Tag: The Joy Thieves

Goth/Industrial/Post Punk already making 2024 Sizzle.

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I have been awful about writing to you all about the latest and greatest darkscene releases this year. It’s time for me to start making up that up. My goal this year is to dive a little deeper into feature pieces on bands and releases. Doing quick hit articles with multiple bands tagged is still valuable for getting the word out and combining fan bases. So if you love dark music and this scene, read about the bands you already know. More importantly give a chance to some you don’t recognize and please share these reviews. It costs nothing and help folks find new music to love. I appreciate everyone who supports us. Go see live music in underground venues. These bands are The Cure/Joy Division/Depeche Mode/Sister Of Mercy of tomorrow. You can see them now for under 20 dollars.

Tears for ʇhe Dying – Dead Girl Dancing (single) – Nothing feels better than watching something I already love, re-invent itself into something new and glorious. Tears For The Dying has become my favorite in a new wave of death rock. Adria and Mick have an exposed truth you cannot put a mask on. It shines with feral chaotic beauty burning outside modern popular refinement. Dead Girl Dancing is a delicate and subtle shine blasting through the cracks of traumatic armor. I love hearing a playful tone in Adria’s singing and phrase. Mick also shows wide range with this wrist flick fencers beat. This song reminds me that sometimes the most goth thing of all isn’t to wallow in despair. Instead to celebrate the beauty of the macabre. A dream which for some might be a nightmare, yet to those who want to look beyond convention, a midnight dance with the animated dead. Sometimes I fear Tears For the Dying is too honest and strange to ever feel the embrace of mainstream audiences. I hope they do find the attention of our darkscene. Other artists in the know, know Tears For the Dying.

See me, hear me, take my hand
Let’s go for a walk in the boneyard
See me, hear me, take my hand
Let’s dance in the fog

Dead Girl Dancing (single) | Tears for ʇhe Dying (bandcamp.com)

Bootblacks – When You Want – Speaking of rebirth, the Brooklyn post punk band Bootblacks who I have heaped praise on many times have done some introspection, a lineup change, and a total sonic reboot. When it is a band you already love, it is natural to worry, if I already loved where they were heading, will I still after a 180? It’s a beautiful twist of fate when the new direction makes you fall in love over again. There is a lot of excitement right now around the “Dark Italian Disco Sound”. It seems to be the next hot thing. “When You Want” is a flame laced single that embraces modern American Dark Disco. Something brash and confident that leaves pretention at the door. I’ve never heard Panther embrace such elegance and clarity. Those raw fuzzy energy waves from “Thin Skies” have become sharp lines and complex movement. Whatever that special “it” factor that Panther and Barrett had, they managed to bring it with them. Riding the cusp of the next natural progression.

When You Want | Bootblacks (bandcamp.com)

Isaac Howlett – House of Cards – By track three of this review a pattern is emerging. Another phoenix rises with a new sound and pallet. Isaac Howlett of the atmospheric darksynth band Empathy Test releases his first solo venture. Without a live drummer this single stays light on it’s toes. It sparkles and spins on a fantastical dancefloor. Isaac’s always beautiful voice glows warmer and wider. I feel a real “Power, Corruption, and Lies” tone in the music. I think Isaac’s vocal talent elevates the original concept in many ways. Excited to see where this new feel takes us next.

House of Cards | Isaac Howlett (bandcamp.com)

The Joy Thieves – The Heart of the Worm – Since Dan Milligan started The Joy Thieves it has been growing in membership to include over 50 members. Bringing new talents and skills to add to the color palette. Now it ranges all the way from living legends to…me. As in previous releases TJT tend to build around a vocalist in each album. The Heart Of The Worm goes back to one of the first Joy Thieves and Dan’s oldest friends Mathew Clark (Mary’s Window). Tragically Mathew had a stroke that left him with a long road to physical recovery. “Spilt Milk” embodies Matt’s trademark snarl and purr style with a crunchy new metal riff. The drums are dialed in so tightly you really feel the walls closing in. Then the chorus blows the roof off the building to scream to the heavens. It’s something special to play together so long, in so many projects it gives a song the hive mind feel. When timing becomes so precise you wonder if they used some kind of telepathic link. Track 2: Relentless features Chicago Industrial standout Mike Reidy on vocals is a frothing beast bends each phrase to match the pitch shift riff. I love when industrial leans into a groove.

