CD Title: Hearts & Knives

Label: Blitz Club Records UK

Genre: synthpop, new wave

VISAGE ARE BACK!

Visage are a British New Wave rock band. Formed in 1978, the band became closely linked to the burgeoning New Romantic fashion movement of the early 1980s, and are best known for their hit "Fade to Grey" released in 1980. In late 1978, this trio recorded a demo which yielded the first Visage single, an aptly futuristic cover of Zager & Evans' "In the Year 2525."Adding Ultravox keyboardist Billy Currie as well as three members of Magazine -- bassist Barry Adamson, guitarist John McGeoch, and keyboardist Dave Formula -- Visage signed to Martin Rushents Genetic Records to release "Tar" in September 1979, followed a year later by their self-titled debut LP. The album yielded a major single in "Fade to Grey," an instant club classic which heralded synth pop's imminent commercial breakthrough. The follow-up, "Mind of a Toy," was a Top 20 hit. Soon to follow was 1982's The Anvil. Midge, John, Dave and Billy left in 1983. Beat Boy (1984) was to be Visage's final release, the band now consisting of Steve Strange, Rusty Egan, Steve Barnacle and Gary Barnacle. In 2013 Visage returned with the line up of Steve Strange and Steve Barnacle with new members Robin Simon (ex Ultravox Guitarist) and Lauren Duvall (on vocals).

It only took 29 years, but Steve Strange and his merry band of freaks and misfits are back. I remember a few years ago Steve was planning a Visage release, everything was in place, new look, new line up, new photo shoot where Steve covered up his face. It added an air of mystery. I was so excited that there would finally be new Visage material. Over these long and agonizing past 29 years, Strange had his loyal fans on a yo yo, as he threatened to release new material one day and then the next said there would never be new Visage material. So you can imagine the utter joy and elation I am feeling now that Visage is finally back and better than ever!

Hearts & Knives still delivers a heavy dose Steven's beloved New Romantic roots, ala David Bowie and Roxy Music, but has managed to give it all a nice and tidy contemporary spin.

To simply say that Hearts & Knives picks up where 1984's Beat Boy left off, would be doing a huge injustice to this fantastic new and unique body of work. Yes, there are parallels and comparisons to Beat Boy and past Visage albums, but Strange's Visage has matured and mutated in ways that are not so easily dismissed as "more of the same". One thing that was refreshing to see, was that Visage steered clear of yet another remake, redo or remix of their club classic "Fade To Grey". Hearts & Knives though in production for several years now, is essentially to the general public, brand new material.

"Never Enough", opens the album with a slight Beach Boys, summery feel. I know it's a rather odd comparison, but you'll hear it too when you give it a whirl. Shameless Fashion, is pure vintage Visage with a bit of an updated spin. Think early Bowie meets disco. "She's Electric" is a great example of the more contemporary direction of the "new" Visage. Swirling, bubbling synths remind one of The Human League. Hidden Sign, catapults you back to the classic rock Ziggy Stardust days, that was one of the driving inspirations of the New Romantic movement. Strange's vocals sound as fresh as ever, though less of a deepness in tone compared to the "wave voice" Visage of the 80's, they still manage to effortlessly fit nicely like a glove on his latest masterpiece. "On We Go" and "Breathe Life", takes a look at Visage's slightly softer, more balleric side, while tracks like "Dreamer I Know", "Lost In Static" and the delightfully catchy "Diaries Of A Madman", explore the more synthpop-driven and edgier side of Visage.

Steve did not forget his dance club roots, as there is no shortage of electro disco delights with tracks like "I Am Watching", which could easily be a dance floor anthem. Hearts & Knives seems to be a sort of love letter to Strange's somewhat chaotic and turbulent life. However, through the ashes of what once was, rises the phoenix of what's still to come. Visage is back, and all I can say is... It's about bloody time!

