German electro-industrial act Funker Vogt will release first vinyl editions of “We Came to Kill” and “Execution Tracks” on March 26, 2026 via Repo Records. Both albums are set for limited black and grey marbled 2LP gatefold editions. The original recordings were remastered for vinyl by Gerrit Thomas in 2025.

“We Came to Kill” was Funker Vogt’s second studio album. It was issued in 1997 through Zoth Ommog in Germany and through Metropolis in North America. The album was released directly after the 1997 EPs “Words of Power” and “Take Care!”. The original release ran to 11 tracks, including “Time of Dreams”, “Take Care!”, “Killing Fields” and “Funker Vogt 2nd Unit”. The new 2026 vinyl edition follows the later expanded configuration rather than the original CD, because it adds the bonus tracks “Time of Dreams (Heart-Core Mix)” and “Take Care! (US Remix)”.

“Execution Tracks” was the third Funker Vogt album and came out in 1998 via Zoth Ommog, while Metropolis released the US edition. The standard German album had 12 tracks, but the US version carried 13 tracks by adding “King for a Night”. Core songs from the original release include “Civil War”, “The Voices of the Dead”, “The International Killer”, “Fortunes of War”, “Tragic Hero” (one of their best-known early songs) and “4th Dimension”. The new “Execution Tracks” vinyl uses the expanded 14-track configuration with the bonus tracks “Civil War (Vogt Scope Mix)” and “Martians on the Moon”.

About Funker Vogt

Funker Vogt is a German electro-industrial project from Hameln, Lower Saxony. Gerrit Thomas and Jens Kästel started the act in 1995 as a side project connected to Thomas’ synth-pop project Ravenous. The band name refers to a friend of the founders who served as a radio operator. In the early setup, Thomas handled composition, Kästel vocals, and Kai Schmidt most of the lyrics, while Björn Böttcher and guitarist Thomas Kroll joined the live line-up. Frank Schweigert later replaced Kroll.

The first studio album, “Thanks for Nothing”, arrived in 1996. It was followed by the EPs “Words of Power” and “Take Care”, then by “We Came to Kill” on November 18, 1997. “Killing Time Again” followed on July 28, 1998, and “Execution Tracks” on November 10, 1998. All were released by Zoth Ommog and Metropolis. More albums followed such as “Maschine Zeit” and “T” in 2000, “Survivor” in 2002, “Navigator” in 2005 and “Aviator” in 2007.

In 2001, Repo Records reissued the first albums with bonus material. These were followed by new albums including “Blutzoll” in 2010 and “Companion in Crime” in 2013. Jens Kästel announced his departure in November 2013. The band then issued the “Survivor” collector’s edition in 2014, briefly worked with Sacha Korn, and brought in Chris L. in late 2016 for the return that led to “Code of Conduct” in 2017. René Dornbusch had already joined the live line-up in 2012 and remains part of the current crew.

Chris L. quit the band in 2021 after which Funker Vogt announced a return in 2023 and introduced Bastian Polak as the new lead vocalist on December 5, 2023. The current line-up is Bastian Polak, Gerrit Thomas and René Dornbusch, it was also this band line-up that recorded and released “Final Construct” on May 3, 2024.

And now there are the first vinyl editions of “We Came to Kill” and “Execution Tracks”.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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German electro-industrial project Funker Vogt will see its classic 1990s albums “We Came to Kill” (1997) and “Execution Tracks” (1998) released for the first time on double vinyl as limited black and grey marbled 2LP gatefold editions on March 26, 2026. The reissues appear via Repo Records and present newly remastered audio prepared in 2025 by band mastermind Gerrit Thomas.

Each 2LP expands the original CDs with bonus material previously scattered across compilations and reissues, while keeping the core 1990s tracklists intact.

Details of Funker Vogt vinyl reissues ‘We Came to Kill’ and ‘Execution Tracks’

Both albums appear on black and grey marbled 180g vinyl, housed in high-quality gatefold sleeves. The new master comes from the original recordings and was completed in 2025 by Gerrit Thomas, continuing the band’s reissue campaign that has already brought collectors’ editions of “Navigator“, “Aviator“, “Blutzoll” and “Element 115” back into circulation via Repo Records.

“We Came to Kill” and “Execution Tracks” were originally released through 1990s imprint Zoth Ommog, with parallel licensing to Metropolis Records for North America. The new 2LP editions bring this material into the current Repo vinyl series that already includes the 2024 album “Final Construct” on gold-smoke LP.

Funker Vogt ‘We Came to Kill’ 2LP remaster – tracklist and extras

“We Came to Kill” is Funker Vogt’s second album and first appeared in 1997 on Zoth Ommog and Metropolis, with a later CD reissue on Repo Records in 2001. The new limited 2LP follows the expanded reissue configuration, adding compilation-only material directly to the album tracklist.

The LP includes key tracks from the band’s early phase such as “Time of Dreams”, “Take Care!”, “Killing Fields” and “Funker Vogt 2nd Unit”. It also folds in “Time of Dreams (Heart-Core Mix)”, originally issued on the Zoth Ommog compilation “Something for Your Mind”, and “Take Care! (US Remix)”, first released on the US-only disc “Killing Time Again”.

Funker Vogt “We Came to Kill” – 2LP tracklist (black/grey marbled)

Side A

1. “Time of Dreams”
2. “Take Care!”
3. “Stupid Incident”

Side B

1. “Father”
2. “Under Control”
3. “Wartime”
4. “Killing Fields”

Side C

1. “Nothing New”
2. “Fantasies”
3. “Siegeszug”

Side D

1. “Funker Vogt 2nd Unit”
2. “Take Care! (Final Mix)”
3. “Time of Dreams (Heart-Core Mix)”
4. “Take Care! (US Remix)”

Funker Vogt ‘Execution Tracks’ 2LP remaster – tracklist and extras

“Execution Tracks” is Funker Vogt’s third album and originally appeared in 1998, again through Zoth Ommog and Metropolis. It has since seen multiple CD editions, including a Repo Records reissue that added two bonus tracks: “Civil War (Vogt Scope Mix)” and “Martians on the Moon”.

The upcoming limited 2LP transfers that extended configuration to black and grey marbled vinyl. The set includes established live staples such as “Tragic Hero”, “Fortunes of War” and “The International Killer”.

Funker Vogt ‘Execution Tracks’ – 2LP tracklist (black/grey marbled)

Side A

1. “Civil War”
2. “The Voices of the Dead”
3. “The International Killer”

Side B

1. “Fortunes of War”
2. “Beyond Your Belief”
3. “Tragic Hero”

Side C

1. “Buried Alive”
2. “Schizophrenia”
3. “Pure War”
4. “Shaven”

Side D

1. “Seelenwanderung”
2. “4th Dimension”
3. “Civil War (Vogt Scope Mix)”
4. “Martians on the Moon”

About Funker Vogt

Funker Vogt is a German electro-industrial project from Hameln, Lower Saxony, founded in 1995 by vocalist Jens Kästel and programmer Gerrit Thomas. The project brings a mix of electro-industrial, aggrotech and futurepop, combining 4/4 club-oriented structures with lyrics that address war and social issues.

The early releases appeared through labels like Zoth Ommog and Metropolis. The debut “Thanks for Nothing” was released in 1996, followed in 1997 by the second album “We Came to Kill” and, in 1998, by “Execution Tracks”. During this period the band also issued singles such as “Take Care” and “Tragic Hero”, as well as the EP “Killing Time Again”.

In the early 2000s Funker Vogt released such albums as “Maschine Zeit” and “T” in 2000, “Survivor” in 2002 and the remix collection “Revivor” in 2003, followed by “Navigator” in 2005 and “Aviator” in 2007. A live album, “Warzone K17 (Live in Berlin)”, appeared in 2009, and “Blutzoll” followed in 2010. The 2010s brought “Companion in Crime” (2013), and later “Code of Conduct” (2017) and “Wastelands” (2018), marking the transition to Repo Records as primary label.

More recent studio work includes the albums “Element 115” (2021), “MC 5f¹⁴6d¹⁰7s²7p³” (2021) and “Final Construct” (2024), the latter also issued as a limited gold-smoke vinyl edition. The current lineup consists of vocalist Bastian Polak (who joined in December 2023), Gerrit Thomas on keyboards and programming, and René Dornbusch on e-drums and backing vocals.

Do also check our interview with Funker Vogt.

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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Synthpop project Fictional will release its new six-track digital single “Nightfall” on July 11, 2025 via Repo Records, preceded by a video premiere on YouTube on July 10 at 9 p.m. (CET). That’s tonight in like 25 minutes. “Nightfall” follows two earlier digital singles this year, “Your Whisper” and “Embrace the Silence”.

Fictional is the side project of Gerrit Thomas (Eisfabrik, Funker Vogt), originally launched in 1999. In 2025, the project continues with seven guest vocalists and a series of singles ahead of the October release of the third full-length album “Some Great Constructions”.

The new single “Nightfall,” like the earlier 2025 release “Your Whisper”, was co-written and performed by Christian Schottstädt (Forced to Mode, Forced Movement). The single contains six different versions of the track, including remixes by T.O.Y. and Raik Fuhrmann, alongside a cinematic acoustic version featuring violinist Maline Zickow (EKLIPSE, Giant Crow, Canea Quartett).

