Brotherhood - ...Turn The Gold To Chrome...

Brotherhood - ...Turn The Gold To Chrome...
(2012) Not On Label

This is an excellent gloomy gothic rock record. A bit hard to find, nowadays, but well worth it if you happen to see it somewhere. I really like the, almost doom metal-ish, atmosphere of this album. I don't know why I think of doom metal? It's certainly not a metal album. The album's full of drum machines and cheesey electronics, just as you would expect from a goth record! A great companion while reading by the fireplace. The band used to have a song or two on their Bandcamp site, I don't know if it's still the case?

Dead When I Found Her - All The Way Down

Dead When I Found Her - All The Way Down 2CD
(2015) Artoffact

I belive the 2CD version of this excellent album has already sold out. Fortunately there's always Bandcamp! The second CD is called "The Bottom" and is yours for just $6 (+ tax, if you live in Europe).
I've been a fan of Dead When I Found Her from the early beginning, but this time Michael A Holloway has really outdone himself. The album is well put together, it feels almost like a movie score. Buy before you try!!!

Hearts Of Black Science - Signal

Hearts Of Black Science - Signal 2CD
(2015) Progress

I generally don't like Heart Of Black Science's music, but there's something about this record. The mood, the beauty of it... I really don't know. Everything's not great, though. For starters, you don't need to hunt down the limited 2CD edition. The bonus tracks are uninspired and boring, absolutely not worth it! Try before you buy!

God's Own Medicine - Nowhere

God's Own Medicine - Nowhere
(2010) Eden Records

Part electronic, part gothic rock this Polish band are always interesting to listen to. Check them out on Bandcamp. "Nowhere" is my current favourite album of theirs, but I'm sure this will change with time.

Aesthetic Perfection - Blood Spills Not Far From The Wound

Aesthetic Perfection - Blood Spills Not Far From The Wound
(2015) Metropolis

I thought I already had covered this album on this blog. Because I really liked it when it first came out, back in 2007! But I didn't start this blog until 2 years later. Anyway, the original album put out in the name of Necessary Response is an absolutely stunning album. This remix/re-boot/rename thingy is also good, but utterly soulless.
I really like the sound of all Aesthetic Perfection newer recordings, but they're totally hollow. Almost like music made by an algorythm(!)...

Angels Of Liberty - Telepathine

Angels Of Liberty - Telepathine
(2015) Gothic Music

Hell yeah! The goth rock band I love to hate are back again. I really like this album, and I don't have a clue why I like it. Maybe they've learned to program the drums? Nah, perhaps a little bit better... The bass, then? Is there any bass on the record? Yes, but in order to hear the ultra thin drum sound the bass has to stand back in the mix.
I think I have to go with the songwriting skills. There are some really good gothic rock songs on this album. 8 fake guitars out of 10 :)

Diary Of Dreams - Grau Im Licht

Diary Of Dreams - Grau Im Licht (2015)
Accession

It's nice to see that Diary Of Dreams are still going strong on this, their 15th, album. Sure, it's not as good as the 1997 to 2000 period, which I think produced their top three albums "Bird Without Wings", "Psychoma?" and "One Of 18 Angels". "Grau Im Licht" does, however, contain mostly good songs and a fair bit of experimenting with sounds and song structures. I like it more and more for each time I listen to it, but it will never be as good as the aforementioned albums.

Solar Fake - Another Manic Episode

Solar Fake - Another Manic Episode 3CD Box
(2015) Out Of Line

Yey, the fourth Solar Fake album is already here! It's released in a lot of different versions, including vinyl (I still don't understand why anyone would like new music, recorded with the latest equipment, on an old crappy vinyl record? But everyone seems to be ok with lossy mp3's as well...) and this overpriced box. I'd say the 2CD version is the album to go for. Then you'll get the album plus the two cover songs as well as a collection of really good remixes. The seven piano versions included on the third disc are just so-so. Great album, too many versions to choose from!

Present Moment, The - The Complete Present Moment Volume One

Present Moment, The - The Complete Present Moment Volume One
2 CD (2015) Coredark

All three The Present Moment albums presented on two CDs inside a gift box. Very nice presentation, but I would've liked a booklet with information about the songs. This CD-box is as informative as a couple of downloaded files. Actually, I already have almost all the songs downloaded from Bandcamp. There's some exclusive songs, of course, but I don't think it's worth buying this box just for the exclusives. Anyway, really good music in a kind of good, kind of bad package - depending on what you're looking for.