Experience Hearts & Knives with this album sampler

 [youtube size="480 320" title="Visage-Documentary" v="p2r98g2U454"][/youtube]

Check out this new exciting documentary on Visage

 [youtube size="480 320" title="Visage-Documentary" v="LiwSn1JSh6U"][/youtube]

Buy Hearts & Knives on Amazon

[amazon asin="B00CI1TQHM"][/amazon]

Artist: Johnny Hates Jazz

CD title: Mangetized

Label: AIS (Interaction Music)

Do you remember the 80's hit Shattered Dreams or I Don't Want To Be A Hero? If not, you must be living under a rock. They are back with a HOT new album called Magnetized which features the title track Magnetized.

Johnny Hates Jazz is an English pop/rock band, formed in London in 1985 by Clark Datchler (vocals, keyboards, guitar), Mike Nocito (bass, guitar), and Calvin Hayes (keyboards, drums). Nocito was a recording engineer, who had worked with Pink Floyd, The Police, The Cure and Duran Duran. He engineered and co-produced Datchler's solo recordings before the formation of Johnny Hates Jazz. Their tongue-in-cheek name referenced Nocito’s brother-in-law Johnny, who really hated jazz. In April 1987 they saw international success with their first hit single "Shattered Dreams".They had a succession of worldwide hits in the late 80's including "Shattered Dreams", "I Don't Want To Be A Hero", "Turn Back The Clock ( featuring Kim Wilde on backing vocals)" and "Heart Of Gold". Their debut album Turn Back The Clock shot straight to #1 in the UK album charts and went double platinum."Shattered Dreams", which reached #2 in the US and Japan, has now been played more than 3.2 million times on US radio alone.

After leaving Johnny Hates Jazz in 1988, Datchler recorded two solo albums: Fishing for Souls and Tomorrow. Nocito and Hayes worked on an album called Tall Stories (released in 91), which featured the record producer, Phil Thornalley, on vocals. Nocito went on to write and produce for Hepburn, Gina G, Orson and was 1997's Eurovision Song Contest winner for Katrina & the Waves, "Love Shine a Light". After a serious car crash in 1992, Hayes spent a year in a body cast, effectively putting an end to the band for a time, although they reformed in 2007. In April 2013 Datchler and Nocito without Hayes, released their first single for nearly 22 years entitled Magnetized.

Magnetized is like a trip in the way-back-machine to the 80's, with a bit of an updated contemporary spin. Most of the album stays true to their relaxed, jazzy synthpop style, from their previous albums. Although more than half of the album is chocked full of acoustic and piano laden pop ballads, there is still a few stand out tracks like "You Belong To Me" and the soon to be club hit "Lighthouse" that reminds one of their classic 80's hits. Nevermore, slightly resembles Martin Fry's (ABC) unmistakable vocals on timeless hits like Ocean Blue. I saved the best for last. The title track "Magnetized", is absolutely incredible. It is so unbelievably catchy that you can't stop singing it. It really deserves some strong dance mixes, but to my knowledge, there is none on the horizon as of yet. It has all the potential to be a summer club anthem. Though it won't hold a candle to their classic 80's hits "Shattered Dreams" or "I Don't Want To Be A Hero", it is a very strong contender. Magnetized is not only the strongest track on the album, but it is the true heart and soul of the album, and one of the best comeback tracks I have heard in ages. I don't say this often, but Magnetized is a package deal. It has a certain quality that makes you want to explore the whole album and accept it as one full work, rather than just track by track. That is a rare quality in music these days.

Who ever thought that these "Jazzed" up boys would bounce back decades later and sound just as amazing as ever? Get Magnetized now and find out for yourselves.

Watch their brand new video Magnetized.

[youtube size="480 320" title="Johnny Hates Jazz-Magnetized" v="7dvuv_KPFJk"][/youtube]

Buy Magnetized on Amazon

[amazon asin="B00BL7IFC6"][/amazon]

CD Title: Is This Goodbye?

Label: Metropolis Record

Genre: EBM, Industrial

Never judge a book by its cover right? But, what about albums? This is a pretty dope cover art and reels the listener in. 