Tracklist:

1. Nightfall (Single Edit)
2. Nightfall (T.O.Y. Remix)
3. Nightfall (Rifted)
4. Nightfall (Raik Fuhrmann Remix)
5. Nightfall (Club Mix)
6. Nightfall (Schottstaedt’s Acoustic)

About Fictional

Fictional was founded in 1999 in Germany by Gerrit Thomas as a synthpop side project distinct from his work with Funker Vogt. The debut album “Fictitious” appeared in 1999, followed by “Fictitious [+]” in 2001 and “Fiction” in 2003 on Repo Records.

After a long hiatus, Fictional resumed activity in 2025 with the digital singles “Your Whisper” and “Embrace the Silence”.

The 2025 lineup features Gerrit Thomas as producer and a rotating group of guest vocalists. The current series of singles precedes the release of the third album, “Some Great Constructions”, set for October 13, 2025.

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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VampireFreaks have announce the line-up for the 3-day music festival Dark Force Fest which takes place in Parsippany, NJ (one hour from NYC) on May 2nd to 4th, 2025.

The festival features 35 bands performing across two stages: including ORGY, The Birthday Massacre, Covenant, Suicide Commando, Aesthetic Perfection, Genitorturers, Funker Vogt, Razed In Black, Calabrese, SITD, Haujobb, Klutæ, TRAITRS, Beborn Beton, God Module, Flesh Field, Dead On A Sunday, Rosegarden Funeral Party, Amelia Arsenic, NYXX, Panic Priest, 2 Shadows, Seraphim Shock, Dancing Plague, genCAB, Occults, SINE, Circuit Preacher, Corbeau Hangs, Die Sexual, Frenchy and the Punk, Everything Goes Cold, Contracult, Project .44, and Whorticulture.

You can order your tickets here.

Dark Force Fest takes place at the Sheraton Parsippany, a castle-style hotel that features 44,000 square feet of event space and 370 hotel rooms. While the hotel rooms in the main venue sold out within days of announcing the festival, there are still overflow hotels in the surrounding area.

In addition to 35 bands, Dark Force Fest activities include:

• Over 100 Vendors
• Sideshow Performances
• Drag Queens
• DJ Club Events (Playing Goth-Industrial Music)
• Classes & Activities
• Panels and Presentations
• Food Trucks

Below is a preview of what to expect.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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Dark-Electro band Funker Vogt was born almost 30 years ago. Core member and operator Gerrit Thomas has already worked with several singers, but for some reason the group always continues with a new singer. The newest album “Final Construct” released by Repo Records saw Bastian Polak (Intent:Outtake) joining the German formation. The album sounds in the fullest Funker Vogt-tradition; somewhere between Dark-Electro and EBM with a slightly more melodic touch on top. In my opinion, a strong production that shows that this legendary group is far from exhausted. I talked about the latest work with Gerrit and Bastian. (Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: The new album “Final Construct” seems to be another turning point in the long career of Funker Vogt. After three albums singer Chris L. was replaced by Bastian Polak so how did this change come about and how did Bastian’s presence change and/or influenced the overall approach and production of “Final Construct”?

Gerrit: We produced three great albums with Chris, but as he started again with Agonoize we reached to a point where working together was no longer possible. I don’t want to go into that in more detail. In any case, we knew that we weren’t finished yet, we just needed a new singer. I already knew Bastian from vocal recordings with Intent:Outtake and the two Fusspils-11-songs, so it made sense to get him on board with Funker Vogt. He’s just a perfect fit. Because I knew what he was capable of, I was able to compose a little more boldly, because you simply don’t have to make any compromises with him.

In this respect, he helped to make the album more extensive and melodic than usual. I also wanted the sound to be very original to Funker Vogt, because in my opinion a new singer brings enough innovations with him.

Q: I personally experienced “Final Construct” as one of the hardest albums in years; a bit like featuring the brutal energy of the early years with the experience and knowledge you gained over the years on top of it. What is your own perception of this work?

Gerrit: Hm, I personally don’t think it’s that hard. On the contrary -there’s still a lot that can be done in that way! As I said, the album should sound as close to Funker Vogt as possible so that our fans aren’t confused when everything is suddenly completely different. I think that you’ll hear a few experiments and unusual things on the next album. But for this album, a new voice is enough of a change.

Bastian: As the new singer of Funker Vogt, I have of course made it my mission to do everyone justice and I think we have found a good way, on the one hand sounding more modern, but also like the old albums. I think “Final Construct” has everything the listener could have hoped for. Hardness, melody, profundity, but also time to take a deep breath 😉

Q: That brings me to ask you how much of the ‘young’ Gerrit Thomas do you still recognize in the approach, writing and production of “Final Construct”? And what are the biggest differences/evolutions compared to this new work?

Gerrit: Well, I would say that I still like the same kind of atmosphere in my music as I did 25 years ago. Only today the technical possibilities are much bigger and I know what I’m doing now…;-)

Q: Lyrical wise I think “Final Construct” seems a bit like a reflection of our contemporary world and all its misery. Can you be a little more specific about the content and how do you face it as human being?

Bastian: The world currently provides us with enough fuel for our music and our socially critical lyrics. However, many people keep thinking that we’re in favor of war, but that’s not the case and we’ve made that clear again on this album. We hold up a mirror to humanity, appeal to their reason, but also sing about solidarity and confidence.

Q: I think you always must have favorite songs and others where you might feel like everything was left out. What about “Final Construct” and can you make a kind of final balance sheet about this production? And do you think the latest album is always the best one?

Gerrit: Yes, we also have our favorites on every album. For me this time it’s “Rain Of Ashes”, “Tiefer”, and the club mix of “The Signaller”. In my opinion, all the others turned out great too, so I can’t say there’s a single one that doesn’t fit or should have better be left.

For me personally, the latest album is always the best one immediately after its release. Of course, I know that this is not always the case. To be able to judge this neutrally, you need to have a few months’ distance from the latest production, sometimes even years!

Bastian: I have already written the lyrics of many albums in my music career and I have to say that “Final Construct” is one of the best. For me, each of the 19 songs has something special, but my personal favorites are “Death Seed”, “Zinnsoldat”, “Die Leinen Los” and definitely “Im Auge Des Orkans” because it stands out a bit from all the other songs.

Q: Funker Vogt is now active for nearly thirty years! What were the biggest challenges you faced during this impressive career?  And do you sometimes feel like you have gotten the most out of it or do you still face new challenges and dreams? And if so, which ones?

Gerrit: Well, there were some setbacks due to the changes of singers that we had to deal with -and obviously we did so! Even though there are always a few people who recommend that we should better stop or rename the band when a new singer comes along, we stay true to our line and keep going on! That’s the ideology behind Funker Vogt. We would be questioning everything we have practiced for 28 years if we gave up. Following the well-known 242 motif: ‘Never Stop’!

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Dark-Electro, EBM.

Format: Digital, CD, Vinyl, Cassette.

Background/Info: The previously released EP “Death Seed” revealed a new Funker Vogt singer. Bastian Pollak -known from Intent:Outtake, joined hands together with core member and master mind Gerrit Thomas while René Dornbusch completes the band.

Content: It has now been 29 years since Funker Vogt released its first album. The sound DNA created by Gerrit Thomas remains recognizable throughout the heavy bass lines, typical electro sequences and hard beats. The melodies remain another and important part of the production. Bastian Polak sings in a harsh, distorted style which completely fits the spirit of the group. “Final Construct” is also a hard production where there are bitterly few resting points. The second album brings additional new scuts and 4 alternate versions of original songs.

+ + + : I remember my reluctance with the first album without Jens Kästel as the vocalist. And actually I had that a bit now too after the departure of Chris L who seemed to find his turn more and more. But the input of Bastian Polak is more than successful. He brings us back somewhat to the initial spirit of Funker Vogt; hard, loud and charismatic. The album is therefore very successful and a non-stop exposure of aggressive songs. “The Signaller” is an absolute stunner to start the album, but the “Club Mix” that opens the second album goes even further. The well-known “Death Seed” still convinces, but I also have to mention other songs like “Blessed Or Cursed” and “Labyrinth”. This work represents a definitive return to the band’s origins.

– – – : The second disc is more than okay although a level beneath the main disc.

Conclusion: Funker Vogt strikes back with their initial rage and power.

Best songs: “The Signaller – Club Mix”, “Death Seed – Album Edit”, “Blessed Or Cursed”, “Sternenstaub”, “The Signaller”, “Labyrinth”.

Rate: 8½ .

Artist: www.funkervogt.de / www.facebook.com/officialfunkervogt

Label: www.reporecords.de / www.facebook.com/pages/Repo-Records/119590774857404

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Dark-Electro.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: German sonic ogre Funker Vogt is back. The new EP features new singer Bastian Polak (Intent:Outtake) while Gerrit Thomas and René Dornbusch took care of the composition. “Death Seed” is an appetizer to the announced new full length album.

Content: This EP sounds like the familiar, hard-hitting Electro stuff from Funker Vogt. We get 2 edits of the title song plus 2 edits of “Questions Their Answers” and the extra, hard, track “A Hundred Ways To Die”.

