Belgian electro-industrial act Suicide Commando and US EBM project Assemblage 23 released the collaborative single “I Am Your Darkness” on October 30, 2026, via Out Of Line Music, pairing a radio edit with an extended “Kill Your Demons” version. Side-Line contributor Karo Kratochwil reviews the single below.

Forty years into Suicide Commando’s existence, Johan Van Roy has found an intriguing counterpart in Tom Shear of Assemblage 23. Their respective musical languages are instantly recognisable, although they approach intensity from different directions. Van Roy’s harsh, almost punitive vocal delivery and relentless electronic rhythms contrast with Shear’s more melodic, emotionally articulated approach. On “I Am Your Darkness,” these characteristics meet in a collaboration that makes considerably more sense than the stylistic differences might initially suggest.

The “Radio Edit” wastes little time establishing its intentions. The rhythm is fast, tightly programmed and characteristically uncompromising, while the synthesizers introduce a melodic urgency that has more in common with contemporary futurepop than traditional harsh electro. The vocals retain that familiar abrasive quality associated with Suicide Commando, yet the melodic construction carries a distinctly Assemblage 23 sensibility. The arrangement does not let one musical personality dominate the other; it preserves their differences. The resulting tension is precisely what gives the track its character.

The extended “Kill Your Demons” version develops the melodic side more fully. The electronic arrangements feel more expansive, with a sweeping, anthemic quality that contrasts rather effectively with the aggression of the vocals. Its forward momentum is practically irresistible, but the emotional register is more complicated than the rhythm initially suggests. There is an interesting ambiguity in transforming such difficult psychological material into music designed for collective movement. The dancefloor becomes a place where distress and exhilaration can occupy the same few minutes.

The collaboration is particularly successful because neither musician has attempted to disguise his musical identity. The familiar elements are all present, but their combination introduces a different balance between vocal aggression, melodic accessibility and rhythmic force. “I Am Your Darkness” is a convincing piece of contemporary electro-industrial music, direct enough to make an immediate impression and sufficiently well constructed to reward repeated listening.

Tracklist

1. I Am Your Darkness (Radio Edit)
2. I Am Your Darkness (Kill Your Demons)

About Suicide Commando

Founded in 1986, Suicide Commando has become one of the defining projects of European dark electro. Belgian musician Johan Van Roy has spent four decades developing a sound built around distorted vocals, confrontational lyrical subjects and meticulously programmed electronic aggression. From Critical Stage and Mindstrip to Axis of Evil and Goddestruktor, his recordings have helped establish a musical vocabulary that remains instantly identifiable. The new collaboration arrives during the project’s 40th anniversary year.

About Assemblage 23

Assemblage 23 is the long-running project of American musician Tom Shear, whose work occupies a fascinating intersection between electronic body music, synthpop and emotionally driven futurepop. Since the project’s beginnings in 1988, Shear has demonstrated a particular ability to combine muscular electronic arrangements with unusually personal songwriting. His 2025 album “Null” continued that trajectory.

Interestingly, this is not the first musical connection between the two projects. Assemblage 23 previously remixed Suicide Commando’s “One Nation Under God” in 2004 and “I’d Die for You” for the 2022 album Goddestruktor. “I Am Your Darkness” develops that existing artistic relationship into a direct collaboration. A five-track physical EP follows on December 3, 2026, with additional interpretations by DSTRTD SGNL, KLLSIGNL and J Wølf.

Karo Kratochwil

Based in Wrocław, I work as a music journalist and photographer covering electro, industrial, EBM, gothic, and darkwave. My work includes features and live coverage, as well as concert, portrait, promo, and theater photography. What interests me most is the connection between artistic intention, what the work communicates, and what unfolds live on stage, all in pursuit of the bigger picture behind the music.

Belgian electro-industrial act Suicide Commando and US EBM project Assemblage 23 released the collaborative single “I am your Darkness” on October 30, 2026 through Out Of Line Music. The digital release pairs a radio edit with an extended “Kill Your Demons” version. A five-track physical EP follows on December 3, 2026, available for pre-order now.

Suicide Commando mainman Johan Van Roy wrote the track as a confrontation with depression and self-doubt, set against pounding industrial rhythms and EBM programming. Assemblage 23 is the solo synthpop and EBM project of US musician Tom Shear, who joins Van Roy on the collaboration; Shear’s own project most recently released the album “Null” via Metropolis Records.

The lyrics present the inner voice of depression as an external presence, with lines such as “I am your darkness / I am your pain / I am your master / and I am your reign,” while the chorus, “Kill your demons / kill your fear,” reads as defiance, not resolution. “The song deals with depression and our constant fight against our own monsters and demons,” Van Roy and Shear said of the collaboration.

The physical EP adds three remixes: DSTRTD SGNL reworks the track for the dancefloor, label mate KLLSIGNL delivers a “Wendigo Cut,” and J Wølf contributes a further remix alongside the Kill Your Demons version, the radio edit and the DSTRTD SGNL mix.

“I am your Darkness” is available as a digital single on Bandcamp, with the physical EP open for pre-order there ahead of its December 3, 2026 release.

About Suicide Commando

Suicide Commando is the solo project of Belgian musician and producer Johan Van Roy, formed in 1986. Beginning with a series of self-released demo tapes in the late 1980s, the project has released music in the harder electro and EBM underground for four decades. The 1994 debut full-length “Critical Stage” started that run, followed by releases including “Mindstrip,” “Axis of Evil,” “Bind, Torture, Kill,” “Implements of Hell” and the 2022 album “Goddestruktor,” which reached number 9 on the official German album charts. Club tracks such as “See You in Hell,” “B.T.K.,” “Die Motherfucker Die” and “Hellraiser” remain staples of the dark electro scene.

Side-Line has tracked the project’s recent catalogue work, including the “Final Stage” EP revisiting the debut album, the 20th-anniversary reissue of “Axis of Evil” and the single “God Of Destruction.” Suicide Commando marks its 40th anniversary in 2026, the same year “I am your Darkness” brings Van Roy and Shear together for the first time.

Suicide Commando tour dates

Suicide Commando is on tour across Europe through 2027, with dates confirmed as follows:

• November 7, 2026 – Zürich, Switzerland
• November 14, 2026 – Rotterdam, Netherlands
• December 11, 2026 – Bielefeld, Germany
• December 12, 2026 – Oberhausen, Germany (sold out)
• December 19, 2026 – Milan, Italy
• January 15, 2027 – Barcelona, Spain
• January 16, 2027 – Madrid, Spain
• January 30, 2027 – Aarschot, Belgium
• February 11, 2027 – Glasgow, UK
• February 12, 2027 – Sheffield, UK
• February 13, 2027 – London, UK
• February 14, 2027 – Bristol, UK
• May 7, 2027 – Berlin, Germany
• August 7-8, 2027 – Hildesheim, Germany (M’era Luna)
• October 23, 2027 – Jönköping, Sweden

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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Assemblage 23 releases “Believe (INHALT Remix)” on 2 October 2026 via Metropolis Records. The single reworks “Believe”, the opening track from Tom Shear’s tenth Assemblage 23 album “Null”, released in November 2025.

The remix comes from US producer Matia Simovich, who records as INHALT. “In INHALT’s expert hands, this song has been transformed. It has one foot on the mid-’80s dancefloor and the other planted firmly in the future,” Shear says of the rework.

“Believe” first appeared on “Null”, which Shear promoted with a UK tour ahead of its release and a run of sold-out shows in Germany. He returns to Europe this October for further dates in Germany and Sweden, several of which are already sold out. “‘Believe’ is about a hope for better things, even with the state of the world as it is today,” Shear said when the song first came out. “We are responsible for making the kind of world we live in. In the face of bad times, sometimes the most subversive thing you can do is to have hope.”

Assemblage 23 live dates, October 2026

• 20 October – Karlsruhe, Die Stadtmitte (Germany)
• 21 October – Oberhausen, Kulttempel (Germany)
• 22 October – Hamburg, Indra Musikclub (Germany)
• 23 October – Jönköping, SekktorF (Sweden) – sold out
• 24 October – Hannover, Subkultur (Germany) – sold out

Remaining tickets are available through the Assemblage 23 website.

About Assemblage 23

Assemblage 23 is the recording name of US producer and songwriter Tom Shear, active since the late 1990s. His debut album “Contempt” placed him at the front of the electro-industrial and Future Pop scene that took hold on underground dancefloors at the turn of the millennium. Side-Line interviewed Shear about his long career and songwriting process.

“Null”, Shear’s tenth album as Assemblage 23, was announced for Metropolis Records and released on 7 November 2025, led by the single “Tolerate”. Shear’s lyrics have long dealt directly with difficult personal subjects, including suicide and depression, a directness that has built him a following that keeps him touring regularly. “Believe (INHALT Remix)”, out 2 October 2026, pairs the “Null” opener with a rework by Matia Simovich (INHALT) ahead of Assemblage 23’s latest run of European dates.

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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Assemblage 23, the American EBM and futurepop project of Tom Shear, released “Endure” on 9 September 2016 through Metropolis Records. The album turns 10 this year. Shear wrote, performed and produced all ten songs himself, as he has done since starting the project in 1988.

It was the eighth Assemblage 23 studio album and the first in four years, following “Bruise” from 12 June 2012. Metropolis issued it as a single CD, as a limited deluxe two-disc set, on vinyl and digitally. Side-Line reported the three-format plan that June in Assemblage 23 to prepare new ‘Endure’ album as a deluxe 2CD set, vinyl and normal CD, at a point when the bonus-disc contents had not yet been published.

Assemblage 23’s ‘Endure’ tracklist and credits

The main album runs ten tracks: “Endure”, “Afterglow”, “Bravery”, “Salt The Earth”, “Static”, “Call The Dawn”, “Butterfly Effect”, “Barren”, “Grid” and “December”. Da5id Din mastered the record at Corrosive Audio, and Samuel Pfannkuche made the cover artwork. The vinyl edition carries the same ten songs with a separate master cut for the format.

The limited deluxe edition added a second disc of nine tracks: two further songs, “Ignorance” and “Goliath”, plus seven remixes. Neuroticfish and StereoSpread each reworked “December”, Solitary Experiments and Interface took on “Bravery”, The Rain Within remixed “Afterglow”, Angeltheory handled “Salt The Earth”, and Mr.Kitty closed the disc with a version of “Ignorance”. Metropolis Records described the album at release as “an intensely personal, & aptly titled look into the heart of the artist”.

Shear toured the United States behind the record in 2016 with a keyboard player and a drummer, the touring format he has used since the project began playing live in 1996.

About Assemblage 23

Tom Shear began recording in the early 1980s under the name Man on a Stage, mostly instrumental material, while also playing bass in a live band called The Advocates. He started Assemblage 23 in 1988 after hearing the industrial dance records played by a DJ opening for Depeche Mode, which pointed him toward the sound he wanted. For the first decade it stayed a side pursuit, and a cassette demo circulated in the autumn of 1998.

Shear signed to the Canadian label Gashed! in 1999 and released the debut album “Contempt” that November; it placed 42nd on the German DAC albums chart for 2000. “Failure” followed in March 2001 through Gashed! in North America and Accession Records in Europe. Its single “Disappoint”, issued on Accession that October, reached number 42 on the DAC singles chart for 2001 and dealt with the suicide of Shear’s father on 28 October 1999. Accession later reissued the back catalogue, reported in Accession Records is re-releasing its Assemblage 23 back catalog, and “Failure” returned as a 20th anniversary set on 2LP and 2CD, covered in Assemblage 23 sees ‘Failure’ released as a 20th anniversary edition on 2LP and 2CD.

Shear moved to Metropolis Records later in 2001, and the label has released his albums since. “Defiance” arrived in October 2002 after the single “Document”, and “Storm” in October 2004, whose single “Ground” spent eight weeks on the DAC singles chart and peaked at number 2. The single “Binary” entered the Billboard US singles chart at number 21 in March 2007, ahead of the album “Meta” that April. Two archive collections, “Early, Rare & Unreleased 1988-1998” and its second volume, appeared in 2007 and 2009. “Compass” followed in October 2009 and “Bruise” on 12 June 2012.

Alongside Assemblage 23, Shear runs the side projects Nerve Filter and Surveillance, and Helix with Mari Kattman, announced in Assemblage 23’s Tom Shear launches new project Helix – check the trailer. Live performances are supported by Paul Seegers on keyboards and Mike Jenney on drums. The project was based in Seattle for most of its run and now operates out of Franklin, Massachusetts.

“Mourn” arrived on 11 September 2020, and the tenth album “Null” came out on 7 November 2025, announced in Assemblage 23 announces ‘Null’ on Metropolis Records for 7 November 2025 and discussed by Shear in Assemblage 23 Interview: ‘We’re all a bunch of big, dumb monkeys’. Ten years on, “Endure” sits between “Bruise” and “Mourn” in that run, and the project returns to European stages in October 2026 on the run detailed in Assemblage 23 announces European headline tour with Mari Kattman.

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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Futurepop act Assemblage 23 has announced a five-date European headline tour for October 2026, with Mari Kattman joining as special guest on every date. Tom Shear will bring material from the album “Null” to club venues in Germany and Sweden.

The tour follows summer festival appearances for Assemblage 23, including a performance at Amphi Festival. “Null,” the project’s tenth studio album, was released via Metropolis Records on 7 November 2025.

Mari Kattman, joining all headline dates as special guest, is known for her solo work as well as her role in Helix, her ongoing collaboration with Tom Shear, and mastering work for numerous artists across the industrial, EBM and synthpop scenes.