IAMX - Metanoia

IAMX - Metanoia (2015)
Caroline

A bit worse for every new record. But IAMX is still one of the best and most interesting electronic projects around. I just feel a bit tired of Chris Corner's music. I think it needs a change of direction. Yes, I know that this album is much more electronic than "The Unified Field". But I don't feel that's enough, going backwards seldom is. This project has the ability to go anywhere - so why stay home?

James Rays Gangwar - Destination Assassination: The Merciful Release Recordings 1989-1992

James Rays Gangwar - Destination Assassination: The Merciful Release Recordings 1989-1992 2CD
(2015) HNE

Ok, so this is the second part of the HNE Recordings James Ray re-issues. The name has changed from James Ray And The Performance to James Rays Gangwar. I don't know why, maybe due to change of personnel or possibly trying to appear more of a rock band? Anyhow, I think the music's pretty much the same. Featured on this album is the fabolous "Dios Está De Nuestro Lado" LP as well as the two non and pre-album singles "Another Million Dollars" and "Without Conscience" plus a whole CD with demos. Great stuff! Buy immediately!

James Ray And The Performance - Dust Boat: Merciful Release Recordings 1986-1989

James Ray And The Performance -
Dust Boat: Merciful Release Recordings 1986-1989
(2015) HNE

James Ray (And The Performance and Gangwar) is one artist I haven't been able to fully appreciate. I've always sensed that there were something there, somthing that I would like a lot. Almost 30 years since James Ray was presented to the world in Andrew Eldrich's ego/revenge-project The Sisterhood, HNE Recordings re-releases these early gems. Most of the songs were previously available on the "A New Kind Of Assassin" and the "Best Of James Ray's Performance & Gangwar" CDS, but I think they've been out of print for a very long time. I've been listening to this album and the "James Rays Gangwar - Dios Esta De Nuestro Lado" a lot, lately. And I'm beginning to love these albums. Nice electronic gothic rock before it even existed!

Pretentious, Moi? - Pretentious, Moi?

Pretentious, Moi? - Pretentious, Moi?
(2010) Not On Label

I don't know how I missed this band? Anyhow, Tim Chandler, of Manuskript fame is the main man behind this project. He's sometimes joined by Rachel Speight, from Die Laughing, on background vocals. This CD is simply fabolous. It's very fast gothic rock with great melodies. I admit that both the bass and the drum programming is lacking a bit - both in punch and sound, but for once I simply can't seem to care that much. The songs are too good to be soiled by bad production! Get it directly from the band.

Near Earth Orbit - Trans Neptunian Objects

Near Earth Orbit - Trans Neptunian Objects
(2015) Solar Lodge

Album number two from Near Earth Orbit, already? I guess it's time for a hiatus for Artaud's main band Merciful Nuns, now that they've released their seventh album? I don't know if he plans album cycles of seven, but he sure did in his earlier band - The Garden Of Delight. I'm very pleased to report that this album is really good, especially since I didn't care much for the first Near Earth Orbit album. But there's still room for improvements. Nice!

Unitary - Unafraid EP

Unitary - Unafraid EP
(2015) Off Label Productions

The only bad thing I have to say about this excellent EP is; Why 7 versions of the same track? I feel cheated. The second track is called "Subversion 12"", but it's essentially just another remix of "Unafraid". This EP picks up on the momentum Unitary has been building up since the last EP "Torching Utopia", earlier this year.
I can't wait to hear more!

Grave Pleasures - Dreamcrash

Grave Pleasures - Dreamcrash
(2015) Sony

In the beginning of March 2015 the finnish post punk band Beastmilk changed name and some members and became Grave Pleasures. I really liked Beastmilk, and I like this album as well.
I don't know why the band had to change name, the new album is not that different in sound. Well sure, an obvious musical progression has taken place. Especially the drumming has improved a lot. But is that enough to change name?

