Gothic rock reviews for:

Other Genres festival review for:

Various Artists - Guilfest 2008. Every GuilFest goer should now enjoy the rest of the year knowing there are good things in life...

Deinonychus - Warfare Machines. A black/death metal album which contains a few minor surprises and not a great deal to stir the imagination...
Haggard - Tales Of Ithiria. Bonkers, but brilliant, mix of metal and classical music from a fantasy world...
Collection D'Arnell Andrea - Les Marronniers. Collection D'Arnell-Andrea share elements with Dead Can Dance's early gothic phase, though have a strong identity of their own...

EBM reviews for:

Red Cell - Lead Or Follow. Nothing radically original here but some good, uplifting EBM for the summer.
XP8 - The Art Of Revenge. A scorching electro assault that proves this band have come a long long way

Electronica review for:

Y-Luk-O - Sin(n). Sick of predictable albums that play by the rules? Then give this a listen....

Gothic rock reviews for:

Unshine - The Enigma Of Immortals. Music to walk between worlds to...
Force Majeure - Frozen Chambers. Mixing the energy and fury of Killing Joke and New Model Army with a hint of Metallica...
Xandria - Now And Forever. I'm in love with Xandria, and Xandria love me too...

Other genres review for:

Kaki King - Pull Me Out Alive. The difference between a drink of wine and downing a bottle of Tequila...

Gothic rock reviews for:

The More I See - The Unholy Feast. This should have the Great Old Ones running for the hills...
Lacrimas Profundere - Songs for the Last View . Good solid gothic rock from Germany...
The Flaw - Different Kinds Of Truth . For those who enjoy the emotional intensity of Gothic Metal, but who have become tired with so many bands sounding the same...

Other genres review for:

Eyelash - Bow To The People. Hard-rock-by-numbers insomnia relief...

Other genres reviews for:

Less Than Jake - Does The Lion City Still Roar? If it ain't broke, don't fix it....
Kaki King - Dreaming Of Revenge. This is a dish best served cold...
Camper Van Beethoven - Popular Songs Of Great Enduring Strength And Beauty. Like a loaf of bread, this album is mind-bendingly versatile...

Electronica review for:

Matmos - Supreme Balloon. This won't walk out, doesn't get drunk and make off with your girlfriend, or even demand royalties...

Gothic rock reviews for:

Edenbridge - My Earth Dream. The mix of orchestra with prog-tinged metal, topped with strong – yet melodic - female vocals is a winner...
Alestorm - Captain Morgan's Revenge. A rum-filled barrel of fun to be had with these brewers of Scottish Pirate Metal...
Bauhaus - Too Much 21st Century. An odd funk-lite number which affirms the band's love of Bowie...
Mainline - From Oblivion To Salvation. Genuinely forward-thinking, atmospheric, original metal with bags of talent...

Synthpop reviews for:

Legacy Of Music - (Ex)pedition. Future Pop or light EBM? However you want to label it this German band come up with the goods.
Legacy Of Music - 2.0 (Unif)form. Proving that they've really got what it takes, this German duo come up with another winner.

EBM reviews:

Prospective - The Dark Side Of Life. Yet another new band, from Germany again, who show potential but need a bit of work on their sound.
Santa Hates You - You're On The Naughty List. Peter Spilles is back with another side-project & this time he's brought 'er indoors along!!
Stereomotion - Apocalypse: Forever. An unrelenting EBM attack that will delight the faithful & have everyone else running for the hills!

Gothic rock reviews for:

Moonspell - Night Eternal. Night Eternal brings together the light and dark sides of the band and blends them into a coherent whole...
Fairytale Abuse - Perversions Of Angel VI. Fairytale Abuse serve up a plate of black/death/horror-metal thrills...
Beyond Sensory Experience - No Lights In Our Eyes. People have accused me of listening to music that is depressing, but this is ridiculous...

Synthpop review for:

Heloise & The Savoir Faire - Trash, Rats and Microphones. They take the best of 80s sounds and mix them up with quirky, intriguing and amusing lyrics...