Tour dates for Assemblage 23

Assemblage 23 plays the following dates in October 2026, with Mari Kattman as special guest throughout:

• 20 October – Karlsruhe, Germany – Die Stadtmitte
• 21 October – Oberhausen, Germany – Kulttempel
• 22 October – Hamburg, Germany – Indra Musikclub
• 23 October – Jonkoping, Sweden – SektorF
• 24 October – Hannover, Germany – SubKultur

About Assemblage 23

Assemblage 23 is the American electro-industrial and futurepop project of Tom Shear, who debuted with the album “Contempt” in 1999. “Failure” followed in 2001 and found traction in dance clubs, before Shear signed to Metropolis Records and released “Defiance” in 2002 and “Storm” in 2003. The 2007 album “Meta” produced the single “Binary,” which reached the Top 25 of the Billboard U.S. singles chart, and was followed by “Compass” in 2009, “Bruise” in 2012, “Endure” in 2016 and “Mourn” in 2020.

In 2018, Shear launched Helix, a side project with vocalist Mari Kattman that blends electronics, organic instrumentation and vocal harmonies across trip-hop, dub, dream pop and synthpop influences. Kattman, based in Providence, Rhode Island, has also lent vocals to acts including Mesh, Psy’Aviah, iVardensphere, Aesthetische, Neuroticfish and Solitary Experiments, and released her own material through COP International and Metropolis Records. Assemblage 23 released its tenth studio album, “Null,” via Metropolis Records on 7 November 2025, preceded by the singles “Tolerate” and “Believe.” The October 2026 European tour, with Kattman as support on every date, brings “Null” to club audiences in Germany and Sweden following the band’s summer festival run.

Britta Pirkko

For almost 15 years I’ve been writing about music, interviewing artists and reviewing releases for Peek-A-Boo Magazine. Recently, I also launched my own WordPress website, where I continue to share interviews, reviews and news from the underground scene. The darker side of music has been part of my life for more than 30 years, with a passion for everything from ’80s synthpop and New Wave to EBM, Futurepop and dark electronic music in general. Also Metal and Rock is part of my world. Away from the scene, I work in a public library, where books are part of my everyday life. I enjoy both fiction and non-fiction, especially books on politics, religion, health and travel. I’m also a fan of thrillers and horror films. When I’m not listening to music or reading, you’ll usually find me exploring nature, enjoying a good sauna, experimenting with vegan cooking, or travelling to my second home, Finland. I’ve always believed the underground has the best stories. My job is simply to help tell them

Assemblage 23’s Tom Shear is one of those artists who needs no introduction. Since his first album, “Contempt”, released in 1999 under the name Assemblage 23, he has become known worldwide within the Electro underground scene. He introduced a sense of innovation through carefully blended EBM and Electro/Wave-Pop influences. The label ‘Future-Pop’ was quickly adopted—a genre within genres that today is rarely discussed, except with a touch of nostalgia. Tom Shear went on to create several acclaimed albums and club hits.

This year,  we welcomed the Assemblage 23 album “Null”, released on Metropolis Records. It is already Assemblage 23’s tenth album, and once again it sounds like a true tour de force. The songs move between floating, atmospheric moments and harder, sometimes rawer, dancefloor-oriented tracks. The lyrics, delivered by Tom Shear in his naturally charismatic voice, are equally substantial. Tom Shear doesn’t just speak through his music – his lyrics have something to say as well. Tom explains more in the following interview. (Picture credits by Mari Shear / Interview courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: “Null” is now your tenth Assemblage 23 album. What was the initial impetus or starting point for this release? Do you usually have a clear idea in advance of how a new work will sound and which themes it will explore? How did that process unfold this time?

Tom: No, I really have no idea how it’s going to turn out until I am nearly done. The seed that starts things off is just an idea. I sketch things out over time for ideas that I think might have promise and one day I just start to flesh it out. Sometimes, even after I think I have a good start, I might decide I need to scrap it and start over. I’m always sort of guided by this nebulous idea of what the song will end up sounding like, but a lot of times that changes as the songs develop and new possibilities reveal themselves.

Q: The title “Null” can be interpreted in many ways and feels like a powerful metaphor. What exactly lies behind it for you?

Tom: I like the duality of the word and words like ‘zero’ or ‘nothing’. Whether the absence of something is a positive thing or a negative thing depends entirely on context. I think in some ways, it’s a good metaphor for the way the world works. We’re always so tempted to want things to be simple or black and white, but reality is nuanced and complex. I think the way so many look past the nuance and context of things is a good part of why the world is in the state it’s in now.

Q: The content of your writing has always felt important — often reflecting a critical awareness of the world, but also of yourself. What meaning, value, or power do your lyrics hold for you in terms of processing or regulating your own emotions?

Tom: I never wanted to write lyrics, and if I’m being totally honest, I still really don’t. I find it the most challenging and least ‘fun’ part of creating a song, but I also strongly believe that you need to put as much effort into the words as you do the music.

The world doesn’t really need more songs with shitty lyrics, so I always stress myself out about them. But the end result, if I come up with something I’m really happy with, is a good feeling, and there’s no question that it can be extremely cathartic to get something that’s been weighing on you out of your head and into a song. But honestly, the greatest reward is hearing from a fan or someone who found comfort or meaning in something I wrote. That’s the part that makes the difficulty of the process feel worthwhile.

Q: I sense that there is also a call for hope embedded in this Assemblage 23 album. Do you believe things can still turn out well for our world and its leaders? And what kind of influence or power do ordinary people — and artists — have within that hope?

Tom: I think in difficult times, hope is an important candle to keep burning. I don’t generally have a lot of faith in humanity. There’s no doubt we’ve achieved amazing things in our time, but those are points along a very long line where most of the time we’re acting like big, dumb, violent monkeys. I think our leaders are kind of a lost cause. It’s mostly just a bunch of wealthy sociopaths who are attracted to the trappings of power it affords them. Serving their constituents is a distant second to that, if it’s a real concern at all. Where my hope lies is with the rest of us. Yes, even in our big, dumb monkey moments, I think most people know right from wrong and justice from injustice. We have undeniable power in numbers. I just fear that things are going to have to get so much worse before people decide that things must change.

Q: Are there particular tracks on “Null,” or perhaps even one key track, that you consider essential for understanding this Assemblage 23 album as a whole — a kind of gateway to the rest?

Tom: I think both of the singles offer a pretty good representation of what the album has to say. It kind of demonstrates the balance of positive and negative throughout the rest of the album.

Q: How did the composition and production process of “Null” develop, and were there any elements or techniques that felt innovative or new for you this time around?

Tom: I usually start out with a very bare bones ‘skeleton’ of the song. Usually just some simple drums and a bassline. I’ll map out a rough structure for the song, arranging the intro, verses, choruses, breakdown, etc. From there, it’s kind of like decorating a Christmas tree, where I’m hanging new parts onto the skeleton I laid down. A lot of the time, I’ll just loop a section and start playing around with sounds until I find something I like, and gradually all those additional parts form a complete musical arrangement. When I’m pretty close to having the music sorted out, I start searching for the vocal melodies and writing the lyrics. Then, once I’ve recorded the vocals, it’s time to do the final mixdown. I tend to mix a little bit as I am writing the song, but there’s always still plenty to be done at that final stage.
As for new (to me) techniques. I took a bit of a different approach to sounds this time. In the past, I’d spend a lot of time programming a sound that had most of the qualities I was looking for. Which is all well and good, but sometimes it falls short of the ‘ideal’ I’m imagining in my head. So this time I took a more modular approach. I’d break down what the qualities of the sound I was imagining in my head, and treat those as individual instruments. So, if I wanted a bass sound with a lot of impact, with a very subby low-end, but a crisp and super-wide high-end, I’d create it out of three separate layers, with each filling its own purpose. Glue them together with a little compression, and it just sounds like a single sound that has all the qualities you wanted. I’ve always done a lot of layering, but this was a more focused approach.

Q: Speaking of innovation, AI has now firmly entered the music world. How do you view this evolution, and where do you think it’s heading — especially given the concern that creativity and talent might become secondary?

Tom: That’s the one thing that baffles me about AI. We have this tool that has the potential to relieve us of the things we hate doing, and yet so many people are using it to replace what’s supposed to be a joyful and fulfilling process – making something from nothing. Creativity isn’t just plopping out the end result in a single go. Creativity is the process. The end result is only the way it is because of that process. This is why I say we’re all a bunch of big, dumb monkeys. We could be using this to solve mankind’s greatest problems. Or, we could use it to draw a picture of what Abraham Lincoln would look like with big tits. Guess which one more people are doing?

Q: Your music feels, more than ever, like a fusion of different influences. What actually shapes your compositional process for Assemblage 23, and do you work with specific references or criteria in mind?

Tom: I think what constitutes a musician’s ‘style’ is really just a collection of the things they’ve absorbed from records they’ve heard over the years that made an impression on them. The stuff you like, works its way into your sound, and the stuff you don’t, doesn’t. And if what you imagine doesn’t exist, then you have to create it from scratch, but it will still be going through that filter of all those little musical lessons you learned from other people’s music. I don’t usually have a strict idea of how a song is going to sound from the start. Just a general tempo and a chord progression. If I get stuck, the first thing I always do is throw on the ‘discovery’ station on  Apple Music and skip around until I find something that catches my ear. Then I see if there’s a way to apply something from that song to what I’m working on.

Q: After all these years and now ten Assemblage 23 albums — not counting your side projects — what keeps your creativity sharp? And how essential is the drive toward innovation for you?

Tom: I’ve always liked the comparison of creativity to a bucket. Not necessarily that creativity is a finite resource, but that it’s important to refill it frequently. That can be from seeing live music, watching a film, reading a poem, or anything that has the ability to provoke thought and inspire you. I’ve always felt that A23 is in a constant state of refinement. I’m not looking to turn music on its head and create a never-before-heard genre. I just want to make music that sounds good to me. As time goes on, I learn more, I get better tools, and I get a bit closer to that ‘perfect’ song all of us musicians strive for, but realistically know we’ll never attain.

Q: Your wife, known to many as Mari Kattman, is an artist in her own right. To what extent is she your first listener and critic? And how much do you influence each other’s ideas and creative decisions?

Tom: She is for sure my first listener and critic, and the same is true in reverse. We’re coming from different places and have different opinions, but we always try to offer each other constructive feedback. The best feedback is when I hear her humming something I was working on or I wake up in the morning telling her I couldn’t fall asleep because I had a song she’s working on stuck in my head.

Q: What does the future hold for your joint project Helix, and for Assemblage 23?

Tom: I’m slowly, but surely getting started on working on some new material. It always takes me a while to transition from working on A23 stuff to Helix stuff, for some reason, so I have no real idea of when I’d be shooting to get something out. It’s too exhausting to think about after just having finished “Null” not so long ago.

Q: As we approach a new year: apart from “Null,” what do you consider the most important musical event of 2026 — and what were your favorite songs or albums of the year?

Tom: For me, the only musical event for most of this year was finishing this album. I pretty much completely tuned everything else out so I could stay focused. So I have a lot of catching up and listening to do! Ask me next time! I’m sure I’ll have some new favorites.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

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Tom Shear will forever be associated with the rise of Future-Pop, even if the term itself has faded significantly over the years. With his long-running project Assemblage 23, Shear has always carved out his own space in the Electronic landscape. He also tends to take his time between releases, and “Null” arrives a full five years after its predecessor, “Mourn”.

Musically, Assemblage 23 continues to occupy a distinctive position somewhere between Electro-Pop and EBM—a zone he shares with artists like Rotersand, who similarly possess a strong, unmistakable sonic identity. The tracks on “Null” are meticulously constructed, building toward choruses that erupt with emotional and melodic force. The album manages to feel both airborne and aggressive, a combination that gives it remarkable dynamic tension.

Some songs come across as raw, slightly unpolished, yet they’re simultaneously refined with subtle production nuances and finely crafted effects. And, of course, there’s Tom Shear’s charismatic voice, which continues to carry a rare emotional weight within this genre.

“Null” is a record with soul—but also with grit and power. It reaffirms Assemblage 23’s status as one of the leading and most enduringly relevant acts in its genre. (Rating:8½).

Listen to “Overthrow”:

Read the news on ‘Null’.

About Assemblage 23

Assemblage 23 is a US electronic project founded in 1988 by Tom Shear in Exton, Pennsylvania. The project mixes futurepop, electro-industrial, synth-pop, and EBM. Early releases appeared through Gashed! Records before a long-term partnership with Metropolis Records in North America and Accession Records in Europe.

Shear built the project as a one-person studio act, circulating demos through the 1990s that were later collected on “Early, Rare, and Unreleased 1988-1998”. The debut album “Contempt” arrived in 1999 on the Canadian label Gashed!. “Failure” (2001) began the long relationship with Metropolis and Accession, followed by “Defiance” (2002), “Storm” (2004), and “Meta” (2007). “Mourn” appeared on September 11, 2020, and a 20th-anniversary edition of “Failure” followed in 2021 with a new mix by Shear.

Shear also records as Nerve Filter and Surveillance, and since 2017 as Helix with vocalist Mari Kattman. “Null” arrived on Metropolis Records on November 7, 2025, preceded by the single “Tolerate”, five years after “Mourn”.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Assemblage 23, the US electro-industrial/futurepop project led by Tom Shear, will release its tenth studio album, “Null”, via Metropolis Records on 7 November 2025. The 10-track record is the first full-length since 2020’s “Mourn” and was preceded by the singles “Tolerate” and “Believe”.

On “Believe”, Shear says: “This song is about believing that there is hope for better things… In the face of bad times, sometimes the most subversive thing you can do is to have hope.” You can check out both tracks below. A short UK/Germany tour will begin today 15 October.

“Null” will be available digitally, on CD, and on vinyl, with no special editions. Shear himself described it as “a very clubby and energetic album.”

