Long Beach industrial metal band Heavenly Trip to Hell just released their new single and accompanying video, “Yo No Quiero Ir Al Cielo“. The track was recorded by Addasi Addasi at Fuel Music Studios and is available on all platforms.

Lead vocalist G Christ explained the concept behind the track: “The song was inspired by the fact that we do not want to go to heaven where certain people can’t get in. I want to go to a heaven where everyone gets in.”

The single is the band’s first confirmed release since “Millions of Flowers,” which we covered in November 2024 (Heavenly Trip To Hell drops new single & video, ‘Millions Of Flowers’).

About Heavenly Trip to Hell

Heavenly Trip to Hell – also known as HTTH – is a six-piece industrial metal band from Long Beach, California. The band blends industrial metal with goth and heavy metal. The band has been active for nearly 30 years.

The current lineup consists of G Christ on lead vocals, Sergio on bass, Vicky Vicious on synth and keyboards, Jose on drums, Kurt on lead guitars, and Frank on rhythm guitar.

In November 2024, we covered the band’s prior single, “Millions Of Flowers’“. The May 2026 release of “Yo No Quiero Ir Al Cielo” is the band’s newest single.

Heavenly Trip to Hell has had two songs placed in the soundtrack of the DC Comics and Warner Bros. animated film Batman Azteca: Choque de Imperios, directed by Juan Meza Leon. They also contributed the single “Yo No Quiero Ir Al Cielo” to the soundtrack of the thriller film Blackout, directed by Shane Aquino and released on May 5, 2026 via Uncork’d Entertainment.

The band has also appeared in Road Dogs, a documentary directed by Shane Aquino that follows touring bands on the road. Road Dogs has screened at multiple international film festivals.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Austin, Texas-based electronic solo artist SINE – the project of Rona Rougeheart – has released a new album, “La Mordre,” on Metropolis Records. The 10-track record is out now in digital and vinyl formats. An official video for the previously released single “Blood + Wine” also dropped, you can view it below.

“La Mordre” contains ten tracks, four of which appeared as standalone singles before the album release: “Trauma Bondage” (September 2024), “Succumb To Me” (September 2025), “Blood + Wine” (27 February 2026), and “Cruel” (3 April 2026). The remaining six tracks are new to this release.

Several tracks were self-produced by Rougeheart; others were co-produced with Curse Mackey (Pigface, My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult) and AwareNess (calm.). Mastering was handled by Mark Pistel (Consolidated, Meat Beat Manifesto).

Rougeheart describes the album’s narrative arc like this: “When I started to gather the demos that I really wanted to include on the album, I saw a story unfolding. The songs, in order, put together a picture of someone navigating a new and exciting but seemingly treacherous path with eyes on this ‘big prize’ or breakthrough – and they’ll do anything to get it. It’s a seductive tale with vampiric tendencies and a little loosening of moral values; a glittery story that will hopefully make you want to know more.”

SINE Divine Creatures Tour – US dates August 2026

SINE will tour the US in August 2026 on the Divine Creatures Tour, joined by Seattle-based act Nuda. Curse Mackey will DJ at select shows. The confirmed dates are:

• 7 August – Seattle, WA – Funhouse
• 8 August – Portland, OR – Coffin Club
• 9 August – Eugene, OR – The Sparrow & Serpent
• 11 August – Reno, NV – Holland Project
• 12 August – San Francisco, CA – Above DNA
• 13 August – Bakersfield, CA – Jerry’s Pizza
• 14 August – Los Angeles, CA – Monty Bar
• 15 August – Coachella, CA – Red Falcon Dispensary & Lounge
• 16 August – Phoenix, AZ – Lighthouse Kava Bar

Further dates will be announced.

About SINE

SINE is the solo project of Rona Rougeheart, a drummer, vocalist, producer, and multi-instrumentalist based in Austin, Texas. Rougeheart uses the term “Electronic Boom” to describe the project’s sound, which blends sub-bass, beats, and industrial elements with lyrics that incorporate sarcasm, humour, and social commentary.

The project’s early releases appeared on Austin’s eMERGENCY heARTS label. SINE’s 2021 album “Desire, Denial and Paramania” was released on 7 October 2021 and featured collaborations with Curse Mackey, producer Sean Beavan (Nine Inch Nails, 3Teeth), and vocalist Chris Connelly (Pigface, Revolting Cocks). The album also included a Meat Beat Manifesto remix by Jack Dangers.

In January 2022, SINE released a remix of “Attack” by Adrian Sherwood on eMERGENCY heARTS, and in August 2022 issued the EP “Mantis 2” on the same label.

SINE signed to Metropolis Records ahead of the 2024 album “Luxuria”, released on 19 January 2024. That record was produced by Claus Larsen of Leæther Strip and included the single “From Beyond” featuring Leæther Strip.

Over the course of her career, Rougeheart has collaborated with Adrian Sherwood, Meat Beat Manifesto, Clan of Xymox, Chris Connelly, Mark Pistel, Andee Blacksugar (KMFDM, Blondie), Xiu Xiu, and the late Mark Stewart of The Pop Group.

“La Mordre,” her second Metropolis release, arrives roughly two years after “Luxuria” and marks a step into a longer, more expansive album format.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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American harsh noise artist Richard Ramirez and Contagious Orgasm have released the collaborative noise cassette “Different Substances” via SSSM.

“Different Substances” is available as a cassette and digital album.

About Richard Ramirez and Contagious Orgasm

Richard Ramirez is an American noise artist originally from Houston, Texas. He brings a mix of harsh noise wall, power electronics and drone and has been active since 1989. Besides the projects Black Leather Jesus and Werewolf Jerusalem he is also the founder of Deadline Recordings.

We previously mentioned Ramirez in the review of the Maurizio Bianchi / Coalminer + Allies album “Antimateria” (out via Grubenwehr Freiburg), where Coalminer’s collaborations included Richard Ramirez on the track “Gaping Crevism”.

Contagious Orgasm is the project of Hiroshi Hashimoto from Japan. Contagious Orgasm has been active since 1987 and brings a mix of experimental electronic music, including noise, industrial, rhythmic noise and ambient. Hiroshi Hashimoto also runs the SSSM label.

We previously covered the project when the Contagious Orgasm single “Through The Cracks Of Entrapment” was released on Ant-Zen.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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The Grab Society, the German dark electro and electropop project of Manfred Thomaser and Ulf Müller, today release the single “Reincarnation (Wiedergeburt)” on Echozone. The single contains two tracks: “Reincarnation (Wiedergeburt)” (3:16) and “Reincarnation (Wiedergeburt) (Instrumental)” (3:16).

An official video accompanies the release:

The central figure stands before two doors, each representing a passage toward a new existence: “On one side, the dark, stinking swamp bubbles; on the other, friendly synth tracks point the way toward the light.”

About The Grab Society

The Grab Society is a German electro and synth-pop project formed by Manfred Thomaser and Ulf Müller. Thomaser’s other active projects include !distain, Arsine Tibé, DEMOKRATIE, and The Independent Season. Müller has worked with Projekt Ich, M.U.N.T Connection, VOUL, SMOTCH, U.M. Fiedel, Tränenwelten, Mission Zanzibar, and 2MBK.

The project launched on 28 April 2023 with the debut single “Outsider (Außenseiter)” on Echozone. A second single, “Underrated (Unterschätzt)”, followed on 23 June 2023. The third single, “Room (Raum)”, was released on 26 January 2024. “Free (Gratis)” appeared on 2 August 2024. A fifth single, “Eternal,” featuring guest vocalist Annabelle, was released early May 2025.

On 30 May 2025, Echozone issued “Extended (Volume I)”, collecting extended versions of all five singles to that point. On 11 July 2025, the project released a cover of the Trio song “Da Da Da ich lieb dich nicht du liebst mich nicht aha aha aha”, which included an Arsine Tibé mix and the original B-side track “Dislocated.” “Reincarnation (Wiedergeburt)” is the first The Grab Society single released in 2026.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Soisong, the experimental electronic project founded by the late Peter “Sleazy” Christopherson and Ivan Pavlov (CoH), have announced “Soisong Book,” a hardcover publication documenting the project’s history. The book is released on May 22, 2026 through the official store and is listed as available from 22:05 CET.

The release is not exactly a standard music album. “Soisong Book” is a 160-page full-colour, faux-leather hardback edition, limited to 222 numbered copies. It documents the project from its first planning stages through later “after-effects” and draws largely on email exchanges between Christopherson and Pavlov. The book also includes private travel and concert photos, official announcements, manifestos, fake documents and audience photographic contributions.

Ivan Pavlov gives us some more info: “It took me quite some time to find and put together all these late-2000s cellphone photos and low-res images made for Myspace, to upscale many of them with the use of today’s technology, to select from a thousand of emails as few as possible… but the work didn’t feel hard at all.” And he adds: “The book is a proper Soisong release in the sense that the process of its creation has been fueled by the same joyful enthusiasm and sense of fun as every other publication, or action documented within”.

The book contains two compact discs affixed inside the cover. The first disc presents a pre-Soisong recording of a 2007 concert in Tokyo, where CoH and The Threshold House Boys Choir performed as separate acts. The second disc contains a new post-Soisong studio album by Julio Ecclesiast, the trumpet player who also appeared on the final album “xAj3z”.

About Soisong

Soisong was an experimental electronic music project formed in 2007 by Peter “Sleazy” Christopherson and Ivan Pavlov, also known as CoH. Christopherson was known for his work with Throbbing Gristle, Psychic TV, Coil and The Threshold HouseBoys Choir, while Pavlov worked under the CoH name. The project was located in Bangkok, Thailand.

The duo’s work was a combination of Pavlov’s computer-based music and Christopherson’s approach to artificial vocals and “South Seas” instrumentation.

The first release was “Soisong EP,” an octagonal tour CDEP issued in 2008 in disposable-design packaging. The release also used the title as a password for additional material on the project’s website.

The duo followed with “xAj3z,” the project’s first full-length album. The CD used octagonal packaging and carried a warning that it could only play in CD players with a flat horizontal tray.

The duo’s live activity included the 2008 Test Run Tour, with dates in Tokyo, Rovereto, Copenhagen, Bilbao, Amsterdam, Moscow and Athens. A 2009 reunion tour followed with shows in Linz, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Wroclaw and Cologne. The final Soisong show took place at Hau 2 in Berlin on June 5, 2010, without Christopherson.

After Christopherson’s death in Bangkok on November 25, 2010, later project-related releases continued to document the project’s archive. “Soisong Split” was published in 2012 and included Pavlov’s CoH “Soisong” EP together with unpublished Christopherson sketches made available through the project’s website. The official store lists the CoH “Soisong” EP as a two-disc octagonal release recorded in 2010 and 2012.

Dais Records announced the first wide vinyl reissue of “xAj3z” in 2025 as a remastered deluxe 2LP edition with one previously unreleased track. The Bandcamp edition was released on May 30, 2025 and added “Lom Tum Lai Kwee” to the tracklist.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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PIG, the industrial rock project led by Raymond Watts, has released the new album “Hurt People Hurt” today, May 22, 2026 via Metropolis Records. The album is available as LP, CD and digital release and holds 10 tracks.

The album was written by Watts and Jim Davies, known for his work with The Prodigy and Pitchshifter. Watts says: “”Hurt People Hurt” is the shepherd to pain, shoehorned between the masochist and the drama queen within. It’s full fat PIG where the weak will walk and the sick will see.”

Two singles were released before the album. “Tosca’s Kiss” was the first preview, with a video directed and edited by E Gabriel Edvy for Blackswitch Labs. The second single, “Sex & Suicide“, was released on April 10, 2026. The lyric video was directed by Grete Stitch Laus.

PIG 2026 tour dates

PIG will play two sold-out Tokyo shows on June 25 and 26, 2026. The band is also scheduled for Cold Waves XIV on September 25, 2026, with Stabbing Westward, Acumen Nation, 16 Volt, Purest Form and Kaput.

UK dates have also been announced for December 2026:

• 10 December – Manchester, Rebellion
• 11 December – Bradford, Nightrain
• 12 December – Glasgow, Ivory Blacks
• 13 December – London, The Lexington

About PIG

PIG is the long-running industrial rock project of English musician Raymond Watts, which he formed in 1988 after earlier work in London, Hamburg, and West Berlin. Before launching the project, Watts had already worked on early KMFDM material with En Esch and Sascha Konietzko, and had also been active as a live and studio sound engineer for Einstürzende Neubauten and Psychic TV. He later toured with Foetus on keyboards and guitar.

The first release was “A Poke in the Eye… with a Sharp Stick”, followed by “Praise the Lard” (1991), “A Stroll in the Pork” (1992), “The Swining” (1993), “Sinsation” (1995), “Wrecked” (1996), “Genuine American Monster” (1999), and “Pigmartyr” (2004), later reissued as “Pigmata”. Small detail, several 1990s releases first appeared in Japan, including “The Swining” and “Wrecked”.

Watts is also a founding member and recurring collaborator of KMFDM. He rejoined that orbit in 1994 for the PIG vs KMFDM release “Sin Sex & Salvation”, later worked with the Japanese projects Schaft and Schwein, and also wrote music and sound design for fashion and exhibition work, including Alexander McQueen’s “Plato’s Atlantis” and the Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibition “Punk: Chaos to Couture”.

After the Watts release “Pigmartyr”, the project resumed under the PIG name with “The Gospel” on September 9, 2016, followed by “Risen” on June 8, 2018 and the covers album “Candy” on June 21, 2019. The project then returned with “Pain Is God” on November 20, 2020, followed by “The Merciless Light” on September 23, 2022. That run continued with “Red Room” on May 17, 2024, the “Feast of Agony” EP on September 27, 2024, the remastered “Wrecked” on March 7, 2025, and the remix album “The Merciful Night” on November 14, 2025.

Jim Davies was a recurring collaborator the past few years. And now there is the brand new album “Hurt People Hurt”.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Flesh Field, the US electronic/industrial project led by Ian Ross, release the limited physical 2CD artbook edition of “On Enmity” today, May 22, 2026, via Dependent Records. The album was first released digitally on February 20, 2026. The physical edition is issued as a 48-page hardcover artbook with two audio CDs and a bonus disc containing seven exclusive tracks. The edition is limited to 500 copies.

The bonus disc adds “Hegemony” featuring Tom Shear of Assemblage 23, “Molten Resolve (16 Volt Remix),” “Supplication (Lost Signal Remix),” “Ballad Of The Renegade (Mildreda Remix),” “Unwanted (Orchestral),” “We Will Be Forgotten (Schneider Remix),” and “Supplication (Omen Code Remix).”

Ross describes “On Enmity” as an album that “documents the aftermath of trauma” and adds: “It’s not about recovery. It’s about adaptation to ruin.” The album was recorded and mixed by Ian Ross at Deadwyre Studios in Northern Virginia. Da5id Din mastered it at Corrosive Audio in San Francisco. Colin Ross contributes backing vocals on “Indestructible” and “A Boy Named Resurrection.”

On June 4, 2026 Flesh Field will play at The Renegade in Arlington, Virginia, with Lost Signal.

About Flesh Field

Flesh Field is an American electronic/industrial project formed in Columbus, Ohio, in 1996 by Ian Ross. The project name refers to a non-medical term Ross coined for psychological defence mechanisms in rape victims. Rian Miller joined in 1997 as vocalist. The early line-up released “Viral Extinction” in 1999, followed by “Redemption EP” in 2000 and “Belief Control” in 2001 through Inception Records and Trisol/Matrix Cube.

In 2004, Wendy Yanko replaced Miller as vocalist. Flesh Field released “Strain” that year through Metropolis Records and Dependent Records.

Ross announced the retirement of Flesh Field in 2011. That same year, the project issued “Tyranny Of The Majority” as a free internet release. Flesh Field tracks kept appearing in media and games, including “Beneath Contempt” in “True Blood” and “Uprising” in the 2023 film “The Mill.”

Flesh Field returned in 2023 with “Voice of the Echo Chamber” on Metropolis Records. In 2024 the project released the EP “Voice of Reason”. The current core studio line-up is Ian Ross, who handles vocals, keyboards, programming, instruments, and production.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Combichrist have released “Only Here For A Good Time“, a new industrial metal single, via Out Of Line Music. The track is taken from the forthcoming album “The Venom In The Mouth Of God“, due July 24, 2026.

The single follows “Demons Wanna Be Summoned“, the April 2026 collaboration with King 810 frontman David Gunn. Other previously released singles that will appear on the new album include “Desolation”, “RISE”, and “Feraline”, which arrived on June 5, August 28, and November 25, 2025.

The video for “Only Here For A Good Time” was produced by G13 Production House.

“The Venom In The Mouth Of God” will be available as digipak CD, Yolk Splatter Vinyl 2LP, and Picture Vinyl 2LP.

Combichrist headlined Dark Force Fest 2026 on Friday, May 1, 2026 in Parsippany, New Jersey. The band is also listed for Alcatraz Open Air in Kortrijk on Friday, August 7, and M’era Luna in Hildesheim on Saturday, August 8.

About Combichrist

Combichrist is an aggrotech and industrial metal project formed in Atlanta, Georgia in 2003 by Norwegian vocalist Andy LaPlegua. LaPlegua had already worked with Icon of Coil, Panzer AG, Scandy and Scandinavian Cock. The studio project is centered on LaPlegua, with a changing live lineup. Current listed members are Andy LaPlegua, Eric13, Elliott Berlin and Jamie Cronander.

The project’s first material developed from the track “Thanx to my Buddies”, originally written under the name D.r.i.v.E. The name later changed to Hudlager and then Combichrist before the debut album “The Joy of Gunz” appeared on Out Of Line in 2003. It was followed by “Kiss The Blade”, also in 2003, “Blut Royale” and “Sex, Drogen Und Industrial” in 2004, and “Get Your Body Beat” in 2006.