The Angels Have All Gone Insane | The Human Element (bandcamp.com)

The Heart of the Worm | The Joy Thieves (bandcamp.com)

ACTORS – In Real Life – It’s impossible to mention the resurgence of post punk next wave music without discussing Vancouver based band Actors. The first single of 2024 throws every color at the wall with precision and efficiency. This track is beauty celebrated, an emotional sculpture drawing your ear towards a captured moment.

Also the Actors are going back out on the road. I’m going to see them on Sat 4/27 at Fixation Festival in Detroit. I need to make it clear, in 2036 there will be two kinds of people in this scene. Those talking about how they saw Actors for less than $20 back in the day, and those complaining about the price of tickets they are still going to buy. It’s not too late to be the former.

In Real Life | ACTORS (bandcamp.com)

Intrusive Pinky – I Hate You, Patriarch Fuck! – Modular duo of Jackie and Diana, a bit of Melloncampiness there, which came to my attention being the first signing of Jean-Marc Lederman’s new label Les disques de la pantoufle. If I was to pick 5 names I considered experts of knowing something has quality in the modern artistic scene, Jean-Marc would be on that list. So lets turn up the studio speakers and get some first impressions from the debut EP of Californias Intrusive Pinky.

Past Midnight – I like to think the first track of the first EP from a band is meant to send you a message. Right away the message was clear. Ken, you are not the demographic the song was aimed at. Still, you know badass when you hear it. This beat goes against the grain, still finding a pulse your heart is drawn to follow. Spoken throwing star cadence throwing sharp words at random intervals from the palm. Finding some equilibrium between hook and chaos that gives this slow electric club stomper a jazzy soul. You have my attention.

We’re The Meow Meow Generation – Give me that glitchy flapper energy like trip hop on a runaway train. Lately I’ve seen a modern trend of new video games to use advanced graphic versions of pixel art to bring the focus back to the story. This track feels like the music version of that ideal. It’s bright, bold, feather boas at a 90s Detroit warehouse rave.

I’m already invested hook like and sinker and need to have these folks on for an interview soon.

I Hate You, Patriarch Fuck! | Intrusive Pinky (bandcamp.com)

LEATHERS – Crash – Brand new single from the shimmering jewel reverse personality of Actors. Also on Artoffact but with a focus on the arm hair chills stunning voice of Shannon Hemmett. A slippery synthpop symphony in slow wide arcs. I love when a songs lyrics take you on a mystery. Hints at a story that feels familiar but lingers just out of your reach. I’ll admit to playing and reading the lyrics 5 times to reflect, and I am not done yet.

Crash | LEATHERS (bandcamp.com)

BRIDES – Doom Profits – From the moment Adrian started this lofi Norwegian dark rock project it has stirred in me a desire to proclaim the soul of traditional goth has returned. He even calls it “Norwegian rock band Brides”, refusing to acknowledge the word goth. Just like Doom Profits who came before him. Wielding these slithering guitar riffs like a Bo-whip demonstration above a thunderous bass hook. Leaning into his own voice with rough textures on higher range to create his own tale of woe.

Nothing Left For Love – A slow driving croon with fog curling over the lip of a chasm. Lyrics that are utterly beyond hope and have given over to the void. This song takes a simple vamping riff and dials it into that exact median dot so many have searched for. Listening to this is like playing chicken with true darkness. You keep expecting a moment where the author diverts and shows it was all pageantry. He never blinks. Never

“And these dreams that spill out of my head
Drip from my tongue and crawl up my throat
Until I vomit them out on the page
Or in a song”

Heartquake – A scorcher foot to the floor right off the line. This song is a black muscle car with flames and exposed chrome. Siren emulating synthesizers trail behind dangerous slides over broken city concrete. Hard dirty motion that doesn’t slow down as it goes around the curves.