Assemblage 23 UK/Germany Tour

• 15th October – Bristol Exchange
• 16th October – Manchester Rebellion
• 17th October – Glasgow Ivory Blacks
• 18th October – Sheffield Corporation
• 19th October – London The Dome
• 20th October – Oberhausen Kulttempel

About Assemblage 23

Assemblage 23 is a US electronic project founded in 1988 by Tom Shear in Exton, Pennsylvania. The project is brings a mix of futurepop, electro-industrial, synth-pop, and EBM. Early releases appeared via Gashed! Records before a long-term partnership with Metropolis Records (US) and Accession Records (EU).

Shear started writing and recording as Assemblage 23 in 1988, developing the project as a one-person studio act. Throughout the 1990s he circulated demos and compilation tracks that were later documented on the collection “Early, Rare, and Unreleased 1988–1998”. The debut album “Contempt” arrived in 1999 on the Canadian label Gashed!.

In 2001, Assemblage 23’s second album “Failure” marked the start of a long relationship with Metropolis Records in North America and Accession Records in Europe (earlier material was subsequently reissued by these labels). A steady cadence followed with “Defiance” (2002) and “Storm” (2004).

The albums “Meta” (2007), “Compass” (2009), and “Bruise” (2012) refined Assemblage 23’s musical sound with a denser sound design and a balance between dancefloor tracks and mid-tempo songs. During this period the live configuration became stable with Shear on vocals/programming, Paul Seegers on keyboards, and Mike Jenney on drums.

“Endure” was released on August 28, 2016 (Metropolis). “Mourn” followed on September 11, 2020. In 2021, a 20th-anniversary edition of “Failure” appeared on 2CD and 2LP, featuring a new mix by Tom Shear (mastered by Da5id Din) and an additional disc of remixes.

“Null”, the next full-length, is scheduled for November 7, 2025 with the lead single “Tolerate” preceding the album.

Shear also records as Nerve Filter (instrumental/experimental electronics) and Surveillance (an EBM-centric project). Since 2017 he has released music as Helix with vocalist Mari Kattman. These projects run parallel to Assemblage 23 and occasionally share personnel and production approaches.

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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US industrial synth-pop act Assemblage 23 releases the digital single “Tolerate” today via Metropolis Records, as the first preview of the forthcoming studio album “Null”, set for November 7, 2025.

The single “Tolerate” is released as a digital-only track. “Null” will follow in digital, CD, and vinyl formats. Tom Shear confirmed there will be no special editions for the new record: “Just 10 tracks that I put everything I’ve got into,” with mastering by Da5id Din (Corrosive Audio).

A short preview clip for “Tolerate” is available on the official YouTube channel, alongside an earlier teaser.

Pre-orders for “Null” are live on Bandcamp, where “Tolerate” appears as the instant-grat track.

Assemblage 23 UK/Germany Tour

• 15th October – Bristol Exchange
• 16th October – Manchester Rebellion
• 17th October – Glasgow Ivory Blacks
• 18th October – Sheffield Corporation
• 19th October – London The Dome
• 20th October – Oberhausen Kulttempel

About Assemblage 23

Assemblage 23 is a US electronic project founded in 1988 by Tom Shear in Exton, Pennsylvania. The project is brings a mix of futurepop, electro-industrial, synth-pop, and EBM. Early releases appeared via Gashed! Records before a long-term partnership with Metropolis Records (US) and Accession Records (EU).

Shear started writing and recording as Assemblage 23 in 1988, developing the project as a one-person studio act. Throughout the 1990s he circulated demos and compilation tracks that were later documented on the collection “Early, Rare, and Unreleased 1988–1998”. The debut album “Contempt” arrived in 1999 on the Canadian label Gashed!.

In 2001, Assemblage 23’s second album “Failure” marked the start of a long relationship with Metropolis Records in North America and Accession Records in Europe (earlier material was subsequently reissued by these labels). A steady cadence followed with “Defiance” (2002) and “Storm” (2004).

The albums “Meta” (2007), “Compass” (2009), and “Bruise” (2012) refined Assemblage 23’s musical sound with a denser sound design and a balance between dancefloor tracks and mid-tempo songs. During this period the live configuration became stable with Shear on vocals/programming, Paul Seegers on keyboards, and Mike Jenney on drums.

“Endure” was released on August 28, 2016 (Metropolis). “Mourn” followed on September 11, 2020. In 2021, a 20th-anniversary edition of “Failure” appeared on 2CD and 2LP, featuring a new mix by Tom Shear (mastered by Da5id Din) and an additional disc of remixes.

“Null”, the next full-length, is scheduled for November 7, 2025 with the lead single “Tolerate” preceding the album.

Shear also records as Nerve Filter (instrumental/experimental electronics) and Surveillance (an EBM-centric project). Since 2017 he has released music as Helix with vocalist Mari Kattman. These projects run parallel to Assemblage 23 and occasionally share personnel and production approaches. Read the review of ‘Null’.

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 alternative / post-punk project …And We All Die, based between Texas and D.C., returns to celebrate Halloween with their new 4-track single / EP, “Static Age”. Musically the release blends hardcore, post-punk, noise-rock and industrial influences. “Static Age” by …And We All Die is available from 31 October 2024 via download from Bandcamp, and streaming from Spotify and all the usual digital music platforms.

You can however already catch an exclusive streaming of the …And We All Die feat. Gost track “TV Casualty (Industrial Mix)” right here on Side-Line!

The single is centred around covers of the Misfits’ “Static Age” and “TV Casualty”, augmented with two industrial-infused reworkings of the tracks featuring Metal Blade synthwave artist Gost. The Misfits are an American punk rock band often recognized as the pioneers of the horror punk subgenre, blending punk and other musical influences with horror film themes and imagery.

Founder Raymond Burton Estes, says: “We chose these Misfits covers because they’re great songs from the band’s early era that lend themselves to interpretation. We leaned into their heavier elements but chose a more post-punk or noise-rock approach, rather than a straightforward punk or metal one. Our releases usually come out in the Spring, but Halloween is a more appropriate time to share these songs and celebrate the Misfits.”

This release features Raymond Burton Estes on vocals and bass; joined by longtime friends and fellow East Texans, Walter Lee (Rockett Queen) on drums, and guitarist Guillermo Murillo (The Half Guided Hearts). Adding extra spice to the title track, the core trio is augmented by Shelby Cinca (catbeats) on additional guitar.

Both Estes and Lee play in Texas hardcore band Eleventh Hour together, while Estes has also been a touring bassist for Pop Unknown and Total Chaos. Cinca, now based in Sweden, previously played with D.C. post-hardcore outfit Frodus. Estes says: “…it was great having members of ‘90s hardcore bands collaborate on a Misfits song. Perhaps it’s a taste of what to expect with some …And We All Die in the future.”

James Lollar (a.k.a. Gost) has in turn been enlisted for synths on industrial versions of each song; with further synths and programming provided by William Faith (The Bellwether Syndicate).

About …And We All Die

…And We All Die first took shape around the year 2000 as an effort to collaborate with a diverse group of friends and artists; and with the idea of fusing heavy music in the vein of UK82 punk rock, US hardcore, and industrial bands (Exploited, Integrity, Ministry) with darker, melodic post-punk music (The Cure, New Order, The Sisters of Mercy).

From their self-titled debut in 2016, to the “Modern Day Privateers (Remixes)” collection in 2018, …And We All Die in 2024 continues to develop a rather distinct combination of hardcore, post-punk, dark alternative, noise-rock, and industrial music.

Asked what …And We All Die has been up to since 2018, Estes says: “We have been busy recording songs and have several releases in the works, including a dark industrial rock album; an EP of Cure covers; a rock record; and at least one new punk rock song. Our next release will be this dark album with a broad range of influences – post-punk, industrial, and noise rock. John Gable of post-punk revival band Knifight did the bulk of the
production, and it’s headed to William Faith for post-production and mixing. We hope to get this record finished and released in 2025.”

“Static Age” is the first new release from …And We All Die since 2018’s “Modern Day Privateers (Remixes)”, which featured such acts and musicians as Daniel Ash (Bauhaus, Love and Rockets, Tones On Tail), Assemblage 23, Gost, Ego Likeness, The Gothsicles, and others.

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!

side-line.com

“The Breaking Waves” is the title of the new Llumen album which comes as a 2CD set / Bandcamp download and which is available now. The album was already teased in November with the EP “Die Stille Totgeschwiegen”.

Llumen is the project by Belgian artist Pieter Coussement who brings a very updated EBM blending it with influences from old-school EBM, techno, and future pop. Influenced by acts like Front 242, Haujobb, Diorama, Assemblage 23, Suicide Commando or yet Covenant, Pieter has been able to develop an own mature sound.

Following the 2017 debut album “The Memory Institute” and the 2021 release “Polygon Heart”, “The Breaking Waves” is his 3rd album to date.

The accompanying CD holds remixes, edits, reinterpretations plus collaborations with Grendel, Aesthetische, Aiboforcen, Neuroactive, Implant, Mind.Divided, Dimethoxy, J Wølf, Nacht Nackt and The Saint Paul.

You can check out the full album below. Recommended!

Eldrina Mich

As Eldrina Mich I work as a go-between and a devil’s advocate when it comes to Side-Line. If our own staff needs to be interviewed then ask the questions no one else dares to ask.

www.side-line.com

Goth pop act Metamorph has a new album out, “Hex”. “Hex” is out via Distortion Productions and comes with the video for the title track.

Thematically the album handles love, personal empowerment and the hidden secrets of sacred geometry. Margot Day adds: “‘Hex’ is like a lover slowly undressing, revealing the secrets of the universe encoded in melodies, seducing you to unlock the enchanting mysteries of your being.”

“Hex” was produced by the band and Cleopatra recording artist, Erik Gustafson. The album is available on CD and on all digital platforms via Distortion Productions. Also included on the album are remixes by Grendel (“Veridia”) and Moris Blak and Assemblage 23 who tackled “Woo Woo”.

Metamorph was founded in 2016 and stars native New Yorker, multi-range vocalist, flute player and songwriter, Margot Day, who was an integral part of the 80’s NYC goth scene while fronting the legendary band, The Plague with drummers Nick Ferrell (Spahn Ranch) and Damian (Misfits).

Margot Day was bandmates with Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys in her first band Slow Walk 13 and later with Joey Smur Kryzwonski (Motograter) in her project Sacred.

Next to Margot we also find Kurtis Knight and Thaliana.

Here’s the full album to check out.

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!

side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Cinematic, Experimental, Electro.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Jean-Marc Lederman (The Weathermen, Ghost & Writer, Gene Loves Jezebel ao)is back on track with a new and already conceptual work. The album title speaks for itself. The Belgian Electro pioneer has been assisted by Tom Shear (Assemblage 23), Christina Z, Jim Semonik (Red Lokust), Mari Kattman, Emileigh Rohn (Chiasm), Ken Magerman, Daz Sharp, Julianne Regan, Jim Marcus (Die Warzau) and Sapphira Vee.

Content: Lederman composed the music for the impressive list of guest singers. The music is filled with explicit astral sound treatments and -atmospheres. The slow rhythms together with the different singers make it more accessible while a few passages are more into Electro-Pop and danceable passages. The main characteristic of the work is the narrating format of the singers interpreting extracts of sci-fi stories.

+ + + : Jean-Marc Lederman moves on exorcizing his endless creative thoughts and concepts with one of his most creative and ambitious works ever. It’s not only about music -which totally stands for the concept of the album revealing a ‘space’-like dimension but also the accomplishment of a wider- and higher artistic goal. There’s a kind of cyber-puzzle wherein the listener/visitor has to unlock every single track.You really have to experience it on your own to realize what it’s all about.

– – – : The importance of the concept is maybe undermining a tiny bit the music itself.

Conclusion: Jean-Marc Lederman revisited sci-fi themes which must have been a piece of cake as he’s for sure the one and only sci-fi musician from the Electronic scene.

Best songs: “The Eyes Have It​!​ Feat. Ken Magerman”, “Titanium Aegis feat. Christina Z”.

Rate: 7½. 

Artist: www.jmlederman.com / www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100056370733178

Label: www.facebook.com/copint

Side-Line previously covered “Sci-Fi Revisited”, an audiobook and puzzle-game package accompanying the album, released via COP International.

Listen to “Sci-Fi Revisited”:

About Jean-Marc Lederman

Jean-Marc Lederman is a Belgian electronic musician known for his work with Fad Gadget, The The, Gene Loves Jezebel, The Weathermen, Ghost & Writer with Frank Spinath of Seabound, and Rohn-Lederman with Emileigh Rohn of Chiasm. Released under the Jean-Marc Lederman Experience name via COP International, “Sci-Fi Revisited” was produced, arranged and played by Lederman and features Tom Shear, Christina Z, Jim Semonik, Mari Kattman, Emileigh Rohn, Ken Magerman, Daz Sharp, Julianne Regan, Jim Marcus and Sapphira Vee, accompanied by a 12-page micro comic book and a computer puzzle game.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Jean-Marc Lederman, known for his work with Fad Gadget, The The, Gene Loves Jezebel, The Weathermen, Ghost & Writer (with Frank Spinath from Seabound), and Rohn-Lederman with Emileigh from Chiasm, presents an audiobook of short sci-fi tales, “Sci-Fi Revisited”. The book is narrated by various singers and musicians, and it is accompanied by a computer puzzle game. The package also includes a 12-page micro book with 11 pulp covers.

Released under the The Jean-Marc Lederman Experience moniker, “Sci-Fi Revisited” features Tom Shear (Assemblage 23), Christina Z, Jim Semonik (Red Lokust), Mari Kattman, Emileigh Rohn (Chiasm), Ken Magerman, Daz Sharp, Julianne Regan, Jim Marcus (Die Warzau), and Sapphira Vee.