I have a weakness for great music. I am one of those people whom find an artist, or album that really resonates with them, and I play it on blast for weeks at a time. Is This Goodbye? Is pure musical brilliance. It still baffles me that musicians can combine basic instruments, and vocals and create such beautiful sound that moves you. Well, I guess that is what defines great music right? Tracks that stay with you long after the CODA has faded out.

It had been three years since Panic Lift released their debut Witness To Our Collapse. In the time between 2009 and 2012 Panic Lift was steady working on building a name for themselves in the industrial scene.

The release of, Is This Goodbye? Introduced a new, edgier sound to listeners. Of course, there are the whining clones that insist no musician should ever change their sound. Gosh, I can’t imagine how dull our world would be if musicians didn’t take the chance and branch out to diversify their sound.

Panic Lift sure as hell has the foundations of a great band. Original. Charismatic. Attention holding. Do I need to state the obvious? Talented beyond on belief. I love that James vocal range is truly exhibited in this album. The vocals are no longer as heavily distorted and listeners get a feel for James outstanding voice, This album literally caters to all audiences, the dance crowd the dark ebm crowd. the goth crowd, industrial and synthpop--this task is very hard to master, and Panic Lift nailed it.

Kill me Faster is reminiscent of Depeche Mode (dare I say, even better than Depeche Mode.) There are many influences from music greats including Nine Inch Nails and Massive Attack.

This is an album that needs to be listened to several times. Each listen you pick up something new and delightful. Appreciate the sound that is the beauty of a well-composed and constructed album. Give it a listen, and you will find yourself like me--listening to it on blast for weeks!

We Are the Illusion closes out the album with gentle drumbeats over soft synth and piano with samples over the audio. This is a brilliant end to a brilliant album.

Panic Lift has taken risks, and they have certainly paid off.

Listen to Panic Lift- Awake

[youtube size="480 320" title="Panic Life- Awake" v="-27Rik64tf8"][/youtube]

Buy Panic Lift- Is this Goodbye? [amazon asin="B009INAEPG"][/amazon]

CD Title: Signals EP

Label: Shinto Records

Genre: dubstep, electronica, ethereal

Geodesique formed in July of 2012 when Lala Fairshadow joined Zoe and Oni (then performing as Geodesic) for a live set. Soon after, the 3 started working on new material and a new sound they describe as “Ghost Pop”. Mixing together danceable beats, driving basslines and atmospheric synths the 3 have merged their influences into a cohesive distinct sound. After several EP's like Smoke or Eighty-Eight,  and an upcoming full length album Hologram, Geodesique is slowly finding their audience.

I have to be honest and say that I really wanted to like this, but quite honestly, I couldn't wait for it to end. As I type this review out from the bottom of a jar of extra strength Advil, I can't seem to get rid of this brain splitting headache from hell, (courtesy of Geodesique). The best, and quite frankly, in my own opinion, the ONLY thing this band has going for themselves is the vocalist Lala Fairshadow. Her beautiful, haunting tones, ring pleasantly in my ears, and with the right music, (not this mess), I think she could be really successful. Her dark and ethereal voice, slightly reminds me of Heather Wright from Beautiful Pea Green Boat. Though Lala is no Heather Wright by any stretch of the imagination, you can still hear the overall potential in her voice. I'd personally like to hear Lala doing another style of music like goth or ethereal. The comedy of errors that is Geodesique makes you wonder what they were thinking? Nine times out of ten, Lala's beautiful voice, which I call more pleasant "tones" than actual vocals, is drowned out by invasive, soul crushing, almost maddening, ear splitting noise.  Don't think that when I say "noise" I mean powernoise, industrial noise, or hardcore driving beats. I mean the kind of annoying noise that really gets in your head and makes you want to rip your flesh off. It's like the infernal buzzing of a fly in your ear that just won't go away. Every time you think "maybe this will grown on me, maybe it will get better" it just gets worse and worse. by the end, your ears and head are so sore, that you wonder if this might be some new brain washing technique? The best part of the Signals EP is when you turn it off and keep it off. I can't imagine a whole album of this noise. Even though it is only a single EP, it is like a mini album and a taste of the monstrosity that could one day be a full fledged album. God help us all!

