In 2024 Raymond Watts continues to be one of the great innovators and provocateurs of the industrial music genre. Always finding some new musical thread (Gospel/Soul/Rock/HonkeyTonk) to feed through the electronic percussion meat grinder churning out new flavor. His career as an electronic artist has spanned decades working with KMFDM, Psychic TV, Chemlab, Revco, The Joy Thieves, and countless more. Working with illustrious company the PIG character remains distinctive in every project he crosses. This new album “Red Room” shifts the tone back to an oily glamorgrime full of hanging hooks and spicy rock licks. This is dance music at it’s core. Not high octane jump around the club music. This is sensual drunken master slithering through the masses music.
A true rogues gallery of guest talent for the ages graces this record Alexis Mincolla (3Teeth), Chris Hall (Stabbing Westward), and the PIG Choir: Chris Connelly (Revco, Ministry etc), Emily Kavanaugh (Night Club), I Ya Toyah, Marc Heal (Cubanate) and Burton C Bell (Fear Factory), En Esch, Susannah Doyle, Anita Kyoda, Mark Alan Griffiths, Mike Watts, Jimmy Livingstone, and more! It speaks to your capacity as a producer when you can pack this many top tier talents into one place and make everyone shine.
Previous interview from 2021
People pay more attention to a whisper than a shout. When I think of industrial music, I think angry, aggressive, pounding, revolutionary. PIG is industrial, but a whisper you lean in to hear a secret from. You aren’t assaulted with a barrage of words. It is a tantalizing siren song, drawing you down a dark alley. A forbidden promise you accept. Dark pacts of excess and submission are forged with dashing figures in fur coats.
Let’s dig into some of my favorite tracks:
Red Room: I always love when a title track comes near the top of an album and sets the tone for everything that follows. Wicked 90s glam guitar riff to set the scene. The chorus melody is an infectious chant “There’s a Red Room among the dead, to count those guilty words you said” something in this delivery put me in mind of 70s Alice Cooper. A beautiful dark pageantry wrapped in velvet curtains
Dum Dum Bullet: I recently did an interview I will publish soon where Raymond talked about firing an idea into someone’s head where it fragmented in every direction once inside the skull. The beat has a sultry strut and a bow whip guitar. The lilting xylophone lead is one of those perfectly placed accents. The chorus harmony lends reverence and charisma white breaking apart after impact. There is magic when the construction of a song becomes a metaphor for the core concept.
PIG is at The Window: Nothing sets my nether’s on fire like a slutty muted horn. This track really brings the character out of the smoke and solidifies it into a hungry entity you feel with all five senses. Sinister early 90s glam guitar. All the hairs on my arm are standing at attention for this filthy banger.
Overall: This is another great example that Raymond Watts is still growing. The story has more to tell. I am extremely excited to witness this show live, sweaty, and intimate on the tour with Curse Mackey and Unitcode:Machine. You should be too.
This has been a tough year for a lot of people personally. A year where we lost many friends and beloved artists in this scene. Though history strife and conflict have often been the inspiration for great art. A catalyst that helps us search for truth and test boundaries. This was a year of amazing new music that touched my heart and inspired me. As always I won’t try and rate or list every record I enjoyed. I think to cover everything and try and place it in a tidy box of genre is to lose the magic I feel getting to tell you all about something new. So I will tell you all about the Albums and Eps that touched me deepest in 2023. I hope in 2024 I discover even more and make twice as many friends like you to share it with. I’m not going to write in any particular order. If a record is on this list, I hold it in high esteem.
unitcode:machine – Critical Fault – The growth and innovation Eric Kristoffer achieved with this release is staggering. Signing with COP International to release this cold icicle dagger of EDM pop hooks and pounding industrial machinery. Eric’s vocals are captivating and unexpected. Chris Hall (Stabbing Westward) did the a masterful and modern job of the mixing and you can hear both his influence as well his belief and passion for what Eric wrote. I expect by this time next year A Lot of fans of electronic music are going to be talking about unitcode:machine.
A Cloud of Ravens – -Lost Hymns– Another story about huge achievements this year are the Brooklyn based duo infusing sharp jagged punk rock with the mystery and romantism of gothic rock. Produced by Jackknife Studio’s the heavy bass and exaltation in the vocals melt together into something spiritual that burns with passion. I love that Matt’s vocals aren’t afraid to be dramatic. His delivery adds so much to the narrative. The dedication to gothic driven rock is what ties together the record. The thing that makes it stand out in 2023. My favorite track is one of the most synth heavy electronic crooners “Old Ghosts“. A top to bottom stand out that explores the vocal range sense of exploration that makes ACOR shine brightest. This record is the perfect accompaniment for almost every activity. It longs to bring you on adventures.
