Das Ich – SIDE-LINE

Siva Six and Das Ich announce two Spanish dates in September 2026

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Tue, 18 Aug 2026 14:42:23 +0000

Siva Six and Das Ich share a bill in Spain for the first time on 11 and 12 September 2026, playing Sala Upload in Barcelona and Sala Nazca in Madrid. The Greek dark electro project confirmed the two dates on 6 August. Tickets are on sale through Ticketmaster ES at €32.10 including booking fee, doors open at 20:00 on both nights and the shows start at 20:30. The run doubles as Das Ich’s first Spanish visit since the release of their album “Fanal”.

Siva Six and Das Ich tour dates in Spain

11 September 2026 – Barcelona, Spain – Sala Upload, Poble Espanyol
12 September 2026 – Madrid, Spain – Sala Nazca

The Barcelona date is promoted by Eclipse Group with Pentagram, the Madrid date by Escridiscos, both coordinated by RRS Promo. They are the opening two shows of a Das Ich run that continues to Übach-Palenberg on 9 October, Berlin’s Heilig-Kreuz-Kirche on 10 October and Hannover’s Subkultur on 4 December.

Siva Six at Schattenwelt Festival in Vienna

Siva Six also appear at Schattenwelt Festival on Saturday 7 November 2026 at ((SZENE)) Wien, Hauffgasse 26 in Vienna. Doors are at 16:00 and the day starts at 16:30, with a capacity of 400 tickets. The Saturday bill also carries :SITD:, In Strict Confidence, Schramm, Seelennacht and Deeper You. The festival opens the previous evening, 6 November, at Replugged in the seventh district with Die Selektion, VK Goes Wild, Aux Animaux and Christian Fetish. It is the seventh edition and the first since 2022. A running order for the Saturday has not been published.

Away from the stage, Siva Six announced a merchandise agreement on 6 July with Second Tooth, the merchandise brand run by ArtOfFact Records, which also carries lines for Front Line Assembly, Actors, Test Dept., Cevin Key, She Past Away and Das Ich.

Black Will (Remastered /Re-release ) by Siva Six

About Siva Six

Siva Six grew out of Wintermute, a project started in Athens in 1997 by the vocalist Z with the keyboard players Evi and Noid. After Evi’s departure, Z and Noid renamed the act Siva Six and released the debut album “Rise New Flesh” on the Italian label Decadance Records in 2005, the year the band now counts as its founding. “Black Will” followed on the same label in 2006, and a 2008 double-CD edition paired a reissue of the debut with a bonus disc of fifteen remixes. Noid left at the end of 2006 and was replaced on keyboards by U-Ri, who remains alongside Z.

The band signed to Alfa Matrix in 2010 and stayed for seven releases across twelve years. “The Twin Moons” arrived in 2011 on CD and as a limited double-CD box, with separate Japanese and European remix editions. The fifteen-track “Superstition” EP followed in 2013 and the fourth album “Dawn of Days” in 2016, which entered the German Electronic Web Charts top ten that November. The digital remix album “NYX” appeared in 2018 and the four-track digital single “Ghost Dance” in April 2021.

“DeathCult”, their fifth studio album, came out on 19 November 2021, twelve tracks produced, mixed and mastered by Psychon of Septicflesh, and held a place in the German Electronic Web Charts top fifteen for eight consecutive weeks. It is dedicated to three of the band’s listeners, Anja, Izi and Vangelis. Advoxya Records issued a limited remastered “Black Will” on 10 October 2022 with two bonus remixes, and the eight-track digital EP “Fight the Machine” closed the Alfa Matrix period in May 2023. The band relocated from Athens to Leipzig in 2016.

Their twentieth-anniversary campaign began in December 2025 with a ten-minute retrospective video made by Artstinks.com, and continued through a 50-item anniversary bundle in January 2026 and a series of signed “Black Will” CD giveaways. The Spanish dates with Das Ich are the campaign’s first live shows.

About Das Ich

Stefan Ackermann and Bruno Kramm met in Bayreuth in 1989 and formed Das Ich the same year, Ackermann handling vocals and lyrics, Kramm the music and electronics. The pair also founded the Danse Macabre label in 1989, which has released their catalogue since.

After fifteen years without new material, the duo returned with the single “Lazarus” on 15 August 2025, in single, Himmelfahrt and Erweckung versions. “Brutus” followed on 12 September 2025 with an Imperator Clubmix. The album “Fanal” arrived on 31 October 2025 on Danse Macabre in cassette, CD, double-CD, box and vinyl editions, the LP a white-in-black splatter pressing limited to 500 copies. Its eight tracks are “Menschenfeind”, “Lazarus”, “Was Bin Ich?”, “Vanitas”, “Dantes Hölle”, “Brutus”, “Prometheus” and “Genesis”. Kramm produced and recorded it at Danse Macabre Studios and supplied the cover artwork; Florian PunktP contributed drum loops to two tracks. Kramm discussed the band’s methods at length in a Side-Line interview in February 2026. Barcelona and Madrid carry that record to Spanish stages.

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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Interview with Bruno Kramm (Das Ich): ‘Breaking with rules is something what only real artists can do’

Inferno Sound Diaries — Sun, 15 Feb 2026 18:00:00 +0000

When Stefan Ackermann (vocals, lyrics) and Bruno Kramm (music, backing vocals, production) formed Das Ich in 1989, they were starting an artistic experiment that later became closely associated with the German movement described as “Neue Deutsche Todeskunst” (New German Art of Death). Das Ich developed a confrontational sound built on Obscure Electro, layered with symphonic structures and, at times, industrial abrasion. Heavy drum sequences pushed German lyrics that were delivered as much as performed – Ackermann’s vocals drawing on theatre and dramatic phrasing. The Das Ich songs were – to put it very mildly – not really considered light entertainment. On stage, Das Ich translated the material into a physical and visual performance language where gesture, posture, and sound worked as one. What began as a self-imposed trial expanded into an international presence.

The Das Ich albums that followed became reference points in the genre, with songs that built long-term status among listeners. After years of silence, Das Ich (finally!) re-emerged at the end of 2025 with their first studio album in nineteen years. “Fanal”, released via Bruno Kramm’s Danse Macabre Records, presents a direct, tightly focused release. Das Ich does not appear frequently in interview settings, and the work often invites interpretation rather than quick summaries. This Das Ich interview therefore aims to narrow the scope to a small set of core questions, answered here by Bruno Kramm. What remains is respect for the artists and for a catalogue that continues to provoke, challenge, and stay with its audience.(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Fanal by Das Ich

Das Ich interview with Bruno Kramm

Q: The Das Ich album “Fanal” was released 19 years after your last studio album. You have both gone through profound personal experiences during that time—illness, political engagement, and, inevitably, getting older. To what extent did these experiences shape “Fanal”? And when did work on this Das Ich album actually begin?

Bruno Kramm: Well, I think all experiences you’re making as a human being will automatically be an experience that inspires the musical work you do. So actually, of course, everything that happened in this time to us was getting into this album. But when thinking about the album, we were always writing songs, but then we threw them away again and weren’t finalizing them. And if you want to see what we were doing constantly, you can check out my Instagram account where I always record some little parts of songs which have never been released.

So basically for “Fanal”, we started really from scratch about one year ago and then worked consequently just this one year. There was one song, “Lazarus,” which had already been done earlier, but was also heavily reworked then. But yes, 19 years when you read it seems to be really long. But when looking at these 19 years, it sometimes feels like it has been just yesterday. So actually the number of time doesn’t mean anything.

Q: Das Ich‘s “Fanal” presents an extremely critical view of the contemporary world—a system marked by decay, corruption, the erosion of moral values, self-destruction etc. Could you expand on these themes, and to what extent do you see yourselves as both part of—and victims within—this system?

Bruno Kramm: Yeah, of course, the album is a critical view on this post-factual world, which is getting more and more crazy. We all were hoping that with the idea of globalism, everything becomes one democratic world. I think we all had this idea that one day we have this federation like in Star Trek where the whole world is a peaceful place with a basic universal income and stuff like this. But since a long time we know this will not happen.

So the bigger question is: how long will society, how long will humanity survive on this planet? And if you see how a few people get richer and richer, while others get more and more poor, then you sometimes have the feeling it’s just going backwards into the darkest times.

On the other hand, it’s always so that a society goes many steps forward and then goes a few steps backwards. And as you live in a quite small time frame as a human being, as an individual, it always feels like there is just a backdraft. But at the end, I always hope that it goes forward for society.

And yes, we as a part of this system—I would say we’re not so much victims, we are more part of the world which is the opposite. But at the end, when you see how everything politically changes, then I think we are all victims, especially thinking about us being members of an underground scene.

Q: As I understand it, the title “Fanal” functions both as a warning signal and as a testament to a world in decline. Do you believe there is still room for hope, or does the album ultimately embrace nihilism in its most philosophical sense?

Bruno Kramm: The “Fanal” album is a warning signal and at the same time some kind of testament for a world which is going down. Albert Einstein once said he doesn’t know with what weapons people will fight the Third World War, but he knows that in the fourth, they will again have simple Stone Age weapons.

Of course, as an individual, especially having children, you always hope that something gets better. But when you start to think as an artist about the world, then the nihilist look, which had been perhaps in the past more like a romantic nihilism, became a real—I would say—realistic nihilism. And that’s a painful thing.

Therefore music starts to have this function that it takes away fears from you when you express all these fears in the music. Whereas in the past, when it was sometimes some kind of romantic nihilism, it was more like playing with the idea of darkness—so to say. But now it became the bitter reality.

Q: “Fanal” strikes me as one of your most imagery-driven works, with (again) strong references to biblical figures and symbolic scenes that mirror the present day. Why do these images continue to fascinate you, and what do you think they can still teach us?

Bruno Kramm: Yeah, why do biblical figures really interest us? It’s not only biblical figures on this album. It’s a lot of historic figures like from the Roman Empire, from all decades. And we really like the idea also to work with the antagonistic view—for example, on “Brutus” about betrayal and these things—and to see how they stand with their negative effects as symbols for the whole society.

So we always liked a lot on this album to work with these kind of figures, for example religious figures, and use them to put them in a context of the modern world and giving it with this still kind of Gothic expression, because it refers more to these old figures while talking about something really modern. And yes, we can always learn from history, especially from history. And therefore it’s really important that we sometimes think about these figures.

But of course, this has also changed. While when we started, religion and biblical figures always had been some threat to us because society was much more religious at that time. Today, the Christian religion is not really being so important anymore and not a threat at all. So it is much nicer actually today to play with these kind of figures from the Bible because they become more like an example than a threat.

Q: To what extent is the release date of the Das Ich album”Fanal” important or symbolic to you? On your Bandcamp page, October 28th is listed—coinciding with the feast day of Saint Jude in the Christian calendar, which could be read as a reference to betrayal—while November 2nd, All Souls’ Day, might also have been an obvious choice. How much attention do you pay to such symbolic details?

Bruno Kramm: Well, yeah, to be honest, we didn’t think so much about this. We then sometimes see coincidences and then we’re really happy about it. So therefore, yes, I saw that also in the Christian calendar and was then a bit smiling. Then I was thinking, should I write something like this in the release info? But then we thought we don’t do it because it was not our original intention.

But yes, it’s really beautiful. And sometimes it just happens as a coincidence that things just work. And sometimes you don’t know if it’s perhaps some kind of subconscious thing. But symbolism is of course for us a really important thing.

Q: Art—and music in particular—has long served as a source of comfort or hope in times of crisis. Do you believe Art still has the power to effect real change, or has it become more of a form of temporary emotional regulation? And how do you see Art evolving in a world you perceive as being in decline?

Bruno Kramm: I’m unfortunately a little bit pessimistic that art is still as important as in the past, because art and artists have really lost their function in society on a huge level. I mean, today everybody is expressing himself or herself through social media.

If you think of our youth time, art and music was the way how you could shape your growing up by listening to certain kinds of music and using it as the—I would say—the cocoon from which you were making the next steps in your development. Today nobody needs that anymore because everybody expresses himself in totally individualistic, overpainted, egoistic ways on social media. And at the same time, art is becoming more and more replaced even with artificial intelligence.

Of course, artists who had been a long time around like us and many of our colleagues, we can be lucky that we had been important for many people who became older to conserve their memories with our music. That makes it possible for us to still go on as artists.

But I can see it as an owner of a record label: for young artists, it is really hard to make somehow a way where you can make a living from your art or can call yourself an active artist, at least for some kind of short time period until the existentialism of surviving in this world affects you hard. And from the moment you have a family, you cannot afford anymore being an artist.