+ + + : I must say Bastian Polak sounds like the right casting to become the new singer of the band. His powerful and charismatic timbre of voice comes closer to the original singer Jens Kästel than to Chris L (the second singer). The title song is a powerful and melodic piece but the real ‘hit’ to me is the enraged “A Hundred Ways To Die”. I prefer both alternative mixes to the original edits of “Death Seed” and “Question Their Answers”.

– – – : Maybe these new songs will not become the biggest hits of this band but they’re still kicking stuff.

Conclusion: This new EP sounds already for a new chapter in the band’s history but also a cool teaser to the upcoming full length.

Best songs: “A Hundred Ways To Die”, “Death seed – Ackermix”, “Questions Their Answers – Answer Their Questions Mix”.

Rate: 7½.

Artist: www.funkervogt.de / www.facebook.com/officialfunkervogt

Label: www.reporecords.de / www.facebook.com/pages/Repo-Records/119590774857404

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Out via Repo Records on May 3rd is the new Funker Vogt album “Final Construct”. The current line-up of the band consists of Gerrit Thomas, René Dornbusch and singer Bastian Polak. The trio spent a year working on the new album and its pre-release singles “Death Seed”, “Blessed or Cursed” and “The Signaller (Club Mix)”.

“Final Construct” will be released in three versions: a 2CD digipak (including 15 songs and four in-house remixes), a colored gold vinyl and an audio cassette – both with one exclusive song each. Additionally you can also get the album via download and streaming platforms.

The 2CD set comes as a limited first edition in a 6-panel digipak.

Lyricswise the album songs handlethe constant changes in our society. Lyrics writer Bastian Polak comments: “You just can’t keep quiet when you look at all the misery in the world and you might think we’re glorifying war, but the exact opposite is the case. We hold up a mirror to you and tell you about suffering and death, but also about solidarity and courage. Each of us knows the way that would solve all these problems in one fell swoop: Peace and cohesion. Unfortunately, the human species is not yet ready for this. Together we can make a difference, because tolerance and empathy show us the right way. When will we finally learn from our mistakes? When will the change finally come?”

First confirmed Funker Vogt live-dates in 2024

• 29.06.2024: Seattle/USA, Mechanismus Festival
• 10./11.08.2024: Hildesheim, M’era Luna Festival
• 29./30.11.2024: Weissenhäuser Strand, Plage Noire Festival

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 Infacted on March 1st is the 2nd album by Alex Braun (singer of the German electro-pop band !Distain), “Dreamland”. The album is the follow-up to his debut album “reCOVER” (ScentAir 2021).

Unlike the debut, “Dreamland” only contains Braun’s own compositions, without any cover versions. Production-wise he teamed up with Gerrit Thomas (Eisfabrik/Funker Vogt). Note that some of the demo material for this release (“I can’t dance tonight” for example) dates back from the !Distain time period, while most others are newly composed and produced with Gerrit.

The album features all digital single releases such as “Traumfänger”, “Der Gedankensammler” and “Room of Silence“.

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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After their album “Element 115” from 2021, Funker Vogt now returns with Bastian Polak (of Intent:Outtake fame) as their new singer. The first [limited] release from the upcoming album “Final Construct” is the all exclusive 5-tracks EP “Death Seed”. The EP will be out via Repo Records on February 22nd.

The EP contains two versions of the title track “Death Seed” as well as two exclusive new songs, “A Hundred Ways to die” and “Question their Answers”, the latter of which is included in two very different mixes.

The new album will be released on May 3, and will be available as double-CD and – for the first time ever for Funker Vogt – on Limited Vinyl and MC (Tape).

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: Dark Electro-Pop, Dark-Electro, Body-Pop.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: We welcome the fifth official album of ES23. The German solo-project driven by Daniel Pad brings us ten new songs.

Content: ES23 is a project which feels comfortable with the harder Dark-Electro style but also with a softer exposure like Dark Electro/Future-Pop. “Dancing With Clouds” sounds as an offspring between the different influences Daniel Pad has mixed into his music since the early debut. From harder, Dark-Electronic music reminding me a bit of Funker Vogt to ‘softer’ Electro/Body-Pop with Dance elements on top -featuring previously released singles “Now” featuring Dino Serci and “Never”, will maybe appeal for fans of X Marks The Pedwalk. This work has a lot to offer.

+ + + : As Daniel Pad claimed in an interview I did with him ‘I’m not a huge fan producing the same music over and over again’ this new work stands for diversity. It’s not all about ‘innovation’ rather than a mix of the different influences ES23 has experienced over the years. The debut part stands for solid Dark-Electro power featuring orchestral elements and melody lines. Quite progressively the work moves into danceable Electro/Body-Pop music with robotic vocals on top. These songs are driven by solid bass lines and carrying choruses while holding on a powerful exposure. I like both sides of the work although I have a preference for the ’Pop’ side revealing an artist in constant progress.

– – – : The album’s diversity, and especially the mix of styles, is not fully cohesive although I’m not shocked about it.

Conclusion: ES23 has released an album without compromises and appeals for a wider audience of underground electro lovers.

Best songs: “Now”, “Never”, “Firefly”, “Storm”, “Feed The Machines”.

Rate: 8½.

Artist: www.es23.de / www.facebook.com/ES23official

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

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Out now is “Götter in Weiß”, the first single from the new Eisfabrik album of the same name which will be out on 29th December via the NoCut label (SPV). The music video for the single is available as well, you can watch it below.

The song describes the situation of doctors. On the one hand, they bear a great responsibility and are often faced with decisions that can mean the difference between life and death. On the other hand, they are exposed to clichés and prejudices.

The album will be released as a digipak, vinyl and a limited fan box and is now available for pre-order.

About Eisfabrik

Eisfabrik, a German electro and future-pop band, emerged in the winter of 2011/2012, and was formed by Charly Barth-Ricklefs (formerly of Shadow-Minds) and Gerrit Thomas (notably from Funker Vogt). They marked their public debut on October 4, 2014, during the 7th Darkflower Live Night in Leipzig. Early 2015 saw the establishment of their music label, Eismusik. Their debut album “When Winter Comes” was released on February 13, 2015, introducing Jan Bertram as a key member of the band. That year, Eisfabrik supported Project Pitchfork on their Blood-Tour.

By the end of 2015, the band signed a takeover contract with the label NoCut, releasing the album “Eisplanet” within the same year. Their touring ventures with Project Pitchfork and Mono Inc. garnered a wider audience, leading to their first headliner tour, “Nichtsommer-Tour,” across seven cities. The release of their third studio album “Achtzehnhundertunderfroren” coincided with the tour’s commencement. The latter half of the year saw the inception of their second headliner tour, “Kaltgebiete,” which stretched into spring 2018, marked by the release of their fourth album “Null Kelvin”.

Signing with RepoRecords in 2019, they released the EP “Rotationsausfall in der Eisfabrik.” The following year, their fifth studio album “Kryothermalmusik aus der Eisfabrik” made its debut in the German album charts. Winter 2021/2022 marked their return to NoCut label, with the release of their 6th studio album “Life Below Zero”.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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Genre/Influences: EBM, Dark-Electro.

Format: Digital, 2CD.

Background/Info: Together with Repo Records Funker Vogt moved on revisiting the band’s back catalogue. “Blutzoll” was originally released in 2010 by Synthetic Symphony and Metropolis records (for the USA). The “Collector’s Edition” features all original songs plus bonus disc with remixes and the EP “Arising Hero”. Three previously unreleased remixes have been featured as well. Back in time master mind and ‘machine man’ Gerrit Thomas was still accompanied by Jens Kästel on vocals -and the band’s original singer.

Content: No true surprises for the fans of the band but a remastered edition getting us back to this album. “Blutzoll” was the tenth studio album by Funker Vogt revealing a band in good shape, mixing EBM and Dark-Electro with the easy-recognizable bass lines, sequences, rhythms and arrangements of Gerrit Thomas and the harsh vocals of Jens Kästel. The first disc features next to the original “Blutzoll”-album the EP “Arising Hero”. The bonus disc brings us back to an impressive list of remixes and extra songs. Remixes were accomplished by FGFC820, Rotersand, Dopestars Inc, Vigilante, Eric Van Wonterghem (Monolith), Faderhead, Die Krupps, Punto Omega,  Noblesse Oblige, Komor Kommando and Mortiis. One of the previously unreleased songs is a “2021”-version of “Terroristen”. 

+ + + : Thirteen years after the original release this album still kicks ass. It sounds in the purest power tradition of Funker Vogt and featured great songs like “Arising Hero”, “Genozid”, “Terroristen” and “Bloodthirst”. Among the remixes I especially want to mention the diversity of the versions but as main attention grabbers the Komor Commando-remix of “Arising Hero” and the totally EBM adapted “Fire And Forget” by Die Krupps. The song “Urban War” was a cool bonus at this bonus disc and the song still kicks today.

– – – : From a very personal view I would say “Blutzoll” wasn’t exactly the best Funker Vogt-album in history and probably one with the least ‘hits’.

Conclusion: This is a great work for the world wide fan basis of this legendary formation.

Best songs: “Genozid”, “Arising Hero – Club Mix”, “Terroristen”, “Ariusing Hero” + “Arising Hero – Factory Mix by Komor Kommando”, “Fire And Forget – Die Krupps Remix”.

Rate: 8.