“A shakey kiss
From trembling lips
Earthbeat
Heartquake
Skin crawls
Fingers quiver
Tongues slip
Tendrils slither
Tracing scars
Unwrap the heart
Muted howls
Nervous touch”

Doom Profits | BRIDES (bandcamp.com)

A Covenant Of Thorns “Ashes”

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In 1992 midwest goth troubadour Scott-David Allen began a musical journey called A Covenant Of Thorns which would burn a thick black candle in homage to the early forlorn roots of gothic music. To celebrate genuine emotion and the beauty found in darkness and pain. The concept of using our darkest moments to draw strength and celebrate those closest to our hearts. A vocal talent of superb beauty with lyrics of poetic elegance. Five EPs and Four albums later Scott David has imprinted a lasting mark on the goth scene leading up to his collaboration on “Tiny Gods Who Walk Beside Us” a compilation to save my cat which introduced him to Dan Milligan (The Joy Thieves). The two would then form The Burying Kind, my favorite new Shoegaze band of the last 5 years.

The Burying Kind | The Burying Kind (bandcamp.com)

Ashes | A Covenant of Thorns (bandcamp.com)

In May 2023 we received the eagerly awaited new album “Ashes” recorded at A Handful of Nothing Studios. Mastering by living legend Gordon Young. With Artwork by Greg Rolfes. I don’t know if this is always taken as the compliment I mean it, but the first word that comes to mind when I compare this record to previous beloved work, is maturity. A wisdom and elegance of sound. A communication in a relationship rather than expressing emotions after the fact. Ashes has a depth of sound made from living in the moment, rather than reflecting on the past. Every delivered line feels sung to the listener, rather than a description of narrative events. I was one with the concept, not a voyeur.

The Synths always play a staring role in Scott-David‘s work. These have such an organic feel. I hear horns, saxophones, organs, the guitar work charges to center stage in a way I don’t always feel from ACOT. Perhaps an influence of Gord being felt. The peaks and valleys feel effortless and vast. The darkscene of 2023 often feels obligated to bury the words of songs under oceans of effects. Here every word cascades out with clarity and shows the faith Scott-David places in his own voice to carry the story.

Stand Out Tracks:

Halos : This song has the emotive sway of a wooden ship on slow stormy waters I feel present in things like New Order “Ceremony“. Try to run away, trying just to feel nothing at all. The vocals here ring with such truth. Accent guitar pin pricks and a chorus with a smooth unexpected cadence. A pleading prayer for hope in the darkest moment. Also this includes a lovely sax sound around 4 minutes that always tugs my heart strings.

Grace (Like The Back Of A Fist) : This is a undeniable BANGER of the highest accord. This one has the edge, that shadow laced maturity I was discussing. No Boyish forlorn Robert Smith here. This is R rated danger and menace on a cold empty road surrounded by monsters. Shadows parting for a force of hope more menacing than the things in the ditches.

This album is beauty, it is inspirational, it is a blood red lantern in the darkness. It’s one of the best things I have heard so far this year. Sometimes you can take the best part of tradition and forge them into something new. Something that lives in this moment while casting a light backwards. I can’t wait to hear where A Covenant Of Thorns goes next.

Sounds and Shadows December 2022 Darkscene Singles Chart

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This is the final 2022 singles chart of the year, and it is chocked full of amazing songs. I want to take a moment to thank all of you for participating. This chart has really made a difference highlighting songs that don’t always make it on other charts. Chosen with no entry fee by our group of Dj’s, Artists, Promotors, Reviewers, and Super Fans. Every song here was released in December is the broad “Darkscene” genre from around the world. If you have a release next year, or know someone who does, join the group and share with our community.

  1. The Bellwether Syndicate – Beacons –
  2. GIR x TSA – Upside Down Dreamwalker Remix (The Static Architect)
  3. Black Angel – She
  4. The Joy Thieves – 6 to 3 – Armalyte Records
  5. Arden and the Wolves – Pai Nosso
  6. Komor Komando (feat. THE TRUE UNION) – One by One (Brute Opposition remix)
  7. Unwoman – Have Yourself a Gloomy Little Christmas
  8. Ashes Fallen – At The End of All Things
  9. Jason Priest – My Name Is Priest – Midnight Mannequin Records
  10. Jason Alacrity – Angels Cut –

