After releasing his debut album on Nadanna, MARTINÉ returns with this second opus, which even includes an additional disc of remixes in the CD format. This project is particularly difficult to categorize, as the album blends a variety of genres. It begins with typical German EBM in the style of DAF, before transitioning into more Electro/Body-Pop tracks. Later on, Dark-Electro influences emerge, evoking the early years of Skinny Puppy. Towards the album’s end, the sound becomes more sophisticated, incorporating elements reminiscent of Haujobb. Although the album may feel somewhat incoherent at times, it remains a strong release because Martiné excels across all genres. The work is filled with excellent songs, supported by solid production.

The second disc also features many compelling remixes, with highlights including tracks remixed by Mach Fox and Insect Plasma, which I highly recommend. (Rating:8½).

Listen to “Stuka”:

About MARTINÉ

MARTINÉ is a German electronic project from North Rhine-Westphalia. The music moves between old-school EBM, electro/body-pop and dark-electro.

The debut album “My Mind : The Hand Grenade” was released on December 9, 2022 on Nadanna. The second album “Nichts Währt Ewig” followed on May 13, 2024, with a CD edition on Echozone that adds a bonus disc of remixes.

The albums “Survive or Perish” and “Erase My Self” (July 2025) later followed “Nichts Währt Ewig”, the second full-length reviewed here.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

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Genre/Influences: EBM, Industrial, Experimental.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: This is the second full length album by German formation Tevalik. The work got preceded by several singles.

Content: Tevalik’s new work can’t be labeled as one specific music genre, but rather is the sum of various influences such as EBM, Industrial and something Minimal-Electro-Experimental. Most of the songs are sung in German, but there are also a few, scarce, songs featuring English vocals. The work stands out for its sterile, vocal, production and pumping kicks that make it all quite danceable. The last track is a remix Telavik made for Wumpscut.

+ + + : I can absolutely speak of a total innovation, but either way this work sounds refreshing and somewhere original. I’m totally sold on the mix of various influences resulting in a ‘hybrid’ sound between EBM and Industrial with an irresistible, minimal touch on top. This is an original production that definitely deserves more attention. The female vocals have something demanding and therefore sexy.

– – – : The last song of the album (not the Wumpscut-remix) sounds as a poorly inspired outro although not really a reason to complain.

Conclusion: “Schattenläufer” is a band that took me by surprise; it’s maybe not the most accessible sound although one you gone like if you’re in search of something ‘different’ in Electronic music.

Best songs: “Nur Ihre Tränen”, “Netzhass”, “Schattenläufer”, “Fremde Neue Welt”, Freakstreet”.  

Rate: 8.

Artist: www.tevalik.com / www.facebook.com/Tevalik

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

About Tevalik

Tevalik is a German EBM and industrial formation signed to Echozone. The band’s second album, “Schattenläufer”, was released on February 23, 2024, and reached number 2 on the German Alternative Charts (DAC), remaining in the upper ranks for eight weeks. The album was preceded by the single “Netzhass”, followed by “Freakstreet” (DAC number 3, eight weeks in the top 20) and “Tanzarroganz”, released February 2, 2024, which became the album’s most successful single, reaching DAC number 1 and staying eight weeks in the top ten. A fourth single from the album, “Fremde Neue Welt”, followed on May 24, 2024, reaching DAC number 1 for two weeks and spending eight weeks in the top 5. “Schattenläufer” closes with a remix Tevalik produced for Wumpscut.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

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Out via Echozone on March 22nd is the new single from Projekt Ich: “Der Westliche Mann”. This is the third single release from the band’s forthcoming third studio album following the singles “Paméla Amen feat. Lisa Pung” and “Dad feat. Madil Hardis”. The full album will be out in the Fall / Winter of 2024 or Spring of 2025. The new album will be the follow-up to “Freedom For All” (2022).

For the new songs Ulf Müller continues to collaborate with singers from around the world. For “Der Westliche Mann” Ulf enlisted Pierre Goudesone from the Belgian band Goudi as vocalist. Pierre contributed to the song lyrics as well. The saxophone parts were performed by the Italian musician Manuel Trabucco.

In addition to the original track, the single includes two diverse remixes by Restriction 9 from Sweden and Cyborgdrive from Spain. It also features the B-side track “Du hast das Licht gesehen” sung by Ulf himself, as well as instrumental versions of the original track.

Videos for the two main tracks will be released in the near future.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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Genre/Influences: Pop-Rock.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: “Blue Sunset” resulted from the common efforts between Stefan Baltes (Germany  and Lucian Zäyn (Philippines). This is a conceptual album driven by their passion for sci/fi and horror books and films.

Content: The opening song sounds pretty dreamy. Quite progressively we’re entering a sonic world mixing elements of Pop and Rock together. The vocals are pretty particular because of the singer’s accent but also the sometimes theatrical performance.

+ + + : Actually the album is doing great in the famous Deutsche Alternative Charts. I can understand the enthusiasm for this work because of its very own approach bringing Pop and Rock together. It’s a very accessible production featuring a talented singer. I have a preference for the somewhat harder “The Dark Design”.

– – – : Despite the great ranking of the album in the DAC I’m missing a true apotheosis while the singer’s accent is hilarious.

Conclusion: “Blue Sunset” sounds like an album made by aliens.

Best songs: “ The Dark Design”, Back! Back! Kaiju Attack!”. 

Rate: 6.

Artist: www.facebook.com/balteszayn

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

Listen to “Blue Sunset”:

About Baltes & Zäyn

Baltes & Zäyn is a duo pairing Stefan Baltes, based near Cologne, Germany, with vocalist Lucian Zäyn, based in Manila, Philippines. Baltes handles the instrumental work, joined by guest musicians, while Zäyn sings. The pair share an interest in science fiction and horror, drawing “Blue Sunset” from references including “Neon Genesis Evangelion”, “Lovecraft Country”, and kaiju monster films.

“Blue Sunset” was released through Echozone on November 11, 2022, and the duo has since continued on the same label with the album “A Song Of Your Name”.

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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Echozone announces the single and video release by Hidden Souls’ “Loreley” featuring nine remixes of the song and two versions of a B-side track.

“Loreley” is an 80s synthpop style track originating from the German Loreley myth from the 19th century.

The band precises the sound on the single as follows: “From the very beginning of the song, an analogue synthesizer provides a hypnotic, catchy and warm sound throughout the pop dance beats. From the famous poem / song “Die Lorelei” and the myth to the urban legend from the Rhine, the lyrics were written from the lover’s point of view. The aristocratic man who fell in love with Loreley and who he allegedly betrayed.”

The single contains remixes from Ruined Conflict (USA), L_igh_T (Spain), Elektrostaub (Germany), People Theatre (France), Device not Ready (Germany), Real Eraser (Argentina), VDOC (Germany) and Glasnost (Argentina). The single also features a non-album track called “The Court Of The Beyond” and is offered in two different versions. The original one is a dark synthpop song with a synthwave touch, whereas the alternative version has a goth feeling with an intense dark atmosphere.

The single will be available on all relevant streaming services and download stores.

Here’s the video for the track.

The track is taken from the band’s recently released album “All That We Destroy”. In 2018, the Argentinian band released their debut album “The Incorruptible Dream”. Now, they are back with new material after touring in Europe for the first time.Hidden Souls are Leo Carden (vocals / guitars), Guillermo “William” Pardo Neira (keyboards / songwriter / programming) & Alex Visoná (keyboards / composer). The album was produced & mastered by Fernando Sande Dallas.

Here’s the previous single “I Was There…”.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Four years after the promising debut album “The Incorruptible Dream” Argentinian formation Hidden Souls strike back with their new album featuring eleven songs.

Content: “All That we Destroy” is a well-crafted Electro-Pop production which sounds ‘poppier’ than its predecessor whereon the band also mixed harder EBM elements. The songs are elaborated and often carried by strong leads and choruses.

+ + + : Hidden Souls confirm the strong potential from the debut album although this work is more sophisticated. The Electro-Pop sound has something personal but I’ve been mainly impressed by the song writing. I also have to say a word about the great vocals reminding me of the charisma of Tom Smith (Editors). One of the best cuts also is the hardest one (cf. “We Are All Escapists”).

– – – : I think this album could have been improved from a pure technical point of view; the mix sometimes revealing compression especially on the kicks.

Conclusion: Hidden Souls definitely deserves more recognition and attention in the Electro-Pop universe.

Best songs: “We Are All Escapists”, “Dive Into My Dreams”, “Nobody”.

Rate: 7½.

Artist: www.hiddensouls/com/ar / www.facebook.com/HiddenSoulsArgentina

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

About Hidden Souls

Hidden Souls is an Argentinian band based in Buenos Aires, formed in 2005. The lineup consists of Leo Carden (vocals, guitars), Guillermo “William” Pardo Neira (keyboards, songwriting, programming) and Alex Visoná (keyboards, composition). The band’s debut album, “The Incorruptible Dream”, was released through the German label Echozone. “All That We Destroy” is their second album, released through Echozone on November 4, 2022, four years after the debut, and follows a first European tour by the band.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Wave-Rock, Indie-Rock.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Nearly four years after the debut album “Paramount” the international combo The Wide strikes back with a new opus featuring ten songs.

Content: The influences running through the album aren’t that different from the previous work but the global production became more mature. The guitar play creates a lively flow and might remind me of The Smiths and Morrissey. I also noticed symphonic-like arrangements.

+ + + : After a disappointing debut album “Smile” sounds as a new start for The Wide. The work sounds refreshingfeaturing a few beautiful cuts . “Anything” is a great exposure of this evolution. The songs still have this dreamy sensation. The vocals are sometimes a bit faithful while the guitar creates an elevating sensation.

– – – : “Smile” is maybe missing a true, referential, song; a kind of hit to gain a wider recognition.

Conclusion: Nothing ground breaking although a pleasant and enjoyable listening.

Best songs: “Anything, “I Believe”, “Happiness Fades”, “Angels Wander”.

Rate: 7.

Artist: www.thewide.eu / www.facebook.com/thewidefearkillinglove 

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

About The Wide

The Wide is an international Wave-Rock and Indie-Rock combo. The band released its debut album, “Paramount”, in 2018. “Smile”, the project’s second album, follows via Echozone in November 2022, featuring ten songs. No further discography has been confirmed at this time.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

After “Heile Segen”, which was released for the tour with Maerzfeld in May of this year, the second single from this Beckum based act, “So Schön”, will be released on September 16th. It’s also the title song of the upcoming album which is set for a release date on October 7th and comes with a video.

The band explains the song as follows: “Lyrically ‘So Schön’ is about a world full of conflicts that we all like to wrap in beautiful words. As the ‘pinnacle of creation’, mankind has become accustomed to exploiting the planet and its neighbor. We ignore what is happening around us to not have to deal with a possibly painful demise and the collapse of society.”

Hemesath was founded in 2012 by Christopher Zumbült, André Rasfeld, Wolfgang “Wolle” Broschk, Peter “Pedda” Bernhard, Mick Lück and Frank “Schoppa” Schoppengerd. In early 2013, the band recorded their first EP “Rot so rot”. It was produced by Victor Smolski. After the first concerts in Germany in 2014, a record deal with Echozone followed, and the first album “Für Euch” was released in 2015. During this time, Mick Lück left the band. In the subsequent tour, including as support for Ost+Front, the first concerts in Austria followed.

Here’s the video for the single.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

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

Format: Digital, CD.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rate: 7½.