Now that I have done my best rather scathing, American Idol, Simon Cowell-inspired impression, I'd like to try to look at this more diplomatically and objectively. I like to give you the readers and listeners a fair chance to take in the full Geodesique experience, and draw your own conclusions. So as I pop another handful of Advil, I'm going to attempt to give this the most fair shake that I can possibly muster. Signals starts off on a promising note. Harsh, electro industrial, dubstep inspired beats, swirling and atmospheric synths, that just float over a trite and moody landscape, completely devoid of melody.

Lala's haunting voice, that as I mentioned earlier carried a lot of promise, just seems to get on your nerves after awhile. Her voice goes from beautiful, haunting and even exotic to nails on the chalkboard as you struggle to try to enjoy it over a plethora of mind numbing madness. Think the tranquility of Enya accompanied by a jackhammer. By the way, I'm definitely not comparing her voice to a vocal treasure like Enya, just trying to illustrate my point. Lala's vocals seem to resemble a sort of chant-like, Middle Eastern quality. However, soon you'll find that it just starts to sound droopy, drab and whiny, like a ghost in extreme agony.."ooooohhh ooooohhhh". You just want to put this band out of their misery. The incessant beats and out of place synths are in what seems to be a never ending battle to the death with Lala's vocals. At some point, you wonder if this is a new form of torture, like Chinese water torture...but I digress.

At times, I'm reminded of a very early and raw version of Chris & Cosey, but trust me, this is the exact opposite of that. It's like experimental, electronica noise that drills a hole in your brain. I think someone on a heavy dose of mind altering drugs, might quite possibly have found the perfect soundtrack to trip out to. I can see where they might have been going with this, but quite honestly, this trio is not talented enough to pull it off, it really just starts to sound like a jam session from hell. All the songs seem to flow together like one really long and painful song, that is on continuous loop and just drags on and on until you just can't take it anymore and you need to smash your stereo or Ipod into a million pieces..ahhhhhhhhh!!!!..(run on sentence intended for added drama)

Why they even bothered to remix this catastrophe is beyond me. Usually remixes tend to tighten things up and can sometimes make a "so so" record, an "ok" record. This is NOT the case here. The remixes seem to be just as bad, if not worse than the original tracks. But to be fair, you are only as good as the material you are given to remix. So, to protect the identities of the remixers and preserve their careers, they will remain nameless.

I'm sorry, I haven't utterly hated a record this much in years. If I had any professional advice for this band I say "pick a style you feel most comfortable with, perfect it and go with it. With such a diverse and eclectic collection of styles, it ends up sounding like one big cluttered disaster. It's as if one could agree on a style to make, so instead of a friendly compromise, they just threw everything into a blender and hit pulverize, and said "here's our record". My advice to Lala is to drop the dead weight and find another band or style of music that complements her voice better. Sorry Geodesique, nothing personal. I don't know or dislike you, only your music. It's just my humble opinion.

Be your own judge, check out Geodesique on Youtube.

[youtube size="480 320" title="Geodesique-Signals" v="AI9bvFbAW2I"][/youtube]

Buy Geodesique "Signals" EP on Amazon not available until May 28

Album: In~Graved

Label: Svart Records

Genre: Stoner rock, Doom metal

Victor Griffin, previously from Place Of Skulls and Pentagram, has started anew with his own solo project, In~Graved. The self-titled debut album In~Graved is a mastodon of heavy riffs, great solos and thoughtful lyrics.

In~Graved play the sort of doom metal that is similar to the slow heaviness of Black Sabbath, yet free of the darkness of My Dying Bridge. The lyrical themes are dark as well, as you can judge from song titles as “Fading Flower”, “Love Song For The Dying” and the likes.

With In~Graved, Victor Griffin once more shows his multi-faceted talent as a songwrinter, musician and front figure. Even though a large number of guest musicians contributed to In~Graved, the overall sounds is surprisingly uniform – a certainly bears the stamp of Victor Griffin.

