Category: Darkwave

White Hills & Der Blutharsch And The Infinite Church Of The Leading Hand - Desire

krautrock / psychedelic

White Hills

Here is an interesting cooperation to kick off this edition of Brieviews. Two interesting psychedelic music acts got together for a jam session and created this immersive summer meditation, a five track trip towards the gloomy site of the psychedelic sixties. I like the level of variation that this cooperation has generated. There is blues, shoegaze and - naturally - a big dose of psychedelic krautrock, all combined into songs that make every post-goth and neo-hippy happy. My favorite is 'Desire' but I'm sure that all of these tunes will end up in my day-to-day playlist. I suggest you do the same.

Der Blutharsch And The Infinite Church Of The Leading Hand & Derniere Volonté

psychedelic rock / krautrock / neo folk

Derniere Volonte

Or how about this collaboration. Once upon a time, these two acts were genre-colleagues but gradually their sounds moved away from one-another. However, together they have recently released something pleasantly surprising. On this EP, they come up with four lo-fi songs, once again borrowing elements from krautrock, shoegaze and vintage electronica. This stuff immediately brought a big smile to my face, not because it's joyous music but because I am listening to pure and authentic jamming fun. 'L`Arc En Ciel' even flirts with synthpop, absolute brilliance. Recommended? Utterly!

Pink Cocoon - Alienation

doom / blues

website

We're not done psyching-out yet, we're just gonna add some doom blues to the mix, courtesy of Canadian trio Pink Cocoon. On the cover you can see a man worshiping an amp and that should tell you everything you need to know about this demo. The EP contains six songs, all hypnotic examples of heavy psychedelic music, complete with mind altering guitar solos, feedback, groovy riffs and trance inducing drum work. Pink Cocoon will get you levitating on massively immersive doom blues, there is absolutely no doubt about that. Fuck, I love this. This is going on repeat for a while and I'll do the rest later...

JK Flesh – Wasplike

techno

Inner Surface

There's no denying that Justin K Broadrick has had a massive influence on the world of music. Napalm Death, Godflesh, Jesu... They're classics in their respective genres. And then there was also Techno Animal and JK Flesh, Broadrick's dancefloor invitations. Well, with this 'Wasplike' EP, he no longer invites you, he drags you by the neck and lets the distorted beats punish you to extacy. This four track EP is a wild techno adventure, fueled with noise and drones but mostly pumping harsh and abrasive, especially in 'Mindprison'. So you have been warned, this thing will get you shaking your lazy ass...

Moloch - The Other Side

electronic / darkwave

Do you ever wonder what the next retro craze will be? We've had stoner rock revivals, psychedelic revivals, even new beat seems to be coming back. But as far as I'm concerned the next big craze is eighties horror soundtracks like this EP from Polish electronic act Moloch. Imagine the Knight Rider theme taking a dark turn and you'll get close to what this act delivers. Personally, I can 't get enough of this. If you are a sucker for eighties synths or old school EBM, you will absolutely adore this, I promise you. I also urge you to check out 'The Vatican Cellars', which brings you more of the same awesomeness. I'm a fan now...

Burning House - Tracer

shoegaze

This EP by British shoegazers Burning House is either an application for or a tribute to the legendary 4AD label. Just look at that cover and tell me it doesn't remind you of Dead Can Dance or Cocteau Twins? Musically, this brings everything that you used to love about shoegaze and dreampop into today's alternative rock scene. In four fantastic and intense tracks, this trio delivers pure reverb galore, complete with the high-octane drums and introvert vocals. The Jesus and Mary Chain often comes to mind and so does A Place To Bury Strangers. So yeah, this comes highly recommended...

Eye of the Destroyer - Violent By Design

death metal

To be released in the beginning of June, this two-track single by New Jersey death metal act Eye Of The Destroyer is the follow up to their full-length 'Starved and Hanging', released earlier this year. What I like about this EP is that it's not about speed. The two tracks here are slow. However, what they lack in tempo, they definitely make up in brutality. Although short, only three minutes long each, these monstrosities will undoubtedly get you headbanging and making weird hand gestures towards the sky. My personal favorite is the title track but rest assured, both these tunes will fuck you up hard...