Artist: www.funkervogt.de / www.facebook.com/officialfunkervogt

Label: www.reporecords.de / www.facebook.com/pages/Repo-Records/119590774857404

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

Funker Vogt’s 8th longplayer “Blutzoll” (October 2010) is available again as a new collector’s edition via Repo Records from June 2nd on. The double digipak contains all the tracks and bonus tracks of the original CD, as well as the maxi CD “Arising Hero”. As a special extra there are 3 previously unreleased, exclusive remixes. Everything was remastered personally by Funker Vogt mastermind Gerrit Thomas.

Check out “Arising Hero” (Faderhead remix) right below.

Here’s the tracklist.

Tracks CD1:

1. Arising Hero
2. Genozid
3. The State Within
4. Fire and Forget
5. Robots
6. Hold my Ground
7. Terroristen
8. Krieger
9. My Innermost
10. Bloodthirst
11. Black Waters
12. Arising Hero – Forgiven
13. Arising Hero – Club Mix
14. Arising Hero – Redemption
15. Arising Hero – Revolution
16. My Innermost – Loop Mix

Tracks CD2:

1. Genozid (FGFC820 Remix)
2. Arising Hero (rotersand rework)
3. Fire and Forget (Remix by Dopestars Inc)
4. The State Within (Vigilante Remix)
5. Wake up
6. Genozid (Goldremix by Eric Van Wonterghem)
7. Arising Hero (Faderhead Remix)
8. Fire and Forget (Die Krupps Remix)
9. The State Within (Revolution Mix by Punto Omega)
10. Urban War
11. My Innermost (Noblesse Oblige Remix)
12. Arising Hero (Factory mix by Komor Kommando)
13. Fire and Forget (Mortiis Remix)
14. From the Flames
15. Terroristen (2021)
16. My Innermost (Demoversion)
17. Arising Hero (Minimix)

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, Body-Pop, Cinematic, Punk.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Fusspils 11 is a project driven by Gerrit Thomas (Funker Vogt, Eisfabrik, Ravenous, Fictional). Two previous albums were released by Fusspils 11 while this is the first new work since 2005. The work features three original songs and a majority of surprising cover versions featuring guest singers/artists. The contributors are Bastian Polak (Intent:Outtake), Andreas Engleitner (Intent:Outtake), Charly Barth-Ricklefs (Eisfabrik), Tim Schulschenk (Alienare), Dirk Scheuber (Scheuber, Project Pitchfork), Jan Bertram (Eisfabrik), Alexander ‘Fischy’ Fischer (Tourmanagement, Yeti), Stefan Winkel (Gecko Sector), René Dornbusch (Funker Vogt, Eisfabrik) and Stephan Herrmann (J-SOC, Scheuber).

Content: Soundwise this work has less in common with previous Fusspils 11 albums except Gerrit Thomas is the steersman. The cover versions are pretty diversified ranging from Rammstein to Kraftwerk to Bots to Torfrock. Most of those bands are pretty popular in Germany and inspired Gerrit Thomas to achieve an own interpretation. The original songs by Fusspils 11 are easier to recognize. Gerrit Thomas’ typical sound arrangements reminding Funker Vogt but still his other projects are coming through while these songs are more powerful as well. He sings on two of these songs. 

+ + + : This work was for sure pure fun; working on some funny- and other unexpected German covers while joined by some mates. I however prefer the original Fusspils 11 songs which are probably not as fun but definitely more powerful. It’s however cool to hear Gerrit Thomas transposing “Haifisch” (Rammstein) and “Das Modell” (Kraftwerk) into his own sound and approach. One of the most funny cuts might become a hit. I’m referring to the legendary “Sieben Tage Lang” originally written by Bots. If you remember the free adaptation of this song by Scooter (cf. “How Much Is The Fish?”) which became a famous hit you never know where the Fusspils 11-cover will end.

– – – : This album is fun and featuring some cool dancefloor cuts but it’s the less convincing work I ever heard from Gerrit Thomas -who I still consider as one of the greatest artists from this scene.

Conclusion: Definitely fun and something different from Gerrit Thomas’ studio but not totally convincing!

Best songs: “Die Drei Säulen Des Wahnsinns”, “Zombiewelt”, “Bambule In Kindergarten”, “Schwartz Zu Blau”, “Sieben Tage Lang”.

Rate: 7.

Artist: www.facebook.com/Fusspils11

Label: www.reporecords.de / www.facebook.com/pages/Repo-Records/119590774857404

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: Body-Pop, Future-Pop.

Format: Digital, 2CD, Vinyl.

Background/Info: For their sixth full length album German formation Eisfabrik moved back to NoCut. The work features twenty songs.

Content: The sound of Eisfabrik remains the same as on previous works. It’s a constant powerful mix of stumping kicks and carrying choruses. You recognize the typical Gerrit Thomas arrangements and effects reminding me of Funker Vogt but this project is more polished and ‘softer’. On top of it all you once more will notice the charismatic vocals of Charly Barth-Ricklefs aka ‘Dr. Schnee’.

+ + + : Releasing an album of twenty songs from a high qualitative level is a true tour de force. Behind this great writing process Gerrit Thomas once more reveals his endless skills. Eisfabrik sounds pretty Funker Vogt like -just like all previous works, but the production is more polished and Pop-driven. It however remains a solid power-pop format exposed on songs like “Mirror”, “One More Tale”, “White Wings” and “Choose”. You now and then will notice a few harder EBM bass-driven bass line and aggressive sequences. But everything remains in balance by the carrying choruses.

– – – : The global production remains constantly improved but the sound becomes a little bit predictable. The few softer songs bring a break but aren’t the most convincing songs.

Conclusion: Eisfabrik remains a band with a weird image, a solid Future-Pop sound, and multiple great songs.

Best songs: “Mirror”, “One More Tale”, “White Wings”, “Choose”, “Life Below Zero”, “Lost In Endless Ice”.

Rate: 8½.

Artist: www.eismusik.de / www.facebook.com/eisfabrikofficial

Label: http://nocut.de / www.facebook.com/spventertainment

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Out now via RepoRecords is the brand new video by Fusspils 11 for the cover version of “Haifisch” which is originally from Rammstein. “Haifisch” as a pre-single for Fusspils 11’s new album “Halbwegs verpeilt”, which will be released on April 29th, 2022. On this track you will hear guest singer Bastian Polak (Intent:Outtake).

“Halbwegs verpeilt” is the third release for this project by Gerrit Thomas (Eisfabrik, Funker Vogt, Ravenous, Fictional) after “Gib ihr einen Namen” (1998) and “Elektro-Polizei” (2005).

On this new album you’ll find a long list of collaborators like Bastian Polak (Intent:Outtake), Andreas Engleitner (Intent:Outtake), Charly Barth-Ricklefs (Eisfabrik), Tim Schulschenk (Alienare), Dirk Scheuber (Scheuber), Jan Bertram (Eisfabrik), Alexander „Fischy“ Fischer (Tourmanagement, Yeti), Stefan Winkel (Gecko Sector), René Dornbusch (Funker Vogt, Eisfabrik) and Stephan Herrmann (J-SOC, Scheuber).

The video for “Haifisch” was produced by Gerrit Thomas.

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

Ravenous got some fame in the 90s. The German formation released three albums in between 1996 and 2000; “Mass Mental Cruelty” (1996, on Off Beat), “No Retreat And No Surrender” (1998, on Zoth Ommog) and “Phoenix” (2000, on Bloodline). The band next took a long break and got finally reactivated this year to celebrate the 25^th anniversary of their debut album. Björn Böttcher, Gerrit Thomas (Funker Vogt, Eisfabrik ao) and Tim Fockenbrock joined back hands together and released the ‘new’ album “Forward To The Roots” on RepoRecords. The band’s fourth album is a mix of new songs, previously unreleased tracks and rarities and the never released single “Frozen Tears”. The work remains a danceable mix between EBM and Electro-Pop. I got in touch with the band’s singer Tim Fockenbrock.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: After more than twenty years of silence, Ravenous has been recovered from dust. What have been the triggers and motivation to bring the project alive?

Tim: That´s pretty simple. We had our first CD-release in 1996 and so we´ve got our 25th anniversary in 2021. So Björn asked me, if I was interested to release some old Mix-Versions and unreleased material. I agreed and we took that chance to make some new stuff.

Q: What did you guys keep in mind from the early years, the ‘old’ releases and their sound approach and what does the band stands for today?

Tim: We were and still are incorrigible believers in hope and justice and that everything will turn out good in the end. We became older and wiser and our new songs are representing the powerful and uncomplicated faith in ourselves and our sound. 

Q: The album “Forward To The Roots” is a melting pot of new songs, rarities, remixes and even a previously unreleased single. What can you say about it?

Tim: We are all different characters in our band. We´ve got different stories to tell. We have internalized and accepted our past and our shadows. Now we are in peace with ourselves. Now the circle closes and we are ready to look forward without forgetting where we came from. “Forward To The Roots” reminds us of our strength and power.

Q: How comes the single “Frozen Tears” –meant to be released in 2001, never saw the daylight? And how comes Ravenous finally stopped its activities after three rather successful albums?

Tim: It´s because I started to make experiences in different bands. I was always open for good music, no matter what genre. So we had a break which took longer than we thought.