So basically, this was always a problem for artists, but I think we were growing up in a time like in the 80s and 90s where it was a perfect situation for you as an artist, especially because the channels of distribution were opening to everybody with this whole new independent and alternative revolution. So it felt really like steps forward in society that everybody finds a way to express with art. But as I was telling in the beginning of this interview, we are in a constantly going forward, going backward situation.

Q: Time has always been a central concern of philosophers. Yet listening to “Fanal”, it feels as though time has had little impact on your musical language—the album sounds as if Das Ich had never been away. How do you view this continuity, and what was your artistic approach when creating this new work?

Bruno Kramm: Yeah, it might sound like the whole album sounds like there was no break in between, and you could see that positively or negatively. Some could say, ‘Hey, these guys in 19 years were not developing forward’. Or you could say that we really found quite early our language—our personal language—and we just go with it.

It’s never the intention to copy ourselves. It is just the way how we work, and it might be—as we are just two people—it is much easier to keep a consistency than if it would be a whole band in a process of composing with changing members. So I think that makes it really easier to stay consistent. And let’s say other duos from our time also sound still quite consistent. Take for example bands like Clan Of Xymox or so. They are still consistently doing what they always did.

And this might be a reason: in your young years—that’s how I believe—in your young years when you try to find your expression, you will find your own language. And of course you do lots of experiments, but you always have this idea of an artistic approach, of vision. And therefore we were just going on with it. And honestly, time doesn’t mean anything.

Q: One of the notable new elements on Das Ich’s “Fanal” is that you, Bruno, recorded cello parts. How did this come about, and what kind of atmosphere or emotional depth were you hoping to capture through this instrument?

Bruno Kramm: Yeah, the cello became really important for me, and it is the instrument which I started heavily to train in the times of Corona because there was no chance to do anything—no tours, nothing else. Of course I was starting then a company, an AI company, and finding some funding from investors. But artistically at that time I really every day started to train at least one to two hours cello.

Why? Basically because when I was really young I was starting piano and violin, and I stopped violin because I had a quite aggressive violin teacher who was hitting you when you played somehow wrong. But I always had a love for string instruments, and I think you can tell it from the music what we do that I just have a love for symphonic instruments and specially for strings. And therefore it was a quite consequent step to then start with the cello.

And basically it became the instrument with which I was also writing a lot of music parts instead of clicking on my keyboard. My keyboards—it was much more fun playing parts with the cello and then using some converters which helped me to put this automatically into a sequenced part.

So I’m basically doing today a lot with the cello because for me it’s an instrument where you also can put so much expression into the shaping of sound. When you play a piano of course you can hit it stronger or softer, you can be faster or slower, but you cannot shape the sound itself so strongly like you can do it with stringed instruments. Therefore I love cello so much because you can do so much with it. And therefore I was also recording all the cellos on the album and also some violins on the album were played by myself.

I think it also helps to make the sound more natural and more human by little mistakes what happened. And also it’s always not the perfect tune, and therefore when you record many of these tracks you always get automatically this beautiful chorus effect.

Q: In recent years, technological and societal modernization has accelerated dramatically—not always in a positive direction. Were there any significant innovations or changes in your compositional or production process for Das Ich’s “Fanal”, and how did they influence the final result?

Bruno Kramm: Yeah, about technological acceleration. Of course on one hand it became really easy to record music today, to mix a complete album on one laptop actually. That’s a beautiful thing. On the other hand, it also became so easy that everybody is nowadays doing Electronic music, and Electronic music itself lost its magic where you always had to be also an engineer to be able to set everything up.

I mean, I just remember times when we recorded the “Propheten” album—at that time you needed to be a real nerd to make this Commodore 64 sequencer not crash, to synchronize all these synthesizers with tape machines, and it was a really complicated time. Also during the mixdown you had a list of events when you have to put which reverb on which part, and sometimes with three people at the same time during the mixdown and everybody had to take care of some faders. Today you can automate everything, and even you can go further—you can use AI to help you with mixing.

Yes, I use also AI sometimes for equalizing things or for mastering things, but it goes even further. And I was also doing experiments with that, but not using it for my own music because I was also programming with a friend some AI tools and realized how much you can even replace the whole creative process with AI.

This is for me sometimes a bit frightening, also frustrating. I also see it quite critically because expressing ourselves as human beings with music is something so fundamentally important, and replacing this with AI is really weird. Why not replace things which are not fun—like stuff which is bothering and making no fun and is hard to do—instead of replacing those things which are so important for your soul, for your development as a human being?

And also the problem is: the more AI slop is released, the more the next generation gets used to it. The problem with AI music is that it is always some kind of average of everything what already exists, so you will never reach a level where you can create something completely new, because AI is always—let’s say—a statistic. Yeah, a statistical element that combines things that exist. But breaking with rules is something what only real artists can do.

My fear is that the more we are getting used to it and the next generation is getting used to art from AI, the more nobody likes anymore breaking with the rules. So music becomes more and more standardized, and that’s really sad about it.

Q: What were the greatest challenges and difficulties throughout the creation of “Fanal”, and how did you manage to overcome them?

Bruno Kramm: Yeah, I mean, the difficulty is of course when you’re having little children and doing then this realistic music, you need really to find spaces and time when you can do your stuff because you don’t want to project that all on your kids. You want that they have a happy life. And of course they start to ask you, ‘What is wrong with you, Daddy? Why are you so sad? Why do you do this sad music?’ So this is only one difficulty of many difficulties.

But honestly, the biggest difficulty today is getting dragged away because there is constantly so much input coming on you through social media, through all kinds of channels, and all the art which is presented constantly to you. It’s really hard there to find a way to filter all that and to find the silence in your head that you can create the music in your head, because you always need first—like a clean canvas for painting—the silence in your mind that you can create music.

Q: To what extent do the themes addressed on “Fanal” also manifest within the music scene itself, even at an underground level? After all, every scene is still part of the larger system. What are your personal experiences in this regard?

Bruno Kramm: That’s an extremely good question. Yes, I mean, I was telling in interviews before: the 80s and 90s were really somehow a revolutionary time when we were able to suddenly use channels of distribution also for alternative music, and suddenly really individual things came up which were not shaped by some marketing people.

And we had then this extremely growing Gothic and alternative scene. I can at the moment just speak for Germany, because I remember when we started in West Germany, it already looked like it was going slowly down again. And then suddenly came this reunification of Germany, and there were so many super hungry individualists with interest for dark music from East Germany that suddenly it became something really big.

And honestly, without this unification of Germany, there would have never been a Wave-Gotik-Treffen or something like this. I mean, basically without East Germany, I think the scene—or let’s say at least in Germany—would have not become as big as it became. So you can see that always political things and society’s paradigm changes play a big role, especially in the so-called alternative music. And I think that’s really interesting how much the current situation also addresses the underground scene.

And I think that’s also something what we’re carrying out a bit with the “Fanal” album, because it is this guiding light. You can see this kind of torch as something what helps you finding your way through these massive floods of information which are constantly flooding over you and taking away your direction. So it might be a light that guides you, but it also can be a light that warns you and shows you the past. So it’s basically both. And therefore I think we quite nicely found for us the definition of what we think we are right now.

Q: Das Ich, along with several contemporaries, was closely associated with the ‘Neue Deutsche Todeskunst’ movement of the 1990s. What remains of that movement today, and what do you see as its legacy for younger and future generations?

Bruno Kramm: Yeah, well, it seems to be perhaps the next thing what will be a revival. So it will be then the ‘new old New German Death Art’. And I can see that a lot of young people are suddenly really interested in this kind of expression.

I mean, for Das Ich—and therefore we were creating this term—we started doing the music. Most of the German song music had been like this Schlager music, this really horrible, idiotic music and folkloristic music. And we also saw a little bit our vision, especially as children of this Third Reich times, to denazify the German language and give it again expression like the Expressionists, showing how beautiful this language can be also in expression and not only used for propagandistic things.

Today, it is so normal to sing in German that it is not important to call it anymore something special ‘German’. But when we started, it was also a bit about revolutionizing this language and also emancipating this language for different kinds of music.

Q: This year marks the 35th anniversary of the Das Ich debut album, “Die Propheten”, which has since become legendary. How much of the ‘young’ Stefan and Bruno do you still recognize in yourselves today? And what advice would you give those younger versions of yourselves, based on what you know now?

Bruno Kramm: Oh yeah, 35 years. Crazy. Yeah, I think actually we are quite true still to ourselves. Of course, we have seen a lot of things, but when it comes to how we see the world—for example, you always hear that people become more conservative when they become old, also politically conservative—and this has not affected us.

So yeah, it might be that we are just not really becoming older, but that might be also because of music, because it keeps you really young. And for me, doing music or playing with synthesizers or whatever, it is for me still like being in Legoland.

For example, we just had a concert in Gothenburg and on the other side of the hotel was an amazing music store with all the old synthesizers and samplers—like Emulator II, the Fairlight, some Prophet-5 and really great old stuff. And yeah, I felt like a little child again because there’s nothing more beautiful than playing with these tools.

And today what’s really beautiful about today is that there’s so many mobile synthesizers, little ones—if it’s Teenage Engineering stuff or other brands—it’s amazing. You can take them with you, and I really enjoyed it a lot to do music with that stuff when my kids were playing in the sandbox and I was still being able then to do music.

Q: Das Ich has been an active live band for decades, and live performance seems crucial to your artistic identity. How have you evolved as a live act over the years, and how essential is the stage for an artist like Das Ich?

Bruno Kramm: Yeah, live performance is for us the most important, because when we create songs it’s for us always important that they are in a similar way moving the people like they move ourselves. And the only way how you can find out that is with a live show. So for us it’s always so beautiful to see when people react in a similar way to the music like us.

And we are really happy to have with Stefan someone who is so much into expressing himself with his face and with the way how he acts on stage. And of course with the swing and me, we have really big fun to always have a lot of action on the stage, and therefore we have these movable keyboards and love to be just not like normal Electronic bands.

Q: For my final question, I asked AI which philosophical statement it felt would best resonate with Das Ich. Its response was: ‘Man did not kill God—he replaced Him with a mirror and never left it again’. Do you find this thought inspiring or problematic—especially considering that AI itself is part of the same transient reality you critique?

Bruno Kramm: ‘Man did not kill God—he replaced him with a mirror and never left it again’. Actually that would be nice, especially when thinking about artificial intelligence, if it would be just a mirror, because a mirror can help you to see all the scars which had been painted by life into your face and your body and all the wrinkles which made you older but which are also showing how time was carving into your face. Perhaps an ugly one, perhaps also things which you think are beautiful. It’s always in the eye of the watcher.

But the sad thing is that AI even drags us away from those things which are really important for humans going further. I mean, technology is always having different aspects. One is, for example, we can live much longer. Perhaps one day we can all put our consciousness into some kind of hive and live then forever. This is really fascinating and great.

But on the other hand, you realize today that the technology—I mean the AI—will be the death of the internet, for example. With AI you can, with no other technology, so perfectly control people with fake news, the way how you train systems, how you use the bias of the data, the datasets on which the AI was trained. This is really scary.

But I think it’s really cool that you ask a philosophical statement about ‘Das Ich’ in that way. Yes, it was not man who killed God in an individual way, like stabbing him with a knife or so. But science was at least making God like a nice little old man in the corner which lost its power over us. And that is a great thing on one hand, but on the other hand it’s also the problem that we have no one anymore who controls our morals and humanistic ideas.

So just being free is bringing new risks, and I think at the moment we are not really well in handling these risks.

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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Das Ich – Fanal (Digital/CD/Vinyl/Cassette Album – Danse Macabre Records)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Fri, 26 Dec 2025 08:00:00 +0000

“Fanal” is the first new album by Das Ich in almost 20 years. Bruno Kramm and, in particular, vocalist Stefan Ackermann went through turbulent times, which meant that a new album failed to materialize for a long period. Eventually, during the COVID era, work began on a completely different project that ultimately evolved into “Fanal”.

“Fanal” stands for a beacon — a light meant to warn humanity of its inevitable decline. Das Ich have lost none of their original dramatic intensity and depth. The lyrics, still performed in their native language, sound extremely dark and hopeless. They reflect a world in decay, a civilization in the process of destroying itself. This perspective is both philosophical and deeply human, making extensive use of rich and symbolic imagery. Musically, this is reinforced by the unmistakable bombast of Kramm’s electronic structures and orchestral arrangements, now enhanced by his own cello performances. The songs feel raw and theatrical, more than ever resembling the perfect Soundtrack for an apocalyptic, nihilistic film. Despite the heaviness, the music remains danceable, even featuring a decidedly club-oriented track (see “Dantes Hölle”). Ackermann’s voice continues to send shivers down the spine and is powerfully complemented by Kramm’s heavier, almost operatic vocals.

