“Into The Light” is the second single of Symphonic Noise Cult’s forthcoming (Summer 2023) debut album “Behind the Curtain” and is out on the Duisburg based record label VUZ Records.

Behind this melancholic dark pop band we find Winus Rilinger (The Eternal Afflict, Sara Noxx, Inside (TEA & Psyche), Form Follows Function, Stücker & Benecke and Neue Jugend), Scott Mick (Panic Or Pain, Theatre Of Shock Therapy, Dark State) and pianist and soundtrack composer Ulrich A. Beutgen.

Besides the album version the 6-track single contains remixes by Rodney Orpheus (Cassandra Complex), Tim V. (Shade Factory, Two Witches) and JL Marchal (I Love 80ies), a special “The Eternal Afflict” mix plus the non-album track “Dreaming”.

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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Duisburg-based label VUZ Records and the dark pop act Symphonic Noise Cult present “My Figment”, the first single from Symphonic Noise Cult’s debut album “Behind the Curtain”. The group comprises Winus Rilinger, Scott Mick, and Ulrich A. Beutgen.

Winus Rilinger, the primary instrumentalist and producer, is a well-known figure in Germany’s dark wave scene. His credits include being a member or producing acts such as The Eternal Afflict, Sara Noxx, Inside (TEA & Psyche), Form Follows Function, Stücker & Benecke, and Neue Jugend. Scott Mick, lead vocalist and songwriter, was already active in the USA with his band Panic Or Pain when he visited Germany with his project Theatre Of Shock Therapy. After permanently relocating to Germany, he co-founded Symphonic Noise Cult and Dark State. Ulrich A. Beutgen, a pianist and soundtrack composer (Industrie-Ikonen), completes the band and adds an additional layer to Symphonic Noise Cult’s music.

The band describes “My Figment” as a story of deception and disappointment, highlighting the bewilderment caused by new technology and providing a subtle look at the dangers of fakes and A.I. in the media. “Look twice and trust nobody,” they advise.

In addition to the album version and an extended mix, the single features remixes by Julien Ash (Nouvelles Lectures Cosmopolites), Morgan King (Lene Lovich Band, Inception In Black), and Eihwar, as well as the non-album track “The Beast Inside”.

“My Figment” is available for download, followed in May by the second digital single “Into The Light” and the album (CD) “Behind the Curtain” in the summer.

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-wave, wave-pop.

Background/Info: Form Follows Function (FFF) is a German duo set up in 2017 by Bianca Stücker (lyrics and vocals) and Winus Rilinger (music). “Arsenic” is the band’s debut album, which has been introduced as ‘alchemical electro’.

Content: I didn’t have any idea how ‘alchemical electro’ sound like, but it clearly mixes elements of electro-pop, new-wave and EBM together. The vocal of Bianca Stücker is an essential element of the album. The songs have been sung in English, but you also will discover 2 cuts sung in Spanish. Some of the songs are danceable and melodic, now and then reinforced by heavier EBM bass lines, but you also will hear more evasive passages.

+ + + : Bianca Stücker who got previously released in other formations such as Dead Turns Alive clearly appears to be the main strength of this new band. She injects a truly spirit to the music and I especially like to hear her singing on the title song where the pitch of her voice is higher. Sound-wise I’ve a preference for the few harder cuts of the album, which are carried by solid bass lines. “Entierro En Campana” is a cool song illustrating this body-pop flavor, but I also have to mention “Dance Of The Dead”, “Compete/Fail” and “The First Matter”.

– – – : The songs are pretty similar to each other, the band abusing of the same sound formula.

Conclusion: This debut work reveals interesting ideas, but is missing a climax.

Best songs: “Entierro En Campana”, “Dance Of The Dead”, “Compete/Fail”, “The First Matter”, “Arsenic”.

Rate: (6½).

Artist: www.formfollowsfunction–hq.com / www.facebook.com/formfollowsfunctionhq

Label: www.e–noxe.de / www.facebook.com/enoxeRecords

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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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