BELLHEAD – Good Intentions – Chicago based double bass duo Karen and Ivan are supporters of one of the largest scenes in the US. They play eclectic dark alt horror that confronts and energizes. The May release is a roller-coaster off the tracks, chaotic, dangerous, and alluring. Image rich poetry bouncing in a dialog of vocals to bouncing bass and stabbing guitars. Ivan’s voice is a whispered menace that gnaws the back of your neck while Karen’s cadence draws you forward. Favorite track: Valentine – This sad pop bopping guitar crossing something sinister and a blissful ignorance of what stalks you is an amazing sensation.
The Bellwether Syndicate – Vestige & Vigil – This record is a modern day classic. Released in 2023 to great acclaim by darkscene insiders, this is a record I think will keep gaining momentum in 2024. William, Sara, and Phil all hold impressive pedigree in this scene. Vestige & Vigil was their chance to place their stamp on the modern conversation of post punk by drawing in the collective anxiety and rage of the modern world, pressing it into a cool thrumming gem, then hurling it with a snarling curse at an unfeeling world. It takes true expertise to hone the ethos of filthy punk rock into something this smooth and concentrated. I can’t think of higher praise than saying picture “Raw Power” recorded by Martin Hannett in Manchester with 2023 gear. William just took a break from his role in March Violets to focus on The Bellwether Syndicate and touring, so please make sure to look for them coming to play near you. This will be the band everyone is talking about.
Beborn Beton – Darkness Falls Again – We waited too long for a new release from legendary German electropop from Beborn Beton. When the wait was over, dear gods was it worth it. This record is a master class on songcraft, beauty, and emotional complexity. Stefan Netschio croons away with a leather whip delivery. All eight tracks are a spinning cyberpunk ballroom to get lost in. Dancer In The Dark is an all-time own the floor banger. One of those tracks that has longevity to break through the surface of todays vast ocean of new synth music.
Antipole & Paris Alexander – Crystalline – Antipole is a Norway based post punk band I first fell in love with in 2017 with Karl’s first release “Northern Flux“. They have collaborated with many European top darkscene talents. In my humble opinion Karl has the best guitar tone in the genre. However that is something I have come to expect from all of Karl’s albums. That is not what made this record shine so brightly. This record was a far more collaborative effort which highlighted the soul and range of Paris Alexander and Eirene. This made characters and voices of complexity to dance on the shining crystal world Karl had built. Gorgeous and impactful, below is a link to a rare interview I did with Karl about the record. This is an album that transports you.
A Covenant of Thorns – Ashes – Scott-David Allen has been making some of the best romantic goth since The Cure “Disintegration” for the last couple decades largely below the radar of the world discussion. Bringing in Gordon Young the legendary goth guitar whisperer to master and provide presence was a match made in heaven. Cascading minor tones wet with sorrow and storm cloud beauty. Some artists just know how to stab me right in the heart with emotional presence. The track “Idols” is a full on melodramatic John Hughes standing in the rain as you watch her walk away experience. Plunge headlong into the forlorn and broken beauty.
Odonis Odonis – ICON – Toronto dark spectrum artists Constantin Tzenos and Denholm Whale flipped the script again with this new EP. Bringing in a series of great contributors like Tobacco, A Place to Bury Strangers, Actors, SUUNS, and Patriarchy to turn up the heat on a sizzling 90’s alternative chaos. ICON shifts boldly between styles and texture while tying each song back to the badass black leather jacket metric. Walking around with earbuds through the world, every song makes you feel cooler. A little more invincible, a little more fearless. Brilliant Things Feat: Terror Bird was my standout track on an album full of them. Bold longing flung forward as confident vulnerability.
Black Rose Burning – Ad Astra – The September EP from NY’s George Grant. The man I refer to as the Peter Gabriel of goth. Transcendent stories in distant galaxies, a hyperdrive range and astral bardic delivery. All of these songs feel so timeless, vibrating on a frequency between the past and future. Jason Corbett did the mastering to create sleek lines for maximum warp. Folks are finally starting to take notice of George’s talent and vision. Your collection deserves “Ad Astra“
MALE TEARS – KRYPT – LA Futurewave artists that have gone through a lineup change since this album give me hope for the future. A Young vibrant addition to the scene that forged their own path. Some people dream in synth sounds, bright fractalated hyper colors. James has a soul for the dramatic and a beautiful voice to carry the message of cleverness. This record is the ideal for the 13 person rager. Lit, but exclusive.