Alexandre Navarro - Imaginations

ambient / downtempo / post rock

An interesting and original EP by French guitarist/soundscapist Alexandre Navarro, 'Imagination' brings me some much welcome chill-out tunes. I think this guy has been listening to Plaid and Boards Of Canada a lot, something I can only applaud, obviously. On these five tracks, I hear something similar; downtempo electronic music, calm and soothing but not too goody-goody. The level of variation is perfect, aided of course by a range of sounds and instruments. This really is nice stuff, stuff that makes me curious about future musical escapades by mister Navarro...

Valyria - Into the Dying of Time

death metal / power metal

Back to the heavies, this time with Canadian power death metalers Valyria and their latest EP. What to expect? Well, imagine the blend of everything in the history of melodic death metal since Children Of Bodom, Evergrey and Nevermore. The EP opens with an intro which leads way for a massive array of flashing guitars, pounding drums and a combination of power metal vocals and death growls. I guess it's needless to say that the bombast and energy blasts from the speakers and that the whole thing is a mesmerizing whirlpool of extreme metal galore. If you like your metal bombasic as fuck, you need this...

Anthony - Get Over U

americana / alternative rock / indie

On a somewhat calmer side of the musical spectrum we find Anthony, of Ceremony fame, and his four track EP 'Get Over U'. This might be one of the poppiest, cheesiest and most bittersweet things I have ever reviewed for this website. The songs here are lo-fi indie tunes about love and heartache, inspired by acoustic rock and post-punk. Somehow the Lemonheads and Blind Melon come to mind but also flashes of Pixies, Beatles and the entire jangling-guitar scene in England. Closer 'I Hope I Never See You Face' is my personal favorite here, and certainly a message towards some people...

Eyes on the Machine - Eyes on the Machine

stoner metal

Polderrecords

Et voila, another Belgian band enters the already immense stoner rock scene. Eyes On the Machine is a band from Aalter, inspired by the likes of Tool, Mastodon and "Mike Patton's Crazy Bands". The stuff on this EP sure is crazy. It's also quite unpredictable but for the most part, this rocks the fuzz out of your underpants. With groovy riffs, a drummer that possibly wants to strangle you and a vocalist who swallowed a hydrogen bomb, Eyes On The Machine make stoner blues metal sexy again. There will be a lot of ass shaking and headbanging going on in Belgium this summer and I can' be happier about it...

Råhypnos - Do We Want It?

3/5/2018

electronic / darkwave / alternative rock

Hepcat

Some of the albums we receive are a real challenge. For me, many releases are rather easy to write about but once in a while something comes along that seems to challenge and question my musical reference pool. In those cases, I listen closely, try to find something to start with, a certain sound, a similarity with another band, a connection to real life events, anything. Then I look into my ever growing English vocabulary and try to bark out some words that might get people interested in that particular release. If all goes well, several minutes later my opening paragraph is written and I can finally describe the actual music.

Writing about this album by Swedish duo Råhypnos proved to be a challenging task. For the record, that doesn't mean this is a bad album. I tend to simply ignore albums I don't like so if it appears on this website, you can bet your ass that I see potential in it. And yes, I see potential in here, a lot of gloomy, darkwaving, new waver's flavour of the year potential. The only thing is, who exactly to recommend it to? Well, I think I just wrote my own answer: new wavers, dark wavers, old school goths looking for their shot of new audible darkness.

As I mentioned before, Råhypnos is a duo, formed in Gothenburg in 2015 by Pablo Rautenberg and Nadja Virgé. Soon into their career, it became clear that one style was not enough. Initially an alternative rock act, Råhypnos added elements from darkwave, gothic rock, trip hop, intelligent dance music and even (dark) jazz. The result feels like a mix between Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and Chelsea Wolfe, recorded, mixed and mastered by Portishead.

Now, I have to say that I wasn't immediately blown away by this stuff. Opener 'Pain Shrinks The Heart' is a great song, pretty much comparable to the aforementioned acts. It's downtempo and raw. Interesting yes, but perhaps a bit too much on the experimental side of things. Yet, gradually, the record started growing on me, mainly because of the level of variation. There's electronics but also rough rock music. There's male and female vocals and even those come in a wide array, perfectly fitting in with the music.

Besides, 'Damaged' and 'Insufficient Love' are awesome. 'The Land Of Nowhere' is a brilliant new wave song that will get even Simple Minds fans excited. 'Blood' is a tearjerker and closer 'End Of The Beginning' brings that other amazing darkwave act to mind, namely The KVB. So in all, this is a surprisingly interesting album, one that will definitely end up in my day-to-day playlist. So check it out. I mean, I eventually managed to write a five paragraph review about it so it's definitely worth it.