The Bellwether Syndicate – Beacons – Chicago show stopper’s have a brilliant new single that roars like a muscle car charging down Woodward Ave. Flames spewing out the engine to chase back the darkness. William croons with an extra edge of piercing determination. The mix is clear but always feels like a toe on the line which makes it feel dangerous, on the verge of shattering the glass bubble. They just took this song on the road with Then Comes Silence from Sweeden. Of everyone I currently follow in the modern darkscene, no one has more “rockstar” energy than William with a mic in his hand. I am definitely getting an interview with them in 2023 so watch for that

Beacons | The Bellwether Syndicate (bandcamp.com)

God in Rehab, The Static Architect – Upside Down Dream – Nashville, Tennessee with a flame thrower industrial pop banger. Leslie Benson has a bit of southern swagger that belts through the wall of thick wall of sound guitars and sledge hammer percussion. I didn’t know a ton about this band going in, but the production is top notch and I will be checking the back catalog.

GIR x TSA – Upside Down Dreamwalker Remix (The Static Architect) | God in Rehab, The Static Architect | God In Rehab (bandcamp.com)

Black Angel – She – Another blistering goth rock anthem from California producer and guitar wizard Matt Vowels. This track growls like a V8 engine jutting out of a classic car with flames on the side. This bassline is always revving my foot and taking me through the turns. I am afraid to drive with this song playing for fear I will get a ticker for reckless endangerment.

She | Black Angel (bandcamp.com)

The Joy Thieves – 6 to 3 – Chicago Industrial superband back with another single in the charts. This one A timely new release while the rights of women to control medical decisions about their own bodies is called into question. Joy Thieves will be donating 100% of the money raised from the sale of the ‘6 To 3’ EP, and its accompanying line of exclusive t-shirts and hoodies to the National Network of Abortion Funds. We are always quick to point out when someone falls short, so I was happy to give credit when artists stand on the right side of history.

6 To 3 | The Joy Thieves (bandcamp.com)

Arden and the Wolves – Pai Nosso – I love that Arden had a prominent part on this chart. I know how much soul and devotion they put into this track. It is heartbreaking and gorgeous with her smokey delivery and this goosebump piano line. The swell of this track feels like an affirmation that keeps feeding you strength to move forward through the darkness.

KOMOR KOMMANDO – One by One (feat. THE TRUE UNION) (Brute Opposition remix) – Belgian based electronica body music with punk rock ferocity which I knew little about before hearing this single. I now know this, it slaps and spews forth at you with the chaotic fury of a demon hoard. The project is Sebastian Komor‘s solo project this track features from wicked fire whip vocals from Azul of The True Union. I look forward to learning more, so that Jean-Marc Lederman isn’t the only Belgian artist I know 🙂

One by One (feat. THE TRUE UNION) (Brute Opposition remix) | KOMOR KOMMANDO | Alfa Matrix (bandcamp.com)

Unwoman – Have Yourself a Gloomy Little Christmas – Not something I see much in the Darkscene community, Erica Mulkey from San Fransisco blended in string accompaniment to create this shadowy soulful version of the holiday classic. I need to add it to Kelly’s dark Christmas list.

Have Yourself a Gloomy Little Christmas | Unwoman (bandcamp.com)

Ashes Fallen – At The End Of All Things – I love to see how thirsty this group is for guitar based traditional goth. I love the crunchy blasting 90’s tone of Stabbing Westward on the sonic spray of this song. I am giving impressions on the original which was chosen by the charts, do yourself a favor and check the badass remix by G.W. Childs IV and it’s synthwave shimmer. James’s voice is dripping wet on this track. It really makes everything loom with darkness over the mix.

At The End of All Things | Ashes Fallen (bandcamp.com)

Jason Priest – My Name Is Priest – Minneapolis, Minnesota artist of Midnight Mannequin Records with this gorgeous synth texture and guitar ballet with a blend of Magnetic Fields indie pop and New order technique synthwave. It’s dialed in so tight and shimmers every time Jason raises, he vocal heat. I can’t get enough of the glorious craftsmanship of this song writing. Every decision made here is just what i wanted it to be.

My Name Is Priest | Jason Priest | Midnight Mannequin Records (bandcamp.com)

Jason Alacrity – Angels Cut – LA band I was not really familiar with before they made the chart. I am loving this sword swinging dervish EDM club banger. The vocals have a great rough edges on oil color translucence. The whole track was always spinning like a blender and bluring the world. Definitely a band i need to get to know better.