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

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

About Vaselyne

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

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

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The German electro metal act Eigensinn have a new single and video for the track “Spring V2”. The single is out via Echozone and is actually a remake from a track from their 2009 album “Die Wahrheit”. The Baden-Wuerttemberg (Germany) based act lifted the song from its original gothic metal approach towards the Neue Deutsche Härte genre.

Here’s the video for “Spring V2”.

Eigensinn was formed in Neuenstadt am Kocher in 2003 by Nemesis and Holly who had previously worked together in the band Weve. Gradually, the proportion of German texts in their compositions increased, so that in 2003 they renamed the band Eigensinn. The original line-up included Nemesis (vocals) and Holly (guitar), Marc Peters on bass and Thomas “Maschine” Paslawski on drums. The same year Eigensinn released the album of the same name, produced by Jens-Peter Abele.

In 2005 Marc Peters left the band and Pat McBazz took over as bass player. Four years later the 13-song album “Die Wahrheit” was released. Shortly after the release, Thomas Paslawski left the band and Ole “Das Tier” took over his position on drums. Three years after this last change, the EP “Endorphine” was released and another two years later, in 2015, Eigensinn released the album “Postmortem”. The band’s last release was the album “Persona non Grata” from 2017. Pat McBazz left the band in 2018 and Andi Viohl took his place as bassist in the band.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

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

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: This is the second full length by German composer Ulf Müller. Three years after the debut album “By Train Through Countries” the artist renewed the collaboration with international guest singers.

The album was preceded by a long run of singles on Echozone. The ninth of them, “Mit dir”, came with twenty remixes and a lyric video, as covered in German synthpop act Projekt Ich launches ‘Mit dir’ single feat. 20 remixes plus video.

Content: The album features an interesting list of singers. Catrine Christensen (SoftWave), Marcus Mokuso (Rename, Mindmodvl), Michael Draw (Otto Dix),  Oleg Degtiarev (Lilith My Mother), René & Susan Mußbach (Analogue-X), Martin Johansson (Electric City Cowboys), David B Roundsley (Munich Syndrome), Magdalena Herfurtner (Madil Hardis), Aidan Casserly (Sebastian And The Dream), Dasha Larks (Pulse Lab), Thierry Noritop (Stereo In Solo), Marcelo Andrea (Expreso Maniquí), Anna (ELL WATERS), Ralf Lorenz (Faltenhall), Richard Pustina and Ade Stocker (Stocksnskins) have been invited to join this new adventure. There were also guest musicians who played saxophone and guitar.

Sound-wise “Freedom For All” is a diversified piece of music -not only for the singers, but also for the varied Electro/Wave-approach. It feels a bit like Müller adapted himself to each singer moving from sweet Electro-Pop to smooth Electro-Wave to a few ‘heavier’ cuts.

+ + + : This album is doing great in Germany and that’s not really a surprise. Projekt Ich has accomplished his work with passion and sensibility while there are numerous talented vocalists. I have a preference for the more 80s-driven songs and more precisely “Sexy Silly Girl” featuring Thierry Noritop (Stereo In Solo) is a cool song. The vocals are sung in French while the chorus is in English. Another attention grabber is “You Can It” which sounds darker and into Electro-Wave.

– – – : The main point -if it’s really one (?) is that you feel like listening to a compilation.

Conclusion: A new sonic travel throughout the wider fields of Electro-Pop music.

Best songs: “Sexy Silly girl – Special Edit” feat. Stereo In Solo, “You Can It”, “We Are The First” feat. Electric City Cowboys.

Rate: 7½ .

Artist: http://projektich-musik.de /  www.facebook.com/ProjektIchMusik

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

About Projekt Ich

Projekt Ich is the synthpop and electropop project of German composer Ulf Müller, signed to the German label Echozone. The project is built around collaborations: Müller writes and produces the music and invites a different guest vocalist for each song.

The debut album “By Train Through Countries” appeared in 2019 and set out that working method. Müller then took a short break before producing demos for a second album along the same lines. A series of singles preceded it, among them “Mit dir”, released in November 2021 with Magdalena Herfurtner of Madil Hardis on vocals, twenty remixes by artists including Kim Lunner, Nature of Wires, Dark Vanilla, Mind:Code, POS.:2, Elektrojudas, Perpacity and Faltenhall, plus an instrumental version.

“Freedom For All” followed on Echozone in 2022. Müller kept working with singers from around the world afterwards: the singles “Paméla Amen” featuring Lisa Pung and “Dad” featuring Madil Hardis, then “Der Westliche Mann” in March 2024 with Pierre Goudesone of the Belgian band Goudi on vocals and Italian musician Manuel Trabucco on saxophone. “Say It And Stay With Me” featuring Juan Carlos Rojas Sanchez of Frecuencias Ocultas arrived in March 2025, and Projekt Ich close album single series with ‘In The Fire’ feat. Stian Shiver reported the end of that single run in March 2026.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

“Pale Awakening” is the debut album by The Frozen Autumn, which originally saw the light in 1995 following the demotape “Oblivion” and various live gigs in Italy and abroad. These led to the CD release of this concept album inspired by the sound of 4AD and Projekt Records.

The original album held 10 tracks but now 27 years later after the first edition, Avantgarde Music re-releases “Pale Awakening” in two collectible formats: a 12 “colored double vinyl in a gatefold cover with lyrics, and a digipak CD with booklet containing pictures, verses and two bonus tracks: “This Time (Electro Mix)” and “Bio Vital”.

Here is the album on Spotify.

About The Frozen Autumn

The Frozen Autumn is an Italian darkwave band, formed in May 1993. The Frozen Autumn started as the solo project of Diego Merletto, founded after several years of involvement with various darkwave groups in Turin. The singer, keyboardist and synth programmer was joined by guitarist Claudio Brosio during early studio sessions and live performances.

In 1995 the first album, “Pale Awakening”, was released under the German Weisser Herbst Produktion label followed in 1997 by “Fragments of Memories”, this time released via the Milan-based label Eibon Records.

In 1998, Merletto co-founded a side-project called “Static Movement” with Arianna, who provided guest vocals on the title-track from “Fragments of Memories”. The duo composed together for six months and in March 1999 the album “Visionary Landscapes” was released. The partnership proved so fruitful that Arianna became a permanent member in The Frozen Autumn line-up, Static Movement remaining their ‘concept research project’.

The Frozen Autumn’s third album, “Emotional Screening Device”, was released in April 2002. They left Eibon Records in 2003. “Is Anybody There?” was released in September 2005 by the Argentinean label Twilight Records and the German label Pandaimonium through Xymox Control.

At the end of 2010, a new 10″ single, “Rallentears”, was released on their new label Calembour Records, as a forerunner of their next album, “Chirality”, which was released in November 2011. A new EP titled “Lie in Wait” was released in December 2014, again by Calembour Records and this was followed in 2015 by a “best of” compilation vinyl, “Time Is Just a Memory”, on Dark Entries Records. The band’s latest album “The Fellow Traveller” was released on November 3, 2017 by Echozone/Soulfood and Metropolis Records.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

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

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Après La Nuit is an American duo which saw the light of day after the loss of a beloved one. Behind this brand-new formation which already released multiple singles you’ll find Richard Abdeni (Les Anges De La Nuit) and Marilyne B. After Richard’s younger brother passed away he got closer to Marilyne who was a very close friend of his brother.

Content: Après La Nuit sounds pretty similar to Les Anges De La Nuit. Same song structures and sound formula characterized by repetitive, melancholic sequences recovered with good-old string parts while a danceable beat is running through. All songs have been sung in English and French featuring both members. There are 10 songs followed by 2 alternative edits and 3 remixes by Obsession Of Time, Cyborgdrive and Mark Loodewijk.

+ + + : Music remains a perfect therapy in life and definitely a way to express this terrible drama that touched both members. The lyrics are very significant and definitely part of their mourning. The sound formula is based upon simplicity, although carried by danceable beats. I recommend listening to “Bye Bye Mon Petit Frère” which definitely appears to be an emotional tribute to Richard’s younger brother. I like the strings running through this song. Among the bonus songs I especially like the “Special Edit” of “Are You Ready For Love” which sounds pretty different from the rest of the album and has something pretty robotic-like.

– – – : The sound formula of this duo is totally comparable to Les Anges De La Nuit. This band doesn’t sound that different except you’ll discover female vocals on it. The main point is that there’s less diversity in the composition. The sequences have a melodic touch but there’s no real melody line coming through which makes the songs linear and predictable.

Conclusion: If you know the background of this work you can only but agree it’s a poignant homage transposed into danceable Electro-Pop music.

Best songs: “Are You Ready For Love – Special Edit”, “Bye Bye Mon Petit Frère”, “Are You Ready For Love – Original Mix”.

Rate: 7.

Artist: www.facebook.com/ApreslaNuit

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

About Après La Nuit

Après La Nuit is a duo of Richard Abdeni and Marilyne B. Abdeni also records as Les Anges De La Nuit, and the two began working together after the death of Abdeni’s younger brother, who had been a close friend of Marilyne B.

“Are You Ready For Love” was released on 27 May 2022 by Echozone on digital and CD. It is the duo’s first album and collects ten songs plus two alternative edits and three remixes.

Side-Line spoke with Les Anges De La Nuit in 2017 in a ‘Click Interview’ with Les Anges De La Nuit.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Goth-Metal, Folk.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Set up and driven by singer Ben Richter, German formation Thanateros has been active for more than twenty years. After a long hibernation they struck back in 2019 with the “Insomnia”-album. Three years later they unleashed their latest opus  which also is the first one released by Echozone.

Content: Thanateros deals with a perfect mix of Metal- and Goth music with a very own Folk touch on top. The music sounds pretty German-like although this band prefers singing in English. The songs are extremely powerful, featuring carrying choruses.

+ + + : The main strength of this band and their new album is hiding in the complementarity between the heavy guitar riffs and the sensitive, melodic violin playing. There’s a perfect balance which is mixing power and refinement; harshness and sensibility. “Black Forest Calling” is the ultimate example of this sonic symbiosis. I also like the production of the vocals expressing passion and emotion. It feels also cool to hear this kind of band singing in English.

– – – : The few ‘softer’ songs aren’t my favorite ones although injecting a break.

Conclusion: “On fragile Wings” is a powerful exposure between different music genres which will mainly appeal to lovers Goth-Metal music.

Best songs: “Black Forest Calling”, “On The Barricades”, “Source Of It All”, “We Are The Ravens”.

Rate: 7½. 

Listen to “On Fragile Wings”:

Artist: www.thanateros.net / www.facebook.com/thanateros.music

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

About Thanateros

Thanateros is a German gothic folk metal band led by singer Ben Richter. Richter recorded a demo under the name in 1999, left his previous band on the strength of the response and had a full Thanateros line-up in place by the beginning of 2001.

The debut album “The First Rite” came out on Andromeda in 2001, followed by “Circle Of Life” in 2003, “Dirty Old Town” in 2005 and “Liber Lux” on New Crusade Records in 2009. The band split at the start of 2010 and reformed in 2019, returning that September with “Insomnia”.

“On Fragile Wings” was released on 25 March 2022 and is the band’s first album for Echozone. The same label issued “Tranceforming” and the single “I Am All” in 2024.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Patrick Knoch set up Elektrostaub in 2007. Elektrostaub  can be defined as Electro/Future-Pop and is a solo-project with guest singers. After the first official album “Birthday And Death” released in 2017 on Echozone, the German project joined hands together with Alfa-Matrix. The new album “Reliance” features guest singers Patrik Hansson (Vanguard, Uncreated), Henrik Iversen (Namnambulu), !DISTAIN, René Anke (Logic & Olivia), Stefan Netschio (Beborn Beton), Jan Dieckmann (Norderney), Alex Rush (Unity One), Claudia Uhle (X-Perience), Damasius Venys (Mondträume, Mental Exile), Alex Nórdika (Nórdika) and Darrin Huss (Psyche). The work is a diversified, danceable and ambitious piece. I asked a few questions to Patrick Knoch.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: Patrick, tell us a bit more about your music background and how did you come to set up Elektrostaub? 