The tracks are supported by mid-tempo, deep, heavy riffs, layered with hard rock vocals (and again, the parallel with Black Sabbath is clear), lyrics inspired by Griffin's christian spirituality and outstanding guitar solos.

A few tracks of In~Graved that particularly caught my attention were the plaintive “What If...” in which Griffin expands on his views on the afterlife, the delicate-yet-heavy “Fading Flower”, “Thorn In The Flesh” with its long solos and 60s/70s groove to it and the contrast between the deep dark riffs and the 80s pop-like chorus on “Love Song For The Dying”.

If you are a fan of doom in the style of Black Sabbath or like a solid hard rock band, do check out In~Graved. The craftsmanship on In~Graved is outstanding, and the resulting tracks sound as monumental as some classics from the 70s and 80s.

[youtube size="480 320" title="In Graved- Late for an Early Grave" v="FW4fXP5EkFk"][/youtube]

Buy Victor Griffin's In~Graved - In~Graved [amazon asin="B00BBEK7HA"][/amazon]

Album: Darkest White

Label: Napalm Records

Genre: Gothic Metal

Darkest White is the 7^th album of Norwegian gothic metal pioneers Tristania, a band that has been at the forefront of the gothic and symphonic metal scene since their start in 1995.

Tristania have had some tumultuous years since front lady Vibeke Stene, praised throughout the symphonic and gothic metal scene as one of the best soprano vocalists, left the band in 2007.

Many fans of the band lost track of what was going on, and stopped keeping an eye on Tristania, in which currently only 2 of the original members are still present. The others joined in the past view years, giving Tristania an audible shot of new blood and energy.

Darkest White is the second album with Mariangela Demurtas as lead vocalist. Her vocal style is very different from Vibeke's style, but surprisingly suits the music of Tristania very well. Mariangela's vocals are lower, very powerful and sonorous, and remind me of Ana Lara from Oratory.

The 10 tracks on Darkest White are a delight: heavy tunes, delicate emotional instrumentals, the combination of the voices of Mariangela and Kjetil, all coming together in catchy melodies.

Although nothing about Darkest White is innovative work, and by times sounds like a continuation of Storm by Theatre of Tragedy, this is pure gothic metal, done just right.

Among the most interesting tracks on Darkest White, are the opening track “Number”, in which the vocals seem to become almost an instrument, “Diagnosis” with its eighties vibe, “Scarling”, in sound similar to earlier work by Lacuna Coil, “Lavender”, the necessary power ballad of the album and the deeply atmospheric “Cypher”, with its references to the work by Opeth.

To conclude, Tristania are back at full force and at the very front of the gothic metal scence. Darkest White is a delightful album, not innovative, but full of craftsmanship, and a true joy to listen to.

[youtube size="480 320" title="Tristania – Darkest White" v="niMEk9YE9mQ"][/youtube]

Buy Tristania – Darkest White [amazon asin="B00BXHLM7Y"][/amazon]

Dubbed EDM's Neighbourhood Punk Ass, Drop Goblin brings you the darker and angrier side of the EDM genre. But Drop Goblin is a man that cares for his fans and his family, an all-round nice geezer. Grave Concerns Ezine got chance to catch up with Drop Goblin and here is how it went.

Phill – Thank you so much for giving Grave Concerns Ezine this interview, can you tell our readers a little bit about yourself?

Drop Goblin – It’s my pleasure, thanks to Grave Concerns for having me part of the Ezine. Well let's see, I am a 36 year old shitbag from Manchester, NH that decided over a decade ago that producing music was a good fit for a career since I pretty much sucked at every other handy craft out there in the workplace. For all I know I suck at this too and am too much of a nitwit to realize it, but at least it makes my grumpy ass happy for the most part.

Phill – So tell us the story of The Gate?

Drop Goblin – I had bacterial pneumonia a few months ago and wished for death... literally spoke it out loud one evening "please put me out of my misery". While giving myself a pity party alone in my bed, I was also watching movies on FEARnet On Demand almost entirely through this whole ordeal. One of my favourite, and more creepy movies I saw when I was young was in the listing called "The Gate". I was pretty stoked since it had been quite a while not seeing it so I ended up watching it more than a few times. Long story short, it inspired me to make a new song with the overall vibe of its content based around the movie. That said however, the "Vocal Edit" never made it onto the retail release, so if anyone wants to hear the blatant inspiration from the movie within the song then seek it out online for free. It's out there.