The next studio albums included “Everybody Hates You” in 2005, “What the Fuck Is Wrong with You People?” in 2007, “Today We Are All Demons” in 2009, “Making Monsters” in 2010, “No Redemption” in 2013, “We Love You” in 2014, “This Is Where Death Begins” in 2016, “One Fire” in 2019 and “CMBCRST” in 2024. Note that “No Redemption” was released as the official “DmC: Devil May Cry” soundtrack.

In 2016, “This Is Where Death Begins” was announced in CD, deluxe 2CD digipak and colored gatefold double vinyl editions. The album was produced by Oumi Kapila of Filter and Andy LaPlegua, with guest vocals from Chris Motionless of Motionless In White and Ariel Levitan of MXMS, and mastering by Vlado Meller. A separate limited 3CD+DVD edition added the Summer Breeze Festival 2015 live recording on CD and DVD.

In 2019, “One Fire” was announced in 3CD boxset, 2CD and 2LP picture vinyl formats. The album included Burton C. Bell of Fear Factory on “Guns At Last Dawn”. Our “One Fire” review said that “Combichrist remains a very unique experience, mixing different genres and songs all together on one album.” We rated the album 8.

The single “Compliance” arrived in 2021 and “Modern Demon” in 2022. In 2024, Combichrist released the double album “CMBCRST”.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Chicago rock singer Essex has released “Eighties,” his first solo single for Cleopatra Records. The track is a cover of Killing Joke’s 1984 single “Eighties,” issued on E.G. Records.

The release follows an appearance with Cherie Currie of The Runaways on “When You’re Young.” “Eighties” was produced by Jürgen Engler (Die Krupps). Marcus Nand tracked the vocals, while Vicente Cordero worked on the video.

Engler says this about the collaboration: “Essex’s vocals add a raw energy to the old favorite Killing Joke track ‘Eighties’, the likes we haven’t heard in a long time! It perfectly fits the urgency of the song, deeply rooted in the 80s but with a very contemporary feel! I have the feeling Raven would have approved of it, and maybe he would have even played the bass on it… heaven only knows.”

Essex adds: “Reimagining a cover while still respecting the original was important to me, and having collaborators like Marcus Nand and Vicente Cordero helped bring that vision to life. Even though the song is rooted in the ’80s, a lot of its themes still feel incredibly relevant today, and the video helped amplify that atmosphere.”

Killing Joke released “Eighties,” in spring 1984 on E.G. Records, before it later appeared on the band’s fifth studio album “Night Time,” released in 1985. The 12-inch version included “Eighties (Serious Dance Mix),” “Eighties,” and “Eighties (The Coming Mix).” The similarity with Nirvana’s 1992 single “Come As You Are” was striking. Nirvana manager Danny Goldberg later said Kurt Cobain was nervous about releasing “Come As You Are” as a single because it sounded close to a Killing Joke song; Killing Joke complained, but the matter did not become a settled court case. The original “Eighties” shows Jaz Coleman behind a U.S. flag-draped podium, with Soviet imagery and footage of political, religious, military, and nuclear symbols cut into the performance.

About Essex

Essex is a Chicago rock singer who is influenced by Marc Bolan, Billy Idol, David Bowie, and James Brown.

On November 3, 2025, Essex announced “Rock n’ Roll” as his debut single and described it as the first track from an EP planned for 2026.

On January 30, 2026, Essex announced that he had signed with Cleopatra Records. He had been working with the label for two months before the announcement and also said that he would return to the studio for new material.

In February 2026, Essex’s site announced “When You’re Young” with Cherie Currie. Cleopatra Records later hosted a Pirate Radio Cleopatra interview titled “Introducing Essex,” which focused on the Currie duet and Essex’s musical references.

In May Essex realesed “Eighties.” A full-length debut album is planned for later in 2026.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Christian Death, the Los Angeles County gothic rock and deathrock band, have announced “The Baby Bats Parade”, a U.S. tour running from June 3 to June 28, 2026. The Christian Death Baby Bats Parade tour includes support from Gene Loves Jezebel, Descartes a Kant and Black Season Witch. The run starts at Red Flag in St. Louis, Missouri, and ends at Electric Haze in Worcester, Massachusetts.

The live line-up includes Valor Kand on male lead vocals and guitar, and Maitri on female lead vocals and bass guitar. The band will perform material from its catalogue, including tracks from “Evil Becomes Rule”, released by Season of Mist on May 6, 2022.

Tickets are available through Christian Death upcoming tour dates.

Christian Death ‘Baby Bats Parade’ tour dates

• June 3, 2026 – Red Flag, St. Louis, MO
• June 4, 2026 – Xray Arcade, Milwaukee, WI
• June 5, 2026 – Crucible, Madison, WI
• June 6, 2026 – Harpo’s, Detroit, MI
• June 7, 2026 – Woodward Theatre, Cincinnati, OH
• June 8, 2026 – Record Bar, Kansas City, MO
• June 10, 2026 – The Vanguard, Tulsa, OK
• June 11, 2026 – Come & Take It, Austin, TX
• June 12, 2026 – The Rock Box, San Antonio, TX
• June 13, 2026 – RBC, Dallas, TX
• June 14, 2026 – White Oak Music Hall, Houston, TX
• June 16, 2026 – Culture Shock, Atlanta, GA
• June 18, 2026 – QXT, Newark, NJ
• June 19, 2026 – Webster Theatre, Hartford, CT
• June 20, 2026 – Jewel, Manchester, NH
• June 21, 2026 – Acruz Events, Pawtucket, RI
• June 24, 2026 – WC Social Club, West Chicago, IL
• June 25, 2026 – Black Circle, Indianapolis, IN
• June 26, 2026 – A&R Music Hall, Columbus, OH
• June 27, 2026 – The Vortex, Akron, OH
• June 28, 2026 – Electric Haze, Worcester, MA

About Christian Death

Christian Death formed in Los Angeles County, California, in 1979. Rozz Williams founded the band, with early members including guitarist John “Jay” Albert, bassist James McGearty and drummer George Belanger. Musically the band mixes gothic rock, deathrock and art punk. Williams, McGearty and Belanger later regrouped with guitarist Rikk Agnew, formerly of the Adolescents. That line-up appeared with “Dogs” on the 1981 L.A. compilation “Hell Comes to Your House” and released “Only Theatre of Pain” through Frontier Records in 1982.

The band’s early line-up changed after “Only Theatre of Pain”. Williams was later joined by members of Pompeii 99, including Valor Kand and David “Glass” Parkinson. Gitane DeMone also joined the group in this period. This line-up recorded “Catastrophe Ballet”, released in 1984, followed by “Ashes” in 1985. Williams left after “Ashes”, and Kand became the band’s frontman.

With Valor Kand as frontman the band recorded “The Wind Kissed Pictures”, followed by “Atrocities” in 1986 and “The Scriptures” in 1987. The band then released “Sex and Drugs and Jesus Christ” in 1988, the two-part “All the Love All the Hate” in 1989 and “Insanus, Ultio, Proditio, Misericordiaque” in 1990. Maitri joined Christian Death in 1991 and first performed with the band in Florence, Italy, on July 12, 1991. Later releases included “Sexy Death God”, “Prophecies”, “Pornographic Messiah”, “Born Again Anti Christian” and “American Inquisition”.

Christian Death released “The Root of All Evilution” in 2015. “Evil Becomes Rule” followed in 2022 and remains the latest studio album.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Venus Fly Trap, the Northampton alternative rock duo of Alex Novak and Andy Denton, release “Deja Vu 1986-2026” on Glass Modern as a 20-track re-collection and rarities compilation on CD and digital download on 12 July 2026. To mark four decades since their first gig, Venus Fly Trap will play a special show at the Black Prince in Northampton on 12 September 2026, with special guests. The date marks 40 years since the band’s first live show, at Stax in Northampton on 12 July 1986.

“Deja Vu 1986-2026” draws tracks from across Venus Fly Trap’s eight studio albums and selected releases spanning four decades. The compilation is available on CD and digital download via Glass Modern. Preview tracks are available via the Glass Modern Bandcamp page at glassmodern.bandcamp.com.

Full tracklist:

The compilation title references the neurological phenomenon the band describes as “a temporary glitch in the brain’s memory causing a new experience to feel like a familiar past memory.”

The compilation opens with “Morphine” and “Desolation Railway” (tracks 1 and 3), both originally released as 12″ singles on Tuesday Records in 1987 and 1988 respectively, then re-recorded for the debut album “Mars” on Danceteria. “Rocket USA” (track 5) is Venus Fly Trap’s cover of the Suicide song, first released as a single by the band in 1989 on Danceteria.

“Control Addicts” (track 19) is a cover of a Religious Overdose song originally released as a 7″ single in 1980. Alex Novak was vocalist in both bands. The cover was recorded to mark the 40th anniversary of Glass Records and appeared on the Glass compilation “Glass: Re Make/Re Model” in 2021.

“Bebe” (track 20) is dedicated to Bebe and Louis Barron, who composed the pioneering electronic score for the 1956 MGM science fiction film “Forbidden Planet” and are credited with creating the first wholly electronic score recorded in the United States. The track was released on Glass in 2025.

Official videos exist for the following tracks included on “Deja Vu 1986-2026”:

• Venus Fly Trap – “Morphine” (Official Video)
• Venus Fly Trap – “Desolation Railway” (Official Video)
• Venus Fly Trap – “Europa” (Official Video)
• Venus Fly Trap – “Achilles Heel” (Official Video)
• Venus Fly Trap – “Moscow Menagerie” (Official Video)
• Venus Fly Trap – “Sabotage” (Official Video)
• Venus Fly Trap – “Human Fly” (Official Video)
• Venus Fly Trap – “Vitesse” (Official Video)
• Venus Fly Trap – “Control Addicts” (Official Video)
• Venus Fly Trap – “Bebe” (Official Video)

About Venus Fly Trap

Venus Fly Trap formed in Northampton, England, in 1986. The founding lineup brought together Alex Novak on vocals – previously vocalist with Religious Overdose and Attrition – and John Novak on guitar and vocals, with Tony Booker on bass. Their first live performance was at Stax, Northampton, on 12 July 1986.

The band signed to Tuesday Records, a sub-label of the French label Danceteria, and released the debut 12″ single “Morphine” in 1987, followed by the three-track “Desolation Railway” 12″ EP in 1988. Both were re-recorded for the debut album “Mars” on Danceteria.

“Totem”, the second album, was recorded at Raven Studios near Norwich and produced by Howard Turner (Nivens). It was released on Danceteria in 1989. The band then produced a single covering Suicide’s “Rocket USA”, produced by Kevin Haskins of Bauhaus and Love & Rockets, and featuring Pat Fish of the Jazz Butcher.

The lineup changed frequently during this period, with key contributors including Curtis Johnson and Dave Freak on guitar, Chris Evans on bass, Nathan Bundy on keyboards, and Andy Denton, who joined initially on drums before moving to guitar, programming, and vocals. In early 1991 the band toured Czechoslovakia, resulting in the live album “Jewel – Live In Prague” (1991, A.Z.Y.L.).

“Pandora’s Box”, the third album, was recorded at SDH Studios near Rouen, France, by Jean-Louis Greif and produced by Pat Fish. “Luna Tide”, the fourth album, was released on Spectre Records (Germany) in 1994. It was recorded at Outrider and Far Heath studios in the UK, and at Hansahaus in Bonn, Germany, by Angus and Manni. “Dark Amour”, the fifth album, was recorded at Cage Studio in Coventry and produced by Martin Bowes of Attrition. It was released on Soundbuster (Germany).

By the 2000s the permanent members were Novak and Denton. “Zenith” (2004) was recorded at Villers Wood in Northampton and released on Big Blue/SPV (Poland/Germany). “Nemesis” followed on the same label, recorded at Villers Wood and Hot Rock in Northampton.

“Icon” (2018) was released on Glass Modern, the first of the band’s albums on that label. Side-Line covered the single “Vitesse” ahead of the album, and reported on the band’s distribution move to Plastic Head and forthcoming new album in 2016. In 2015 a Side-Line article covered the vinyl compilation ‘Metamorphosis 1987–2010’, an earlier retrospective on Big Blue.

“Control Addicts” (2021) and “Bebe” (2025), both released on Glass, complete the catalogue run represented on “Deja Vu 1986-2026”.

“Deja Vu 1986-2026” is released on CD and digital download via Glass Modern on 12 July 2026.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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French cold wave and dark wave project Dawn + Dusk Entwined, led by David Sabre, released the digital album “Prove me wrong” today, May 20, 2026. The release is available on Bandcamp.

The album was originally planned as an EP. Sabre described it as bringing the project’s comeback era full circle – a period that began in 2020 when he reactivated Dawn + Dusk Entwined with a more electronic and cold wave-oriented sound.

“This album, originally planned as an EP, aims to bring D+DE’s ‘comeback’ era full circle, a period that began in 2020 with a more electronic sound,” Sabre says. “Today, in 2026, the reinterpretation of ‘Crossed Paths’ as ‘Remains of Loss’ – its definitive version – brings an era to a close. Nevertheless, there were still a few unfinished tracks, and I wanted to truly exhaust the vein by finalizing them before embarking on a new musical path.”

The album also includes what Sabre describes as a “playful nod to the good old days of the ‘extended versions’ typical of the 1980s,” and a cover of a Gary Numan track “Down in the Park”. “Down in the Park” was originally released by Tubeway Army, with Gary Numan as writer, vocalist and producer. It appeared on the album “Replicas” and was released as a single in 1979 on Beggars Banquet. The song is one of Gary Numan’s early dystopian songs.

The album release is digital only.

“Prove me wrong” follows two releases from the comeback era. “Let Fall What Must Fall,” released on March 28, 2025 as a CD in a 6-panel eco-digifile limited to 400 copies via Dark Vinyl Records. “Remains Of Loss,” released on January 16, 2026 as both a digital and CD release on Dark Vinyl Records, is a complete reworking of the 2020 album “Crossed Paths,” with all tracks receiving new mixes and arrangements and four additional tracks added to the original nine.

About Dawn + Dusk Entwined

David Sabre founded the project in 1994 in France under the name Dawn & Dusk Entwined. The project debuted in 1999 on the UK label World Serpent and later signed to Cold Meat Industry, offering a mix of neoclassical, martial industrial, and dark folk. Releases from that period include “A Leftover of Gaia,” “Remergence” (2007), and “Lost and Found” (EP). Sabre took a break from the project in 2013, citing dissatisfaction with the musical direction.

In 2020, he returned with a restructured project under the name Dawn + Dusk Entwined – replacing the ampersand with a plus sign to mark the change in direction – and released “Crossed Paths” in October 2020 as a CDR. The new incarnation moved away from martial industrial toward electronic and cold wave sounds, mixing cinematic arrangements with a 1980s dark wave influence and lyrics in both English and French.

In May 2022, Sabre compiled the “Fin de siècle” releases into a 19-track album. “When I die, burn me in the clothes of my youth” followed in early 2023.

“Let Fall What Must Fall” followed on March 28, 2025 on Dark Vinyl Records, while the reworked and expanded “Remains of Loss” followed in January 2026. “Prove me wrong,” released digitally on May 20, 2026, concludes the arc that began with “Crossed Paths” six years earlier.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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The Los Angeles darkwave/post-punk solo project Shadows Hold will release the debut album “Bound in Chains” via Cold Transmission Music. The album is listed for digital and digipak CD release on June 12, 2026, with the limited ultra-clear vinyl edition shipping around July 31, 2026.

The vinyl edition is limited to 200 copies and comes as a 12-inch ultra-clear 140-gram LP with a black inner sleeve.

“Bound in Chains” contains ten tracks on the physical vinyl edition. The download and CD release holds the ten main tracks plus bonus material consisting of these 3 tracks: “Your Chain Your Shadow”, “Far Away”, and “What Do You See”.

Two tracks are already available from the album pre-order “Haunt Me” and “Nosebleed”.

And here are the videos for “Stigmata” and “Haunt Me”.

Shadows Hold is confirmed for Wave-Gotik-Treffen 2026 in Leipzig. The project will play at the Moritzbastei on Sunday, May 24, 2026, at 21:45, on a bill with André Alabaster, Hinfort, and Pahl!.

About Shadows Hold

Shadows Hold is a darkwave/post-punk solo project based in Los Angeles, California. The project brings a mix of darkwave, post-punk, and EBM, with vocals, atmospheric textures, and melodic leads as core elements.

Early releases include “Visceral,” “We Don’t Exist,” “Not To Be Remembered,” “Fog,” “Your Chain // Your Shadow,” “Faceless,” “Bloodsoaked Memories,” “Glass,” “Far Away,” “Your Lips Against Mine,” “Divine,” and the 2024 EP “Shadows Hold.” The self-titled EP was released on April 28, 2024 and contains “Take My Hand,” “Faded Moonlight,” “Fallen Twilight,” and “Tearfall.”

In 2025, the project released “Stigmata” on February 14 and followed it with “Nexum” on August 29. “Nexum” contains “Closed Eyes,” “In The Cold,” and “What Do You See.”

In 2026, the “Nosebleed” single was released. “Bound in Chains” follows as the project’s debut full-length album, with Cold Transmission Music handling the physical editions and digital distribution.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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The Greek darkwave/synth-pop duo Midnight Poetry will release the limited black-vinyl LP edition of their 8-track debut album “Dive into the Darkness” on May 29, 2026 via Manic Depression in a limited run of 200 black-vinyl copies. The project features Cleopatra Kaido and John Spanos.

The album was already released digitally on April 17, 2026 with a CD edition released as a three-panel digipack.

The album’s original release came accompanied by videos for their debut single “Black Hole” and “Dracula’s Poison”.

About Midnight Poetry

Midnight Poetry is a Greek dark electro/post-punk duo formed around Cleopatra Kaido and John Spanos. The first release was the single “Black Hole”, issued on March 25, 2024.