Serge

Spirals - Spirals

20/2/2018

darkwave / krautrock / drone

Pacific Threnodies

Sometimes I wonder, do bands look up their band name to see if it exists yet? I have been doing that for every single project I have ever been involved in, even in the days before the internet. Today, I see more and more bands who do not seem to care, like the noise rock act Kong who had no idea that there was already a Dutch band with that name. Or like Spirals. The search results literally gave me hundreds of pages and at least twenty bands. That must be confusing for festival organisers and fans, no? Or is that just me? Oh well, maybe I'm just becoming an old, whining man. Let's forget about this paragraph and dig into the music.

'Spirals' contains four track, each on ten minutes long and rather hard to describe. There are lingering basslines, reminding me of classic krautrock bands. There are guitar soundscapes, which come close to shoegaze, dreampop and ambient. There are slow, repetitive drums, bringing the post rock scene to mind. And finally there are vocals which somehow bring up the phrase 'Ministry doing black metal'. I know, all of that doesn't sound coherent if you read it but listen to this music and you'll be stunned out of your mind.

The accompanying biography mentioned acts like Om, Der Blutharsch and the Infinite Church of the Leading Hand and Lycia. And yes, I can hear these influences. However, it feels like this music comes from deep within the souls and minds of the band members. These feel like long, dark and intense jam sessions in which the end result is way more than the sum of the respective elements. Yet, most of all, this is a surprisingly immersive album, one you can easily lose yourself in and let your mind wander. Try it, it's fascinating.

Serge

Brieviews 30

11/11/2017

Hi there

This is already the 30th edition of Brieviews, the review series where we throw an array of short reviews in your faces. I started these in an effort to promote more bands in a shorter amount of time, because time is something none of us have enough of.
That being said, we're still struggling to check out all the stuff that comes in, let alone being able to publish reviews for everything. So, I'd like to use this opening paragraph to do another call for writers. If you'd like to your our awesome team, click here.

Ihä - Esperanza

drone / ambient

Hailing from Chile, and founded in 2011, Ihä delivers three long, gentle and minimal ambient drone pieces. Minimalism certainly is a keyword here, as the music only shows minute variations. While some might find such a thing boring, ambient aficionados will definitely appreciate these lingering soundscapes. In that aspect, the track 'Un salto dichoso hacia la eternidad' might be a surprise. Here we have a melodic and highly immersive piece of ambient music. Stratosphere comes to mind but also Eno, Fripp and so on. In all, this certainly is a nice addition to your ever growing ambient collection, no doubt about that.

Parsons Rocket Project - Parsons Rocket Project

shoegaze / ambient rock

Atlanta-based Parsons Rocket Project worked on their debut EP for two years, and the result is stunning. They launch you into space and take you to planets Noise Rock, New Wave, Shoegaze, Psychedelic, Dream Pop and Post-Rock. Short as the tracks may be, they blend these genres in a wonderful way. The vocals add to the dreamy atmosphere of the whole. I'm reminded mostly of Slowdive, Archive and 65daysofstatic and I'm looking forward to hearing more from these guys and girl.

(review by Eline)

The Mayhem Lecture Series - Structures And Behaviors EPv1

ambient / experimental

More ambient music some from a different perspective. The Mayhem Lecture Series is a project by Dave Wesley, a dub techno and ambient producer. On this EP, he comes up with crackling, rhythmic but beatless music, field recordings and several spoken word samples. The result is something between Autechre and Cordell Klier or Squarepusher and Biosphere. While opener 'Intrepid' is still my favorite, the whole EP can easily satisfy my weird-ambient-needs, and believe me, I have a lot of those. So if you like a stroll into the strange and odd, this is your chance and it comes highly recommended.

Jupiter Zeus - Eyes on the Prize

hard rock / heavy metal

Australian quartet Jupiter Zeus come up with a bunch of groovy heavy metal songs, inspired by the good old days of doom and hard rock. I sense some influences from bands like Black Sabbath, Iced Earth and Soundgarden, Alice In Chains, plus a shitload of other metal bands. Yet, Jupiter Zeus easily managed to create their own sound, which give this EP a coherent sound. It's a rather doomish sound, even if the tempo goes up, and it quite often does. For real, this things is pleasantly entertaining and solid enough to become a strong mid carter on festival bills. Check it out, bang your head, go nuts!

