This EP by Stoneburner, which feels more like a mini-album, is a remastered version of the work originally released in 2020, now featuring one additional track. As part of a larger multimedia project, it combines music with a graphic novel. Alongside the album, Stoneburner (Steven Archer) is unveiling a 200+ page graphic novel through Raw Dog Screaming Press, containing over 400 illustrations that delve deeper into the album’s narrative. While the music stays true to Stoneburner’s signature Industrial-Tribal style, it also introduces quieter tracks, though they still benefit from bombastic production. This release includes more vocal work than previous efforts, reflecting Archer’s belief that this project represents his most significant artistic creation to date. Musically, Stoneburner continues to stand out in the Electro-Industrial scene, but it may not be the first entry point I would recommend for new listeners. (Rating:7½).

Listen to “The World Wolf 2024”:

Read the news on ‘Red In Tooth And Claw’.

About Stoneburner

Stoneburner is the solo project of Baltimore, Maryland artist Steven Archer, who is also known for his work with the electronic rock band Ego Likeness on Metropolis Records. The project mixes tribal, percussion-driven electronic dance music with experimental and industrial sounds, and its catalog includes titles such as “Songs in the Key of Arrakis”, “The Great Filter” and “Apex Predator”.

“Red In Tooth And Claw” was originally released in 2020; the remastered edition on COP International adds one track and arrives together with the companion graphic novel published by Raw Dog Screaming Press. In December 2025, Archer looked back on the project in a Stoneburner interview with Side-Line.

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 Leeds-based post-punk act Red Lorry Yellow Lorry have just released “Driving Black (Ding’s Remix)” – their first new single since “Talking Back” which was released in 1991.

“Driving Black (Ding’s Remix)” is an exclusive mix by the band’s bassist and producer, Simon ‘Ding’ Archer (The Fall, Pixies, PJ Harvey, 1919, etc.). The new track is out now and comes hand in hand with the presales for Red Lorry Yellow Lorry’s forthcoming EP, “Driving Black”.

About this single the band says: “We never wrote songs with singles in mind. To us they are just songs that we thought good enough to release. Some songs seem better suited as singles. I think when everything is ready you pick what seems suitable. For a single, you want the maximum impact in a short space of time, and to get people curious about the other stuff.”

The Driving Black EP will be out 6 December via COP International, in 12” vinyl and digital download formats. The EP also announces the band’s new album, “Strange Kind of Paradise”, due out February 2025.

The six-track “Driving Black” EP offers three exclusive, non-album tracks (“Safe as Houses”, “Living with Spiders”, and “Piece of My Mind”) alongside three mixes of songs from the forthcoming album. The lead single “Driving Black” receives two exclusive mixes for the EP: one from Ding, and the other from producer John Fryer (Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails, and Cocteau Twins). “Chickenfeed” gets the remix treatment from German dark indie rock outfit The Halo Trees.

Featuring a cover painting by Wolfie, the “Driving Black” EP has been pressed as a limited-edition coloured vinyl 12” EP – only 1,000 copies available worldwide.

About Red Lorry Yellow Lorry

Red Lorry Yellow Lorry formed in 1981 and soon got known for their dark, minimalist sound, mixing punk, post-punk, and industrial influences. The band is led by founding member and vocalist Chris Reed and longtime guitarist and cowriter Dave ‘Wolfie’ Wolfenden.

The band released such albums like “Talk About the Weather” (1985), “Paint Your Wagon” (1986), “Nothing Wrong” (1988), and “Blow” (1989), before calling it a day with fifth album, “Blasting Off” (1992).

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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(Photo by Roger op den Camp) COP International Records and Strict Tempo announce the USA leg of the CX40 World Tour by the legendary Anglo-Irish post-punk group The Cassandra Complex. The band has been celebrating their 40 year anniversary in 2024 with an extensive world tour spanning Europe and the Americas.

As part of the tour they will be making a rare visit to play in the USA in September – October, starting with an appearance at the Cold Waves festival in Chicago, and continuing through the West Coast of the USA. The last time The Cassandra Complex played in America was almost 20 years ago, so this will be a unique chance to see their live show. The second leg of the tour will commence with shows in the USA and Latin America in the Fall, followed by more shows in the UK and EU later in the year.

The band will be supported on USA shows by DJ Vox Sinistra and on European shows by the Swedish post-punk duo Sjöblom. Tickets can be order now.

• 29 Sep 24 Chicago IL, Cold Waves Festival
• 30 Sep 24 Portland OR, Dante’s
• 02 Oct 24 Seattle WA, Central Saloon
• 04 Oct 24 San Diego CA, Corazón del Barrio *
• 05 Oct 24 Long Beach CA, Que Sera *
• 06 Oct 24 Albany CA, The Ivy Room (SF Bay Area) *
• 12 Oct 24 Ciudad de México, Foro 28
• 15 Oc t24 San José Costa Rica, Amon Solar
• 18 Oct 24 Santiago Chile, RBX
• 19 Oct 24 Sao Paulo Brazil, Madame
• 23 Nov 24 Leeds UK, The Old Woolen
• 24 Nov 24 London UK, The Black Heart
• 26 Nov 24 Reading UK, The Facebar
• 28 Nov 24 Bochum Germany, Matrix **
• 29 Nov 24 Bielefeld Germany, Movie **
• 30 Nov 24 Cologne Germany, Blue Shell **
• 04 Dec 24 Berlin Germany, Urban Spree **
• 05 Dec 24 Copenhagen Denmark, Lygten Station **

* with Vox Sinistra
** with Sjöblom

About The Cassandra Complex

The Cassandra Complex was formed in 1984 by Rodney Orpheus (vocals, synths, drums machine), Paul Dillon (electronics), and Andy Booth (guitar, keyboards). Musically they bring a synthesis of post-punk, goth, EBM, and industrial music, coupled with Rodney Orpheus’ voice.

After a long hiatus, The Cassandra Complex recently returned with the album “The Plague”, recorded during the COVID lockdown. In March 2024 they released “Death & Sex”. Both albums are available from COP International Records on CD and on all streaming services.

Rodney Orpheus has also worked as a producer, remixer, and music technologist, working with artists such as The Sisters of Mercy, Kraftwerk, Beborn Beton, The Future Sound of London, Girls Under Glass, Faith & the Muse, Within Temptation, and many more.

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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Out on September 6, is the newest single from the Swedish electro-pop duo Sjöblom, “Dead For Years”. “Dead For Years” is the lead single from their forthcoming album “Dead Of Night”. The single is available for pre-order now, and the upcoming album is set to be released later in the year on COP International.

The single also features two remixes: the “Apparition mix” by Fracture Foyer and the “Rapid Eye Movement mix” by Operation Blue Eyes.

Sjöblom, comprised of Johan Sjöblom Eliot and Robert Eklind, drew inspiration from iconic bands like Depeche Mode and Apoptygma Berzerk for the sound on this new single. “It’s funny how perception works,” says Robert. “I always intended for this track to have a darkwave or even gothic sound, but a friend mentioned it reminded him of Depeche Mode, which is a huge compliment.”

The lyrics are based on a text by Johnny Nattsjö (DJ Batcat). The production was handled by Jon Bordon and Sjöblom at Joniverse Studios.

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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Out next week is a revised version of the Stoneburner album “Red In Tooth And Claw”. The record has been polished up with some minor edits, it has been remastered and includes a new song. Behind this industrial music project we find Steven Archer, one-half of the band Ego Likeness, which he co-founded with Donna Lynch. Stoneburner focuses on a blend of tribal rhythms, industrial beats, and dark ambient soundscapes.

“Red In Tooth And Claw” tells the story of The World Wolf, a massive wolf god that guides humanity’s development. Steve explains: “The story begins with the wolf finding his mate dying after drinking from a polluted river. The betrayal enrages him and he turns on our careless civilization, destroying city after city. After multiple months of chaos, he is visited by the spirit of his mate, Cyan, who points out that all of the killing and destruction is not bringing her back and the only way to end his rampage that will help humanity is by allowing them to kill him. He accepts this as his fate but vows to not make it easy for them. He will not go down without a fight. As his blood pours out and his life comes to an end, she visits him again to help him come to terms with the experience. The moment of his death passes but, to his surprise, his spirit continues, just as Cyan’s did.”

This story will also be released as a 200+ page graphic novel via Raw Dog Screaming Press. Written and illustrated by Steven this novel contains over 400 images expounding on “Red In Tooth And Claw” and connecting it to the stories on the 2018 release “Apex Predator”.

Both the book and re-release will be available in August 2024 from Cop International and Raw Dog Screaming Press, respectively.

The first two chapters of the book can be read here. Read the review of ‘Red In Tooth And Claw’.

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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(Photo by Roger op den Camp) COP International Records, International Booking Department, and Resistencia Booking have announce the second leg of the CX40 tour of the Anglo-Irish post-punk group The Cassandra Complex. This second leg will take the band, which celebrates its 40 year anniversary, to Germany, Belgium, USA, Mexico, Costa Rica, Chile, Brazil, UK, the Netherlands, and Denmark.

The second leg will commence this summer with festivals in Germany and Belgium, followed by dates in the USA and Latin America in the Fall. The tour continues then with more shows in the UK and EU later in the year. The band will also be supported on select European shows by special guests and labelmates Sjöblom.

You can order your tickets here.

• 11/08/24 Hildesheim Germany, Mera Luna Festival
• 24/08/24 Ostend Belgium, W-Festival
• 25/08/24 Sint-Niklaas Belgium, De Rembrandt Festival
• 29/09/24 Chicago USA, Cold Waves Festival
• 12/10/24 Ciudad de México, Foro 28
• 15/10/24 San José Costa Rica, Amon Solar
• 18/10/24 Santiago Chile, RBX
• 19/10/24 Sao Paulo Brazil, Madame
• 23/11/24 Leeds UK, The Old Woolen
• 24/11/24 London UK, The Black Heart
• 26/11/24 Reading UK, The Facebar
• 29/11/24 Bielefeld Germany, Movie
• 30/11/24 Cologne Germany, Blue Shell
• 01/12/24 Bochum Germany, Rockpalast
• 04/12/24 Berlin Germany, Urban Spree
• 05/11/24 Copenhagen Denmark, Lygten Station
• (More dates to be confirmed)

About The Cassandra Complex

The Cassandra Complex was formed in 1984 by Rodney Orpheus (vocals, synths, drums machine), Paul Dillon (electronics), and Andy Booth (guitar, keyboards). Musically they bring a synthesis of post-punk, goth, EBM, and industrial music, coupled with Rodney Orpheus’ voice.

After a long hiatus, The Cassandra Complex recently returned with the album “The Plague”, recorded during the COVID lockdown. In March 2024 they released “Death & Sex”. Both albums are available from COP International Records on CD and on all streaming services.

Rodney Orpheus has also worked as a producer, remixer, and music technologist, working with artists such as The Sisters of Mercy, Kraftwerk, Beborn Beton, The Future Sound of London, Girls Under Glass, Faith & the Muse, Within Temptation, and many more.