Before starting this project, Cleopatra Kaido released “Artificial Galaxy” in 2013 with Drama Queen and “System Anomaly” in 2020 with Meat Injection. John Spanos had already released five albums and appeared in goa/psychedelic trance compilation releases with Radical Distortion, alongside solo work in ambient, chill-out and future-garage material.

The band was also selected to appear on “Resurgence”, a massive 7CD post-punk boxset with the track “Black Hole”.

“Dive into the Darkness” is the duo’s first album. It follows “Black Hole” and “Dracula’s Poison”.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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A Certain Ratio, the English post-punk and funk band from Greater Manchester, will release two companion albums, “The Joy of Sextet” and “Force Majeure,” on 28 August 2026 via Mute. The releases mark 45 years since the band entered Revolution Studios in Cheadle Hulme, Stockport, to record “Sextet,” and 40 years since the release of “Force.”

A Certain Ratio companion albums on Mute

“The Joy of Sextet” is a new companion release to “Sextet,” the band’s 1982 Factory Records album. Andy Meecham, also known as The Emperor Machine, mixed the material from the original 1981 two-inch multitrack tapes. Meecham says the process involved “adding some new dynamics” while keeping “the original raw energy and feel.”

“Force Majeure” is a nine-track companion release to “Force,” the band’s 1986 Factory Records album. The release includes previously unreleased original versions, including “Force,” a title track that did not appear on the original 1986 album. The material comes from four-track recordings made by the late Stuart “Jammer” James, who co-produced “Force” with A Certain Ratio. Martin Moscrop says the recordings were made to “review the songs for a possible album” and “practice playing them live.”

“The Joy of Sextet” and “Force Majeure” will be available on limited edition “Unforced Purple” coloured vinyl sets, CD and digital formats.

‘The Joy of Sextet’ tracklist

1. “Lucinda (EM)”
2. “Crystal (EM Night Version)”
3. “Gum (EM)”
4. “Knife Slits Water (EM)”
5. “Tumba Rhumba (EM)”
6. “Day One (EM)”
7. “Below the Canal (EM)”
8. “Waterline (EM Dub)”
9. “Knife Slits Water (EM 12” Version)”

‘Force Majeure’ tracklist

1. “Only Together (FM)”
2. “Bootsy (FM)”
3. “Naked and White (FM)”
4. “And Then She Smiles (FM)”
5. “Take Me Down (FM)”
6. “Anthem (FM)”
7. “The Runner (FM)”
8. “Force (FM)”
9. “Nostromo A Go Go (FM)”

‘Sextet’ and ‘Force’ anniversary tour dates

A Certain Ratio will tour the UK in October 2026 for the “Sextet” and “Force” anniversary tour. The band will play both albums in full, with an interval between the two sets.

• 7 Oct – Birmingham, Castle and Falcon
• 8 Oct – Bristol, Exchange
• 9 Oct – London, Dingwalls
• 10 Oct – Lewes, Con Club
• 13 Oct – Newcastle, The Cluny
• 14 Oct – Edinburgh, The Voodoo Rooms
• 15 Oct – Glasgow, Oran Mor
• 16 Oct – Blackpool, Bootleg Social
• 17 Oct – Leeds, Brudenell Social Club
• 22 Oct – Hebden Bridge, The Trades – sold out
• 23 Oct – Stoke, Sugarmill
• 24 Oct – Manchester, Band on the Wall – sold out
• 25 Oct – Manchester, Band on the Wall – new date added

About A Certain Ratio

A Certain Ratio was formed in Greater Manchester in 1977. The early line-up also included Peter Terrell on guitar and electronics, Simon Topping on vocals and trumpet, Jez Kerr on bass and vocals, Martin Moscrop on trumpet and guitar, and Donald Johnson on drums, with Martha Tilson joining soon after. The band brought a mix of post-punk with funk, disco and Latin percussion. They soon got picked up by Factory Records.

The group released “All Night Party” through Factory Records in 1979, with Martin Hannett producing. “The Graveyard and the Ballroom” followed in 1980 as a cassette release, before “To Each…” arrived in 1981. “Sextet” was released in January 1982 by Factory Records and was recorded at Revolution Studios in Cheadle Hulme. The album spent eleven weeks on the UK Independent Albums Chart and reached number 1.

“Force” followed in November 1986 as the band’s fifth studio album and final Factory Records studio album. It was recorded and mixed in July and August 1986 at Yello 2 Studios in Stockport. Stuart James co-produced the album with A Certain Ratio. The album introduced Tony Quigley on saxophone and was the last ACR studio album to feature Andy Connell as a full-time member before he focused on Swing Out Sister.

After Factory, A Certain Ratio moved through A&M Records, Rob’s Records, Creation, Soul Jazz and later Mute. Mute began reissuing the band’s back catalogue in 2018. The band released “ACR Loco” in 2020, followed by the “A,” “C,” and “R” EPs in 2021, “1982” in 2023 and “It All Comes Down to This” in 2024.

In 2023 A Certain Ratio also released Emperor Machine’s reworking of “Constant Curve”.

The band currently consists of Jez Kerr, Martin Moscrop, Donald Johnson, Tony Quigley, Matt Steele, Ellen Beth Abdi and Viv Griffin.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Italy-based industrial rock and alternative rock trio Noir Addiction have released the new single “How She’s Got It” via SoulPunx Records. The track is taken from the forthcoming six-track release “Pretty Things Don’t Last”, due July 16.

The single follows “Serve Me Some Crime”, which we covered in March 2026. “How She’s Got It” is available through Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp. The official video, directed and edited by Jack Lucas Laugeni, is available below.

Noir Addiction frontman Sonny Lanegan says this about the new single: “‘How She’s Got It’ is about that moment when something or someone loses its meaning, but you’re still caught in it. In the song, you’re observing, questioning, maybe even letting go, but at the same time you’re still drawn to it. That push and pull is what drives the whole track.”

He adds: “It’s not really about a person it’s about perception. How we project meaning onto things, how that meaning shifts, and how sometimes we just stop believing in it. The repetition in the chorus almost feels like trying to convince yourself of something, while knowing deep down it’s already gone.”

Lanegan also has this to say on the recording approach: “When we recorded it, the focus wasn’t on impact it was on distance. We approached the track almost like a fading memory, something that feels real while you’re inside it but starts to lose definition the more you look at it. The arrangement was intentionally built to feel circular, like you’re stuck in the same thought pattern, going over the same questions without ever getting a clear answer.”

And he continues: “We leaned into repetition and subtle shifts instead of big moments. Small changes in texture and slight variations in vocal delivery carry the emotional weight. The idea was to create a sense of emotional drift, where everything feels close but unreachable at the same time. Nothing fully resolves, and that’s intentional. It leaves you in that suspended state the lyrics are coming from.”

The lineup for this single and the upcoming EP consisted of Sonny Lanegan on vocals, guitars, synthesizers and programming, Nessie Zorba on keyboards and percussion, and Roberto Catanzaro on drums. “Pretty Things Don’t Last” was produced by Sonny Lanegan, engineered, mixed and mastered by Damiano Paoloni, and recorded at Sound Distillery in Italy.

About Noir Addiction

Noir Addiction are an Italy-based industrial rock and alternative rock project founded by Sonny Lanegan. The current lineup listed by the band consists of Lanegan on vocals, guitars, synthesizers and programming, Nessie Zorba on keyboards and percussion, and Roberto Catanzaro on drums.

Before Noir Addiction, Lanegan worked as singer-songwriter for White Pulp and co-founded The Dead Good, both connected to his Los Angeles period. His Bandcamp biography also lists Slow Roar and states that his music was used in television and film productions including “Mozart in the Jungle”, “Iron Fist” and “Z Nation”.

Noir Addiction’s public release timeline begins with “Chemical Bride”, released on June 27, 2025. “Lust Of The Flesh” followed on August 6, 2025. The 11-track album “Decadent Desire” was released on September 9, 2025. Bandcamp credits for “Decadent Desire” list Richard Christ on vocals, Sonny Lanegan on guitars, programming, backing vocals and production, Nessie Zorba on synthesizers and percussion, and Roberto Catanzaro on drums.

Side-Line reported in March 2026 that the previous lineup had split over a “difference in vision” and that Noir Addiction was fronted by Lanegan at that point. “Serve Me Some Crime” followed on March 20, 2026, as the first preview of “Pretty Things Don’t Last”. And now there is “How She’s Got It”, the second confirmed track from the July 16 release.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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A few weeks ago we announced that Chicago collective The Joy Thieves hade released the single “The Wrong End of Your Rifle“, the first preview of the full-length album “Apocalypse Pending”, due June 5, 2026 via Armalyte Industries. Today the collective have released the video for “No Anchor“, featuring Chris Connelly of Finitribe, Revolting Cocks, Ministry and Pigface.

The video was created by Joel Lopez at Lumbra Productions with additional production by Derek Christopher, Mark Pistel, Jeff Harris, Steven Archer, Dee J Nelson, Jane Jensen and DJ Darryl Hell.

The new The Joy Thieves album “Apocalypse Pending” will be available as a digital album and as a digipack CD which is limited to 300 copies.

The album was produced, engineered and mixed by Joy Thieves Productions at Populist Recording + Mastering in Wheaton, Illinois, and mastered by James Scott.

Chris Connelly and Dan Milligan on ‘No Anchor’

Here’s what Chris Connelly says about the new The Joy Thieves track: “These days, it seems like people are capable of being pushed or tempted to exist in a state where they are alone. No moral compass. No ethics. No empathy. No forgiveness. No anchor. In a society where guilt seems to be gone, people can act however they want.”

Dan Milligan adds: “When I was writing the music for ‘No Anchor,’ I purposefully used ever-changing, off-kilter guitar riffs that seem to stray farther and farther from the song’s key as it progresses. Because the music never truly repeats, or settles down, it creates the sickening sense that everything is unresolved, and it’s only going to get worse.”

About The Joy Thieves

The Joy Thieves began in Chicago in December 2017, when drummer and musician Dan Milligan started assembling contributors for a new industrial rock recording project. Early contributors before the first release included Chris Connelly, David Suycott, Howie Beno, Matt Noveskey, Andy Gerold and Louis Svitek.

The project signed with Armalyte Industries around 2018 before its first release. The debut EP “This Will Kill That” followed on June 28, 2019.

The band followed with “Cities In Dust” on October 4, 2019, “A Blue Girl” on March 13, 2020, and “Genocide Love Song” on May 15, 2020. The first full-length album, “American Parasite”, was released on July 23, 2021 via Armalyte Industries, with Chris Connelly handling all lead vocals.

More releases followed, “Nemesis” in 2021, “6 To 3” in 2022, “Dissent-ertainment: 6 To 3 Remixed” in 2023, “The Heart of the Worm” and “Return To Needle Park” in 2024, and “Spilt Milk” on June 28, 2024.

The group revolves around Joy Thieves Productions, the production team of Dan Milligan and James Scott. The Joy Thieves roster includes current, former and touring members connected to Ministry, Stabbing Westward, The Rollins Band, Killing Joke, Pigface, Revolting Cocks, PIG, David Bowie, Machines of Loving Grace, Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails, KMFDM, Naked Raygun, Foetus, My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult, Pegboy, Nitzer Ebb and other projects.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Stabbing Westward, the Chicago industrial rock band, have announced the Wither ReWired Tour – a 15-date US run in July 2026 celebrating 30 years of their 1996 album “Wither Blister Burn + Peel” (Columbia Records, produced by John Fryer). The tour opens July 9 in Flint, Michigan, and closes July 25 in Atlanta, Georgia, with support from Priest and Acumen Nation. Note that Carlton is back on guitar. Alongside the tour, Stabbing Westward has announced “Wither ReWired,” a complete re-recording of the 1996 album, due later in 2026 on COP International.

Wither ReWired tour dates

The 15-date tour covers the Midwest, East Coast, and the South.

• July 9 — Flint, MI — Machine Shop
• July 10 — Grand Rapids, MI — Pyramid Scheme
• July 11 — Indianapolis, IN — HI-FI Annex
• July 12 — Columbus, OH — The King of Clubs
• July 13 — Lakewood, OH — The Roxy
• July 15 — Boston, MA — Brighton Music Hall
• July 16 — New York, NY — Gramercy Theater
• July 17 — Baltimore, MD — Baltimore Soundstage
• July 18 — Philadelphia, PA — Underground Arts
• July 19 — Amityville, NY — AMH
• July 21 — Millersville, PA — Phantom Power
• July 22 — New Kensington, PA — Preserving Underground
• July 23 — Asheville, NC — Eulogy
• July 24 — Nashville, TN — Exit/In
• July 25 — Atlanta, GA — The Loft

Ticket information is available via the official website.

‘Wither Blister Burn + Peel’ at 30

Released on January 23, 1996 on Columbia Records and recorded at Bearsville Studios in Woodstock, New York, “Wither Blister Burn + Peel” was Stabbing Westward’s second studio album and their first to achieve RIAA Gold certification, which it received on September 27, 1996. The album reached number 67 on the Billboard 200 and number 1 on the US Heatseekers chart, with US sales reaching approximately 747,000 copies.

The two singles, “What Do I Have to Do?” and “Shame,” drove the album’s commercial reach. “What Do I Have to Do?” peaked at number 7 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and number 11 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart, while “Shame” matched the number 7 Mainstream Rock peak and reached number 14 on the Modern Rock chart. Both received heavy rotation on MTV and radio.

The album was produced by John Fryer, who had also produced Stabbing Westward’s debut album “Ungod” (1994) and would later produce the band’s 2022 comeback record “Chasing Ghosts.”

‘Wither ReWired’ – a complete re-recording

“Wither ReWired” is not a remaster or remix of the 1996 album. According to the band, it is a ground-up reinterpretation, with production and mastering currently in their final stages. No release date has been confirmed.

Vocalist Christopher Hall described his approach to revisiting the material: “The idea of reimagining Wither triggered equal amounts of excitement and trepidation for me. I know the powerful effect music has on young people. The music we hear in our youth imprints on our brain and our souls, forever merged with the memories that accompanied it. When you hear a song, it takes you back to that party or that lonely time spent in your headphones where the music was your only friend. The crazy makeout session to your best mix tape and the other mix tape for the inevitable heartbreak that followed. How could we ever hope to improve upon those memories? Well, we can’t. And we didn’t try. We chose to create new ones. I hope everyone makes some new memories to these new songs.”

Keyboardist Walter Flakus addressed the emotional weight of returning to the songs: “It’s amazing how powerful these songs still stand up 30 years later. I had a very tearful evening while working on ‘Sleep’ and the gravity of the song. These songs feel aligned with where we’re at as a band today while embracing our original industrial foundation. Some of these songs never hit the way they were intended. They do now!”

A tracklist for “Wither ReWired” has not been confirmed. The album will be released on COP International.

About Stabbing Westward

Christopher Hall and Walter Flakus formed Stabbing Westward in 1985 while being students at Western Illinois University in Macomb, Illinois. The original name came from a phrase encountered at the college radio station WIUS-FM. After relocating to Chicago, Stabbing Westward built an early lineup including Hall on bass and vocals, Flakus on keyboards, and Jim Clanin on guitar, later adding bassist Jim Sellers and drummer Angelo Negrette. Hall briefly toured with Die Warzau as a percussionist before returning to Stabbing Westward, and the band recruited Chris Vrenna of Nine Inch Nails on drums for the demo recordings that secured their deal with Columbia Records.

With the lineup stabilised around Hall, Flakus, Sellers, guitarist Stuart Zechman, and drummer David Suycott, Stabbing Westward recorded their debut album “Ungod” in 1993 at Eden Studios in London with producer John Fryer. Released on February 15, 1994 on Columbia Records, “Ungod” was followed by an opening slot on Depeche Mode’s Devotional Tour in summer 1994. After Suycott left the band, Andy Kubiszewski stepped in as drummer, eventually becoming a permanent member. Zechman’s departure left Stabbing Westward without a primary guitarist; at Bearsville Studios in 1995, Hall, Flakus, Sellers, and Kubiszewski handled all the guitar parts themselves for what became “Wither Blister Burn + Peel.”

The Gold-certified 1996 album established the band as a key act in the US alternative and industrial rock mainstream of the period. Their third album, “Darkest Days” (April 7, 1998, Columbia Records), also reached Gold certification and produced the Mainstream Rock Top 5 single “Save Yourself.” Their self-titled fourth album followed on Koch Records in 2001, but the band formally announced their dissolution on February 9, 2002.

After more than a decade away, Hall and Flakus reconnected with former members and officially reunited for two shows in 2016, starting with the Cold Waves Festival in Chicago on September 22, 2016, marking the band’s 30th anniversary. The reunion lineup – Hall, Flakus, Mark Eliopulos, Johnny Haro, and Carlton Bost – continued touring through 2017 and 2018. Bobby Amaro joined on drums in 2018 after Haro’s departure, and Cyamak Ashtiani joined on guitar in 2024.

The band signed to COP International in May 2020, as covered by Side-Line in our article “Stabbing Westward signs record deal with COP International to release first 1st new LP since 2001 – produced by John Fryer“. The covers EP “Hallowed Hymns”, featuring versions of tracks by The Cure, Ministry, and Echo & the Bunnymen, followed in October 2020. “Chasing Ghosts,” the band’s first new studio album in 21 years, was released on March 18, 2022 on COP International, again produced by John Fryer. The lead single “I Am Nothing” was previewed on Side-Line. The subsequent single “Ghost” followed in January 2022.

Hall’s production work beyond the band has continued in recent years. He produced the unitcode:machine single “Cold” in 2023, and appeared as a featured vocalist on the Metamorph single “Dance of a 1000 Miracles” in May 2025.