Choke Chain – Mortality – Mark Trueman the Hardcore Industrial Punk artist from Wisconsin is one of those pure souls you love to see succeed. Taking hard industrial beats and unleashing vocal wounds with genuine intensity that never feels like a performance. Mortality is another step in the evolution in this synthesis of chaotic electronic club thunder, with piercing confrontation of depression and rage. The truest art should take us to the edge of a precipice, beholding excitement and terror. That is the place Choke Chain takes us. I think this record is something that won’t be fully appreciated until we have had a decade to reflect on it.
BRIDES – The Earth Defeats Me – I have been a major fan of Norway’s modular doom rocker Adrian Borgia for some time, through several projects. This is the record I have been waiting for. The promise of potential I have always seen brought into that perfect moment. Stirring the shadowy depths of the primordial ooze that made that first proto goth sound touch that place in the hearts of everyone on the outside of the circle. Chalices is a 10/10 eerie live in your dreams balled as familiar as it is unique. The religious dedication to modular sway pans like dark water in the underworld. Lean desperate wolf growls which have latched onto fresh meat clarity which allow the poetry to shine. For everyone waiting on the bridge between the earliest death rock and stripped down modern coldwave, it has arrived.
Ashes Fallen – Walk Through Fire – Sacramento dark rock trio Ashes Fallen had another blazing guitar forward September release from their “Chapel” recording studio. The vocal duties between Michelle and James have found a wonderful balance. The tone is a reflection of the foreboding world closing in. Sprinkled liberally with a sparkle and glam of London After Midnight. Gordan Young has yet another mastering credit on my best of list by bringing the sharpest edges to these shimmering riffs. Favorite Track: Scar , which is definitely not a single at 5:16. it is a captivating slow build emotional exposition that really highlights the range and sincerity of their collective experience. Ashes Fallen continues to be a standout example of the place where passion and execution meet in the modern era of music.
Sapphira Vee – Fortune – Sapphira from New York state is a great example of an artist I have gotten to watch the growth and development of in real time. The daring courage of her voice and the added components of her collaborators have expanded the limits or motion and image. I feel enraptured by the emergence of a woman’s experience and sensuality expressed unfiltered. This album is intimate, nuanced, unburdened by the insecurities of the past. It harkens 90’s trip hop balanced with the soul and execution of modern darkpop. Favorite Track: Those Words feat Jean Marc Lederman – The Belgian composer is well known for finding the perfect backdrop to highlight a story. The cadence that Sapphira uses in this track is the perfect exposition of her beauty and power. The music evaporates when she steps forward, and rises as she whispers a secret. I love when a story shines in a perfect moment. There is nothing more beautiful then watching an artist evolve in a heart stopping moment.
NIGHT NAIL – Fates Explained – This record was a late comer releasing in November from the Berlin Germany transplants Night Nail. Finding a third home of Metropolis Records and mastered by sonic sculptor Pete Burns (KillShelter) this abstract concept darkwave has ridden the cusp of the modern scene staying under the radar of popular post punk audiences. Brandon Robert brings an expressive Mark Sandman baritone I feared we may never witness again. I know I said I wasn’t going to rank these records as they all have a distinct brilliance, but this record really hits with an intention, an impact, the transcends enjoyable club music. A complex puzzle to patiently unravel over the next decade. Favorite Track:Narcoleptic Dream Catcher – This one has a throwback Ian McCulloch beauty and depth. Valentine’s backup vocals cast the perfect backlight against the slithering groove. A forgotten hit plucked out of time.
VNV Nation – Electric Sun – Confession time, I slept on VNV Nation for WAY too long. Ronan Harris released his first full length since 2018 and it is absolutely breathtaking. The craft, the expression, the undeniable honesty of this record gets beneath your skin. I felt things, ask questions, experienced what art is meant to mean. The art of lyrics as the primary focus in modern songcraft is a sadly lost focus in 2023. This album is everything you ask from modern production while delivering Leonard Cohen level poetry. I am a convert. A believer. I will never sleep on the power and impact of VNV Nation again. Favorite Track:The Game – I have played this song 100 times and the hair on the back of my arms stand up every single time. Some songs just hit a perfect spot, in a perfect moment. They become unforgettable. This is one of those tracks.
Bedless Bones – Mire of Mercury – Another late release November 2023 from my favorite band in Estonia. Kadri Sammel has such a unique vocal cadence and energetic world beat percussion texture. A flowing aquatic fantasy of motion and prophesy. This album is shrouded in mystery. An internal exploration of body and soul.