Ghost - Meliora

Ghost - Meliora (2015)
Universal

This may be the album of the year for me. Yeah, I know, some Swedish clowns dressed up as the Pope, and God knows what? Really? Yup! Klas Åhlund, the pruducer (of  Teddybears Sthlm fame) really knows how to make a pop album. But aren't Ghost supposed to be heavy metal? Yeah, maybe, but with this kind of pruduction there's no metal left. Except for some stolen Slayer riffs and wimpy Manowar drum beats:) I love every song of this masterpiece of an album. If I wasn't allergic to the vinyl trend I'd buy the limited LP+12" (with an exclusive bonus track) in a heart beat!

Luciferian Light Orchestra - Luciferian Light Orchestra

Luciferian Light Orchestra - Luciferian Light Orchestra
(2015) Adulruna

I really like some of the older orchestrated Therion albums, like "Vovin". Oh yeah, maybe it wasn't obvious - Luciferian Light Orchestra is essentially Therion jumping on the "occult rock" bandwagon. And I'm enjoying it far more than I thought I would. This album is so good I had to import a second copy from Japan, just to get the exclusive bonus track!

The Night Flight Orchestra - Skyline Whispers

The Night Flight Orchestra - Skyline Whispers
(2015) Coroner Records

I thought I had mentioned The Night Flight Orchestra's debut CD on this blog back in 2012, but I guess I must've missed it? I really liked their high speed hard rock sound then (think Kiss with no time to loose!), and I like their sound even more now. This is a fabolous second CD, and it's just perfect as my music taste has shifted into retro sounding rock'n'roll (don't worry it's just a late summer habit of mine!).

Ashbury Heights - Take Cair Paramour

Ashbury Heights - Take Cair Paramour 2CD
(2010) Out Of Line

Listening to, and writing about, Ashbury Heights latest album "The Looking Glass Society" two weeks ago made me re-explore their second CD "Take Cair Paramour". And what an album it is. I don't care that much for the remixes and demos on the bonus CD, the main album is where the magic's at. I guess this is some kind of synth pop, maybe with some gothic influences? I like it a lot!

Advance - Deus Ex Machina (Redux)

Advance - Deus Ex Machina (Redux)
(2015) Analogue Trash

This is basically a 2CD version of Advance's 2014 debut album "Deus Ex Machina", an album I'm really fond of. I haven't recieved my 2CD yet, the Bandcamp download will have to do in the mean time. There's a couple of the 11 bonus tracks, not present on the original release, that I don't care for. But over all, this release is a big improvent over the original CD!

Ashbury Heights - The Looking Glass Society

Ashbury Heights - The Looking Glass Society
(2015) Out Of Line

I had completely forgotten about this band. I remember liking their first album, the 2007 "Three Cheers For The Newlydeads", but then my mind goes blank. It seems the band is quite popular despite all the drama regarding both the record label and different female vocalists. I wasn't really optimistic about this album when I bought it, but I'm glad I did. Thumbs up! 

Zombie Girl - Panic Attack EP

Zombie Girl - Panic Attack DDEP
(2015) Alfa Matrix

After a six year hiatus Zombie Girl finally returns with a new release. Sadly there's just two new songs, and a couple of remixes, on this EP. But the main song, "Panik Attack", is really good. I'm curious to see how Renee will manage without Sebastian Komor in the future. This new EP is a promising start! I've always liked the music of mr. Komor, and that includes earlier Zombie Girl releases.

The New Division - Gemini

The New Division - Gemini
(2015) Division 87

If you're wondering what this band sounds like, maybe the band name will offer you a clue? Something in the line of Joy Division and New Order, you ask? Yes, but skip the Joy Division bit. This is pure New Order pop music - and really good at it! They have already released three singles (or maybe even four?) from this album on their Bandcamp site. Get them all!

RxGF - Any Other Way

RxGF - Any Other Way

(2015) Orange Allies

I've seen nothing but rave reviews of this album, and I agree for sure. It was a tricky one to get hold of, though. I'd recommend a Bandcamp download, it's both cheaper and includes a couple of bonus tracks. But it's also available as CD form their label, Orange Allies. Don't forget to add the "We Will Not Be Denied" CDs if you go for the physical release. The CDs has only one song, but it's an Assemblage 23 remix!