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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Out on July 26 via COP International is the newest album from the industrial metal act Beasto Blanco, “Kinetica”. The new release features tracks such as “Run For Your Life”, “Nobody Move”, “Heavy Is The Head”, “Unreal”, “Kill Us Off With A Smile”, “Skull Rider”, “Slide”, “Lowlands”, “Diamond In The Dirt”, “Bad Thoughts”, and “Fight”.

Calico Cooper says this about the creative process and influences behind the album: “We were looking for a sound inspired by Rob Zombie, Ministry, and Glenn Danzig. Chris Harms (Lord of The Lost) instantly got that vibe. We flew to Hamburg to track the vocals and finish the writing in February, and the sessions were just amazing. Great energy in that city!”

Chris Harms adds, “Working with Beasto Blanco was one of the most creative and exciting productions of my career. For a few months, I was allowed to dive into the band’s world, so deeply that it felt like I was part of the band. We wrote, recorded, and produced songs together, with great attention to detail and no genre boundaries. Everything that felt good was right. I’m very proud of this album, which for me is a milestone in BB’s career!”

Beasto Blanco was formed in 2012 by Chuck Garric and Chris Latham, and also includes Calico Cooper, daughter of Alice Cooper, and a German rhythm section. The band consists of Chuck Garric on vocals and guitar, Calico Cooper on vocals, Brother Latham on guitar, Jan Legrow on bass, and Sean Sellers on drums.

“Kinetica” was produced by Chris Harms, mixed and mastered by Benjamin Lawrenz and Chris Harms at Chameleon Studios in Hamburg, Germany. The engineering and editing were handled by Benjamin Mundigler and Gerrit Heinemann, with programming by Chris Harms and Corvin Bahn. Additional guitars and bass were provided by Benjamin Mundigler and Chris Harms. The cover art was created by Greg Rolfes, with layout by DCore.

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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Out on the 7th of June is the new album by the Berlin-based post-punk act The Halo Trees: “Where The Deep Ends”. The album is the result of three years of work and the follow-up to the previous two albums “Antennas To The Sky” (2019) and “Summergloom” (2021).

Singer Sascha Blach has also written a book that will be distributed alongside the album. Both are only available in physical form as a package. In this book, Blach presents images, short stories, philosophical texts, poems, and commentaries that expand on the ten songs of the album “Where The Deep Ends”.

Below is the video for the album track “Happy Man”, the second single released via their new label partner COP International.

You can pre-order the album 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

(Photo by Therese Aldgård) Out on Friday but already available to order is the all new single from Sjöblom: “Fly Away With Me”. “Fly Away With Me” is taken from the band’s upcoming album, “Dead of Night”, to be released on COP International.

The single holds also two remixes of the title track Mark Hockings (Mesh / blackcarburning) and Chris Vrenna (Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson) and was recorded and produced by Jon Bordon and Sjöblom. The mastering was executed by Jon Bordon.

Sjöblom is a Swedish indie project, formed in 2016 in Stockholm by Johan Sjöblom Eliot, also member of Swedish post-punk band The Exploding Boy, and Robert Eklind, previously in the band Malaise. 2 albums have already been released, with a new one out later this year.

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 Neil Chapman) COP International has announced the signing of the British post-punk band Red Lorry Yellow Lorry to its roster. The label is set to release Red Lorry Yellow Lorry’s final album “Strange Kind of Paradise”. Additionally, fans can look forward to the release of two EPs.

Formed in Leeds, England, in the early 1980s, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry emerged as pioneers of the post-punk movement.

“As the founder of COP International, I am thrilled beyond measure to announce the signing of Red Lorry Yellow Lorry to our label. This is more than just a professional endeavor for me; it’s a deeply personal milestone. Red Lorry Yellow Lorry’s music served as the soundtrack to my formative years and inspiring my own musical journey. The chance to contribute to the legacy of a band that has influenced me so profoundly is an honor I can scarcely put into words. To all the fans who have been touched by Red Lorry Yellow Lorry’s music, I extend my deepest gratitude for joining us on this exhilarating adventure.” says Christian Petke, COP International.

About Red Lorry Yellow Lorry

Red Lorry Yellow Lorry, briefly known as the Lorries, emerged as an English rock ensemble from Leeds in 1981, crafted by guitarist/songwriter Chris Reed, vocalist Mark Sweeney, bassist Steve Smith, and drummer Mick Brown. Despite disbanding in 1991, they reunited in 2003 and have since released five studio albums throughout their career.

The band came to life through the efforts of Chris Reed, Mark Sweeney, Steve Smith, and Mick Brown, with Brown later joining The Mission. Sweeney’s departure in late 1981 led Reed to assume vocal duties, alongside the addition of Martin Fagan as a second guitarist.

The group caught the eye of Red Rhino label’s Tony Kostrzewa in 1982 after their manager, Dave Hall, shared their demo tapes, leading to the release of their debut single, “Beating My Head”.

Despite several lineup changes, the band saw consistent contributions from Dave Wolfenden, enhancing their creative output. In the mid-1980s, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry delivered a series of successful singles and their debut album, “Talk About the Weather”. Their journey continued with the release of “Paint Your Wagon” and subsequent albums under the Situation Two label, though mainstream success eluded these releases.

After a hiatus, Chris Reed reignited Red Lorry Yellow Lorry in 2003, unveiling new tracks and engaging in tours across the UK. Despite hints at more upcoming material, further releases have been sparse, with their last notable output being the live DVD “Thunder in the Black Cave” and Reed’s solo venture, “Minimal Animal” under the Chris Reed Unit moniker.

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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With the Long Beach, California-based synth punk duo Intrusive Pinky, Les Disques De La Pantoufle announces its vey first signing. Out on April 5 is the duo’s “I Hate You, Patriarch Fuck!” EP.

Les Disques De La Pantoufle is a partnership between Jean-Marc Lederman and Christian Petke’s COP International label.

Christian Petke explains the collaboration as follows: “Running an indie label has always been a labor of love, especially in today’s challenging environment. Now, more than ever, we need individuals willing to support and nurture artists. It is with immense pride that we unveil Jean-Marc Lederman’s venture into the world of boutique labels with Les Disques De La Pantoufle. Few individuals are as well-equipped for this endeavor as Jean-Marc Lederman, who has dedicated a lifetime to the music industry. He collaborated with some of the most iconic figures in electronic music history: Fad Gadget, The The, Gene Loves Jezebel, The Weathermen, Front 242, Karl Bartos, Rohn – Lederman and many more. His extensive experience provides him with an intimate understanding of the intricacies of our industry, having navigated both sides of the table.”

Cop International will provide A&R and logistical support to the new label.

Jean-Marc Lederman adds: “I’m very happy Christian has understood my need to be able to release my works sooner than it could on a label with more acts and Les Disques De La Pantoufle being partnered with COP will provide me with the guerilla-label tactics that could work well with my relentless schedule. We have a busy year ahead as we are releasing “Intrusive Pinky” in April the brand new Rohn-Lederman double CD album “Black And Bleu” in May and, who knows, some exciting bands whose songs I love so much that LDP will release them within weeks.”

Here’s the first release which you can already pre-order 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

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

Out via Cop International on March 14 is “The Plague”, the brand new album by The Cassandra Complex. The album is their first since 2013 and while the streaming version of this album came out in 2022, it’s only now that the album will see a CD version, albeit in a fully remastered version. It will be supported by a world tour across 12 countries throughout 2024.

The band took a hiatus for several years while Orpheus worked creating some of the most widely used music technology today, as well as production work with other bands such as The Sisters of Mercy, Kraftwerk, Within Temptation, Sinead O’Connor, Die Krupps, and many others. During the COVID lockdown the band got together using online collaboration tech to create 10 brand new songs.

The Cassandra Complex revisits ‘Sex & Death’

Out the same day is “Death & Sex” celebrating the 40th anniversary of the moment Rodney Orpheus, Paul Dillon, and Andy Booth got together in a basement in Leeds, England with a collection of cheap second-hand guitar pedals, synthesisers, and drum machines to start recording material. In 1993 they released the legendary album “Sex & Death” and now the band re-recorded 7 tracks of this classic record from scratch (note the inverted album title).

This new version features the original founders of the band Rodney Orpheus and Andy Booth, with long time additional members Chris Haskett (Henry Rollins Band, David Bowie) on guitar and Mera Roberts (Faith and the Muse, Black Tape for a Blue Girl) on cello, plus new member Brent Heinze (Probe 7) on keyboards.

The Cassandra Complex – First Tour dates 2024

• UK – 14/03 Todmorden, The Golden Lion
• UK – 16/03 Gateshead, The Black Bull
• UK – 17/03 London, The Lower Third
• B – 21/03 Charleroi, La Ruche Verriere
• NL – 22/03 Amsterdam, Q-Factory
• NL – 24/03 Heerlen, Nieuwe Nor
• DK – 30/03 Copenhagen, Lygten
• CZ – 21/05 Prague, Palac Akropolis

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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Iranian musician Azam Ali has signed with COP International, and is set to release her first studio album since 2019’s “Phantoms”. You might know Azam Ali also as member of the bands VAS and Niyaz.

“Being an independent artist for years now after breaking away from the industry model of releasing my music through record labels, meeting COP founder Christian Petke and seeing his great passion for the music he meticulously curates and releases on COP International, reawakened the joy I experienced in the early days of my career when I would collaborate with a label to produce a body of work that raised the bar artistically,” explains Ali.

Ali has collaborated either in-studio or on stage with Serj Tankian of System of a Down, Peter Murphy of Bauhaus, The Crystal Method, Mickey Hart, among many others. Her soundtrack work in film and television includes “Thor – The Dark World”, “Matrix- Revolutions”, “300”, “The Fight Club”, “Dawn of the Dead”, “True Blood”, “Alias”, “The Agency”, and “Prison Break”. She is also a well-known musical force in the video game world, having composed music for “Uncharted 3”, “Call of Duty”, “Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands”, and “Syphon Filter: Logan’s Shadow”.

Currently in the studio, Azam Ali is crafing her new album, planned for release later in 2024. John Fryer will be producing the material.

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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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

Referring to the events that unfolded globally, 2023 has again been a bloody, terrible year. Music continues to be a true therapy for soothing pain and suffering, though it seems to have a diminishing impact on the ongoing horror. Therefore, I’m once again wrapping up the year with a personal selection of my very own ‘best of’ albums.

Throughout the year, over 700 productions were selected, and 450 reviews were conducted. Some productions were declined because the style of music didn’t fit, others weren’t reviewed for not being ‘good enough’, while a final portion of reviews will be postponed to early 2024. I am immensely grateful to all the labels, bands, and promoters for considering my work, and I look forward to collaborating again in 2024.

I extend my deepest gratitude and thanks to Rich Bova (NEIKKA RPM), who has been reading, correcting, and improving the reviews for many years. Without Rich, these reviews would not exist. I also want to thank Bernard Van Isacker, chief editor of Side-Line Music Magazine, for our ongoing, successful collaboration. Last but not least, I thank my lovely wife, Katja, for giving me the time and freedom to pursue my passion.