The Wither ReWired Tour opens July 9 in Flint, Michigan with Carlton back on guitar. “Wither ReWired” will be released on COP International; no date has been confirmed.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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somemagicalshit, the bilingual synthpop / dark electronic project of Houston, TX-based artist Courtnii Veronica Rose, has signed to Re:Mission Entertainment. A debut full-length album is due fall 2026.

Courtnii Veronica Rose launched somemagicalshit in 2022 as a solo endeavor built around a computer, synthesizers, and sequencers. She handles every element of the project – writing, recording, mixing, and creative direction – and describes the project’s intent as combining English and Russian lyrics into music that is “atmospheric and emotionally intense”.

Courtnii Veronica Rose: “The goal from the beginning was to create something atmospheric and emotionally intense while incorporating the beauty and emotion of the Russian language into alternative electronic music. That mission hasn’t changed. It’s only getting louder.”

The choice to write in both English and Russian is central to the project’s identity. Courtnii says that Russian carries an emotional register into the material that shapes its character in a distinct way. Re:Mission Entertainment names Le Tigre, TR/ST, Adult., Pussy Riot, and Kaelan Mikla as reference points for the project.

In 2023, the project expanded from a solo studio format into a full live band, with additional musicians brought in.

somemagicalshit tour dates 2026

• May 22, 2026 Scout Bar – Houston, TX with The Cruxshadows, SINE, The Radio Broadcast, DJ Whisperwish
• June 5, 2026 The Crypt – New Orleans, LA with Blood Lovely, Phoenix Phantasma
• July 10, 2026 The Mix – San Antonio, TX with Shelly Webster + more TBA
• August 28, 2026 Crow Bar (Raven Room) – Houston, TX with In The Shadows, Andrako, DJ Whisperwish

About somemagicalshit

somemagicalshit is a bilingual synthpop / dark electronic project from Houston, TX, created by Courtnii Veronica Rose. Courtnii began writing music at age eleven, starting on guitar before expanding into synthesizer and drums.

She launched somemagicalshit in 2022 as a solo studio project, writing and producing all material independently. Prior to the Re:Mission signing the project released independent material, including tracks under Russian-language titles: “Я ненавижу себя.” (I Hate Myself), “Мечтаю О Тебе” (I Dream of You), “МАГИЯ” (Magic), and “БЛАЙНД БЛИСС” (Blind Bliss).

In 2023, the project added live band members for stage performances. The signing to Re:Mission Entertainment was announced May 15, 2026. A debut full-length album is scheduled for fall 2026, and marks the project’s first release on a label.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Cold Spring Records has reissued “Schönste Muziek” by industrial percussionist Z’EV. The album was originally released in 1986 as an LP on the German label Dossier .

The CD edition in matt digipak also includes “Titan Night”. This 20-minute live recording from Berlin Atonal in December 1983 has not been available on any format since the 1984 split LP “Berlin Atonal Vol. 1” shared with Psychic TV on Atonal Records. This reissue is the first time the track has appeared on any format since that original release.

Z’EV performed on all-steel, custom-made percussion instruments built to activate the acoustics of the performance space. The reissue is available via Cold Spring and Bandcamp.

About Z’EV

Z’EV was the performance name of Stefan Joel Weisser (born 8 February 1951; died 16 December 2017). Weisser was an American poet, percussionist, and sound artist. He began playing percussion at age three and built his first drum set at age six. After studying world music traditions at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), he developed an approach built on self-fabricated instruments made from stainless steel, titanium, and PVC plastics.

He began performing as Z’EV in fall 1978. The name came from his Hebrew given name. His early work centred on extended live percussion pieces using the resonant properties of metal to generate dense, layered sound environments.

In December 1983, Z’EV performed at the Berlin Atonal festival, a set documented on side two of the 1984 split LP “Berlin Atonal Vol. 1” with Psychic TV (Atonal Records). In 1986, Dossier issued “Schönste Muziek” as an LP.

Throughout his career, Weisser released recordings on labels including Backstreet Backlash Records, Subterranean Records, Coercion, Atonal Records, Dossier, Atavistic, Avant, Soleilmoon Recordings, Crippled Intellect Productions, Cold Spring, Tzadik, Touch, Die Stadt, and Ars Benevola Mater. He was active in the New York City downtown music scene during the 1980s and 1990s, performing at The Kitchen, The Knitting Factory, and Danceteria, and worked alongside Elliott Sharp and Glenn Branca.

Weisser was injured in an Amtrak train derailment in Dodge City in 2016 and died on 16 December 2017. Side-Line covered his passing in December 2017.

The Cold Spring reissue of “Schönste Muziek” is the first edition of the album to include “Titan Night” and the first physical release of that recording in over four decades.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Norwegian electronic rock artist Mortiis will release “Ghosts of Europa” on 26 June 2026 via Prophecy Productions, distributed by SPKR. The album features eight tracks, an extensive guest lineup, all mixed by Sean Beavan. A video for the title track is available now. Side-Line first reported the release in March 2026, but we can now give you the full tracklist, complete production credits, all lineup details, all formats and confirmed Australian tour dates.

Mortiis – ‘Ghosts of Europa’ tracklist, origins and line-up

The album runs eight tracks:

1. “Ghosts of Europa”
2. “Return to the Old Fields”
3. “The Faith That Fades Away”
4. “Violent Silence”
5. “Transcending Morpheus”
6. “Tundra, Heart of Hell”
7. “Tribes of Dystopia”
8. “Farewell Romero”

The material was recorded, re-recorded, and reworked across what Mortiis describes as “a thousand sessions during years of misery, poverty, and disdain” between 2020 and 2026 at various locations in Fredrikstad, Norway. Early vocal recording was handled by co-producer Stephan Groth at Pitch Black Drive, Fredrikstad.

Sean Beavan mixed the album at The Grey Room in Crestline, California. Beavan’s prior credits include Nine Inch Nails, Depeche Mode, System of a Down, Guns N’Roses, and Slayer. Mastering was completed by Jules Seifert at Epic Audio Media, London.

“Ghosts of Europa” developed in part from a planned collaboration between Mortiis and Stephan Groth of Apoptygma Berzerk, based on a shared interest in German electronic music and in particular Tangerine Dream and Klaus Schulze. When that collaboration ended, Mortiis continued work independently. Traces of the original direction remain in the album’s Berlin-school references. Thorsten Quaeschning of Tangerine Dream contributes additional synths and sequencers on track 1.

Håvard “Mortiis” Ellefsen performs vocals, keyboards, vocoder, bass guitar, and programming throughout the album.

Here’s the list of guest contributions on this album:

• Benedicte Computorgirl (Computorgirl) – vocals on track 4
• Christopher Amott (Arch Enemy et al.) – guitar solo on track 7
• Christopher Rakkestad (Elvarhøi, Bolverk) – vocals on tracks 1–6
• Emil Nikolaisen (Serena Maneesh, Brian Jonestown Massacre et al.) – fuzz and noise guitars, additional FX on tracks 3 and 4
• Iliana Basileios Tsakiraki (Enemy of Reality, Septicflesh et al.) – vocals on tracks 1, 2, and 5
• Laurie Ann Haus (Blizzard Games) – vocals on tracks 1, 2, 5, and 7
• Matthew Setzer (Skinny Puppy, London After Midnight) – throat singing on track 7
• Michal Kielbasa (Black Magic Rites et al.) – tubular bell and vibraphone on track 2; tubular bell on track 6; tabla loops, additional synths and FX on track 7
• Sarah Jezebel Deva (The Kovenant, Cradle of Filth et al.) – vocals on tracks 1–3, 5, and 6
• Thomas Bolverk (Ragnarok, Bolverk) – distortion, clean, and sampled guitars on track 6
• Thorsten Quaeschning (Tangerine Dream) – additional synths and sequencers on track 1
• Vegard Blomberg (Mock) – e-bow and guitars on track 2; additional Copicat, Space Echo, fuzz and e-bow guitars on track 4; fuzz guitars on track 6; fuzz and ambient guitars and guitars on track 8
• Erling Blomberg – additional guitars on track 8

Mortiis – ‘Ghosts of Europa’ available formats

“Ghosts of Europa” is available across no less then twelve confirmed editions spanning two box sets, three standard vinyl variants, three exclusive artist vinyl variants, a Cult of the Black Wizards edition, a retailer exclusive, a digipak CD, an artbook CD, and a standalone cassette.

Box sets

The Sand-Filled Ultra Deluxe Box Set (50 copies) includes a handmade sand-filled vinyl LP, a bonus LP, the 2CD artbook, a cassette, four art prints, and a poster. The standard Deluxe Box Set (450 copies) replaces the sand-filled vinyl with a metallic purple galaxy LP and otherwise contains the same items.

CD and cassette

The artbook edition is a hardcover book containing the album on CD plus an additional bonus-tracks CD. The digipak CD is the standard physical CD edition. A standalone cassette is also available.

Vinyl

Three standard gatefold LP variants are available, each with a lyric book: Classic Black, Clear Crystal, and Clear Smoke.

Exclusive artist editions

The Europe Artist Edition “Into The Deep” variant (250 copies) is exclusive to the Mortiis Europe webstore. The USA Artist Edition “New Twilight” variant (250 copies) is exclusive to the Mortiis US webstore. The Cult of the Black Wizards “Black Night” variant (150 copies) is available only to Bandcamp Cult of the Black Wizards members. The Iridescent Blue gatefold LP (250 copies) is a Wolf Mountain Productions exclusive, available at wolfmountainproductions.com.

Orders for most editions are open through the Mortiis webstore and the SPKR store.

Mortiis Southern Ritual Australian tour 2026

Mortiis will play four Australian dates in November 2026 as part of the Southern Ritual Australian Tour:

• 19 November 2026 – Sydney (AU), Factory Floor
• 20 November 2026 – Brisbane (AU), Crowbar
• 21 November 2026 – Melbourne (AU), Croxton
• 22 November 2026 – Adelaide (AU), Ed Castle

About Mortiis

Mortiis is the musical project of Håvard Ellefsen, based in Fredrikstad, Norway. Ellefsen joined Emperor as bass player in 1991 during the black metal band’s formation and departed in late 1992, contributing to early demos and the 1993 Emperor mini-LP before pursuing a solo direction.

He launched Mortiis as a solo project in 1993. Between 1993 and 1999, the project’s first era – known as Era I – produced six full-length albums composed entirely on synthesizers: “Født til å Herske” (1993), “Ånden som Gjorde Opprør” (1994), “Keiser Av En Dimensjon Ukjent” (1995), “Blood and Thunder” (1995), “Crypt of the Wizard” (1996), and “The Stargate” (1999). These releases are cited as a foundational influence on the dungeon synth genre. Not that long agao – time flies nevertheless – we covered the vinyl reissues of “Ånden som Gjorde Opprør” and “Keiser Av En Dimensjon Ukjent”.

In 2001, “The Smell of Rain” marked a shift toward dark wave and electropop, a phase identified as Era II. Era III began with “The Grudge” (2004), moving further into industrial rock. Further albums followed: “Some Kind of Heroin” (2007) and the independently released “Perfectly Defect” (2010). “The Great Deceiver” was released in 2016, followed by “The Unraveling Mind” in 2017 and “Spirit of Rebellion” in 2020 – a re-interpretation of the 1994 album “Ånden som Gjorde Opprør”. A reworked version of “Født til å Herske” was issued in 2023.

Throughout most of his career, Ellefsen has performed with a mask and facial prosthetic that has evolved in appearance across different eras. The stage persona was set aside for a period during live performances associated with what Mortiis has called Era 0.

“Ghosts of Europa”, recorded between 2020 and 2026, is Mortiis’ first album on Prophecy Productions.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Gothenburg-based project ou ou have released their debut EP “lake” on Xenophone International. The three-track digital release features vocals by Tilde Mossberg, compositions and lyrics by Anna Öberg, and production by Charles Storm.

The three tracks are: “Silence by the Lake” (4:25), “This River” (4:08), and “Into the Lake” (4:18). Musically the EP offers a mix of analog synthesizers, flute, piano, choir arrangements, and drums together in what Xenophone International describes as “somewhere on the borderland of alternative pop.”

“lake” is available on ou ou’s Bandcamp and on YouTube. The EP is also on Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, Amazon Music, Tidal, Pandora, and additional platforms via this official smart link.

A full-length album from ou ou is scheduled for release in autumn 2026.

About ou ou

ou ou is a Gothenburg-based project formed in 2026. “lake” is their debut release, issued through Xenophone International on May 15, 2026. The project is built around Anna Öberg as composer and lyricist, Tilde Mossberg on vocals, Linnéa Mossberg as lyricist, and Charles Storm as producer.

Anna Öberg is a Gothenburg-based synth artist, composer, and multi-instrumentalist. She plays flutes, guitar, piano, synthesizers, and electronics, and has released several solo albums on Xenophone International. Her third solo album, “Varelser inuti”, appeared on the label in November 2020. The single “Mitt sista hopp” followed in April 2023, and her most recent solo album, “SIN”, was also released via Xenophone International. Side-Line has previously covered her work through a 2024 interview and the videos for “Handen eller hjärtat” and “Ich Bin”. Öberg leads the live band Härsk, in which Linnéa Mossberg plays drums.

Tilde Mossberg is a Swedish singer and artist whose work offers a mix of modern pop and electronic music. Linnéa Mossberg is a lyricist and drummer; in addition to her contributions to ou ou, she performs in Anna Öberg’s live band Härsk. Charles Storm from his side has produced Anna Öberg’s solo releases on Xenophone International for several years .

Xenophone International is a Gothenburg-based label operated by Karl Gasleben, known from Twice a Man and for founding the label in the late 1970s. The label has released music by Twice a Man, Lars Falk, Gasleben & Electric friends, Anna Öberg, and The Ändå, among others. “lake” is the label’s first release under the ou ou name. An album is expected later in 2026.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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The Belgian–American electronic dance act Lords of Acid has released “Dream Boy,” the second single of 2026, on 15 May 2026 via Metropolis Records. The track is available digitally on streaming platforms and Bandcamp. It features vocalist Carla Harvey, who joined the group in early 2025 and has since been named the band’s ‘reigning Acid Queen’.

The band describes the song as “a dark trip through the streets of Necropolis, where addiction feels like salvation and nightmares wear a beautiful disguise.” Lords of Acid add: “‘Dream Boy’ isn’t about judging addiction. It’s about understanding the pain, loneliness and emptiness that drive people toward it in the first place. We wanted the verses to feel raw and claustrophobic, almost like a panic attack, while the reggae-inspired chorus drifts like a hallucination you never want to wake up from. The line ‘Dream boy, keep on floating in the sun’ sounds warm and beautiful at first, until you realise it’s about somebody slowly disappearing in plain sight. It is one of the darkest songs we have ever written, but underneath the shadows there’s still a message of human connection, desire and the search for a real high that doesn’t destroy you.”

An ironic side-note: The cover art of the single features a man with a classic 1980s mullet: short and full on top, with much longer hair flowing down the back and sides. The front is styled with volume and a soft brushed-up shape, while the back is wavy to curly and shoulder-length. Fashion-wise, it fits a retro glam-rock / new-wave office rebel look: neat enough in front to pair with glasses, shirt, tie, and blazer, but wild at the back for a more eccentric, rock-inspired edge

“Dream Boy” follows Lords of Acid and Princess Superstar’s “Karaoke Superstar”, released in April 2026 on Metropolis Records. That track was a collaboration with US vocalist and DJ Princess Superstar and presented the group in a rather theatrical mode drawing on Japanese game show aesthetics, underground fetish culture, and pop satire.

Both “Dream Boy” and “Karaoke Superstar” are confirmed to appear on the band’s seventh studio album, first announced in February 2026 as “Acid Reign” however that will NOT be the title so we learned. The record is set for release in late 2026 on Metropolis Records and will feature additional guest vocalists alongside Harvey.

Carla Harvey was announced as the new Lords of Acid vocalist on 6 January 2025. Harvey is a US singer previously known as co-lead vocalist of the metal band Butcher Babies. She joined Lords of Acid in early 2025 and fronted the group’s 2025 “Praise The Lords” tour.

Lords of Acid are currently midway through their “Cheeky Freaky Tour” of the United States, which runs until the end of May 2026.

About Lords of Acid

Lords of Acid formed in Antwerp, Belgium in 1988. The founding lineup comprised Maurice Engelen (known as Praga Khan) on keyboards and programming, Nikkie Van Lierop (Jade 4U) on vocals and keyboards, and Olivier Adams on percussion and keyboards. The project debuted with the New Beat single “I Sit On Acid” in 1988 and built an early following in the European club scene before expanding to North America.

Their debut album, “Lust,” appeared in 1991 on Antler-Subway and introduced the group’s blend of techno, acid house, and industrial music with provocative lyrics addressing sexuality, drug use, and hedonism. The record produced club hits and even had chart visibility in the United States.

“Voodoo-U” followed in 1994, shifting the sound toward a heavier industrial direction while retaining the group’s lyrical identity. “Our Little Secret” appeared in 1997 and included one of their most recognised tracks, “Pussy.” The fourth album, “Farstucker,” released in 2000, incorporated more live instrumentation and marked the group’s fuller transition toward industrial rock. A greatest hits compilation, “Greatest T*ts,” appeared in 2003.

After a prolonged hiatus, “Deep Chills” was released on 10 April 2012. DJ Méa (Mea Fisher) handled lead vocals on that record. In 2017, the group reissued “Lust,” “Voodoo-U”, “Our Little Secret,” and “Farstucker” through Metropolis Records as Special Remastered Band Editions on CD and double vinyl.

The sixth album, “Pretty in Kink”, was released on 18 May 2018 via Metropolis Records, following a successful Kickstarter campaign. Marieke Bresseleers provided lead vocals on that release. A best-of compilation, “Smoking Hot”, was issued in May 2016. A further compilation, “Beyond Booze,” appeared in May 2022.