As for the remixes, they appear primarily as a challenge and an exercise in creative freedom. Das Ich could have taken the easy route and invited other Gothic or Dark-Wave bands, but instead deliberately opted for stylistic contrast. Collaborations with acts such as Frozen Plasma, Kontrast, Mildreda, System Noire, Untersicht, Xotox, ao result in original reinterpretations infused with Dark-Electro, Future-Pop, and Industrial influences. The release also includes two alternative versions by Das Ich themselves.

Das Ich have been back on stage for some time now, but with “Fanal” they also return with a truly impressive album. The band sounds as if they never left, clearly demonstrating that they still have much to offer the Gothic scene. A new masterpiece. (Rating:9).

Listen to “Vanitas”:

Vanitas by Das Ich

Read the news on ‘Fanal’.

About Das Ich

Das Ich was founded in 1989 by vocalist Stefan Ackermann and Bruno Kramm in Bayreuth, Germany. Known for an orchestral industrial sound and theatrical staging, the duo became one of the central acts of Neue Deutsche Todeskunst in the early 1990s, and released its debut album “Die Propheten” in 1991 through Danse Macabre, the label Kramm co-founded.

Across the 1990s and 2000s the band issued albums such as “Staub” (1994), “Egodram” (1998), and “Antichrist” (2002), touring widely in Europe and the United States. After a long quiet period tied to Ackermann’s health, Das Ich re-emerged with the single “Lazarus” in 2025, and “Fanal” is its first full-length album in almost twenty years.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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Das Ich issue 2nd single ‘Brutus’ ahead of new ‘Fanal’ album

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Sat, 13 Sep 2025 09:12:19 +0000

German darkwave act Das Ich have released a new digital single, “Brutus”, via Danse Macabre. The release is available on Bandcamp now; streaming on Spotify and Apple Music. The track ties into the album “Fanal”, scheduled for October 31, 2025.

Brutus by Das Ich

The digital single holds 2 tracks:

“Brutus”
“Brutus (Imperator Clubmix)”

The band describes the upcoming “Fanal” album like this: “From cosmic doubt, societal decay and betrayal to self-created annihilation,” adding that each of its “nine beacons” serves as testimony rather than warning. “Fanal” is also up for limited vinyl pre-order via Bandcamp; item ships around October 14, 2025.

Fanal by Das Ich

About Das Ich

Das Ich formed in 1989 in Bayreuth, Germany, founded by Stefan Ackermann (vocals/lyrics) and Bruno Kramm (music/electronics). The duo are among the originators of Neue Deutsche Todeskunst (New German Death Art), combining classical motifs with electronic/industrial production and German-language lyrics.

From the outset the pair operated via their own imprint Danse Macabre, which handled the early EP “Satanische Verse” (1990) and debut album “Die Propheten” (1991). A U.S. reissue of “Die Propheten” followed in 1997. Early editions of several 1990s titles became harder to obtain after the collapse of distributor EFA.

After “Staub” (1994) – which charted 11 weeks in Germany – the band issued the 1995 US live album “Feuer” and the 1996 soundtrack “Das innere Ich.” Those were followed up by “Egodram” (1998), a release associated with broader distribution through larger partners, and the singles “Kindgott” and “Destillat” (which received a smashing VNV Nation remix).

Also in 1998 they released “Morgue”, a setting of Gottfried Benn’s poems. The 2000s included “Anti’christ” (2002), the twin “Lava:Glut” / “Lava:Asche” cycle (2004), and “Cabaret” (2006). In 2011 Ackermann suffered a serious illness; the band resumed activity publicly in 2013. The 2020s brought catalog reissues on Bandcamp (“Lava” was re-released with bonus tracks, the cult debut EP “Satanische Verse” was remastered on vinyl) and, in 2025, the new singles “Lazarus” and now “Brutus” leading into “Fanal” (their first full album since their mid-2000s releases). Read the review of ‘Fanal’.

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Das Ich returns with ‘Lazarus’ – first new single in 15 years

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Fri, 01 Aug 2025 14:51:42 +0000

German darkwave pioneers Das Ich have released “Lazarus“, their first new material in over a decade. The single, out now is part of a 3-track single coming out on August 15. It arrives ahead of their upcoming album “Fanal”, which will be released on October 31.

Described by the band as a “pulsating work between electronic cacophony and classical chamber orchestra,” “Lazarus” will see three different version on the upcoming 3-track single: the single version, the Himmelfahrt version and the Erweckung remix. This is what the band says about the track: “In the darkest perversion, the resurrected becomes the herald of death. ‘Blessed are those who renounce God’ — God himself commands the turning away from Him.”

“Fanal” will be Das Ich’s first full album in 15 years. While further details remain under wraps, the single “Lazarus” offers a preview of what fans can expect: dense orchestration, religious provocation, and theatrical intensity. Das Ich in other words.

Lazarus Single by Das Ich

About Das Ich

Das Ich was founded in 1989 by Stefan Ackermann and Bruno Kramm in Bayreuth, Germany. Known for their orchestral industrial sound and theatrical live performances, the duo became one of the defining acts of Neue Deutsche Todeskunst (New German Death Art) in the early 1990s. Their debut album “Die Propheten” (1991) was released through Danse Macabre, the label co-founded by Kramm.

Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, Das Ich released several well-received albums, including “Staub” (1994), “Egodram” (1998), and “Antichrist” (2002), often combining electronic aggression with philosophical and religious themes. They also toured extensively in Europe and the U.S.

After a period of reduced activity following Ackermann’s serious health issues in the 2010s, the band gradually re-emerged, now culminating in the announcement of “Fanal” and the release of “Lazarus” in 2025.

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‘Resurgence’, a massive 7CD post-punk boxset to be released in January 2025 – Pre-order now

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Sun, 06 Oct 2024 15:25:46 +0000

The Brussels-based Spleen+ label (a division of Alfa Matrix) has prepared a deluxe 7CD collector’s edition – “Resurgence” – which brings together 133 active bands from across the globe, spanning the diverse sub-genres born from post-punk’s iconic roots. You can order it now from the Alfa Matrix webstore and in digital download format from Bandcamp.

The release comes housed in a luxurious vinyl-sized box, and comes accompanied by a 28-page book. The book holds interviews from renowned producers like John Fryer and Jean-Marc Lederman, label managers, journalists, and iconic artists (including Red Lorry Yellow Lorry, William Faith, No More, Skeletal Family, Mona Mur, KaS Product, And Also The Trees, Clan Of Xymox, Attrition, Das Ich, Merciful Nuns, The Names, The Breath Of Life, etc).

Spanning 23 different nationalities, the music included is a genre-spanning mix of post-punk, cold wave, dark synth, ethereal, and minimal EBM with such bands like Boy Harsher, A Cloud Of Ravens, No More, Skeletal Family, Collection D’Arnell Andrea, Underviewer, Attrition, Merciful Nuns, Lederman/De Meyer, Local Suicide & Sekelesys, Star Industry, Ataraxia, Czarina, Helalyn Flowers, Ascii.Disko, Je T’Aime, The Ultimate Dreamers, Lycia, Opera Multi Steel, The Breath Of Life, Auger, The Names, Whispers In The Shadow, Lovelorn Dolls, Astari Nite, Chiasm, Saigon Blue Rain, Omnimar, Still Patient, Creux Lies, Golden Apes, and many more.

You can already check out a few tracks here.

Resurgence by Various Artists

Apart from the 7CD vinyl size deluxe carton box format, “Resurgence” will not be available on mainstream digital platforms, except exclusively via the label’s Bandcamp page.

There is also a special combi pack including the 7CD set plus Darkness On Demand’s “Panic In Reserve” CD and To Avoid’s “All Gods Are Gone” 2CD.

“Resurgence” Tracklist

Cd 1

Bestial Mouths . Hex (The Spell)
A Cloud Of Ravens . Parable
Boy Harsher . Give Me A Reason
Czarina . Wonderland
Collection D’arnell Andrea . Waiting For Meaulnes
Krystal System . La Lame Dans Ta Main
Je T’aime . Out Of Sight
Aeon Rings . Fully Operational
The Ultimate Dreamers . Polarized
Partikul . Nothing Good In Me
Cosmobrigade . Spacepit
Aeon Sable . From Witchcraft To Deviltry
Stereoskop . Deep Down
The Breath Of Life . Slowly Crushing
Faust Project . Rats Lullaby
Al . Mistake
N.E.L. & J.P . Desinteresse
Zeitgeist Zero . Scream
Voyna . Moulding Heart

Cd 2

Blackbook . You Are Strange
Auger . My Heart Is Glass
Dekad . A Deadly Show (Video Edit)
Love In Cage . A Logical Secret Collection
Helalyn Flowers . Halos
Soft Scent . No Wounds
Sweet Ermengarde . Sweet Sacrifice
Martin Dupont . Bent At The Window (2023)
The Names . Far From The Factories
Boxes Of Blow . Melting Faces
Mirror Of Haze Feat. Primitive Heart . Reckless
A Slice Of Life . Seven Days
Then Comes Silence . Pretty Creatures
Nite . Inside Of My Head
Astari Nite . Bowie In Daydreams
Korus . Złote Światło Pierwszego Zachodu
Lovelorn Dolls . A Heart Cries
Whispers In The Shadow . Revenants
Merciful Nuns . Oneironauts

Cd 3

Lederman – De Meyer . Heartbeat
Local Suicide & Skelesys . Surface Of The Sun (Radio Edit)
Punx Soundcheck Feat. Ascii.Disko & Princess Superstar . Gasoline
No More . Sleepers And Trains
Mitra Mitra . Memories For Company
A Copy For Collapse Feat. Simona Pietrucci . Faded
Alien Skin . Depress Me
White Mansion . Cancel The Sky
Apnoie . Splash Your Bile
Celluloide . Compte Les Ombres
Risk Risk . Streetwalk
Total Chroma . Northern Lights
Opera Multi Steel . À Nos Moments Perdus
Lycia . Simpler Times
Noemi Aurora . Blood As Lipstick
Novus . Ess
I Ya Toyah . Death’s Kiss
Katcross . Rest
Winter Severity Index . Speak To Me

Cd 4

Systeme Paradoxe . Comme Le Sable En Hiver
Aiboforcen . Break The Black Ice (Original Mix)
Chiasm . Cut Right Through (Emileigh Rohn Edit)
Saigon Blue Rain . Dolls Dresses
Her Own World . Mistrust
Still Patient Feat. Minu-Schirin Samimi . Blind Vision
Creux Lies . Playtime
Der Klinke . Curtains (Your Life On Hold Remix)
On The Floor . Crying On The Dancefloor
Numa Echos Feat. Red Zebra . Waisted Items
Factheory . The Day (Ok Lion! Mix – Short Version)
Antiflvx . Crystal
Flor Concreta . She’s Closer
Golden Apes . Ash Trees
Glis . Blue Sky Night
Ataraxia . The Source
Hanging Freud . Grooming
Ok Lion! . Get Away
Yuzna . Queen Of The Eels

Cd 5

The Breath Of Life Feat. Implant . The Last Record
The Halo Trees . Happy Man
Palm Ghosts . Tilt
Your Life On Hold . Imprisoned (Merciless Radio Edit)
Götterdämmerung . Common Existence
Jenni Sex . Sin Chimes
Denner . She Radiates Darkness
Imjudas . I Love You
Black Needle Noise . Dollhouse On Fire
Dead Souls Rising . Dysmorphobia
The Waning Moon . Annabel
Korinthians . Leader Of The Night
Elektrostaub Feat. Stefan Netschio . Mantis (Auger Remix)
Omnimar . The Matrix
Synapsyche Feat. Chris Harms (Lord Of The Lost) . The Last Dying Flame
Dance My Darling . Criminal
First Aid 4 Souls Feat. Emke Of Black Nail Cabaret . Das Messer
Supernova 1006 . Tell Your Name (Mix)
Suicidal Romance . Runaways

Cd 6

Ascii.Disko . Loslassen
Vioflesh . Emotions
Dina Summer . Who Am I (Club Version)
Pleasure Victim . Rascheln
Pink Opake . Pronta
Thewalkingicon . The Trail (Radio Edit)
Psy’aviah Feat. Sorrow Stories . Healing
Seasurfer . Collapsing
Lakeside X . Fire In The Sky (Radio Version)
Darkness On Demand . Hang On (Winterhart Remix)
Star Industry . Selling Icons (The Dreamside Remix)
Alphavox . Dark Satellite
Yama Uba . Shapes
Lifeless Past . Anxiety
Pink Turns Blue . Not Gonna Take It
Social Union . Waiting For Red
Sine . Until (Clan Of Xymox Remix)
Sorry, Heels . She Burns (We Burn) Version
Lights A.M . Clouds

Cd 7

Useless/You . Echo
Attrition . The Great Derailer
Children Of Zeal . Taking Over
Octolab . Friend Or Foe
Vague Phonique . The Last Man
Midnight Poetry . Black Hole
The Overlookers . Undercover (Edit)
La Machine . Vamos A La Playa (Radiomix)
Die Sexual . House Of God
Carrellee . Morning Sun
Underviewer . Was Soll Ich Tun (Aiboforcen Remix)
Night In Athens . Words Unspoken
Neila Invo . Alienation
Skeletal Family . My Own Redemption
The Murder Mystery . A Girl Named Red
Princess Ugly . For A Moment I Forgot The Desolation
Instant Lake . Ivory Dreams
Vision Video . Balaclava Kiss
La Scaltra . Dancing On Debris

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Inline Sex Terror announces new album ‘Re:boot’

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Mon, 19 Aug 2024 17:56:12 +0000

The Greek dark electro band Inline Sex Terror (IST) has announced the release of its third full-length album, “Re:boot”. The new album is set to launch on November 1, 2024, via the German Minusbeat label.