However…

Looking ahead to 2024, I’ve been scaling back my activities for a few years and plan to reduce them further. Having started with my first reviews and interviews back in 1991, I feel the end drawing near. My aim is to reach 2025, but nothing is certain. I’ve grown a bit tired and disillusioned with how things are evolving.

That’s why I want to express a big ‘F*** you’ to so-called ‘artists’ and label owners who fail to realize or appreciate the work I do in creating reviews and preparing interviews to spotlight them. Guys, I do this for free and in my free time! The attitude and lack of respect shown by some – fortunately a very few – is very, very sad. But, I’m afraid it reflects the world we live in. Behind a genius artist doesn’t always stand a great person. It’s odd realizing that the ‘biggest’ and long-established artists in this scene are often the most accessible.

Writing reviews remains highly subjective and a source of discussion. Remember, it’s always the reviewer’s perception. I assure you, I always strive to substantiate my reviews as best as possible. A review is subjective but must be honest!

Like every year, I’ve selected the best albums of the year 2023. This ‘TOP 25’ encompasses various styles like EBM, Dark-Electro, IDM, Synth-Pop, Ethereal, Dark-Ambient, Industrial, Ritual, Cinematic, Gothic, Post-Punk, Cold/Dark-Wave, Dark-Techno, and a few related genres. It’s always an exciting yet challenging task.

This ‘TOP 25’ is based on the promotional material I received, excluding compilations, ‘best of’ productions, EPs, and singles. So, here’s my ‘TOP 25’ from 2023, and don’t forget to share it with your friends…

Stéphane Froidcoeur (for Inferno Sound Diaries/Side-Line Reviews)

Top 25 albums of the year 2023

1. CERULEAN VEINS “Black” Cold Transmission Music
2. LIEBKNECHT “Fabrikat” Ant-Zen
3. FRONTIER GUARDS “Colony” Aliens Production
4. SOPOR AETERNUS & THE ENSEMBLE OF SHADOWS “Alone At Sam’s – An Evening With…” Apocalyptic Vision / Trisol
5. WAVESHARD “Waveshard” Corvus Records
6. THE EMPATH “Black Hole” Audiophob
7. VNV NATION “Electric Sun” Metropolis Records
8. EFF DST “Incarnate” Ant-Zen
9. ENZO KREFT “XL” Enzo Kreft
10. DELEYAMAN “The Sudbury Inn” TTO Records
11. GIRLS UNDER GLASS “Backdraft” Dependent Records
12. ALIEN VAMPIRES “Return Me To Hell” Alfa Matrix
13. SUN’S SPECTRUM “The Silence After The Fall” Cold Transmission Music
14. DANIEL MYER “Hingab” Sonic Groove
15. SHROUDS “Shrouds” Hands
16. DIARY OF DREAMS “Melancholin” Accession Records
17. MONO INC “Ravenblack” NoCut / SPV
18. ROME “Gates Of Europe” Trisol
19. OHNE NOMEN “The S-Witch” Cold Transmission Music
20. THE SEVEN WHORES OF THE APOCALYPSE “All Through The Waste” Scanner / Dark Dimensions
21. SPANKTHENUN “The Bunker Tapes Vol.3” SpankTheNun
22. BLACKCARBURNING “Watching Sleepers” COP International
23. GOD BODY DISCONNECT “The Weight Of Regression” Cryo Chamber
24. MILDREDA “Blue-Devilled” Dependent Records
25. PASCAL SAVY “Simulacra” Cyclic Law

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: Industrial-Pop, Electro-Pop, Future-Pop.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Texan (USA) native Eric Kristoffer strikes back with his newest album on which he’s ‘exploring the depths of emotion through sonic alchemy’. Unitcode:Machine previously self-released most of its work while the album “Tyranny” was released in 2019 by SkyQode.

Content: You easily will recognize the Electro/Future-Pop basis connected to “Tyranny”. The main difference and evolution in sound is the harder and darker Industrial touch which has been injected. Menacing bass lines and rough, catchy, choruses plus a few guitar sounds create a powerful production in Electro-Pop. The last tracks of the album are featuring noticeable leads.

+ + + : Unitcode:Machine has reached a point the sound can be no longer compared to other bands. It’s an Industrial-Pop approach which fully convinced me by tracks like “Surface”, “Keep Above The Water”, “Nothing Left” and “Emptiness”. The songs are well-crafted and roughly produced featuring passionate vocals on top.

– – – : The song “Love Like Lies” sounds rageful but unfortunately missing real passion; that’s the single cut which couldn’t convince me.

Conclusion: Unitcode:Machine strikes back with a bang; alluring, violent, evil, Electro-Pop music!

Best songs: “Emptiness”, “Surface”, “Nothing Left”, “Keep Above The Water”, “Blind”.

Rate: 8½.

Artist: www.unitcode.net / www.facebook.com/unitc0de

Label: www.facebook.com/copint

About Unitcode:Machine

Unitcode:Machine is the project of Texas-based artist Eric K (Eric Kristoffer), producing music since 2000 with a first official release in 2004. The project blends EBM with Industrial, synthpop and other electronic styles. Most releases were self-released, while the album “Tyranny” came out on SkyQode in 2019.

Unitcode:Machine’s newest album, released on COP International, builds on the Electro/Future-Pop basis of “Tyranny” with a harder, darker Industrial edge.

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: Industrial, Tribal, Electro.

Format: Digital.

Background/Info: For more than ten years Steven Archer (Ego Likeness) has been releasing music as Stoneburner. He already released an impressive number of works and strikes back again with a new EP inspired by the work of Robin Hanson.

Content: The initial Tribal sound of Stoneburner is still there but not as much in the forefront. The sound has progressively evolved towards a mix of Industrial-Rock and bombastic electronics. I noticed an EBM bass line running through one of the cuts while the second part of the work reveals more explicit good-old Industrial-Tribal influences. You’ll discover songs with vocals and instrumental edits. The EP -which rather looks like a mini-album, features 6 cuts plus a bonus track which is a cover version of The Psychedelic Furs (cf. “Book Of Days”).

+ + + : Stoneburner moves on progressively evolving and walking on new sonic paths. I still prefer the Tribal-inspired cuts and the bombastic arrangements. “Corvomancers” and “The Great Filter” both are little sonic jewels revealing great sound intelligence and judicious arrangements.

– – – : I’m not into all the songs as some are far away from the initial style and magic of this project. The cover song of The Psychedelic Furs is an interesting addition but not exactly a master track.

Conclusion: I have mixed feelings listening to this work which I’ll keep in mind for its familiar Tribal-driven songs.

Best songs: “The Great Filter”,“Corvomancers”.

Rate: 7½.

Artist: www.stoneburnerband.com / www.facebook.com/stoneburnerofficial

Label: www.facebook.com/copint Read the news on ‘The Great Filter’.

About Stoneburner

Stoneburner is a project of American artist Steven Archer, best known for Ego Likeness. He launched Stoneburner in 2012, initially blending Tribal elements with Industrial music. Over the following releases the project’s sound gradually evolved, moving from its Tribal-Industrial roots toward Industrial-Rock arrangements with wailing guitars over hard electronic structures, a shift that later became fully explicit on the album “Post.Industrial.Occult” on COP International.

The EP “The Great Filter”, inspired by the work of Robin Hanson, was released on COP International and includes a cover version of The Psychedelic Furs’ “Book Of Days”.

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

We all know Mark Hockings as the singer of Mesh. Mark originally wanted to write his own music and finally, accidentally, became a singer. During the lockdown he started writing his own music and released a few singles. Blackcarburning was born and this year released the debut-album “Watching Sleepers” on COP International. Fourteen songs have been released featuring guest singers Neil Francis, Mari Katmann, Howie Venton and Janne Marvannen. “Watching Sleepers” sounds as pure Electro-Pop; a styled and alluring production for Mesh- and 80s fans.  

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: I got the feeling Blackcarburning was already spinning for a while in a corner of your mind so what have been the triggers to get it activated? And what kind of sound did you want to compose?

Mark: I’d been thinking about releasing something for a few years if I’m honest. It was going to be low level -maybe a few instrumentals. Nothing big, just something to scratch an itch I guess. I messed about with some music in the early days of the pandemic. Mesh were on a well-deserved break and I was building a proper studio in my house. I gave one of my ideas to Mari Kattman (who I’d worked with on a Mesh track and will appear on a future Mesh release) and I unexpectedly had a song. I just carried on writing really. I had enough tracks for a single, then two singles, then an EP, then the full album “Watching Sleepers”. There was such a momentum to it all and I felt like I’d tapped into a real vein of inspiration. It was very satisfying and unexpected.

Q: You for sure will be always connected to Mesh which makes the challenge to start a side/solo-project exciting, right? What did you experience as the pros and cons to release a solo-album? And what have been the biggest challenges and difficulties in the composition- & production process?

Mark: It has been a challenge overall, yes. There was a certain amount of pressure I guess, but that pressure didn’t come to the fore until the end of the process, when we were ready to release – that was “Judgement Day”. When you’re working on your own it requires an certain amount of discipline, self-motivation and confidence in your own abilities. I had to learn to be better at those things and from that respect it was certainly a life changing journey, about one I’m glad I put myself through. Many of the skills that I’ve left to other people (like final production, mixing, ‘editorial’ etc) I had to study and learn. Everything was down to me, and stopped with me.

Most of the challenges were indeed production based. I had to build a proper listening environment to mix in. It was ultimately a big investment in recording equipment, and an investment in time to learn how to use those tools. There were certain technical challenges recording guest vocalists -I didn’t want to just send files back and forward, but rather produce the singers ‘live’. I used a remote recoding solution called ‘VST Live’ where I could work with singers in real time. This was a game changer and ultimately the results were as good as anything I could have hoped for if we were all in the studio in person.

Q: Did you handle specific criteria and/or references in the achievement of this work plus the choice of guest singers?

Mark: Not really. I just wrote without any particular direction. Mesh has a ‘sound’, and together myself and Rich  create something that is original but recognisable, but always a product of our combined skills. I was able to write without restriction because I had no audience to think of, and no expectations to live up to. This was liberating in most respects, and I think it allowed me to be more productive as every idea seemed to lead somewhere interesting.

The choice of singers varied depending on the track. With Mari, the choice was initially just shot in the dark to see what would happen. The first track with Neil Francis “Love In Control” was originally written for myself, but I didn’t think it sounded as good as it could, so I asked him to re-do it. The other tracks with Neil I wrote specifically with him in mind. With “Your Heart Is Like An Island”, I specifically wrote the track for Janne. So the approach varied.

Q: What is “Watching Sleepers” all about? And what has been the impact of the lockdowns to the writing and content of the album?

Mark: “Watching Sleepers” contains a lot of personal and social commentary from the last few years. A great deal happened to the World during the time of the album writing, and that spilled over into everyones personal lives, their mental well-being, their feelings of security and hopes for the future. I never specifically tried to write about that time, but I think it’s evident in the lyrics and feel. Moments of reflection, anger, sadness and uncertainty.

