariesmusic/
29. Dead Souls Rising: Overthink
www.facebook.com/DeadSoulsRising
30. Cables For Clouds: Rain On Your Day (Radio Edit)
www.facebook.com/CablesForClouds
31. The Unquiet Void: Song of My Soul
www.facebook.com/TheUQVoid

The Ghost Of Bela Lugosi: (Poisoning of Every Seed) Another scorching new single from Vin. It really rattles my mind just how different every new track sounds. Everyone is a masterwork. This is a flowing newwave disco jam with 80s Depeche Mode flavor and punk rock sleaze. Vin lets the shining beauty of his voice gleam through on this one with more polish. Another genre shift, another hit.

https://ghostoflugosi.bandcamp.com/album/poisoning-of-every-seed

Blindcopy: Hot new single “Blacklight” from Memphis electronic artist Jack Alberson. Loving this bopping Information Society style with some southern soul. The way this track keeps bobbing and weaving you can never quite grab hold of it in the best possible way. The motion and energy created is hypnotizing. 5 remixes one from our dear friend Melodywhore.

https://migrainerobotsounds.bandcamp.com/album/blacklight-single

Caput Medusae – Dreamy new single from German darkwave artist called “Kiss Me Deadly” This track is always lurking around the corners and moving through the shadows. Tina Mar has a voice that is always in your periphery but always surrounding you. This is music I want to hunt ghosts in a abandoned mansion.

https://caputmedusae.bandcamp.com/album/kiss-me-deadly-single?fbclid=IwAR1O7XcG_gfeVSHbLtQNkZl28A9CArqjixVwQq0-HLjFhAwiUppu3HgBclI

White Mansion : Speaking of haunted mansions, Cold Transmission’s Arkansas post punk stars have a lovely new synth driven single “Alone”. The song has a lovely isolated New Order “Movement” feel. The bassline is a thrumming pulse and the vocals convey a loneliness and you can taste on your tongue. Wonderful single but I would be remiss to not mention the remix by label mates Kiss of the Whip . Tristian took that dark moody power and refracted it through a prism to highlight all the best elements.

https://whitemansion.bandcamp.com/album/alone-single

Black Rose Burning: (Open The Gate) I just need so much more of this style and quality. NYC artist George Grant released this gorgeous EP of ultra dark acoustic singer songwriter jams with a true goth aesthetic. His voice is so passion Peter Gabriel but that ever driving percussion acoustic rings like The Cure “Wish”. Sometimes to find the next evolution you need to strip the concept down to it’s bones and I am drinking deep of the marrow of BRB.

https://blackroseburning.bandcamp.com/album/open-the-gate

Actors: Last but certainly not least is a new single from Actors called “Love U More” and holy shit. I didn’t know exactly what to expect but this surpassed whatever I had in my head. We did a live reaction of the video which I will post soon. It’s all the things I loved about “It Will Come To You” and more. Jason’s vocals are blended perfectly and float on a cloud city of synth glory. Shannon’s vocals are brought to the front and make a perfect contrast. The tone is much darker and has a force of soulful pop with a deep message. I really can’t stress enough that you need this. This band is the future and I am here for that future.

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

My goth soul is burning in this Sun, but also from these hot new releases

Add 1 part vodka, 1 part lemonade, 1 part ice tea, 1 part these sweet new sounds. Shake that ass, and pour into the internet to share the party with the world.

Pilgrims of Yearning (Forsaken Lands) I have reviewed a few singles from the Boston witchy harvest dark rock. It’s striking and powerful, hints of Switchblade Symphony with a brighter flowing tang. Juls Garat has an angelic choir of a voice and gets offset by thunder rich basslines from Sean Woodbury. Claudio Marcio does a double duty on bonfire wall guitars and snapping drum sounds. I like the curt furious pace. This album was a long time coming and for an opening salvo it was really worth the wait. I love the Cure Standing on the Beach singles hectic jerk worldview to dark music. They really know how to strip it down and draw you in, then when they have you in the trap they spring the jaws. Favorite tracks: The Besieged , Bachanalia, and The Visitor.

The standard is set for a new force in dark rock music. This is a journey worth taking with a very mystical and stormy feel. They are on my new list of must follows for all future release.

https://pilgrimsofyearning.bandcamp.com/album/forsaken-lands

Also this video is a scorcher

Sappira Vee (My Game/Game Changers) – Rochester NY Siren Sapphira is one of those talents like Hante‘ or Black Nail Cabaret that has such an effortlessly cool sound. It transports me to a hip party I could never get into. Smashing EDM triphop beats interlaced with gentle flamenco guitar sounds. Her voice is breathy and flowing as though she just set a martini down and leaned against a rotulet table in an underground casino in Monaco. Both the album and the brand new remix compilation exude silky sensual elegance. There is a reason why she attracts top talent in the electronica scene to work with her. (Dogtablet, The Joy Thieves, Migraine Robots Sounds, Adrian Halo, and Melodywhore) Iridescent smoke twisting around neon lights. Favorite Tracks from the new remixes: My Game (Dogtablet), Who Will I be Today (The Joy Thieves) , On Your Throne (Adrian Halo).