The album marks the band’s return after a 13-year hiatus, bringing a fresh take on old-school industrial EBM. The 11-track album, including titles like “No Regrets (No Rewind),” “Pulse of the Machine,” and “Grime and Gears”, explores themes of restarting, reflecting on past decisions, and embracing the inevitable changes that shape the future.

To support the album, Inline Sex Terror is preparing to release two music videos ahead of the album’s release and is planning a tour—their first in over a decade. You can already check out the title track below.

About Inline Sex Terror

Inline Sex Terror, originally formed in 2002 under the name Zerstorwut, began as a solo project by George.h, a DJ and promoter in Athens, Greece.

After five years, DV/h shifted his focus to music production and in 2008, the project was rebranded as Inline Sex Terror (IST), and the debut album “11:11” was released. The album, signed under the German label Danse Macabre Records, was followed by a first European tour, opening for Das Ich. The project also remixed the Das Ich song “Kannibale” for the Kannibale EP in 2008.

In 2010, Inline Sex Terror released the “Distorted Life” EP, which featured three new tracks and ten remixes by various artists, including Leather Strip and C-Lekktor. A second album, “The Architecture of Madness”, followed the next year and was released under the labels DSBP and Minusbeat.

In 2011 the project took a break largely due to personal issues DV/h faced and only two new songs were released during this period. In 2024 the project was revived the new album “Re:boot”. It will be followed by a European tour.

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Celtic Circle Productions (CCP) founder Alfred Kaenders is no more

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Tue, 09 Apr 2024 09:21:16 +0000

Alfred Kaenders, founder of the Geldern (DE) based electro-industrial label Celtic Circle Productions is no more. He died a few days ago.

The sad news was announced by Bruno Kramm (Das Ich) on his Facebook page.

Bruno: “Today, I learned about the far too early death of one of the scene’s originals, Alfred Kaenders. As the founder of the Celtic Circle Productions label in the nineties, in recent years he was especially ubiquitous at festivals with his perfume and jewelry stands. Alfred had a very eventful life story with many highs and lows, many legendary tales and incidents, but always with his mischievous smile that I will never forget. My thoughts are with his family. Farewell, old friend.”

In a reaction Seba Dolimont, who worked with Alfred when he ran the printed version of Side-Line, says: “This is shocking news. Definitely too young to die… Alfred was a true passionate man for our dark scene and he had a strong and active contribution to it in the 90’s through concerts, the labels and magazine publishing. Professionally, I learnt a lot from him and he gave me his trust back in the days for releasing my own music as Aiboforcen and bringing Side-Line Magazine on the map as leading print mag in English with attached CD. He definitely somehow contributed to the foundations of what Side-Line Magazine and Alfa Matrix/Spleen+ would become later. Sadly enough, some major mismanagement mistakes brought his activities to collapse. But i will never forget his unlimited devotion to the dark underground music scene, his countless stories he was telling with ultimate passion, his big heart for the people and artists he was supporting and bringing together. We spent unforgettable moments together during these years between Belgium, Geldern & Krefeld (Germany) and his unique laughter is still echoing in my ears… Merci for all the positive things and moments you brought and all these nice people i learnt to know thanks to your impressive networking. I hope you find some nice dark tunes out there. RIP my “un-be liev-able” old bro…”

Celtic Circle Productions

The label which launched its first productions in 1992 originally was the home to Inertia, Yelworc, AmGod and many other groups of the early and mid-nineties. The label also had a sub-label, Khazad-Dûm, and produced compilation releases for Side-Line, Gothic Grimoire and Vertigo. The label ceased operations in 1998 after experiencing financial difficulties.

We offer our sincere condolences to his family and friends.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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Murmur Of Monks – Artista Non Grata (Album – Murmur Of Monks)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Thu, 21 Mar 2024 08:00:00 +0000

Genre/Influences: Gothic, Dark-Cabaret, Cinematic.

Format: Digital.

Background/Info: Belgian solo-project Murmur Of Monks released by the end of 2023 its third full length album. “Artista Non Grata” features eleven songs written by ‘Humwawa’.

Content: The least I can say is that this work sounds rather different from previous releases. There’s a more explicit Gothic touch emerging which even reminds me of legendary formations like Sopor Aeternus and Das Ich. The songs are characterized by symphonic sounds and arrangements while Humwawa’s deep, timbre of voice accentuates the obscure and desperate atmosphere hanging over the work. The work also features several instrumental songs which have a more Cinematic appeal.

+ + + : This work took me by surprise for its delicacy. The songs have been meticulously built up with poignant, intimate atmospheres and the magic of symphonic arrangements -which reminds me of Sopor Aeternus. There also is a kind of dark poetry running through the lyrical part. This work sounds desperate and yet it also has a strong intimate exposure. Some of the songs have a strong visual appeal getting the listener to face the darker corners of his inner self. Last but not least I also want to say a word about the front cover featuring an obscure and enigmatic painting by Léon Spilliaert. The painting in a way fits the dark, misty, atmosphere of the album.

– – – : If this album could have been played with real instruments it would simply become a true masterpiece.

Conclusion: “Artista Non Grata” is an interesting and challenging title for an album that has the potential to reach a wider Gothic-minded audience.

Best songs: “Wolf Amongst The Kettle”, “The Fragile Existence Of Courtesan Lovers”, “Rebel And The Goat”, “Slavedrums And Sunset”, “Coffin Break”.

Rate: 8.

Artist: www.facebook.com/murmurofmonks

Listen to “Artista Non Grata”:

Artista Non Grata by Murmur Of Monks

About Murmur Of Monks

Murmur Of Monks is the solo project of Belgian artist Humwawa, recorded, programmed and produced at his own studio, Torture Tomb, in Torhout, Belgium. Its catalog spans the “Laibachesque” EP, a tribute to Laibach, alongside “Ballades Bij Avondgloed”, “Sol Oriens”, “La Mort” and “Goreography Act I – Biblical Beheadings”. “Artista Non Grata”, the project’s third full album, followed on December 8, 2023.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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Astari Nite back with all new single: ‘Necessity Meal’

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Wed, 14 Feb 2024 14:08:13 +0000

Astari Nite has released a new single, “Necessity Meal”, via Negative Gain Productions. The band says that “Necessity Meal” is a battle cry “against the facade of perfection that suffocates an authentic connection (…) it’s about the dark, often unseen journey of seeking forgiveness and finding solace in the unexpected kindness of strangers.”

“Necessity Meal” is available on all major digital platforms including Bandcamp and Spotify.

Necessity Meal by Astari Nite

Astari Nite 2024 live dates

2/10 – Nashville, TN @ Fascination Street (THE GOTH PROM) featuring ASTARI NITE!
3/23 – New York City, NY @ The Red Party
4/20 – Parsippany, NJ, @ Dark Force Fest
4/27 – Tampa, FL – Supporting Das Ich W/ guest Oberer Totpunkt (Communion After Dark Presents)
7/6 – Dallas, TX @ Obituary Festival curated by Lean lane of Rosegarden Funeral party
9/7 – Deutzen, Germany @ NCN Nocturnal Cultural Night Festival
9/28 – Louisville, KY @ Dark Castle Fest presented by Radio Arcane!STARI NITE 2024 Live Dates:
2/10 – Nashville, TN @ Fascination Street (THE GOTH PROM) featuring ASTARI NITE!
3/23 – New York City, NY @ The Red Party
4/20 – Parsippany, NJ, @ Dark Force Fest
4/27 – Tampa, FL – Supporting Das Ich W/ guest Oberer Totpunkt (Communion After Dark Presents)
7/6 – Dallas, TX @ Obituary Festival curated by Lean lane of Rosegarden Funeral party
9/7 – Deutzen, Germany @ NCN Nocturnal Cultural Night Festival
9/28 – Louisville, KY @ Dark Castle Fest presented by Radio Arcane

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Bruno Kramm offers new experimental solo-album – Out now

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Thu, 09 Nov 2023 19:33:19 +0000

Das Ich musician Bruno Kramm offers a tapestry of sound and narrative, as shown in his latest work, “Die Schöpfung und andere Kurzgeschichten”. The collection is a blend of dystopian melodies paired with short stories, each piece a window into Kramm’s expansive creative realm.

Within the anthology, “Eight Oscillations from the Latent Space” are stories crafted during Kramm’s tenure with the now-defunct Zillo music magazine. These narratives are a testament to his enduring connection to the music world. Meanwhile, “Seven Nightmares From A Random Forest” is a product of the isolation and global upheaval brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. Conceived amidst the grip of feverish illness, these stories delve into the eerie and uncanny, underscored by soundscapes that evoke the modern zeitgeist.

In “Die Schöpfung”, Kramm explores themes of creation and perception through the lens of a machine recognizing humanity as its creator. This story, unique in its German narration, resonates with the motifs of “Der Achte Tag” from the Das Ich album “Antichrist”, linking his literary work to his musical legacy.

Kramm’s literary influences are eclectic, drawing inspiration from the likes of Stanislaw Lem, Sabine Hossenfelder, and H.P. Lovecraft. His stories, according to Kramm, are the perfect companion to the restless and the insomniac, for times when the veil between reality and fiction thins, revealing a world charged with mystery.

The album is out now via the Danse Macabre label.

Das Ich: The Dark Wave Legacy of Bruno Kramm

Bruno Kramm’s involvement in Das Ich has been pivotal to the band’s influence on the German dark wave movement. Since its inception in 1989, Das Ich has been at the forefront of a genre that marries the gothic aesthetic with electronic music’s visceral punch. Kramm, along with vocalist Stefan Ackermann, has crafted a sound that is both avant-garde and accessible, marked by theatrical live performances and deeply philosophical lyrics.

Das Ich’s music often grapples with the complex relationship between humanity and technology, a theme that Kramm further explores in his literary work. The band’s influence has been profound, shaping the direction of dark wave music.

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VampireFreaks unveils 3-day gothic-industrial festival: Dark Force Fest 2024

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Thu, 12 Oct 2023 11:17:23 +0000

VampireFreaks announces Dark Force Fest 2024, a 3-day gothic-industrial music festival and convention. Dark Force Fest will be held April 19th – 21st, 2024 in Parsippany, New Jersey.

In addition to live bands on two stages, Dark Force Fest also features drag queen performances, sideshow acts, a live bats exhibit, band meet-and-greets, DJ club events, 100+ vendors, panels, presentations, meet-ups, food trucks, and spooky crafting activities. Dark Force Fest takes place in Parsippany, NJ (1 hour from New York City), where goths from around the world congregate and take over the massive castle-themed Sheraton Parsippany—including 44,000 square feet of event space and all 370 hotel rooms. The castle will be adorned in gothic décor and art installations for an immersive experience. Rooms in the main venue sold out within 2 days of announcing the dates, but there are still overflow hotels in the area.

The festival lineup includes live performances from:

Stabbing Westward, Nitzer Ebb, The Crüxshadows, Leaether Strip, Gothminister, Das Ich, Priest, Vision Video, Vampires Everywhere, Then Comes Silence, Ayria, Ash Code, System Syn, Dawn of Ashes, FGFC820, Moris Blak, Danny Blu, Kanga, Auger, Creux Lies, Angels & Agony, I:scintilla, Ego Likeness. Abstinence, Nite, Al1ce, Astari Nite, Mechanical Vein, The Long Losts, October Noir, Biomechanimal, Eva X, Stoneburner, Oberer and Rabbit Junk.

Activities include:

Over 100 Vendors
A drag queen show hosted by Onyx Ondyx
Sideshow performances
A live bats exhibit and presentation by NJ Batman
Dj club events playing goth-industrial music
Panels and presentations
Arts & crafts activities
Food Trucks
Karaoke

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Distorted Reality drops all new single, ‘I Can’t Imagine’

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Tue, 09 May 2023 08:27:58 +0000

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

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

I Can't Imagine by Distorted Reality

Below you can see a video for the new single.