The group announced an extensive touring run under the banner Make Acid Great Again in 2024, advertised as the final tour featuring Praga Khan. Carla Harvey joined as the new lead vocalist in January 2025, and the group launched the 2025 “Praise The Lords” tour in support of that announcement. “Dream Boy” is the second single from the forthcoming yet untitled seventh album.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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German indie/alternative project Melanculia release “post mortem” on 15 May 2026 via noot moon records. The 14-track album is the first Melanculia full-length since “Seventh Circle” in 2018 and was written, performed, produced, mixed and mastered by Nino Sable in Essen, Germany. The album will be out as a CD and digital release, with a limited 6-panel digipak edition of 200 copies.

The album follows the video-single “Sunboat Ascension”, of hich you can see the video below.

Nino Sable comments: “post mortem is resurrection music. Minimal arrangements channel emotional intensity through stark beauty – 130 bpm acoustic riffs meet spectral organs, building toward choruses that feel like sunboats rising through red skies. The industrial Ruhr area echoes in every chord: heavy skies, rusted steel, fleeting light.”

“post mortem” is available for ordering on Bandcamp as a digital album and as a limited 6-panel digipak CD.

About Melanculia

Melanculia is Nino Sable’s solo project from Germany’s Ruhr area. Sable started his first solo project in 1999.

The first Melanculia release was “The Dazed Prophet”, released in October 2010. It continued with “Paths” in May 2013, “Lost Sounds” in July 2018, “Seventh Circle” in December 2018 and “post mortem” in May 2026.

Nino Sable is also known as the vocalist and lyricist of Aeon Sable. Aeon Sable were formed in Essen in 2010 by Din-Tah Aeon and Nino Sable. While Din-Tah Aeon handles guitars, programming and production, Nino Sable takes care of vocals, lyrics, production, songwriting, graphics and media design. So far they released “Per Aspera Ad Astra” in 2010, “Saturn Return” in 2012, “Aequinoctium” in 2013, “Visionaers” in 2014, “Hypaerion” in 2016, “Aether” in 2018, “Aenthology” in 2020 and “Aenigma” in 2023.

We previously covered the Spleen+/Alfa Matrix 7CD post-punk boxset “Resurgence“, which includes Aeon Sable’s “From Witchcraft To Deviltry” on CD 1.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Montreal post-punk, shoegaze and darkwave band The City Gates has just released “Chimera” via Icy Cold Records and Velouria Recordz. The 8-track album is available on vinyl, CD and digital formats.

“Chimera” was produced and mixed by The City Gates at Velouria Studios in Montreal. Francesco Giuliano mastered the album at Innerwood Music Mansion in Succivo, Italy.

The band says this about the recording sessions: “Working in our own studio gave us the space to shape the sound at our own pace, letting each track’s atmosphere unfold as we recorded, mixed, and produced everything ourselves.”

The album is available via Bandcamp including a white 12-inch vinyl edition with insert and a 3-panel digipak CD edition with lyrics.

The official video for “Capitol Hill” is available below.

The City Gates Great Devourer tour dates

To support “Chimera”, The City Gates tour Europe from May 29 through June 6 under the name The Great Devourer Tour. The confirmed dates are:

• May 29 — Berlin, DE — Wild at Heart (+ Cataphiles)
• May 30 — Holzminden, DE — Horstberg 76 (+ Golden Apes)
• June 2 — Paris, FR — QG103
• June 3 — Gent, BE — The Crossover (+ Fragment)
• June 4 — Rotterdam, NL — Soundville (+ Death by Audio)
• June 5 — Wuppertal, DE — Loch (+ Us & I)
• June 6 — Modave, BE — Deux-Ours

About The City Gates

The City Gates are a Montréal band mixing post-punk, shoegaze, darkwave and coldwave in their work. The line-up consists of Maxime ‘Max’ Wingender on vocals and guitar, François ‘Frank’ Marsan on guitars, keys and vocals, Jean-Sébastien ‘John’ Tremblay on bass and vocals, and Justin Morneau on drums.

They formed in 2013 when they released the album “Collapse”. It was followed by “Checkpoint Charlie” on October 14, 2017 after which the band moved further toward shoegaze on the 2018 album “Forever Orbiter” released through Northern Light Records.

The band then joined Icy Cold Records and Velouria Recordz for “Age of Resilience”, released on June 9, 2021. Note that Marsan and Wingender also run Velouria Recordz and are involved with the Montréal Velouria Festival.

A few more singles followed – including “Lapidation” in 2024, “La douleur (des mortels)” in 2025 and “Capitol Hill” in 2026 – and now there is “Chimera”. Note that the new album does not include “Lapidation” or “La douleur (des mortels)”.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Berlin dark pop, EBM and dark electro project White Noise TV has released the digital single “Gathering Allies” today, May 15, 2026. The self-produced release runs at a fierceful 181 BPM. The “Gathering Allies” single follows “Transistor” and continues the project’s focus on social division and collective response.

Oliver Staats says this about the new single: “”Gathering Allies” is the moment where observation turns into stance and individual voices become something shared.”

The single has five tracks.

A video with a CRT terminal aesthetic is out as well.

About White Noise TV

White Noise TV is a Berlin-based dark pop project founded by Oliver Staats and Lars Goehring. Staats had been involved in the dark electro scene since the late 1990s, while Goehring had been making electronic music already. The two met through a construction and housing project in 2013 and decided to start making music together after attending Electro Rebel Party at Berlin’s Nuke Club at the end of 2018.

The project released the self-titled debut album “White Noise TV” on March 30, 2020. It was followed with “Every Day Lost” on January 10, 2022. That album was recorded by Oliver Staats, Bernd Abromeit and Lars Goehring, with Bernd Abromeit of Tonschleifer handling mixing and mastering.

The band also appeared on the NoCut Depeche Mode tribute “Music for Constructions”, where the project contributed “World in My Eyes”.

The band continued by releasing “New Dawn” on June 13, 2024. Mixed and engineered by Bernd Abromeit, it was mastered by Brigadier Wolff of Patenbrigade: Wolff. The project then released “Fear Can’t Kill All Future Dreams” on February 7, 2025 and “Transistor” on December 5, 2025. “Transistor” includes remixes by AD:keY, Silicon Avatar, Octobirth, Missing in Stars and Ignazious K.

White Noise TV is now continued as a solo project for Oliver Staats.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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The German electronic duo Heldautomat – Christian Purwien and Thomas Kowa – have released their debut single “Am ersten Tag.” Built on analogue synthesizers, piano, and minimalist drum machines, the track is the first release under the Heldautomat name.

The band describe the single as a deliberate departure from streaming-format expectations. “It is not designed for playlists, algorithms, or instant gratification — and that is exactly the point,” they say. Heldautomat describe their position as one that places atmosphere and emotional depth over accessibility.

The title translates as “On the first day,” though the song, as the band explain it, is not about beginnings. “The song dismantles the familiar idea that everything once felt big, meaningful, and full of possibility — and sets it against a sobering present,” they comment. “You move in circles and end up exactly where you started. Only without the illusions.”

The official music video can be viewed below.

About Heldautomat

Heldautomat is a German electronic project formed by Christian Purwien and Thomas Kowa(lzik). The duo work with analogue synthesizers, piano, and drum machines, with Purwien providing vocals and lyrics, and Kowa handling production and synthesis.

Christian Purwien is the vocalist and lyricist of darkwave/electronic act Second Decay, which he co-founded with Andreas Michael Sippel in 1987. Christian Purwien began his recording history as co-founder and vocalist of Second Decay, initially named Blue Velvet, in 1987.

The group worked exclusively with analogue synthesizers and released the tape “Monochromes” in 1988 and the 12-inch “Killing Desire” in 1989, followed by the CD “La Décadence Électronique” in 1992, the maxi-CD “Hinter Glas” in 1993, and the album “Taste” in 1994. The second studio album “The Hunt,” originally released in 1996, was reissued by Emmobiz Records on November 22, 2025 as a green double LP with five bonus tracks. A second vinyl edition of “Taste” is scheduled for release on June 1, 2026 via Emmo.Biz Records as a double LP with previously unreleased material.

Thomas Kowa(lzik) is a music producer, synthesizer specialist, and thriller author. His Erik Lindberg crime series is available as audiobook releases. Kowa has previously worked with No Comment and Nine Seconds.

Purwien and Kowa first began working together as Purwien & Kowa and have released five albums under that name, including “Zwei,” “Drei” (issued in 2018 as three EPs – “Drei 80s,” “Drei Disko,” and “Drei Vegas” – on Zwei Records), and “Vier” (2020). The 2021 release “5=2+3+4×12″” compiled extended versions of tracks from those three albums alongside a new version of the Second Decay track “I Hate Berlin.” In February 2026, Purwien / Kowa performed at the 18th Elektrisch Festival in Zwickau on the dedicated synthpop night, with a set comprising 70% Second Decay material.

Heldautomat is described by the duo as “stripped down, more uncompromising, and emotionally darker” than their previous collaborative work.

Alongside their music output, Purwien and Kowa co-host Disko 80, a German-language podcast documenting 1980s electronic and pop music. Heldautomat marks a new recording direction for the duo and the debut single “Am ersten Tag” is their first release under this name.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Prague alternative/synth-pop act Lakeside X release their new single “Absinthe Dream” on 15 May 2026. “Absinthe Dream” follows “Factory Flowers”, released in March 2026. It’s the second of three confirmed singles leading to the band’s first vinyl EP, “Fractured”, due in June 2026. The third single, “Nightrider”, was filmed in Los Angeles and is scheduled for release alongside “Fractured”. The EP also includes remixes of “Factory Flowers”, among them a drum and bass rework by the project Ripple, and a B-side titled “Radio Free Berlin” in a Moderate Mix.

“Absinthe Dream” is produced by Daniel Myer, mixed by Jimmy Monell (Emmon), and mastered by Moimir Papalescu. A music video accompanies the release, directed by Daniel Dvorský and shot on the outskirts of Vancouver, BC. Dvorský, also directed the band’s earlier single “Fire In The Sky”.

The single draws on the cultural history of absinthe as a symbol of illusion and intoxication and maps it onto contemporary social media. Where “Factory Flowers” addressed technological alienation through an industrial-edged sound, “Absinthe Dream” approaches related territory through a slower, more atmospheric arrangement.

Vocalist and songwriter Janne Marvannen explains: “We are all dreaming the absinthe dream now. The screen glows green and blue and we drink deep from it — likes, filters, curated smiles, perfect lives. It is our wormwood. The poets of the Belle Époque drank to escape the hypocrisy of their world. We scroll to escape ours. But we have traded their vivid, terrifying honesty for a comfortable, luminous lie. This song is about that lie. It is a lullaby, yes — but the kind you sing to someone who is sleepwalking towards the edge.”

Dvorský, also directed the band’s earlier single “Fire In The Sky”. The “Absinthe Dream” video was shot in Vancouver, BC.

The “Absinthe Dream” single tracklist:

1. Absinthe Dream
2. Radio Free Berlin
3. Factory Flowers (Pump Mix)

Lakeside X ‘Fractured’ vinyl EP – Out June 2026

Besides “Absinthe Dream”, “Fractured”, and the third single, “Nightrider”, the “Fractured” EP also includes remixes of “Factory Flowers”, among them a drum and bass rework by the project Ripple, and a B-side titled “Radio Free Berlin” in a Moderate Mix.

“Fractured” EP tracklist:

• A1. Nightrider
• A2. Absinthe Dream
• A3. Factory Flowers (Pump Mix)
• B1. Factory Flowers
• B2. Factory Flowers (Ripple Remix)
• B3. Radio Free Berlin (Moderate Mix)

Physical copies of “Fractured” will be available for the first time at the band’s headline show at Cargo Gallery, Prague, on 12 June 2026. The vinyl edition is strictly limited.

New Lakeside X album – Out autumn 2026

Work on Lakeside X’s next full-length studio album is underway, with a release planned for autumn 2026. The band are again collaborating with Daniel Myer (Haujobb, Architect, DSTR, Covenant), who produced their 2022 album “Love Disappears”.

Joining the production for the first time is Christian Eigner, musician, producer, and longtime drummer with Depeche Mode. Lakeside X opened for Depeche Mode in Prague on 30 July 2023 before an audience of more than 40,000, as previously reported by Side-Line.

Lakeside X at Cargo Gallery, Prague (12 June 2026) + Prague’s Planetum in December 2026

Lakeside X will headline Cargo Gallery in Prague on 12 June 2026. The show is their sole performance before autumn and will mark the live debut of new material, including songs from the forthcoming studio album. Physical copies of the “Fractured” vinyl EP will be available exclusively at this show. Tickets are on sale now.

Keyboardist Robert Broj says: “This show is important to us. It is where everything comes together for the first time — the new songs, the new sound, the vinyl in people’s hands. We have been building towards this and we want the audience to show where we’ve come so far. If you want to understand where Lakeside X is heading, June 12 is your answer.”

Later this year, Lakeside X will equally perform at Prague’s Planetum in December 2026. The venue houses a 22-metre (approx. 72-foot) hemispherical LED dome screen – the largest and highest-resolution of its kind in the world, deploying advanced LED rather than traditional projection technology for a fully immersive 8K visual environment. The show will take place in front of a strictly limited audience. Tickets for this event will be announced shortly.

About Lakeside X

Lakeside X are an alternative electronic act from Prague, Czech Republic. The project began in the 1990s under the name Dark Ages, with Janne Marvannen (vocals, songwriting), Robert Broj (keyboards), Jiří Fencl/Max Avalange (keyboards), and Lukáš Březina (guitar). Their first concert under the transitional name Lakeside Church took place at the Depeche Mode ‘Bong’ fanclub convention in 1997, mixing original material with Depeche Mode covers. Early demos were recorded at Prague studios including Buton, Cobra, and Vintage.

After a pause, Marvannen, Broj, and Fencl regrouped in 2004. That year they recorded a cover of “Higher Love” for the Czech Depeche Mode tribute compilation “Some Great Celebration”. X Production issued the debut album “Sunrise” in December 2004, combining original tracks with remixes. In 2005, drummer Igor Dvorský and guitarist Vít Hájek (Vito Hayek) joined as full members. The band changed its name to Lakeside X, partly to remove religious associations from the Lakeside Church name. The second album, “Exit:NowHere”, followed on X Production in 2007, with a darker, guitar-led sound. The third album, “City Of Red Lights”, arrived on X Production in 2010, recorded in 2009, and shifted further toward synthesizer-based writing. Around this time the band performed at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, supported IAMX in Brno, and supported Covenant in Prague. In 2011, Twilight Records in Argentina reissued “Sunrise” under the Lakeside X name.

In 2012 the band self-released the “Wonder” EP (six tracks), followed by reissues of “City Of Red Lights” and “Exit:NowHere” through Germany’s Black Rain label. A Camouflage support slot in Prague in 2013 was among the band’s last shows for several years. The band went quiet after 2014.

“Fire In The Sky”, released in December 2021 and covered by Side-Line, was their first new material after roughly eleven years. It was produced by Daniel Myer, with whom the band had announced their collaboration in May 2021. The album “Love Disappears” followed on Musicraft in 2022, preceded by the singles “Rising” (February 2022), “Lifeline” (June 2022), and “Time Has Come” (October 2022). “Fascination”, released in 2023, was named the number one track of 2023 on Czech Radio 1’s yearly chart. Guitarist Jakub Zachoval joined the band during the “Fascination” recording period.

On 30 July 2023, Depeche Mode selected Lakeside X as support for their Prague show, with an audience of more than 40,000. In 2025, the band completed an extensive European tour alongside Empathy Test, De/Vision, DeVision Redux, and Christian Eigner, including appearances at Wave-Gotik-Treffen in Leipzig and EastSide in Halle.

In March 2026, the band released “Factory Flowers” – the first new single in three years and the opening preview of their forthcoming studio album, produced by Daniel Myer and mastered by Moimir Papalescu. “Absinthe Dream” follows on 15 May 2026.

Current lineup: Janne Marvannen (vocals/songwriter), Robert Broj (keyboards), Igor Dvorský (drums), Jakub Zachoval (guitar).

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Unter Strøm, the new electronic duo led by Alex Gonzales of Matte Blvck and John Kunkel of The New Division and John Grand, have released their single “Orynth” today May 15, 2026 via Breathing Records. It’s actually their second release after the 2025 single “Breathing”. The project brings a mix of techno, melodic house and industrial electronic music. Breathing Records is an independent label focused on avant-garde, underground, industrial and dark electronic music.

Unter Strøm was formed between Los Angeles and San Diego after Gonzales and Kunkel had worked together in bands and studiowork.

“Orynth” began with Gonzales sketching the track’s opening movements. Kunkel then expanded the piece with time-stretched atmospheres and melodic layers. The single was mixed by Aaron Short, whose credits include The Naked and Famous, So Below and Madison Beer. Aaron Short is also listed in The Naked and Famous’ history as a former member and producer on several releases.

About Unter Strøm

Unter Strøm is an electronic duo formed by Alex Gonzales and John Kunkel. Gonzales is known for Matte Blvck, the San Diego-based darkwave and industrial trio with Bidi Cobra and Daniel Corrales.

Matte Blvck’s catalogue includes “Vows”, “Pupula Duplex”, “Proxy”, “Midnight & Angel” and “I’m Waving, Not Drowning Remixes”.

John Kunkel is the Los Angeles-based electronic musician behind The New Division.Kunkel is also part of the Los Angeles-based Trade Secrets line-up.

In 2025 the band debuted with the 2-track single “Breathing”.

Unter Strøm now brings Gonzales and Kunkel together under a new name, with “Orynth” serving as the project’s newest release.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Berlin-based dark disco, EBM and electro trio Dina Summer have released the digital single “Voodoo” via Iptamenos Discos. The “Voodoo” single follows “On The Road feat. Joshua Murphy”, released on March 25, 2026, and “Fuel”, released on April 15, 2026. An extended version will follow on May 20.