Haema - Insurrection

industrial metal / alternative metal

Sliptrick

Hailing from Northamptonshire, UK, Haema does something interesting with industrial and alternative metal. Influenced by acts like Fear Factory and American Head Charge, this band can easily entertain fans from everything between Limp Bizkit and Machine Head. Yet, using similar vocals, Haema can also add a bit of variation to the metalcore scene. One way or another, these guys seem to constantly cross the lines between nu-metal, industrial metal and everything core-related. The result is a fascinating piece of work, one that grooves your arse and rocks your sock off. Yeah, you'll be naked after two songs...

H2SO4 - British Bangla Testament

thrash metal

Transcending Obscurity

The chemistry nerds amongst will have immediately found out where the name from this Bangladeshi band stands for: sulphuric acid. Perhaps in a way, their music is that too, as it is harsh, corrosive and biting. In fact, what we are dealing with here is a fierce blast of old school thrash metal, influenced by the lords of thrash, including Slayer, Testament, Kreator, Exodus and so on. The result is an ep that will scratch your eyes out and do something Cannibal Corpse cover-ish to your festering body. You have been warned. For brutal metallic beatdowns, look no further.

Asylum 8 - Repressed

death metal

Spotify

If you are one of those people who think melodic death metal and techno synths do not mix, you might want to check out this debut by Finnish sextet Asylum 8. One of the members is a synth wizard while the others stay loyal to the Scandinavian melodic death metal scene. That cooperation results in something fresh, something incredibly enjoyable. You can brutally band your head or just dance your butt off to this music. Bands that come to mind include Pain and Waltari, who have also done interesting things with the combination between these two arch enemies. No, for real, this is a great album, certainly an original one.

Jinthra - Transitæon

dark ambient

One half of one of my favorite contemporary dark ambient acts Druhá Smrt comes up with a solo effort, and it's already one for the ages. With gloomy and introvert soundscapes, eerie whispers and angsty percussion, Jinthra immediately showcases his skills and talent. This is a ritual ambient performance at a very high ànd a deeply personal level. There are four tracks to be found here, and it's hard to pick a favorite. Opener 'Oath Of The Edge' is brilliant and the others seem to build on that, sometimes tending towards the noise scene. Fans of everything between Raison D'Etre and MZ412 really should check this out.

Insanity Cult / Isolert - Towards the Great Dissolution

black metal

facebook Isolert

facebook Insanity Cult

Back to the extreme corners of the metal scene where we find this harsh and relentless split by Isolert and Insanity Cult. Each band delivered two gnawing tracks with Insanity Cult showcasing some of the most intense blackened vocals I've heard in awhile. Isolert follows a similar path of old school black metal. Here, the vocals seem less prominent and screeching. Yet, that does not affect the intensity of the whole thing. In fact, 'Dreams Of Emptiness' is my favorite track on this split, a fierce true black metal blaster that will haunt your dreams. In all, this is an excellent split to add to your obscure collection.

Akoustik Timbre Frekuency - Thee Essence Of Existence

dark ambient

For his seventeenth (!) release, dark ambient ritualist Akoustik Timbre Frekuency delivered one massive drone piece, created with singing bowls, gongs, bells and synthesised sounds. I could say that this is a great album, and I wouldn't even be lying about it, but it's more than that. This release invites you to calm down, to step away from the hectic and performance-oriented society for a while. Sit down, comfortably. Close your eyes and just listen. Ignore all other stimuli. Meditate. Focus on your breathing. This is one of those albums that can help you relax and set your mind at ease. Believe me, it works.

The Reed Effect - A Strange Curiosity

stoner rock / grunge

website

It's nice to see how the psychedelic stoner rock scene openly invites the world of grunge to join its ranks. Take this EP by Ontario, Canada rockers The Reed Effect for example. In six tracks they remind me of everything between Stone Temple Pilots, Kyuss, Soundgarden and Colour Haze, just to name a few. Obviously, the groove is big in this one as the thick riffs flow out of my speakers like a massive pile of green, smokey mud. I like it that way, and I'm quite sure that an entire Desert-scene is waiting for some pounding rock tunes like 'Down In Here' and 'No Way Outta Here'. Neat stuff...