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

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

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

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

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Brazilian aggrotech act Pecadores back with first new album in 13 years

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Mon, 17 Apr 2023 06:34:54 +0000

Wave Records has released “Diabo que me carregue”, the latest album from Brazilian cult band Pecadores, marking their first new offering in 13 years. Pecadores is known for its unique fusion of Brazilian percussion, electronic sequencers, and noisy guitars. Originally released in November 2022 domestically it now also gets a worldwide distribution.

For this album, the band collaborated with renowned Brazilian musician, producer, and keyboard player Fernando Nahtaivel, who has worked extensively within the black metal scene in Brazil. On this album Nahtaivel introduced darker atmospheric elements to the music and blended the gritty guitars with electronic sounds.

The album features eight new tracks, as well as three instrumental pieces: “Maestro” (a tribute to Ennio Morricone), “VelhoAmigo Seudiabo”, and “O Culto”. Among the new songs are two singles—”Diabo que me carregue” and “Cangaceiro macabro”—each accompanied by music videos as you can see below. The album also includes cover versions of “Hava Nagila”, an ancient Jewish song, and a Brazilian rendition of “Gottes Tod”, originally by Das Ich. Pecadores have also reimagined their popular track “Penitência” from their 2007 album “10% for Jesus” in a more cyber-punk style for this release.

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Das Ich goes on tour in Southamerica

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Sun, 12 Mar 2023 11:38:09 +0000

The German industrial gothic band Das Ich is celebrating more than 30 years of music with a special jubilee tour for their cult album “Die Propheten”. The band has been touring around the world since their formation and this year marks their 7th time touring South America.

The tour kicks off on March 18th in Sao Paulo, Brazil, followed by shows in Mexico City on March 21st and Tijuana on March 22nd. The band will then head to Santiago de Chile for a performance on March 24th before concluding the tour in Lima, Peru on March 26th.

Tickets for the South American tour are on sale now, and fans are encouraged to book early to avoid disappointment. For more information on Das Ich and their upcoming tour, visit their official website and social media channels.

About Das Ich

Das Ich is a German band that has gained a reputation for their unique sound that blends electronic, industrial, and neoclassical music with poetic lyrics that explore themes of existentialism, mythology, and the human condition. Stefan Ackermann and Bruno Kramm founded the band in Berlin in 1989, and since then, they have become a cornerstone of the German darkwave scene, inspiring countless other artists and musicians.

Throughout their career, Das Ich has experimented with and incorporated elements of metal, folk, and classical music into their work. Their use of mythological and literary themes, drawing on the works of German Romantic poets and classical mythology, has become a hallmark of their music.

The band’s debut album, “Die Propheten,” released in 1991, established their reputation as one of the most innovative and exciting bands in the German gothic scene. Their subsequent albums, “Staub” (1994) and “Egodram” (1998), further solidified their status, with tracks like “Destillat” and “Reamin’ in Light” becoming gothic club classics.

Das Ich has continued to experiment and push the boundaries of their sound throughout their career, incorporating elements of metal, folk, and classical music into their work. Their 2002 album, “Anti’Christ,” for example, features heavy guitar riffs and pounding drums alongside Ackermann’s trademark vocals and poetic lyrics.

One of the defining characteristics of Das Ich’s music is its use of mythological and literary themes. The band often draws on the works of German Romantic poets like Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Friedrich Schiller, as well as classical mythology, to create a dark and mystical world that reflects the human experience. Their 2004 album, “Cabaret,” for example, is inspired by the writings of German playwright Bertolt Brecht and explores themes of decadence, despair, and the search for meaning in a chaotic world.

Das Ich is also known for their theatrical live shows, which often feature elaborate costumes, props, and visuals. Ackermann’s stage presence and powerful vocals are a highlight of the band’s live performances, which often feature theatrical lighting and video projections to create a unique atmosphere.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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VampireFreaks announces US festival, Dark Force Fest, a three-day goth-industrial music festival

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Tue, 01 Nov 2022 16:32:00 +0000

From March 31 until April 2, 2023 included you will be able to attend the US festival, Dark Force Fest, a three-day goth-industrial music festival. The festival takes place in Parsippany, NJ (one hour from NYC), at the massive Sheraton Parsippany, an imposing castle styled hotel that features 44,000 square feet of event space with 370 hotel rooms (which are however already sold out, but there are enough hotels in the neighborhood).

Organized by VampireFreaks, the team that brought you the Triton Festival and Dark Side of the Con, this brand new event features a lineup of international bands from the gothic, industrial, darkwave and post-punk scenes. In the line-up we find such bands as HEALTH, Combichrist, Suicide Commando, ACTORS, Rabbit Junk, Vision Video, Empathy Test, Solar Fake, BILE, Psyclon Nine, Das Ich, Bootblacks, Leathers, Josie Pace, God Module, Bella Morte and many more.

In addition to 30+ bands, Dark Force Fest will also feature over 100 vendors, a costume contest, cosplay guests, sideshow performers, fun activities and informative panels. More info can be found at https://darkforcefest.com and you can order your tickets right here.

Below is the poster for the event.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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‘Click Interview’ with Oberer Totpunkt: “I´M Not The Biggest Fan Of Complete Computer Generated Electro-Music”

Inferno Sound Diaries — Sun, 10 Jul 2022 17:00:00 +0000

Set up in 2006 by Bettina Bormann and Michael Krüger the German formation Oberer Totpunkt doesn’t release new albums at regular basis. They this year strike back with their sixth opus “Totentanz” which is the band’s first album in five years. It became an eclectic work although dominated by an interesting mix of ‘Neue Deutsche Härte” and EBM. The work is their most accomplished production to date revealing multiple great songs. I talked about this masterpiece with both core members.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: Oberer Totpunkt is now active for numerous years so what have been the main facts in the band’s history and how do you see the band today compared to the early beginning?

Bettina: We started in 2007 as a duo. A friend of us suggested us to bring our creativity together –that was when Michael played in bands as a drummer for years and I have been writing stories for years. So we tried it out –and Oberer Totpunkt was born! Just the two of us made the first shows on stage. Later we worked together with double bass player David Nesselhauf who accented our brand as a kind of sophisticated band.

In the next step we wanted to experiment with performative elements, so the idea of a ‘living stage design’ was born. We worked together with Gunter Laudahn on guitar and harp who since years is touring with artists like The Gregorians and Sarah Brightman. Then we had a longer period with Stefan Frost, who influenced our sound with his metal guitar. Also we have the live-keyboarder Denis Scheither and Performer Reaktor 4 in our staff for big stages or videos. Unfortunately Stefan could not accompany us when we were touring with the band Das Ich in the USA in 2019. This circumstance at last brought us back to our roots: Performing as a duo.

Each album is a contemporary document which shows the themes which we deal with in a certain phase of our creative work. The psychedelic-hypnotic song “Dystopia” describes the mood I was in while dark and disturbing incidents happened. What I appreciate is the fact that we present our very first song “Scharlachroter Schnee” on the new album “Totentanz” in a new dark-romantic shape. And for the very first time we made love songs!

Michael: All Oberer Totpunkt-albums are conceptual albums with a master-idea. Every album is a cocktail of music, lifestyle, experience you make. I´m always looking for the next song and album. “Totentanz” has a lot of tom-based drumbeats, melodic and dark elements and danceable songs. Emotional, dark, kicking and also experimental stuff like “Dystopia” (Psychedelic-Rock) or “Rien Ne Va Plus” (Jazz). By the way, our first song we ever made was “Scharlachroter Schnee”.

Q: What kind of work did you want to compose with “Totentanz”? What is the album all about and how did the production took shape?

Bettina: In my eyes “Totentanz” is our most poetic album. The songs tell about human basic themes like fears, loneliness, fear of loss, fear of life, fear of death, but also love and longing –it tells about the demons in ourselves and around us. A line from the song “Rien Ne Va Plus“ describes the basic melody of the content: ‘We long for hope –and for the end of darkness.’

“Dystopia“ is about crisis, “Fake Leben“ tells about embellished life plans, flattering self-portrayals, skillful poses, staged images –behind this is the question: ‘Do we still feel who we really are?’ Or the song “Die Krieger”; so many self-proclaimed warriors roam our time coordinates, fighting for ‘what’s right.’ Bossiness, inability to tolerate and loss of a healthy sense of proportion included. We considered whether this song could be misunderstood in the current global political situation. But ultimately it is probably obvious that the ‘warriors’ are meant here in an ironic way.

Tracks like “Dia De Los Muertos”, “Totentanz“, “Fake Leben” or “Die Krieger“ clearly show: The spoken word rocks and lures onto the dance floor!

Michael: I love classic arrangements and loop songs with rhythmic shifts! For most titles the song comes first. Bettina selects which pieces she can relate to or has an idea for a text. For other titles like “Auf Der Dunklen Seite Des Mondes“ (“On The Dark Side Of The Moon”) and “Mitten Ins Herz” (“In The Middle Of The Heart”) she had ready-made ideas for the lyrics and ideas for the song. I usually start with the keyboard, then play the bass and then the drums. Most of the time, the song gets fatter and more complex –that doesn’t always work. With “Mitten Ins Herz”, an emotional framework turned into a wall-of-sound bombast that crushed the great lyrics. Then I went back and just used the piano with organ and soft strings –less is sometimes more. We also took out the beatbox on tracks like “Totentanz” and “Scharlachroter Schnee”. Of course, the song is less pushy, but once you get used to it, it sounds a lot more interesting and complex to mine, Bettina’s and Tom’s ears without the obligatory dancefloor dance drum.

In 2020 we recorded my 70s-Staccato and Northdrums. They are single-headed and so they can´t create a various and deep sound like a modern maple-kit. So we had the idea to record the drums acoustically with a modern PDP maple kit. Songs like “Totentanz” and “Scharlachroter Schnee” with the powerful tombeats simply make the difference to the drum-to-midi recordings with triggers and BFD/Affinity drums. The toms sound more complex and the snare simply punches more –the rim sound is also more poisonous. The real cymbals also convinced me –especially the ride and the hihats. Some songs like “Auf Der Dunklen Seite Des Mondes” or “Tänzer Im Regen” both have a classic songwriting structure with verse, bridge, chorus, etc. I worked out a second bridge and chorus variant for both of them –atypical for Oberer Totpunkt, but we enjoyed it. The overly long song is also an Oberer Totpunkt-classic. That’s two songs this time. “Rot, Schwarz, Herz” and “Rien Ne Va Plus”. We only separated them because we were afraid that with typical song zappers who only listen to a minute of a song, the jazz variant would be lost. Also typical of Oberer Totpunkt are loop-oriented titles, on a theme without change or refrain, such as “Dystopia” or “Die Krieger”. For “Zeit Verfliegt” (“Time Flies”) and “Jetzt Oder Nie” (“Now Or Never”) I used Simmons samples.

By coincidence we chose the title “Totentanz”, reminding the name of our label, Danse Macabre Records. First of all, we are happy to hold this multi-faced album in our hands. It’s a conceptual album again and like all our albums it’s actually a double LP with more than 60 minutes playing time and 16 songs! According to normal playing length, that would be our twelfth CD. We hope there’s something in the selection for most, depending on whether you prefer the quiet, hypnotic, lyrical, rock, or danceable side of Oberer Totpunkt.

Q: “Totentanz” reveals an interesting mix of influences reminding me to KMFDM and ‘Neue Deutsche Härte’ with extra EBM elements on top. How would you analyze and define the production? And did you handle specific criteria and references in the composition- & production process?

Michael: That’s a good analysis. We like EBM, Rock-elements like in Neue Deutsche Härte-Stuff and… KMFDM? Never heard that, but I like them and we are friends of the KMFDM-drummer Rudi Naomi. “Totentanz” opens musically with a rocking intro that we composed for the 2019 US-tour as support for Das Ich so that the audience can remember our name. That was a good idea –and that’s exactly how we wanted to start the album with “Oberer Totpunkt” and end it with “Unterer Totpunkt” with five bass lines grooving in competition until the double bass takes over and the whole thing then on the piano ends with the poetic finale by Bettina. With “Totentanz”, “Dia De Los Muertos” and “Scharlachroter Schnee” I have built three pieces on mystical sounding and different percussive tombeats. The album starts rocking, gets bombastic and more and more electronic and minimalistic until it ends in a quiet ballad. Then it gets Pop-Rock, Psychedelic and harder and harder until “Die Krieger”. Then comes our long song, which we have divided into two pieces this time: “Rot, Schwarz, Herz” and “Rien Ne Va Plus” –a crazy Jazz track… we always wanted to do something like that. This is the song for Bettina with top hat and tuxedo! We have again combined many genres from purely Electronic to songs with a classic Rock line-up, for which I played all the instruments on some titles because of Covid-19. Last but not least, our guitarist Stefan Frost can be heard again with many cool Metal and Rock riffs.