This release is a co-production between Les Disques De La Pantoufle and COP International. It was produced, arranged, and played by Jean-Marc Lederman. The images for the website and cover were prompted by Kevin B. Lederman. The lab/vault website and video game were developed by Kevin B. Lederman, courtesy of https://blackfoot.io/.

The album is available through COP International and on their Bandcamp page. Note that the CD version comes in a limited edition of just 100 hand numbered copies. It holds a 12-page micro book on 230 gram paper. You also get access to a puzzle game to unlock the 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!

side-line.com

Emileigh Rohn, the artistic force behind Chiasm, has released her latest EP titled “Cut Right Through” via COP International. This record serves as a preview to her seventh studio album, “Zone”. The EP features collaborations with artists such as Assemblage 23, Mildreda, :10, and hEADaCHE.

Recorded at MausHaus Studio over a span of three years (2020-2023), “Cut Right Through” offers an eclectic mix of electronic music navigating through various sub-genres, from dancefloor-ready anthems to glitch-infused tracks. The EP surely showcases Rohn’s versatility and unique approach to electronic music.

Mastering of the EP was done by Jean-Marc Lederman, ensuring a top-notch audio quality. The visual aspect of the EP was in the hands of Christian Petke/DCore providing artwork that complements the musical content.

You can check out the new 7-track EP right now, including on Bandcamp.

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!

side-line.com

Out now is the new single from Cop International signee Mari Kattman called “URGOD.AI”. “URGOD.AI” comes backed by the B-side “Lower Yourself”.

Mari Kattman has been self-recording, writing, composing, and live performing music since 2012. Currently, she operates under the Mari Kattman name as a solo artist and worked with Tom Shear, of Assemblage 23, on a project called Helix.

She has been collaborating with such artists as Mesh, Ivardensphere, Jean-Marc Lederman, Psy’Aviah, Aesthetiche, Neuroticfish BlackCarBurning, Cassetter, This Morn Omina, Solitary Experiments, Mephisto Walz, Aiboforcen, Interface and Comaduster. She also has worked on many other label releases including ones for Metropolis Records, Alfa Matrix, FiXT and will release her solo work on COP International.

You can check out the new 2-track single below.

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!

side-line.com

The Italian Futurepop/EBM band Stars Crusaders has released “M.A.T.E.R. Remixed,” a new album featuring reworked versions of tracks from their 2022 album “M.A.T.E.R.”. The remix album includes contributions from bands like Faderhead, Assemblage 23, ES23, Accessory, as well as label mates Unity One, Chem, and Roobanok.

Founded in 2013, Stars Crusaders is a four-member electronic band from Italy that combines elements of synthpop, futurepop, and EBM. A lyric video for the track “Ishtar (Faderhead Remix)” is also available.

Here’s the lyric video for “Ishtar (Faderhead Remix)”.

You can get the remix album right now on Bandcamp.

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!

side-line.com

The industrial label Glitchmode Recordings has announced the October 16th release of Derision Cult’s “The Mercenary Mixes”. “The Mercenary Mixes” is a sixteen-track remix series that follows the Derision Cult EP “Mercenary Notes Pt 1”. On remix duties we find Assemblage 23, Moris Blak, Stoneburner, SpankTheNun and Stabbing Westward among others.

The Mercenary Mixes will be available in its entirety on October 16th via Bandcamp while individual singles will be released in the coming weeks.

The previously released “Mercenary Notes Pt. 1” EP was the result of a collaboration between Dave McAnally and Sean Payne (Cyanotic), Reeves Gabrels (David Bowie, The Cure), Chris Connelly (Ministry, Pigface), plus Justin K Broadrick (Godflesh).

You can already check the Assemblage 23 remix below.

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!

side-line.com

Out now is an Assemblage 23 remix of the Elezoria track “Temporary”. “Temporary” is taken from the project’s second album, “Apart”.

Behind the synthpop/darkwave project Elezoria we find Dmitry Nordman. Initially, Elezoria was created as a field for experiments with gothic electronic sound. Gradually a new style of the band was formed, combining synthpop, darkwave and EBM elements with a noticeable influence of the European dark-synth wave of 90s.

The single holds two tracks, the Assemblage 23 remix and an instrumental version of that remix.

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!

side-line.com

The synthpop/industrial band Distorted Reality is back with an all new single, “I Can’t Imagine”. “I Can’t Imagine” addresses the idea of being in a relationship with someone for a long time while realizing the relationship is essentially over. No one wants to make the scary move of ending it. It’s a difficult and heartbreaking split because you both still love each other. In this case, however, love is not enough.

“I Can’t Imagine” is available on all major digital platforms including Bandcamp.

Below you can see a video for the new single.

Distorted Reality was formed by Martha A. Hoffmann from Miami, USA and Christian Kobusch from Berlin, Germany, the creator of musical project Berlin Banter. Martha is the lead singer of Deep Red, the American Electro-Goth formation. Deep Red was touring in support of Project Pitchfork when a chance meeting between Marttha and Christian happened at a tour stop in Germany, Martha and Christian began to discuss their ideas.

Subsequently, Distorted Reality was formed after the two kept in touch over the course of a year during which, a collection of songs were created. Distorted Reality’s debut album “The Fine Line Between Love and Hate” was produced together with Bruno Kramm (Das Ich) and released on May 17, 2002 on Accession Records and re-released on the American record label Nilaihah Records. The North American version contained additional remixes by Assemblage 23, Forma Tadre, cut.rate.box and Null Device.

In 2004/2005 Martha and Christian worked on their second album “Daydreams and Nightmares” together with Andreas Meyer (Forma Tadre, Newt). Artists like Bruno Kramm, Daniel Myer (Haujobb), In Strict Confidence, Dust of Basement and Chris L. (Agonoize) contributed remixes to this album.

During the COVID-19 lockdown, the band decided to put out a new single (performed live), “I Knew it Was Wrong”, in January 2021. 2022 then saw another collaboration with Solitary Experiments where Martha was part of a special bonus CD, “La Voix de La Femme”, with her interpretation of their song “I am”. Most recently, Christian and Berlin Banter collaborated on a single with Tricky.

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!

side-line.com

CARV.R, the Providence (Rhode Island) based dark synth-pop project from producer Cristian Carver, has recently released their newest single “Deflect” which you can get here.

“This track is personal to me,” states CARV.R, “the single was inspired by individuals who evaded responsibility for their actions and instead portrayed themselves as victims, a frustrating and disheartening experience many can relate to.”

The track includes vocals from Mari Kattman (COP International), who collaborates with Tom Shear of Assemblage 23 on a project named Helix. Regarding the partnership, Cristian Carver comments: “When I composed the instrumental for ‘Deflect,’ I was certain that Mari was the ideal person for the track. Her vocals blend seamlessly with the music, and her lyrics truly encapsulate the original concept of the song.”

Following the release of “Deflect,” a remix of the track is set to launch on Friday, 19th May. The remix was produced by Alex. A video for the single is available, and the track can be accessed now from all download and streaming services.

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 Australian dark electro pair Avarice In Audio, comprised of Gerry Hawkins and Lawrie, returns with an enticing new 4-track EP titled “War Tanz”. “War Tanz” is quite a powerful track and one of my personal favorites on the band’s last album “Our Idols Are Filth”.

“War Tanz” serves as the second single from their recently launched 5th album, “Our Idols Are Filth”. Alongside the title track, the EP features three additional tracks, including a remix by Avarice In Audio’s own Studio-X, a rendition by Columbia’s Alien:Nation, and an exclusive bonus track called “Downer Grooves”.

The single is now available for download on Bandcamp.

Here’s the video for “War Tanz”.

Formed in early 2013 the project has since released a string of albums and EPs.

Albums:

• Shine & Burn – 2014
• Apollo & Dionysus – 2016
• No Punishment: No Paradise – 2018
• From The Rib Of Adam – 2020
• Our Idols Are Filth – 2022

Singles & EPs:

• Frostbite – 2014
• World Without Song – 2015
• Bleed As One – 2015
• The Cassandra Complex – 2015
• Anthracite Nights – 2016
• Crystal Tears – 2016
• Lie To Me – 2017
• Wolves At The Door – 2018
• Our Cold Hands – 2018
• Trojan Horse – 2020
• I Pray (Feat. Assemblage 23) – 2021
• The Language Of Violence – 2022
• War Tanz – 2023

Side-Line also covered Avarice In Audio’s ‘Wicked Die Alone’.

Eldrina Mich

As Eldrina Mich I work as a go-between and a devil’s advocate when it comes to Side-Line. If our own staff needs to be interviewed then ask the questions no one else dares to ask.

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Out via COP International on October 21st is the all new EP for Mark Hockings (mesh) and more precisely for his side-project Blackcarburning.

The opener “Divide Us” is a collaboration with Mari Kattman (of Helix with Tom Shear of Assemblage 23) in a production by John Fryer. The other tracks have Hockings on vocals. All versions are exclusive to this EP and only “Divide Us” will be on his upcoming album.

The project launched its very first release in 2021 with the self-released singles “The Mirror (Shattered Tones)” and “The Mirror”. After signing with COP International the project released the singles “All About You”, “Reset” and “Everything Worked Out”.

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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Genre/Influences: EBM, dark-Electro, Industrial.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: American Paul Graham is back on track unleashing the fourth album of his Tragic Impulse project.

Content: The work takes off with the previously released single title-track “Oubliette” reminding us of the main influences of Tragic Impulse: EBM empowered with Dark-Electro and Industrial elements. The songs also reveal a catchy touch emerging at the choruses. I also noticed a few unexpected songs reminding the Industrial fury of Ministry or the Electronic sound intelligence of Clock DVA. You’ll also discover other tracks with Technoid elements. 

+ + + : Tragic Impulse has evolved in the global writing- and production process. The composition is more elaborated and intelligent -especially when listening to “Parasite”. But the main approach remains a perfect sonic symbiosis between EBM and Dark-Electro with catchy elements on top. Sometimes the work reminds me of the imaginary offspring between God Module and Assemblage 23. The opening cuts of the album are mind-blowing and featuring the best exponents I’ve ever heard from Paul Graham.

– – – : The Ministry-like “Just One Fix” is a cool song, but not exactly fitting among the tracklist.

Conclusion: I’ve always supported the work of Tragic Impulse which has achieved its most mature production to date.

Best songs: “Parasite”, “Failed Reality”, “Oubliette”, “The Beast Within”, “Energy”, “Singularity”.

Rate: 8½.

Artist: www.facebook.com/tragicimpulse

Label: www.distortionprod.com / www.facebook.com/distortionproductions

About Tragic Impulse

Tragic Impulse is the EBM and industrial project of American musician Paul M. Graham. It grew out of his earlier project Eisengeist, whose track “Apocalyptic Visions” appeared on the extended version of the compilation “Electronic Saviors 2: Recurrence”. Graham retired that project to work in a more club-oriented direction.

The independently released debut album “Machine Parts” came out on Hyperreality Records in 2014, followed by the self-released track “Mr. Stompy” in 2015. Tragic Impulse began playing live in 2016 and signed to Distortion Productions, which issued “Devil On Your Shoulder” in 2017, “Echoes Of The Unseen” and the “Space Force” EP in 2019, and “Distant Worlds” in 2022. The project has also contributed to the “Electronic Saviors 3” and “Electronic Saviors 4” compilations and to remix EPs for artists including Interface and Sonik Foundry.

Graham told Side-Line that “Distant Worlds” was made entirely with software: “There are advantages to hardware for sure, but I’ve found that for my needs, I really don’t need that anymore.” The full conversation is in the ‘Click Interview’ with Tragic Impulse.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

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Out on July 22 is an all new Suicide Commando album and this time Johan Van Roy also hired the voice of Charlotte Nuytkens, finalist of the Belgian edition of “The Voice” on the track “Land of Roses”.

The regular edition comes as double-CD in digipak, featuring a full length bonus-CD with exclusive remixes of album tracks by Suicide Commando itself and befriended artists such as Cryo, Assemblage 23, C-Lekktor, Dead when I found Her, Tactical Sekt and others.

The album is also out as a limited edition double clear vinyl featuring all 10 main tracks of the new album, 3 tracks from 2 deleted singles and an exclusive version of “Kill all Humanity”.

And finally there is also a limited deluxe boxset (666 copies worldwide) which contains:

• The regular digi2CD
• Exclusive bonus 2CD: CD1 contains a ‘Collective Suicide Best of” Album, featuring a selection of the most popular tracks by Suicide Commando, while CD2 is a ‘Collective Suicide’ of rare tracks-compilation
• Customized Suicide Commando cross body bag
• Hand-numbered certificate

Below are some visuals from the 3 versions. Read the review of ‘Goddestruktor’.

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!

side-line.com

Out now is Psy’aviah’s “Can We Make It Rhyme”, a 10-track EP featuring Mari Kattman on vocals. The release is right now available via Bandcamp exclusively.

“Can We Make It Rhyme” is taken from the band’s very recent “Bittersweet” album. As an exclusive B-side, Mari Kattman and Yves Schelpe chose to cover their Soft Cell favorite song “Monoculture”. This 10-track EP features remixes that offer a wide electronic spectrum, two trance dance-driven anthems by Omniks and Karl Roque, whilst the ‘retro club’ edit of “Monoculture” and the Assemblage 23 remix of “Can We Make It Rhyme” will be more for the synthpop dancefloor. The versions of 13th Angel and Jen Draven then again focus more on the song’s core soundpallet.

You can check out the full EP right below and download it from Bandcamp.

Yves Schelpe interviewed Mari Kattman for this release, you can read their conversation right below.