Q: What have been the different stages you’d to go through to achieve “Watching Sleepers”? And what did you keep in mind as the highlights of this entire process?

Mark: There were many stages to the writing of the album.

The most important part is getting the bulk of the album written -it’s an important framework around which to work and to understand what you have as a whole. This is the part I enjoy the most.

I would then focus on the production and editing -removing stuff that was surplus, that added nothing, was self-indulgent for just made the track longer than it needed to be. Everything should have a purpose, and if not it should be removed. It’s difficult to do sometimes as the removed parts could be 100’s of hours of work, but it’s necessary.

The final mixing is the last stage. Getting the album to sound like a real record. This is the most difficult stage but is also very satisfying if you get it right, which I think I did. I include pre-mastering, frequency analysis, loudness metering in this stage.

Of course there were other stages that were just as important -finding a great record label (COP International) and a publisher (Schubert)  being the two biggest ones.

Q: I noticed the very specific artwork of your album -and singles,  which seems directly connected to the name of your project. What is it all about and is there a connection with Helen Mort’s novel “Black Car Burning”?

Mark: All the artwork was done by myself. I was getting a little tired of heavily photoshopped artwork and decided to try a ‘back to basics’ and more natural approach. I bought 30 or 40 model cars and photographed them against backgrounds printed out on photographic paper. Each ‘diorama’ had some connection or theme relating to the song. I used some lights and coloured gels -nothing complicated. There is some colour correction on the images, but otherwise they are just as I shot them. It was quite a lot of work, but once I had the technique it got easier. Again, it was very satisfying to see the results, especially on physical media like CD’s.

I tend to write phrases and words in my phone when I hear something interesting. There was a book review on the radio of Helens novel and I wrote down ‘Black Car Burning’ in my phone. When I came to look for a band name this fitted perfectly. I must read the novel one day.

Q: What are your plans for Blackcarburning?

Mark: I would ultimately like to take Blackcarburning out touring. We are starting to look at this now, but no dates are decided yet. Hopefully late 2024. I will certainly be writing another full-length album and am hoping to fit this around the writing of the next MESH album.

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

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

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

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: While the Mesh fans are waiting for years now for a new studio album, front man Mark Hockings unleashes his debut solo-album. Blackcarburning saw the daylight during lockdown. Hockings originally wanted to write his own music and finally, accidentally, became a singer. After several singles we get “Sleepers” featuring fourteen songs.

Content: You rapidly notice Hockings’ unique and passionate timbre of voice but “Sleepers” also features 4 guest singers (Neil Francis, Mari Katmann, Howie Venton and Janne Marvannen from Lakeside X). The album reveals a talented musician dealing with achieved, catchy and sensitive Electro/Indie-Pop. The work remains similar to Mesh but also to 80s Pop formations like OMD. The work is diversified moving from darker passages to sweet, evasive, cuts.

+ + + : Mark Hockings took me by surprise. The talented singer of Mesh also is a brilliant musician who perfectly knows how to compose danceable Electro-Pop cuts driven by elevating choruses at one side and sensitive tracks at the other side. “Sleepers” sounds as an intimate composition revealing outstanding songs like “Guilty”, “The Mirror” and “Losing Our Way”. The way the songs have been built up to reach their ultimate point is fully accomplished. And Hockings also chose talented guest singers.

– – – : The link with Mesh is obvious but who cares.

Conclusion: Surprising but brilliant, styled and elevating Electro-Pop!

Best songs: “Guilty”, “The Mirror”, “Losing Our Way”, “All About You”, “Breaking Bones”.

Rate: 8½.

Artist: www.blackcarburning.com / www.facebook.com/blackcarburning

Label: www.facebook.com/copint Read the news on ‘Sleepers’.

About Blackcarburning

Blackcarburning is the solo project of Mark Hockings, singer of the UK electro-pop band Mesh, based in Bristol. He launched the project during lockdown, writing, singing and programming the material himself. The debut album, “Watching Sleepers”, was released by COP International on 23 June 2023, recorded and mixed at The Summerhouse in Bristol, and features guest vocalists Neil Francis, Mari Kattman, Howie Venton and Janne Marvannen of Lakeside X.

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

COP International announces us the signing of the Swedish post-punk band Sjöblom. Sjöblom is the brainchild of Johan Sjöblom Eliot, known for his work with Sweden’s post-punk/dark indie act, The Exploding Boy, and Robert Eklind (previously in the goth rock band Malaise).

Sjöblom was featured with the track “Tape” on our free post-punk compilation “Post​-​Punk (Genesis)” which we released in 2021.

Christian Petke (COP International / GM) says: “I am truly excited to work with Johan and Robert. Their brand of Post-Punk/Pop is a fantastic addition to our roster and is expanding our sound in a wonderful way. My first love was punk/post-punk, and I am thrilled for COP to return to its roots.”

Sjöblom was formed by Johan Sjöblom Eliot in 2016 in Stockholm. Besides being a member of Swedish post-punk band The Exploding Boy, he also played earlier in the indie pop band Prune and the indie rock band Fake Moss. The band’s most recent offering was the June 2023 single “The Storm – The Foreign Resort Remix”.

In short, an excellent addition to the COP International roster.

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

COP International has welcomed the influential industrial rock band, The Cassandra Complex, to its line-up of artists.

Originally formed in Leeds, England, The Cassandra Complex came together through the collaboration of Rodney Orpheus, Paul Dillon, and later journalist Andy Booth. Their debut single “March” was released in 1985. Rodney Orpheus later moved to Hamburg, Germany, where he teamed up with guitarist Volker Zacharias, a longstanding member of the band.

Over the decades, The Cassandra Complex’s music has evolved to encompass a rich blend of EBM, industrial, goth rock, new wave, and synth-pop elements. They have gained recognition for their unique blend of electronic music, post-punk vibes, guitar-driven compositions, and the distinctive vocals of Rodney Orpheus. Songs such as “Moscow Idaho”, “One Millionth Happy Customer”, and “The War Against Sleep” are considered iconic tracks of their genre.

Beyond his work with The Cassandra Complex, Rodney Orpheus is also noted for his significant contributions to music technology. He played a key role in developing and advocating for many of the tools that musicians globally use today, with a particular focus on Virtual Studio Technology (VST), which has been a game-changer for the music industry. His collaborative work in this field extends to a variety of artists, including Kevin Godley (10cc, Godley & Creme), Sinead O’Connor, Sisters of Mercy, Die Krupps, and Future Sound of London.

Recently, The Cassandra Complex has been independently releasing their music. Currently, they are in the process of producing a new album and revisiting and re-recording selections from their extensive back catalogue. As they approach their 40th anniversary in 2024, fans can look forward to a special, limited edition reissue of their work to commemorate this significant milestone.

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: Dark-Electro.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Clint Robertson has reactivated nolongerhuman unleashing the first new album since “Withdrawal” (2014). This is the fourth full length of this American project which is meant as a conceptual release dealing and directly inspired by different aspects of the human mind. The work has been mixed and mastered by Jan L. (Noisuf-X, X-Fusion, Stoppenberg).

Content: “Marionette” is a pure Dark-Electro production that holds on to the basis of previous nolongerhuman releases. It sounds harsh, merciless and danceable but still revealing melodic string parts and well-crafted songs. On top you’ll notice the harsh and possessed vocals. I noticed a few ‘softer’ parts at the end of the work.

+ + + : nolongerhuman doesn’t bring anything new although this project remains a warrant for elaborated and punching Dark-Electro. I especially like the way power has been connected with good-old melodic strings. The first part of “Marionette” especially reveals great songs. “Harden Your Heart” is my absolute favorite one; it’s one of the coldest cuts from the album.  

– – – : Quite curiously the title song -which also is the softest cut of the album, is the single piece that couldn’t convince me.

Conclusion: nolongerhuman strikes back with a totally accomplished and banging piece of Dark-Electronics. I belief this work will be for sure one of the best productions from 2023 in its genre.

Best songs: “Harden Your Heart”, “Insects Not Gods”, “Shattered”, “How This Felt”.

Rate: 8½.

Artist: www.nolongerhuman.net / www.facebook.com/nolongerhuman.official

Label: www.facebook.com/copint Read the news on ‘Marionette’.

Listen to “Marionette”:

About nolongerhuman

nolongerhuman is a dark electro project from Portland, Oregon, led by Clint Robertson. The project has released four full-length albums to date, with the third, “Withdrawal”, arriving in 2014. Robertson renewed the project’s contract with COP International in 2022 and reactivated nolongerhuman for “Marionette”, released on May 5, 2023, preceded by the single and video “Dead Inside”. The album was mixed and mastered by Jan Loamfield of X-Fusion, and closes out a concept nearly a decade in the making about the compulsions and pressures that quietly shape human behavior.

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 via COP International on June 23rd is the debut album from Blackcarburning, “Watching Sleepers”. Behind Blackcarburning we find Mark Hockings, frontman of the UK electropop outfit mesh. “Watching Sleepers” will be out in 2 CD versions, a normal CD and a limited Edition, including a 5-track bonus-CD with exclusive tracks and remixes.

On this release Hockings takes on multiple roles, including writing, singing, and programming, and describes the tracks as “electronic music written around songs, emotion, and energy.” He further adds, “The tracks were written to see what I could achieve by working primarily on my own. It’s been a vehicle for exploring new songwriting and programming ideas, experimenting with sound design, and developing some exciting new directions.”

The bonus tracks are the following:

1. The Mirror (12Inch Extended Mix)
2. Make another Plan
3. You do what you want
4. Last Day
5. Have you seen them fight

Check out the album track “The Mirror” below. Read the review of ‘Sleepers’.

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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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 dark wave / post-punk duo Vaselyne are back with a brand new album op COP International, the 3-track EP “Under Your Skin”. The EP is available now in pre-order and ready for release on the 5th of May 2023 (Bandcamp Day), tomorrow that is.

The EP holds the title track “Under Your Skin” followed by a cover of David Sylvian’s “Riverman” and an instrumental version of “Under Your Skin”. Note that the “Riverman” cover was created for the Japan cover compilation “Still Life in Polaroids” which we covered earlier this week. That compilation is curated by Yvette Winkler and Coitus Interruptus Production.

“We are both very much influenced by Japan. Their ability to mix musical genres, and their impact on the future of new wave, was very important. Especially considering the fact, they were all self taught. It’s an honour to be able to play their songs, but also a scary thing. As you feel you are touching the Crown Jewels 🙂 You want to do them and their music justice.”

This new EP follows the release of their full length “The Sea Says”. Vaselyne has now finished recording their upcoming album. The first single of that album is a ballad “Waiting to Exhale”. The video for this track was made by Dutch filmmaker Dorothee Meddens. The new album includes collaborations with Lynette Cerezo from Bestial Mouths, Searmanas, John Fryer ( Black Needle Noise, NIN, Prayers, This Mortal Coil and HIM) and Michael Aliani from Chiron/Ikon.

