“The Time is Now” sounds like a furious Kiss track on steroids, and the New York based The Raygun Girls with their 5th studio are definitively willing to conquer the universe, or at least grinding their audience into the ground. Their music it’s a vivid mixture of hard rock, heavy metal, industrial, goth and punk rock, mainly reminding me of Danzig, while they compare their sound to bands such as Lacuna Coil, Rob Zombie, Killing Joke and Evanescence.
The brand new self-titled album it’s both an ode to the Apocalypse, and a call to Revolution, while the aliens are coming to take over our world.
With contribution from Peter Watkinson of death metal band Abomnium doing lead guitar on two songs, and some original photography work from Oliver Wasow, as well as lyrics from Paul F. Ferguson and Jacinda Espinosa, “The Raygun Girls” it’s the result of 10 years of songwriting, lyric writing, and road experience, and the 11 songs delivering the very essence of this band: powerful, raw, without compromises, loud rock & roll!! Read more The Raygun Girls – The Raygun Girls (2013)
gothic rock
Tiamat – The Scarred People (2012)
After a quite long break and the announcement of Thomas Wyreson quitting the band back in 2008, Tiamant’s tenth full-length studio album, “The Scarred People”, is expected to be released on November 2, 2012 through Napalm Records.
The current line-up consist of Johan Edlund – vocals and guitar; Anders Iwers – bass, Roger Öjersson – guitars; and Lars Sköld – drums.
Formed in Stockholm, Sweden in 1987, Tiamat initially played straightforward Black Metal under the name Treblinka. After having recorded the album Sumerian Cry in 1989, vocalist/guitarist Johan Edlund and bassist Jörgen Thullberg parted ways with the other two founding members, and subsequently changed the name to Tiamat. “The Sumerian Cry” album included re-recorded Treblinka songs and was released in June 1990. Edlund changed the band’s style incorporated colourful influences from different bands such as Mercyful Fate, Candlemass, Pink Floyd and King Crimson, and with Sumerian lyrical themes.
Their 1994’s critically acclaimed “Wildhoney” led to the band’s appearances at the Dynamo and Wacken Open Air heavy metal festivals in 1995. The band mixed raw and clean vocals, slow guitar riffs and synthesizer, their sound moved gradually into the area of Gothic Rock. Read more Tiamat – The Scarred People (2012)
Dead Can Dance – Anastasis (2012)
Formed in Melbourne, Australia, in August 1981, relocated to London in May 1982, reached No. 1 on the Billboard Top World Music Albums Chart with their seventh, 1996 album “Spiritchaser” which also charted on Billboard 200, disbanded in 1998, reunited 7 years later in 2005, Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry are path openers with their unique mixture of genres and styles, merging African polyrhythms with Gothic Rock, Gaelic folk with Post-Punk, Gregorian chants with New Age and Dark Wave, or Middle Eastern mantras with ethereal and Dream Pop.
“Anastasis”, the long awaited, upcoming eight studio album by the band is not different then the previous ones. It’s an exciting and colorful mixture of dark and Oriental vibes, minimalism and subtle, polyphonic build-ups, hypnotic mantras and addictive rhythms, Dead can Dance are once again a secret doorway to a lost and find universe of subconscious and superconscious. It’s a journey and an intimate, unique, mystical experience for each and every listener. Read more Dead Can Dance – Anastasis (2012)
Dead Can Dance – Spleen and Ideal (1986)
There are bands and there are myths, legends. There are bands playing music and bands creating music, inventing new approaches, discovering new dimensions, tear down walls and open brand new highways. There are bands with one or two best records and bands with all their records being best ones. Some says, in the existence of the band the second album is the most important and it proves if the band have or haven’t potential. “Spleen and Ideal”, released on 1st September 1986 (in Australia), was Dead Can Dance’s second album and the band consist of Gerrard and Perry decided to abandon guitars in favor of classic symphonic instruments such as cello, trombones and timpani. A serious decision and one which probably change the course of the band’s history, but not only. Read more Dead Can Dance – Spleen and Ideal (1986)
Devilish Presley – The Dark Triad (2011)
Hailing from the dark streets of East London, Devilish Presley finished their 5th album and make no mistake, they gonna rip your heart out. Jacqui Vixen reminds me of the raging Nina Hagen, and Devilish Presley crossing over between genres, blending explosively death, goth and punk rock into their own boiling and furious music. While we’ve got an “Evil Elvis” (aka. Glenn Danzig), a Devilish Presley comes quite as a necessity. 😀 Merging the dark side of the goth and horror rock with the energy and wildness of punk rock, Devilish Presley created an unique and extremely exciting “something” and beneath all, they write some quite catchy songs. “Cocaine Joe” or “Kiss Kiss Apocalypse” have anthematic charm, strikes instantly and “The Dark Triad” is full of good riffs, catchy vocals and singable choruses, pumping drums delivering perfect tempos for the craziest pogo. Read more Devilish Presley – The Dark Triad (2011)
Ikon – In the Shadow of the Angel (2011)
In the mirage of Joy Division and The Sisters Of Mercy, preserving their inheritance, Australia’s Ikon are for twenty years in the spotlight, has achieved an international fanbase and critical acclaim. Originally released in 1994, their brilliant debut album now it’s see the light once again, re-issues and remastered and filled with some previously unreleased tracks.