Q: How was it working on the new songs of the album? What’s the input of the different members and did you notice main changes with the old albums?

Tim: It was great to feel the power and inspiration again. In my opinion, the way we create our music, is now more effective. Gerrit creates the sound and I translate this on my piano to find the right melody. Afterwards we turn it back into the Electronic sound. This is a very special mix and typical for the Ravenous-sound. By writing the lyrics I also got another option to speak about my feelings, which is great.

Q: I noticed the single “Roots” has reached the Deutsche Alternative Charts while speaking right now, the album will probably enter as well. What does it mean to reach the DAC? What’s the true impact of these charts? And what brings the future for Ravenous?

Tim: It´s always good news if a lot of people recognize our music. Especially fans, DJ`s and Radio-Stations. There is no pressure and we will see what the future brings.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

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

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Ravenous is back after a silence of more than twenty years! Tim Fockenbrock, Björn Böttcher and Gerrit Thomas decided to recover the project from the dust, releasing a few new songs plus previously unreleased tracks, rarities and remixes. Kai Schmidt is no longer involved. 

Content: The album is a way to get back to the 90s, the decade wherein Ravenous as a side-project of Funker Vogt released 3 albums in between 1996 and 2000. The songs are a softer and more Pop-orientated version of Funker Vogt, but you still recognize some typical bass lines and arrangements of Gerrit Thomas. The new songs are holding on to this approach. You can compare it with some older songs and the previously unreleased “Frozen Tears”, which was meant to be released as a single/EP in 2001. Remixes have been accomplished by Re/Work and The Dust Of Basement, both originally made in 2000. 

+ + + : It’s maybe not a good idea to compare Ravenous to Funker Vogt, but it definitely sounds like a softer and Electro-Pop driven edit. The drums, bass lines, strings and melody lines are clearly evoking Funker Vogt, but the songs are all more polished and driven by clear vocals. The new songs –and especially “Roots” are cool cuts carried by a strong chorus. The previously unreleased “Frozen Tears” is another cool song so in the end it sounds great this previously unreleased EP-title song finally saw the daylight. Among the other ‘older’ songs I especially recommend “Empire” for its harder approach and irresistible, icy lead. It’s also cool to remind us of bands like Re/Work and The Dust Of Basement. It’s also interesting to re-discover a few songs that were originally recorded in the studio of Sevren Ni-Arb (X Marks The Pedwalk) where numerous great artists recorded their work back in the 90s. 

– – – : The question is if this album will also stand for a new start of Ravenous? This one is a cool way to re-discover this project, but a totally new full length would be more interesting. 

Conclusion: If you like the work and sound of Gerrit Thomas, you for sure are going to like this album filled with rarities and some extra new songs. 

Best songs: “Empire – Unreleased Version 1999”, “Faster Than Time – Alternative Version 1996”, “Roots”, “Frozen Tears 2021”. 

Rate: 7½. 

Artist: www.ravenous.de / www.facebook.com/Ravenous-102636321922141 

Label: www.reporecords.de / www.facebook.com/pages/Repo-Records/119590774857404 

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, Body-Pop.

Format: Digital.

Background/Info: This year, American formation DV8R returned with “IO”. It rather looks like a mini-album instead of a true full length, the work featuring six new songs plus four remixes. “IO” was released three years after the debut full-length “Zero Hour”.

Content: “IO” stands for dynamic, hard and elaborated EBM. But it moves further than simply ‘classical’ EBM; it’s an elaborated production, which more than once reminds me of the genius of sound guru Seb Kommor.

The remixes were made by Siva Six, Funker Vogt, ES23 and Grendel.

+ + + : This is what I should call ‘progressive EBM’! It sounds like music for the ‘new’ generation of EBM freaks; a hard and sophisticated production with great sound treatments and impressive manipulations. “Nemesis” and “Beat Alive” both illustrate the potential of the formation, but still their impressive writing skills. A few other tracks have been refined with Electro-Pop arrangements, which mainly emerge during the choruses. The list of remixes is also impressive and I especially recommend the great job accomplished by Siva Six remixing “Nemesis” and Grendel remixing “Anatomy Omega”.

– – – : I can’t find noticeable minus parts here.

Conclusion: DV8R is not like most EBM formations, which simply reproduce the codes, but this band stands for great and alluring modernism!

Best songs: “Nemesis”, “Beat Alive”, “Output”, “Nemesis – Siva Six Remix”, “Anatomy Omega – Grendel Remix”.

Rate: 9.

Artist: www.dv8r.net / www.facebook.com/DV8RBAND

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

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

(Photo by Ravenous & Pixel Breed) The new song “Roots” is the first new Ravenous release in over 20 years. It is available as a digital single in all relevant stores today. An official lyric video is available on YouTube and can be seen below.

“Roots” is the opening track for Ravenous’ upcoming 25 years anniversary album “Forward to the Roots” which will be released on 29 October on Repo Records and is the 4th album of the trio consisting of Björn Böttcher, Gerrit Thomas and Tim Fockenbrock.

The album is a mix of new songs (“Roots”, “Here Again” and “Free Me”), unreleased tracks and rarities from the band archive ranging from unreleased versions of tracks from the 1996 debut (recorded by X-Marks the Pedwalk’s mind Andre Schmechta), to unreleased remixes, demos and rarities.

Also included is the never released re-recording of the single “Frozen Tears” (originally planned for 2001 but never released).

Enjoy the official “Roots” lyric video.

About Ravenous

Ravenous was born somewhere in 1989 and after their debut album on Off Beat they would release a second album, “No Retreat And No Surrender”, on Zoth Ommog in 1998. “Phoenix” followed in 2000 on Bloodline. And after that the lights went out.

During these 20 years apart, the band members have musically gone their own ways: While Björn Böttcher, after an extensive live artist career with Funker Vogt, ultimately delved into label and artist management with RepoRecords, Gerrit Thomas took a career in music production. Tim Fockenbrock, for his part, worked with several bands outside the scene and even deployed a dubbing career.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

The German electro band returns after 21 years of silence. Björn Böttcher, Gerrit Thomas and Tim Fockenbrock are to release a new album on the 25th anniversary of their 1996 debut album “Mass Mental Cruelty” (Off Beat), November 29th that is.

The new album, “Forward to the Roots”, will be released via Repo Records and is the band’s 4th album.

The album is a mix of new songs (“Roots”, “Here Again” and “Free Me”), unreleased tracks and rarities from the band archive ranging from unreleased versions of tracks from the 1996 debut (recorded by X-Marks the Pedwalk’s mind Andre Schmechta), to unreleased remixes, demos and rarities.

Also included is the never released re-recording of the single “Frozen Tears” (originally planned for 2001 but never released).

Tracks:

1. Roots
2. Here again
3. Frozen Tears (2021)
4. Free Me
5. If you believe it (2002)
6. Roots (Alternative Vocal Edit)
7. Frozen Tears (2001)
8. Violent World (Plain Real Remix 1996)
9. Faster than Time (Alternative Version 1996)
10. Flesh and Bone (Alternative Version 1996)
11. Silverray (Radio Edit 1999)
12. Empire (Unreleased Version 1999)
13. The Last (Demo 1999)
14. Between the Worlds (Re/Work Remix 2000)
15. My Name (The Dust of Basement Remix 2000)
16. The Loop (2002)

About Ravenous

Ravenous was born somewhere in 1989 and after their debut album on Off Beat they would release a second album, “No Retreat And No Surrender”, on Zoth Ommog in 1998. “Phoenix” followed in 2000 on Bloodline. And after that the lights went out.

During these 20 years apart, the band members have musically gone their own ways: While Björn Böttcher, after an extensive live artist career with Funker Vogt, ultimately delved into label and artist management with RepoRecords, Gerrit Thomas took a career in music production. Tim Fockenbrock, for his part, worked with several bands outside the scene and even deployed a dubbing career.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Dark-Electro.

Format: Digital, 2CD.

Background/Info: “666 Degrees Below” was a solid teaser to Agonoize’s seventh album to date. The Berlin-based combo released their second album on RepoRecords and again asked Gerrit Thomas (Funker Vogt, Eisfabrik) to mix and master the album. The album again included a second disc featuring six extra tracks.

Content: The influences and sound formula of the ‘Hellectro’ band hasn’t changed. Frontman Chris L. seems to be warding the sound formula to remain the same. The sonic universe of Agonoize is made of provocation, which you can notice in the titles, artwork and of course the songs versus lyrics. The sound remains driven by furious beats overloaded by dark strings and carried by heavy, melodic sequences. On top of it all you’ll hear Chris L.  singing in his familiar enraged way. The songs are sung in German, but some choruses feature English words while there also is one song in English. Some of the melodies are reminding me of Suicide Commando, but where Johan Van Roy also likes calmer, moody songs, Agonoize holds on a constant and merciless power. The album features 13 songs and among the tracklist you’ll recognize the already familiar “666 Degrees Below” plus the original edits of “Komakind”, “Angst Ist Macht”, “Faux Amis” and “Dein Gott”, which were featured in an alternative- and/or remixed version at the EP.