Phill – Describe to our readers Metalstep?

Drop Goblin – It’s the overly popular and progressively failing genre of Dubstep that has the raw balls to include guitars, metal guitars specifically, and piss poor attitude into its song elements as opposed to just the sad bastard dime a dozen "wub wub" sounds that everyone else is copying and following.

Phill – On your live sets you use two iPads, how does this work and how does it help enhance your live performances?

Drop Goblin – Well I am old school and proud of it. I started YEARS ago (1998) buying vinyl and mixing on turntables. It's pretty clear now that vinyl is dead in the water, and unless you are a specific collector or hipster trying to be cool, it probably isn't going to revive itself ever again. Once technology was taking over I tried mixing on CD players, and that lasted for a bit but it was pretty boring to do. Then came the iPad era. Brilliant! I did some research and discovered an app in late 2010 that had the digital playback of the new age generation, but the control of the days of old. No joke, I found the app first, then took a chance and bought the iPads after. Fast forward to today and I am still using this format of performance. It's still as fresh of an aesthetic look for the crowd since the day I decided to do it this, as well as an equally great old school-to-new school tool of practical mixing function.

Phill – So why go under the monocle of Drop Goblin?

Drop Goblin – For years I was known as Atroa, but after taking some time off from the EDM corporation in mid/late 2000's, when I decided to make a comeback and chose this heavy bass genre called Dubstep to sell my soul to; there was a guy already known in the genre called Adroa. Yeah I been around longer, but he already had the established name in Dub' so out of respect for him and some advice from my friend and fellow DJ Reid Speed convincing me that it could confuse a lot of fans in the long run, I took a few days to re-figure my name out and Drop Goblin was created.

Phill – What is the funniest thing ever to have happened to you onstage?

Drop Goblin – Since I can't think of really anything that is print worthy by way of funny moments on stage, let's replace "funny" with "devilish". In early 2011 I was booked to play a small event in Rhode Island and I was told I had to bring my own mixer which is very unusual as most other DJ's reading this can agree, and some might not even take the booking, but it was a small event that was just getting off the ground so I said sure. Well, in the middle of my set my mixer decided to commit slow suicide and the signal started to cut in an out, and I knew it wasn't going to get any better so I did the physical actions that made it look to the crowd like it was the sound guys fault, or at least the sound provided and the crew putting on the event did all they could to fix it and apologies were given to me in all directions. But I admit now, exclusively for this interview, that I knew it was my mixer fucking up the whole time. I just wasn't about to let that be known at the time. Ok so even my "devilish" story was pretty boring. I suck.

Phill – All this advent of technology has brought some amazing things, Siri on the iPhone is amazing. But what one thing would you like to ask Siri and what do you think is the wackiest way it could be used (Or abused)?

Drop Goblin – I am a lame iPhone 4 user so I don't have Siri, however I have it on my iPads as I always keep my Ipads updated to the latest hardware version, but all that stuff is deactivated as I only use the iPads for performance and nothing more. That being said If I had to ask Siri any question right now I would ask it to find a way to put all those "pay for followers and likes" companies out of business because they are single-handedly altering what little is left in this music business that could be considered fair. Let's just say that if Siri could do that, as well as make all of the fake numbers disappear altogether, there would be many fans of some specific names in the business that would get a rude awakening.  

Phill – So who is the boss at home?

Drop Goblin – My Guinea Pig. His name is "My Handsome Man" and he's great. He is biting at his cage right now because he wants some food. Lunch time! Hold on one moment please I must feed my piggy. Ok I am back. See, he controls my every move.

Phill – Who has better legs a seagull or a chicken?