Patrick: I received musical education in my childhood at a Yamaha music school, mainly on the electronic organ and keyboards. In the early 2000s I founded a band and later decided to start a solo project to better implement my own ideas and ideas.

Q: Elektrostaub is clearly driven and inspired by different forms of Electronic music, but ‘Pop’ definitely appears to be the main source of inspiration.  What are your examples and references in music and how would you analyze your own composition? 

Patrick: I’ve always been a fan of Electronic music and I liked the music of Depeche Mode, Camouflage, Erasure to name a few. Later, Silke Bischoff, Vnv Nation, Solar Fake, for example. So it was relatively obvious that I should try to make music in this direction myself.

Are you looking for powerful beats, flying, melodic and dreamy surfaces as well as modern sounds and catchy Electro-Pop songs? Then you’ve come to the right place with Elektrostaub. Due to the large number of singers involved, the styles of the respective bands also flow into the project and increase the spectrum of versatility.

Q: You mentioned the large number of singers so why do you prefer working with guest singers instead of a real band singer? And what’s your connection with the guys of !Distain? 

Patrick: In the beginning, the main idea was to do remixes and write instrumentals. Later on the idea came up that I could have guest singers set it to music. 

On this album all lyrics come exclusively from the guest singers. I think it’s important that my guests can get involved in the project themselves.

I have known Manfred and Alex from !Distain since the beginning of Elektrostaub and they have become very good friends of mine. Producing songs together is similar to do house music with your family… lol.

Q: How did the writing- and production process of “Reliance” happened? And how did the collaboration with the different singers happened?  

Patrick: First I write the arrangements and instrumentals. When that happens I think carefully about which singer could sing the song best. In most cases I choose artists whose music I also like and whether I personally like the voices or would simply go very well with the song.

When the process is finished I write to the respective artist and ask if they are interested.

After receiving the vocal tracks, I embedded them into the arrangements and then created the final mixes.

Q: There’s an impressive evolution in sound and production from your debut album “Birthday And Death” (2017) towards “Reliance”. How do you look back at your debut work and the transition to “Reliance”? 

Patrick: Thanks so much. I would think it’s just a constant development and advancement. Perhaps the experience gained plays a role. I don’t really like to look back, I love to look forward 😉

Q: How do you expect Elektrostaub evolving and what are the further plans regarding aspects like live shows, remixes, singles and clips? 

Patrick: I will start work on the third album soon. I will write several arrangements and instrumentals again and then proceed as always. I still have some remixes to do in the near future. I’ve been doing a few lately and they’ll all be out soon. Live shows are not planned or very feasible due to the fact that I don’t have a permanent singer.

In which direction will Elektrostaub evolve? I can’t say that today. I’ll just try to develop myself musically and hope to take the next steps.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

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

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Four years after the debut-album “Birthday And Death” released on Echozone, Patrick Knoch unleashes his second full length featuring an impressive list of guest singers. “Reliance” was preceded by two singles/EP’s, which especially in Germany became pretty successful.

Content: Patrick Knock had some good company with Patrik Hansson (Vanguard, Uncreated), Henrik Iversen (Namnambulu), !Distain duo, René Anke (Logic & Olivia), Stefan Netschio (Beborn Beton), Jan Dieckmann (Norderney), Alex Rush (Unity One), Claudia Uhle (X-Perience), Damasius Venys (Mondträume, Mental Exile), Alex Nórdika (Nórdika) and Darrin Huss (Psyche). Sound-wise Elektrostaub brings a perfect mix of electro-Pop driven and somewhat harder Future-Pop inspired songs. The different singers inject some extra diversity to the work.

The album features previously released singles “Wake Up” and “We Are Dreamers”. There’s only one single song featuring female vocals. !Distain –being good-old friends of Patrick Knock, contributed to 3 songs, one of them featuring French sung lyrics.

+ + + : First of all we have to salute the contribution of some real great and talented singers like Darren Huss, Henrik Iversen and Stefan Netschio, but also brilliant singers from the ‘latest’  generation like Damasius Venys, Patrik Hansson and Claudia Uhle. The single female vocalist injects a heavenly touch to the album. Several songs sound like they were conceived to make people dance and get happy. I also enjoyed the somewhat harder Future-Pop driven cuts and I especially recommend “Futurism” featuring Norderney, which will appeal to VNV Nation fans. “We Are Dreamers” featuring Patrik Hansson remains a great piece of music for its boosting Electro-Pop. There’s also a cool ‘female’ version featuring Claudia Uhle who’s definitely a great singer. Last, but not least I also recommend listening to “Dust” featuring Damasius Venys who’s according to me one of the most charismatic and sexy voices of the scene.

– – – : I expected a bit more from the songs featuring !Distain –an established Electro-Pop formation I’ve always liked. It’s also a pity there’s only one single female singer featured.

Conclusion: Elektrostaub has achieved an ambitious, but accomplished album, which sounds like the perfect crossover between Electro- and Future-Pop.

Best songs: “Futurism feat. Norderney”, “We Are Dreamers featuring Patrik Vanguard”, “We Are Dreamers featuring Claudia Uhle”, “Dust featuring Damasius Venys”, “Save Me featuring René Anke”, “Loneliness featuring !Distain”.

Rate: 8.

Artist: www.elektrostaub.de / www.facebook.com/Elektrostaub

Label: www.alfa-matrix.com / www.facebook.com/Alfa.Matrix Read the news on ‘Reliance’.

About Elektrostaub

Elektrostaub is the synthpop and future-pop project of German musician Patrick Knoch. Discogs lists “Where In This World” in 2014 as the earliest entry, followed by the singles “Unforgotten” and “Also Without You” on Echozone in 2017, the debut album “Birthday And Death” the same year, and the single “Funeral Of Love” in 2018.

Knoch signed to Alfa Matrix in December 2020. The label released the EP “We Are Dreamers”, recorded with Patrik Hansson of Vanguard, in 2021.

“Reliance” was released by Alfa Matrix on 19 November 2021 in digital and CD formats. The fourteen tracks are “Continuation (prolog)”, “We Are Dreamers” with Patrik Hansson, “Wake Up” with Henrik Iversen, “Loneliness” with !Distain, “Save Me” with René Anke, “Mantis” with Stefan Netschio, “Futurism” with Norderney, “The Answer” with Alex Rush, “We Are Dreamers” with Claudia Uhle, “Dust” with Damasius Venys, “Psychological” with Nórdika, “The Light Disappears” with Psyche, “Politicians” with !Distain and “The Day She Died” with !Distain.

Side-Line published a Click Interview with Elektrostaub in December 2021. Alfa Matrix went on to release the EP “Mantis” in 2023, the EP “Falling” in 2025 and the third album “Humility” in 2026.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

M.U.N.T Connection was founded in June 2021 by Thierry Noritop (Stereoinsolo, ex-Stereo) from Paris / France and Ulf Müller (Projekt Ich, Tränenwelten, Mission Zanzibar) from Rosenheim / Germany. After having worked together on the 80s pop oriented songs “Sexy Silly Girl” and “Honey Cherie Honey” for Projekt Ich’s forthcoming second studio album, Thierry and Ulf decided to join forces for M.U.N.T Connection.

Out now is “Come On, Johnny Boy” (The Remix Edition) by M.U.N.T Connection. This is the second part from the first single and is out now via the German indie label Echozone.

The remix edition of “Come On, Johnny Boy” comes one month after the single was initially released. You’ll find remix versions by artists from South Africa, Spain, Netherlands, Sweden and Germany. Here’s the list: L_iGH_T (ES), Mind:Code (DE), Cyborgdrive (ES), Patrik Kambo (SW), Klinghaus (DE), Mark Loodewijk (NL), Fingerprinted Cheese (ZA), Run Kennedy (FR), V-nerV (DE) plus 4 instrumental remix versions from L_iGH_T (ES), Cyborgdrive (ES), Klinghaus (DE) and V-nerV (DE).

Here’s already one remix.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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The synthpop act Projekt Ich, signed to Echozone, is back with a new single, “Mit dir”. With this release Projekt Ich aka Ulf Müller is going to release the ninth (!) single from his forthcoming second studio album which will be released via Echozone in Spring 2022.

Following his debut album “By Train Through Countries” (2019), Ulf took a short creative break before getting back to work again. He produced several demo songs to continue the debut album’s concept of cooperating with various singers from all over the world. This time Ulf worked with Magdalena Herfurtner (ex-Eycromon) from Madil Hardis.

“Mit dir” features the original track as well as 20 (!) genre crossing remixes by bands and artists like Kim Lunner (NO), Nature of Wires (UK), Patrik Kambo (SW), Dark Vanilla (DE), Mind:Code (DE), POS.:2 (DE), Blackened (CA), Elektrojudas (DE), Obsession of Time (SW), Steffrey Yan (CA), Elmodic (DE), Moyom (CA), Faltenhall (DE), Fingerprinted Cheese (ZA), Perpacity (US), V-nerV (DE), Retrograth (SW), Yan and Yellowfin (CA), Terrance Pryor (US) and U.M. Fiedel (DE), an instrumental remix version by Kim Lunner plus the original’s instrumental.

A lyric video of the song can be viewed below.

And here is the rather massive tracklist for this single.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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Out via the German Echozone label is new single and videoclip for the Italian act Beat Noir Deluxe: “A Reason To Live”.

After the second album “Werk Zwei” was released in July, the synthpop act Beat Noir Deluxe now offers a new song “which is about love and the existential, archaic feeling of missing your partner, being together with your partner gives you the feeling of having arrived, of receiving support, of overcoming your own inadequacies and insecurities and thereby experiencing a way out of a depressive existence” so Sascha G. explains.

Here’s the video for “A Reason To Live”.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Electro-Pop.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: After the cool debut-album “Crash”, released last year and referring to the car crash of protagonist Sascha G, the Italian artist strikes back with a new opus featuring –just as for the debut album, several guests. Krischan Wesenberg (Rotersand) did the mixing of most songs.

Content: “Werk Zwei” clearly doesn’t sound as a copy-paste of “Crash”. The songs are still into Electro-Pop, but this album is more diversified and also revealing a kind of very soft Electronic ballads. Next to Sascha’s vocals, you again will here a few songs featuring female singers. The work also features cover versions of Chris Isaac (cf. “Wicked Game”), Duran Duran (cf. “The Chaffeur”) and Iron Maiden (cf. “Run To The Hills”) plus remixes by Rotersand, Rroyce, Pacoussa and Monotronic.

+ + + : I especially like the sensitive touch supporting most of the songs. It’s a part of melancholia, but also a noticeable, emotive aspect. The songs remain well-crafted –which confirms the writing skills of the artist, and reveals a great progression in song structures. “What She Could Not Tell” is a noticeable cut illustrating this maturity. The songs featuring female vocals inject a hot, sensual touch to the album. Last, but not least the cover version of Iron Maiden’s “Run To The Hills” sounds pretty cool.

– – – : “Werk Zwei” left me more skeptical than the promising “Crash”. Even if the songs are well-crafted, they’re too often missing a kind of climax. Too many songs are rather flat while the covers of Chris Isaak and Duran Duran are lacking in depth. Even the remixes left me unmoved. 