Fotocrime - Always Night

post punk / dark wave

Golden Antenna

And suddenly my living room reeks of the dark eighties, where creatures dressed in black danced to Sisters Of Mercy, Bauhaus, Killing Joke and many others. R. Pattern (ex-Coliseum) clearly shares the dark visions of that era. With his new band, Fotocrime, he digs deep into the world of gothic rock, EBM and darkwave. The result is a remarkable EP with a bunch of dark dancefloor fillers. Some rock, some bring out the beats and synths, but all of them are massively convincing examples of their respective genres. My favorite is 'Always Hell', a brilliant goth rock tune. Now, this is a retro-trend I would like to see a lot more of in the near future...

Disco-Nected - Vision Division

metal

website

Hailing from Paris, France, this power trio comes up with five damned infectious metal songs. This is sheer energy, dressed in groovy basslines, ripping riffing and pounding drums. That, ànd these guys know a thing or two about the melodic aspect in the metal scene. Opener 'Here To Stay' is an absolute blast. My favorite track is 'Unity', an uptempo rocker that somehow reminds me of acts like Therapy? or Foo Fighters. Other bands that come to mind include Channel Zero, Incubus and Biffy Clyro. I don't think that is a bad set of names to be compared with. So yeah, this surely is one for a good headbanging session.

Morphine Social Club - Monolithic Gospel

stoner rock / psychedelic rock

On to Greece where we find a band named Morphine Social Club. They call their music "monolithic rock 'n' roll" and I'm perfectly fine with that. On this EP they deliver four groovy tracks with heaps of psychedelic riffs and solos. Opener 'Your Sun Is So Toxic' is a highly danceable track, one where even krautrock is welcome. 'Chaos Lover' nudges towards the punk scene and comes with a nice array of noise. I also love the industrial touch of the drums on this one. 'Swansong' seems to go a bit more post-punk/shoegaze on our asses and the closer 'Starship Of Perception' is a fuzzed-out psych tune. Wow, I'd say.

Jenn Vix - Unlocked

alternative rock / post punk

And back to the eighties and the gloomy sound of that era's pop music. Jenn Vix has worked with members from The Cure, Psychedelic Furs, De Veldt, with the guitarist for Bowie and with Dirk Ivens. On this EP she showcases her experience with five highly enjoyable pop songs. There is a bit of post punk, some synth pop and the touch of the alternative rock by Garbage. There is a nice sense of minimalism here too. None of these songs are too complex or over-dramatized. They're just nice tunes to listen to. In all, this is another excellent invitation to the dark dancefloors, one which I will obviously recommend.

Pylon Reenactment Society - Part Time Punks Session

punk / alternative rock

Chunklet

Athens, Georgia based alternative rockers Pylon Reenactment Society crawled out of the ashes of Pylon in 2014. With the raw power of early punk and the in-your-face vocals of Vanessa Briscoe Hay, the band is on an interesting and infectious course. It's like a harsher version of B52's. There are Blondie references, Bikini Kill comes to mind. Yet, most of all, I think this is a band that clearly enjoys making music together. They seem to have fun and they easily manage to pass that fun to their audience. Undoubtedly, they have the right attitude, the right sound and the right playfulness to entertain you. Check it out.

Dreamgrave - Monuments

progressive metal

This EP by Hungarian progressive rock act Dreamgrave is one from a stunningly high level. Opener 'Drop The Curtain' is an epic piece of work which fans of Within Temptation or Nightwish will certainly appreciate. From there, things take on a more progressive approach, more progressive than metal actually. 'Monuments' is a complex and bombastic piece of music that will shock and awe you multiple times. These people know how to play, that's for sure. Closer 'The Passing Faith in Others' is my favorite, a huge whirlpool of musical ingenuity. If you like your music complex, technical, narrative and masterfully played, you need this EP.

Mortum - Eheieh Chaos

black metal

Time to throw a vile and putrid slab of primitive black metal through the speakers. For such an occasion, American du Mortum seems to be a perfect candidate. Lo-fi production, the aggression of a rhino stampede and the ice cold atmosphere of old school black metal, those are the elements. Plus, somehow Mortum managed to push a sense of melody into the whole thing, not too much. With seven fierce tracks, Mortum delivers an excellent album which quite often goes to hyperspeed but also contains highly immersive mid tempo passages. If you want old school, this one comes highly recommended.