Drop Goblin – I cannot help but say a Pigeon actually has better legs than either the Gull' or the Chic'. I have nursed animals to health as I am very proactive in the animal rights movement and do all I can. Me and Lisa (who clearly you have no idea who that is) helped a couple baby Pigeon's get old enough to fly and be released and they had the cutest furry legs from the knee up. They were like furry little pants. Pigeons for the win.

Phill – Did you ever have a crush on a cartoon character when you were a kid, if so who?

Drop Goblin – Pretty much any of the Gem girls (holograms and misfits combined) from the 1985-1988 cartoon series "Gem".

Phill – Wilma Flintstone or Betty Rubble?

Drop Goblin – Oh Betty Rubble all the way. Take a good look at her, she would totally be part of the hot rockabilly chick crowd if she was around today.

Phill – Do you cry at movies?

Drop Goblin – Absolutely I have, and will again.

Phill – If you were a superhero/super villain what would your super power be?

Drop Goblin – Probably the power of instability in order to catch my enemy off guard. Maybe I am just mentally crazy but sometimes when I'm sitting on the toilet I look down at the floor, and get this image in my head of me giving the floor a close fisted downward punch and sending a ring of rippling earthquake like destruction within my radius.

Phill – Thank you so much for giving Grave Concerns this interview, is there anything you would like to add?

Drop Goblin – This was fun and I hope to do it again sometime! All I have left to say is to anyone looking to make music a career and make a name for themselves. Be yourself, don't be a follower. It's ok to be inspired by the ones you look up to, but remember that if you follow you will always be behind the leader in second place.

Listen to DropGoblin online:

[youtube size="480 320" title="Drop Goblin- No Hope" v="DefKl_JXwJ0"][/youtube]

CD title: Dead Moon Falling

Label:  Machine Music Ltd

It’s always a little difficult to review a remix album when you haven’t heard the original material and while I am a huge Gary Numan fan and own most of his albums, somehow 2011’s Dead Son Rising slipped past me. Well I plan on rectifying that almost immediately. I was already excited to review Dead Moon Falling just because of some of the remixers/collaborators such as Tim Burgess (Charlatans), Alec Empire, The Duke Spirit, Gazelle Twin and Sonoio (Alessandro Cortini from Nine Inch Nails) as well as working with The Officers and Andy Gray.

In no way was I prepared for what came out of my car speakers, not since some of  Nine Inch Nails “Downward spiral” remixes have I been this impressed by the quality and production of all of these mixes. From the opening drum beats of Tim Burgess’s mix of “Big Noise Transmission” you are just sucked into a massive track that is just building and building and building included layered guitars, sick drum beats and robot voices. The next track, Sonoio’s remix of “Dead Son Rising” is just as haunting and just as good. “When the Sky Bleeds” is probably the closest you come to “classic Numan” and starts out sounding a bit like “Are Friends Electric” but ends up sounding much like NIN’s “Closer” with it’s back beat and synth work, another stand out track. The next mix of “The Fall” had me a little confused because the bass nearly shook my car speaker’s right off and I thought “Wow Alec Empire is bringing it”, but to my shock it was actually done by The Officers, Alec’s mix is actually of the following track “For the rest of my life” and takes a much more spacey chill out mix than I ever would have anticipated. England’s Is Tropical takes on the same track and this time adds more of a Drum’N’Bass feel to it. The Grayed out mix of “Dead Son Rising” brings cold synths, haunting guitars and crunchy beats which is a combination that can’t go wrong with in my book. All in all a great remix album that made me turn around and purchase the original songs on “Dead Son Rising” the next day. It’s funny how Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails has influenced Gary Numan so much since about 2000 after Gary Numan influenced Trent and company for their entire careers as more and more Numan is using the NIN formula and in some cases does it even better. Grab Dead Moon Falling as soon as you can,  9 out of 10

 Take a listen: Gary Numan-The Falll (Officers Mix)

[youtube size="480 320" title="Gary Numan-The Falll (Officers Mix)" v="0PfI_7oaSp0"][/youtube]

Buy Gary Numan- Dead Moon Falling [amazon asin="B00BJZPCVW"][/amazon]