Conclusion: “Werk Zwei” sounds a bit like a disillusion, which is rather painful after the promising debut album.

Best songs: “I Cannot Breathe”, “What She Could Not Tell”, “Nemesis”, “Run To The Hills”.

Rate: 6.

Artist: www.beatnoirdeluxe.com / www.facebook.com/beatnoirdeluxe

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

About Beat Noir Deluxe

Beat Noir Deluxe is the alternative electronic project of singer, songwriter, composer and producer Sascha Giacomuzzi, based in Bolzano, Italy. He plays drums, keyboards and guitar, and handles vocals and arrangements. The project has been labelled synthpop, futurepop, dark wave, indie electronic and post-punk.

Giacomuzzi started making music in the 1990s, drawn to analogue synthesizers and emerging electronic sound technologies. After a break he returned to music in 2019 and founded Beat Noir Deluxe, a return shaped by a serious car accident in 2017. He has worked with Annika Borsetto, Doris Warasin, Lisa Anesi, Thomas Varesco and Stefan Pattis.

The debut album “Crash” appeared on Echozone in 2020, followed by the single “Covid 19” the same year and the singles “I Cannot Breathe”, “Nemesis”, “That Circle” and “A Reason To Live” in 2021. “Werk Zwei” followed on 23 July 2021 as a seventeen-track Echozone CD in a tri-fold paper sleeve with an eight-page booklet. The single “Start Over Again” came in 2022, and the single and video “The Fear Of Missing Out” in December 2024.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

COP International has announced the signing of the Dutch band Vaselyne. The duo came recommended by John Fryer who had worked with Yvette Winkler on a Black Needle Noise release.

“Waiting to Exhale” is the first single taken from Vaselyne’s upcoming album to be released in 2022. The video for the single, which you view below, was shot by dutch filmmaker Dorothée Meddens.

Through Pieter Nooten Winkler came into contact with Frank Weyzig who was Clan of Xymox’ original guitarist. They decided to write music together and Vaselyne was born in 2011. As well as being Vaselyne’s singer and lyricist, Yvette does guest vocals and lyrics.

Vaselyne has so far released four albums/EPs on the German label Echozone: the “Earthbound” EP (2012), their full-length debut album “The Fire Within” (2013), the “In Dreams” EP (2015) and the “Fragile” EP (2016). In the spring of 2018, after a two-year hiatus, Frank and Yvette Winkler picked up things where they left and Vaselyne contributed to the Textbeak (Michael Szewczyk) album, “Sick for Songs a Season Eats”, produced by John Fryer.

About Yvette Winkler

Yvette Winkler is a Dutch singer/lyricist and artist. After being a nightclub singer in her teens performing covers with a tape, she formed her first band Dazzle & Delight. In the following years, she did musical theatre, recorded with Orphan Amp and co-founded Sea Of Souls.

After meeting Pieter Nooten of Clan of Xymox on Myspace, she started a collaboration for his album “Here is Why” for which she did lead, backing vocals, and wrote lyrics.

She has collaborated with Textbeak, John Fryer’s Black Needle Noise, IAMTHESHADOW, Junksista, Jean-Marc Lederman and Attrition.

About Frank Weyzig

Weyzig started his music career in 1985 with the Dutch electronic wave band Clan of Xymox when they were signed with the English independent label 4AD, which released their first album, “Clan of Xymox” that year. Weyzig played guitar and keyboards on the first album and performed with the band on stage as a live guitarist and keyboard player until 1990.

From 1995 until 1999 he played as vocalist and guitarist with Dutch indie-wave band Born For Bliss which you will surely remember from the track “Arabia” (released via Nuclear Blast / Death Wish Office).

In 1998 German Goth rock legends ‘Love Like Blood’ asked Frank to write a song for their “Snake Killer” album, “Ylene”.

In 2009 Frank co-wrote and produced the album “Spiders in the MindWeb” for White Rose Transmission, the band founded by Carlo van Putten (at that time vocalist of The Convent; later the singer of Dead Guitars) and the late Adrian Borland (frontman of English 80’s cult band The Sound). Other notable endeavors include the StarGazing Project with Remco Helbers and The White Rose Transmission live album “Spinning Webs at Night”.

In 2020, Frank started to work with Kelly Cook (ex-MOEV) on their new project Tearing The BlackBox. So far, TTBB released two EP singles; “Devil World” and “Breathe”.

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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Dutch darkwave duo Vaselyne has just unveiled their new digital maxi-single for the track, “Waiting To Exhale”, a ballad. “Waiting To Exhale” – which is available here on Bandcamp – tells a story of breaking free from whatever is holding you back. Moving on, transforming into someone or something new. Whether that’s a unhealthy relationship, not being able to be your true self, the listener is invited to decide what that means to them.

The video sees Yvette Winkler walking through forests and dunes, a heavy cape trailing behind her. Winkler comments: “Carrying the weight on my shoulders whilst I walk towards the sea. Morphing into a butterfly. But do I transform or disappear?”

About Vaselyne

Vaselyne consists of singer Yvette Winkler and musician Frank Weyzig who formed the band in the spring of 2011. While Yvette Winkler was co-founder of the Dutch band Sea of Souls (2006) and her contribution to Pieter Nooten’s latest album, “Here is Why” (2010), you might also know here from the Black Needle Noise track “Gone” on which she sung.

We don’t really have to introduce Frank Weyzig we would think. He started his music career with Dutch electronic wave legend Clan of Xymox from way back at the time they were signed with the infamous English 4AD label in the mid-eighties.

Together the duo so far released 4 albums on the German Echozone label: “Earthbound” EP (2012), their full length debut album “The Fire Within” (2013), “In Dreams” EP (2015) and “Fragile” EP (2016). In the spring of 2018, after a two year hiatus, the band picked up things where they left and they contributed to the new Textbeak (Michael Szewczyk) album, “Sick for Songs a Season Eats”, produced by John Fryer.

The video for “Waiting to Exhale” was created by Dutch filmmaker Dorothée Meddens. In 2021 a full album will also see the light of day. The new album includes collaborations with Lynette Cerezo from Bestial Mouths, Searmanas, John Fryer (Black Needle Noise, NIN, Prayers, This Mortal Coil and HIM) and Michael Aliani from Chiron/Ikon. And if all goes well, the duo will hit the road again in 2021 with a new live band.

Below is the video for “Waiting to Exhale”.

You can download the full maxi-single below.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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Out now via Echozone is the remix single “What She Could Not Tell – Remix Edition” by the Bolzano (Italy) based act Beat Noir Deluxe. The remix single contains two remixes of the recently published 4th single release of the upcoming second Album “Werk 2”. Especially the Rotersand rework is excellent.

The song has been written, recorded and produced more than 20 years ago by Sascha Giacomuzzi, together with Veronika Prossliner and Ulrich Rabanser. The actual release comes with a complete rework and new production of the track. The first remix is made by Rotersand, the second remix is made by Pacoussa, a successful, young producer from Germany, who gave the remix some house and progressive elements.

Beat Noir Deluxe is an alternative electronic music project led by singer, songwriter/composer and producer Sascha G. With Beat Noir Deluxe, Sascha G. performs on drums, keyboards and guitar. He made his first musical steps in the 1990s and he has since participated in several alternative music projects. After a long break away from music, in 2019 he formed Beat Noir Deluxe. This decision was heavily influenced by a serious 2017 car crash in which he almost lost his life.

You can check the remix single below.

Here’s the video for “What She Could Not Tell (Rotersand Remix)”.

Here’s the video for “What She Could Not Tell (Pacoussa Remix)”

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

Genre/Influences: EBM.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Last year Endzustand unleashed the debut-album “Werk Des Krieges”. This German EBM project driven by Ralf Rönckendorf is mainly inspired by Ralf’s soldier experiences on missions in Afghanistan. Back in 2010 he lost three of his comrades while he was victim of a severe injury losing his eyesight. “Roter Freitag” was originally released on the album and deals with that traumatic day.

Content: The sound formula of Endzustand is quite simple and totally into retro EBM. The music is pretty simple, carried by solid bass lines, repetitive dance rhythms, some refined sequences and the deep growls of Ralf. “Roter Freitag” has been reworked into an “EP Version”, but we also get 5 new cuts. The influences remain identical. The last track is featuring Marco Korda –who already made a remix of a previous EP-title song.

+ + + : If you’re into old-school EBM this band is definitely one to discover. It’s great to see this artist has found in music a way to express his traumatic experiences. The sound isn’t innovative, but makes sense and is recognizable because of the artist’s deep, rough vocals. The “EP Version” of the title song is a cool cut, but there’s also something to say about “Soldatenlied” and “Volle Kraft Voraus” while “Hoffnungslicht” feat. Marco Korda is my favorite piece for being a little bit more elaborated;  

– – – : The lack of elaboration was the main minus point about the album and still comes through at this new work. “Hoffnungslicht” is a positive step in this evolution.

Conclusion: EBM as a cure to exorcise tragic events!

Best songs: “Hoffnungslicht”, “Roter Freitag – EP Version”, “Soldatenlied”.

Rate: (7 ½).

Artist: www.facebook.com/Endzustand-113743810414367

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

About Endzustand

Endzustand is the old-school EBM project of German musician and former soldier Ralf Rönckendorf. He founded the project and released a first track in 2009, before the mission in Afghanistan on Good Friday, 2 April 2010, on which he lost three comrades and his eyesight. According to Side-Line’s 2020 coverage, he later learned to run his own studio with analogue synthesizers and control software adapted to his loss of sight. Discogs has a profile for the project but no biography.

The debut album Werk Des Krieges was released on CD by Echozone on 9 October 2020 and reviewed on Side-Line in December 2020; Achim Dressler of the Wellencocktail Tonstudio in Hanover mixed and mastered it. Its eleven tracks include “Vaterland”, “Roter Freitag”, “Hass”, “Werk Des Krieges” and “Lass Mich Allein”. The download singles “Hass” (2020, with seven remixes and a video), “Werk Des Krieges” (2020) and “Lass Mich Allein” (19 February 2021, with remixes by Pyrroline, Marco Korda, Pantser Fabriek and Genom Staahl) followed.

“Roter Freitag” was released by Echozone on 2 April 2021 as a download and on CD. The six tracks are “Dieser Tag …”, “Roter Freitag (EP Version)”, “Soldatenlied”, “Schau nach vorn!”, “Volle Kraft voraus” and “Hoffnungslicht”, the closing collaboration with Marco Korda that the label describes as a dark electro and synthpop track rather than EBM. No further production credits are listed on the Bandcamp or Discogs pages. Discogs lists the single “Maschinenangst” and the CD album “Macht Gesellschaft” on Echozone for 2026. “Roter Freitag” is the project’s second Side-Line review.

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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“Compassion” is the third single of the upcoming Beat Noir Deluxe album “Werk 2” out now via Echozone. This electropop song is a tribute tot he Italo Disco of the 80s and 90s and includes the typical vocal effect of this style. Not surprising that Sascha G., the brain behind Beat Noir Deluxe, is from Italy too.

The single features Annika Borsetto, Doris Warasin, Lisa Anesi, Thomas Varesco and Stefan Pattis. The song itself was mixed and produced by the young German producer Leon Huegle (a.k.a. Pacoussa). You can view the official video below.

Beat Noir Deluxe is based in Bolzano/Bozen in Italy. After a long break away from music, in 2019 Sascha G. started creating music again and formed Beat Noir Deluxe. This decision was heavily influenced by a serious 2017 car crash in which he almost lost his life.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Electro-Wave, Medieval, Mystic.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: German duo Bysmarque & Snowwhyte released their debut full length “Once Upon A Time” in 2019 on Echozone. They last year self-released this EP featuring five new songs. The band is driven by Roman Schilling and Melanie Graf who are both singing and composing the songs.