Angels Cut | Jason Alacrity (bandcamp.com)

I will continue to run this chart in 2023. I feel like it matters to give an open field to find amazing bands not making it to other charts. If you or someone you know has a release in 2023, join the Sounds and Shadows Facebook group and add it for consideration. Hopefully 2023 is another great year for music.

On the 3rd Day After Christmas Precious Ken Gave to Me, New Goth Bangers and A New Jam From The Joy Thieves

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The year is drawing to a close. I’ll start working on the year end wrap ups from another stellar year in Darkscene music. Including a compilation of the Sounds and Shadows Darkscene Singles Chart. First, I want to do one last standard review of what I have been listening to lately. Every time I think I have emersed myself in this scene so deeply I cannot be surprised anymore, I find something that blows my mind once again. Something that says the world and art that goes with it are always going someplace bigger and bolder. No matter how much you open yourself, there is always something new to learn. Happy Holidays my friends.

Midwest Gothic – Awesome new compilation I came across of darkscene bands, some I knew, some I found from Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, and Kentucky to cast a spotlight on the amazing things happening in my area. I always love a good regional compilation and this one is stacked with talent. It features a wide breath of the modern darkscene as well. Josh Kreuzman is the mastermind behind this offering, and I look forward to their future releases.

ANGEL-MAKER – Chris Nelson
Freeze Etch – Adam Duckworth
BlaK SundaY – Juan Blak, Jennifer Maupin, Jacob Cagen, Ron Anderson, Eric Brown
Pillar – Jermaine Artis
Juan Blak – Juan Blak
Sad and Pretentious – Joseph Mayfield
Hypnagogia – Elijah Durnell
Square Hollow – Mark Mehlbauer
Soma and Seraphim – Preston Krafft, Mako Chernobyl
Twice Dark – Josh Kreuzman
Broken Nails – Kim Bell
9th Circle Symphony – Jason Bambery, Dru Cadaver, Kurt Fester, Maria Cadaver, Chris Grady

Midwest Gothic | Various | twice dark (bandcamp.com)

Some Top Tracks:

Blak Sunday – The always napalm shadow punk energy of Juan Black. Old school chaos explosion always on the attack with relentless midwest blue color aggression.

HYPNAGOGIA – Tantalizing ritual gothic chant with a spider shuffle tempo and summoner circle cadence. A wonderful new discovery I will be watching for.

Broken Nails – The darting tempo cold wave with robust soulful vocals from Kim Bell. One of those tracks that energizes a dance floor while filling your head with reflection.

Plague Garden – Blue Captain – 10,000 leagues beneath the sea in this pressure pulse old school gothic submarine. The guitars are a darting school of silver movement on the edge of your vision. This project is a Denver CO collaboration of Fernando Altonaga and Angelo Atencio of eHpH. I love the atmospheric reckless darkness and Sisters Of Mercy “First Last and Always” hopeless thrum of the ever-sinking vessel.

Favorite Track: Tonight – A bit of an outlier on the album but the dynamic shifts really encapsulated the treacherous sea. The pulsing bassline full of danger and movement. The hunting teeth of the palm mute guitar. The haunting croon of the vocals. Something about this track put everything together in perfect balance.

▶︎ Blue Captain | Plague Garden (bandcamp.com)

Null Device – The Emerald Age – Wisconsin based dark synth band with a new driving political statement full of spiraling hooks and razor edge tapestry. The perfect mix of this album is so economical it makes the motion and pace feel like a UFO that darts and accelerates in a way modern technology has not produced. The vocal duties bouncing between Eric and Jill feels like a conversation of perfect syncopation. This album came out in Nov 2022 and every time I hear it holds a familiarity and nostalgia that defies logic.

Favorite Tracks:

For You – This was a darkscene singles chart winner. A boot stomp tempo club banger with Jill belting with Irish funeral dirge sorrowful beauty against sparkling explosion synth lines. A captivating modern classic.

Misspent Youth – A haunting piano ballad with Eric’s clean and emotive voice ringing with captivating expression. Each note on the piano streams forth like ripples in a still underground pool.

