Who wants to look like Marilyn Manson? Chris Cerulli, Motionless in White founder member and lead singer might be one of the right answers. “The Divine Infection” sounds just like a filthy Manson anthem picking up from where they left off with their 2003’s “The Golden Age of Grotesque”. “A-M-E-R-I-C-A” it’s fueled by the same fury, although some nowadays fancy Metalcore infusions are making room here and there like the worm eating up an apple from the inside. “Sinematic” it’s another quite Mansonish track; for a change, it’s a sick ballad. “Hatefuck” sounds like a murderous mixture of Manson and Killswitch Engage. The title traack, “Infamous” it’s another 100% Mansonish Industrial Rock sickness.
“Puppets 2 (The Rain)” – featuring Bjorn Speed Strid of Soilwork – sounds like a collision of Cradle of Filth with Bullet for My Valentine; a brutal mixture of Death and Extreme Metal with Metalcore, death-growling vocals and melodious choruses. They smartly incorporated blast beats and breakdowns in their Gothic perfumed atmosphere and Death Metal fueled massacres.
“Infamous” it’s like a constant race between good and evil. It’s like the beauty and the beast, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde were not three, but one single person. And obviously, a headbanger!! Read more Motionless In White – Infamous (2012)
industrial metal
Ostfront – Ave Maria (2012)
Operation Ostfront (German for “Eastern Front”) was the sortie into the Arctic Ocean by the German warship Scharnhorst during World War II. In May 1941, after the loss of the German battleship Bismarck, Adolf Hitler had forbidden any German capital ship from venturing into contested seas. By December 1943 the tide had turned against Germany. The Battle of the Atlantic had been lost, and supplies poured into the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union. In September 1943 the German battleship Tirpitz was disabled during the British Operation Source, leaving Scharnhorst and Prinz Eugen the only operational heavy ships in the Kriegsmarine. In November 1943 the Arctic Convoys restarted. On 19 December 1943 Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz submitted a request to Hitler to allow Scharnhorst to attack the next convoy sailing through the Barents Sea. On the 25 December 1943 Dönitz ordered Ostfront to commence. Admiral Fraser, alerted by Norwegian resistance information to the possibility of an interception by Scharnhorst, prepared a trap for the German warship.
On 25 December Scharnhorst sailed to intercept the British convoy, JW 55B, believing it to be sparsely protected. In the ensuing Battle of the North Cape Scharnhorst was separated from her escorting destroyers and was sunk. This is history.
Neue Deutsche Härte – “New German Hardness” it’s a term invented by the German music press in 1995 specially to describe/defined the music delivered by Rammstein on their debut album “Herzeleid”. Also known as German Electronic Metal or Dance Metal (tanzmetall), this new genre has its roots in the music of bands such as Laibach, Die Krupps and Oomph! and along Rammstein the genre is proudly represented by bands such as Eisbrecher, Megaherz, Megaherz, Tanzwut, Umbra et Imago, In Extremo, Omega Lithium, Stahlhammer, Fleischmann, etc.
Ost+Front will definitively delight all and each Rammstein fan. Read more Ostfront – Ave Maria (2012)
Laibach – Monumental Retro-Avant-Garde, Live at Tate Modern (2012)
On the 14th April 2012, Laibach presented a unique show at the prestigious Tate Modern Turbine Hall, with an overview of their history, from 1980 to the future, with music from their latest release, the “Iron Sky” soundtrack. This historical event has been recorded and is now available to order as a double CD Limited Edition or download released by Mute and Abbey Road Live Here Now.
Laibach is history. The Slovenian avant-garde music group was formed on June 1, 1980 in Trbovlje, Slovenia, at the time SFR Yugoslavia. They represents the music wing of the Neue Slowenische Kunst (NSK) art collective, of which they was founding members in 1984. The name “Laibach” is the German name for Slovenia’s capital city, Ljubljana.
The band’s first work was a multimedia project called “Rdeči revirji” (“Red District”), but the performance was banned even before its opening due to its “improper and irresponsible” usage of Malevich’s black crosses as symbols on the posters. The first live appearance and an exhibition entitled “Žrtve letalske nesreće” (“Victims of an Air Accindent”) the group had in January 1982 at the Ljubljana club FV, followed by some now legendary performances in Belgrade and Zagreb. At that point, the group’s musical style was characterized by the critics as “Industrial Rock”, and Read more Laibach – Monumental Retro-Avant-Garde, Live at Tate Modern (2012)
Fear Factory – The Industrialist (2012)
At two year distance, following “Mechanize”, Burton C. Bell and Dino Cazares are back, they still using the Fear Factory name although the other former half of the band, drummer Raymond Herrera and bass player Christian Olde Wolbers still did not give up on their right of using the name and still pretend they are, legally and morally, still part of the band, so, there are – at least – some “legal complications”.
“Mechanize” was a very intense one, but not the best Fear factory album so far, this time Burton described the new material to be another concept album “sonically, conceptually, and lyrically”. And getting through the album for two-three times only confirmed that they definitively delivered an excellent product this time, and this is the perfect mixture of everything what Fear Factory have been. Read more Fear Factory – The Industrialist (2012)
Celldweller – Wish Upon A Blackstar Pre-Orders and free download
Klayton is Celldweller. Personifying the sound of the iPod generation, he creates a hybrid fusion of digital and organic elements: intricately designed soundscapes constructed from Dubstep, Drum & Bass and Electro, woven together with aggressive Rock/Metal and Orchestral elements.