Gazelle Twin – Black Dog – Awesome UK band I just discovered this year. Lot’s of gorgeous textured analog synths. Powerful psychedelic Grace Slick style vocals. This band immediately capture me by being creative in a way no one else was doing. A tempo and attack outside the box of what is popular in this moment. The growling industrial version of the Doors of Perception. The lyrics are delivered with poetic intensity. From the moment I heard that first single Black Dog I was hooked. Music without boundaries and rules that captures my dreams. This will always move me.
HEALTH – RAT WARS – LA band that waited until the end of the year to put out one of the most groundbreaking and emotive offerings I heard all year. I know I said I wasn’t going to rank these albums but this was an instant classic banger. It perfectly rides the pipe of beauty and destructive power. Lightning in a bottle of honey dripping warm amber vocals and sand blasting cannon guitars. “Hateful” is an inferno club banger that builds an obsidian castle in your brain and never lets go. This album came out December 2023 so I didn’t get to spend as much time with it as others on this list. That in no way diminished that the first time I heard it I was floored with just how perfectly it balanced the range of human emotion. This record will be something people talk about for years to come.
Aurelio Voltaire – The Last Halloween Party – As a comedy goth artist the niche pool of artists to look up to is not a vast pool. It is no secret that Aurelio Voltaire is a bit of a personal hero, getting to open for him in 2023 was a highlight of my musical career. Getting a chance to drive him around while listening to this record pre-release was one of those moments that reminds me why I do this. Dark music can be fun, it can be clever, it is diverse and connects with us in all aspects of the human experience. I remember him saying to me “I am a goth who plays music, not a goth musician.” It’s jazz, folk, fusion, all prancing around the fire, stories to send a chill up your spine. There is a very good reason he has continued to entrance fans around the world for decades. An understanding that exploring the darkness and gallows humor within us all is what connects all the misfit children around the world. I can’t wait to play with him again in Detroit in May.
SOPOR AETERNUS & The Ensemble Of Shadows – The Rules – German band that continues to do some of the most impactful and unique darkscene music year after year. An intelligent and abstract experience in a completely different category than the rest of the genre. A little Dead Can Dance, a pinch of The Swans, a smattering of Legendary Pink Dots, all whirling through a Nick Cave mist so theatrically their own. As a reviewer it is so difficult to try and define an experience so unique. No matter how many times I discover a new Sopor Aeternus album I am always struck by how glorious and innovative it is in a sea of ships moving closer together.
Lana Del Rabies – STREGA BEATA – The impressive 3rd record from Arizona artist Lana Del Rabies. A sinking bog ritual of strings and vibration. A longing prayer to darker forces. This is soulful pleading music felt in the bloodstream. Something old and dangerous called forth from dark woods to transform your dancefloor into a spell of summoning. Don’t enter into this album lightly. It is a summoning. It is a crack in the doorway between dreams and reality. To create something so unnerving and captivating is an act of courage. A thing of defiance. A challenge to the other side.
genCAB – Signature Flaws – Philly electronic artist David Dutton has captured an idea which seems elementary, but has continued to illude the masses. The lilting anthem driving vocals of emo, and the complex vibrating impact of electronic dance music. It’s bouncing expression you feel in your bones, while vulnerable narrative lyrics offer up something relatable and transformative. The title track Signature Flaws I takes two complex ideas and curls them into perfect synthesis. As someone who came late to the game with emo music, this record blends the best parts of the early 2000s into something fresh and progressive. An album for the future blending ideas not fully realized.
Korine – Tear – Another incredible Philly band blending the most pastel beautiful aspects of Jesus and Mary Chain shoegaze, Synthwave, and 90s Britpop. The wispy sass of the vocals are a sonic cotton candy I can always get lost in. Pure dopamine poured into your ears. Korine have major star potential and are high on the list of bands I must see live in the near future.
SWANS – The Beggar – Return of New York electro doom folk and controversial songwriter Michael Gira with a record that both surprised me and lived up to high expectations. Winding freeform psychedelic murder ballads all clocking in over 6 minutes. Only one single Los Angeles City Of Death, mostly a hard diet of brown acid campfire tales of cosmic horror. A revealing soul exploration that left me inspired and frightened in equal measure. Don’t try and digest this in one go. You need to take many bites before settling in for the meal. It is a meal well worth the wait though. Staggering, brilliant, tortured.