Chris McCarter (vocals, guitar, programming) and Dino Molinaro (bass) began to write songs as high school students in 1988, inspired by their love of alternative music. In 1991, the original band name Death in the Dark was replaced by IKON. Michael Carrodus, the band’s original singer, joined them in creating the first two albums “In the Shadow of the Angel” (1994) and “Flowers for the Gathering” (1996). Both albums are re-issued now and “This Quiet Earth” (1998) and “On the Edge of Forever” (2001) are scheduled to be remastered in 2012. Read more Ikon – In the Shadow of the Angel (2011)
Draconian Incubus – Undead (2011)
Resurrect Jim Morrison or take Ian Astbury, or Glenn Denzig and bring them to a rehearsal with Fields Of The Nephilim and the result may be pretty close to what Draconian Incubus produce. And this band from San José, Costa Rica sounds just great. I’m wondering how many people can show me at first where’s on the map Costa Rica… Gloomy, perhaps a little bit evil, but they rocking hard and Julio Salazar have guts and voice. J.C.Dijeres – guitars, Paola Cascante – drums and Jose Carfax – bass, obsessed by Aleister Crowley bring to life a dark universe. Recorded live sometime between March and April, 2011, they said “This is not an album, This is not an EP, This is not a single, This is Real Love, Hallelujah!” and well, you can get your share of this magic potion because the 6 track material is available for FREE DOWNLOAD on their Bandcamp page. Read more Draconian Incubus – Undead (2011)
Mono Inc. – Viva Hades (2011)
The leading riff of the title track “Viva Hades” it’s just a huge take off from “Personal Jesus” by Depeche Mode. Still, the album was nominated by the German ORKUS Magazine as “album of the month” and got 10 out of 10 points. Well, I was always a little bit skeptical about artists praised by media. Mono Inc. delivering German taste like Gothic Rock, blending melodious vocals with heavy guitar riffs and tones, synth layers and pianos with Metal sounds, they have a few better riffs – “Admiration Hill” which reminds me of Marilyn Manson – , they have some fine choruses and pumping themes (“C’est La Vie”), but still, I think Mono Inc. suffers from the same linear, repeating and mainly “pale” symptoms of musical constructions as most of the German artist/bands dose. Well, not everybody can be Faust or Einstürzende Neubauten, not even Rammstain, isn’t it? Read more Mono Inc. – Viva Hades (2011)
Lord Of The Lost – Antagony (2011)
From Hamburg, Germany, Chris “The Lord” Harms bring to the surface another collection of gloomy, melancholic, but heavy songs in which dark textures, edgy guitar riffs, gothic roots, glam rock echoes and industrial approaches are build into a powerful construction. Influences comes from Type O Negative to Marilyn Manson with strong accent on the gothic roots, and between these two references, Lord of The Lost create a vibrating and intense blending.
Chris Harms started out as vocalist and guitarist for industrial rock band Philiae in 1999 till 2004 when he switched to The Pleasures, band from the glam rock scene. But Chris kept one foot in the gothic scene as the singer of the electro/industrial project Unterart since 2006. In 2007 Chris joined as stage guitarist the band Big Boy and in 2008 he bring to life his new project, this Lord Of the Lost with guitarist Sensai (ex-The Pleasures), guitarist Sebsta, bass player Class and drummer Any. Read more Lord Of The Lost – Antagony (2011)