Content: “Mindkiller” clearly reveals an evolution in comparison with the band’s debut album. The influences are still Electro-Wave driven, but there also is a noticeable and intriguing Eastern sphere supporting the songs. There’s a mix of Ritual- and Medieval elements creating a somewhat mystic sound. Most of the vocals have been sung together, which sometimes result in a kind of sacred union, but which can also become sensual, evasive and even into lamentations format. The last song reveals a more cinematographic approach, which is accentuated by the spoken vocals.

+ + + : This EP reveals an interesting and noticeable evolution in influences. We no longer can speak about ‘classical’ Electro-Wave/Pop music, but a more creative exposure, which has something mystic-like. Bysmarque & Snowwhyte clearly have their own style, which is the best to discover with “Ascension”.

– – – : The songs don’t feature a real climax, mainly missing some power, which could have been injected by harder percussion (tribal) parts.

Conclusion: This band reveals an interesting potential and I think the best is yet to come; so let’s wait for their next work.

Best songs: “Ascension”, “The Golden Path”.

Rate: (7).

Artist: www.facebook.com/BysandSnowMusic

About Bysmarque & Snowwhyte

Bysmarque & Snowwhyte is a German Electro-Wave duo of Roman Schilling and Melanie Graf, who both sing and write the project’s material. The duo debuted with the full-length “Once Upon A Time” on Echozone in 2019. “Mindkiller,” a self-released five-track EP, followed in 2020 and moves away from the debut’s straighter Electro-Wave/Pop sound toward a mix of Ritual and Medieval elements. Further verified biographical detail, such as a founding year or city, was not found in the archive, on Discogs, or on the band’s official channels.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Available now is the newest single from the synthpop act Loewenhertz: “Right As Rain (Mesh Remix Edition)”. You can expect catchy and straightforward synthpop. The release comes almost 2 years after the release of the album “Traumfaenger“ (2019) and the singles “Golden” and “Unter Wasser”.

The track was remixed by Rich Silverthorn from Mesh while Israeli artist Elil is responsible for the video shoot which took place during the Covid-19 pandemic. The single itself holds 3 versions: the Mesh remix, a radio edit and an instrumental version of the Mesh remix.

Here’s the video.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Industrial-Metal, Goth-Metal.

Format: Digital, CD, Vinyl.

Background/Info: Scatterface is a German producer and composer who’s already busy making music since his childhood. He gained some experience as a musician in Metal bands and finally decided to set up his very own project. “2020” is Scatterface’s debut album featuring sixteen songs and an impressive number of guest musicians and female singers. 

Content: The least I can say is that you rapidly notice the Metal roots and inspiration of the artist. The songs are mainly driven by furious guitar playing and fast rhythms although the tracklist also reveals softer cuts, even Ballad-styled compositions. The album appears to be an international work featuring artists from all over the world and playing very different instruments. So the work is not only guitar-driven, but also features songs with instruments such as cello, piano, trumpet ao.

+ + + : I was impressed by the way this album saw the daylight, featuring an impressive number of guest musicians and singers from all over the globe. Thanks to technology and the internet, artists can be easily connected with each other and even a pandemic can’t stop creativity. The main strength of the album is the great selection of talented vocalists who aren’t even the most famous ones, but they inject a true spirit to the work. Among the songs, I was conquered by the delicate ballad of “Snowflake” featuring artists from France, Lithuania, Poland, Venezuela and of course Germany. I also enjoyed the Ethereal-like “Path Of The Sun” featuring artists from South-Africa, Venezuela, Poland, Greece  and Germany. I also have to mention the Metal-Industrial like “We All Float” again revealing an international collaboration between Germany, Mexico, USA, Greece and Romania.

– – – : Despite of the artist’s patience and all efforts to make this album international, the album sounds as a kind of mishmash however carried by mainly Metal influences.

Conclusion: The concept of the album -featuring a true international collective, is far more interesting than the content properly speaking. 

Best songs: “We All Float”, “Path Of The Sun”, “Snowflake”, Sc4tterf4ce”. 

Rate: (6).

Artist: http://www.scatterface.com / www.facebook.com/Scatterface.Music

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

About Scatterface

Scatterface is the solo project of a German producer, composer and songwriter who began writing songs in 2001 at age 16, initially aiming to form a nu-metal band in the style of Korn, and was a founding member of the band Fudge before starting the Scatterface project on his own.

“2020” is the debut album released under the Scatterface name, issued via Echozone on digital, CD and vinyl formats with sixteen tracks and a wide international cast of guest vocalists and musicians.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: EBM.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: EBM and Other Dark-Electronic bands have been often inspired by war, battles, soldiers and related themes. Ralf Rönckendorf went into war and on a mission in Afghanistan back in 2010 he lost some of comrades and got a severe eyesight injury. Back in time Ralf was already interested in EBM, but Endzustand (translated Final Condition) became his own project and probably a way to exorcise all the horror from war.  

Content: “Werk Des Krieges” features 11 songs, which are clearly driven by good-old EBM mainly reminding me of DAF. From the very first sequences and typical dry bass lines you recognize what this is all about: retro-EBM without compromises! The songs have been sung in German and have something pretty commanding. The composition is rather simplistic, but that’s what we’re used to hearing from this music genre.

+ + + : The production is raw and unpolished clearly reminding me of the early DAF years, but still evoking 90s productions in the genre. The opening cut “Vaterland” is driven by military cadence and creates a great match with the harsh EBM. “Hass”, which has been released as a single is for sure one of the best cuts from the work; it’s not that different in style and format, but it has something extra. If you like this kind of old-school EBM you for sure are going to like this work, which is composed by good-old analogue gear.

– – – : I think that some songs could have been a little bit more elaborated. There’s less diversity between the songs while the production of the vocals could be a little less improved as well.

Conclusion: “Werk Des Krieges” is an honest debut work, but I’m sure this artist is able to improve and polish some elements of his work. It however is an interesting new formation in the old-school EBM troops.

Best songs: “Hass”, “Aufschrei”, “Vaterland”, “Roter Freitag”.

Rate: (7).

Artist:  www.facebook.com/Endzustand-113743810414367

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

About Endzustand

Ralf Rönckendorf founded Endzustand as an old-school EBM project after being wounded during a military mission in Afghanistan on 2 April 2010, an incident in which he lost three comrades and his eyesight. He rebuilt his ability to make music by learning to operate a home studio of analogue synthesizers and control software adapted for his condition.

“Werk Des Krieges”, released on 9 October 2020 via Echozone and mixed and mastered by Achim Dressler at the Wellencocktail Tonstudio in Hanover, was followed by the “Roter Freitag” EP in 2021 and the announced album “Macht Gesellschaft”.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

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

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Beat Noir Deluxe is a project based in South Tyrol (Italy) and set up in 2019 by Sascha G. The debut album “Crash” is inspired by a nearly fatal traffic accident that happened a few years before. Sascha G. has been joined by  three female guest singers while there also is a guest guitarist playing on a few tracks.

Content: Defining “Crash” isn’t an easy thing, but the main source of inspiration is clearly driven by electro-pop music. Most of the songs are carried by good-old synth melody lines. There’s a somewhat retro-like touch, which for a few songs reminds me to the most melancholic songs of OMD. The songs are switching in between sweet- and melancholic/dark cuts. There also is the groovier orientated “That Circle” and the dreamy-like “Velvet Morning”. Most of the vocals have been sung by Sascha G., but as I already mentioned there are several female guest singers.

+ + + : I first of all have to say a word about the great artwork of the CD format, which is a DVD-digipak format. Sound-wise Beat Noir Deluxe isn’t really comparable to other bands and that’s something I particularly appreciate. There clearly is a will to compose a very own pop style, which sounds clearly electro-like and empowered by guitar playing on a few songs. The female (backing) vocals are adding a heavenly- and sometimes pretty sensual touch. “That Circle” featuring Doris Warasin is one of the most noticeable tracks and also a potential ‘hit’. I also have to mention “Allein”, which is sung in English and featuring an artistic cello-like sound treatment.

– – – : I think one of the single elements that could be improved is the production of the male vocals. I’m missing some conviction and especially passion here. Some of the sweeter cuts aren’t my favorite ones (cf. “Love Fading”, “Hard To Say”).

Conclusion: This debut album reveals some interesting ideas and a few songs, which are worthy of examination. Let’s keep an eye on this band!

Best songs: “That Circle”, “Allein”, “Velvet Morning”, “Please Help Me”, “New City”.

Rate: (7½).

Artist: www.beatnoirdeluxe.com / www.facebook.com/beatnoirdeluxe

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

About Beat Noir Deluxe

Beat Noir Deluxe is an alternative electronic music project led by singer, songwriter, composer and producer Sascha Giacomuzzi (Sascha G.), based in Bolzano, Italy. Giacomuzzi began working with analog synthesizers and electronic sound technology in the 1990s, then returned to music in 2019 to found Beat Noir Deluxe following a serious car accident in 2017 that nearly killed him. The project has been described under genres including synthpop, futurepop, dark wave, indie electronic and post-punk, with Giacomuzzi handling drums, keyboards, guitar and vocals alongside guest singers including Doris Warasin, Annika Borsetto and Lisa Anesi. “Crash”, the project’s debut album released via Echozone, was directly inspired by the 2017 accident, and Beat Noir Deluxe followed it with the album “Werk Zwei” in 2021.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Electro-rock, electro-punk, industrial. 

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Minusheart is a German formation active since 2007. They released four full length albums plus an album with remixes.

Content: Minusheart has always tried to compose something apart. The result is a mix of different influences, which sometimes appear a bit incompatible. The sound is raw, industrial-like, but still mixing electronics and punk/rock influences. All the songs have been sung in English, revealing a raw production matching with the Minusheart sound.

+ + + : I appreciate the global approach of Minusheart, which clearly avoids sounding like other bands. Even if they claim to be inspired by the North American industrial scene, they aren’t a new copyist. I think there’s something to say about the raw sound production. One of my favorite cuts however sounds a bit different. I’m speaking about “Warm Machines”, which have a more electro-minimal approach on top. 

– – – : Despite of this band’s efforts to sound different, the songs are missing some cohesion while a little bit more melody on top of the production should be a bonus. The production of the vocals left me rather skeptical as well, the vocal lines being rather monotone.

Conclusion: You can expect much more from a band that is now active for more than 10 years and has released its fifth full length album.

Best songs: “Warm Machines”, “By The Light”.

Rate: (5).

Artist: www.minusheart.com / www.facebook.com/minusheart 

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

About Minusheart

Minusheart is an electro-industrial band from Aachen, Germany, formed in 2007 by Jorg “Diver” Sauer and Ralf “Benden” Bender, with Diver remaining the constant member through several lineup changes. The debut album “Disease” followed on Echozone in 2009, featuring collaborations with Monolith, Accessory and Myk Jung of The Fair Sex; its track “Don’t Feed The Cats” became a club hit. “The Big Idea” (2011) and “Calls from Space” (2013) followed, and the fourth album “Traps and Treasures” (2018) was produced by Maxim Dergunov and brought in keyboardist James DIN, guitarist Ingo Hahn and drummer Robert Lee. “The Dark Side of the Sun” arrived on Echozone in 2020, produced by Jan Loamfield of X-Fusion, with guitarist Chriss Rey joining the band and contributing to the songwriting; the album spawned the singles “They Shout”, “Psycho Holiday” and “Warm Machines”. Minusheart later returned with the sixth album “M6 – The Black Album” in 2025.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

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

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Les Anges De La Nuit are back into business, unleashing their fifth full length album to date. Both debut albums were released by Infacted Recordings while the next two were self-released (Static Cold Media). “The Witch” got preceded by two singles (cf. “The Witch” and “Voyage”).