Reaper - Der Schnitter EP

Reaper - Der Schnitter EP
(2015) Infacted

Vasi Vallis is back again. This time it's his harder and harsher project Reaper. A bit different from NamNamBulu and Frozen Plasma's future pop, but not really that far away. Chances are that you enjoy both. I do! Sadly, this EP contains just one song - in six different mixes.

Juno Reactor - The Golden Sun ... Remixed

Juno Reactor - The Golden Sun ... Remixed
(2015) Metropolis

This is the second Juno Reactor album I've bought both the download and the CD of. The mixing of the songs to make just one big song is not as bad here. It was much worse on the 2 year old companion album "The Golden Sun Of The Great East". But I want stand alone tracks, plus there's a bonus track on the digital download. It was a hard find, though. I had to use Hola to pretend I'm living in France, just to be able to download it. I hate region blocking! The remixes on this album are great improvements on the original songs. Big thumbs up! 

NZ - Against You! EP

NZ - Against You! EP
(2015) Emmo.biz

This is already NZ's third EP. I love EP's! And I love bands that only release EP's, I wonder why I haven't mentioned NZ before?
Maybe because of the obvious Nitzer Ebb references? Yeah, I think so. If you need more Nitzer Ebb songs, check out these guys!

She Past Away - Narin Yalnizlik

She Past Away - Narin Yalnizlik
(2015) Dead Scarlet

Album number two from my favourite Turkish goth rockers. No real competition for that spot.... yet!? If you liked the 2012 (2013 on CD) debut album "Belirdi Gece" you will like this as well. It sounds just the same, no progression at all. Now, I don't think that's a bad thing - but I would've liked a bit stronger songs. Maybe I'll find some stand out tracks after further listening? I hope so. After all, I only recieved the CD yesterday.

Night Sins ‎- New Grave

Night Sins ‎- New Grave DD
(2012) Avant!

It's not easy finding new interesting goth/post punk bands making physical albums, other than vinyl, nowadays. If you're lucky you may manage to buy one of the, very few, limited CD's. More often than not Bandcamp has been my friend, and I have been forced to be satisfied with just a Flac download. I'm not complaining. Flac is totally fine by me, and I simply just don't have the time to stay updated on every band and genre...
Night Sins are a very cool goth/post punk band, from the US, that may very well be part of the big goth resurrection that I've been foreshadowing since, well, forever! Nice songs, nice bass - what's not to like?

The Foreign Resort - The Foreign Resort EP

The Foreign Resort - The Foreign Resort DDEP

(2011) Monolathe

I recently helped crowdfund The Foreign Resort's new EP via Musicraiser, because I liked their last album "New Frontiers" so much. How about their older songs, you ask? Not everything is good. But, boy, this their 2011 "The Foreign Resort" EP is a true classic!

I'm sad I didn't discover this great band until the end of 2014. I missed out on their earlier CD's. Thankfully, Bandcamp comes to the rescue. Flac files is a good substitute for CD's!

Then Comes Silence - Nyctophilian (Then Comes Silence III)

Then Comes Silence - Nyctophilian (Then Comes Silence III) DD
(2015) Novoton

Then Comes Silence must be the hottest underground band in Sweden right now. I really hope they will have their well deserved break-through this year. The only thing working against them is the poor audio quality of the music streaming services, like the ever-so popular, Spotify. I simply can't imagine Then Comes Silence's dirty mix of rock and post punk sounding anything but awful in low audio quality. I bought this album as a Flac download from the band's Bandcamp site, but I'm kind of regretting not having bought the LP/CD combo. I would by a CD-only version right away, but there isn't any available...

Encephalon - Psychogenesis 2CD

Encephalon - Psychogenesis (Infinity Edition) 2CD
2015 Dependent

I've had all sorts of troubles with this release. First off, I did get my Infinity Edition box almost on release day, but it was one CD short. I got the bonus CD and a couple of postcards (why are we getting postcards in almost all limited releases nowadays? It's not like there's a specific use for them, is it? Am I going to write to my mum from Ibiza on an Encephalon postcard?). The actual "Psychogenesis" CD arrived a week later. I had then listen quite a lot to the bonus CD, and I liked it a lot. The hype was on! These circumstances made the original CD a big let down. It seems that all the good songs were already on the bonus CD, and the actual album contained all the fillers... I hope my opinion will change, giving this album a bit more time.