The bonus disc brings a bit more diversity revealing a few ‘softer’ songs, but the main trend remains harsh and merciless. The tracklist features and “Frozen”-edit of “666 Degrees Below” plus alternative edits of “Mststck” and “L.ove I.s L.ost” plus 3 real new songs. One of these songs (cf. “Every Day, I Die”) is a kind of hell-electro ballad while both other cuts are pure rage.

+ + + : I think it was not easy releasing a new album after the successful“Midget Vampire Porn”, released in 2019. But Agonoize seems to like challenges and did it again. The work doesn’t innovate, but the band simply becomes better and better. The songs are just what you might expect from Dark-Electro music; harsh, dark, powerful and provocative. Agonoize brings all these ingredients together in a perfect, balanced work. “666 Degrees Below” remains an absolute hit, but I also want to mention “Faux Amis”, the English sung “Love To Hate”, which is a song that will appeal to Suicide Commando fans and “The Age Of Depression”. On the bonus disc I recommend “Tease & Denial” and Krank”, the last cut featuring cool epic chants. “Mststck – Sucht” sounds also more convincing than the original version on the main disc. The nearly constant power of this album is great. I also highly recommend the CD-version for its –once again, great, artistic digipak and artwork.

– – – : You get a total amount of 19 songs and there’s only one single piece –the atypical ballad-like “Every Day, I Die”, which couldn’t convince me. So you’ll have to agree there’s no reason to complain.

Conclusion: Agonoize moves on there where the previous album stopped, and it’s again an undeniable masterpiece and for sure what will become one of the best Dark-Electro albums of 2021!

Best songs: “666 Degrees Below”, “Love To Hate”, “Faux Amis”, “The Age Of Depression”, “Mststck”, “A Hole” + “Krank”, “Tease & Denial”, “Mststck – Sucht”.

Rate: (9).

Artist: www.agonoize.berlin / www.facebook.com/AgonoizeOfficial

Label: www.reporecords.de / www.facebook.com/pages/Repo-Records/119590774857404

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Dark-Electro.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Two years after the outstanding “Midget Vampire Porn”, Berlin-based (Germany) Agonoize strikes back. This EP is an appetizer to the seventh full length album of the band.

Content: The title song also is the opener of the EP revealing Agonoize is in good shape. They remain driven by this dark and freaky (h)el(l)ectro style. All aspects are dark and I even dare to say tormented. The songs are hard and bouncing, mixed with melodic sequences and leads while frontman Chris L. is still singing as a possessed soul.

Next to the title song we get 4 more cuts from the upcoming album, but only as remixes. The “Short Cut” of “Angst Ist Macht” is probably pretty close with the album edit and remains pure Agonoize-like. Eisfabrik and Nachtmahr have remixed each one song. The track “Komakind” has been remixed by Nachtblut while there also is a pretty clubby-sounding “Klubkind Mix”.

+ + + : There’s no better way than introducing your new full length album with such a great EP-title song. “666 Degrees Below” simply confirms the status of Agonoize; there’s no other band able to push the boundaries of Dark-Electro to this degree of terror and hell… It’s an extremely powerful song filled with anger and rage, but still masterly controlled. Both remixes by Eisfabrik (cf. “Faux Amis”) and Nachtmahr (cf. “Dein Gott”) are brilliant. Notice by the way Gerrit Thomas (Funker Vogt, Eisfabrik) again did the mixing and mastering of the album. I also have to mention the dancefloor-driven “Komakind”-edit, which is another potential hit. When discovering this EP you can only, but be prepared to welcome the new Agonoize-album.

– – – : I was less inspired by the Nachtblut remix of “Komakind” revealing guitar riffs on top. It all sounds like taking a distance with the Agonoize-sound –however that’s precisely what remixes stand for.

Conclusion: Dark-Electro terror that opens the gate of hell!

Best songs: “666 Degrees Below”, “Komakind – Klubkind Mix”, “Dein Gott – Nachtmahr Remix”, “Faux amis – Eisfabrik Remix”.

Rate: (8).

Artist: www.agonoize.berlin / www.facebook.com/AgonoizeOfficial

Label: www.reporecords.de / www.facebook.com/pages/Repo-Records/119590774857404

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Dark-Electro.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Early this year Funker Vogt unleashed one of their best albums to date (cf. “Element 115”). The German formation driven by core member and operator Gerrit Thomas seems to have found a second breath since Chris L. joined in. The band has been prolific, unleashing this EP featuring five new songs plus three remixes.

Content: The new songs are in the vein and continuation of “Element 115”. Funker Vogt stands for merciless Electro driven by hard kicks, melodic, but aggressive sequences, elevating choruses and enraged vocals. The opening song “Element 115” stands for this aggressive dance boost, but I can also mention “The Path Of The Gods” and “Stranger”. The band itself remixed the songs “Abducted”, “A Step Into The dark” and “What If I’m Wrong?”, which are songs originally released on the last album.

+ + + : The new Funker Vogt production is getting back to the original power of the band, but the production became more accomplished; rough and brutal, but still refined and melodic. You recognize the arrangements of Gerrit Thomas while singer Chris L. seems to add this little extra to the sound. Among the new songs there’re a few great pieces. “Stranger” is the absolute masterpiece; rough and merciless cadence joined by the typical Funker Vogt sequences and lead. “Element 115” is a great opener, illustrating the rage of this band, which comes also back at “Supernova” and “The Path Of The Gods”. When you get an EP featuring 4 brilliant songs from the 5 new ones you can only, but be satisfied. Among the remixes I want to mention the “Unumpentium-Mix” of “Abducted. 

– – – : I can’t say there are disappointing songs featured on this EP although the remixes of “A Step Into The Dark” and “What If I’m Wrong?” aren’t my favorite.

Conclusion: 2021 seems to be a great vintage for Funker Vogt and the year is not even half over! This is alluring Dark-Electro.

Best songs: “Stranger”, “Element 115”, “Supernova”, “The Path Of The Gods”, “Abducted – Ununpentium-Mix”.

Rate: (8).

Artist: www.facebook.com/officialfunkervogt

Label: www.reporecords.de / www.facebook.com/pages/Repo-Records/119590774857404

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

With “Cryogenix”, In Strict Confidence released their debut CD on Talla 2XLC’s electro cult label Zoth Ommog in 1996. Four years after its release, however, the label ceased to exist and as a result, “Cryogenix” disappeared from the market in 2000 until today.

The band and its label Minuswelt have now revived this album for its 25th anniversary in a special edition. The new edition comes with 4 extra bonus tracks (rare and unreleased material): “Dementia” (Funker Vogt Remix), “Inside” (Inside Out Instrumental), “Heavens Help” (Life – Part 3) and “Dementia” (Redux).

About In Strict Confidence

In Strict Confidence is a German electro-industrial band. Formed in 1989, they were known as Seal of Secrecy until 1992. In Strict Confidence has been signed to several record labels, including Zoth Ommog, Metropolis Records and WTII Records.

In Strict Confidence originally started out as a quartet, but stripped down to a duo (Dennis Ostermann and Jörg Schelte) in 1992, releasing two demos tapes on the way to their debut release “Cryogenix” on Zoth Ommog in 1996, shortly followed by an EP “Collapse”. The third album “Love Kills!” was released on the newly formed but unfortunately short lived Bloodline label two years later.

Founding member Stefan Vesper then re-joined the group in time for “Mistrust the Angels” in 2002 with subsequent albums “Holy” and “Exile Paradise” appearing at two-year intervals. These albums saw the increasing use of female vocals from Antje Schulz, vocalist of the band Chandeen, and the addition of female vocalist Nina de Lianin.

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

Funker Vogt is a band, which needs no further introduction. Set up in 1995 by the duo Jens Kästel (vocals) – Gerrit Thomas (machines) they became an instant success, setting EBM- and Dark-Electro dance floors on fire. They never stopped releasing great albums and new hits, but a few years ago now an important change happened in the line-up. Jens Kästel left the band and got replaced by Chris L, this way injecting new ideas to the band. The new album “Element 115” released on RepoRecords is the third full length featuring Gerrit Thomas and Chris L. It’s a solid and powerful opus confirming the leading status of Funker Vogt. I got in touch with operator Gerrit Thomas.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: The new album “Element 115” sounds in the prolongation of “Wastelands”; a hard and powerful production reminding early Funker Vogt productions! How do you see this evolution from your side and what kind of work did you want to accomplish with “Element 115”?

Gerrit: I think the current album is just a continuation of our work from the last few years. Personally, I can‘t find many parallels to old Funker Vogt productions. We just focused more on melodies and neglected monotonous and technoid song structures. It‘s all more real EBM, I think…:-)

Q: I think there’s a lot to say about the title of the album “Element 115” and the main theme dealing about Alien conspiracies. How did you come to deal with this theme? What is it really all about and what did you really try to express by the lyrical themes?

Gerrit:Well, first of all I have to say that this topic is so extensive that you can only scratch it on the surface with just one album. Chris and I had talked about this theme on a concert trip and decided to produce a concept album on which only the topics of the pre-astronautics should be processed. And so, with the “Conspiracy”-EP, the album “Element 115” and the EP “Mc 5f14 6d10 7s2 7p3” even three releases were created including this topic. For the moment we are ready with this, but we could write many many songs more about aliens and stuff like this…

Q: Even if “Element 115” sounds as pure Funker Vogt, the title of the album, some of the lyrics, the artwork –and especially the booklet, but also the clip of “Lost” sound a bit as an antithesis to the early ‘military’ image of the band! Was it time to change/evolve? How do you see this progression/evolution?