Q: “Totentanz” clearly sounds as your most accomplished and successful work to date. So it’s not really surprising the album became number one in the famous DAC. What does that mean to you and how important are the ‘Deutsche Alternative Charts’ for German artists? Is there a kind of impact on sales, live shows etc?

Bettina: Of course we are very happy about this ranking which indicates the opinion of professional DJs and Radio-DJs. So that’s a creative statement which really means something. Yet we don’t know if this will have any impact on sales; let’s wait for the end of the year. In relation to live shows we don’t see a lot of possibilities this year. Because of the pandemic a lot of concerts and festivals were cancelled so there are still some line-ups to be caught up since 2020…

Another fact is that many small clubs and festivals didn’t survive the crisis, which means that there are fewer locations for live concerts. We hope for the next year!

Michael: But until then we are happy to present a video for each of our songs on the new album. We made 16 live-videos with 16 different outfits, 6 drum sets and 6 guest musicians! Not in 6 weeks or 6 hours! We needed 6 hours! We couldn’t agree on the songs so we said let’s take them all. Besides, a good opportunity to see how the singles of the whole album work live. We release them every week or month. Hope we can play the album asap live in a club.

Q: What’s the input of each member in the writing process of the album, the live shows, the artwork and who’s taking the final decision? And how does it feel to be involved with a music band as man and wife?

Bettina: The words are my part, the music is the part of Michael. Together we develop and rehearse for our live shows. Finding decisions is a process which we make together. Actually we are used to work together as long as we know each other. We started as colleagues working for a newspaper years ago. So it feels very common to share our creative work also.

Michael: That feels cool because when I played in other bands as drummer your partner asks you: ‘How was the show?’ and you answer ‘Great!’ That’s all and you know that means nothing! So we both know what it means and how it feels to make an album or to make a live show and know the hard work and creative process behind it, that most of non-music-friends and most part of the family never understand. They think it’s like meeting with a cooking club every week. At “Totentanz” I ran a beatbox on the loop songs and then jammed along live on the Nord Drum3P and my synthesizers. Just like a solo jam session. This is how you can use machines alive. If the songs are rough, I’ll get Frosti on board. He played the Metal riffs and good ideas for Grunge type guitar styles. His run to “Tänzer Im Regen’” is great. The Spaghetti-Western guitars are also amazing. Bettina had the idea of recording the flute on “Tänzer Im Regen” and “Liebeleid” and a timbale solo on “Totentanz”. What I find particularly cool are the acoustic hihats I play live with the electronics. On “Unterer Totpunkt” and “Zeit Verfliegt” the 16th and 32/64th hihat fill-ins bring a casual swing to the basslines, that a non-drummer or DJ would never or could never program. Speaking of thunderstorms of rhythm, on “Dia De Los Muertos” three bass lines work against four percussion tracks and the drums. In the last song “Unterer Totpunkt” five basslines are grooving. I love songs in which the grooves with different accents and rhythms with linear, triplet and half-time/double-time resolution create trembling beats and restlessness. To sum it up. I´m not the biggest fan of complete computer generated Electro-Music –for me it sounds always a little bit like plastic. Electronics are cool but the taste of real instruments, drums, bass, guitars, percussions, live played keyboards bring the mud and life into music!

Q: Bettina and Michael, when taking a look at your personal homepage I discovered a person who’s not only interested in music but also in traveling, diving, poetry… so I can imagine getting in touch with other cultures and artistic forms must be enriching for mind and body. Tell us a bit more about it and how do you find a balance between all interests and activities?

Bettina: Writing for music or for poetry is familiar –often I am writing and don’t know yet how I will use it later, and sometimes I am writing especially for a music track. Then I listen to the music to find out what it tells me. Then I only have to write it down. On the other hand I love traveling and diving. These items are going together perfectly. But of course I am not in every second of my life in a productive creative phase. It is necessary to experience things and then to let thoughts grow inside yourself before you can ‘produce’ and write down.

Traveling and diving are things that Michael and I are sharing as well. It took years for us to build up the life we want to live as writer and musicians and as travel journalists. The year 2019 for us was an awesome year in relation to traveling and live shows as the US-tour together with Das Ich. The pandemic made an end to this –there were several lockdowns, clubs and festivals died in consequence which means less chances for bands to play live. Now we have to build it up again as many other artists too. We are looking forward to the next years!

Michael: If you don’t dive and travel, you’ll miss half of your life. Those who don’t make music miss the other half. And if your partner doesn´t share these things you’re no really partners. In fact, we are passionate divers, worked also as dive masters and still as travel journalists. Once in a lifetime we had the possibility to combine both passions, when we joined Das Ich during the Gothic Cruise 2019 in the Caribbean. We hope to do that again! I would say our Soundtrack is “Letzter Gang” from our album “Erde Ruft” – here is an impressive video about it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qwwij1SmiRE

Inferno Sound Diaries

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Ghosting – Black Pearls (Album – Alice In… / Dark Dimensions)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Sat, 09 Apr 2022 07:00:00 +0000

Genre/Influences: Gothic.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Ghosting became a renowned band in the 90s. The German Goth formation released multiple successful albums and hits. Nearly twenty years after Ghosting stopped its activities Sascha Tayefeh reactivated Ghosting as a solo project. After the last year released EP “No Dreams” he moved on reworking and remastering old songs for “Black Pearls”.

Content: Even if “Black Pearls” is a kind of compilation it first of all brings us back to the original magic of Ghosting. A powerful and eclectic Gothic sound now boosted by guitar playing and then achieved with melodic electronics. Sascha’s vocals are a mix of passion and theatrical interpretations. Most of the songs are remastered edits but you’ll also discover “Single Edits” while the last song is a personal adaptation of Franz Schubert.

+ + + : Compilations are useful when it comes to bring a great band like Ghosting back on the map. Ghosting belonged to the legendary 90s German Goth scene and just like other bands -think to Das Ich, Goethes Erben, Relatives Menschsein…, they had something apart. It’s impressive to hear how more than 30 years later songs still has this magical effect. Ghosting stands for power, darkness, melodies, melancholia, and theatre. It’s an artistic creation which hasn’t lost its original impact. This is a way to re-discover famous songs like “Lion King”, “Der Tod In Flandern”, “March” ao.

– – – : I just regret it’s not a new album but compilations like this is too good to be true.

Conclusion: This work brings us back to the glorious days of 90s Gothic music and Ghosting definitely was one of the architects to this period.

Best songs: “Der Tod In Flandern – Single Edit”, “Lion King”, “Bombed The World”, “March”, “One Bullet – Single Edit”.

Rate: 9.

Artist: www.facebook.com/Ghosting.Office

Label: www.darkdimensions.de / www.facebook.com/pages/Dark-Dimensions-Label-Group/486014725206

Alice In…, another Dark Dimensions label, issued “Black Pearls” on 28 January 2022 on CD and digitally. The thirteen tracks are “Lion King – Remastered”, “Bombed The World – Remastered”, “Der Tod In Flandern – Single Edit”, “One Bullet – Single Edit”, “Paranoia – Remastered”, “Ad Infinitum – Single Edit”, “Die Baby Die – Remastered”, “Blood Ocean – Alternate Version”, “Heal Me – Remastered”, “Disguised In Black (Single Edit)”, “L’Eremitage – Remastered”, “March – Remastered” and “Der Leiermann”.

Listen to “Black Pearls”:

Black Pearls by Ghosting

About Ghosting

Ghosting is a German dark wave and gothic project started in 1989 by singer and songwriter Sascha Tayefeh, then fourteen years old. Discogs places the formation in Koblenz and names Andreas Rudel as co-founder on guitar. The first demo tapes, “Secret Books” and “Black Romantic”, combined sampler and synthesizer work with classical and medieval elements.

The band was signed by Glasnost Rec./EFA in 1991 after a show at the Ballhaus club in Bonn. Bruno Kramm of Das Ich recorded the debut album “Romantic Death” at Danse Macabre Studios in Bayreuth. Ghosting played the first Wave-Gotik-Treffen in Leipzig in 1992 and released two further albums on Glasnost, with the line-up changing repeatedly across the 1990s. The band paused between 1996 and 1999 and dissolved in 2003 during the recording sessions that followed “Disguised In Black”.

Tayefeh restarted the name as a solo project in 2020. Side-Line reviewed the Ghosting – No Dreams EP in February 2022, spoke to him in the Click Interview with Ghosting two months after this compilation, and reviewed the first album of new material, Ghosting – The Order Of Things, in August 2022.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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Rome – Hansa Studios Session II (Album – Trisol)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Sun, 28 Nov 2021 08:00:00 +0000

Genre/Influences: Dark-Folk, Chanson

Format: Digital, CD, Vinyl.

Background/Info: Four years after the first edition of “Hansa Studios Session”, Jérôme Reuter moves back to the famous Hansa Studios to record some of his older songs. The studio is a legendary place where an endless list of great names (from Bowie to Depeche Mode to Iggy Pop to ZZ Top) have stayed to record their work. You better take a look at the studio’s homepage. Rome recorded eight songs in this studio.

Content: Just as for the previous work recorded in the Hansa Studios, Jérôme Reuter revisited some of his songs. The songs are taken from the
EP “Berlin” (2006) and albums “The Hyperion Machine” (2016), “Hall Of Thatch” (2018), “Le Ceneri Di Heliodoro” (2019) and “The Lone Furrow” (2020).

The songs still sound in the purest Rome vein, mixing elements of Dark-Folk, Ballads and chanson. It sounds minimal and driven by the passionate vocals of Jérôme Reuter.

+ + + : This work simply reveals the magic of a professional studio. I noticed artists like Das Ich and Deine Lakaien also recorded some of their works in this studio. I think Rome has gained a status he really deserves to record his work in a top notch studio. The production of the vocals is something magic; mixing passion and charisma. But the authenticity of the instruments is another essential element coming through. You can hear the perfectionist side of the artist. Rome’s songs are excelling in grace, emotion, sensibility, passion and melancholia. My favorite songs are “Blighter” and “West Knows Best”.

– – – : The oldest song from the album (cf. “Like Lovers”) originally released in 2006 on the EP “Berlin” (when Rome was still signed on Cold Meat Industry) is one of the few tracks that couldn’t totally convince me. It also was another period when Rome was dealing with a different sound approach than in the last years.

Conclusion: This release is an essential item in the impressive discography of Rome; this is much more than simply revisiting ‘older’ songs, but an artistic creation symbolizing the genius of Rome!

Best songs: “Blighter”, “West Knows Best”, “Skirmishes For Diotima”, “Who Only Europe Know”.

Rate: 8½.

Artist: www.facebook.com/romeproject

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

About Rome

Jérôme Reuter, born on 2 August 1981 in Luxembourg, is the musician behind the neofolk project Rome, formed in November 2005. Before Rome he performed as Reggie Fain, played in the Oi! band the Skinflicks and contributed to the post-punk group Mack Murphy and the Inmates.

Rome’s music combines military drumming, atmospheric electronic textures and acoustic guitars with samples and lyrics that deal with war, love, pain and death. Reuter has named Jacques Brel, Léo Ferré, Albert Camus, Ernst Jünger and Jean Genet as reference points.

The first “Hansa Studios Session” was recorded in 2017. “Hansa Studios Session II” followed on Trisol in 2021 with eight re-recorded songs. Rome later issued “Civitas Solis” and “The Dublin Sessions II” on the same day in April 2025.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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UK electro outfit Inertia returns with all new single ‘Scowl’ including a nice welcome return by Alexys B

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Fri, 13 Aug 2021 08:46:27 +0000

After 29 years in existence as a band, the UK act Inertia are back with a brand new single, released on their very own label, Cryonica Music: “Scowl”. “Scowl” features bandleader, Reza Udhin with members Ollie Cater (Guitars), Andrew Lowlife (Keyboards) and Circus performer Blue Jigsaw on drums. And, good news, coming back to the Inertia fold after 7 years is co-leadsinger and ex drummer, Alexys B, lending her vocals to the track.

And that’s not all, we also hear 3 more guitarists: Steve White (KMFDM and PIG), Tim Stephens (ex-Inertia, ex-EMF, Mojiles) and Nick Bayford from Alexys B’s own Rockabilly band Lady Luck Lexy & the Riverside Boys.

Next to the title track we also get 2 remixes by CyberIndustries and Modulate. Out today, you can check the lyric video below, and get the 3-track single right here on Bandcamp.

Welcome back guys!