Neuroticfish - A Sign Of Life

Neuroticfish - A Sign Of Life
(2015) Non Ordinary Records

A real gem, this, the first album in ten years from futurepop stars Neuroticfish. Non Ordinary Records is a fitting label name. This record is both a brilliant comeback album as well as 15-tracker without obvious fillers. If you like the lighter side of futurepop this album is a must. One of the best releaseses of 2015! EBM is not dead!

Ghost Dance ‎- Stop The World

Ghost Dance ‎- Stop The World 2CD
(1989/2013) Cherry Red

I wasn't aware of this fabolous re-release of my favourite Sisters Of Mercy spin-off project. It's basically the 1989 CD plus a second CD collecting the b-sides and single versions of the songs released in 1989. There's still no CD release of the 1987 "A Word To The Wise" EP that I'm aware of. Where do I send my complaints?

Near Earth Orbit - End Of All Existence

Near Earth Orbit - End Of All Existence
(2015) Solar Lodge

Near Earth Orbit, or NEO, is a brand new collaboration between Artaud from Merciful Nuns and Ashley from Whispers In The Shadow. I don't think this first NEO CD is anywhere near the musical quality of Merciful Nuns nor Aeon Sable, but it's an interesting project! The background story is something about radio-transmissions from the year 2034, warning us about the end of all existence. I think the album is supposed to be a (fake?) soundtrack to a movie. We'll have to see about that. Atmospheric goth rock with a strange theme and uninspired musical ideas. At least I got a t-shirt!

The Montecristos - Born To Rock 'n' Roll

The Montecristos - Born To Rock 'n' Roll
(2015) Easy Action

I Kickstarted this album as soon as I heared about it. A kinda 50's rockabilly & rock'n'roll album by Neal X of Sigue Sigue Sputnik, what could go wrong? Nothing! There's a lot of covers on the album, and that's not really a big surprise. What's more surprising is the fact that they've included two of Sigue Sigue Sputnik's best songs, "Love Missile F1-11" and "Jayne Mansfield", and actually improved them.
Great stuff!

Frozen Plasma ‎- Dekadenz

Frozen Plasma ‎- Dekadenz
(2015) Infacted

I've waited for this album since the autumn of 2013, when the "Herz" single was released. Then, almost a year later, there were another teaser single, "Crazy". I'm sorry to say that I'm a bit disappointed by this new album. But I'm usually sceptical to new Frozen Plasma songs. I'll be waiting for some more remixes to be released and showing the true potential of the songs.

VA - Dependence 2015

VA - Dependence 2015
(2015) Dependent

A new sampler CD from Dependent records is one of my personal highlights each year. It's been two years since the last Dependence CD and three years since Septic X was released. As usual with the Dependence series, there's a lot of unreleased or exclusive tracks from the Dependent roster on this CD. The stand-out tracks for me are the new Encephalon and Edge Of Dawn songs plus, of course, the Pride And Fall Immortal-cover "Norden On Fire". There's not a bad song here. All top notch Dependent quality!

Autodafeh - Digital Citizens

Autodafeh - Digital Citizens
(2015) Scanner

Autodafeh continues to release good old school EBM albums in the vein of Front 242. This time the album even features a cover of one of Front 242's best songs, "No Shuffle". The title track "Digital Citizens" is also released as a digital single. I had a hard time getting this single in flac. I was finally able to use the Hola Unblocker to switch my Digital Citizenship (?) and then buy the single from a retailer, even though they didn't allow purchases from my country. This is why I love Bandcamp. No region blocking, no hassle, all flac!

Godless Procession - Godless Procession

Godless Procession - Godless Procession
(2011/2015) Gothic Music

Godless Procession is a fantastic Goth Rock band from Mexico. The album I've got is actually the second version of their debute LP, a sort of re-vamped release with some bonus tracks. I immediately fell in love with this band, the music's great and the vocals are out of this world! A truly unique sound worth checking out.