Content: Les Anges De La Nuit always has composed a very melancholic kind of electro/wave pop music. The new work is not that different and sounds as a continuation of their previous full length (cf. “Darkness Looms”). You get a rather melancholic electro composition driven by a boosting kick and supported by strings. The vocals are again sung in French- and English.

The work features 10 songs plus 2 remixes by Antiflvx and Elmodic plus 2 alternative edits from songs featured on the previous album (including a new edit of the successful “Cette Jolie Brune”).

+ + + : Les Anges De La Nuit remains a band with a very particular- and easy recognizable sound. We definitely can speak about a proper sound-DNA, which together with the multiple songs sung in French brings something extra to their works. I like this fusion between electro/wave pop and the harder beats of the future-pop genre. Both ‘new’ edits of the ‘older’ songs “Cette Jolie Brune” and “Ma Folie” both belong to the highlights of this work. 

– – – : As I said this band has a very own sound, but the point is that the sound formula hasn’t really changed over the years. The songs are pretty similar and became rapidly predictable. This band remains an interesting experience, but I expected a little extra, which this album doesn’t bring!

Conclusion: “The Witch” is a fully enjoyable work although I get the feeling the band switched on the automatic pilot modus.

Best songs: “Ma Folie – Video Edit”, “Cette Jolie Brune – Edited Version”, “Trois Points De Suture”, “The Witch”, “One Thousand Crazy Lies”.

Rate: (7).

Artist: http://lesangesdelanuit.net / www.facebook.com/LADLNband

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

About Les Anges De La Nuit

Les Anges De La Nuit is an American duo formed by Richard Abdeni and Anthony Stuart in 2003. The project was signed directly to Infacted Recordings, releasing two albums before a roughly seven-year hiatus. The duo returned in 2014 with the EP “Out Of Sight”, then self-released the albums “Vanity Will Perish” and “Darkness Looms” through their own label, Static Cold Media, singing in both French and English. “The Witch”, preceded by the singles “The Witch” and “Voyage”, marks the band’s fifth album and its first release through Echozone.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Electro-ambient, ambient-pop, cinematographic.

Format: Digital, DCD.

Background/Info: Chorea Minor is a German project driven by Mario Braun. He got involved with different projects and is already active since the 90s. Back in the 90s Chorea Minor released two albums together with Hekate. “Black White Moon” in a way is a kind of comeback featuring two albums with six songs on each disc. 

Content: Let’s start with “Black” featuring six songs and revealing a truly original sound. The songs are the apotheosis between elements of pop and ambient music driven by electronics. The vocals are half spoken-like. The songs have something danceable, melodic and refined. You’ll also notice some ethereal-like female chant fragments reinforcing the feeling of reverie. The album is called “Black” because it explores the darker sides of the human soul. This album has been produced by Krischan J.E. Wesenberg.

The other album entitled “White” features six more songs produced by Patrick Damiani (ex-Rome). We here get a different approach and very different influences. The music in a way remains driven by ambient elements, but it all moves towards an explicit cinematographic approach. That’s why the songs are mainly instrumentals except some passages with chants. “Another Kind” therefore reminds me a bit of Delirium. These tracks are also more orchestral-like.

+ + + : “Black” features 6 exceptional cuts. Chorea Minor reveals a great and creative sound, mixing different elements together, which are mainly centered on ambient, pop and electro. I also like the way the vocals have been produced. It all sounds atypical and miles away from the familiar electro-pop standards. I’ve been also impressed by the kind of heavenly strings while the female chants inject an elevating touch to the work. The “White”-disc is totally different and less my cup of tea. But I’ve to admit “Another Kind” is a cool song as well. Last, but not least I also have to say a word about the sober, but artistic digipak format of this album.

– – – : I’m less convinced by the “White”-CD, which sounds like having been written by another artist.

Conclusion: “Black White Moon” is a double album revealing two different faces from one artist. The “Black”-record took me by surprise from start till finish; it’s such a creative piece of modern electronic music I can only, but highly recommend.

Best songs: “Fireroller”, “Sleepless”, “Living Only Twice”, “Trickle Of Life” + “Another Kind”.

Rate: (8).

Artist: www.choreaminor.com / www.facebook.com/choreaminormusic

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

About Chorea Minor

Chorea Minor is a German electronic project active since the 1990s, when it released the albums “Sanctuary” (1994) and “The Seventh Sign” (1996) together with Hekate. Side-Line’s review credits the project to Mario Braun; Discogs lists Cornelia Krempel as the artist behind its catalog entry. After a long gap, Chorea Minor returned in 2020 on Echozone with the double album “Black White Moon”, its “Black” disc produced by Krischan J.E. Wesenberg and its “White” disc produced by Patrick Damiani (ex-Rome).

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Rock-goth, dark-rock.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Berlin-based (Germany) formation Vlad In Tears has already been active for numerous years now. They have a serious fan base in their homeland and this year are striking back with their eighth full length album –which is the second one on Echozone.

Content:  The album stands for the uncompromised approach of Vlad In fusing the energy between dark-rock and gothic music. The vocals are moving from German into English and back to German. Driven by solid guitar assaults, which are sometimes leading towards apocalyptic, elevating choruses, the album is progressively evolving towards a second part featuring 7 acoustic tracks. These songs are ‘revisited’ versions of former cuts featuring the Alice In Chains cover “Man In The Box”.

+ + + : First of all this album features great artwork, which is always nice to discover and to have. Next, the album reveals an interesting duality between heavy, powerful new songs and acoustic, reworked older cuts. I like the acoustic version revealing a hidden side from the band, which has something emotional. “How Do You Know”, “You’ll Come Back To Me” and “Entrapped Soul” are my personal favorites. Among the new cuts, you’ll recognize the overwhelming power of this band resulting in a few new attention grabbers.

– – – : Vlad In Tears is the kind of formation, which is ‘big’ in Germany, but less recognized abroad. That’s maybe because the music has something ‘common’ missing that little extra or that little detail making the difference with the mass.

Conclusion: This is an album without real surprise, but the fans are going to like it!

Best songs: “Tonite”, “We Die Together”, “How Do You Know”, “You’ll Come Back To Me”, “Entrapped Soul”.

Rate: (7).

Artist: www.vladintears.com / www.facebook.com/vladintearsofficial

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

About Vlad In Tears

Vlad In Tears is a heavy metal band founded by three brothers, Kris (vocals, piano), Lex (guitar) and Dario (bass), together with their childhood friend Alex (drums). The project originated in Italy before relocating to Berlin, Germany. Its discography includes “…After The End…” (2006), “Seed Of An Ancient Pain” (2007), “Pact With The Night” (2008), “Underskin” (2009), “My Wreck” (2010, Hellfest Records) and “Night In Vladyland” (2012, Mordhorst Music) before the band signed to Echozone. Vlad In Tears returned in 2023 with a video for “Down”, addressing themes of hate, prejudice and war.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Industrial-metal, metal-rock, dark-rock.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: This year French formation Porn achieved their trilogy inspired by the imaginary character of ‘Mr. Strangler’. The concept is that Mr. Strangler sees his death coming close so he starts a dialogue with his death.

Content: The final act of the trilogy is meant as the testament of Mr. Strangler. This album could also be a great testament for Porn although I hope –based upon what I’ve heard, this will not be their last opus. This work reflects power and a crossover sound between industrial, metal and rock. But it also is the most mature work from the band. The choruses have an elevating effect, mixing the power of guitar and the atmospheric side of the electronic arrangements. This work stands for power and melody!

+ + + : Porn has found the right balance between power and refinement, between the production of guitar and electronics. “Some Happy Moments” reflects this sonic harmony. But the album is not only into power, but still featuring emotional passages such as “Low Winter Hope – Part 3”. I like the way the songs have been progressively built up, getting into a climax at “Low Winter Hope – Part 2”.

– – – : Even if it’s Porn’s best work to date, it doesn’t really stand for innovation. I get the impression this is the kind of work I’ve already heard a hundred times before… but in the end I prefer an efficient work without new elements instead of an avant-garde production that sucks.

Conclusion: Porn remains faithful to their heavy crossover style and realized with their newest work still their best production to date.

Best songs: “Some Happy Moments”, “Low Winter Hope – Part 2”, “Low Winter Hope – Part 3”, “Dead In Every Eyes”.

Rate: (8).

Artist: www.facebook.com/PORNtheband

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

About Porn

Porn is a French band whose “The Ogre Inside” (2017) opened a trilogy centred on the character of Mr. Strangler, remixed the same year on “The Ogre Inside Remixed”. The trilogy continued with 2019’s “The Darkest Of The Human Desires – Act II”, the band’s first collaboration with mastering engineer Tom Baker, before this release closes the story.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Electro-pop.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Distain’s core member and singer Alex Braun strikes back with his second solo-production under his own name. One year after “Eiskalt” (2018) he moves on to cover some famous hits.

Content: “Chasing Cars” features 7 songs so in the end we might speak about a mini-album. Snow Patrol (“Chasing Cars”), Kim Wilde (“Cambodia”), The Shakepears Sister (“Hello”), Depeche Mode (“Somebody”), Harold Faltermeyer (“Axel F”) and Karl The Beetle (“Karl Der Käfer”) have been covered while there also is a remix of “Pinocchio” (that was originally featured at “Eiskalt”) by Elektrostaub.

The songs are easily recognizable, clearly transposed into a pop approach and confirming the vocals’ skills of Alex Braun.

+ + + : Especially both debut songs, “Chasing Cars” and “Cambodia” are well-crafted –and songs on which Alex Braun’s voice is absolutely phenomenal. It remains a challenge covering famous hits and pop-anthems from the past, but Alex Braun revisited them with style. It also is a way for younger music lovers to (re)discover some of these ‘lost’ songs.

– – – : A few songs can’t totally convince me, but especially “Hello” is not the best exponent from this EP.

Conclusion: Alex Braun seems to enjoy this ‘concept’ of cover songs. I can’t say that I was totally convinced, but there are a few cool songs among the tracklist.

Best songs: “Cambodia”, “Chasing Cars”.

Rate: (6½).

Artist: www.facebook.com/alex.braun.313 

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

About Alex Braun

Alex Braun is the singer of German electro-pop band !Distain, whose most recent album at the time, “Farewell To The Past”, appeared on Echozone in 2018. Braun launched a solo career the same year with the covers EP “Eiskalt”, followed in January 2020 by the second solo EP, “Chasing Cars”. He went on to release his solo debut album, “ReCover”, on ScentAir Records in 2022, and a second album, “Dreamland”, on Infacted in 2024, produced with Gerrit Thomas of Eisfabrik / Funker Vogt.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Rock-goth, dark-wave.

Background/Info: Walter Glatz, Alexander Steiner and Eva Böhler are Mills ano 2010. “Verletzt” is their second full length album, which has been released after the excellent dark-wave minded “Monochrome” released in 2018.

Content: The main change on the new work is the vocals, which are now sung in German. Sound-wise the band remains faithful to their 80s inspiration although the global production became a bit more rock-minded. This work sounds also more varied than its predecessor. It takes off a rather minimal-electro style, but you also immediately notice the guitar. That leads us towards rock-goth passages filled with melancholia. Some songs are pretty dreamy and even emotive while other cuts reveal harder guitar playing.