Vaselyne is a collaboration between Dutch singer Yvette Winkler and Dutch musician and producer Frank Weyzig. Yvette Winkler was co-founder of the Dutch band “Sea of Souls” (2006) and Frank Weyzig is a Dutch producer, composer and band member, known for his contribution to the original line-up for Clan of Xymox and his work for indie new wave band Born For Bliss. Vaselyne has so far released four albums on the German label Echozone: “Earthbound” EP (2012), their full length debut album “The Fire Within” (2013), “In Dreams” EP (2015) and “Fragile” EP (2016).
​
In the spring of 2018, after a two year hiatus, the band picked up things where they left and Vaselyne contributed to the new Textbeak (Michael Szewczyk) album, “Sick for Songs a Season Eats”, produced by John Fryer. For this album, Yvette wrote and sung the lyrics for “Legion_err” and both Frank and Yvette have written and sung the lyrics for “Information Medicine” a track with Mark Stewart of “The Pop Group”. Yvette also collaborated with IAMTHESHADOW, John Fryer’s Black Needle Noise, Jean- Marc Lederman, Attrition and Junksista. Frank worked with Kelly Cook (ex- Moev) on their new project “Tearing The BlackBox”.

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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Portland, Oregon based electro act nolongerhuman is back with an all new album, “Marionette”, on May 5th via COP International.

Produced by Jan Loamfield / X-fusion “Marionette” is as an album whose concept first came to mind almost a decade ago so Clint Robertson says: “I set out to make a collection of songs that try to define the things that quietly control us in the background. Songs about our addictions, our compulsions, and the needs and struggles of the human condition. All of the factors that pull our strings behind the scenes. Over time as the world changed, the idea became more focused and the message more direct and urgent. We live in an era that too often moves too fast to reflect on our inner feelings, let alone allows us to stop and look in the mirror to see ourselves as we truly are. Not as statistics on some social feed, not as commodities, but as humans.”

nolongerhuman has produced three full-length albums to date. Recently the dark electro act renewed its contract with COP International and released “Dead Inside”, the first full-length single and video from “Marionette”.

The album can already pre-order it on Bandcamp. Read the review of ‘Marionette’.

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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Here’s an odd duck on COP International label: the Fort Worth, Texas based act G.W. Childs IV. This project delivers electro country or synthwave with a disco falsetto actually. Behind the buttons we also notice John Fryer (Depeche Mode/NIN/Yazoo) and Rodney Orpheus (The Cassandra Complex).

The 7-track EP will be out next Friday (7th of April) on Bandcamp Day and features 2 original tracks (“You don’t know” and “Infinitely You”) plus “Tarrrant County” remixed by Rodney Orpheus / Cassandra Complex, DJ Joe Virus / Solemn Assembly, Josh Pyle (Aphorism), Ashes Fallen and one by by G.W. Childs IV itself.

You can already check the title track itself.

Here’s the previous single of the project, the 5-track EP “Tarrant County”.

Christian from COP International comments: “When John Fryer send me the first track I was blown away. We both had discussed the direction we expected COP to go for but this was something else entirely. Or was it? John always finds the emotional core in a track and brings it to the surface. But he also helped GW rediscover his roots and embrace them at the same time – what a beautiful gift. With his new band everything that has shaped GW is coming together. He grew up on a ranch among farmhands and livestock. He joined the Army and they took him all over the globe. His Passion for music brought him to California and gave him the opportunity to work for Lucas Arts as a sound designer. His love for his family brought him back home to Texas. GW Childs IV “Tarrant County” is the sum of all these experiences. GW Childs IV and COP have been working together for 20 years (GW was half of the storied Dark Wave Band Soil and Eclipse). But I feel that his new band is the first time we see the real person behind the music. It combines his early love for 4AD, the great balladeers of historic country music and his love for catchy melodies.”

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: Experimental, Abstract, Hypnotic.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Belgian Electronic veteran Jean-Marc Lederman strikes back with a new solo-work. The hilarious title might be an indication for this work but especially the opening track “The Blue Note” gives us more information. A ‘blue note’ is a ‘music term; note that for expressive purposes is sung or played at a slightly different pitch than standard’.

Content: Jean-Marc Lederman has created a kind of ‘free-style’ -which he’s been doing for a while, using soul vocals he transformed, pitched and supported with hypnotic electronics. Sometimes ghost-like and even reminding me of a track to the great “Twin Peaks”-tune but often totally Experimental -reminding me of Staalplaat releases.

+ + + : The creativity of this artist has no limits; nothing is impossible and everything is worthy of an experiment. I can’t say I’m fond of this new record but I honestly salute and respect the ‘no compromises’ attitude of the artist. It all seems like he doesn’t really care about established standards, fashion trends and ‘bankable’ productions. Lederman is having fun revisiting soul hymns in a very personal way.

– – – : I’m really wondering how people and fans of the artist will react to this new work. I honestly prefer him composing more accessible and Pop-driven music.

Conclusion: Did Jean-Marc Lederman get contaminated by a virus? Did he use some dope to write this album? One thing is for sure, he’s doing his very own, damned, thing.

Best songs: “She’s My Candy Cane”, “The Music Walks Again (The Robert Johnson Story) featuring Emileigh Rohn.

Rate: 6.

Artist: www.jmlederman.com / www.facebook.com/jeanmarc.lederman

Label: www.facebook.com/copint

Listen to “Soul Music For Zombies”:

About Jean-Marc Lederman

Jean-Marc Lederman is a Belgian electronic musician and composer. His career includes work with Front 242, The The, Gene Loves Jezebel, Fad Gadget, The Weathermen and French rocker Alain Bashung, along with film and video game scoring credits, including the 2017 feature “Doubleplusonegood” and work as second composer to Ramin Djawadi. He has released double CD/artbook albums as Jean-Marc Lederman Experience, among them “13 Ghost Stories” in 2019 and “Letters To Gods (And Fallen Angels)” in 2020, and worked with Jean-Luc De Meyer of Front 242 in the Lederman / De Meyer project, which released two EPs and the album “Eleven Grinding Songs”. In 2020 he signed to COP International, the label behind “Soul Music For Zombies”, released on Les Disques De La Pantoufle / COP International in digital and CD formats on February 10, 2023.

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, Punk-Pop.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: German duo Diana and Boog aka Junksista are back unleashing their fifth full length album. It also is their first album released by COP International. “0A” features ten songs and an impressive list of guest singers.  Yvette Winkler (Vaselyne), Lis van den Akker (Psy’Aviah, Die Krupps, Grendel), Noemi Aurora (Helalyn Flowers), Maria (Omnimar) and Emke (Black Nail Cabaret) got invited to sing on a few cuts.

Content: Time has passed but Junksista held on to their initial sound approach revealing a kind of ‘evil-punk-pop’ style. The songs are driven by electronics and empowered by guitar playing. The work is pretty diversified and accentuated by the different contributors. Now danceable and carried by Trance leads and then cold and groovy the album also reveals darker and colder passages.

+ + + : Junksista hasn’t lost their ‘anarchistic’ sound approach. It’s not a coincidence they sometimes call it ‘dirty-pop’ as it clearly sounds atypical; not classical Electro-Pop but with a sharp Punk touch on top. I especially recommend the last track “Fuck Your Pretty Face” which also is one of the hardest and darkest cuts but still a cut with menacing guitar play and hot female vocals. Other highlights are the opening song “Phoenix” and “Fragile” featuring Maria Mar (Omnimar).

– – – : The songs with guest singers unfortunately aren’t the most convincing ones although they for sure make this work really exciting. Junksista remains faithful to their initial sound formula although the early magic is a bit gone.

Conclusion: Junksista is Pop music for tough people.

Best songs: “Fuck Your Pretty Face”, “Phoenix”, “Fragile featuring Maria Mar”, “Do you Wanna feat. Emke”.

Rate: 7½.

Artist: www.facebook.com/Junksista

Label: www.facebook.com/copint

About Junksista

Junksista is a German duo formed by Diana Noir and Boog, working in an electro-pop and punk-pop register. “0A” is their fifth full-length album and their first release through COP International, issued on October 7, 2022 with ten songs written and produced by the duo themselves. The album features guest vocals from Yvette Winkler (Vaselyne), Lis van den Akker (Die Krupps, Grendel, Psy’Aviah), Noemi Aurora (Helalyn Flowers), Maria Mar (Omnimar) and Emke (Black Nail Cabaret).

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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Jean-Marc Lederman (The Weathermen, Ghost & Writer, Lederman/ De Meyer ao) and Emileigh Rohn (Chiasm) got in touch for Jean-Marc’s conceptual album “Letters To Gods And Fallen Angels” (2019). It became a praised album and a successful collaboration inciting the Belgian-American duo to move on working together. Rohn-Lederman was born and a first album “Venus Chariot” was released in 2021. One year later the duo strikes back unleashing “Rage!”. Both albums released by COP International reveal a very own approach in sound, mixing different styles resulting in an atypical Electro-Pop production. “Rage!” sounds darker and harsher than its predecessor but also is a sophisticated piece of music. This is what both artists have to say about their common project.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: What motivated you to work together on a full length album and what makes the chemistry between both of you?

Jean-Marc: We kinda hooked up really from the beginning. I had provided Emileigh a song but ended up having to recreate the entire instrumental part beyond her voice. And she loved it. And I was so surprised as usually singers hate that, they’ll often get very self-conscious when the music changes too much. And I think Emileigh liked that I went as far as redoing a whole new music backing behind her. So we kind of got impressed by how each other was ready to alter course for making the end song shine through: commitment to the art.

Emileigh:  We began in 2019 with a song featured at Jean-Marc’s album “Letters To Gods And Fallen Angels” and realized the potential of continuing to try more.  So, we created an EP which eventually became an album and really haven’t stopped since. I think at last count, we have over 50 tracks released together at this point.  It’s been an incredibly dynamic partnership.

Q: Was there something like a consensus about the music, lyrical themes and global approach when setting up the project?

Jean-Marc: We just went straight in and got to discover things happening when they did and follow the rabbit down the music hole…

Emileigh:I recall, when we first began, having a discussion around Tom Waits quote regarding beautiful music saying terrible things. I think that intense emotional edge, especially with our recent “Rage!”-album, has only continued to sharpen. We knew well from our individual projects that our mindsets were similar and wanted to create music that continues to move and hold interest. I think we both have a fiery opposition to stagnancy.

Q: Jean-Marc, you already worked with numerous singers and artists so what makes the experience with Emileigh Rohn maybe different or that particular? What did she brought you never experienced before and in which way did she stimulates your artistic creativity and –skills in the production of this work?

Jean-Marc: I have been lucky enough to share a great music experience with amazing singers like Bruce Geduldig with The Weathermen and Frank Spinath with Ghost & Writer. Here, Emileigh brings in her amazing lyrical talent, her great voice, her ability to embrace changes and a genuine curiosity for bold and new things. The differences are multiples but I think it is also her natural attitude towards musical experiments.

Q: I often get the feeling Jean-Marc is one of the very few artists active at this scene who’s able to write the right music for the singers he’s working with… the singers becoming his muse? Do you recognize it or is it totally different? What’s your experience about it? 