The Soft Moon - Total Decay EP

The Soft Moon - Total Decay EP
(2011) Captured Tracks

Another cool band that I was totally unaware of until recently. I don't know if this EP is representative for their over all sound, maybe there's a bit more of singing on their other releases? This EP reminds me of In Death It Ends, just a bit more interesting! Check out this awesome post punk, gothic, alternative rock release.

Chiron - The Best Of

Chiron - The Best Of (2015)
Wave Records

I didn't konow I needed a Chiron compilation CD. And maybe I didn't, because I've got the wrong version. I thought I ordered the 2CD version, with all the hard to get songs on it, but sadly I've got the regular CD. I already have most of the tracks on this CD. The good thing is I was reminded how much I like Chiron. Well, I guess I will have to order another copy... Chiron is former Ikon vocalist Michael Aliani's (or Carrodus) new band, and their records are a pain to get hold of. Very good music, though, so it's definately worth the effort!

Keluar - Keluar

Keluar - Keluar (2014)
Desire

This is a new project of former Linea Aspera member Alison Lewis. The CD compiles both the 2013 "Ennoea" EP and the 2014 "Vitreum" EP with 2 unreleased remixes. I like all parts of this CD except the drum machine sound on certain tracks. The album, or rather, the EPs, are all about cool melodies and interesting arrangements and rhythms.

Enter And Fall ‎- Push Enter And Fall Down 2CD

Enter And Fall ‎- Push Enter And Fall Down 2CD
(2012) Emmo.biz

Enter And Fall are probably most known for their great remixes of other electronic artists. In fact, the second CD of this album features some of them. I really like the sound of this album. Club friendly tunes with strange male vocals, melodic and harsh at the same time. The sad thing is that after this album the band seems to have changed the sound quite a bit.

Angels & Agony - Monument

Angels & Agony - Monument
(2015) Out Of Line

After a lengthy 8 year hiatus Angels & Agony are finally back with a new album. Not much has changed, but maybe the quality of the songs have improved a bit? I get the feeling that there's more good songs, and less fillers on this album, than on previous albums. But I don't think this record will make Angels & Agony to be considered one of the top future pop bands. The VNV Nation heritage/curse is still going strong on this one. Better than expected, but still not as good as I want it to be.

Merciful Nuns - Occvltation

Merciful Nuns - Occvltation (2015)
Solar Lodge

Hell, yeah! Another quality Solar Lodge release. This time it's the first Merciful Nuns compilation album. Sadly, I find the updated song versions on this release to be quite boring. The original versions are better in almost every case. The "Karma Inn" version is kinda fun. It's almost like an 80'ies extended disco mix - without the disco, of course. I don't ever want to hear the intro to "Speed Of Light" ever again. One time was enough! As a whole, these are great songs. But I strongly suggest buying all the available Merciful Nuns albums before getting this one. This isn't the best introduction to the Merciful Nuns sound.

Aeon Sable - Visionaers

Aeon Sable - Visionaers (2014)
Solar Lodge

This has been my go to album when testing my new Bluesound Node music streamer. I quickly throw away my previous streamer, the Sonos Connect, because of the superior sound quality of the Bluesound Node. Anyway, I've been listening a lot to this album and I like it very much. It's some kind of modern goth rock, but that's what you'd expect when released on Artaud Seth's Solar Lodge label, right? The album is just seven songs long. But it's seven moody, mid tempo gothic rock songs of stellar quality!

Iris - Disconnect

Iris - Disconnect (1999)
October

I'm just 16 years late in discovering this gem. I always thought the pre-Infacted/Dependent Iris records would just be standard synthpop albums. I was wrong, this is actually really good. Maybe not as melancholic as their last two releases, but very inspired and with unexpected sounds. There's still so much good music out there for me to discover. I can hardly keep up with all new records being released, even though the music industry's supposed to be in crisis...

NU:N ‎- Nothing Unveils Nothing

NU:N ‎- Nothing Unveils Nothing
(2014) Black Genesis

I'm still waiting for the actual CD, but in the meantime I've got the Bandcamp download. The download version actually lacks two songs, but that can only mean that the CD will be even better! This is pure gothic rock from Portugal (I think?) with a drum machine that sounds like a drum machine. No punch at all in the artificial bass drums, but I like it a lot. At least the drums are well programmed and interesting to listen to. Nothing like the poor drumming of Angels Of Liberty.