YS: ‘Can We Make It Rhyme’, can you tell your perspective on it when you had the demo and lyrics in your hands? And in what way did it convince you to say, yes I want to collaborate on this song?

MARI: I think the main thing that really made me want to participate in the track, was the meaning of the song that you provided to me. It’s always an honor to try and help make an artist’s vision come into focus, but even better when there is a great meaning behind the music. You also had a friend participating in the demo vocal reel and I loved his vocal style and the way he was reaching for the notes. It was a little different than I was used to but it really inspired me to want to take it to the next level, so I saw it as a challenge.

YS: I remember brainstorming about the music video for this one, and I thought, I need the emotions of Mari on screen for this one. Of course, budget wise, I can’t fly you over, or I can’t come to the US… But how do you feel the music video turned out with these ‘tritone’ colours? As it were your original recordings of yourself performing the song that triggered me making the music video in this colour a lot more, and make it moody, atmospherical, and leave it with an ‘open ending’…

MARI: I was really shocked that you were able to pull off an entire music video concept JUST from the red and blue lights I used to record my part. On top of having the lighting on hand, I thought maybe it was a cool analogy, red and blue together make one of the most beautiful colors of all. So “Can we make it rhyme” seemed like the blending of two different parts harmoniously. I think it was really clever that you moved my takes to the TV and smartphone shots. I also think its insanely cool that you could hire a company to make a music video that was so on point and beautifully shot. It seemed like a lot of planning and work so props to them and however many times they had to listen to the original track while filming.

YS: I knew you since the work of Day Twelve, which I even remixed for… I loved your voice instantly, and then I guess the first track we worked on was ‘Sacrifices’ and ‘Our Common End’. What are your memories on those, and what drew you in to collaborating with me on these tracks?

MARI: Honestly, back during that time, 2012 or so, I was just learning to record myself properly. In my surrounding area, I worked with a lot of musicians growing up who ended up finding other paths in life and abandoned their music projects. I was really having a dry spell finding committed people to work with. I knew I had to build myself on my own, with no help, which was really intimidating. So I started building this portfolio of work and just reaching out to people that I admired to see if they would be interested in working with me. I can’t remember how we connected. I was working with Aesthetische on a few tracks for their album Hybridcore and I think through the Alfa Matrix channels that’s how we started talking.

It was such a breath of fresh air to work with you on those songs and really feel what it’s like to work with other people who have committed their lives to their art and have a firm vision for the things they want to see culminate song by song. I never really had the privilege of that before in my life and I look back fondly on those times and being able to hear my voice placed in a space where it was valued and produced appropriately.

YS: You’ve been growing every year, collaborating with a lot of people – up to the point you were producing your own songs which I so love (e.g. the eat EP). Up to the point now that you are now signed on COP Int. – a huge deal, and something I was waiting for – when will she be signed somewhere as I love your productions! Can you tell us how that went, and how this feels for you?

MARI: Yeah, I mean, I think I have worked with nearly all of my heroes at this point (except for you Peter Heppner!) it’s an incredible place to be when you have broken bread with people who you intensely respect and look up to as far as work ethic and artistry. I feel really honored for the time I have gotten to spend learning from those experiences. There is really something about stepping into another person’s world and having to fit to their working style. None of the collaborators I have ever worked with, work the same and to be versatile because of that is a gift for me.

Signing with COP for my solo music is SUCH a new experience for me. I’ve worked with a lot of record labels in the past but I have never officially been on one alone. I love the fact that these releases are all me, for good or bad, if you hate it there really isn’t anyone to blame but me, but if you LOVE it, well then i’m doing my job. It’s sort of strange to think that I would ever get to this point, it’s a long way to come from 2012 in my room, figuring out how to connect an interface to a microphone and cueing up a DAW. It holds a lot of importance for me and I am so happy to have the support backing this next release up.

YS: Diving a bit deeper into the song ‘OBJECTIFIED’, I love it so much. The hypnotizing pad and arpeggio in the background, a very triphop / hiphop beat that evolves throughout the track. And behind it a very soulful voice telling a compelling story. What triggered you writing the lyrics, and how important is this one for you?”

MARI: Objectified has a pretty clear meaning. I wrote it one day when I was feeling pretty down about the state of how things are for women. Sometimes you don’t feel like you are anything but a piece of meat, and then a “better” piece of meat comes along and it’s all a very shallow state of mind. Women are held to an unfair standard, we are pinned up against one another and compared. We are told “Thats just how it is.” and “Thats just guys being guys.” but it’s exhausting, to be sexualized for everything you do. Oftentimes the sexualization takes the seriousness out of anything you are trying to put meaning into. Its soul shattering when you are trying to use your brain and your passion, knowing that there will always be an element of judgement that has to do with your level of attractiveness.

YS: Can you tell us something about your production process on your solo work, how does your studio look like, and what are your favourite tools in songwriting (both software, and techniques)?

MARI: It’s funny I always feel like my creative process is evolving but oftentimes these days its very organic, like, i’m driving in the car and I just hear this bassline or this melody, I pull out my phone and record myself humming along to whatever is happening in my brain. Then when I get home I rush to my studio desk, take out my midi keyboard and try and hash it out in my DAW. Right now I’m using Bitwig for all of my musical composition but I also love Logic when it comes to recording vocals. I wish that Bitwig and Logic could come together and tighten the audio recording aspect on the Bitwig end. Vocally, I took a course from Berklee on vocal production and now I’m all about panning my voice. It’s very normal for me to take about 5 vocal takes singing the same exact thing and panning them around the stereo field and one phantom center. It makes for a much bigger vocal sound.

Synth wise, I’ve really been focusing on writing synth parts/choosing sounds that don’t overshadow each other and that play nice on top of each other, its a really delicate balance that takes a lot of skill and time to really hear what is going on. Drum wise, it’s all about choosing interesting snares for me right now and layering foley sounds into the snare hits. As far as software goes, I’m really loving Spire and Vital right now, I just love the user interface on that. Vital wins the award for me for easy usability and for ease in tweaking sounds. As far as Plugins goes, I’m always always ALWAYS loving FreshAir for vocals, MondoMod for modulation and Wider for finding places in the mix that instruments can sit where they don’t step on each other.

YS: On the single of ‘Can We Make It Rhyme’ we decided to do a b-side as well, ‘Monoculture’. I was triggered to do this song mainly because of its lyrics and how it has a link almost to the ‘Can We Make It Rhyme’ lyrics in a sense – everyone thinking in blind vision, not open to other views and therefore getting stuck in tunnel vision. In that sense I pulled the cover version into the EP in this context – how do you feel about that, is this world to ‘monoculture’ in its thinking?

MARI: You know, being a person who is starting a new full time career, sometimes I do feel like the world is just one big hamster wheel and there is a lot of pressure to stay in line. It’s tough for creative people to live in a world like that, I often think it is a curse not to be able to do what you love all the time. We are all expected to walk the path that was laid out for us (school, 40 hour a week job, marriage, kids, retire) and you are damned if you want to walk a little different. You get up for work and you fall into bed at night with exhaustion and the days just blend. Its pretty gnarly! Keep us busy enough not to have the energy to care. I think Soft Cell was right on point and I am glad to have been a part of the cover.

YS: Can you lift the veil, give a sneak peek, or tell us something about the upcoming work you will have out on COP Int.?

MARI: My newest EP is out now on COP. It’s a two song EP with some great remixes. It is truly exciting to be showcasing my solo work again. I can’t wait for you to hear it!

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!

side-line.com

Mari Kattman has joined COP International. “Is It Really That Bad” will be the first EP on COP International and will be released on the 13th of May and will feature remixes by Neuroticfish, Rotersand and John Fryer.

Christian Petke / Founder COP International: “Mari brings incredible talent and drive to the table. I absolutely adore the fact that she is not just the singer but the principal songwriter and visionary in this project. She is a force to be reckoned with!”

Mari Kattman has been self-recording, writing, composing, and live performing music since 2012. Currently, she operates under the Mari Kattman name as a solo artist and works with Tom Shear, of Assemblage 23, on a project called Helix. In the past she has collaborated with many artists, including Assemblage 23, Mesh, Ivardensphere, Jean-Marc Lederman, Psy’Aviah, Aesthetiche, Neuroticfish BlackCarBurning, Cassetter, This Morn Omina, Solitary Experiments, Mephisto Walz, Aiboforcen, Interface and Comaduster.

She has worked on many label releases including ones for Metropolis Records, Alfa Matrix, FiXT and now she will call COP International her new home for her solo work.

Here’s the track “Objectified”.

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!

side-line.com

Out now is the newest Stabbing Westward single “Ghost”. Included on the single is also the reimagined version of “Why” from their 1996 album “Wither Blister Burn & Peel”, their second album released on Columbia Records.

The single is rounded out by the Assemblage 23 / Tom Shear “Ghost” remix and Christopher Hall’s own reinterpretation of the title track. The single acts as a teaser for the band’s fifth studio album “Chasing Ghosts”. The original version of the title track was mixed and produced by John Fryer.

Besides the download, the single is also available as a limited CD release in a 4 panel digipack with signed postcard and magnet.

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!

side-line.com

Out now is the brand new album by the electro-industrial act Sys Machine. “Graceful Isolation” counts 13 tracks (including a bunch of remixes including one by Assemblage 23). “Graceful Isolation” is conceptually based around the feelings of isolation and coming to terms with new norms that the past year has brought. The title is derived from the fact that over the course of the album, none of the collaborators were ever in the same room.

Graceful Isolation is available on CD and digital formats and can be ordered via Bandcamp.

And here is the full album to listen to.

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!

side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Future-Pop, Electro-Pop.

Format: Digital, 2CD.

Background/Info: Twenty years ago Assemblage 23 released the successful opus “Failure”. Today this legendary album by Tom Shear got a new mix and mastering plus an extra disc featuring remixes.

Content: “Failure” has to be considered as an album that was originally released in the early years of Future-Pop. I know Tom Shear doesn’t care that much attention about the label of his music, but he was often linked with VNV Nation, Neuroticfish and co. With some recoil this album was a hard-banging Pop format, a kind of evil Electro-Pop sound infused with Industrial components, but still melodic and ultra danceable.

The second disc features exactly the same tracklist, but all of the tracks have been remixed in chronological order by DTSR, Interface, Antiscion, Mari Kattman, Rotersand, Clan Of Xymox, The Gentry, Suicide Commando, patrick codenys and Assemblage 23.

+ + + : “Failure” remains a ‘great’ piece of music. The original magic of songs like “Naked”, “House On Fire”, “Disappoint”, “Divide” and “Awake” hasn’t really changed. It’s even a wonder to see how songs of twenty years old still have this effect. It simply reveals the talent and genius of Tom Shear who’s not only a great musician, but also an artist who is writing intelligent and touching lyrics. I think a band like Assemblage 23 brought us a different kind of Electro-Pop, miles away from the established standards and Depeche Mode-clones. “Failure” can be easily seen as a true reference in this genre.

Among the remixes there’re not only great names, but also a very diversified number of artists. It’s also cool to see Tom’s wife (cf. Mari Kattman) remixing one of the songs. My personal favorite is the most unknown project from the list; UK project Antiscion boosting “House On Fire”. Tom Shear did also a great job remixing “King Of Insects”, which sounds definitely better than the original version.

– – – : I’m not sure this remixed and remastered edition will have a similar effect and impact than 20 years ago, but it’s a homage to a great artist and an essential work in his career.

Conclusion: “Failure” has been brought back to life and it still sounds up to date!

Best songs: “House On Fire”, “Naked”, “Disappoint”, “Awake” + “House On Fire – Antiscion Remix”, “King Of Insects – Assemblage 23 Remix”.

Rate: 8½.

Artist: www.assemblage23.com / www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100044546464584

Label: www.accession-records.de / www.facebook.com/accessionrecords

About Assemblage 23

Assemblage 23 is the electronic project of Tom Shear, who began writing under the name in 1988 in Exton, Pennsylvania. The project mixes futurepop, electro-industrial, synth-pop and EBM. Early demos and compilation tracks were later gathered on “Early, Rare, and Unreleased 1988-1998”, and the debut album “Contempt” appeared in 1999 on the Canadian label Gashed!.

“Failure” followed in 2001 and opened a long partnership with Metropolis Records in North America and Accession Records in Europe. “Defiance” came in 2002 and “Storm” in 2004, followed by “Meta” in 2007, “Compass” in 2009 and “Bruise” in 2012. “Endure” was released on 28 August 2016 and “Mourn” on 11 September 2020.

Shear also records as Nerve Filter and Surveillance, and since 2017 as Helix with vocalist Mari Kattman. Side-Line reported in August 2021 that Assemblage 23 sees ‘Failure’ released as a 20th anniversary edition on 2LP and 2CD. The next full-length, “Null” on Metropolis Records, arrived on 7 November 2025.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

On November 5th, Helix will self-release a brand new digital-only EP entitled “Bad Dream”, featuring 4 brand new tracks and remixes from Mark Hockings (Mesh) and Andrew Sega (ex-Iris, Hallowed Hearts). The EP will be available on Bandcamp and the usual digital and streaming platforms.

Helix is the brand new collaboration between Tom Shear (Assemblage 23) and vocalist Mari Kattman (known for her work with Psy’Aviah and Mari & The Ghost). The debut album for the duo was released on August 24 2018, called “Twin”.

Here’s already a trailer.

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!

side-line.com

(Photo by Assemblage 23) The leading industrial music distributor Audioglobe informs us that Accession Records is re-releasing its Assemblage 23 back catalog to coincide with the 20th Anniversary re-release of the band’s second album “Failure” as we reported yesterday. The 4 albums are “Addendum” (2001), “Defiance” (2002), “Meta” (2007) and “Bruise” (2012).