Dina Summer is the collaborative project of Dina P. and Brax Moody of Local Suicide with Kalipo.

The band is also featured with “Who Am I (Club Version)” on CD 6 of “Resurgence”, a massive 7CD post-punk boxset.

About Dina Summer

Dina Summer is a Berlin-based electronic trio formed around Local Suicide’s Dina aka Vamparela and Munich-born Max Brudi aka Brax Moody with Kalipo. Behind Kalipo we find Jakob Häglsperger, a German producer, keyboardist, bassist and songwriter, which you might know from his work with Frittenbude.

The trio first met at Rock am Ring in 2013 and began working on music together in 2019. The project combines late 1990s electro, 1980s disco and new wave.

Dina Summer’s first release was the EP “Who Am I”, issued on December 17, 2021 via Iptamenos Discos in 12-inch and digital formats. The release included remixes by Black Light Smoke, Wiener Planquadrat and Time To Sleep. A reissue followed in 2022.

The debut album “Rimini” followed in 2022. “Hide & Seek” followed as a limited numbered 12-inch release in Germany on February 23, 2024.

The trio then released the second album “Girls Gang” on January 24, 2025 via Iptamenos Discos. The album was followed by “Girls Gang Remixes” in March 2025 and a deluxe version in October 2025. In 2026, the trio issued “On The Road feat. Joshua Murphy”, “Fuel” and now “Voodoo”.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Swedish machine-pop project Maschine Brennt (Joacim Thenander) has released “Music for Machines” as a limited CD edition of 250 hand-numbered copies in a standard jewel case with an 8-page booklet. The 14-track CD album spans 12 main tracks and two bonus tracks and was already released digitally by Razgrom Music on February 27, 2026. It marks the project’s first full-length release since “Grief” in 2022.

The two bonus tracks on the CD version are “Electric Music” in a 1st demo version and “DCY” in a previously unreleased club mix.

The album concept, as reflected in its title and artwork, centres on the idea of music created by machines for machines – a theme Thenander has explored since the project’s founding.

Two official videos accompany the release. The album teaser for “Music for Machines” and an official video clip for the track “Maschine”.

About Maschine Brennt

Maschine Brennt is a solo electronic music project by Joacim Thenander, based in Sweden. The project name is taken from a B-side of a Falco single. Thenander established the project around 1991–1992 as a side outlet alongside Cultivated Bimbo, the Uppsala-based EBM and experimental electronics duo for which he served as the primary creative force.

Before Cultivated Bimbo, Thenander was a member of the industrial synth band Systema The Affliction. During the 1990s he also produced house, techno, and drum’n’bass material under separate aliases, including Joey Lucas and Killa Dawgs.

The Maschine Brennt concept shows a machine-first approach: whole-tone scales, hard-quantized rhythms, and robotic vocal processing were used to minimize the human element in the music. As Thenander says in a 2018 Side-Line interview, “The main reason was to present music as if the machines had made it.”

After performing a small number of live shows between 1992 and 1994, Maschine Brennt went dormant. Thenander revived the project in 2014 after joining the Swedish collective label Plonk, whose focus on Düsseldorf-influenced computer music aligned with the project’s original direction.

The debut full-length, “The Hearing Aid”, was released in 2017 digitally through Plonk and on CD through Razgrom Music, the latter edition containing four additional unreleased tracks. A second album, “Puls”, followed in 2021 on both Plonk and Razgrom Music. In October 2021, the two-track “Loop Remix” EP appeared on Plonk, featuring a Syntronik rework and a 2020 Carebots Mix of the “Puls” track “Loop”. Syntronik is a further alias Thenander uses for old-school electro material.

In March 2022, Maschine Brennt released “Grief”, a conceptual ambient-instrumental album drawing on Berlin School electronics and experimental electronic music. The digital edition appeared March 31, 2022; a limited CD edition of 150 hand-numbered copies with two bonus tracks, “Ice” and “Last”, followed in July 2022 through Razgrom Music. Between “Grief” and the current release, Thenander issued a number of digital singles without a full-length follow-up.

“Music for Machines” is Maschine Brennt’s fourth studio album and the project’s return to machine-pop after the ambient detour of “Grief”. The limited CD edition of 250 hand-numbered copies is available now, including 2 bonus tracks.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Mephisto Odyssey founder Mikael Johnston has released a 2026 remaster of his “Crucified Dub” version of Static-X‘s “Push It,” timed to mark the track’s RIAA Gold certification on April 21, 2026. The Crucified Dub originally appeared on the official “Push It” maxi-single in 1999 and was the first creative collaboration between Johnston and the late Static-X frontman Wayne Static. The remaster was handled by Johnston at Pop Twist Studios and is accompanied by a new video with visuals by Matt Zane.

The original Crucified Dub was created in 1999 for the “Push It” maxi-single, which was drawn from Static-X’s debut album “Wisconsin Death Trip.” Wayne Static was directly involved during the production of the mix. “This was the first thing Wayne Static and I ever collaborated on,” Johnston says. “He actually gave input on this version as it was being created and he loved it! Which makes this release especially important because it sparked our future collaborations including CRASH, my remix of Cold among many others.”

“Wisconsin Death Trip” was certified platinum by the RIAA. The “Push It” single received its RIAA Gold certification on April 21, 2026, more than two decades after its original release.

About Mephisto Odyssey and Static-X

Mephisto Odyssey is a West Coast industrial and electronic music project founded by Mikael Johnston in 1993 in the San Francisco Bay Area. Johnston operates as producer and audio engineer under the project name and is also part of the duo Dresden And Johnston.

The project became active in the mid-1990s and built a catalog of official remixes for acts including Static-X and Jane’s Addiction. Mephisto Odyssey’s first collaboration with Wayne Static, the “Crucified Dub” version of Static-X’s “Push It,” appeared on the official “Push It” maxi-single in 1999. The working relationship with Static continued with the co-written track “CRASH,” placed on the “Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker” soundtrack and accompanied by a Len Wiseman-directed video featuring both Wayne Static and Johnston. A Mephisto Odyssey remix of Static-X’s “Cold” was also produced during this period.

The project secured a major-label release through Warner Bros. and contributed music to the “Hostel” film soundtrack. Johnston has continued to operate Pop Twist Studios as his production and engineering base.

Wayne Static died on November 1, 2014. Static-X reformed in 2018 with original members Tony Campos, Koichi Fukuda, and Ken Jay, and has continued releasing material since, including “All These Years” and the “Project Regeneration Volume 1” single “Dead Souls,” both featuring archival Wayne Static vocals.

In 2026, Mephisto Odyssey launched a catalog revival campaign. The 2026 remaster of the “Push It” Crucified Dub is the first confirmed release of that campaign, issued to coincide with the RIAA Gold certification of Static-X’s “Push It” single on April 21, 2026. Additional Mephisto Odyssey vault material and new recordings are scheduled for release throughout 2026.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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The German gothic dark wave act Silke Bischoff has signed with the German label Dependent Records. The deal covers catalogue reissues, but the label has not yet announced release dates, formats, catalogue numbers or store links.

In a comment Axel Kretschmann says: “After our material has been withheld from the public for so long, I feel it is my duty to give back to the fans what rightfully belongs to them, because they are the heartbeat of this band – we love you!”, adding: “I am convinced that Dependent is the best partner for our project. The label represents numerous well-known bands from our genre and has earned an excellent reputation – particularly in the underground scene. In my opinion, they do a very good job and offer exactly the expertise and support that we need. At the present, I do not see any other partner that could be a better fit for us.”

Dependent founder Stefan Herwig from his side says: “When Silke Bischoff emerged in the 1990s, they were more than just a fixture on all dark music dance floors”, adding: “They defined a way of life that eluded bourgeois appropriation. Many of their tracks became anthems that have stood the test of time and continue to resonate until today. We are delighted to make these cult milestones finally accessible again. Silke Bischoff created an aesthetic counter-universe that defined what the music of the ‘black scene’ actually meant in the 1990s. Their artwork was not a mere accessory, but a manifesto – a visual expression of an anti-mainstream attitude toward life that shaped the gothic scene like almost nothing else. Melancholy, death, sexually charged imagery, and provocation defined the coordinates of an existence beyond bourgeois norms. We are thrilled to welcome Silke Bischoff to our roster!”

Dependent Records was founded by Stefan Herwig in Gelsenkirchen, Germany in 1998 and became part of the SPKR media group in 2018. The label’s catalogue includes releases by VNV Nation, Covenant, Mesh, Velvet Acid Christ and Suicide Commando.

Where to see Silke Bischoff live in 2026

Silke Bischoff has three German concerts scheduled for September 2026. The live line-up consists of Axel Kretschmann on vocals, keyboards and guitar, Markus Köster on drums, and Andy Simanowitz on piano, keyboards and background vocals.

• 25 September 2026 – Bochum, Matrix
• 26 September 2026 – Leipzig, Täubchenthal
• 27 September 2026 – Berlin, Columbia Theater

About Silke Bischoff

Silke Bischoff were founded in Germany in spring 1990 by Felix Flaucher and Axel Kretschmann. The project released three two-track demo tapes in 1990: “I Don’t Love You Anymore / Small and Tired”, “Why Me? / Follow Me Into the Night”, and “666 Hellbound / Hold Me”. The band name referred to Silke Bischoff, the 18-year-old victim killed during the 1988 Gladbeck hostage crisis.

The debut album “Silke Bischoff” followed as an LP in 1991, with a CD edition in 1992. “On the Other Side (I’ll See You Again)” appeared on the debut album and became a known club track in the German darkwave scene. Frank Schwer later joined, and “The Man on the Wooden Cross” followed in 1993. “To Protect and to Serve” (including the massive club hit “Under your skin“) was released in 1995, followed by “Northern Lights” and “Waste of Time” in 1996.

After internal disputes, Kretschmann left the project. In 2002, Flaucher and Schwer continued under the name 18 Summers and released “Girl of 18 Summers” and “Virgin Mary” in 2002, a re-release of “Phoenix from the Flames” in 2003, and “The Magic Circus” in 2012. Flaucher died in August 2017 after a long illness.

In 2025, Axel Kretschmann revived the Silke Bischoff name for a Wave-Gotik-Treffen performance in Leipzig. Alexander Veljanov of Deine Lakaien and Sven Friedrich of Dreadful Shadows, Zeraphine and Solar Fake appeared as guest vocalists.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Makes My Blood Dance, the New York-based electro-goth, pop-metal and electronic dance music act, will release its debut album “Z3r0 2 LGHT $p33d!” on 5 June 2026 via Metropolis Records. The album is available as a digital pre-order and CD, with the digital edition set for release on 5 June. A vinyl edition is scheduled for August.

The album contains 10 tracks and follows a series of Metropolis Records singles. Makes My Blood Dance signed to the label in late 2025 and released “Your Little Hand In Mine” as their label debut, followed by “Black Summer” and “Lately (feat. Macy Gray)“.

The album was produced by Bret “Epic” Mazur and Mikal Blue; and engineering by Alex Lebowitz and Dalton Cyr.

Makes My Blood Dance tour dates with Powerman 5000 and 12 Stones

Makes My Blood Dance are touring the US with Powerman 5000 and 12 Stones from late April through May.

• May 13 – Machine Shop – Flint, MI
• May 16 – Apollo Theater – Belvidere, IL
• May 17 – Blue Note – Harrison, OH
• May 20 – Venue Event Center – Cadillac, MI
• May 21 – The Forge – Joliet, IL
• May 22 – Catfish Bend Casino – Burlington, IA
• May 23 – Q Casino – Dubuque, IA
• May 25 – Black Sheep – Colorado Springs, CO
• May 26 – Federal Theatre – Denver, CO
• May 28 – The Observatory – Santa Ana, CA *
• May 30 – Brick By Brick – San Diego, CA *

(*) Select dates with Adema.

About Makes My Blood Dance

Makes My Blood Dance is a Brooklyn, New York-based project that merges disco-inflected electronics, metal guitars, and dark pop songwriting. The band began taking shape in late 2017, when vocalist EV0 and guitarist/programmer Jon Kristian started writing together after earlier work in Fixer, ERS, and Proxima Control. They were soon joined by bassist Alex “Mother Russia” Nikitin and drummer Carlos “CK1” Gordillo.

Their official debut single, “Beaming Right Up”, arrived in 2019, followed later that year by “Sick As Our Secrets”, with both tracks supported by videos and early US club touring. Early physical distribution included limited USB dog tags containing songs, lyrics, and artwork. In December 2020, the band released the six-track “Disco Metal” EP via Alpha Centauri Records, consolidating material from the early singles alongside additional tracks. In 2021, they followed with the live EP “LIVE at Smash Sound Stage (New York City)”, then issued further standalone singles including “Power Of The Lightside” and “Communion (Radio Edit)”.

From 2022 onward, Makes My Blood Dance expanded their touring radius and video output with the single “Together Apart” (2022), and the singles “Heaven Collides” and “Knowin’ It Without Knowin’ Why” (2023), each released with an official video. By 2024, the lineup had evolved around core songwriters EV0 and Jon Kristian, with “I Love” Lucy on bass and G Rex on drums.

In late 2025, Makes My Blood Dance signed to Metropolis Records and released “Your Little Hand In Mine”, “Heavy Metal Armour”, and “Time And A Place” as their first wave of label singles, produced by Bret “Epic” Mazur and Mikal Blue. As of March 2026, “Heavy Metal Armour” has passed 680,000 Spotify streams, while “Time and a Place” has earned 642,000+ organic YouTube views and “Your Little Hand In Mine” has crossed 348,000 YouTube views. Touring remains central to the project, with the band averaging 70+ shows annually and listing 78 tour dates confirmed for 2026.

“Lately (feat. Macy Gray)” now leads into the June 2026 debut album “Z3r0 2 LGHT $p33d!”.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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San Francisco dark alternative/post-punk band Octavian Winters have just released “By the Stars” via Stratis Capta Records. The digital single was produced by William Faith and arrives ahead of the band’s appearance at Wave-Gotik-Treffen in Leipzig, Germany.

“By the Stars” follows the March 2026 single “Elements of Air”. This new track moves more toward the band’s dream pop and ethereal darkwave side, with slower percussion, call-and-response vocals and melodic keyboard layers.

Lyricist and frontwoman Ria Aursjoen says: “The song has the feel of a sea voyage. The images for me were always ones of the vastness of the sky and the sea, and the feeling of the magnificent beauty of the world. The call and answer vocals are like two people calling back and forth across a valley. It’s meant to encompass that feeling of transcendence when you take a meta view of life and of the natural world, and just fall into the beautiful patterns of it all.”

Drummer Randy Gzebb adds: “I remember playing an all-ages show in Northern California, looked up mid-song and saw these two young goth girls at the front of the stage with tears streaming down their faces. That moment told me everything I needed to know about ‘By the Stars’. You know a song matters when it reaches people like that.”

“By the Stars” is available via Bandcamp, Spotify and most major digital music stores.

Octavian Winters perform at Wave-Gotik-Treffen in Leipzig on Friday, May 22, 2026. The band also just completed an April 2026 U.S. West Coast tour with Pink Turns Blue.

About Octavian Winters

Octavian Winters formed in San Francisco in 2022. The lineup consists of Ria Aursjoen on vocals and keyboards, Stephan Bryan Salit on guitar, Randy Gzebb on drums and Jay Denton on bass. In late 2021, Gzebb and Salit began writing after discussing a publishing deal for their earlier project Thrill of The Pull. Aursjoen joined the sessions in early 2022, and Denton completed the lineup soon after.

The band first worked as a recording project because live venues were still limited at the time. William Faith, known for Faith and the Muse, The Bellwether Syndicate, Christian Death and The March Violets, became the producer for the early material. Their first single “Ondine” appeared in March 2023, followed by “Undertow” in August 2023 and “Surreal” in September 2023.

Octavian Winters released the five-track EP “The Line or Curve” on October 13, 2023 via Stratis Capta Records. The EP includes “Ondine”, “Undertow”, “Surreal”, “Velveteen” and “Nebula”.

In 2024, Octavian Winters released “Nebula / Velveteen (Mark Pistel Remix)”. That same year, Ria Aursjoen also launched her solo project Aursjoen with “Nytår” and the William Faith-produced EP “Strand”, which included guitar contributions from Stephan Bryan Salit.

In 2025, Aursjoen recorded guest vocal work on The Funeral March material, contributing additional vocals to “It All Falls Apart”. She also appeared in the video for “Stars at Night”. Octavian Winters then released “Hermine” on August 12, 2025 and “Saints of Absolution” on October 1, 2025 via Stratis Capta Records.

“Elements of Air” followed on March 25, 2026. Like the recent singles, it lists William Faith for production, recording, mixing and mastering at 13 Studio in Chicago. “By the Stars” is the next step towards the band’s next EP, planned for summer 2026.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Palermo-based 8bit darkwave duo Bunnyblack have released “Eat Me“, a digital single and video. The track is the first single from the duo’s first album, scheduled for September 11, 2026.

“Eat Me” combines Nintendo Game Boy electronics with guitars, bass, synths and vocals. Francesco Less handles vocals, bass and synth. Maiqqu plays Nintendo Game Boy and guitars.

The official video for “Eat Me” was conceived and edited by Maiqqu. The video uses theatrical symbolic figures, dream imagery, close-up performance footage and fluorescent lighting.

About Bunnyblack

Bunnyblack are a Sicilian duo based in Palermo, Italy. The project consists of Maiqqu, an electronic musician and guitarist, and Francesco Less, a multi-instrumentalist also known from Velaut and Inside the Hole. Musically the duo mixes electrogaze, darkwave and post-punk based on Nintendo Game Boy electronics and electric instruments.