Eric Oehler – Vocals, Synths, Violin, Guitars
Jill Sheridan – Vocals, Lyrics, Synths
Eric Goedken – Lyrics, Additional Production
Kendra Kreutz – Cello

▶︎ The Emerald Age | Null Device (bandcamp.com)

G.W. Childs IV – Tarrant County – Lately I have known an obsession, that is yee haw goth. G.W. Childs is legit cowboy who fell in love with Yaz “Upstairs At Eric’s” and created a synthesis of southern family devotion and scorching disco inferno. I love old school country western. Hank Sr. Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Patsy Cline had a blue collar emotional delivery which would one day become punk rock. Legendary producer John Fryer (NIN, Depeche Mode, Love & Rockets, This Mortal Coil) reached out and encouraged his friend to lean into his country roots and make this EP of classics with a glossy hyper color synth wave sizzle. I’ve always felt the key to a good cover is when an artist excites a new generation that never heard the original song, but leads them back to it after. This is what the soulful delivery of every track on Tarrant County accomplishes. Watch out for an upcoming interview I did with G.W.

G.W. Childs IV (Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2, Star Wars: Battlefront)
• Legendary producer John Fryer (NIN, Depeche Mode, Love & Rockets, This Mortal Coil)
• Famed game composer Peter McConnell (Psychonauts 2, Sly Cooper, Monkey Island)
• Matt Carter (Guitar) 
• Ed Love (Drums)

Tarrant County | G.W. Childs IV (bandcamp.com)

Crune – Necromantik – Recently I covered the Skull Festival in Detroit. I saw a lot of amazing bands. One really struck me. When you see something special for a reason you can’t put a finger on, you know. When the sassy yee haw goth playing a theremin telling stinging tales about severed heads on the bedpost took the stage, I knew I was seeing something special. I made it my mission to make sure the world was aware of the glory of Crune. I remember standing in front of the stage behind the members of Adult who I could see were also struck and feeling that theatrical chest wrenching darkness the first time I heard Danny Blu. This is the beginning of a talented young artist on a rocket ship destiny you won’t want to be the last to know about.

Favorite Track: May Your Wounds Turn Gold – Slithering sensual napalm of exposed truth spewed forth with careless expression. When I saw this song played live, I dropped my jaw. It is raw poetic cabaret unleashed behind an electronic construction of syncopated dynamics. This is the future.

Necromantik | Crune (bandcamp.com)

The Joy Thieves – 6 To 3 – Chicago super band led by Dan Milligan have a timely new release while the rights of women to control medical decisions about their own bodies is called into question. Joy Thieves will be donating 100% of the money raised from the sale of the ‘6 To 3’ EP, and its accompanying line of exclusive t-shirts and hoodies to the National Network of Abortion Funds. We are always quick to point out when someone falls short, so I was happy to give credit when artists stand on the right side of history. I love The Joy Thieves iconic blend of hard rock and industrial mayhem. Blending voices and furious flame wall liquid guitar. In addition to the 2 tracks is an industrial high court of scene mainstays not in The Joy Thieves offering remixes like Jim Marcus (GoFight), Walter Flakus (Stabbing Westward), Steven Archer (Stoneburner), Gaby Gustavson (Eva X). A fiery anthem to capture the tension and anger of these dark times.

6 To 3 | The Joy Thieves (bandcamp.com)

Minuit Machine – 24 – This release combining the amazing talents of Hélène de Thoury and Amandine Stioui is staggering for its quality as well as tragic because it might be the last pairing the two. Helene has suffered some health issues which have caused her to step back from the project for the time being. This EP is nothing short of breathtaking in it’s seamless pulsing sophistication. Every track harnesses an effortless magnetic vouge you can’t help but want to be close to. Amandine’s vocal’s ring through the air with every phrase like a struck chime. A haunting electronic overture that paints a perfect moment while promising what could have been.

Favorite Track: So Hard – Sledgehammer drum beats, lightning bug transitions, and a club build that set the stage for a gorgeous golden melody. Tendrils of glitter smoke catching beams of light. This song can hold my heart forever.