“Wish Upon A Blackstar”, the second album (third overall), by Celldweller is probably one of the most anticipated albums of the year.
Now you can listen & download “Unshakeable” on (and from) Soundcloud.
Contorted electronic with blowing Dubstep elements, grinding Rock and the unmistakable touch of Klayton strikes again!
Read more Celldweller – Wish Upon A Blackstar Pre-Orders and free download
Neurotech – Decipher Vol. 1 (2012)
While their previous album, “Antagonist” is still available as free download, Neurotech moved forward, their new album will be release as a series of EPs and the first (Vol.1) was released as a free download, Sunday, April 22nd, 2012 – can get it from HERE (name your price).
Neurotech was formed in Ljubljana, Slovenia, back in 2007 by Wulf and they delivering a pounding mixture of Metal, Gothic and Industrial elements. Vicious riffing and complex electronic layers are merged into one, the powerful Metal is melted into the spacy, cinematic trance/ambiental electro music and spiced with Gothic romanticism. It’s an electrifying experiment, harmonies, strong choruses and deep textures, grinding guitars are make perfect match here. Read more Neurotech – Decipher Vol. 1 (2012)
Marilyn Manson – Born Villain (2012)
This is one of the albums of 2012 I really waited for, but on the other hand I was kind of afraid of. When Twiggy Ramirez was often quoted as saying “It’s our best record yet, I think. I mean, everyone always says that, but I think this is our best work so far… It’s kind of like a little more of a punk rock “Mechanical Animals” without sounding too pretentious.”, and since the previous “The High End of Low” it’s an almost four years gap, the expectations are pretty high. “No Reflection” kind of scared me further because it doesn’t actually sound pretty convincing, although it’s a quite fair Rock track.
So, “Hey, Cruel World…” just set things right, it’s a huge Manson sound like (almost) anthem and even the following “No Reflection” make more sense now, still don’t know why it was picked to be the leading single of the album while it’s almost one of the weakest track of it. Or maybe this is the reason. Or simply there is no reason. And well, no weak tracks, boring moments on this album. Read more Marilyn Manson – Born Villain (2012)
Neosis – Neosis (2012)
Scientism is a belief in the universal applicability of the scientific method and approach, and the view that empirical science constitutes the most authoritative worldview or most valuable part of human learning to the exclusion of other viewpoints. The term frequently implies a critique of the more extreme expressions of logical positivism and has been used by social scientists such as Friedrich Hayek, philosophers of science such as Karl Popper, and philosophers such as Hilary Putnam to describe the dogmatic endorsement of scientific methodology and the reduction of all knowledge to only that which is measurable. Scientism may refer to science applied “in excess” and the term is often used in pejorative senses.
Neosis is an acronym which literally means New Evolution Of Society Influenced by Scientism. It’s a conceptualized vision of a futuristic society in which humanity is scientifically organized. A society within which scientific methods take the place of social sciences and humanities, going as far as becoming the substitute for philosophy in order to solve ethical or moral issues. In this civilization, science holds the key to all the ills that mankind suffers from, whether they are economical, political or social.
After several musical events linked to the international scene and media, Greg (guitars/samples/production), Did (bass/samples), Tom (vocals) and Anthony (drums) formed the band called Neosis. Read more Neosis – Neosis (2012)
Exilia – Decode (2012)
Merging the sound and approach of bands such as Guano Apes and Skunk Anansie, Exilia incorporated more Industrial elements and Nu Metal grooves and delivered a strong fifth full-length album.
Formed in 1993 in the classic city of fashion, Milan, (Italy) when singer Masha met guitarist Elio Alien, Exilia debuted with the album “Rightside Up” in 2000 and their following “Unleashed” which much heavier and more aggressive sound, released in May 2004, made to the Top 40 in the German charts.
The band’s biggest hit so far has been “Can’t Break me Down” released as CD single in 2005. They have played gigs with Oomph!, Guano Apes, H-Blockx, Clawfinger, HIM, Therapy?, In Extremo, Rammstein, God Forbid, Sanctorum and Ill Niño and singed to GUN Records, division of Sony BMG. Read more Exilia – Decode (2012)
Killing Joke – MMXII (2012)
If Ian Curtis wouldn’t committed suicide on 18 May 1980 and Joy Division would be still around and playing, “In Cythera”, the leading single of the fifteenth studio album by Killing Joke uploaded to the YouTube on 6 March it’s exactly the kind of music we are probably expected of Curtis. Although, this is a classic Killing Joke album with classic sound, and with the classic line-up: Jaz Coleman on vocals, Kevin “Geordie” Walker on guitar, Martin “Youth” Glover on bass, and Paul Ferguson on drums.
Out on April 2nd via Spinefarm/Universal, “MMXII” consist of 10 tracks which will definitively rock your world. Read more Killing Joke – MMXII (2012)