+ + + : The guitar remains an essential aspect of the Mills sound. Just as the previous album, the songs create an elevating sensation. There also is a dark and emotional element running through the songs. I especially recommend listening to “Mein Weites Land”, which is a captivating piece in the genre.

– – – : The album brings a nice selection of songs, but I’m missing real highlight. That’s definitely the main change with the previous album.

Conclusion: Mills tried to evolve in their inspiration and compositions, but this new work rather feels as a debut while “Monochrome” definitely had more to offer.

Best songs: “Mein Weites Land”, “Engel”, “Nie”.

Rate: (6½).

Artist: www.millsmusic.at / www.facebook.com/millssound

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

About Mills

Mills is an Austrian rock-goth/dark-wave act formed by Walter Glatz, Alexander Steiner and Eva Böhler in 2010, releasing through the German label Echozone.

The band’s debut full length, “Monochrome”, was released in 2018. “Verletzt” followed in 2019 as the group’s second album, switching to German-language vocals while keeping the 80s-influenced, guitar-driven sound of its predecessor.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Post-punk, punk-rock.

Background/Info: Inadream is a brand-new name based in  Bochum (Germany). This year they released their debut album featuring ten songs dealing about personal feelings, social criticism, drugs and relationship dramas.

Content: The opening part of the album clearly reveals the punk influence, which sounds pretty British. One of the songs (cf. “And If”) even reminds me a bit of The Clash. But quite progressively the songs are moving into melancholic passages where the punk has been mixed with rock music. This album moves from rage towards emotions.

+ + + : The debut songs are clearly reminding me of good-old punk souvenirs and this is for sure the best exponent from the album. The opening cut “Romantic Tragedy” and the harder “Love Me Or Leave Me” both are great cuts evoking the glorious days of punk music. This band also enlarges the sonic horizon of Echozone. Inadream doesn’t innovate, but their punk style is pure fun!

– – – : I regret the entire album doesn’t sound like the debut part. Punk music is what this band does best! The rock approach and more melancholic parts left me unmoved.

Conclusion: This is a work with two faces; a great good-old punk inspired part next to a more sentimental, but less convincing rock part!

Best songs: “Love Me Or Leave Me”, “Romantic Tragedy”, “Black Bird”, “And If”.

Rate: (6½).

Artist: www.facebook.com/inadreamband

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

About Inadream

Inadream is a post-punk/punk-rock act based in Bochum, Germany, signed to Echozone. “No Songs For Lovers” is the project’s debut album, released in 2019 with songs addressing personal feelings, social criticism, drugs and relationship dramas.

The band contributed tracks to the “Sonic Seducer” and “Orkus!” compilation series in 2019, and followed the debut with a second Echozone album, “Strange Words”, in 2024.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

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

Background/Info: Bysmarque & Snowwhyte is a German male-female duo set up in 2017. After having released two singles they now unleashed their debut album. The title of the work refers to the lyrical influences dealing about fairy tales and legends.

Content: I never heard of the band before, but discovered an interesting electro-wave format. Mel’s timbre of voice makes me think of a hybrid between Anne Clark and Elena Alice Fossi. She has a fragile and somewhat sterile way of singing, which is perfectly matching with the music. The songs are rather simplistic, but efficient; constantly supported with a cold atmosphere.

+ + + : The production is somewhat simplistic and yet efficient. This band delivers an original creation, which is supported by a great atmospheric layer. The songs have something 80s-like reminding me of wave-pop bands from that era. There also is something ‘authentic’ running through the songs. The album reveals a few cool songs such as “Hexeneinmaleins”, the previously released single “Mensch-Maschine”, “The Last Gift” and “Otto And The Beast”.

– – – : This is a successful debut album, but I think the global production can be improved and especially the songs have to be a little bit more elaborated.

Conclusion: Bysmarque & Snowwhyte is a crazy name for a band, but it’s an easy one to keep in mind and this debut album sounds really promising.

Best songs: “Hexeneinmaleins”, “Mensch-Maschine”, “The Last Gift”, “Otto And The Beast”, “Living It Up”.

Rate: (7½).

Artist: www.bysmarque–and–snowwhyte.com / www.facebook.com/BysandSnowMusic

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

About Bysmarque & Snowwhyte

Bysmarque & Snowwhyte is a German male-female duo formed in 2017, with vocalist Mel fronting the project. The pair released two singles before issuing their debut album, “Once Upon A Time…”, through Echozone in November 2019. Bysmarque & Snowwhyte followed the album with the “Mindkiller” EP in April 2021.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Electro-pop.

Background/Info: Projekt Ich is a German solo-project driven by Ulf Müller. He’s been active for more than ten years and is now unleashing his debut full length. It’s a conceptual work related to the title of the album. Ulf Müller asked guest singers from different countries –but mainly from Germany, to sing his lyrics.

Content: The music sounds in the purest electro-pop style and even has a very vintage-like approach. Most of the sound treatments and the bass lines evoke the spirit of the 80s. Sometimes sweet and dreamy, but also harder and more sterile-like the album has a lot to offer.

Among the singers you’ll hear Marcus Mokuso (ReName), Mick L. Angelo (5Times0), Catrine Christensen (SoftWave), Distain!, Michael Draw (Otto Dix), Rene & Susan Mussbach (Analogue-X) ao. The work features 14 songs with vocals and a final instrumental cut.

+ + + : The concept is not new at all, but remains an interesting challenge for the variety of singers and voice timbres. Sound-wise I like the retro-like sound treatments, but Ulf Müller also reveals to be a talented composer. His songs are well-crafted revealing a mature and professional production process. There also is a nice twist between the different vocalists; different types of voices, male- and female artists. The song “Das Meer” is my personal favorite one, which I like for its minimalism.

– – – : Cool songs, but no real hit!

Conclusion: This album sounds a bit as an invitation to dream away and travel throughout vintage electro-pop fields.

Best songs: “Das Meer”, “The Sleepy Time feat. Caroline McLavy”, “New Dreams For Old feat. Marcus Mokuso”, “The Lightman feat. Oleg Degtiarev”.

Rate: (7).

Artist: http://projektich–musik.de /                 www.facebook.com/ProjektIchMusik

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

About Projekt Ich

Projekt Ich is a German synthpop solo project driven by Ulf Müller, active for more than a decade before the November 2019 release of debut album “By Train Through Countries” on Echozone. Müller followed the album with the single “Mit dir”, issued in November 2021 with twenty remixes, the album “Freedom For All” in July 2022, and further singles including “Der westliche Mann” (2024) and “Say It And Stay With Me” (2025) featuring Juan Carlos Rojas Sanchez of Frecuencias Ocultas. Projekt Ich closed a run of standalone singles with “In The Fire”, featuring Stian Shiver, in March 2026.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Electro-pop.

Background/Info: I personally consider Thorsten Krüger and Matthias Grod as one of the most promising electro-pop formations in the past few years. After an astonishing debut album (cf. “Now”) and the cool second opus (cf. “Circuits”) it took three years to the German formation to achieve this new work.

Content: The global sound production and influences haven’t really changed. Pos.:2 stands for ‘classical’ electro-pop music evoking some good-old souvenirs. The melodic- and danceable side of the work vaguely reminds me of Second Decay, which I still consider as a reference in the genre. The songs have been masterfully achieved. The previous album was missing some potential hits while the new work reveals a few great songs. “Electropop” is one of them, which clearly sounds as a reworked version from their early ‘hit’ “Only Electropop”. The main part of the vocals is in German, but you’ll also notice a few English passages.

+ + + : This album brings a perfect twist between danceable- and classical  electro-pop. The songs have been masterfully crafted and especially the melodic passages will catch the attention. This is an aspect reminding me a bit to Second Decay. This is synth-pop music that will appeal to lovers of German electro-pop from the 90s.

– – – : Pos.:2 doesn’t really innovate, but do they really have to? The result is a deeply entertaining electro-pop work.

Conclusion: This new opus was worth the wait and again confirms the talent of this duo. They definitely deserve a bit more recognition!

Best songs: “Kein Weg”, “Alleine”, “Electropop”, “Gib Mir Noch Zeit”, “Illusions Of Love”.

Rate: (8½).

Artist: www.pos2-music.com / www.facebook.com/pos2music

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

About Pos.:2

Pos.:2 is a German electro-pop duo formed by Thorsten Krüger and Matthias Grod. The project debuted with the album “Now!” in 2015, followed by “Circuits” in 2017 and “Sounds Like Real Life” in November 2019, all released through Echozone.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Indie-pop, pop-rock.

Background/Info: Plexiphones is a German formation featuring six (!) members. They joined hands together with Echozone to unleash their third full length album.

Content: The work takes off a rather indie-pop way. Electronics and guitar are complementary while some of the choruses are rather’ easy to keep in mind. The vocals have been produced a passionate way. Some of the songs remind me a bit of The Style Council, but globally speaking it’s much more indie-driven.

+ + + : One of the album’s main strengths is for sure the choruses, which are solid and easy to remember. It works well on tracks such as “Fail In Love” and “Apocalypse”. Plexiphones have especially found a right balance between pop- and rock music. The production of the vocals is a quite noticeable aspect as well.

– – – : There’s no absolute highlight although there are a few cool songs. I sometimes get the feeling there’s something naïve running through the work; it all feels a bit like a déjà-vu!

Conclusion: “Break In The Clouds” is an easy listening album and even featuring enjoyable songs, but I’m sure this band can do better!

Best songs: “Running”, “Apocalypse”, “Breathing”, “Stand To Fall”.

Rate: (6½).

Artist: https://plexiphones.com / www.facebook.com/Plexiphones

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

About Plexiphones

Plexiphones is a six-member German band that has released a series of singles and albums since 2011, including “News From The Colonies” (2011), “Can’t Change You” (2014) and “The Power Of Faith” (2018) prior to joining Echozone. “Break In The Clouds”, issued in November 2019, arrived alongside the singles “Running” and “Apocalypse”, both drawn from the album. Plexiphones continued releasing music through 2023, including the single “Waltzing Matilda”.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Electro-pop, electro-wave, EBM.

Background/Info: “In Eigener Sache” (translated ‘on my own account’) is the debut album of the German duo MonoSapien. I discovered this band on a few compilations, but didn’t really keep their name in mind.

Content: It’s not that easy to define the sound of the band. It clearly is driven by electronics, which are now more into electro-pop and then carried by EBM bass lines. Some passages are melodic and featuring carrying choruses. The most surprising song is “Ich Will Nicht Mehr” featuring a sampling from Ennio Morricone’s famous tune “Man With A Harmonica”. The lyrics are sung in German.

+ + + : I always have liked band’s dealing with a sound that is hard to define. I can’t speak about a real ‘style’, but more about a fusion between different influences. I personally prefer the harder cuts like the “Club Mix” of “Erinnerungen”. Another attention grabber is “Ich Will Nicht Mehr” for the harmonica tune in the background taken from Ennio Morricone’s famous movie soundtrack “Once Upon A Time In The West”.

 – – – : The album suffers from a poor mix and production process. The sound quality could have been much better!

Conclusion: MonoSapien doesn’t really set the world alight, but the album might be a basis to move on with.

Best songs: “Erinnerungen – Club Mix”, “Ich Will Nicht Mehr”, “Kleiner Man – Wach Auf”.

Rate: (6).