Other Genres reviews for:

The Charlatans - The Misbegotten. Baggy-trousered bliss...
The Presidents Of The United States Of America - These AreThe Good Times People. A tried and trusted brand, but then so is Brillo. And there are only so many uses for those...
Grant-Lee Phillips - Soft Asylum (Mo Way Out). Narcoleptics watch out...
Blues And Snake - Blues And Snake. If you need a soundtrack for a life filled with despair, hate and apathy then this could be it. But just don't blame me...

Gothic rock reviews for:

Violet Vortex - Violet Vortex. Purveyors of dark gothic rock, with a slight industrial twist show potential...
Rome - Masse Mensch Material . Neo folk, dark ambience and songs for people who love deep-voiced emotional epics...
Animal Alpha - You Pay For The Whole Seat, But You'll Only Need The Edge. Amid the shouty hullabaloo there are hints of greatness...

Other genres review for:

Sworn Amongst - And So It Begins. I wonder if they wear torn denims - with patches of course...

EBM review:

Boole - The Vital Few. High quality electro from the US, whaddya mean you've never heard of 'em?

Synthpop review:

Dekad - Confidential Tears. If you're looking for emotive, melancolic yet powerful 80s-influenced synthpop then this is where it's at.

Electronica review:

UnterArt - Memento. An excellent follow-up from one of Germany's brightest hopes.

Gothic rock reviews for:

ThanatoSchizO - Zoom Code. The fourth album from the Portugese six piece who explore beyond the boundaries of metal...
Dperd - Regalero Il Mio Tempo. The sophisticated sound of Sade in a sewer...

Other genres reviews for:

Trigger The Bloodshed - Purgation. Death Metal, with demonic roaring, ridiculously fast riffing and the occasional sudden guitar squeal...
Less Than Jake - Goodbye Blue & White. You'll like it, if you can take the slightly knarled quality...

Gothic rock review for:

The Gutter Twins - Saturnalia. A further descent into the abyss for Greg Dulli and Mark Lanegan...

Other Genres reviews for:

Forward Russia - Life Processes. Accentuating the intellectual, but never neglecting the emotional...
Less Than Jake - Pezcore. You would do well to avoid this. You would do even better to warn all your mates about it...
Open The Skies - He Spoke Of Success. Surrey-based band offer melodic, post-hardcore screamo thrills...

Other genres reviews for:

The Charlatans - You Cross My Path. A long awaited return that is worth the effort...
Open The Skies - Conspiracies. Carry on screaming with Surrey based melodic, post-hardcore band...
Less Than Jake - Losers, Kings, And Things We Don't Understand. High energy ska-punk, perfect for putting on your iPod when running or cycling that marathon; or for blasting when doing your spring cleaning...
Trigger The Bloodshed - Laceration. For fans of enjoy headbanging, cheap speed, drinking economy cider, economy lager, and getting tinnitus...

Gothic rock reviews for:

iLiKETRAiNS - We Go Hunting. Indulge yourself in a duo of Salem Witch trial-inspired songs...
Nachtgeschrei - Hoffnungsschimmer. What happens when the worlds of medieval and metal collide? You get bagpipes...

Other genres reviews for:

Forward Russia - Breaking Standing. Running the gamut from Bloc Party to At The Drive-In, this band offer Indie thrills...
Nex - Dansylvania. A spitting ball of punk-fuelled energy for those who like Faith No More...

Other Genres reviews for:

Sharp End First - Rule the Day. You won't be painting the town red after listening to this album, you might be tempted to do some DIY though...
I Killed Pharaoh - King Hell Breakthrough. They may dress like retired snooker players, but they sound like Faith No More...
Emil Bulls - The Black Path. If you're a fan of raucous shouting and heavy riffing then you should check out this German five piece...

Gothic rock review for:

NFD - Deeper Visions. Mini-albums see Gothic Rock heroes firing on all cylinders...

Other genres reviews for:

Centro-matic/South San Gabriel - Dual Hawks . If you're a long-distance lorry driver look no further for your ideal record...
Nex - A Clockwork Heart. If you're a fifteen year old reprobate you should listen to this record ... after you've done your homework.
Chuck Prophet - Would You Love Me?. Evolved chill out for evolved people...
Black Francis - The Seus. Beware affirmations that turn you into an over-confident, arrogant mobile phone salesman...

Electronica review for:

Anti Matter Man - Manipulator. Something for all you technoheads out there.