Randolph & Mortimer – The Incomplete Truth – The Sheffield, UK artist released this bouncing electropunk symphony of gears and pistons in perpetual motion. It walks heavy with blue collar confidence through a warehouse district after dark. I think one of the hardest things to master in electronic dance music laden with samples is the exact moment to drop them for maximum impact. To not overuse so that the single spoken line sets the scenery without the need for poetic lyrics. The Incomplete Truth achieves an almost robotic precision in it’s efficiency and impact. Never a wasted line, never a bridge that wears out it’s welcome. A place for everything and everything in it’s place.
OMD – Bauhaus Staircase – Another big name legacy band with a return to form in this dystopian fantasywave. I really love how they found new ways to attack the same vamp. A whimsical dance through the streets of a crumbling society. Kleptocracy was my favorite single, the vocals had a slippery magma quality. Bright pop with a thoughtful political relevance. I don’t know if anyone had thought OMD had started to miss the beat, but they most certainly have not.
††† (Crosses) – Goodnight, God Bless, I Love U, Delete. – LA band that folks are always recommending to me but I never really dug into until this year. I real David Gahan sensuality in the vocals with a more modern glitchy vibe to the darkpop sound. Lot’s of club singles to choose from, an album of dance floor bangers. The occasions when things turn up to 11 quickly against the smooth poppy hooks to smash you with morning star intensity. It’s deceptive in ways that keep you on high alert. Unexpected depth, unexpected intensity, a return to mystique I have longed for.
thePicassos – Divination Scars: among the dead in symmetry – As a big fan of the Detroit band the thing that has always impressed me most about Charles and company is the intention and thought that goes into every aspect of their performance. Such an eclectic bizarre mixture of styles from 50s doo wop to 90’s Pixies dark alt. Charles has a slippery devotion to every story he sets. Another of my favorite 2023 discoveries that the wider world needs to jump on board with.
Ritual Howls – Virtue Falters – 5th record from Detroit post rock Ritual Howls. My obsession with Yee haw goth is well documented and Virtue Falters really plays up the Johnny Cash aspect of country caught in the current of Fields of the Nephelium tragic guitars. The real power comes from how much complexity the songs have while maintaining a very straight forward groove. it’s no easy feat to capture both ideals in equal measure. It feels like one of those old school records where 3 humans locked themselves in an abandoned warehouse and got weird together for two months. Something that either leads to brilliance or madness. Never in between and Virtue Falters tapped the former.
ASSASSUN – Chronic Quicksand Depression Morning – Alexander is one of those infuriating brilliant humans who puts out such a vast amount of quality work I often wonder if he is a person or a fey. Not only is it always amazing, it is always vastly different and mind jarringly weird. I’ve never followed a stranger into an abandoned train station in Berlin in 1987 where 12 people in masks were playing abstract electronic brap music as a party performance piece. I have to imagine this would have been what it felt like and it is awesome. I think the most impressive aspect of this ambient mind goo is that it never feels pretentious. It should, but it never does.
Jean-Marc Lederman– Soul Music For Zombies – Legendary Belgian composer Jean-Marc Lederman has an uncanny ability to constantly will into being something my heart had no idea it yearned for. A dark funky industrial blender on roller skates spinning under a disco ball. Frequent contributor Emileigh Rohn does another vocal contribution which soars and cascades with waterfall beauty. Diverse as the shades of human emotion. Jean-Marc spews forth brilliant concepts that need to be shown the light. Underappreciated in our scene doesn’t tell the whole tale.
Scorpion Tea – Scorpion Tea – Finally a band that is equal measure fresh on the scene, as well as brimming with OG street cred from drummer Edley ODowd (Psychic TV). Hard mean motorcycle revving skids on the floor of a condemned church. Untamed death rock with tube amp crunch and Raw Power sensuality. I expect 2024 to be a meteoric rise for the NYC band that could find a place in three different scenes.
Time again for the Darkscene Singles Chart. Where members of the S & S Facebook and Patreon group of DJs, Artists, Superfans, Reviewers, and Labels vote on the top songs released in August. The songs can be anything in the broad Darkscene genre. We have an amazing collection of music lovers in the group who always lift up songs that captivate the heart, and often aren’t a focus for other charts.