Maiqqu and Francesco Less met through a music contest. Their first release was “May the 18th Be With You”, an A/B-side with Audioslave and Joy Division covers performed with Nintendo Game Boy and vocals. The release appeared on Spettro Rec..

On October 26, 2019, Marlene Kuntz projected two of their videos during a concert at Demodé in Bari after selecting them through a contest. On November 22, 2019, the duo released the four-track EP “Bunnyblack“, distributed by Nufaco.

In 2020, the project placed third in the national “Cover Me” contest dedicated to Bruce Springsteen with a version of “Dancing in the Dark”. The duo later reached the regional finals of ArezzoWave 2020 and the national finals of Rock Targato Italia 2021. In March 2021, they appeared on the collaborative album by 1,21 GGWTTS with “Once upon a time on Earth”.

On December 8, 2022, Bunnyblack released “Bunnyland“.

“BUNNYWAVE” followed on May 17, 2024, a four-track digital album with a numbered limited CD edition of 50 copies.

And now there is “Eat Me”, the first single from the duo’s upcoming debut album, scheduled for September 11, 2026.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Pigface, the Chicago industrial rock supergroup founded by Martin Atkins and William Rieflin, will release “The Howler: An English Breakfast” on LP via Overdrive/Invisible Records on May 29, 2026. The album features Genesis P-Orridge on vocals, Mick Harris on bass source material, and Martin Atkins on drums, loops and tape delays.

The recording dates from 1996/97 and was made at Atkins’ Mattress Factory / Invisible Records studio at 2024 S. Wabash Ave. in Chicago.

The session was connected to the period around Pigface’s 1997 album “A New High in Low”. Genesis P-Orridge was brought to the studio to read a spoken-word text over dub-based material built with Bodog on sitar, Dave Wright of Not Breathing, loops from Mick Harris, and engineering by Adam Yoffe. Tom Whittaker remastered the release.

Small detail, Atkins recovered the text pages used during the session “years later, when my drum tech Jim fished those discarded pages out of the trash and gifted them back to me.”

“The Howler: An English Breakfast” contains four tracks:

The release comes as a digital download and as a black vinyl, a deluxe vinyl and bundle options. A separate signed and numbered blue vinyl edition is available via Martin Atkins’ BigCartel store. That edition is limited to 330 copies and includes a download of a different 43-minute mix, 3D glasses, and an 8-page booklet reproduction of the original fax.

About Pigface

Pigface are an American industrial rock supergroup from Chicago, Illinois. The project was formed in 1990 by Martin Atkins and William Rieflin after Ministry’s “The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste” tour. That tour included musicians such as Nivek Ogre, Chris Connelly, Atkins and Rieflin, and led Atkins and Rieflin to continue the idea as a revolving collaboration.

Pigface released “Gub” in 1991, followed by “Fook” in 1992, “Notes From Thee Underground” in 1994, “A New High in Low” in 1997, “Easy Listening…” in 2003, and “6” in 2009. The project has worked with a large rotating network of industrial, post-punk, noise and experimental musicians rather than a fixed lineup. Early collaborators included Trent Reznor, Chris Connelly, Nivek Ogre, En Esch, Paul Barker and Genesis P-Orridge.

Genesis P-Orridge, born Neil Andrew Megson in Manchester in 1950, co-founded Throbbing Gristle and later formed Psychic TV.

Mick Harris is an English musician from Birmingham, known for Napalm Death, Scorn, Lull and Painkiller. We previously covered his dark ambient project Lull and the “Moments” album.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Industrial solo artist Staytus, the project of Sam Grundemann, has signed with the US label Cleopatra Records and will release the digital single and video “S + M” on May 29, 2026. The single is the first announced collaboration between Grundemann and Cleopatra Records.

Musically “S + M” mixes industrial, electronic and nu-metal elements. Thematically the track deals with separation, unresolved emotional connection and the idea of reunion within a “twin flame” relationship.

“This song lives in that space between losing someone and never fully letting them go,” Grundemann adds. “It’s about the kind of connection that doesn’t just end—it lingers, evolves and keeps calling you back. Signing with Cleopatra Records felt natural because they’ve always embraced music that carries that kind of emotional weight.”

“S + M” will be accompanied by a video was directed by Vicente Cordero of Industrialism Films known for his work for acts including Skold and Stabbing Westward.

About Staytus

Staytus is the solo project of Sam Grundemann, an Arizona-born musician, producer, songwriter and audio engineer now working from the Los Angeles area. Staytus began as “a personal project” and musically blends industrial, electronic and nu-metal elements.

We first covered the project in March 2022 when the project released three tracks from the debut album “Disease Of The Mind”. The debut album “Disease Of The Mind” was released digitally on September 9, 2022 and contains 13 tracks. Staytus followed it with “Wasteland Of Broken Hearts”, released on October 27, 2023 as an 11-track digital album.

In 2025, Staytus released several standalone singles and film-linked tracks. We covered “How To Be A Serial Killer“, the closing track in the “Twisted Frames” series, followed by “Headache“, “Heart Attack“, “Kiss N Tell” and “The God, The Artist, & The Creator“. Those releases involved collaborators including Matt McJunkins, Sean Beavan, Mikal Blue, Jeff Friedl, Anthony Laurie and Patrick “Embryo” Tapu.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Milan-based shoegaze, wave and post-punk band In Her Eye have released “Something Wrong“. The digital single is the first track from the band’s fourth studio album, “Death in a Morning Show”, scheduled for release in June 2026.

The current In Her Eye line-up is Aldo Bernuzzi on drums, Giuseppe Galotti on vocals and bass, and Stefano Schiavella on guitars.

We previously covered the band in 2018 when the Italian shoegazers act announced its new album “Change”.

About In Her Eye

In Her Eye formed in Milan, Italy, in winter 2007. The original members were Aldo Bernuzzi, Giuseppe Galotti and Stefano Schiavella. The band’s early musical direction combined 1980s new wave with indie, noise and shoegaze influences from the 1990s.

Four years later the band released its debut album, “Anywhere Out Of The World”. The 12-track album was recorded and mixed by Carlo Meroni and In Her Eye at A.D.S.R.

“Borderline” followed on October 22, 2014. The seven-track release included “Matchbox”, “Situation”, “Chameleon”, “Another Psychic Thrill”, “She Made Her Decision”, “Bottle Room” and “Push Me Down”. From 2015 onward, the band also appeared on tribute releases for Ride, The Cure and Wire.

Raffaele Bocchetti, formerly of Stella Diana, later joined the band and contributed to the material that became “Change”. “Change” was released on June 1, 2018. The album includes eight tracks: “Closer To Me”, “Bianca”, “Elephant”, “Change”, “Neon Lights”, “Demons”, “As in a Dream” and “Life”. It was recorded and mixed by Lorenz and In Her Eye at Il Guscio Recording Studio, with mastering by Lorenz and In Her Eye. Antonia Chiara Ciancaglini of The Mystic Morning contributed backing vocals on “Change” and “Bianca”.

The band returned to the original three-member formation in 2022 after a period of adjustment and later completed sessions for a fourth album planned for the first half of 2026. The new single “Something Wrong” now introduces the all new album “Death in a Morning Show”.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Dark Minimal Project, the Lille-based electro darkwave project, has released the digital EP “And Sometimes”, an independent five-track release which features dBoy (aka Daniel Armand) from the Paris cold-wave trio Je T’aime.

Four of the five tracks include dBoy. The closing track, “So Far Away II (Gabriel’s Tears Version),” revisits “So Far Away” from Dark Minimal Project’s 2025 album “Pleasure Is A Sin.”

The EP has Guillaume VDR on vocals, guitars, bass and programming; Ange Vesper on vocals, synths and drumpad; and dBoy on vocals. The release was produced by Peter Rainman and Guillaume VDR, and recorded at The Bunker Studio in France. The material was mixed and mastered by Peter Rainman.

Below is the official video for “And Sometimes (feat. dBoy JE T’AIME)”.

About Dark Minimal Project

Dark Minimal Project began in Lille, France, in 2021, when Guillaume Vanderosieren offered his first demos to Ange Vesper. Musically the band offers a mix of electro, darkwave, coldwave, synthpop and synthwave.

The project released “Cold Black Room” in January 2022, followed by “In Your Eyes”.In March 2023, the band released “Black Light”, produced by Peter Rainman at The Bunker Studio, ahead of the second album “Ghost Of Modern Times”.

In 2024, Dark Minimal Project released “Remixes”, based on material from “Ghost Of Modern Times”. Released via Infacted Recordings it holds remixes by People Theatre, Krieg-B, Patrick Codenys of Front 242, Ruined Conflict, Dominatrix, X Mouth Syndrome, Fatherless Child, Dark State, Ethan Wood, Résilience and Waiting For Words. VUZ later on released a deluxe edition of “Cold Black Room”.

Infacted Recordings released “Pleasure Is A Sin” in 2025.

“And Sometimes” followed in 2026 as an independent collaboration with dBoy of Je T’aime. Je T’aime is a Paris cold-wave trio formed in 2018 with dBoy, Tall Bastard and Crazy Z.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Paeplo, the Greek-language synthpunk/darkwave project of Manos S. from Crete, has released its debut album “Φαντάσματα στη Χάνδακος” (“Ghosts on Chandakos Street”). The album is available digitally as a self-release through Bandcamp, with a cassette edition handled through Decayed Knighthood.

The 10-track album combines Greek lyrics with synthpunk, darkwave, cold wave, EBM and industrial.

Thematically the material moves through themes of urban decay, doomed relationships and late-night walks with no exit. Small detail, the title track refers to Chandakos Street, while the lyrics also mention locations such as Liontaria, Daidalou and Karavola.

About Paeplo

Paeplo was founded in 2025 in Crete as the personal project of Manos S. Manos S. has a background in classical music as a cellist. For this project, he moved toward a more direct electronic format built around Greek lyrics, synthpunk, cold wave, distorted synths and programmed rhythms.

Jim the Blaster, known from PreEmptive Strike 0.1, is also involved in Paeplo. PreEmptive Strike 0.1 was founded on Crete in 2002 offers a mix of EBM and dark electro.

“Φαντάσματα στη Χάνδακος” is the duo’s first release. The album appeared digitally through the band’s own Bandcamp page. The cassette edition is released via Decayed Knighthood, a Greece-based Bandcamp label releasings ambient, synth punk and dungeon noise.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Audioglobe informs us that Berlin-based New York musician and DJ Luca Venezia, recording as Curses, will release the new wave, electro, techno and EBM compilation “Next Wave Acid Punx TROIS” via Eskimo Recordings on June 5 2026. Note that this is a curated compilation, not a new Curses studio album.

“Next Wave Acid Punx TROIS” closes the compilation series Curses started in 2021. Spread across three 2LP chapters and 3CDs, it holds 46 hard-to-find, new and exclusive tracks. Musically you can expect industrial electronics, EBM, new beat, techno, trance and early rave tracks that were popular in clubs and warehouses in New York, London, Frankfurt, Valencia and other cities in the mid-1980s.

Curses explains: “I wanted to take things full circle, return to my roots, and celebrate what first got me into electronic music.” The compilation includes archival names such as Model 500, Nitzer Ebb, Die Krupps and Age Of Love, alongside newer and exclusive tracks from artists including Zaatar, Italo Deviance, Leona Jacewska, Kendal & Andi, Mala Ika & Tutto Vetro, and Curses himself.

‘Next Wave Acid Punx TROIS’ formats and release details

The release comes as a digi3CD, an three limited 2LP editions (Chapter 1, 2 and 3) Each vinyl chapter includes the tracks from one CD chapter and an insert with liner notes.

The four-track “Next Wave Acid Punx TROIS – DJ Sampler” appeared before the full compilation. It includes “Crown Of Ruin” by Curses, “E-ternal” by Mala Ika & Tutto Vetro, “Time Of War” by Metropolis, and “No Control” by Interactive.

Below is the tracklist for the compilation. As explained above, each vinyl chapter includes the tracks from one CD chapter.

CD1

1. Cybex Factor – “No Rock”
2. Space Trax – “Atomic Playboy (Beyond His Mind Mix)”
3. Metropolis – “Time Of War (A.C. Mix)”
4. Megabeat – “Jet Harris Tecno Dub (¿Sabe Ya Quien Mato A Laura Palmer?)”
5. Robotiko Rejekto – “Injection (Robotiko Part 2)”
6. P II Syndicate – “Diesmal Bist Du Ganz Allein”
7. Model 500 – “Testing 1-2”
8. New Scene – “Out Of Control (The Belgium Mix)”
9. Age Of Love – “The Age Of Love (New Age Mix)”
10. Interactive – “No Control (Radio Version)”
11. Die Krupps & Nitzer Ebb – “The Machineries Of Joy (True Work Mix)”
12. Konzept – “Human Transmission (Cybotron Mix 2)”
13. Skila – “Hypno Art (The Power Mix)”

CD2

1. Perdí La Luz – “Megadance”
2. ROTCIV – “The Sign”
3. C.ru.z – “No Hay Comunicación”
4. Facets feat. Kasbaraine – “Cold Blooded”
5. Josh Ludlow – “Hammer Town”
6. Leona Jacewska – “I Need Another Excuse”
7. Church of Ajijik – “Eppenepp”
8. Digitalism – “Into The Club”
9. Phunkadelica & Dina Summer – “Stars Align”
10. Acid Washed & Ubu Noir – “Brutal #1”
11. Orion Agassi – “Pacifier Away (Calm Mix)”
12. Brixx & Stockholm Syndrome AU – “T.S.C. Systems”
13. A.M.Q.N. – “Futuro Soldado”
14. Gunce Aci feat. Avni Ertepe – “Timeless”
15. In Trance 95 – “Last One to Die”
16. Italo Deviance – “Point Breeze”
17. GOTT – “Mirage”

CD3

1. ESTADO DE BIENESTAR & Dark Vektor – “(.)”
2. Curses – “Crown Of Ruin”
3. Iggor Cavalera & P.I.M. – “Wrong III”
4. Innershades – “Neon Dreams”
5. Kendal & Andi – “Still Human”
6. Sesto Senso – “Danza Macabra”
7. Tronik Youth – “Hellfire”
8. VELVET VELOUR – “Night Bird”
9. Radondo & Neu-Romancer – “Moving On”
10. Zaatar & Mike Sacchetti – “Distant Memories”
11. RAKANS – “Mon Amour”
12. Younger Than Me feat. Lourene – “I Can’t Relax”
13. Javi Redondo – “HALT [Process]”
14. Primal Baby – “Hurricane”
15. Mala Ika & Tutto Vetro – “E-ternal”
16. Harlem Electronics – “Au Chateau”

About Curses

Curses is the recording and DJ project of Luca Venezia, a New York-born electronic producer and DJ based in Berlin. Before Curses, Venezia recorded as Drop the Lime and founded the dance label Trouble & Bass. The Drop the Lime project was active from 2004 to 2015, after which Venezia moved into other projects.

Curses began in 2007 with the “Hungry For Love” EP on Institubes. Venezia’s 2015 move to Berlin allowed him to focus more directly on the Curses sound, after earlier work in breakcore, bass music and electro-rock. That sound was heavily influenced by new wave and post-punk with vocals, guitars, 1980s EBM and new beat.

Curses released the debut album “Romantic Fiction” through Dischi Autunno on October 26, 2018. The 2019 mini-album “Carcassonne” followed through Höga Nord Rekords on August 30, 2019. “Incarnadine” was released on March 11, 2022 through Dischi Autunno. For this release Luca Venezia worked with Dame Bonnet on bass, Jennifer Touch and Terr on vocals, and Sasse for mixing and engineering at Blackhead Studios in Berlin.

“Another Heaven” followed on October 25, 2024 through Italians Do It Better. This time Luca Venezia again worked with Dame Bonnet on bass. Note that Curses’ live setup consists of Venezia on guitar and vocals and Dame Bonnet on bass and electronic drums.

The “Next Wave Acid Punx” series began on Eskimo Recordings in 2021 as a 38-track compilation curated by Curses. “Next Wave Acid Punx DEUX” followed in 2023, and Eskimo later listed “Next Wave Acid Punx DEUX – Secret Cuts” in 2024 and “Next Wave Acid Punx Revamps” in 2025. “Next Wave Acid Punx TROIS” now closes that compilation series in 2026.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Japanese actor and stunt performer Kenji Ōba, born Kenji Takahashi, died on May 6, 2026, after a period of illness, Japan Action Enterprise announced on May 7. He was 71 years old.

Kenji Ōba became internationally known through Toei’s 1982 tokusatsu series “Space Sheriff Gavan”, in which he played Retsu Ichijouji/Gavan. The series aired in Japan from March 5, 1982, to February 25, 1983, across 44 episodes, and is listed by the Broadcast Program Center of Japan as the first entry in both the “Space Sheriff” and “Metal Hero” lines.

In France and other French-speaking markets however, “Space Sheriff Gavan” became known as “X-Or, le shérif de l’espace” which debuted on the French TV channel Antenne 2 on October 26, 1983. The French version kept the space-sheriff concept but localized several names, with Retsu Ichijouji/Gavan becoming Gordan/X-Or.

The character’s transformation sequence became one of the most recognizable elements of the series. In the Japanese version, Gavan used the command “Jōchaku”; in the French version, the call became “Transmutation”. The character was a half-Bird Planet, half-Earth hero sent by the Galactic Union Police to defend Earth from the space-crime organization Makuu.

“X-Or” helped introduce a generation of French viewers to live-action Japanese tokusatsu outside the better-known anime exports of the period. The series also later circulated through other French-language channels, including TMC, AB1, Mangas and Ciné FX.

Later returns as Gavan

Kenji Ōba returned to Retsu Ichijouji/Gavan several times after the original television run. “Space Sheriff Gavan” returned in January 2012 through “Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger vs. Space Sheriff Gavan: The Movie”, followed in October 2012 by the standalone “Space Sheriff Gavan: The Movie”.