Both albums are a total hit play and go back to your party self sustained beauty. If you love electronic music you need this.

https://sapphiravee.bandcamp.com/album/game-changers

The Ghost of Bela Lugosi (Square Grouper) Is there anything that Vin can’t do? Just when I think I have his sound fingered out he busts out a new single that is a goth themed 90s hip hop full of scorpion stabbing lyrics. Just pure Vin swagger and perfect backbeats. My jaw is dropped, just fuck. Vin might be the most dangerous man in dark music.

https://ghostoflugosi.bandcamp.com/album/square-grouper

Rosegarden Funeral Party (At the Stake) – Ok so far we did trip hop, rap, dark rock, do we still review goth on this page? Lets give it a try. I have shockingly never reviewed an album from the Dallas TX traditional goth explosion. I’ve heard singles but never dove in head first and I’m not afraid to admit that was dumb. Sinister reverb guitars, blistering transitions, and laser strike vocals. Mikka Vanya Brightheart is a force of raw untamed stormwinds striking out at an unsuspecting world. It’s haunting and full of driving pop hooks. Consider me won, consider me a fan. Favorite tracks : Torture Decline, Fear of Feeling Nothing, Justification.

https://rosegardenfuneralparty.bandcamp.com/album/at-the-stake

Joker Jasper (Turn of My Light) – New single from this Russian American dark pop crooner. I really like the soulful spewing vocals with a melodic feel on spoken cadence. The chorus jumps up with a lot of venom and intensity. I look forward to more from this talented song writer.

https://jokerjasper.bandcamp.com/track/turn-off-my-light-single

I actually preferred this lovely acoustic drizzle and shadowy delivery.

Dissonance (Precipice) – New single from a Dallas talent this one with several remixes from top Industrial talent like Joe Haze and Adrian Halo again. Cat has a rich lovely voice that fills an opera hall of a room. I love the glitch and shift style here that puts you on the ledge of a great city scape looking down. It’s constant motion and full of feeling. Like two great forces pushing in on each other. Beauty and vibrating uncertainty. A great talent who knows how to surround herself with other great talent for maximum effect,

https://dissonanceband.bandcamp.com/

Thee Elder Gods (I Am Satan) Sometimes I need it loud and nasty. I do not apologize for this. Kalamazoo native punk rock explosion keeps it old school furious. In these times of darkness sometimes you just need to grab a can of lawn mower gasoline and pour your anger on the world with slashing guitars, baseball bat smacking bass and napalm explosion vocals. 2 minutes and 22 seconds of walk away while the world blows up.

https://theeeldergods.bandcamp.com/releases

It’s bandcamp day again Friday, pick up some of these new releases, crank them up to 11, and let the neighbors now you are still there while social distancing.

Hot New Music To Climb Your Walls To

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 🙂

Obscura Undead
Post-Everything
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

Mašīna – 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.

Locked in Isolation with the Dark Thoughts of Others

So today was bandcamp day. When the wonderful people that run the best site for artists to get music to their fans decided to give all proceeds to said bands. I scored quite a few great albums. I am now working from home for the foreseeable future which might give me some time to do some damage on the giant stack of new releases that need reviewing. Here is some of what I am listening to right now.

The Kentucky Vampires from Louisville released the album Crimson Curse. They were featured by Brandon of Sonsombre on our podcast and he got me excited for this record. I feel like it was a huge step forward for them. The production is first rate and really gets back to the original death rock roots of goth. The guitars are humming and full of movement. I’m so glad to see guitar becoming a focus in gothic rock again. Large crashing drum sounds create a cavernous dark under the ground feel. I really enjoyed how varied the vocals feel from song to song. The lyrics are a captivating story with tons of call and echo. Almost like the demons haunting the story teller are whispering from the shadows.

https://thekentuckyvampires.bandcamp.com/album/crimson-curse

Standout tracks: Holy Heretic, Saint Vincent, Die with you.

The Ghost of Bela Lugosi from Australia put out Tales from the Darkside in January. Vin Price is a true treasure and enigma of this scene. If you haven’t heard of one of the best kept secrets modern music has to offer I can’t stress enough how you need to go through his back catalog. This songs are crafted with such precision and understanding of hook and flow. Somehow each one retains an anti-establishment punk rock feel that destroys everything vapid in their path. His voice has a unique cadence which I find captivating and challenging at once. This album like so many of his songs shows the learned study of 80’s new wave song construction. Instead of decadence the tone is filled with clever tongue and cheek Crass and street smart blue collar passion. Whenever I am trying to think of an underground sound to share, I know will wow them from the first track I usually think of TGOBL first. I also love his use of horror movie nostalgia and slashing overlap melodies from a variety of instruments. This album has an innate sense of just what to put to the front. Anthem after anthem of middle fingers to the establishment of music. If you want to be a part of the gothwave revolution this record is a great place to start.

https://ghostoflugosi.bandcamp.com/album/tales-from-the-darkside

Standout Tracks: All of them. If I must pick: Fade Into Oblivion, Laugh Now Cry Later, Nefarious Beings

Black Angel are the LA based goth rockers with a new release The Window that is putting an emphasis on the rock. Matt Vowels has a impressive Ian McCullagh range and clarity. The music has dark shadows but a high energy full band feel that fills the whole sound spectrum. The giant smashing kicks and 10,000 pound fluttering butterfly basslines give Vowels the perfect vehicle to ride that line between post punk and LA rock. This album offers that cleaner connected front of dark music.

https://blackangelmusic.bandcamp.com/

Standout Tracks: Poison, Creeper, Christine

Clone Culture from Italy with their new release Innocense sent to me by the always tasteful Andy of Cold Transmission. This album is a post punk fringe with a primarily new wave flavor. Immediately put me in mind of Aha from their more underground offerings. The vocals are focused and have a sustained beauty. I found myself continually impressed with how the percussion snuck up on me when I didn’t expect it. Really interesting use of panning and sound placement in the speakers to create constant movement. The tempo and raindrop patter of the guitar lines made me want to drive a very tiny car through very tight streets while chased by the authorities.

https://cloneculture.bandcamp.com/album/innocence-2

Standout Tracks: Feed me Tonight, Tearing our Minds to Pieces, Stop Hanging Out

I will keep going through this huge back catalog through the month, what are the new releases that captured your imagination this year?