EBM reviews for:

Dawn Of Ashes - The Crypt Injection. Blood-spattered horror electro that sees this American band showing their true talents
Derma-Tek - Corpus Technological. An interesting if not brilliant mix of hard beats & imaginative melodics.
Xentrifuge - Light Extinguished. look out Suicide Commando, Agonoize etc, you've got competition
Object - The Ethane Asylum. Another fine album from this underrated German artist.

Other genres review for:

Persephone - Letters To A Stranger. A lavishly-presented, expertise-laden album of modern classical music.
Tribute To Nothing - Breathe How You Want to Breathe . Tribute To Nothing in surprisingly melodic and wistful shocker...
Pure Soundart - Emo Is Dead. More screamo than emo, which is a triumph of exhibitionism over composition...
Ray - Death In Fiction. Quality of songwriting and the finesse of their playing marks Ray as champions of the Indie genre...

Synthpop review for:

Divamee - Experiment. An excellent modern synthpop album from a promising German band

Gothic rock review for:

Jesus On Extasy - Beloved Enemy. Exchanging camp majesty for solid maturity...

Other Genres review for:

Black Francis - Svn Fngrs. Pixies singer shows solo stuff can be superb...

Gothic Rock reviews for:

Exoterik - Don't Swallow. Can this female fronted gothic rock band bend the mould and achieve success?
The Daughters of Bristol - Jones Hall. Seattle's Gothic heroes make a triumphant return...
The Daughters of Bristol - Voyage. What were you doing in 2005? If you are a Goth you might have been listening to this...

Gothic rock reviews for:

NFD - When The Sun Dies. NFD are on excellent form as ever with this preview of their Deeper Visions album...
Bauhaus - Go Away White. Bauhaus leave us once more, is this a last hurrah?
Arcana - Raspail. Sweden's finest ambient/gothic band returns...

Electronica review for:

Chandeen - Teenage Poetry. Ambient thrills for fans of films...

Synthpop reviews for:

Celluloide - Napthaline LP. A mix of old skool goth & synthpop anthems given the analogue synthpop treatment.
Novermber Process - Deafinition. An accessable & enjoyable second album albeit not the masterpiece I was hoping for, unfortunately.

Industrial reviews for:

IWR - Cold Asylum. This Israeli band could be so good if only their production skills matched their musical skills.
L'ame Immortelle - Namenlos. Thomas & Sonia bring together their various musical styles from the past onto one superb new album.
Neon Cage Experiment - Materials And Methods. A hard-going, sometimes experimental take on modern electro
Vigilante - War Of Ideas. Another explosive cocktail of hard guitars, brutal beats & aggressive vocals from Chile's finest.

Electronica review for:

Qntal - VI - Translucida. Have you ever considered the medieval ages as a destination for your time machine, but worried the club scene wouldn't be up to much?

Other Genres reviews for:

Leandra - Metamorphine. The lunatics are taking over the asylum. Again
Bob Mould - District Line. Ex-Sugar man seldom changes, but sounds as glorious as ever...

Gothic Rock review for:

Crematory - Pray. A marriage of gothic metal and prog rock, but is it an unholy union?

Other Genres reviews for:

Casino Drive - Spin The Truth. Bung some glitter on and get out there...
American Music Club - The Golden Age. Downbeat meanderings are so intoxicating they demand further investigation...

Industrial review for:

Cylab - Satellites. The sound of 4am slight-chill down after the evenings ecstatic frolicking...

Gothic Rock reviews for:

Torpedoes - The Gong Show. A band so hard you can use them to sink ships...
All Living Fear - Fifteen Years After. The graduates of carnal lust celebrate 15 years in the business...

EBM reviews for:

Agonoize - Sieben. A typically mighty release from the Agonoize Boize!!
Spetsnaz - Deadpan. Your favourite old-skool band return with their best album yet.
Various - Noise Terror 2 - World Wide Electronics. One sampler that no EBM fan should be without.
Schallfaktor - The End Of Love. EBM-by-numbers from this German duo on a very disappointing debut.

Electronica review for:

Anti Matter Man - Manipulated. A club-flavoured sampler of techno-flavoured EBM

Industrial review for:

Mindless Faith - Medication For The Misinformed. This American trio Improve on their debut by getting the balance just right on this superb