Gerrit:Yes, we got stuck in the typical Funker Vogt topic and had the feeling of repeating ourselves more and more. With this topic, we wanted to break away from that and give ourselves more space for the future. Of course, that does not mean that there will be no more social critical lyrics with military backgrounds in the future.  They’ll just be packaged in more various ways.

Q: Let’s talk about the clip of “Lost”, which is absolutely high-tech and totally different from the usual clips by Dark-Electro bands. What have been the different stages to realize this clip? What did you try to express by the clip and who has been involved to achieve this clip?

Gerrit: Chris did this clip by cutting scenes, which you can buy. But it‘s not an official Funker Vogt clip. He got that much rough material for the official clip of “Olympus” that he could make some more clips and just released them on his own channel. So, “Lost“ is just one of a series of video clips Chris did in his free time.

Q: Next to the “Element 115”-album you also released a new EP entitled “Mc 5f146d107s27p3”, which features five (!) new songs plus three remixes. What’s the true connection between the album and the EP and was it already planned when you were working on the album?

Gerrit:The five new songs on the EP were already in work when the album was released.  They just weren’t finished by the deadline.  Since we planned to add another EP anyway, we just finished the songs and made the three remixes. You can actually see the EP as an extension of the album. Therefore the same title, just presented in a different way.

Q: 2020 has been a year without big festivals and tours, which I can imagine must have been something surreal for artists and the fans. How do you see things evolving and what are the further live plans for Funker Vogt? Do you expect some festivals and event organizers will maybe disappear because of the pandemic impact?

Gerrit:Oh yes, I definitely think so! I personally know several people who have already reoriented their jobs and careers and probably turned their backs on this branch forever.

But for us it‘s not that essential to play concerts because we all have possibilities to earn money in different ways. But for sure, we all want to come back on stage any time, but making plans is not possible these days…

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Dark-Electro, EBM.

Format: Digital, 2CD.

Background/Info: Three years already passed since the previous Funker Vogt album (cf. “Wastelands”). The German formation lead by Gerrit Thomas, Chris L and Rene Dornbusch however last year released the EP “Conspiracy” as an appetizer to this new work featuring thirteen new tracks plus an extra disc featuring seven songs.

Content: What is this album and its title all about? Is it about the chemical element Moscovium, which is a radioactive element? One thing is for sure, this album kicks ass! Funker Vogt moves on there where they already revealed similar power at their previous album. The songs are driven by hard-hitting kicks, aggressive sequences and heavy, symphonic leads. Chris L –for whom this is the third Funker Vogt album, mainly sings in German and English. The songs reveal a rather ‘classical’ Funker Vogt sound formula featuring the easy recognizable sound DNA of Gerrit Thomas. There are no real breaks, but a constant power is maintained till the final track.

And the second disc moves in a similar way, opening with the already familiar “The Fallen Race” (featured at their “Conspiracy”-EP. The bonus disc features a few more ‘revisited’ songs from the main disc, but still a few extra songs featuring similar rage and power.   

+ + + : This new album confirms the stunning return of Funker Vogt they’ve shown at “Wastelands”. The songs are pure power, but still carried by solid and melodic choruses. The album doesn’t feature real surprises or innovative elements, but simply wants to remind us Funker Vogt has something unique. You easily recognize it in the sound treatments and global arrangements. But it also sounds like the band has really found a new breath since Chris L joined in. Songs like “Gaia”, “Invasion”, “A.I.”, “Olympus”, “What If I’m Wrong?” and “The Wanting” confirm the endless creativity of this formation. The bonus disc is a cool addition to the album. I here especially recommend “Gate Of The Gods” and the “Bonus Edit” of “Invasion”. Last, but not least I also want to say a word about the great digipak format and especially the booklet featuring cool illustrations. “Element 115” reveals Funker Vogt in great light!

– – – : The last song from the first disc is one of the single cuts that couldn’t convince me.

Conclusion: “Element 115” is a new essential production in the impressive Funker Vogt discography. The band doesn’t maybe bring something really new, but they at least hold on their impressive sound and power.

Best songs: “Gaia”, “Invasion”, “A.I.”, “Olympus”, “What If I’m Wrong?” + “Gate Of The Gods”, “Invasion – Bonus Edit”, “The Fallen Race – Bonus Edit”.

Rate: (8½).

Artist: www.funkervogt.de /  www.facebook.com/officialfunkervogt

Label: www.reporecords.de / www.facebook.com/pages/Repo-Records/119590774857404

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Out now is the digital lead single “Olympus” and video clip which act as a teaser for the forthcoming limited edition 2CD album “Element 115”. The limited edition 2CD album holds 13 new tracks, plus 5 bonus tracks.

As far as the meaning behind the album title “Element 115” we have to go to the Area 51 conspiracy theory. According to Bob Lazar, a former Area 51 scientist who made public appearances back in the 1980s by publishing so-called secret information, the Element 115 is used to power a gravitational propulsion system with an antimatter reactor as its energy source.

You can enjoy the new official video clip for “Olympus” below.

The follow up EP “Mc 5f146d107s27p3” will be out on the 26th of March 2021.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

Out on January 29th is the brand new album by Funker Vogt: “Element 115”. The first edition will be released as a double album including an exclusive 7-tracks bonus-CD. The picture above shows Chris and Gerrit who are already working on a new single.

The band’s last studio album was “Wastelands ” from 2018, but earlier this year we already got the standalone “Conspiracy” EP.

The title of the album, “Element 115”, refers to Moscovium, an extremely radioactive element. This synthetic chemical element with the symbol Mc and atomic number 115 was first synthesized in 2003 by a joint team of Russian and American scientists at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR) in Dubna, Russia. In December 2015, it was recognized as one of four new elements by the Joint Working Party of international scientific bodies IUPAC and IUPAP. On 28 November 2016, it was officially named after the Moscow Oblast, in which the JINR is situated.

Here are the tracks featured on the bonus disc.

1. The fallen Race – Bonus Edit [7:10]
2. To the Sun – Bonus Edit [6:12]
3. God with Us [4:35]
4. Gate of the Gods [3:34]
5. How to kill a God? [3:58]
6. Invasion – Bonus Edit [5:11]
7. We Believe – Bonus Edit [5:43]

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Dark-Electro, EBM.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: God Module last year unleashed the successful opus “The Unsound”, which has been now revisited by an impressive list of artists remixing most of the songs from the album. “The Unsound” was God Module’s eighth official album.

Content: From the 10 original songs of the album only 2 (cf. “Behind The Curtain” and “One Last Wish”) haven’t been remixed. We get a total of seventeen (!) remixes by Iris, Amnestic, ESA, Baby Magick, Ruined Conflict, ES23, System Syn, Wolftron, Reichsfeind, Absynthe Of Faith, “Finite Automata, Ghostfeeder, Invalid, Velvet Acid Christ, Funker Vogt, Aircrash Bureau and Rodney Anonymous.

The selection of remixers is pretty diversified resulting in a true sonic cocktail. It’s pretty surprising to hear God Module being remixed by Iris for example. But I can also mention the heavier and industrial work by Amnestic and the melancholic Pop of System Syn. The album ends with heavy dance cuts by Funker Vogt and Aircrash Bureau.

+ + + : It’s cool to nearly get all songs from the album being remixed. It creates a cool diversity and I’m sure we all will find some favorite cuts. I have to mention ES23 transforming “Cross My Heart” into a powerful, melodic edit. Funker Vogt did a great job remixing “Unconscious” while I also have to mention “Déjà vu” remixed by Aircrash Bureau. Ruined conflict is another great name and the remix of “Display” definitely belongs to the best of this opus. So in the end it’s quite interesting to see that some of the best songs from the original album didn’t become my favorites now.

– – – : When you get 17 remixes you for sure will always have a few forgettable ones; some of the less famous artists unfortunately also deliver the less inspired remixes.

Conclusion: This album is a perfect item for die-hard fans and DJ’s, but I still prefer the original album.

Best songs: “Cross My Heart – ES23 Remix”, “Unconscious – Funker Vogt Remix”, “Display – Ruined Conflict Remix”, “Déjà Vu – Aircrash Bureau Remix”;

Rate: (7½).

Artist: www.godmodule.org / www.facebook.com/godmodule

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

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: Future-Pop, Body-Pop, Electro-Pop.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: It seems that there’s no rest in the Eisfabrik. Gerrit Thomas and his gang are back on track revealing an EP with six new songs and four remixes released a few months after the last album “Kryothermalmusik Aus Der Eisfabrik”

Content: The new tracks are moving on the carrying, emotional and powerful style of the band. The new songs are switching from pure danceable killers like “Free 2020” and Sorrow Face” to more melancholic passages. The songs are mainly driven by danceable kicks, carrying leads and the typical Gerrit Thomas arrangements, which are reminiscent of Funker Vogt.

We also get a few remixes from songs featured on the last album. ES23 remixed “We Don’t care” while this song has been also reworked into an acoustic ballad featuring guitarist Hemke Kay. There also is a remix of “Grim Reaper” and one of “Friends” (featured at the band’s debut album) by Petone.