The 2012 crossover “Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger vs. Space Sheriff Gavan: The Movie” marked the 30th anniversary of “Gavan” and the Metal Hero Series. The film teamed Gavan with the “Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger” cast. In “Space Sheriff Gavan: The Movie”, released in Japan on October 20, 2012, Kenji Ōba reprised his original role while Yuma Ishigaki played Geki Jumonji, the new Gavan Type-G. The film was made for the 30th anniversary of the first Metal Hero entry and also brought back Toshiaki Nishizawa and Shōzō Iizuka from the original series.

“Space Squad: Gavan vs. Dekaranger” continued the post-2012 Gavan line in 2017. Coincidentally there is a new Gavan broadcast as Toei launched “Super Space Sheriff Gavan Infinity” on February 15, 2026, as the first entry in its “Project R.E.D.” tokusatsu brand, with a weekly Sunday 09:30 broadcast on TV Asahi’s 24-station network.

About Kenji Ōba

Kenji Ōba was born Kenji Takahashi on February 5, 1955, in Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture, Japan. He entered action work through the Japan Action Club, founded by Shinichi “Sonny” Chiba, and began working in tokusatsu through stunt assignments before moving into regular on-screen roles. He first worked under his birth name and later adopted the stage name Kenji Ōba.

His early screen work included stunt duties on “Android Kikaider” in 1972–1973. His first major regular tokusatsu role came in “Battle Fever J” in 1979–1980, where he played Shiro Akebono/Battle Kenya. Kenji Ōba then played Daigoro Oume/DenziBlue in “Denshi Sentai Denziman” in 1980–1981. In both series, Kenji Ōba also performed stunt work.

In 1982, Ōba took the lead role in “Space Sheriff Gavan”. The series placed him at the start of Toei’s Metal Hero line, a strand of tokusatsu separate from Super Sentai but connected through Toei’s action-production system, creators and later crossover films. The original “Gavan” cast listed by Toei Video includes Ōba, Wakiko Kano, Toshiaki Nishizawa, Kyoko Nashiro and Masayuki Suzuki.

Outside “Gavan”, Ōba continued film and television work through the 1980s. His credits include “Kotaro Makaritoru!” and the period-action series “Kage no Gundan IV” and “Kage no Gundan Bakumatsu Hen”. In 2003, he appeared in Quentin Tarantino’s “Kill Bill: Vol. 1” as Shiro, assistant to Sonny Chiba’s Hattori Hanzo, which introduced him to many viewers outside the tokusatsu audience.

Ōba later ran the action and event company Luck JET. He returned to Japan Action Enterprise through a business tie-up in 2007, after earlier leaving Tokyo to return to Matsuyama while caring for his mother.

His later career repeatedly returned to his three best-known hero roles. In 2011, he played Daigoro Oume again in “Gokaiger Goseiger Super Sentai 199 Hero Great Battle” and later returned as Shiro Akebono in episode 44 of “Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger”. In 2012, “Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger vs. Space Sheriff Gavan: The Movie” brought his past roles together: Retsu Ichijouji, Daigoro Oume and Shiro Akebono all appeared in the same film.

His final major credited tokusatsu return before his death was “Space Squad: Gavan vs. Dekaranger” in 2017, where he appeared as the original Retsu Ichijouji alongside the second-generation Gavan. The film also included live-action combat scenes by Ōba himself.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Netherworld, the ambient project of Rome-based composer Alessandro Tedeschi, will release “The Hermit” on June 29, 2026 via the Italian label Glacial Movements. The album marks the 20th anniversary of the ambient and electronic music label Tedeschi founded in Rome in 2006.

“The Hermit” collects seven archival recordings from the early 2000s. The source material was recovered from deteriorated CD-Rs and Minidiscs, recorded before Glacial Movements was founded. The album will be released digitally and as a 6-panel digipack CD, limited to 200 copies, with a 20-page booklet and matte-laminated finish.

Tedeschi says that the recordings came from material marked “2002” and “Netherworld.” He describes them as “my first experiments, unreleased, never published and never heard by anyone.” The sounds include processed voices, gongs, metal surfaces, broken toys and a Novation A-Station rack synthesizer.

The seven-track album was recorded, mixed and composed by Tedeschi in 2004. Matteo Spinazzè mastered the restored material at Jung Studio in 2026. Note that the artwork uses archival images from the Mitchell Library, the State Library of New South Wales, Tekniska museet and the National Library of Australia.

We previously covered several Netherworld releases, including Himuro (CD Album – Glacial Movements), Algida Bellezza (CD Album – Glacial Movements), Vanishing Lands (Album – Glacial Movements) and Equilibrium (Album – Glacial Movements Records). We also published an interview’ with Tedeschi.

About Netherworld

Netherworld is the moniker of Alessandro Tedeschi, an Italian ambient and dark ambient composer from Rome. The project is released via Tedeschi’s own label Glacial Movements. Musically he uses manipulated fragments of classical music and field recordings, including ice masses, aurora-related sound material and Arctic wind recordings.

Before focusing on Glacial Movements, Netherworld released music through labels including Fario, Angle Rec, Umbra and Taalem. “Eternal Frost” was written, mixed and composed in 2004 and originally issued by Umbra in a hand-numbered edition of 99 copies. The album later appeared on Bandcamp on February 10, 2022.

The project’s Glacial Movements catalogue includes “Morketid” in 2007, “Over the Summit” in 2011 and “Alchemy of Ice” in 2013. “Alchemy Of Ice” was Tedeschi’s tenth full-length release and his third for Glacial Movements after “Mørketid” and “Over The Summit”.

In 2017, Netherworld collaborated with Eraldo Bernocchi on “Himuro” for Glacial Movements’ Iceberg Series. In 2019, Tedeschi returned with “Algida Bellezza”, a five-track album dedicated to his daughter and built around Arctic animal titles. Our interview with Netherworld: ‘Silence Is Essential’ was built around that release.

Netherworld followed with “Vanishing Lands” in 2022 and the Bvdub collaboration “Equilibrium” in 2023. Later label releases and collaborations including “Drømme I Langsomt Stof”, “Disappearing”, “Polar Code”, “Niptaktuk”, “Himuro”, “Algida Bellezza”, “Vanishing Lands” and “Equilibrium”. “The Hermit” now returns to recordings made before the label existed.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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The Mexican electro-industrial duo Hocico has released the new 15-track album “Unseen Horror Scenes” via Out Of Line. Physical editions include a black/white splatter 2LP and a 2CD digipak with an extra bonus disc.

The label says the record “dissect[s] the digital age’s paranoia, addiction, betrayal and spiritual decay.” The album includes the previously shared track “Fallen Paradise”, and “Hey Tú!” which features Rafael Reyes of Prayers.

The 2CD edition adds the bonus disc “Hidden Horror Scenes” with 6 tracks, of which 3 are exclusive to this CD and 3 are remixes of album tracks: “Lines of Death,” “Midnight Hunter,” “La Tumba Sin Nombre,” “Fallen Paradise (Funker Vogt Remix),” “10 Seconds Left (Trycerapt Remix),” and “Fallen Paradise (Dominator Remix).”

About Hocico

Hocico is a Mexican electro-industrial duo from Mexico City formed in 1993 by cousins Erik García, known as Erk Aicrag, and Óscar Mayorga, known as Racso Agroyam. Aicrag handles lyrics and vocals, while Agroyam is responsible for programming and electronics. Before settling on the Hocico name, the pair worked under the names Niñera Degenerada and Hocico de Perro. Between 1993 and 1996 they released the demo cassettes “Misuse, Abuse And Accident,” “Autoagresión Persistente,” and “Triste Desprecio,” before releasing the full lengths “Odio Bajo El Alma” in 1997 and “Sangre Hirviente” in 1999.

“Signos De Aberracion” followed in 2002, and “Wrack And Ruin” arrived in October 2004. After a 4-year silence the band resumed with “Memorias Atrás” in February 2008 and “Tiempos De Furia” in October 2010. Later full-lengths included “Ofensor” in 2015, “The Spell Of The Spider” in 2017, “Artificial Extinction” in 2019 and “HyperViolent” in 2022. Out Of Line also released the members’ parallel projects, with Erk Aicrag active in Rabia Sorda and Racso Agroyam in Dulce Liquido.

And now there’s the new album “Unseen Horror Scenes,”out on May 8, 2026.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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D*Time, the ambient and Berlin School electronic project of Dutch musician Mark Scheper, has released “Nightwoven” via Cyclical Dreams. The 9-track album is available as a digital release through Bandcamp, with a CD edition released via Kunaki.

For this album Scheper used a large collection of synthesizers including ASM Hydrasynth, Behringer D, Behringer Kobol, Behringer Model 15, Behringer Pro-1, Behringer Pro-800, Dreadbox Hades, Sequential Pro 3, Sequential Take 5, Novation Peak, Novation Minifreak, Sonicware LIVEN Ambient Ø, Vermona Mono Lancet, Vermona Perfourmer and Waldorf Blofeld. The credits also list effects units by Walrus, Strymon, Joyo, Keeley, TC Electronic, Zoom and Behringer, with sequencing handled through a Novation 49SL mk3.

Cyclic Dreams is a label based in Buenos Aires, Argentina and focuses on Berlin School, ambient, soundscape, space music, drone, and electronic music.

About D*Time

D*Time is the ambient electronic solo project of Mark Scheper and was founded in Groningen (The Netherlands) in 1997. Scheper had already worked under the Dreamtime name before Neon Records showed interest in his music for a dance compilation. The project name was shortened to D*Time.

“Circles Of Mania” appeared in 1998 through Neon Records, a vinyl compilation with Solar Project, Celtic, D*Time and O-Cyanic. It included two D*Time tracks: “Cremation Of The Planets” and “Elephants Grave Dance”.

Later releases include “Wings” in 1998, “Image” in 1999, “Ghost” in 2000, “Organic Link Material” in 2001, “Insekt” in 2002, “Down and Out” in 2003, “Stinken und Starben” in 2005, “Spider” in 2006, “Centerpoint” in 2007 and “In The End There Is No CTRL-Z” in 2008.

After 2008, Scheper moved further toward direct online distribution while Synth Music Direct issued a CD selection of later material as “Dream Walker” in 2021. Cyclical Dreams later released “Shadows of Time” in 2025 and now “Nightwoven” in 2026.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Hysteria, the Seattle-rooted gothic avant-garde art-metal duo of Olga Nuit and Laura Gonzalez, independently has released its self-titled debut EP “Hysteria” . The EP is available as a seven-track digital release on Bandcamp and Spotify. The main track, “Metamorphosis,” is accompanied by an official lyric video which you can veiw below.

The EP includes “Presage”, “Tormentous”, “Mocking”, “Metamorphosis”, “Agitation”, “Hysteria” and “Pump”.

The duo describe the release as an exploration of despair, grief and rupture. “We examined themes of despair and devastation through a kaleidoscope of lenses and let the music unfurl, drawing on deep emotional reservoirs and allowing ourselves to run wild with our vast creative inspiration,” Laura Gonzalez says. “We’re sharing it so others may discover ways to process their grief and find hope too.” She adds, “remember that healing can still come in times of darkness and uncertainty.”

The project was originally planned as a one-night performance with video projections featuring dark actress Sony Voodoo. It was presented at Central Saloon in Seattle before the duo expanded it into a recorded project. “I playfully challenged them: ‘You want some more?’” Olga Nuit says. “There was this exhilarating standstill; the crowd refused to leave, demanding an encore even though we had nothing left to play. At that moment we decided to let Hysteria grow further.”

Olga Nuit and Laura Gonzalez produced the EP and wrote the songs and lyrics. Additional arrangements were done by Andrew Hall, Jules Calella, John Delicato, Devon Berliner, Sam Haglund, Misha Standjofski-Figols and Preeti Mohan. The EP was mixed by Misha Standjofski-Figols at Studio MAJ and John Delicato at Cathartic Studios, and mastered by Standjofski-Figols at Studio MAJ in Montréal. Note that Ksenia Dolgorukova plays cello on “Hysteria”.

The “Metamorphosis” lyric video was produced by Kuria Jorissen of Call of the Mountains Art, Olga Nuit and Laura Gonzalez.

About Hysteria

Hysteria is a collaborative project by Olga Nuit and Laura Gonzalez. The project is based primarily in Seattle and brings a mix of avant-garde gothic/doom metal.

Nuit and Gonzalez first collaborated musically in 2018, when Gonzalez joined Nuit’s symphonic heavy metal project Kerr Ring. Both had previously worked as software engineers before shifting their focus to music. Both are pianists, vocalists and composers, with work centered on layered synths, orchestral arrangements and extreme-metal vocal techniques.

Before this project, Olga Nuit contributed to Apologue, Ara’kus, Spøkelser and Kerr Ring. Laura Gonzalez before played with Vesuvian and Kerr Ring.

“Hysteria” is the project’s debut EP.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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The Mechanical Sheep have released “Ph’nglui mglw’nafh Cthulhu R’lyeh wgah’nagl fhtagn“, their fourth single via Maschinen Klang Label. The Bonn-based EBM, industrial and dark electro project is led by Mathew Bonehead, also known as songwriter and co-founder of CIRES with Eric Schmaler.

The title refers to the chant used in H.P. Lovecraft’s “The Call of Cthulhu”. In the story, the phrase is translated as “In his house at R’lyeh dead Cthulhu waits dreaming.” Lovecraft wrote the story in 1926; it was first published in “Weird Tales” in February 1928.

The single follows three 2026 releases on Maschinen Klang: “2+2=5”, “Das Lindenblatt”, and “Das Bildnis” featuring Decence. These three singles are already available on Bandcamp.

The accompanying video for “Ph’nglui mglw’nafh!” is available below.

About The Mechanical Sheep

The Mechanical Sheep is an electronic music project from Bonn, Germany. Mathew Bonehead founded the project in 2024. He is also the songwriter and co-founder of CIRES, alongside Eric Schmaler. The project brings a mix of EBM, industrial, and dark electro.

Lyrically the band bases its work on novels, poems, legends, and fairy tales, with references including George Orwell, Edgar Allan Poe, and Goethe.

The Mechanical Sheep release its first material in 2026 via Maschinen Klang with the debut single “2+2=5” on January 15, 2026. “Das Lindenblatt” followed on February 20, 2026, and “Das Bildnis” featuring Decence followed on April 7, 2026. “Ph’nglui mglw’nafh Cthulhu R’lyeh wgah’nagl fhtagn” is the fourth single.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Chicago darkwave, electro and dark techno project Sleep Of Mirrors will release its debut album “Crown” on May 8, 2026 via Negative Gain Productions. The ten-track album is available today as an exclusive Side-Line album premiere ahead of the official release. “Crown” is released in CD and digital formats.

The band says this about the material: “The only rule is that the music feels real.” The album material mixes darkwave, electro, dark techno and industrial elements. Negative Gain itself describes the record as a ten-track release about “power, devotion, and transformation” drawing on occult symbolism, and religious imagery.

The album can be pre-ordered on Bandcamp.

A video for “Gemini” is available below.

About Sleep Of Mirrors

Sleep Of Mirrors is a Chicago-based dark electronic project mixing darkwave, electro and dark techno.

The band consists of Jay Ramirez (vocals, synthesizers and assistant production), Santo Gato and Danny Lucero (synthesizers, programming, assistant production, guitars and bass guitars), Christopher Lee (vocals, synthesizers, programming, mixing, production, guitars, bass guitars), and finally Ronnie Canizaro (vocals, assistant production and synthesizers).

Negative Gain Productions signed Sleep Of Mirrors for the project’s first album. “Crown”, out on May 8, 2026. The record was preceded by the “Gemini” video and track, next to “Sacrament” and “Not My Skin”.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Norwegian darkwave/cyberpunk duo Rule of Two will release “Afterlife” on May 7, 2026 via Madrid-based Polypiel Records. The single is the project’s fourth release of 2026 and its first collaboration with the label. Earlier this year they had released “Call For Aid” on January 23, “All Time Low” on February 27 and “New Noise” on March 27.

“Afterlife” continues the duo’s darker industrial direction. Lyrically, it reflects on change, looking back from the afterlife, revising a dead past and welcoming life after.

Below is the video for “Afterlife“.

About Rule of Two

Rule Of Two is a Norwegian darkwave-infused electronic indie project formed in 2023 in Oslo, Norway, by musicians Ronny Flissundet and Kristian Liljan. Both come from the Oslo metal and alternative rock underground and have prior history in bands such as Damokles, Dunderbeist and Kite. Rule Of Two was formed as an electronic side-project focused on more melodic, synth-based material, blending darkwave, synth-pop, dream-pop, trip-hop and ambient.

In this project Flissundet handles lyrics, vocals, guitars and synths, while Liljan is responsible for beats, loops, bass, synths, videos and production.

The band introduced itself in January 2024 with the digital single “Bygones,” which later appeared on their debut “Drowning EP.” Recorded between October 2023 and January 2024 in Oslo, Nesodden and Firenze, the “Drowning EP” was released on June 14, 2024.

The “Echoes” EP, released in January 2025, compiled several of the tracks recorded between 2024-2025 together with new material. The production and mixing was led by Liljan at studios in Oslo and Nesodden.

During 2025 Rule Of Two expanded their catalogue with the “Dancing Drone” EP and singles including “Forever Minus One,” “Cloud Nine” and “Dolores.” Their 10-track debut album “Aiming For the Sun” appeared on November 13, 2025 as a self-released title, mixed and mastered at Crystal Island Studios in Nesodden. The album combines original material with a cover of “Climbing Up the Walls” by Radiohead.

In 2026, the duo moved into a darker industrial/cyberpunk direction with “Call For Aid”, “All Time Low” and the Refused cover “New Noise”. “Afterlife” now marks their first Polypiel Records collaboration.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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