Steven Archer – I Am The Walrus (Beatles Cover)
The Amaranth – Thighs
Ashes Fallen – Damn Me
Bestial Mouths – Road Of A Thousand Tears
Bellhead – Valentine
cEvin Key – The House That Tried To Kill Me
Unitcode:Machine (Feat Stabbing Westward) – Cold
Brides – Chalices
Black Rose Burning – Night Terrors
Vandal Moon – Satellite
Steven Archer – I Am The Walrus – The WolfLord has returned with a new solo single cover of the Beatles. You really don’t see enough Industrialdelic Beatles tunes and this was a big hit with our listeners. Buzzing outer darkness chaos exploding with pinpricks of colored light. This was always one of the Beatles strangest offerings and Steven pushes it right off the cliff into the mouth of an exploding Katju Seabeast.
2) The Amaranth – Thighs – I know what you are thinking. Ken, you won second place in your own poll. (Nudge nudge wink wink). Well perhaps this is the one arena where a new Amaranth single can compete against the heavy hitters. I refuse to think that. I love this song. It’s sleezy, I got to dust off my sexy growl. The concept of passing out after playing a show and waking up to find a perfect imprint of your makeup pallet on your partners inner thigh was one that resonated with me. I will not apologize for increasing the number of songs in the world about going down on folks. Lovely cover art by Hemlock. Expert Mastering by Pete Burns. I love Kam’s live drums mixed with their electronic beat.
3) Ashes Fallen – Damn Me – California Goth Rockers with a slamming new single fresh off their appearance at the Murder Of Crows Fest in NYC. Loving the bouncing 80s guitar vibes mashed against The Cult style dark rock. Michelle Perry brings more confidence and gusto to every new release. Cover Art by Michelle Perry. Mastering by the legend Gordon Young. James Perry has put together an all star team and their future keeps getting brighter.
4) Bestial Mouths – Road Of A Thousand Tears – I talked about this upcoming release during the Negative Gain Records interview. How excited they were that Rhys Fulber himself had ask to be involved with the project. When I think of new bands doing something truly unique and fresh to stir an emotional experience the Sacramento, California band is at the top of my mind. Lynette Cerezo swirling chant resonates like a druid high priest lifting exaltation to the power of the dark forest. This track is one of those you can get truly lost in. The craft of the strings, the exploding percussion. I want this song as the intro to the next great warrior hymn period piece.
5) Bellhead – Valentine – New Video single from my favorite double bass duo from Chicago. We have an interview with them releasing soon. This track is Ivan’s voice at it’s most sensual and frightening. Karen gives a perfect Kim Deal call and answer. The piano is a gentle intimacy that highlights the edges and makes this song live rent free in my mind.
6) cEvin Key – House Tried To Kill Me – cEvin Key is a legend. He was in Skinny Puppy. So no wonder his new release got deserving attention on our chart. Off upcoming album Brap and Forth releasing Oct 6th the name is certainly apt. This feels like a private room electronic brap session in a trance rave. Textured organic meat walls pulsing and damp. I like that the flow isn’t something you need to follow. You sit in place and it creates a cyclone of motion around you.
7) Unitcode:Machine (Chris Hall Stabbing Westward Remix) – Cold – How does one improve on one of the spiciest dance singles of the year? Add Chris Hall, it was that simple. Texas Native Eric Kristoffer on COP International continues to show a flare for 90s dancedustrial hooks while maintaining a calm reserved elegance. Like a Jedi in a lightsaber battle. The song never needs to raise it’s voice to feel powerful. Soon to be headlining the Dark City Fest in New Orleans. If you get the chance to see Eric live, you must.
8) Brides – Chalices – August was a big month for Sounds and Shadows writers with Hide also making the chart for this new project Brides. I absolutely adore this direction for him. It’s inspired shadowfolk with contagious darkwave edges. His voice rings like the snarling lean elder wolf mouth crusted in glimmering ice. Brilliant and haunting, I can’t wait for more.
9) Black Rose Burning – Night Terrors – Always a fan of Brookland based Black Rose Burning. Right out the gate this new single has a guitar resonance that made me think of The Church “Reptile“. George croons and sears the back of the wall with vocal intensity. Haunting thoughts from the edge of an inky black universe.
10) Vandal Moon – Satellite – Another California band on the chart. Vandal Moon is one of those bands I always hear people I trust raving about and haven’t spent enough time with myself. This single is purple poison dripping from a dagger. Streams of spotlight synths panning around the room. This bassline thrums while hugging the curves. Nice rising decay on the vocals ala Pretty Hate Machine. Fun and briming with science fiction heist.
If you have a release in September or no someone who does, make sure to add in the Sounds and Shadows Darkscene Singles Poll. No pay to play, just the best in new dark music.