About Inertia

Inertia was formed in 1992 Reza Udhin and was signed to Germany’s Celtic Circle Productions in 1994 through which the debut MCD “Infiltrator” was released in June 1995. This CD was actually a re-recording of the band’s first demo tape. The band returned to the studio in February 1996 to start work on the “Programmed to respond” album and the “Mind-Energy” MCD. The album and MCD were released respectively in February 1997 and December 1996. By then 1996 Alexys B had joined Inertia on electronic drums.

1997 Mark Barrett leaves Inertia., Ed Luxmoore joins Inertia on Synths.

February 1999, the band released the remix album “Demagnetized / Remagnetized” which featured remixes by artists such as Das Ich, Spahn Ranch and Julian Beeston (Nitzer Ebb). The same year a brand new album, “Negative Prime”, was released in May 1999 on Nightbreed Recordings. A year later the remix CD “Positive Angel” was released on Inertia’s own label Cryonica Music.

November 2001, the new single “No Defect” is launched while the band complete their brand new album “Advanced Revelation” due for release in February 2002. In 2004, the album “Black Ice Impact” hits the streets followed in December 2005 by a best of Double CD “Decade of Machines – 1994-2004”. This DCD is released by Cryonica Music in Europe and Cleopatra Records in the USA.

May 2007, a brand new self titled album “Inertia” is released on Cryonica Music. The album features several guest musicians, including Kneill Brown (Killing Joke), Client E / Emily Strange (Client) and Phill Good (Libitina/Pinion). Inertia also recruit a new member, Bob Malkowski as guitarist. 2 years later the remix album “Interpret”, with remixes from Youth (Producer/Killing Joke), Die Krupps and Armageddon Dildos featured, is released by the Japanese label Deathwatch Asia. In the meantime Reza Udhin becomes the keyboard player for the legendary band Killing Joke.

2010, Inertia emerge with a new line up with Kneill X on Guitar (ex Killing Joke, Killer B Movie) and Andrew Lowlife on Synths (Swarf). In early 2010, they release the covers album “Kloned”, it is followed by the single “Repeat & Follow” later that year. November of the same year sees the new album “Deworlded” being released. At at the end of the year they collaborate with UK band Mechanical Cabaret to release a cover version of the classic John Leyton/Joe Meek track “Johnny, Remember Me”.

2012 Inertia signs with Metropolis Records. A new single “Alive” is released in October, followed by a brand new album “Universal Blood” in November 2012. 2 more albums follow on Metropolis, “Existential” (2015) and “Dream Machine” (2017), plus a string of singles, the last one being “Only Law” in 2017.

4 years later the band returns with the single “Inertia” featuring Sieben on Cryonica Music, and now the new single “Scowl”.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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Side-Line presents: M’era Luna festival 2019 – Hildesheim (DE)

Filip Wildhoney — Wed, 05 Jun 2019 17:31:41 +0000

On 10th and 11th August 2019 the annual M’era-Luna festival takes place in the area of Hildesheim-Drispenstedt, Germany. M’era Luna exists since 2000 and is one of the biggest Gothic festivals in the European scene. Gothic, new wave, electro, EBM, industrial and medieval bands are featured on 2 stages.

The last years the festival was every time sold out and had about 25.000 visitors. This year some of the confirmed artists are: Fields Of The Nephilim, VNV Nation, Lacrimosa, OOMPH!, Deathstars, DIE KRUPPS, Within Temptation, ASP, Subway To Sally, Combichrist, Diary Of Dreams, Corvus Corax, Suicide Commando, Agonoize, Funker Vogt, Mono Inc., DE/VISION, Empathy Test, Joachim Witt, Spetsnaz, [:SITD:], Zeromancer, Melotron, …

DJ’s at the afterparties are: Der Schulz (Unzucht), Bruno Kramm (Das Ich), Chris L. (Funker Vogt and Agonoize), Andy Krüger (Melotron), Ronan Harris (VNV Nation), Mike Kanetzky (Matrix Bochum).

Besides watching concerts you can also visit markets, artist signing events, gothic fashion shows, readings by Axel Hildebrand, Markus Heitz and Christian von Aster. The Gothic Garden, an oasis of calm right in front of the festival infield, offers demanding festival-goers comfort, space and conveniences to make your stay more exclusive, pleasant and more relaxing. At the M’era Luna Academy you can follow special workshops which will be announced soon on the official renewed website.

The interactive M’era Luna app can be downloaded here and tickets can be ordered here.

Résonance Magnétique – Sign (CD Album – Neris Records)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Thu, 30 May 2019 18:30:35 +0000

Genre/Influences: Dark-ambient, ambient-gothic.

Background/Info: Four years after the debut album “Revoke”, French artist Ludovic Dhenry (Exponentia, Zauber) strikes back with a new opus of 13 songs.

Content: Résonance Magnétique definitely sounds like the ‘ambient’ project of the artist. You for sure will recognize sound treatments and arrangements that will remind you of Exponentia, but globally speaking this album is driven by dark-ambient music with a ritual flavor on top. It sometimes makes me think of a primitive fusion between Sopor Aeternus, Das Ich and Raison D’Être. The tracks are instrumentals, revealing an ultra haunting atmosphere accentuated by subtle bells sounds and choir sounds. The main particularity is the rhythm, which is not that usual for pure dark-ambient.

+ + + : Résonance Magnétique is not the most familiar project Ludovic Dhenry is involved with, but it’s maybe his most original one. He transposes dark-ambient and gothic music into a new dimension where both genres are merging together. I like the extremely dark and ghost-like atmospheres hanging over the songs while the few ritual aspects get it more mysterious. It feels like a secret black mass.

– – – : The sound formula rapidly becomes repetitive and that’s often a remark concerning all projects of this artist.

Conclusion: “Sign” sounds like music for ghosts or… should it have been composed by a ghost?

Best songs: “The Crypt”, “Vein”, ”Sign”, “Grim Cave”.

Rate: (7).

Artist: http ://exponentia .pagesperso –orange .fr / www .facebook .com /ResonanceMagnetique

Label: www .facebook .com /NerisRecords

About Résonance Magnétique

Résonance Magnétique is a project of French musician Ludovic Dhenry, founder of the label Neris Records, who also records as Exponentia and Zauber. “Sign,” reviewed here, followed the project’s 2015 debut, “Revoke.” Résonance Magnétique continued in 2021 with the EP “Paranormal Events” and in 2026 with “atomic mass unit.”

Inferno Sound Diaries

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Nervenbeisser – Alles Gut (CD EP – Echozone)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Wed, 15 May 2019 19:30:35 +0000

Genre/Influences: Industrial-metal, nu-metal.

Background/Info: Nervenbeisser released this EP right before their tour as support for Oomph! They’re now working on their new full length planned for Autumn. The German formation previously released two official albums.

Content: This EP reveals 4 new songs plus 2 remixes. They take off with the heaviest cut of the EP, which will appeal for all Rammstein fans (this band remains an important source of inspiration). The title track is less hard and has something more personal. They here explore gothic-metal fields. Among the 2 tracks left “Märchenland” is another aggressive assault. All songs are still sung in German, which accentuates the link with bands such as Rammstein, Oomph!, Eisbrecher and co.

Das Ich has remixes the title song in a typical bombastic, gothic approach while Andy Haywire remixed a song taken from the band’s last album.

+ + + : I know there’re numerous –and mainly German bands, inspired by Rammstein, but Nervenbeisser is one I’ve always supported and recommended. The songs are just accomplished and revealing a right mix between aggressive guitar play and electronic arrangements. I like this EP because it brings 4 different new songs and only 2 remixes. There’s an interesting diversity between the songs while both remixes, but especially the one by Das Ich, are pretty cool.

– – – : From a very personal point of view, “Alles Gut” is not my favorite cut from this EP. I prefer the powerful “Liebesschmerz”.

Conclusion: Nervenbeisser is one of the most talented German formations dealing with the so-called ‘Neue Deutsche Härte’ (New German Hardness) style. Their next album has to confirm their status of promising band, but this EP sounds already like a new step in the right direction.

Best songs: “Liebesschmerz”, “Alles Gut”, “Probleme”, “Alles Gut – Rmx von Das Ich”.

Rate: (7½).

Artist: www .facebook .com /nervenbeisser

Label: www .echozone .de / www .facebook .com /EchozoneMusic

About Nervenbeisser

Nervenbeisser is a German Neue Deutsche Härte band whose lineup includes Olaf Seider, Patrik Bishay, Christian Löffel and Walter Stobbe. The band released its first two albums, “Geschlechterschlacht” in 2015 on Danse Macabre and “Zeitenwandel” in 2017 on Echozone, before the “Alles Gut” EP, reviewed here, which includes a remix by Das Ich.

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Siva Six to remix Theatre of Tragedy track ‘Forever is the World’ for ‘Remixed’ album

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Tue, 14 May 2019 17:23:53 +0000

Out on July 12th 2019 via AFM Records on coloured double vinyl and digipak CD (available here on Amazon) is the Theatre Of Tragedy album “Remixed”. The Greek dark electro act Siva Six was invited to remix the track “Forever is the World”.

Siva Six joins a lit of other reputable artists such as Das Ich, VNV Nation, Icon Of Coil, Funker Vogt who revived those hit tracks in their own interpretation.

Here’s what the band says about the project: “We in Theatre of Tragedy have always been interested in a variated range of musical styles ranging from electronic music, through rock and to more extreme metal. This has been a huge part in creating the sound of the band over the years. Since the foundation of the band we have had a fascination for other people’s interpretation of our music. How others perceive our sound and compositions.”

It was in 2010, when Theatre Of Tragedy announced their break-up and drew a line under their impressive career. This year, the Norwegian artists return with a compilation of different remixes of their biggest successes.

Fans will definitely want to order the below double vinyl.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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‘Click Interview’ with Kilmarth: ‘Music Is A Legal Drug That Has The Immense Power To Make Us Escape’

Inferno Sound Diaries — Sun, 19 Aug 2018 17:00:14 +0000

Belgian solo-project Kilmarth is driven by Cédric Wattergniaux. I know Cédric for quite a long time. We both got involved with Side-Line magazine. We met at festivals and always had great moments talking about music. I know him as a passionate music lover with an eclectic choice. Throughout the years he started composing music on his own and this way he set up Kilmarth. A first self-released EP “Catharsis” saw the daylight. It might be defined as an electronic mix between multiple influences, but in the end it comes close to IDM and experimental electronics. This interview is an opportunity to get more familiar with this new project.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: It seems you’re already composing music for several years now. How did it all started and how did you finally come to deal with this kind of music?

Cédric: As long as I can remember, music has always been an important part of my life. I listened to it, analyzed it, I wrote about it … but my biggest dream has always been to compose it. This dream was buried deep within me, but my ego told me that I was not able to do it. I once made the very late decision to finally take music theory lessons at the local music academy to better understand what music was from a theoretical point of view. Then I tried the classical guitar, which I abandoned by acquiring my first synth, a Korg Triton. As for the musical style, I did not try to get into a current one, it’s naturally the sounds that I liked the most that I chose to compose the music that related to a genre already present that I of course, liked a lot already.

Q: The name Kilmarth is directly linked to the great Daphne du Maurier, but what inspired you in this project name and the work plus life of this author?

Cédric: “The House Of The Strand” is a book I literally devoured when I read it, about 15 years ago. I am passionate about history, it is also my job (I am a history teacher) and the idea of time travelling has always been a child’s dream. The idea also to ask the question… Is it the reality of this trip or was it solely based on the absorption of a drug was a very interesting idea. So, I like to say that music is that drug that can be taken to help us penetrate other worlds, to penetrate the brain mysteries of some great composers of our time or earlier. It also makes me think of this excellent movie, that is for me, “Strange Days” by Kathryn Bigelow and James Cameron (1995) where the hero penetrates the recorded thoughts of people by means of an apparatus connected to the brain. Music is a legal drug that has the immense power to make us escape and to paraphrase Dave Gahan, that unites people who are so different.

Q: You recently self-released your debut work “Catharsis”. What is it all about? What did you try to accomplish (sound-wise) and what has been your working method?

Cédric: I fell into a big depression almost two years ago. I could not do my job anymore. Finding myself in front of my DAW and my synth has become gradually a habit and also a therapy to get out of this problem. For 6 months, I almost never left my studio and “Catharsis” was born from that. Fortunately, I was able to count on my family and a handful of friends who have always supported me.

Q: “Catharsis” is the kind of work I instantly linked to productions released on labels such as Ad Noiseam, Tympanik Audio, Ant-Zen, Mindtrick Records, M-Tronic… Do you feel related with these labels? Would you like to get signed by a label or do you prefer the DIY attitude?