Emileigh: I write from my own interpretations, but there’s no question that we inspire each other. Our tracks begin with a skeleton composed by Jean-Marc, and I create my songs around that.  Then he arranges the sounds around what I’ve provided, so there is indeed a chance for each of us to adjust what we’ve created.  It’s been an incredibly creative experience overall.

Q: Sound-wise Rohn-Lederman sounds driven by Electro-Pop influences and yet it sounds to me as an antidote to ‘classical’ Electro-Pop standards which are only but repeating themselves. What makes the inspiration for Rohn-Lederman and what’s your perception of Electro-Pop productions who nearly all sound the same?

Jean-Marc: We are both very open to many different music styles and we aren’t afraid of trying mixing things we’ve heard, be it in a Top Ten hit or an obscure sound in a song penned by an unknown Moldavian band from the seventies (lol). So, no real influences but many of them. Luckily enough, they get draft in and mix themselves with all the others and it makes up for something rather different. Electro-pop productions are most often amazing sound wise and terrible inspiration and novelty wise.

Q: I guess you didn’t record the album together in studio but did everything over the net. Don’t you think working together in the same room/studio would result in a different production? What’s your opinion about it? And what’s the next step now for this project?

Jean-Marc: Sure it would sound different: what we get today is the result of that studio isolation and geographical distance. Being together in the studio would allow us to refine certain parts for sure but still we would go in the same area: putting together elements that aren’t supposed to be seen together.
It would be amazing to record in the same studio and very probably would lead to even more research and musical melting pot.

Next step? We have already kinda define where we want Rohn-Lederman 3 to go and lazily get going lol. But first Emileigh gets to work on her own Chiasm album and then we’ll regroup for our next one.

Emileigh: I’ve always preferred to work alone in my studio because it allows me to experiment with different sounds and techniques without the fear of judgement, the opportunity to self-edit in my own space. I think although we are comfortable sharing with each other mid-progress, we’re still giving ourselves this chance to branch out and create content that’s extra memorable for the listeners. As far as what’s next, yes, I’m constructing my new Chiasm-album and I’m sure that will have some influence on how we approach our next ROHN-LEDERMAN-album together.  It’s going to be wild!! 🙂

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:  

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: One year after the “Venus Chariot”-album the duo Emileigh Rohn (Chiams) – Jean-Marc Lederman (The Weatherman, Lederman-De Meyer, Mari & The Ghost ao) strikes back with their second opus entitled “Rage”.

Content: Jean-Marc Lederman composed a dark and somewhat atypical Electro-Pop style driven by menacing bass lines, Industrial sound treatments and uplifting choruses. Rohn’s fragile timbre of voice injects a sensitive touch to the ‘machines’.

+ + + : This albums sounds pretty different to its predecessor. It’s darker and more diversified. Lederman feels comfortable experimenting with different influences and styles. His album is an antithesis to ‘classical’ and ‘uninspired’ Electro-Pop productions. Don’t expect catchy melodies but a sophisticated production filled with numerous sound effects and aggressive bass lines. There even is a track sounding as Electronic Rockabilly (cf. “I Am Not A Drone”). This duo isn’t exactly dealing with Electro-Pop, but delivers a kind of ‘free-style’. I like the darkness and rough sound production creating a duality with the delicate vocals.  The already familiar “It Hurts” remains a great piece, but my favorite is the uplifting “Not Your Place To Hide”. I also want to mention “Raging Like Me” which is one of the single cuts with a different -and more spoken like, approach in the vocals.

– – – : The work isn’t maybe the most accessible one in its genre… although it sounds a bit like a genre on its own! I like Emileigh’s vocals but I’m missing a bit more diversity in the singing.

Conclusion: Rohn-Lederman clearly is a successful duo; the clash between different generations creating a ground for further generations.

Best songs: “Not Your Place To Hide”, “It Hurts”, “Raging Like Me”, “Touch And Go”.

Rate: 8.

Artist: www.facebook.com/Rohnlederman

Label: www.facebook.com/copint Read the news on ‘Rage’.

About Rohn-Lederman

Rohn-Lederman is the Belgian-American duo of Emileigh Rohn (Chiasm) and Jean-Marc Lederman (The Weathermen, Ghost & Writer, Lederman/De Meyer). The project began in 2019 after Lederman invited Rohn to contribute vocals to his album “Letters To Gods And Fallen Angels”. Their collaboration continued with the debut album “Venus Chariot”, followed by “Rage” as the duo’s second opus. Rohn-Lederman went on to release the 2CD album “Black And Bleu” in April 2024 and the fifth album, “Forbidden Planet”, in 2025, all through Jean-Marc Lederman’s own label, Les Disques De La Pantoufle.

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

One of the leading bands from the Mexican dark elektro scene, C-Lekktor, has landed a record deal with the Belgian electro label Alfa Matrix. After having been focused on some side-project activities (for instance the excellent Circuito Cerrado) and other collaborations over the last years, Markko B. has concentrated his attention back on C-Lekktor.

Alfa Matrix announced today that they will release the new C-Lekktor album “New World Disorder” later in October. With this new release C-Lekktor breaks 5 years of extended silence (and pandemic struggle).

The first pressing of this “New World Disorder” album comes out as double-CD digipak limited edition with extended artwork and a 16-track bonus disc featuring remixes by Esa, Centhron, Xperiment, The Psychic Force, Fabrikc, Aesthetische, Neikka Rpm, Venal Flesh, Nano Infect, Circuito Cerrado, Llumen, Nevel, Synthattack, Chamaeleon, Miseria Ultima and Third Realm.

You can already check two tracks on Bandcamp (they are yours for immediate download if you pre-order the download release). The 2CD limited edition can be pre-ordered now from the Alfa Matrix webshop.

The project debuted in 2004 with the self-released album “Re-A-Gression”. It was followed by “Cloned And Mutated” in 2007, again self-released. The same year the project offered “Refusing The Paradise” after which they got picked up by COP International. On that label they released 3 albums, “The Silence Procession” (2008), “X-Tension In Progress” (2012) and “Final Alternativo” (2014). The band’s last album was the 2017 release “Out Of My Way” re-released in an anniversary edition in 2019.

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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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Genre/Influences: Gothic, Ethereal, Dark-Wave.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Vaselyne is a Dutch duo driven by Yvette Winkler and Frank Weyzig (known from Born For Bliss and formerly involved with Clan Of Xymox). Nine years after the debut-album “The Fire Within” -released on Echozone, the duo strikes back after having released a few EP’s.

Content: In between the intro- and outro cut you’ll discover a sonic universe touched by grace and delicacy. A melancholic composition mixing Gothic, Ethereal and Dark-Wave. Electronics, guitar and acoustic instruments have been merged together while Yvette’s timbre of voice emerges at the top of the work. Frank is singing as well on several songs. Notice by the way the album also features cover versions from Tori Amos,PJ Harveyand Oceansize.

+ + + : I like the authenticity of the production, which is mainly due to the magic of piano-, violin- and guitar sounds. The work reflects maturity and refinement. The absolute highlight is “Forever After”, which reminds me a bit of the particular, graceful and sensual sphere created by Ordo Rosarius Equilibrio. And Vaselyne didn’t spare any effort and asked John Fryer to join in for a cool mix of “Down”.

– – – : I experienced the debut songs as a bit hesitant so you better remain patient to discover the beauty of this work. I’m missing an absolute hit.

Conclusion: Sadness and melancholia have been transposed into an artistic creation called “The Sea Says”.

Best songs: “Forever After”, “Down”, “Surrender”, “One Day All This Could Be Yours”.

Rate: 7½.

Artist: www.vaselyne.com / www.facebook.com/vaselynemusic

Label: www.facebook.com/copint Read the news on ‘The Sea Says’.

About Vaselyne

Vaselyne is a Dutch duo formed by Yvette Winkler, also known from John Fryer’s Black Needle Noise project, and Frank Weyzig, formerly of Clan Of Xymox. The duo signed to COP International on the recommendation of John Fryer, who had worked with Winkler on a Black Needle Noise release. Debut album “The Fire Within” was released on Echozone. Three EPs followed: “Winter” (a Tori Amos cover), “Here To Begin” and “Shame” (a PJ Harvey cover), the latter released in 2023 as part of the “Under Your Skin” EP. Second album “The Sea Says” holds 13 tracks including covers of Tori Amos, PJ Harvey and Oceansize, with guest vocals from Lynette Cerezo, Michael Aliani and Searmanas, string arrangements by Einar Ihle, flute by Rina Vervoort, and production on “Down” by John Fryer.

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

Out on the 2nd of September via COP International is the Rohn – Lederman album “Rage!”.

Behind Rohn – Lederman we find Jean-Marc Lederman (Fad Gadget, The Weathermen, The The, Gene Loves Jezebel, Ghost & Writer + numerous solo records) and Emileigh Rohn (Chiasm) who started this project to bring catchy electropop. More recently, Emileigh Rohn recently also completed an album with John Fryer titled “Missed The Noise”, and since has been working with Jean-Marc Lederman on this project.

Here’s a first preview of the Porno For Pyros track “Pets” by Rohn – Lederma. Read the review of ‘Rage’.

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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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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The dark electro act nolongerhuman has renewed their contract with COP International and is announcing brand new releases. “Dead Inside” is the first full-length single and video from nolongerhuman’s upcoming fourth album “Marionette”. You can view the video below.

nolongerhuman has produced three full-length albums and has been featured on numerous remixes and compilations since they formed.

Here’s what Clint Robertson says about his contract renewal: “I feel incredibly honored to be working with Christian and everyone at COP International. We have built both a business relationship and a great friendship over the years. It’s so exciting to work with a label that shares the same passion for the genre that I have, and that has values and a forward-thinking vision so closely aligned with my own. The best is truly yet to come.”

COP International head Christian Petke adds: “It is always a privilege to support an artist for a long stretch of their career and we truly appreciate that the band has chosen to continue working with COP. Beautiful is not a word usually associated with harsh electro but nolongerhuman injects soul and beauty into a genre that is usually just defined by volume and attack factor. The new music is outstanding and we look forward to nolongerhuman’s new releases.”

For now, do check already the video for the “Dead Inside” single.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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“Fair Winds”, a Black Needle Noise track originally written to be the theme song for a TV show about the history of the Isle Of Man is out now. John Fryer adds: “Unfortunately it has been put on the back burner because of Covid. Hopefully, this will happen down the line, but I decided to release this piece in the meantime.”

The record features two other musicians: female vocalist Ruby Friedman and Colin McGuinness (live musician for Japan amongst many other acts).

John Fryer started his career in 1979 at London’s Blackwing Studios (London) and soon began working with seminal bands on 4AD, Mute, Rough Trade, and Beggars Banquet, including Depeche Mode, The Wolfgang Press, and Cocteau Twins. His work led Watts-Russell to recruit Fryer as his partner for This Mortal Coil. Currently, Fryer works closely with COP International and its roster and this is the label debut release for Black Needle Noise on COP International.

You can get the 4-track single right now from 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 Vaselyne album “The Sea Says”. The album was preceeded by 3 EP’s “Winter” (originally by Tori Amos), “Here To Begin” and “Shame” (originally by PJ Harvey).