CD Title: Operation:Duesterland

Label- Alfa-Matrix

Genre: EBM, Industrial

Before attempting to review Dunkelwerk’s  Operation: Duesterland I have to confess that despite my German bloodlines and heritage the only German language that I actually know I learned from early KMFDM and Rammstein albums. Dunkelwerk is also one of the few artists that I don’t own albums by with the exception of a few compilation tracks here and there so I was very interested in finally being able to check them out. In doing some research on the band is appears that Martin V. Kester really likes to take his time between putting out albums as 4 years have passed between each of the releases of  the three full lengths that make up Dunkelwerk’s back catalog. I also read that this was supposed to be a concept album but because of the language barrier I can only assume that it’s about war, death and defeat.

Martin uses an odd mixture of spoken word and screaming on this album mixed in with a ton of german samples. Now the combination of those three results in a very emotional album and one that might be fantastic on a long cross country drive at night but upon my first three listens left me wanting. I found some of the samples that he uses to be interesting such as the children’s song on “Kommit” or the traditional german fold music on “Schnuffi!? But they are used sparingly. One sample that appears on a few tracks is one of a machine gun fire and I found this to be grating rather than add anything to the songs.

The overall album feels very atmospheric, orchestral and dream like and at times is very moving and powerful and yet when Martin try’s to push the bpm’s up and focus a little more on the dance floor is where he really loses me. I can see where Dunkelwerk gets the comparison to Wumpscut , Suicide Commando and Hocico with his stompy beats, distrorted vocal and soundscapes but there is just something missing that those artists have that Dunkelwerk doesn’t. I don’t mean to make it sound as if this album is bad because it’s not and there are moments of it that shine such as the very Doubting Thomas sounding “ Häuserkampf” or “Katjuscha” which could have been a Delerium track. I’m not sure if a concept album is really the way to get introduced to a band but I’m going to withhold my judgement on Dunkelwerk for another 4 years (if his release schedule holds true to form). It may have been the language barrier or maybe just how uneven this album is but I can’t give it more than a 6 out of 10

Take a Listen: "Kommit"

[youtube size="480 320" title="Dunkelwerk- Kommit" v="N3wKwmcqznc"][/youtube]

Buy Dunkelwerk- Operation Duesterland [amazon asin="B00AZBCJ9E"][/amazon]

Album: A True Story Of A Lie

Label: AFMusic

Genre: Dark romantic/ Electro-goth

A True Story Of A Lie is the debut album of Last July, a band featuring experienced musicians from Rome Burns and All Living Fear. Last July combine heavy synths, powerful vocals and rock guitars.

The music on A True Story Of A Lie sounds similar to Skeptical Minds, with vocals slightly similar to Inkubus Sukkubus. The result is an album that is easy on the ears, and that contains elements from gothic rock, electro, dark pop and 90s house.

Even though the musicians from Last July clearly are experienced, as a band they do not fully sound like a cohesive machine yet. The synths and vocals sometimes seem to be vying for the lead role and the guitars are not always powerful enough in the mix.

The particular singing style of the vocalist sometimes does not work well in the songs, for example in “Alone Afraid”, where all flow is lost. Contrarily, in more uptempo songs, such as “Glamorous Parasite”, the true power from the vocals bring the entire track to a higher level.

The title track “A True Story Of A Lie” is an uplifting track that heavily relies on synths and the powerful, raspy singing of the vocalist. It's the kind of track that you hear once and then remember for the rest of the day.

Overall, A True Story Of A Lie, is an album with more potential hidden inside than what you can hear at first listening. Even though it contains flaws in composition, production and mixing, it does show the craftsmanship of the musicians separately. Further albums and stage performances will -I expect- make them turn truly into a band with a more uniform sound.

In short, Last July is a band to keep an eye on – they have all the ingredients to move a few levels up in their skills as a band.

[youtube size="480 320" title="Last July-Glamorous Parasite" v="nvgOtohywro"][/youtube]

Buy Last July – A True Story Of A Lie [amazon asin="B00BX5GNUC"][/amazon]