Cédric: These are magnificent labels that have written the most beautiful pages in the history of our scene. It would be an extraordinary honor to be part of these record companies. I think that the power of a label to distribute music is a major asset in a society where it is now necessary to put music almost in the ear of an auditor so that he can listen to new things. I do not have the time or the gift to be able to handle all parts of the music business as I should while living a normal life with my family. On the other hand, it is also important, for an artist, to have a free hand in the creative process. It is therefore necessary that everyone can have his own territory for the partnership to be effective. It must also be said that the world of music has experienced an incredible upheaval in recent years. Will these labels still exist in five years? The future will tell.

Q: “Catharsis” is a sonic crossover between numerous genres and influences, but how would you analyze the sound of Kilmarth and how do you see yourself as an artist?

Cédric: I, like many other people before me, served as a sponge to several artistic movements (literary, pictorial, …). The daily life that I could absorb for years and reject in the form of “Catharsis”. It is difficult for me to highlight, for example, a musical genre that I particularly like to achieve this result, although it is obvious that electronic music, in general, remains the one that has the most marked throughout my life. For the rest, I like to control what I do; like composition, production, artwork or even videos. Kilmarth is a personal project, although I like the influences of outside musicians like the help of a friend for one track on “Catharsis”. I would like to see more collaborations like that on future productions.

Q: You’ve been involved with Side-Line magazine for numerous years. What did you learn from this experience as a journalist and does it appear to be a precious experience now that you’re composing music yourself?

Cédric: My Side-Line years were an extraordinary experience. First of all because I was able to meet people who belong to our scene and that I respect a lot: you, Séba Dolimont who remains one of my best friends, Bernard, Benoît… I could also ‘meet’ people who I admire a lot musically like Klaus Kruse (PNE), NoyceTM, Mesh, Das Ich, De/Vision, Iris… It was a wonderful school to discover how the world of music is from the inside. From these different elements, I was able to build my project by being influenced by countless elements that have appeared throughout my life. Composing my music has also brought me even more respect for these artists that I met since the first demo to flamboyant careers. Each piece sometimes hides many efforts and often an incredible job that most people who listen to music or criticism cannot imagine. So I would say that the influence exists in both directions. I cannot criticize an album like I did in the past…

Inferno Sound Diaries

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New EP by Totem Obscura (feat. Hubert Kah) has landed on all digital download and streaming platforms

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Tue, 12 Jun 2018 17:45:05 +0000

Available now on Spotify, iTunes and related platforms is the “Helden” EP by the German endzeit act Totem Obscura. For the occasion Nadine ‘Aengeldust’ Engel and Pedro ‘Acylum’ Engel have joined up with 80’s living legend Hubert Kah (known for his hit-songs and backing vocals for the 80’s icon Sandra).

“Helden” was already available from Bandcamp and now also has hit other platforms too as you can see below.

The EP itself holds 16 tracks including exclusive remixes of other album songs like “Blut Marschiert”, “Eisenmann” and “Bastard”. You can expect aggressive dark elektro with Middle-Age tonalities. Strongly recommended to fans of :Wumpscut:, Acylum, Heimataerde, Yelworc and Das Ich.

Check the EP on Bandcamp:

Helden EP by TOTEM OBSCURA feat. Hubert Kah

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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Side-Line presents: M’era Luna festival 2018 – Hildesheim (DE)

Filip Wildhoney — Mon, 04 Jun 2018 14:07:15 +0000

On 11th and 12th August 2018 the annual M’era-Luna festival takes place in the area of Hildesheim-Drispenstedt, Germany. M’era Luna exists since 2000 and is one of the biggest Gothic festivals in the European scene. Gothic, new wave, electro, EBM, industrial and medieval bands are featured on 2 stages.

Besides watching concerts you can also visit parties, markets, artist signing events, gothic fashion shows, readings by David Grashoff, Markus Heitz and Christian von Aster. The Gothic Garden, an oasis of calm right in front of the festival infield, offers demanding festival-goers comfort, space and conveniences to make your stay more exclusive, pleasant and more relaxing. At the M’era Luna Academy you can follow special workshops which will be announced soon on the official website.

The last years the festival was every time sold out and had about 25.000 visitors. This year some of the confirmed artists are: The Prodigy, Front 242, Ministry, Eisbrecher, In Extremo, Saltatio Mortis, Apoptygma Berzerk, Peter Heppner, L’Ame Immortelle, London After Midnight, Clan Of Xymox, Das Ich, Lord Of The Lost, Hocico, The 69 Eyes, Atari Teenage Riot, In Strict Confidence, Rotersand, Nachtmahr, Tanzwut, …

The interactive M’era Luna app can be downloaded here and tickets can be ordered here.

Industrial act Totem Obscura joins up with 80’s legend Hubert Kah on ‘Helden’ EP

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Tue, 29 May 2018 17:24:43 +0000

Nadine ‘Aengeldust’ Engel and Pedro ‘Acylum’ Engel have joined up with 80’s living legend Hubert Kah (known for his hit-songs and backing vocals for the 80’s icon Sandra) to record the dowload Ep “Helden”. “Helden” is at the moment only available from Bandcamp, with other platforms to follow soon.

Check the EP on Bandcamp:

Helden EP by TOTEM OBSCURA feat. Hubert Kah

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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Dark wave band The Guests releases new EP featuring Bruno Kramm (Das Ich) remix

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Thu, 26 Apr 2018 16:36:44 +0000

Russian dark wave band The Guests was founded in 2002 and has since then released numerous albums and performed at various festivals. Out now is the band’s newest release, the “Highlands” EP.

The EP includes the title track next to several remixes of the song “Autumn Walk” by such artists as Bruno Kramm (Das Ich), Asper X and Fedor Arkhangelsky.

You can check out the EP below.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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Das Ich sees cult debut EP ‘Satanische Verse’ remastered on vinyl

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Thu, 22 Feb 2018 19:00:49 +0000

Out later in March in a wider distribution is Das Ich’s cult debut EP “Satanische Verse” in a limited vinyl version (500 copies). You can order this vinyl version right here.

“Satanische Verse” was originally released in 1990 as a demo-tape (and we still have 2 of them in our archives), and featured the tracks on Side A of this vinyl only. One year later, it would be the first ever official Das Ich released on the band’s own Danse Macabre label.

That first CD album featured 4 tracks (side A + “Jericho”) and was the first sign of life for the project around Bruno Kramm and Stefan Ackermann. The same year the duo would release the album “Die Propheten” which paved the way for worldwide success.

All tracks on this vinyl edition have been re-digitalized and re-mastered, and let’s be honest, this album is absolutely a must-have in your collection. Recommended!

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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Koraktor – Bestie Mensch (CD Album – Danse Macabre)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Fri, 16 Feb 2018 20:30:47 +0000

Genre/Influences: Gothic, epic, cinematographic.

Background/Info: Koraktor is a Swiss trio hailing from Zürich. After having self-released the debut album “Nacht Bilder” in 2010 it took them many years to strike back, unleashing their official debut full length on Danse Macabre.

Content: Koraktor is what I would call a ‘typical’ formation for German speaking music lovers. The German lyrics together with a rather passionate and somewhat theatrical way of singing are quite recognizable and sometimes reminding to Das Ich. Sound-wise “Bestie Mensch” reveals heavy, epic-like arrangements. These songs are somewhat related to the softer side of Rammstein.

+ + + : “Bestie Mensch” is the kind of work Germany and other German speaking countries will adore. It’s not innovating, but in the purest tradition of heavy gothic and epic music. There’s a real solid part of drama emerging from this work, which also reminds to soundtrack music. The songs are well-crafted and achieved with moody atmospheres. The guitar- and electronic parts are complementarily. I especially recommend the “Masken”-song, which has an elevating effect.

– – – : Despite of the good production, this is the kind of work that doesn’t bring anything new. The songs become a bit predictable after a while I’m also missing a few potential hits.

Conclusion: “Bestie Mensch” is a well-crafted and mature opus, but without real surprises.

Best songs: “Masken”, “Völkerschlacht”, “Der Letzte Tag”.

Rate: (7).

Band: www .koraktor .ch / www .facebook .com /koraktor

Label: www .dansemacabre –group .de / www .facebook .com /dansemacabrerec

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Das Ich sees ‘Lava’ album re-released with bonus tracks

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Tue, 21 Mar 2017 20:00:41 +0000

Coming up in the next 2 weeks is a re-release of “Lava” by the German Goth / EBM act Das Ich. Originally released in 2004 on Massacre Records the album got licensed a bit of everywhere, incl. for release in the USA (Metropolis), Russia, France etc..

This new edition comes with 3 bonus-tracks: “Seele tanzt (Remix)”, “Uterus (Remix)”, “Hand an der Wiege”. You can order the release right here.

Das Ice are currently working on an all new album.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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‘Click Interview’ with Exponentia: ‘I Want To Create An Imaginary Music World, Populated By Phantasmagorical And Fantastic Creatures’

Inferno Sound Diaries — Sat, 30 Jul 2016 20:15:39 +0000

Exponentia is a French solo-project set up by Ludivic Dhenry in 2012. The music clearly refers to typical gothic music styles and the shadow of Sopor Aeternus feels like recovering the songs, which are mainly sung in German language. The album titles (cf. “Allein”, “Sadness”, “Ghost” and now “Abend”) clearly reveals the dark and melancholic themes inspiring the sound atmospheres and the lyrical content. All music has been released on Exponentia’s own label Neris Records. This is an interesting artist with a real artistic approach.

(by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: Tell us something about your musical background and what incited you to set up Exponentia?

Ludovic: I wanted to create a Gothic musical project with elements of classical music, in the German musical style of bands as Lacrimosa, Sopor Aeternus, Goethes Erben, Das Ich etc … I love this musical style and classical and baroque music. Exponentia allows me to incorporate that into my compositions.

I also composed more electronic music, another music style I like a lot too, with my other projects Zauber, Eleventh Fear and Résonance Magnétique. I think all of my albums together form a world, an atmosphere. I learn by myself, and to improve myself, I studied for a year harmony, music theory and the technical engineer of sound in a professional music school.

Every day, I wake up at 4:30 am to work most of the day on music. This is my life I’m passionate about it.

Q: Tell us a bit more about the ‘sound’ of Exponentia?

Ludovic: I want to create an imaginary music world, populated by phantasmagorical and fantastic creatures. The lyrics and the atmosphere of the albums evoke the angels, demons, vampires, ghosts. Each album of Exponentia has a different sound. I like working on an overall sound, unique and consistent for each disk I produce.

Currently I am working on the next album, I’ve already the sound in mind. I have ideas for the atmosphere and the sound of further albums as well. Sadness and melancholy both are main sources of inspiration to compose great music and, which are recurring themes in Exponentia.

Q: You might be consider as a ‘DIY’-artist who clearly takes care for every little aspect and detail of your work. Tell us a bit more about it and what do you think about the idea to get signed to an established label? What are the ‘pro’ and ‘contra’ of being a ‘DIY’ artist?

Ludovic: Working alone on my project allows me to create exactly what I want, without compromise. It’s important to me. I like that all the details are refined as I wish. I can also create my album covers myself, it really is a great artistic freedom.

Of course, I would like to record and mix with symphony orchestra musicians in a big recording studio, with a producer, but it is financially impossible. However, in the future, there may be musicians to record some musical instruments in my studio, such as the guitar, for example.

Yes, I would like to be signed to an established label, but for now, no label wants to sign Exponentia. I received a proposal from a German label, but unfortunately the contract was really bad for the artist. I created Neris Records to produce my albums on CD and digital format, but, of course, I study all proposals from established labels. The negatives are that without an established label, there’re no big financial means for the production, promotion and distribution. It’s very difficult.

The positives are that I have total freedom regarding the creation, the content of the album, release dates, tracklist, cover. I can compose and produce all the albums I want, including other projects in other musical styles.

Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries

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Essence Of Mind to play Subkulturfestivalen (SE), M’era Luna (DE) and Autumn Moon festival (DE) + start work on new material

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Wed, 13 Jul 2016 17:47:57 +0000

The Norwegian electro rock act Essence Of Mind, is finally getting the recognition they deserve. After being selected to play this year’s M’era Luna festival in August, the band has now added 2 more festival line-ups: Autumn Moon festival 2016 in Hameln, Germany (14-15 October) and the Subkulturfestivalen in Sweden (12th to 13th August).

At the Autumn Moon festival they will be playing together with such acts like Welle:Erdball, Das Ich, Moonspell, L’ame Immortelle and Legend. So you are in for a good treat.

In related news the band is currently busy with working on new material in the studio. No details have leaked so far, but the moment we can lay our hands on a demo, we’ll inform you.

Here’s the band’s latest work (you can still download a previously unreleased song called “Still Untold” from the band’s website, all you have to do is sign up for their newsletter):

After The Break Up EP by ESSENCE OF MIND

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