About Assemblage 23

Assemblage 23 is an American electro act based in Woonsocket, Rhode Island. It was founded in 1988 by Tom Shear who writes the music and lyrics and does the recording himself. Prior to starting Assemblage 23, Shear experimented with music under the name Man on a Stage, beginning in the early 1980s. Most of Shear’s music at this point was instrumental, as he lacked the confidence to sing. At the same time, Shear was also playing bass in a live band called the Advocates.

Assemblage 23 was officially born in 1988, after Shear experienced the industrial dance music played by an opening DJ for Depeche Mode. It took until 1998 for Assemblage 23 to attract the attention of record labels.

Shear signed a deal in 1999 with the Canadian label Gashed! for a full-length album (“Contempt”, released in November 1999). A second album, Failure, followed in March 2001 and was released by Gashed in North America and Accession Records in Europe.

The rest is history.

About Accession Records

Accession Records is a German independent record label created by Adrian Hates the frontman of the band Diary Of Dreams in 1995. Early in its existence, the label only released Diary Of Dreams albums, but in 1999 the label added other bands.

Here is a list of bands (that were) signed to the label: Angels of Venice, Assemblage 23, Claire Voyant, Cleaner, Diary of Dreams, Diorama, Distorted Reality, Lights of Euphoria, Nerve.Filter, Panzer AG, SITD, Faderhead, Build 23, Haujobb, Sinin, Human Decay, Painkillers, Clear Vision, Cyber axis, .com/kill, Coma Alliance, Spektralized, Painbastard, Audioscope, Belief, Cut.Rate.Box, Plastic, Silence, Psyche.

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!

side-line.com

After her work with Chiasm and John Fryer’s album ” Missed the Noise”, Emileigh Rohn has jumped right into her next adventure with Jean-Marc Lederman (The Weathermen / Fad Gadget / Front242 / Ghost & Writer with Frank Spinath from Seabound) to launch a new band: Rohn-Lederman.

Their first offering is an EP named “Watch Out!” Which comes in 4 reworked versions on the EP. Remixers on duty include Claus Larsen (Leaether Strip), Tom Shear (Assemblage 23), Mark Hockings (Mesh, Black Car Burning) and an own Rohn-Lederman remix. Also Krischan Jan-Eric Wesenberg (Rotersand) made a remix which will be released later this year.

Here’s the video for the remixed version of “Watch Out!”.

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!

side-line.com

Metropolis Records was set up in 1994 by Dave Heckman. In no time the American label became a truly reference when it comes to Electronic and Industrial music. The label licensed –and still does, European productions, but also signed new artists. Among the Metropolis roster you’ll find bands as VNV Nation, Front 242, Front Line Assembly, Wumpsuct, Project Pitchfork, Juno Reactor, Assemblage 23, The Birthday Massacre, KMFDM, Numb, Haujobb, Leather Strip, Apoptygma Berzerk, Velvet Acid Christ, God Module, Covenant, Informatik and many, many more

(Stéphane Froidcoeur / Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: Was there a kind of ‘philosophy’ when you set up your label and did it evolve over the years? How would you define your label activities today?

Dave: No philosophy per se. It was just something I wanted to do for a living, so I needed to go about things in a very professional manner and always stay focused on that goal.

I am going to presume you mean label activities as compared to my activities at the label, although I will go into both.

The first step is to find the talent and that has always been my job. I am the owner and the A&R guy. Then, of course, a deal needs to be worked out and again that has always been my job too.

After a deal is done, we have to assemble the assets for the release such as artwork, photos, masters, videos, and publishing information. This is all needed to setup the releases with our worldwide distributors and to manufacture the albums themselves.

Then comes promotion. Retail, club, radio, video, press, touring, social media, etc. A lot of this is done internally, but sometimes we hire outside companies, particularly for video, radio, press, and booking tours.

Finally, the royalty statements need to be processed and payments made. A tedious and important part of the business.

So, believe it or not, as much as the industry has changed, the setup and promotion is really quite similar to what it was years ago. The revenue just comes from different sources.

Q: I can imagine you must have specific and explicit criteria to sign an artist/band. Can you give us more details about this aspect and how important is it for you to know the person(s) hiding behind the ‘artist(s)’?

Dave: Not really. In general, I sign bands I like and there is no particular sound I am looking for. I cannot really tell you why I liked Numb or Project Pitchfork, I just did. When it comes to art, whether music, film, or paintings I cannot tell you why I like what I do. In some way it has to move me.

That said, I do have a tendency to like or lean towards things dark, edgy, and innovative. Some of the bands that I was interested in were never signed, because we could not come to an agreement. Sometimes the bands had higher expectations than I did and the advance they wanted was too large or we had different ideas on promotional aspects of a campaign.

Metropolis has released over 1200 albums with over 200 different artists, so I did not get to meet and know everyone. In the beginning I just licensed from a few European labels like Zoth Ommog, KK Records and Hyperium. So, my relationships were with my licensing partners. However, as things progressed and we brought the bands over to tour and I went overseas to festivals and conferences and finally met these artists, my relationships with them developed. Always liked to travel and visit the artists where they lived and liked hanging out with them during and after shows. As we got to know each other better it just made everything smoother.

Q: You are already active for numerous years now so you must have seen a lot of things changing and evolving; think about social media, streaming platforms, Youtube channels… but also economic crisis etc. What are the pros and cons of these changes/evolutions and in, which way did you had to adapt/change your strategy and activities?

Dave: The biggest change was the death of retail record stores. That was how I started consuming music as a 10 year old kid. I mean I just did not go there to buy music, but to discover it. The cool stores played cool music and I also would just go through the record bins to find something new that caught my eye. Retail was still a force in music in the 90’s, but went really downhill after 2002 or so. As I mentioned above, retail promotion was important, but now it is almost gone.

So, of course digital comes along and I knew tons of artists and labels that were vehemently opposed to the format. Don’t get me wrong I thought 128 bit rate MP3 played on a computer sucked compared to a Compact Disc on a good stereo system. However, that is the way people wanted to consume, so we sold digital downloads.

At present, hardly anyone buys downloads and streaming revenue is going through the roof. Of course, I have artists complaining about this. More arguments / discussions with artists about streaming than any other industry issue, but it has saved the industry not destroyed it. Illegal downloads and CD burning where the real culprits.

Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Prime, Deezer, Pandora are great platforms. However, YouTube sucks. They pay a fraction of what everyone else does, but people are complaining about Spotify instead of them. That I do not understand.

The bottom line is to adapt fast to a changing industry.

The benefit of the digital world is the massive savings on manufacturing, storage, and shipping, which of course is also good for the environment.

As far as the economic downturn, we go through these all the time and readjust.

Q: The ongoing pandemic has affected all artistic life and activities so what’s the true impact on your label activities and do you think it will also affect your long term objectives?

Dave: The pandemic has hurt the industry considerably. We had a dozen tours lined up for last spring including Lords Of Acid, Clan Of Xymox, KMFDM, Front Line Assembly, The Birthday Massacre, and many more. All cancelled and the bands lost money to varying degrees. However, the recorded music industry saw their revenue grow since almost everything is digital or online even including physical sales. In the long run and this intermediate period, nothing will change much, people will go back to their old habits for the most part.

Q: Do you think media (magazines, online platforms etc…) still have an impact and a role to play today? What’s your relationship with ‘journalists’ and how important is their work?

Dave: Yes, that medium is still important. All promotional activity counts. You have to spread the word around wherever you can. However, I really cannot comment on my relationship with the journalists as I never really had one. I am talking about me, not the label. Publicity and press is one of the few things I have always delegated to someone else.

Q: What do you consider as your biggest accomplishment(s)? Do you have specific goals/dreams you want to achieve and how do you prepare and see the future of the label(s)? And what are your biggest regret(s)?

Dave: Even though I eventually worked with some big names in the industry what I liked most was taking bands that were once small and introduce them to the scene, promoting them and then selling reasonable amounts of records for them. Covenant, Haujobb, Velvet Acid Christ, Wumpscut, Combichrist, Apoptygma Berzerk, And One, Assemblage 23 were all selling just a couple thousand copies and eventually sold 20,000 to 50,000 albums in North America alone. These are good numbers for alternative music. VNV Nation sold even much more than that. Just to put it in perspective only one in a hundred artists sold over 10,000 copies back then no matter what the genre.

I have met my goals. As I mentioned I wanted to do this for a living and I did. Also, Metropolis has a good brand name and I got to meet a lot of great artists who are now my friends. I wish I could have pushed the boundaries more and could have done more outside the Goth / Industrial genre. However, that did not work out that well except with the a few bands like Mindless Self Indulgence and Electric Six.

I am content with the label’s accomplishments. The label is 27 years old and I was well into my thirties when I started in the music business. So, we will continue to do what we do and improve where we can, remembering that adopting to change is important.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Electro-Pop, Body-Pop.

Format: Digital.

Background/Info: This new EP by the Australian duo Avarice In Audio is a song taken from their last album “The Rib Of Adam” (2020). The particularity of the song is that Tom Shear (Assemblage 23) joined in to sing. The EP features next to the title track four remixes plus one extra song. Side-Line reported on the collaboration when it was first announced.

Content: “I Pray” already was one of the best cuts from the band’s last album. The sound reveals the familiar beating Dark/Electro-Pop from the band while the vocals are mixing rough parts by the clearer and charismatic vocals of Tom Shear. Remixes have been accomplished by Synapsyche, Malcaar, Angel Theory and Elektrostaub. “Thanatos drive” is the single song left, which is a kind of dynamic sound Experiment featuring D’n’B influences.

+ + + : The title song is a right choice to get released as an EP and especially because of Tom Shear. It will for sure catch the attention of a wider audience. So it will be for sure an opportunity to gain new fans. “I Pray” is a solid piece of raw, beating Electro-Pop. I also like the more Techno remix by Synapsyche and the groovy exposure from Angel theory.

– – – : The remixes don’t really add a bonus to the EP, the original edit remaining the best one! The B-side cut is just forgettable.

Conclusion: Good and judicious idea to release “I Pray” as an EP-title song, but I expected a bit more from the remixes.

Best songs: “I Pray”, “I Pray – Synapsyche Remix”.

Rate: (7).

Artist: www.facebook.com/avariceinaudioaus

Label: www.alfa-matrix.com / www.facebook.com/Alfa.Matrix

About Avarice In Audio

Avarice In Audio is an EBM/synthpop duo from Melbourne, Australia, formed in early 2013 by Gerard Hawkins, Jade Pegg and Lawrie Masson. The project released the album “The Rib Of Adam” in 2020, from which “I Pray” is taken, and later continued with releases including “Our Idols Are Filth”, the “Drowning One” EP (2024) and the album “Tear Heaven In Half” (2024). For the “I Pray” EP, Assemblage 23’s Tom Shear joined the band on vocals, with remixes contributed by Synapsyche, Malcaar, Angel Theory and Elektrostaub.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Avarice In Audio has returned with a second and final single from their latest album “From The Rib Of Adam”.

The title track “I Pray” originally started out as the very first instrumental made under Avarice In Audio and was originally a remix for another band.

Since then the track has undergone numerous rewrites but it was eventually defined by the chorus, written by Gerry, and performed by Ben alongside Assemblage 23’s Tom Shear.

The EP comes augmented with remixes by Synapsyche, Elektrostaub, Angel Theory and Maalcar. You can download the EP right now from Bandcamp with other platforms to follow in the next weeks.

Below are the first single, “Trojan Horse”, and the album, “From The Rib of Adam”, itself.

Side-Line also covered Avarice In Audio’s ‘The Language Of Violence’.

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!

side-line.com

For more than twenty years now Tom Shear is bringing Electro heads to dance. ASSEMBLAGE 23 has released such an impressive number of essential songs and brilliant albums. ASSEMBLAGE 23 will be always linked to Future-Pop music nevertheless on recent productions the early influences are sometimes hard to find. The new full length “Mourn” released on Metropolis Records is a very personal and sensible work, mixing danceable vibes with pure melancholia.  Time for an interview with this great and humble artist.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: “Mourn” not only sounds as your most intimate album to date, but it also feels as part of a very personal process struggling with depression, right? So the title seems to be appropriated, but how did the writing of the album helped you to chase your demons?

Tom: I’d wager that the reason most musicians (or creative types in general) are so driven to make music is because of the cathartic quality it has. It’s certainly always been that way for me and I feel very fortunate for that. But yeah, this album was inspired by a difficult period in my life where I just realized I needed to change a lot of stuff in my life if I was going to be happy. Change is difficult, but so is being miserable. The album was made after I had already made those changes, so in a sense, it’s a bit of a post-mortem, so I guess it was more helpful to me in digesting those major changes after the fact rather than getting through the difficult time itself. But all catharsis is valuable, I think.

Q: A friend musician of mine once told me ‘we musicians are lucky to get our music to transpose our feelings and thoughts into songs’. Is it something you recognize in the catharsis you’re talking about, but how does it happen? It’s easy to understand for the lyrics, but what about the music?

Tom: I don’t know how to describe it, actually! Music is just something I have to do every day. It’s a bit like an addiction. If I don’t get at least a little studio time every day, I start to get cranky and everything feels off. I guess it’s a bit of an escape. No matter what is going on in your life, you can lose yourself for a little while in the worlds you create with your music… It’s probably hard to explain to someone who isn’t a musician, but I bet any musician you talk to would say something similar. There’s something incredibly gratifying about the process of creating something from nothing.

Q: Can you give us more details about the writing process of “Mourn” and what have been the main chapters you’d to go through to finally achieve this work?