Yes I know this is coming very late. I unfortunately got wrapped up in my own bullshit this month and didn’t release this in a timely matter. Nor opened voting for the month of April. However, better late than never, these are the top 10 songs voted on by our group of Artists/Djs/reviewers/Lables/and Superfans released in the Month of March. No pay to play, just your votes on great darkwave music.
Lockjaw – Annihilove
Dead Cool – Stranger Kind
Giant Monsters On The Horizon – Secret or a Lie Featuring Arden and the Wolves
Self Titled Album – Economic Housing Anxieties(STA Mix)
Dread Risks – Machine Identity (in the walls mix by God Module)
Lockjaw – Annihilove – Excited to see a band new to the group and from Milwaukee grab the number one spot with their first single on the chart. Look for an upcoming interview I did with Medavon we will release soon. I was drawn in right away by this lean wolf, untamed wilderness goth. It has a wonderful stalking hungry Iggy Pop feel synthesized with electronic beats. Lockjaw has had some previous success playing with some big names in the scene. Returning with a vengeance of hard rock riffs and recklessly revolving percussion I will be paying close attention to the project going forward.
2) DEAD COOL – Stranger Kind – Wilmington death pop duo makes their return to this chart with a sizzling new retro trance song with 8bit major motion digital drive and Johnny’s wide beam vocals and lyrical painting. I love the brushstroke of Angela’s phonograph spoken word line.
3) Giant Monsters on the Horizon – Secret or a Lie Featuring Arden and the Wolves – Glorious across the continent collaboration from St Louis to California. Cyberpunk electronica band Giant Monsters On the Horizon lay down a FILTHY beat that twists and writhes to lay a pathway for my favorite vocal performance by Arden. Something about their voice always feels like lashing motion. The dynamics and venom of this glowing green delivery make every line hit home. Total Banger.
4) unitcode:machine – Undone (Aesthetic Perfection Remix) – Texas native Eric Kristoffer has been on an absolute tear this year. Singing with COP, releasing this instant classic hit with 3 legends doing remixes. Daniel Graves absolutely crushed this slowly unspooling the story and highlighting a premier vocal talent in the modern scene. Pay attention to this future star.
5) INSULIN SHOCKS – Eva X – Virtualsexual (Braindance Mix) – British Colombia Cyberrave single featuring Gaby of Eva X. She delivers this lovely terrifying AI choir you expect to hear right before the machines take over. Let yourself be assimilated, resistance is futile.
6) Kill Shelter & Death Loves Veronica – Sex Tape – Everything Pete does will be at the top of my buy list. Add in the smokey embodiment of a David Lynch film in sonic form Veronica Campbell. You have an instant recipe for a delicious sensual club banger. The craft displayed for every subtitle detail in song writing. Veronica’s temptress whisper. Nothing better than a song that starts a conversation while slapping this hard. You need this.
7) EN ESCH – Push – Industrial legend En Esch collaborates with Gabriel Lennox newly on Give/Take with a rawkus 90’s industrial sound with a tent revival spiritual chant. I love the vocal layers and resonant clarity breaking the standard of the industrial roots. That clear breakdown at 4 minutes in particular is an absolutel gem.
8) Ritual Howls – Dark Ceiling In Tennessee – A different sound for the Detroit band. Personally I am loving this darkwave jangling spurs Violator vibe. Around 1:30 a flaming sword guitar lead cuts the tension. Paul Bancell fully embraces classic goth Baritone, which strikes the mark freshly against the digital chainsaw static. Personally this is my favorite Ritual Howls to date.
9) Self Titled Album – Economic Housing Anxieties(STA Mix) – Wonderful to see the Utah band back on out single charts. I have tried and describing Self Titled Album is always a Herculean effort. It is deeply honest and vulnerable spoken poetry in a psychedelic haze and electronic glide. A complex mixture i am glad our group reconizes and appreciates.
10) Dread Risks – Machine Identity (in the walls mix by God Module) – My favorite Doomdustrial from Texas remixed by God Module and released on Re:Mission Records. I love everything about this sentence. Jason Bangert really adds a slippery wetness to Dread Risks usually boot stomping destructive power. If your club isn’t working this into your local dance night you are being done a disservice.
2023 has not been a great year for me doing written reviews. No time like the present to get back on track. I continue to be surprised how people keep finding new directions to explore sounds and human experience. Hopefully this article leads you to a new favorite band to love and support. If you find something you enjoy in this article, Please share it, maybe someone else will find something to brighten their day.