Behind Vaselyne we find Yvette Winkler (you know her from John Fryer’s Black Needle Noise project and few others) and Frank Weyzig (ex-Clan of Xymox). They are currently signed to COP International, recommended by John Fryer who had worked with Yvette Winkler on a Black Needle Noise release.

The “The Sea Says” album holds 13 tracks including a cover of the Oceansize track “One Day All This Could Be Yours” and the aforementionned Tori Amos and PJ Harvey covers. Guest vocals on “Here to Begin” are by Lynette Cerezo and you can hear Michael Aliani on guest vocal on “Forever After” and Searmanas on “Love Failed to Save Me”.

Additional string arrangements on “Under Your Skin” and solo violin on “Waiting to Exhale” and “Forever After” were executed by Einar Ihle. You will also find Rina Vervoort on flute on the track “One Day All this could be Yours” and “Pair of Three”.

Finally, John Fryer took care of the complete performance, arrangements and production on the track “Down”.

Check out the full album below. Read the review of ‘The Sea Says’.

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.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Belgian composer Jean-Marc Lederman has never been as prolific and inspired as during the Covid 19-pandemic. His newest work is a new conceptual album driven by his fascination for aquatic life resulting in this ‘homage’ to seahorses and manatees.

Content: Jean-Marc Lederman likes to work with themes which are totally different from each other. But this album deals however again with a pure Cinematic writing. This could be the Soundtrack for a documentary. The orchestral arrangements, strings effects and acoustic sounds are totally devoted to the Cinematic style. But songs also feature slow rhythms and other more exotic cadences. Guest singer Emileigh Rohn has been featured on 2 songs but especially the cover versions of “Song To Siren” is a noticeable one.

+ + + : The concept is maybe less fun than we might expect although titles of songs are sometimes pretty weird. Jean-Marc Lederman feels comfortable composing Cinematic music and this album brings all the different elements together. I like his orchestral arrangements creating this cool bombastic effect. The rhythms are bringing the work more accessible while holding onto the Soundtrack feeling. This is a diverse- and elaborated work and the perfect production to dream about abyssal depths and aquatic creatures.

– – – : I noticed a few songs with an abrupt end. The main difficulty for this production remains its Experimental style.

Conclusion: This new work by Jean-Marc Lederman confirms his great composing skills for Cinematic music. The dreamy strength of the work reminds me of the universe if Jacques Tati.

Best songs: “Where Is Dory?”, “Johnny Deep”, “(Music Industry) Sharks: We’re Gonna Need Bigger Slippers!”

Rate: 7½.

Artist: www.jmlederman.com / www.facebook.com/Music-composer-Jean-Marc-Lederman-1585277635023000

Label: www.facebook.com/copint Read the news on ‘Night Music For Seahorses And Manatees’.

“Night Music For Seahorses And Manatees” was released on 31 March 2022 through COP International, digitally and on CD in a four-sided eco-package. The mostly instrumental album runs about 38 minutes. Lederman composed, played, arranged, produced and mixed every track. Emileigh Rohn of Chiasm sings on the cover of “Song To The Siren”, written by Tim Buckley with lyrics by Larry Beckett, and provides the voice on “Where Is Dory?”. Marine biologist Geoff Avern wrote the foreword.

Lederman set out what the listener is meant to encounter: “You’ll literally meet seahorses, manatees, sharks, mantas, an old shipwreck, see the sad state the coral reefs are in (and that’s our fault), you’ll also be looking for Dory and will finally arrive at the bottom of the sea and re-discover…SURPRISE !”

The album followed “The Raven”, issued under the Jean-Marc Lederman Experience name in January 2022.

Listen to “Night Music For Seahorses And Manatees”:

About Jean-Marc Lederman

Jean-Marc Lederman is a Belgian composer and electronic musician who has worked in the field since the early 1980s. He was a member of The Weathermen and has recorded with Fad Gadget, a period he described in the Side-Line feature Working with Fad Gadget and Daniel Miller was an exciting treat. Side-Line also reviewed The Weathermen’s Long Lost Live Instrumental Backing Tapes + Live CD Concert in 2019.

He works in clearly separated conceptual projects. Side-Line reviewed “The Space Between Worlds” in 2017, the Lederman / De Meyer collaborations “A Tribe Of My Own” and “Eleven Grinding Songs” in 2018, “13 Ghost Stories” and “Ode A La Pluie” in 2019, “Letters To Gods [And Fallen Angels]” in 2020, and “The Helpless Voyage Of The Titanic”, “Music for Dinosaurs” and “The Mysterious Manuscript Of Gabriel Garcia Marquez” in 2021.

The work with Emileigh Rohn continued as the Rohn-Lederman duo, whose album “Rage” appeared on COP International in 2022. Lederman went on to release “Soul Music For Zombies” in 2023, “Sci-Fi Revisited” in 2024 and “Electronic Slipper Music” in 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.

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Two charity releases to help Ukraine have taken the Bandcamp charts by storm in the past few weeks. There is the Side-Line powered “Electronic Resistance” compilation (and book and T-shirt) featuring 55 Ukrainian bands, and there’s the COP International powered 3-track single “Come Together” featuring members of bands including Faith No More, Stabbing Westward, Rammstein, Black Needle Noise and others.

The two releases have three things in common, they come from the indie scene, they have been created and released in record time, and both people behind the release are actually longtime friends. We decided to talk with both initiative takers, our very own chief editor Bernard Van Isacker and producer and musician John Fryer who both invested their time in creating two extremely successful charity projects.

SL: John and Bernard, you were the very first people to launch a charity project in the metal/rock and darkwave scene to help the Ukrainian people and also the ones that made it a huge success. What was the decisive moment when you said, ok, let’s do this?

John: It was late one Sunday evening and I was talking to Christian from COP International records on the phone and as always we were discussing many thing that are happening to us and the world and we got talking about the invasion and all the people suffering the effects it was having on them. So we decided to do a song to raise money. We were like yeah let’s do a song get it recorded and out by Friday of that week.

We were totally nuts to think it could have been done in such a short time. It took as 3 weeks and working around the clock not just on the music side of things but calling, emailing and texting people to get them involved in the project.

Bernard: The moment I saw the first images of the bombing, the dead civilians, I was like, I have to do something, and I have to do it right now. It took roughly 2,5 weeks to get everything done as far as the compilation goes, because I’m still working on the photo book itself which is also going to be released.

I honestly never thought Putin would actually invade Ukraine… who on earth can be so sick? It came as a big blow in my face when I heard the news. I was like, WTF, we are in the year 2022 and some lunatic still thinks it is OK to just invade another country. Looking back, we should have known this was going to happen, all the signals were there for years, especially after he invaded the Crimean with his ‘green’ men. Putin has a track record which is just plain wrong in all its facets and that was just one of the examples that should have made us realize far worse was bound to happen. Add to that that Europe acts like a junkie when it comes to oil and gas…

SL: I know you know each other rather well, it’s like same minds think alike?

John: I have known Bernard for many a moon now and he has a big heart also. Even though we didn’t discuss this with each other we have both come to the same conclusion of what a terrible thing that is happening in Ukraine and want to help in some way.

Bernard: I appreciate John a lot as well and I know he has the heart at the right place. It didn’t surprise me that he ended up with a similar idea. I think we both are very much affected by what is happening so it came as a natural thing to help in the way we know best, John by making music, me by setting up a project and use the Side-Line promo machinery to turn the project into a success.

SL: Can you both describe how you set up your projects?

Bernard: Within 3 days most of the tracks were delivered by the participating bands, some even recorded new material during those 3 days. I then had to literally chase for the necessary paperwork, because the last thing these Ukrainian bands are busy with or need now is bureaucracy, which I totally understand, but it is and was a necessary evil which took me around 2 extra weeks. In the meantime I had contacted Erlend Eilertsen (Lights A.M, Essence Of Mind) in Norway if he could make sure the sound would be ok because some of the sourced material literally was recorded while the bombs were falling like I said. Other bands had nothing left but rough demos, so there was some work needed to get everything polished.

John: Christian and I had done a similar thing before but on a smaller scale. This time we wanted to reach a much bigger audience so we decided to reach for the stars. I’ve known some of the artists for a long time but we also got a lot of help from people we asked like Geno Lenardo, Marija Buljeta, Rod Saez Chavez who also joined in asking people to join our project and we thank them and everyone else who has helped along the way and the people who have donated money to the project.

Side-Line: Bernard, you decided to get to work with Ukrainian bands only. How on earth did you get hold of 55 bands in such a record time?

Bernard: Ah yes, I forgot to tell that. Very simple, I contacted a few bands in direct, but most were actually triggered by a Facebook message I spread in Ukraine. People there reacted very quickly from allover Ukraine, also fans contacted bands after seeing the message. That’s one of the few times when I thought that Facebook did a proper constructive job.

Side-Line: John, you chose to work on a cover of John Lennon’s “Come Together”…

John: John Lennon wrote “Come Together” and we re-imagined it and added Queens [we will rock you]. It is a cover of the Beatles song mixed with a Queen song and we changed the words to [we will stop you]. As in the name, we wanted people to come together to help. This kind of invasion should not be happening. It’s horrifying to think that things like this can still happen in this day and age.

Side-Line: John, you made a supergroup – à la Bruderschaft – but this time from the metal scene featuring members of Faith No More, Stabbing Westward, Rammstein, and a lot more bands. How did this process technically work?

John: I wouldn’t say Metal Scene I would say Alternative Music Scene.

Doing this kind of thing these days is much easier I would say as you have the internet and that’s how we got everyone from around the world on the track. We would email, text or call and if they were willing to be involved we would send them the track and they would record their parts as most people these days have the ability to record at home. I ended up with about 200 tracks of audio and it was like fitting a jigsaw puzzle together and everyone is super happy with the end result.

Bernard: Now that you mention Bruderschaft, I worked on that charity project when it was released on Alfa Matrix back in 2003. You know, working on projects like these makes you realize that you can indeed help people, you just have to use your talents and network. And if everyone would do this, the world would be a much better place anyhow.

Side-Line: If I’m not wrong, this is the first time that 2 band scene players, COP International and Side-Line took the number 2 and 3 spot at the same time on Bandcamp. Kinda huge. What is your feedback on this?

John: In fact “Come Together [we will stop you] reached number 1 on Bandcamp and we have raised around 10,000$ and the artists that are involved with us in this have donated 100% from the money raised but unfortunately Bandcamp have taken their % from the donated sales and we are probably going to have to pay the publishers too even though it’s a god damn charity record to raise money for those who are suffering from this horrific and despicable war.

Bernard: Bandcamp and Paypal indeed take a big chunk. Luckily Bandcamp Friday helped a lot to recoup some of the costs that were involved.

As of this morning, Side-Line has already donated over 8000 EURO (8674,96 US$) to Ukrainian aid. Our compilation is still doing very well and I foresee to be sending hundreds of parcels with merchandise by mid-May as well.