Tom: My general process is to keep a folder on my computer where I collect musical ideas as they come to me. When I have a bunch of them, I start to go through them and try to separate the ideas that have the most promise from the less inspiring ones. At that point, I start to flesh these initial seeds into a full song. Sometimes it doesn’t work and it gets abandoned, and sometimes it comes out great. Usually when I’m a good part of the way finished with the music, I’ll start on the lyrics. That’s the most difficult part, so I almost always put it off until last.

I will almost always have at least 2 or 3 songs I am working on at the same time so that if I get stuck on one, I can just start working on another one and stay productive.

Q: You’re now involved with Assemblage 23 for more than 20 years; you’ve released numerous successful albums and now struggled with personal troubles, but how much of the young Tom Shear do you still recognize in your work and global approach of making music today?

Tom: I’d like to think that the older Tom Shear is wiser and less naive than younger Tom Shear, but if you ask me another 20 years from now, I’ll probably chuckle at how far I still had to go. I think the passion for music has never changed, no matter my age, but the ability and confidence to do it has grown from those early days.

Q: Impossible today to make an interview without a question about the Covid-19 pandemic. I think there also is a new song dealing with the subject, but how do you as artist expect things evolving –considering aspects such as festivals, tours, labels and promo agencies ao?

Tom: That’s kind of the big unknown right now, isn’t it? I have no doubt that we will get through this pandemic and things will eventually get back to some semblance of normalcy, but I think the landscape is going to look a lot different by then, especially if this stretches late into 2021. The fact is, venues and promoters can’t hang on forever with no ability to pay their bills. We’ve already lost a lot of venues and I know some promoters who decided to pack it in.

When touring becomes possible to do safely and travel restrictions are lifted, everybody and their mother is going to want to tour. So we may have a situation where a lot of bands are fighting for opportunities to play in a landscape where there are less venues and promoters than there were before this whole thing started. I guess we’ll see. It’s been inspiring seeing bands adapt and do online performances, but if we’re being honest about it, it’s really not the same for the performer or the audience. We’re all itching to get out there and play live in a real venue on a real sound system in front of an audience that’s in the same room.

Q: You recently posted a real interesting quote at your Facebook page: ‘If you’re new to making music, pay no mind to the elitists. Whatever works best for making music for you is fine. No one listening to your song gives a shit if you made it in Garageband or ProTools, so neither should you. It’s not a dick-measuring contest, it’s about the song’. I think that’s an important message to young musicians, but what’s the deeper meaning and maybe experience(s) behind this quote?

Tom: There can be a lot of elitism, especially in electronic music, and it doesn’t really service any positive purpose. You can see it in any online music forum. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve seen someone get made fun of because they used Fruity Loops to make music. Or people scoffing because someone uses software synthesizers instead of a rack of vintage analog gear. And it’s all useless. Literally no one aside from the elitists themselves cares how you made your music. They care if your song makes them feel something -happiness, sadness, a desire to dance, etc. The tools you use to make music are not what matters. So long as it works for you, that’s all you should worry about. Let the elitists wring their hands over having the latest, greatest DAW or $3,000 synth. That’s why they rarely seem to have much finished music. Their focus is in the wrong place. A good song is a good song whether you recorded it through a $30,000 mixing console or on your phone in Garageband.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Electro-pop.

Format: Digital, CD, Vinyl.

Background/Info: Tom Shear is back on track unleashing the new Assemblage 23 album after a hiatus of four years. It seems the work has been released after a bad period of depression. The work is also available as a double CD and –Vinyl featuring remixes by other artists.

Content: Tom Shear has been always linked with Future-Pop music and even if this influence got a bit lost on the previous releases, he together with VNV Nation and Neuroticfish probably belong to the ‘Godfathers’ in the genre. But I can’t say “Mourn” sounds Future-Pop-like, Tom Shear taking his fans by surprise composing a more intimate and sometimes very emotional work. This is pure Electro-Pop with a dark edge on top. Some passages are reminding me of Depeche Mode, but other parts reveal some minimalism like a new path that has to be explored. 

+ + + : There’s no better way taking off with a strong song and that’s precisely how sounds “Epiphany”. It’s a well-crafted and extremely emotional song carried by a catchy chorus. I can’t say Tom Shear has reinvented Assemblage 23 sound, but “Mourn” sounds like one of his darkest, most intimate and personal albums to date. But I also like the diversity of the tracklist. From the harder and dark sounding “Anxiety” to the minimal-driven “Confession” to the pure melancholic “Welcome, Apocalypse” this work appears to be the right exorcism to chase personal demons. Assemblage 23 also remains a project inspired by great melody lines. Last, but not least I also have to say a word about the production of the vocals. A singer’s timbre of voice is also in constant evolution and has been produced in perfect harmony with the music content.

– – – : “Mourn” is maybe not the album that will feature the greatest Assemblage 23 hits although there are many cool songs featured.

Conclusion: Assemblage 23 is striking back with his probably his most personal work to date. I’m not saying it’s the best album in Tom Shear’s wide discography, but definitely the most authentic one.

Best songs: “Epiphany”, “Welcome, Apocalypse”, “Confession”, “Factory”, “Tragedy”.

Rate: (8).

Artist: www.assemblage23.com / www.facebook.com/Official-Assemblage-23-138651156153800

Label: www.metropolis-records.com / www.facebook.com/MetropolisRecords

About Assemblage 23

Assemblage 23 is a US electronic project founded in 1988 by Tom Shear in Exton, Pennsylvania. The project mixes futurepop, electro-industrial, synth-pop, and EBM. Early releases appeared through Gashed! Records before a long-term partnership with Metropolis Records in North America and Accession Records in Europe.

Shear built the project as a one-person studio act, circulating demos through the 1990s that were later collected on “Early, Rare, and Unreleased 1988-1998”. The debut album “Contempt” arrived in 1999 on the Canadian label Gashed!. “Failure” (2001) began the long relationship with Metropolis and Accession, followed by “Defiance” (2002), “Storm” (2004), and “Meta” (2007).

Shear also records as Nerve Filter and Surveillance. “Mourn” appeared on Metropolis Records on September 11, 2020, following “Meta” (2007), also released as a double CD and vinyl edition featuring remixes from other artists.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Electro-pop, body-pop.

Format: Digital.

Background/Info: Finnish formation Neuroactive this year struck back with their newest opus “Minor-Side Effects”, which also was their first album ever released on Alfa Matrix while getting back to the original ‘early’ line-up of the band. The song “Dances” is taken from the album and got exposed to the familiar treatment of remixes.

Content: Neuroactive opens the ‘remix battle’ with their own “Club Mix” boosting the power and dance beats followed by the “Bitter Fruit Mix”. We next get 6 remixes by some familiar names such as Assemblage 23, Aesthetische and Aiboforcen plus the excellent Wave In Head and 808dotpop plus the totally unknown Aeronaut V, which is a side-project of Ville Brusi.

+ + + : “Dances” is an appropriate title for an EP although it was not exactly my personal favorite track from the album. So I was a bit skeptical about this choice, but the “Club Mix” is an efficient opener followed by great remixes by Assemblage 23 boosting the original edit into pure dancefloor power, 808 Dot.Pop realizing a great progression in a remix with cool bleeping sequences and Aesthetische injecting some power and coldness in their remix. So in the end I should say this EP reveals much more efficient edits of “Dances” than its original version.

– – – : I expected a bit more out of the remix by Wave In The Head while the unknown to me Aeronaut V plus the “Bitter Fruit Remix” didn’t exactly add any bonus.

Conclusion: “Dances” is an EP, which will ravish the fans of this formation, but it also is a work filled with variety!

Best songs: “Dances – Assemblage 23 Remix”, “Dances – 808 Dot Mix”,  “Dances – Aesthetische Reworx”. 

Rate: (7½).

Artist: www.facebook.com/neuroactive.band

Label: www.alfa-matrix.com / www.facebook.com/Alfa.Matrix

About Neuroactive

Neuroactive is a Finnish electro/EBM/pop project led by Jarkko Tuohimaa. The 2020 album “Minor Side-Effects” reunited Tuohimaa with original members Vesa Raine and Ville Brusi and became the band’s first release for Alfa Matrix, discussed in a 2020 Side-Line interview. Neuroactive went on to release further “Minor Side-Effects” singles and, in 2021, revisited its debut album on “Morphology (redux)”.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Dark-electro, industrial-pop.

Format: Digital.

Background/Info: “From The Rib Of Adam” is the fourth full length album by the Australian trio Gerry Hawkins, Lawrie Bayldon and Ben Barwick. The work was originally meant as a conceptual album based on the famous “The Divine Comedy”, but it seems that it turned out in a different way.

Content: If you’re familiar with Avarice In Audio you won’t be disappointed. This band indeed has something versatile, but always linked with dark-electronics. Some songs are accomplished with hard-pop elements so it’s not a coincidence Tom Shear (Assemblage 23) sung on one of the tracks, “I Pray” becoming a kind of industrial future-pop cut. There always is a kind of duality running through this band’s work and it’s not that different now. But the songs will first of all appeal to dark-electro lovers.

+ + + : Avarice In Audio definitely deserves more recognition. This band has something special; it’s not the usual dark-electronic cliché, but there’s something more because of some extra influences. Songs are now accomplished with pop elements and others with some trance arrangements. But the power remains constant. The opening song is a great way to take off, but I also have to mention the song together with Tom Shear and the pumping “Prescription Of Paradise” featuring Studio-X (aka Lawrie Bayldon). Aside from all the different elements I also have to say a word about the great sound production. 

– – – : The album features 14 songs so you will definitely find one or more cuts to your taste. I just regret a few songs that simply sound like album fillers so in the end I sometimes prefer a shorter album instead of an endless tracklist.

Conclusion: Avarice In Audio moves on and simply confirms their huge potential. This band has a nose to compose original dark-electronics.

Best songs: “Prescription Of Paradise”, “Destroy My Faith”, “I Pray”, “Taste The Ambrosia”, “Blame”.

Rate: (8).

Artist: www.facebook.com/avariceinaudioaus

Label: www.alfa-matrix.com / www.facebook.com/Alfa.Matrix

About Avarice In Audio

Avarice In Audio was, at the time of “From The Rib Of Adam”, an Australian trio of Gerry Hawkins, Lawrie Bayldon and Ben Barwick; the band later continued as the duo of Hawkins and Bayldon, the latter also active as Studio-X. Avarice In Audio remained on Alfa Matrix in the years that followed, releasing the single “Wicked Die Alone” (2024), the EP “Drowning One” (2024) and the album “Tear Heaven In Half” (2024), with Hawkins discussing the band’s genre-crossing approach in a 2025 Side-Line interview.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Cinematographic, electro, wave-pop, experimental.

Format: Digital, 2CD.

Background/Info: After his last year released album “13 Ghost Stories” Jean-Marc Lederman strikes back with a somewhat similar concept album. He asked an impressive number of guest singers to write lyrics about the theme ‘letters to gods and fallen angels’. The ‘old’ Weathermen protagonist took care of the music composition and he also wrote a few lyrical parts. The double CD features twenty four songs while twenty two singers contributed to the album plus Jo Quail playing cello on one song.

Content: This album is quite diversified, mixing very different genres. Jean-Marc Lederman transforms himself into a sonic chameleon who now moved back to the 80s and next experimenting pure soundtrack music. But I also noticed a song with a jazzy-like atmosphere while others are more into a kind of dreamy pop music. I also noticed some electronic minimalism and even a very personal cover version of Nick Cave’s “Into My Arms”.

The real tour de force is the impressive list of singers featuring names such as Tom Shear, Mark Hockings, Rodney Orpheus, Elena Alice Fossi, Frank M. Spinath, Stefan Netschio, Claus Larsen, Mari Kattman ao. Most of the singers also wrote the lyrics for their song.

+ + + : I like conceptual albums, but I have to admit, this one by Jean-Marc Lederman is a true original idea. He once again brought an impressive number of great names together, and also a few unknown names. The album sounds as a compilation, but it first of all reveals a musician who feels comfortable dealing with very different music genres. I noticed several jazzy-driven cuts, but also cool ‘film-noir’ compositions. It’s hard to give a favorite song, but I’ll go for “Heaven” featuring Scottish artist Lucia Fairfull on vocals. It’s also quite surprising to hear Tom Shear (Assemblage 23) singing on “Answer Me” in a different way we’re used to hearing from this artist. By the way, this song could be the perfect EP-title track. The very personal interpretation of Nick Cave’s “Into My Arms” sung by American singer Jenna Fearon is also worthy of examination for its intimate mood. 

– – – : If there’s one single point you can discuss about is the feeling you might be listening to a compilation.

Conclusion: This album even touches me deeper than “13 Ghost Stories”; it’s not an album with ‘hits’, but simply a genius concept featuring a great and renowned musician joined by a great selection of singers. Respect for this work Mr. Lederman!

Best songs: “Letter from Lucia Fairfull: Heaven”, “Letter from Tom Shear: Answer Me”, “Letter From Mark Hockings: Don’t Collect Me”, “Letter from Emma Barson: Under A Glass Sky”, “Letter from Rodney Orpheus: Sophisiticated Evening”.

Rate: (9).

Artist: www.facebook.com/jeanmarc.lederman

Label: www.wool-e-discs.be / www.facebook.com/woolediscs Read the news on ‘Letters To Gods [And Fallen Angels]’.

About Jean-Marc Lederman Experience

The Jean-Marc Lederman Experience is the vehicle of Belgian musician and former Weathermen member Jean-Marc Lederman, built around rotating guest vocalists. The concept album “13 Ghost Stories” preceded “Letters To Gods [And Fallen Angels]” by a year; the newer double-CD again pairs Lederman’s own music and lyrics with contributions from twenty-two singers, including Tom Shear of Assemblage 23, plus cello from Jo Quail. Lederman signed to COP International later in 2020.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Jean-Marc Lederman (The Weathermen, Fad Gadget, The The, Ghost & Writer, Lederman-Demeyer) has released a new release under the Jean-Marc Lederman Experience moniker. With this project he calls up singers from different niches and countries to write lyrics and sing them on a common theme. The end result is then being packaged in a 2CD 36 pages hardcover art book with artwork and pictures by Erica Hinyot.