Artist: https://monosapienmusic.jimdofree.com / www.facebook.com/monosapienofficial

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

About MonoSapien

MonoSapien is a dark synth-pop project from Jever, Germany, led by singer, composer and lyricist Tom “Mono” Niebuhr. The project released the single “Kleiner Mann” in November 2018, which reached the top 10 of the German Alternative Charts, followed by “Herz schreit”, which spent 15 weeks in the chart’s Top 20. Echozone issued the ten-track debut album “In Eigener Sache” at the end of October 2019.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Electro-pop.

Background/Info: German synth-pop duo Alex Pfahler – Andy Pfiefer are back on track unleashing their third full length album. “Traumfaenger” features ten songs plus four bonus cuts, which were originally released at the digital EP “Vierklangdimensionen”.

Content: If you’re familiar with previous albums released by Loewenhertz, “Traumfaenger” has nothing innovative to discover. The band remains driven by good-old electro-pop standards and sometimes again reminds me of their legendary compatriots and masters in the genre: De/Vision. The songs are alternating German and English lyrics. The debut cuts sound sweet and happy-like, but quite progressively Loewenhertz moved towards a more danceable electro-pop style recovered with sensibility and melancholia.

The 4 last cuts are cover versions from famous songs originally written by Rheingold, Hubert Kah, Nena and Snäp.

+ + + : The sound and influences haven’t really changed. I’m not saying that this album is a copy-paste from the previous one, but the main strength of this duo appears in the achievement of the songs and not in the originality of the sound. I definitely prefer the more danceable cuts and I have to say they accomplished a few noticeable songs in the genre. “We Regret”, “Closer”and “Truth In Me” confirm the potential of the band, which is not just a copyist, but has the skills to write captivating synth-pop music. I like the progression in the tracklist taking off in a rather sweet way and slowly evolving towards a more mature and efficient electro-pop music, sometimes carried by a harder bass line and/or aggressive sequence. Among the cover versions I recommend the cool version of “Dreiklangdimensionen” originally written by Rheingold. Loewenhertz found a perfect compromise between the vintage, original edit and some refreshing and more personal aspects.

– – – : The sweeter part of the album, which you’ll hear in the debut is not exactly relevant for being average-like and without a real spirit!

Conclusion: There are numerous electro-pop formations and especially a lot of copyists. I never have experienced Loewenhertz as the most original one in the genre, but this band simply confirms to have real potential. I’m waiting for an absolute hit pushing them in the spotlights of this scene.

Best songs: “We Regret”, “Closer”, “Truth In Me”, “We Regret”, “Dreiklangdimensionen”, “Elisabeth”.

Rate: (7½).

Artist: www.loewenhertz–musik.de / www.facebook.com/loewenhertzmusik  

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

About Loewenhertz

Echozone released the second Loewenhertz album “Echtzeit” in 2017, two years before “Traumfaenger”. Alex Pfahler and Andy Pfiefer continued releasing singles afterward, including “Golden” and “Unter Wasser”, before a February 2021 single, “Right As Rain”, remixed by Rich Silverthorn of Mesh.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Electro-pop.

Background/Info: It took three years for the German duo Torsten Verlinden (vocals) – Steve Baltes (electronics) to achieve their third full length album. “Across The Ice” was preceded by the singles “Stars” and “Surrender.”

Content: Arctic Sunrise is a band I kept an eye on. Their previous albums revealed a mature writing and an electro-pop sound appealing for fans of De/Vision. The new opus doesn’t sound that different, although the songs are more into a kind of dreamy melancholia. It feels a bit like music filled with dreams and emotions. Some of the songs are carried with solid bass lines. I also noticed a few parts by guest guitarist Oliver Franken. The most surprising cut is the cover version of “Running Up That Hill” originally written by Kate Bush.

+ + + : Arctic Sunrise confirms their talent to compose achieved electro-pop music. The best cuts from the album again appeal for fans of De/Vision; the originality is far to find, but the accomplishment is remarkable.  Torsten Verlinden also confirms to be a great singer.

– – – : Speaking for myself I prefer previous albums. The album is sometimes a bit too dreamy-like and even if the album got positive reactions in the band’s homeland, I expected a bit more from this duo.

Conclusion: Arctic Sunrise are no longer getting me by surprise; the songs are still well-crafted, but the magic is a bit gone.

Best songs: “Stars (Album Version)”, “Running Up That Hill”, “The Game”.

Rate: (7).

Artist: www.facebook.com/wearearcticsunrise

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

About Arctic Sunrise

Arctic Sunrise is a synthpop duo from Mönchengladbach, Germany, formed by vocalist Torsten Verlinden and producer Steve Baltes, who also records as a member of Ashra alongside Manuel Göttsching and Harald Grosskopf, and under aliases including N-Tribe and Holo Syndrome. Echozone released the duo’s debut album “A Smarter Enemy” in 2015 and “Traces End” in 2017, ahead of “Across The Ice”. Arctic Sunrise has continued releasing music since, including an animated video for “Hardened To Gold”.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

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

Background/Info: Set up in the 80s, Nature Of Wires after a long hibernation came back to life a few years ago now. The album “Cyber Rendezvous” together with singer ‘Countess M” released in 2016 on the now defunct Analogue Trash Records was an interesting introduction to this band. Gary Watts (core member) strikes back with a new singer Sarah Boucher delivering 4 new songs as appetizer to the announced new full length.

Content: “Reborn” features 4 different songs, which are moving in between raw electro-pop and dance-pop vibes. The female vocals are extremely powerful and with somewhat imagination reminding me of Alison Moyet. The electronics remain pretty rough and unpolished, but this ‘naughty’ approach makes the characteristic of the band’s sound.

+ + + : The new vocalist is a very passionate performer and for sure a plus for the band. Sound-wise I like the rough sound production, which is not that typical for electro-pop, but Nature Of Wires is not a ‘typical’ electro-formation. I like the wafting synth parts hanging over the songs and the excellent organ-like sequences at the end of “Human Nature”. This EP reveals 4 different cuts, which I personally prefer instead of a title song plus an endless list of remixes.

– – – : The only, but main problem with this EP, is that none of the tracks appear to be a potential hit.

Conclusion: After a promising album released 3 years ago now, I expected a bit more from this formation although the announced album will give us more information about their real potential and evolution in sound and production.

Best songs: “Fight”, “Human Nature”.

Rate: (6).

Artist: www.natureofwires.com / www.facebook.com/natureofwires

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

About Nature Of Wires

Nature Of Wires is the project of Gary Watts, formed in the 1980s and revived a few years before 2016’s “Cyber Rendezvous,” released with singer Countess M on the since-defunct Analogue Trash Records. Sarah Boucher became the project’s new singer for “Reborn,” the 2019 EP reviewed here, on Echozone.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Ambient, soundtrack, acoustic-pop.

Background/Info: This self-titled album is part of the art project ‘Natural Synergy. It features a video, which is a roadtrip from Holland to Spain, paintings, a book and music. I got the opportunity to discover the music composed by Rob Keyzer and Frank Weyzig.

Content: The music feels a bit like a roadtrip; it has something dreamy-like and sounds sweet. I’m not surprised the album can be seen as a metaphor for love, friendship and being on the lookout for beauty and the meaning of life. You can feel this sensation emerging from the melancholic passages, the delicate arrangements and acoustic play –mainly piano and guitar, and especially the dreamy passages. The lyrical content also has something of a voyage.

+ + + : There’re a few beautiful songs featured at this album. “Yellow Synergy” and “Easy” both are absolute sonic jewels, when it comes to artistic beauty. “The Search” is another essential song for the guitar play and the final part revealing a great synthesizer passage.

– – – : The album features 11 songs and globally speaking I really enjoyed most of the tracks. Just like on most albums there’re also a few less convincing and avoidable tracks featured.

Conclusion: The name of this project is an invitation to travel and that’s precisely what the music sounds like; a peaceful and prosper experience.

Best songs: “Yellow Synergy”, “Easy”, “The Search”, “Going To Catalunya”.

Rate: (7).

Artist: www.facebook.com/goingtocatalunya

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

About Going To Catalunya

Going To Catalunya is a Dutch project formed by Rob Keijzer and Frank Weyzig as the musical component of the multidisciplinary “Natural Synergy” art project, which also includes a film, paintings and a book built around a roadtrip from the Netherlands to Spain. The self-titled album, released on Echozone in 2019, is the duo’s debut release.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Dark-rock, metal-rock.

Background/Info: Three years after their excellent debut album “The Whole Universe”, Soulimage are back on track unleashing their newest opus. Rob E. Soul (vocals and electronics) and Patty Juhasz (guitars) joined forces together with several ‘guests’ to accomplish this new work.

Content: Their previous full length revealed certain symbiosis between guitar and electronics, creating a kind of rock-pop harmony. “Human Kind – Animal Mind” moves a step further getting us to a harder dark-rock style, sometimes empowered with metal influences. This work is more driven by the guitar play, revealing several guitar solos. I also noticed a few post-punk passages. The songs have been sung in English featuring a few female backing parts.

+ + + : I really enjoyed the intro of the album, which is perfectly symbolizing its title “Time”. But it’s not that representative for the rest of the album, which is definitely appealing for lovers of dark-rock music. The tracks are well-crafted and the guitar solo parts will ravish fans of rock music. The style and influences have somewhat changed. The global sound production is absolutely professional!

– – – : I definitely prefer their previous album because of the more explicit ‘pop’ touch, which I’m missing here. I can’t say that their previous work was an ‘original’ one, but I think it was more accessible for a wider ‘indie’-like audience.

Conclusion: Soulimage has somewhat evolved in style; the sound becomes harder, but is it really better and/or an improvement compared to their previous work? I don’t think so!

Best songs: “Children Of Tomorrow”, “Animal Mind”, “Time (Intro)”.

Rate: (6½).

Artist: www.soulimage–music.de

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

About Soulimage

Soulimage is a German duo of vocalist/electronics player Rob E. Soul and guitarist Patty Juhasz, working with additional guest musicians. The project released the EPs “Generator” and “Can You Feel Me” before its debut album, “The Whole Universe”, arrived in 2016 on Soulimage-Music/Echozone. “Human Kind – Animal Mind,” reviewed here, follows three years later on the same label.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Electro-pop.

Background/Info: Two years after their successful debut album “Course Of Life”, the German Analogue-X trio is back on track unleashing this new opus featuring 13 new cuts.

Content: The sound and influences haven’t that much changed. “Course Of Life” and “Imaginary” both reveal an explicit electro-pop sound, which might remind to Depeche Mode. The debut full length was also inspired by dance-pop music while this one just revealed a few little elements, but nothing more. From melancholic tunes to choruses accomplished with cold leads, “Imaginary” might appeal for De/Vision fans.

+ + + : This is a ‘classical’ electro-pop work, which is carried by melancholic passages, noticeable melody lines and a crystal-clear sound production. “The Time Of Darkness” is one of the high lights for its elevating sensation. The main aspect of the work I especially like consists of the cold leads and I here especially refer to “Lost In Time”.

– – – : This work is an easy listening album, but I’m missing some passion. I once again miss it in the vocals’ production, but now also in the song writing. It’s too much predictable and feels like the band switched on the automatic pilot.

Conclusion: The ideas are good enough, but unfortunately not enough to get a successful album. The debut album definitely was more convincing. This band can do better!

Best songs: “The Time Of Darkness”, “Angel Of Light”, “Stage Of Life”.

Rate: (6½).

Artist: www.facebook.com/AnalogueXbandpage

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

About Analogue-X

Analogue-X is a German synth-pop trio formed in 2017 by René Mußbach, Susan Mußbach and Alexis Voice. The trio’s debut album, “Course Of Life”, arrived in 2018 on RMP Records/Echozone. “Imaginary,” reviewed here, follows on the same label in 2019.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com