24 | Minuit Machine (bandcamp.com)

Spike Hellis – Spike Hellis – After seeing them at the Skull Festival in Detroit this year, I haven’t been able to put this away. LA based electronic flamethrowers who answered the question if Alec Empire hadn’t pulled a 180 and became a cryptobro what would a cleaner crisper refinement of the magma fury become? Hearing Spike Hellis really helps me understand what is meant by “Electronic Body Music”. It is felt in the tissue as much as heard in the ears. The range of feeling on this chaotic labyrinth darts through every hidden crack of the human experience. It really must be heard live to fully comprehend, but having a map of the recorded experience can go a long way towards grasping the subtilty of what is happening. I really need to line up an interview with this band in 2023.

Spike Hellis | Spike Hellis (bandcamp.com)

COLD TRANSMISSION MUSIC – ZEITGEIST+ – There is no secret about my feelings on Suzy and Andy Herrman of Cold Transmission Music. They run a family style label that highlights the best in European Cold and Dark wave. As well as searching the world for underappreciated talent to shine a beam of their amazing energy on. This is the 15th of these compilations they have released to bring both their own signings as well artists they love. In the end CT are fans of great music first and then a great label. This compilation truly has the soul of those old Cleopatra compilations that want to tell the world about the best new music hidden under the crust. I need to do a review of this compilation on it’s own but wanted to at least shout it out in 2022.

Favorite Track (So Far) – S Y Z Y G Y X – Maniac – Luna has done an exclusive single for this comp and it is fairy light magic in a frozen palace of winter. The percussion of vibrating copper timpani sounds rippling the water from bleeps and bloops. Vocals equal measure smooth and smoke filling the room with vapor. This is a true talent that needs to be lifted up to a brighter light.

Compiled by Andreas Herrmann
Additional Mastering by Pete Burns at THE SHELTER
Illustrations by Jared K. Nickerson (Jthree Concepts)
Artwork by Yvonne Kiel (www.onlyvonne.de)

ZEITGEIST+ | COLD TRANSMISSION MUSIC (bandcamp.com)

Klack – Believe – I am always down to Klack. I will Klack in the morning, Klack late at night, I will Klack everytime because it always feels right. This cover is a perfect blend of two great artists Eric and Matt who loved the same song in different ways. They meet in the middle and the homage is perfect. Ok not quite perfect. They could have sung “Do you Bill Leeb in life after love. Maybe Cher would have missed the reference. I wouldn’t have. This choir hits like a glorious angel smashing into a gold brick wall.

Believe | Klack | klack (bandcamp.com)

Aurelio Voltaire – The Black Labyrinth ~ A Requiem for the Goblin King – Has it really been 13 studio albums for Aurelio Voltaire? This review is special to me. As someone who writes “Goth music with a heavy dose of humor” it is hard not to give credit to the OG that inspired me all those years ago. Here he taps into his own inspiration from an artist and film that burned a codpiece shaped scar into every 90’s goths soul. It appears we also share a passion for collecting every talented guest star he could cram into this shadow glass menagerie. Let’s have a look at this list.

15 members of David Bowie’s band spanning nearly every era of the Starman’s career from the pianist on 1972’s The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars to the saxophone player on Black Star, Bowie’s last album.
The Black Labyrinth was co-produced by Mark Plati who produced the 1997 Bowie album, Earthling as well as the post humus release, Toy.

Other guest musicians included members of My Chemical Romance, Trans Siberian Orchestra, Vision Video, The Cog is Dead, Frenchy and the Punk, violinist extraordinaire Mia Asano, Ally the Piper, D and D songstress Ginny D and an international cadre of musicians making up the orchestra and choir.

The 20 song release is clean like twilight in a fantasy world briming with the mystery of a firefly forest and the pageantry of a catholic funeral. Voltaire’s iconic is the ringleader that ties together the spectacle. If you don’t know Voltaire, you have missed one of the most gloriously self aware experiences in the dark scene. If you do you are in for a 20 track journey with one of the great bards of our time. Let goth music be fun. Let it be the giant melting black candle musical theater it was always meant to be. I both teared up and laughed out loud listening to it. You need this album.

▶︎ The Black Labyrinth ~ A Requiem for the Goblin King | Aurelio Voltaire (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.