2019 saw the release of “13 Ghost Stories”, and now he offers “Letters To Gods (and fallen angels)” including performances from 21 different singers, from the USA to Italy, Mexico or Wales. The concept this time is very topical in this strange reset time: “You can write a letter to a God, or a fallen angel. What do you say?”

This time, the artists are:

• Agi Taralas (Our Banshee, Greece)
• Emma Barson (Promenade Cinema, UK)
• Ghost & Writer with cello by Jo Quail (Germany/Belgium UK)
• Mari Kattman (Helix, USA)
• JP Aston with backing vocals by Julianne Regan (Gene Loves Jezebel/Wales All About Eve/UK
• Coline Wauters (Atome, Belgium)
• Christina Z (comics Witchblade writer, Magnesium Burn/USA)
• Das Vintage (Mexico)
• Lucia Fairfull (Lusca And The Best Boys/ Scotland)
• Stefan Netschio (Beborn Beton/Germany)
• Hunter S. Thompson (Writer, USA)
• Elena Alice Fossi (Kirlian Camera/Stalingrad Valkyrie Italy)
• Tom Shear (Assemblage 23/ Helix USA)
• Mark Hockings (MESH/ UK)
• Jenna Fearon (USA)
• Emileigh Rohn (Chiasm/USA)
• Miriam Christina (The Other Side Of Who, 580 Miles/ Germany)
• Haydn Park-Patterson (The Ninth Wave/ Scotland)
• Rodney Orpheus (The Cassandra Complex/ EU)
• Louise Fraser (USA)
• Lis van den Akker (Holland)
• Claus Larsen (Leaether Strip/ Denmark)
• Friedrich Nietzsche (Patrimonia Universal de la Humanidad)
• With 3 novels by:
• Christina Z. (comics Witchblade writer, Magnesium Burn/USA)
• Ceratomia (USA)
• Philippe Genion (à;GRUMH /Belgium)

Check the previews below. Read the review of ‘Letters To Gods [And Fallen Angels]’.

For more on Jean-Marc Lederman, see COP International has announced the signing to their artist roster of… on Side-Line.

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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25 years after their debut studio album “Navigator”, the German electro-industrial music band Forma Tadre releases “Navigator Travelogue” on Bandcamp. The album is a collection of remixes, singles, demos and previously unreleased tracks from the years 1994-1997, a total of 17 tracks and 2 bonus tracks.

Forma Tadre was founded in 1986. The sole member is Andreas Meyer. Originally from the Lower-Saxon region of Germany, Andreas Meyer was heavily influenced by the electronic band Tangerine Dream. In fact, the name Forma Tadre is a sort of portmanteau from Tangerine Dream’s album Force Majeure.

Meyer has worked with Psyche and Haujobb, forming the side-project Newt in the late 1990s (with Haujobb’s Daniel Myer). Meyer also executed remixes for Coil, Joachim Witt, Wumpscut, Assemblage 23, Seabound and others.

In 2008, after 8 years of silence Forma Tadre returned with a new 13-track download-only album, “The Music of Erich Zann”.

Here’s what you can expect from the new 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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Florida based post-punk artists Astari Nite have released a brand new single, “Dearly Beloved”. The track is the first song off Astari Nite’s new album “Here Lies”, which is expected in the Winter of 2020 on the dark electronic label Negative Gain, (also home to Mr. Kitty, Goo Munday, Curse Mackey and Panic Priest).

You can download the track right now from Bandcamp.

Vocalist Mychael explains the inspiration behind “Dearly Beloved”: “This friend of mine sure has a way with words, I’m intrigued by her capability to explain sorrow from afar. I quickly realized that sometimes there isn’t a diary left behind to follow when letting go of someone in the afterlife. I’m understanding that love / affection can pour down at any moment, kind of like the summer rain, in essence “Dearly Beloved” can be described as a funeral – holiday song.”

“Dearly Beloved” was produced by Astari Nite and mastered by Jason Corbett of Actors at Jacknife Sound.

You can check out the song below.

Upcoming Shows

• September 8th Los Angeles,CA – Part-Time Punks with Ash Code and Tearful Moon
• October 5th Tampa, FL – w/ Assemblage 23, Actors, Twin Tribes and more

Who are Astari Nite?

Astari Nite formed in 2007 and released their self-titled debut EP shortly after they emerged onto the local new wave scene. Their debut EP was followed up by EPs “Winter’s Gone” and “Requiem Mass” and established them as a regular live act resulting in opening acts for Peter Murphy (Bauhaus), Cold Cave, Modern English and Apoptygma Berzerk.

After joining up with producer Stephen Thompson (Whitney Houston, Blues Traveler, Korn) Astari Nite hit the studio for months on end to record “Stereo Waltz” which was released in 2013. The band’s first full-length album featured their best known single so far, “Pyramids”.

In 2018 the band released “Midnight Conversations” which was produced by Tom Shear of Assemblage 23.

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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Genre/Influences: Electro-pop.

Background/Info: Johann Sebastian moves back to the last year released album of State Of The Union “Indupop”. It was the fifth album of the L.A. based artist. “Industrial” and “Slither” both were originally released on “Indupop” and now exposed to the remixing skills of other artists.

Content: Both songs have been released as “Original Single Remix” revealing the pleasant and happy-like synth-pop music from this artist. “Slither” has been remixed by ES23 and Assemblage 23 while “Industrial” has been remixed by [SITD], Frozen Plasma and Ruined Conflict.

+ + + : You’ll have to agree that the chosen remixers are quite interesting names for an EP. I especially like the work of Assemblage 23 and Frozen Plasma. Another noticeable cut is the remix of “Industrial” by [SITD], which seem like having accentuated the lead of the song. No doubt about it, this is the kind of EP that will please to the fans of the band.

– – – : Both title songs weren’t exactly my favorites featured at “Indupop” so I’m not totally convinced by the EP.

Conclusion: State Of The Union has already composed better songs than “Industrial” and “Slither”, but the great list of remixes makes this EP interesting.

Best songs: “Industrial – Frozen Plasma Remix”, “Slither – Assemblage 23 Remix”.

Rate: (6).

Artist: www.facebook.com/StateOfTheUnionOfficial

Label: www.infacted–recordings.de / www.facebook.com/pages/Infacted–Recordings/124099254321690

About State Of The Union

State Of The Union is an electronic industrial band from Los Angeles, California, fronted by Johann Sebastian. The project debuted in 2002 with the album “Black City Lights” on Accession Records, a label founded by Adrian Hates, before moving to WTII Records and, for the European market, Infacted Recordings.

The second album “Inpendum” followed in 2004, and the debut was re-recorded as “Black City Lights V.2” in 2005. “Evol Love Industry” (2008), “My Time Away” (2014) and “Indupop” (2018) preceded “Industrial / Slither”, an EP gathering remixes of two “Indupop” tracks by ES23, Assemblage 23, SITD, Frozen Plasma and Ruined Conflict. State Of The Union went on to release the “Bad Flower” EP in 2020.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

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Genre/Influences: Body-pop, electro-pop.

Background/Info: German duo Krischan Wesenberg – Rascal Hueppe is back on track, getting us back to their last full length album “Capitalism TM”. Six tracks plus one from the EP featured at the limited edition of the work have been picked up, reworked and remixed.

Content: “Hey You” is not what I should call a ‘classical’ EP. Six songs from the “Capitalism TM” have been exposed to the skills of remixers while Rotersand reworked “Hey You” and “Not Alone”. They also added alternative edits like extended versions and a club edit.

“Hey You” has been seriously reworked and still features a noticeable and somewhat happy sounding chorus. “Not Alone” reveals an interesting progression towards a truly climax. The common element between both songs is you get the impression they compose the songs with a real bass guitar.

Remixes have been accomplished by Consumer Junkie, Assemblage 23, Mehr Licht and Chris Count. Last, but not least the “12” Version” of “Welcome Home” is featuring female vocals by Layn.

+ + + : This is an original EP for the reworked songs, alternative edits and remixes, but it also reveals a varied work. From indie-pop to body-pop to technoid passages and trance breaks “Hey You” clearly reveals elements I didn’t hear on the album. Krischan Wesenberg remains a genius composer/producer with great melodic skills while Rascal Hueppe is a talented and charismatic singer. There’s a lot to experience on “Hey You”, but I’ve a preference for the harder, more danceable and club-friendly “12” Club version” of “You’re Nothing” and the “Original 12” Version” of “Monkeys In A Tree”.

– – – : Some leads are a bit too cliché and dance-like. I’m also not really a fan of the “12” Version” of “Welcome Home”, which is long during without real apotheosis. I also expected a bit more from some remixes.

Conclusion: Even if this EP has something unique for Rotersand, it still features pure Rotersand passages.

Best songs: “Monkeys In A Tree – Original 12” Version”, “You’re Nothing – 12” Club Version”, “Welcome Home – 12” Version feat. Vocals by Layn”, “Monkeys In A Tree – Chris Count Remix”, “Überload – 12” Extended Version”.

Rate: (7½).

Artist: www.rotersand.net / www.facebook.com/rotersand

Label: www.trisol.de / www.facebook.com/pages/Trisol–Music–Group/104166526285471

About Rotersand

Rotersand were formed in Germany in 2002 by Rascal (formerly performing as Rascal Nikov), previously bassist for The Fair Sex, together with multi-instrumentalist and lyricist Gunther “Gun” Gerl. Krischan J.E. Wesenberg joined soon after, and the trio’s demo “Summer 02” led to a deal that produced the debut album “Truth Is Fanatic” in 2003, followed by “Welcome to Goodbye” in 2005; both were reissued as 2CD artbook and double-vinyl editions in October 2021. “Capitalism TM” followed in 2016, and “Hey You” reworks and remixes tracks from that album. Rotersand’s most recent album, “Don’t Become The Thing You Hated”, appeared in 2025 on Trisol and Metropolis Records.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

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Genre/Influences: Electro-pop, future-pop, wave-pop.

Background/Info: Hailing from the beautiful Malaga (Spain) and set up in 1992 by Josua Clotet and Salva Maine, Culture Kultür became a recognized electro-pop formation. They released their work on Out Of Line and Caustic Records. After the “Spirit”-album released in 2010 it all seemed that the band disappeared from the radar. But now, nine years later they’re back on track unleashing this new work featuring 13 new tracks.

Content: If you’re familiar with the music of Culture Kultür, “Humanity” will not have that many surprises for you. It’s a well-crafted composition carried by melodic leads and danceable rhythms. Some tracks are definitely holding on to future-pop influences and might appeal to fans of Assemblage 23 while other and somewhat darker cuts make me thing to a 100% edit of Diary Of Dreams. The album clearly deals with serious themes although the music will give you a ‘feel good’ sensation.

+ + + : One of the main things about this work is the comeback of this formation, which might be considered as one of the most successful Spanish electro-pop bands. Sound-wise the duo illustrates great skills in composing efficient melodies and carrying melodies. Salva Maine is also a talented singer. This work doesn’t really feel like Culture Kultür has disappeared for years. It’s a refreshing piece of danceable music. 

– – – : Time didn’t really affect the sound and influences of the band. I should think it rather appears to be a positive point, but at the other side the work doesn’t clearly innovate.

Conclusion: Culture Kultür makes me think of my favorite meal: you know what you get, it’s a bit predictable, but you’re looking forward to hear it.

Best songs: “Refugee”, “Keep Yourself Alive”, “The Sun Is My Heart”, “Broken World”.

Rate: (8).

Artist: www.culturekultur.com / www.facebook.com/pg/culturekultur

Label: www.causticrecords.com / www.facebook.com/CAUSTICRECORDS Read the news on ‘Humanity’.

About Culture Kultür

Culture Kultür is a Spanish electro-pop act formed in Málaga in 1992 by Josua (José Luis Clotet), with Salva Maine on vocals. The band released several albums and EPs on the Microscopic label between 1996 and 1998, including “Spike” (1996) and “Default” (1997), then signed to Out Of Line in 1999, releasing “Reflex” (1999), “Revenge” (2001) and “Reborn” (2005).

After a gap, Culture Kultür moved to Caustic Records for “Spirit” (2010) and, nine years later, “Humanity” (2019).

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

The post-punk/darkwave festival Absolution has announced their line up and festival dates. Taking place in Tampa, FL October 4th-5th will be the inaugural Absolution Festival. The festival will feature some of the best post-punk and darkwave artists throughout North America.

Headlining the festival will be Vancouver based post-punk artists Actors and Seattle based electro/synth pop artist Assemblage 23. Tickets for the festival will go on sale February 8th. You can already book your hotel here!

The full festival line up: Assemblage 23 | Actors | Bootblacks | Twin Tribes | Panic Priest | Astri Nite | Sleeping Pills | Push Button Press | Korine | Wingtips | Ritual Howls | Cruex Lies.

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!

side-line.com

Background/Info:

About Blume

Blume is an Italian trio of Enrico Filisetti (vocals), Ivan Savino (synthesizers, programming) and Daniele De Fabritiis (guitars), formed in 2008. The band released its debut album “Rise From Grey” in 2010 on A Different Drum, followed by “Autumn Ruins” (2013) and “Ashes” on WTII Records.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Background/Info:

About Helix

Helix paired Tom Shear of Assemblage 23 on music and production with vocalist and lyricist Mari Kattman for “Twin”, the duo’s ten-track debut album on Metropolis Records.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com