As far as Bandcamp goes, it does make sense that we both stormed the charts there. You don’t find an artist like Rihanna on Bandcamp do you, I think she doesn’t even know it exists. Bandcamp mainly is a platform for the indie crowd, whether it is darkwave, metal, folk, jazz, blues or any other alternative (sub)style that often is not captured by the mainstream charts. So, we charted right in the indie scene, and that’s a very good thing.

Side-Line: Bernard, Side-Line is not a label, but a magazine, why was this project not released via a label?

Bernard: Good question but very easy to answer as well. These kind of projects need a very short roadmap from idea to execution, and since I worked with 55 bands things needed to be done quickly. In short you can not wait for months to get the ball rolling with these kind of projects, you need to act fast and thus instead of having this project go through various hands with different views and ideas, I decided to do it myself and handle everything from A until Z. Luckily Benoit Blanchart (Alfa Matrix, Aiboforcen) quickly volunteered to work on the book layout when I told him about the idea late February this year. Lots of work, which basically happened during long nights after my daytime job and all other work I have. But since I’m also responsible for the ‘Face The Beat’ compilation series, compiling it was not really different as far as the approach goes, just a lot faster when it came to releasing it.

The major difference however was the multitude of charities that had to be funded this time. I usually donate towards 2 or 3 charities per release. But here I spent a whole morning wiring money to all kind of Ukrainian organizations and also to bands who then did local charity. Lots of work, but I guess it’s more than worth it.

Side-Line: How do you both see things evolve in Ukraine?

John: We are hoping this ends now and the killing must stop and Ukraine can be re-built and bring back the misplaced people to their land and rebuild their lives. It’s amazing to see the resolve of these people through this tragedy.

Bernard: I’m personally not really optimistic as far as the length of this full blown war goes. If I see the increasing aggressive tone from all parts in the Russian society – just look how they have set up this huge Z-propaganda – I don’t think this will be over pretty soon. Hence why we need to support the population right now and continue to do so. The country is under heavy shelling in the east since a few days now and there is more happening. Putin started to roll a snowball downhill that is increasing in velocity and size.

I would not be surprised they’ll do sabotage acts inside Finland and Sweden to disrupt the society there since those countries clearly will choose to adhere to the NATO. Railway sabotage, massive hacking of public service networks, etc., they have done it in the past in the Baltic states so I see them returning to that modus operandi with Finland and Sweden especially. This is just the beginning. And we haven’t talked about how China is behaving in all of this.

But, one thing is quite clear, Putin seriously miscalculated what a courageous people the Ukrainians are. And especially because of that we have to start thinking of how to help Ukrainians to rebuild their country after this mad war is over and done.

Side-Line: Bernard, you are still in contact with all the band’s on a weekly basis, how are they?

Bernard: At least once a week they receive an update on the compilation, and I usually get a lot of messages back from the bands telling me how they are, where they are, where they have fled to this week, etc.. I wouldn’t say it is depressing, but it’s not really uplifting either. Having said that, I’m here, safe in my attic, they are there, unsure what will come next. So who am I to complain? I’m proud of every single one of those bands.

Side-Line: Is this the final word or do you plan to continue with this?

Bernard: I don’t know for you John, but I will most probably work on another project in the near future to help and collect funds for Ukraine. The first plans are on the table as we speak. Honestly, I am very positively surprised how our scene has been showing that they really care for the idea and purpose behind these 2 releases. A BIG thank you to all those who donated and who made these projects big successes.

John: We hope the song will continue to keep raising money. So if you have read this and want a way to help please head over to Bandcamp and buy the songs as every little bit will help in the long run. A big thank you again for everyone involved and those who have donated and to those who be donating in the future.

Below are the two charity releases.

Side-Line also covered John Fryer’s ‘Not Another Vampire Song’.

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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COP International presents Blackcarburning’s EP “Reset”. Blackcarburning is the solo project of Mark Hockings, frontman of UK electropop outfit mesh. The EP features a single mix by John Fryer, a club remix by SOMAN, and two original tracks that will not appear on the forthcoming album including the track “Get Ready!” performed by Neil Francis.

In this latest work, Hockings takes on multiple roles including writing, singing, and programming, and describes the tracks as “electronic music written around songs, emotion, and energy.”

He further adds, “The tracks were written to see what I could achieve by working primarily on my own. It’s been a vehicle for exploring new songwriting and programming ideas, to experiment with sound design and to develop some exciting new directions.”

A video for “Reset” was created by visual artist Howie Venton using some cutting-edge AI. Check the result below.

You can download the release 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

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 via Cop International is the 2nd single for the industrial / goth metal act Suicide Queen: “She Haunts You”.

Suicide Queen is an act from San Francisco featuring Kay Dolores on vocals, programming and guitars, Tony Havoc on drums, and Scarr Kevorkian on keys. The trio was assisted on the track by producer and engineer John Fryer (Nine Inch Nails, Depeche Mode, Love And Rockets).

The single holds 3 tracks, “She Haunts You”, “The Reaper” and “She Haunts You” in a Stabbing Westward remix. You can check the 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

Black Needle Noise have an all new video ready for you featuring Anjela Piccard on vocals. The track is called “Black Magic” and the video for the track was animated and directed by Katherine Sweetman. The track furthermore features Sean Haezebrouck on drums with all other noises being executed by John Fryer.

“Black Magic” is taken from the album “These Mortal Covers” out on COP International. The song was originally written by Joseph Lee Wood, Michael Paul Roche, Mitchell Dean Margolin and Ronald Lewis Emory from the American punk rock band T.S.O.L. (True Sounds of Liberty).

John Fryer exolains his choice: “Black Magic cover was made as a homage to T.S.O.L.. For their continued punk attitude and music in California. It’s a great pop song with bundles of energy. We had a lot of fun making this and our award winning director friend Katherine Sweetman took it to another level of fun with the animated video. Hope you enjoy watching it as we did making it.”

Here’s the video.

You can download “These Mortal Covers” right 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 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

Genre/Influences: Electro-Pop, Cinematographic, Experimental.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Jean-Marc Lederman has achieved a new work featuring guest singers. In the past few months he released similar albums like “13 Ghost Stories” and “Letters To Gods And Fallen Angels”, and also “Venus Chariot” as a collaboration between him and Emileigh Rohn. “The Raven” is driven by a new concept where Lederman asked his guests to work on old texts from poets like (Byron, Poe, Plato, Shelley, de Froidmont ao.

Content: The guest singers for this album areMari Kattman (Helix, Mari & The Ghost), Christopher Hall (Stabbing Westward), Mark Hockings (Mesh), Elena Alice Fossi (Kirlian Camera, Spectra*Paris), Azam Ali (Niyaz), Dr. Strangefryer (aka John Fryer), Jim Semonik (Red Locust), Lis Van Den Akker (Misery, Psy’Aviah), Ken Mageman, Jean-Luc De Meyer (Front 242, 32Crash), Stefan Netschio (Beborn Beton), Emileigh Rohn (Chiasm), Christina Z.

Sound-wise the work is pretty eclectic, moving in between a free interpretation of Electro-Pop compositions and more pronounced Cinematographic music. The songs feature numerous, typical Cinema music arrangements, which are sometimes bombastic, but also pretty evasive. I also noticed very Minimal-Electro driven pieces. The songs have been sung/performed in English, French and Italian.

+ + + :Each time,  Jean-Marc Lederman Experience again sounds like a new and fascinating journey. First there is always an interesting concept and I like this one for mixing old poems together with music, which as an imaginary Soundtrack has been performed by the artist. There’s once again a true symbiosis between music and vocals, seeing Jean-Marc transforming himself into a sonic chameleon. Music and performer are totally complementary, now resulting in a sensual composition like the one with Mari Kattman, then into a kind of Lounge approach with Mark Hockings, becoming totally minimal with Dr. Strangefryer, getting us into a dreamy part with Lis Van Den Akker. But the most surprising- and poignant track is the one with Jean-Luc De Meyer inspired on a poem of Hélinand de Froidmont. It’s an old and tenebrous poem, which has been masterly interpreted by the Front 242 lead singer and adapted into a horror-like music composition. There are several noticeable cuts on this album, which is more an album to listen to instead of dancing.

– – – : The album once more creates the illusion listening to a compilation instead of an album composed by one artist. That’s part of this concept and I’m sure Jean-Marc Lederman still has enough ideas and creativity to move on with it.

Conclusion: Jean-Marc Lederman Experience and his guest singers stand for a true sonic intercourse. This is a new brilliant piece of music and the perfect successor to “Letters To Gods And Fallen Angels”.

Best songs: “The Worms Of Death”, “Invocation”, Frankenstein”, “Smouldering Corpse In The Morning Sun”, “The Cold Heart Slept Below”.

Rate: 8.

Artist: www.jmlederman.com / www.facebook.com/Music-composer-Jean-Marc-Lederman-1585277635023000 / www.facebook.com/jeanmarc.lederman

Label: www.facebook.com/copint

About Jean-Marc Lederman Experience

Jean-Marc Lederman is a Brussels-based Belgian keyboard player, composer and producer. Active since the late 1970s, he worked with Fad Gadget, The The, Gene Loves Jezebel and Front 242, and co-founded projects including The Weathermen, Kid Montana, Jules et Jim with Julianne Regan, Ghost & Writer with Frank Spinath, Lederman / De Meyer with Jean-Luc De Meyer, and the Jean-Marc Lederman Experience. He also composes for film and videogames.

The Jean-Marc Lederman Experience is built around invited vocalists. “13 Ghost Stories” appeared in 2019 on Dependent and “Letters To Gods (And Fallen Angels)” in 2020 on Wool-E Discs, both with a large cast of guest singers. “Venus Chariot”, his 2021 duo album with Emileigh Rohn of Chiasm, came out on COP International, the same label releasing “The Raven”.

Lederman’s later solo work includes “The Bad-Tempered Synthesizer” in 2021, “Night Music for Seahorses and Manatees” in 2022, “Soul Music For Zombies” in 2023, “Sci-Fi Revisited” in 2024 and “Electronic Slipper Music” in 2025. The Rohn-Lederman duo continued with “RAGE!” in 2022, “Black And Bleu” in 2024 and “Forbidden Planet” in 2025. “The Raven” sits in that sequence as the third Jean-Marc Lederman Experience album built on guest performances.

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 via COP International is the new Deathline International “Parasite” remix EP featuring a remix by Stabbing Westward. For the occasion the California based act worked with Christopher Hall [Stabbing Westward], John Fryer, and Sick Jokes who all reworked the Deathline International track.

Deathline International also produced a short film based on the Stabbing Westward remix which brings a visual statement to the message of climate change.

Check out the EP.

Right now Deathline International are working o the release of the forthcoming album, “Pax Americana” together with legendary producer John Fryer. The new album is due out on COP International in February, 2022.

Deathline International are Th3Count, SLam, James Perry (Ashes Fallen), and John Fryer. The American industrial rock group is based in Oakland, California and is known for experimenting with multiple electronic music styles. The band released four studio albums on COP International: “Reality Check” (1993), “Zarathoustra” (1995), “Arashi Syndrom” (1997) and “Cybrid” (2001).

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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