Jean-Marc Lederman – Soul Music For Zombies – The brilliant Belgian composer is always finding a new way to astound me. It is as if twelve brilliant writers live inside his skull and fight for control of what the next album will be. This album travels back to the beginning, when music decided to tap into something primal and internal. A circulatory system of connection and automation. Jean-Marc has a level of talent and skill that often leaves me flabbergasted. The greatest of which is an ability to create an emotional connection without reaching. Listening to this album never feels like a production or manipulation. It’s a ticket I bought, a seat on a magical vessel of experience and sensation. As a reviewer it is a difficult task to quantify something so exceptionally crafted, that on your best day, you could never produce. To step outside your own comprehension and appreciate the journey. This might be the most powerful statement in a career I can barely scratch the surface of.
Favorite Tracks:
The Music Walks Again (The Robert Johnson Story) Featuring Emileigh Rohn – The collaboration of these brilliant producers has produced some of my favorite music of the last 5 years. Every song feels like a meaningful conversation. A compromise of ideas. A tapestry made stronger by interwoven threads. Slow rhythmic strings and a hint of distortion paving individual footfalls for the beautiful clarity of her voice. This is an old story in blues. Robert Johnson goes to the crossroads at midnight. Offers his soul in exchange for playing something truly meaningful, something to last. The short, extraordinary life of an artist. To choose an eternity of suffering for a moment of perfection.
Didn’t Your Mama Tell You How To Behave ? – Electronic blues assault with an intensity to splashes on the back of the room. A single simple idea brought into rhythmic chant to hold together a spirit induced cacophony. I dare you not to feel this.
Jean-Marc Lederman does not disappoint as a rule. This album has tapped into a devotion to music and spirit that is transcendent in it’s youthful quest that follows the heart. An outstanding addition to your collection.
MORIS BLAK – BURIAL + VOID – The Boston, Massachusetts Electronic Body Music artist has continued to evolve and gather attention from the electronic community like moths to the flame. What jumps out most from previous works is the way the tempo is held back to add weight and inertia. Each song adds a guest talent to give it a unique frequency. GenCab, Kofin, SYZYGYX, Rabbit Junk, all add a distinct seasoning to this chaos electro antimatter stew.
Favorite Track: Procession – Banger alert! Heavy waves of cadence explosion with a beautiful duet vocal that tested the boundaries of both artists. The perfect song to let go and spin out of your own reality.
This Spring catch Moris Blak out on tour with Danny Blu a live show you will not want to miss.
unitcode:machine – Undone – Dallas, Texas industrial artist newly signed to COP International with a new single/remix release. Eric is another artist I feel I have watched evolve into one of the most prolific electronica vocalists of the new wave. THREE STELLAR REMIXES BY TOP NAMES IN THE SCENE (aesthetic perfection, stabbing WESTWARD, assemblage 23) . IN THE VEIN OF SILVERWALKS LAST YEAR, THIS PROMISES TO BE ONE OF THE MOST MEMORIBLE THINGS WRITTEN THIS YEAR.
Hem Netjer – The Song Of Trees – what an amazing growth for the world beat shadowcraft band from Vancouver, British Columbia. A truly unique blend of trance tendril synths, authentic throat singing, priestess croon, and rapture. A harken back to the spiritual soul and cultural exploration of Dead Can Dance, Projekt Records. The patience and subtlety crafting stories with words are an enchantment that burns into the listener’s mind. This is a band that has tapped into something beautiful and primal and have exploded past their own ceiling.
Favorite Track: Eldur – At 5:33 this is not a catchy hook single, but nothing about Hem Netjer strives towards simplicity. They are at their best when crafting a heady and meaning brew. This track fully highlights and range and soul of Raven’s voice in perfect harmony with evergreen energy pulse.
Hem Netjer is: Raven Rissy, David Deckard and Jesse Ellytt Lyrics: Raven Rissy Composition: Raven Rissy and David Deckard Throat Singing: Jesse Ellytt
Recording at: Jacknife Sound with Jason Corbett (Actors) Music Production: Scott Fox (iVardensphere)
Beborn Beton – Darkness Falls Again – German Synthlords return from a brief respite with one of the sizzling early contenders for album of the year. A 9th album full of vibrant passion. Stefan Netschio has a distinctive voice that is drawing you towards him with every inhalation. The hooks are constructed brilliant energon cubes free of fractures. Hand to evil leather bound tomb, this is what Depeche Mode wishes they were releasing in 2023.
Favorite Track: Dancer In The Dark – Sometimes I want to pretend I am aloof and cool, not falling in love with the first single off the album. This is such an undeniable banger it would be a disservice to deny the truth in front of everyone. The beat, the lead, the vocals, everything about this song is chefs kiss perfection.