+ + + : Eisfabrik is constantly switching dancefloor- and evasive tracks. It’s great to get an EP with multiple new songs and even if these cuts aren’t maybe not the best of the band, “Free 2020” and “Sorrow Face” are however powerful cuts carried by strong leads and the charismatic voice of ‘Dr. Schnee’. Gerrit Thomas remains a truly sound guru transforming every single note into a magic moment. Eisfabrik made a great remix of “Grim Reaper”. But I also have to mention the surprising, original and sensitive acoustic version of “We don’t Care” featuring Hemke Kay. This is much more than simply an EP abusing remixes; this is what we in the past would have called a mini-album!

– – – : Eisfabrik has its own sounds and always the same kind of ‘conceptual’ lyrics, which makes this band easily recognizable although it sometimes becomes a little repetitive and predictable.

Conclusion: After their great last album “Kryothermalmusik Aus Der Eisfabrik”, this EP is a great little extra for the fans. The Future-Pop sound of Eisfabrik rules!

Best songs: “Grim Reaper –  No Crop Without Seeds Mix”, “Free 2020”, “Sorrow Face”, “We Don’t Care – Acoustic Guitar Mix”, “Cold As Ice”.

Rate: (8).

Artist: www.eismusik.de / www.facebook.com/eisfabrikofficial

Label: www.reporecords.de / www.facebook.com/pages/Repo-Records/119590774857404

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

“Chernoyarsk” is a brand new download single by Russian harsh electro / EBM duo Invisible Devastation out on SkyQode and available on all digital platforms. The new single features four tracks including the title track “Chernoyarsk”, a power-packed harsh electro dance floor killer, an updated version of their hit track “The Devil” from the debut album, a live version of “I Am Bastard” recorded during the band’s online concert and the instrumental version of the title track.

The band was formed back in 2009, as a side-project of two members of one of Russia’s best synthpop bands, Mechanical Apfelsine. In 2015, they released their debut album “The 13th Apostle” which got a lot of positive feedback from fans and DJs worldwide. After releasing a follow-up EP in 2016, the duo went on a prolonged hiatus. In April 2020, they surprised all their fans with a comeback single “I am Bastard” and announced their plans for more releases this year.

Invisible Devastation is sure to appeal to fans of Funker Vogt, Decoded Feedback and the like.

Tracklist:

• Chernoyarsk
• The Devil 2.0
• I Am Bastard (Live)
• Chernoyarsk (Instrumental)

Listen here or download right here from digital platforms:

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Dark-electro, EBM.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Two years after the “Wastelands”-album Funker Vogt is back on track unleashing this brand-new EP featuring four new songs, two remixes and one extra remix from an old song from 2012.

Content: I’m not affirming that Funker Vogt has reinvented its sound, but the new songs sound less ‘typical’. The composition remains powerful and ultra danceable, but I get the impression Chris L. is progressively having more impact on the writing process. You still recognize the arrangements and sound treatments of Gerrit Thomas, but some details have changed. The lyrical themes became also deeper, like announcing a dystopian dream that is progressively becoming true.

“Conspiracy” features 4 great new songs plus an excellent remix –or reworked version, of “Date Of Expiration” (originally released at the “Survivor”-album in 2002).

+ + + : Both debut songs (cf. “The Fallen Race” and “CE-3”) definitely appear to be the real title songs. But it’s the “Intruder”-version from “CE-3”, which is the absolute highlight here. The song is driven by powerful dance vibes and a simple, but efficient and aggressive chorus. Another attention grabber is “A New Dawn”, which is carried by an EBM bass line. Chris L.’s vocals are progressively also becoming more explicit in the global production process. I also like this EP for featuring several new –and outstanding, songs. No abuse of remixes here, but just new and efficient songs!

– – – : I can’t say there are real minus points on this work.

Conclusion: There’s no better way striking back with such a powerful and essential EP. Funker Vogt still rules!

Best songs: “CE-3 – Intruder”, “CE-3  – First Contact”, “The Fallen Race”, “A New Dawn”, “Date Of Expiration – Neumix”.

Rate: (8½).

Artist: www.funkervogt.de  / www.facebook.com/officialfunkervogt

Label: www.reporecords.de / www.facebook.com/pages/Repo–Records/119590774857404

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

German combo Eisfabrik was set up by singer Charly Barth-Ricklefs (‘Dr. Schnee’) and operator/producer Gerrit Thomas (‘Der Frost’; also involved with Funker Vogt ). The duo got completed on stage by Jan Bertram  (Lost Area, Paragon) and René Dornbusch (Funker Vogt). The ‘icemen’ already released noticeable albums (mainly on NoCut/SPV) and has now unleashed their fifth opus “Kryothermalmusik Aus Der Eisfabrik” on RepoRecords. The songs are driven by ultra-danceable beats, elevating future-pop choruses and charismatic vocals on  top. I asked a few questions about it to Gerrit Thomas.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: Eisfabrik is now active for several years, having released its first album in 2015. So what’s the balance sheet regarding aspects like albums, live shows and global evolution of the band & sound?

Gerrit: It‘s a straight process from the beginning to the present. Everything is very precisely coordinated and has always had a common thread and certain short-term goals. There had been no coincidences happening to Eisfabrik until now. So, ask me five years later for another balance sheet, I think I would tell you the same: We‘re not getting finished!

Q: The album got preceded by the EP “And Nothing Turns”, which was a rather surprising title song for being a kind of slow future-pop ballad. What made you chose this song as title track and tell us a bit more about the origin and ideas behind this song?

Gerrit: The EP is called “Rotationsausfall In Der Eisfabrik“ – “And Nothing Turns“ is just the most remixed song of this EP. So, both songs had very strong effects on all of us and it was easy to choose them for the first EP according to this release era.

“And Nothing Turns“ should show that Eisfabrik is also able to produce songs beside  all the typical club stuff. And “White Sheet”, on the other hand, should be exactly that.

Q: What have been the main ideas and eventually references during the writing and recording of the new album “Kryothermalmusik Aus Der Eisfabrik”? What have been the main difficulties you encountered, eventually some songs, which didn’t work the way you wanted?

Gerrit: There had been only difficulties in the German songs we produced this time. They became extremely soft or a kind of silly or infantile. So, in the end we decided not to release them -never and anywhere! Everything else worked as we expected.

Q: You guys clearly like releasing video clips, but what’s the importance and impact of releasing clips today? What are the different stages to release a clip?

Gerrit: I think, nowadays you need a clip for presenting your actual work and to promote it. There are many platforms where you can publish your clips and do promotional ads like on Facebook, YouToube, SoundCloud or whatever. It really helps a band or a musician to get published.

Q: Gerrit, you definitely are a musician with a very own sound DNA; a very own touch you can directly recognize in the arrangements, the leads and the programming of the kicks. But what are the main differences for you composing new songs for Funker Vogt or Eisfabrik? Do you use different equipment, other tricks etc?

Gerrit: There are some secrets in the notation of the basic sequences and the drum sounds which are typical for Eisfabrik or Funker Vogt. I think you can hear them…lol.

Also there are some kinds of songs like “Gladiator“, “Bloodsucker“ or “Thor‘s Hammer“ which I wouldn‘t offer Charly to sing for Eisfabrik. They are only produced for shouters what Chris perfectly does.

Q: I always got the impression Eisfabrik ever started as a pure fun project with a crazy concept. What was it really all about and how did you see Eisfabrik evolving from album to album? And what’s the next step now? 

Gerrit: Well, as I already said in the beginning of this interview, there is a certain process over the entire existing of Eisfabrik. And this will never end. For sure there are always some short-term goals. The last one for example was to enter the Official German Album Charts, the next one is to get a certain average number of ticket sales on our next tour. And so on and on. But you always have to do something for that and shouldn’t leave your aims! It’s really hard work…

Next step in order to get a bigger fan base all over the world is to play more shows in other countries. So, there’s still a lot of work to reach the next goals.

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: Future-pop, body-pop, electro-pop.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: This new EP by the German Eisfabrik is meant as an appetizer to their new full length album. ‘Dr. Schnee’, ‘Der Frost’ and ‘Celsius’ are back on track unleashing a main song plus a bunch of remixes and a B-side cut. The EP also is their first work released by RepoRecords –which has also been joined earlier by Funker Vogt (featuring Gerrit Thomas aka ‘Der Frost’).

Content: The main song “And Nothing Turns” is a somewhat surprising piece by the Eisfabrik gang. It’s a slow cut, which is driven by solid electro-pop arrangements and dreamy passages. It has something of a future-pop song. The “Club Version” boosted the song to a harder dancefloor edit. Remixes have been accomplished by Covenant, Schattenmann (adding guitars), Beyond Obsession, Robotiko Rejekto and Rob Dust. The remixes bring a real diversity to the song.

“White Sheet” is not what I would call a B-side cut, but a solid body-pop song getting you to dance. The arrangements are once more typically Funker Vogt-like –or should I say typically Gerrit Thomas-driven. Frozen Plasma made a remix of the song as well.

Dr. Schnee is still singing a rather clear and charismatic way.

+ + + : I have to admit the title song didn’t convince me with the first listen. It has something surprising, a bit reminding me of these songs the audience spontaneously put their lighters on in the air (today their mobiles) and sing along. But the track has something elevating due to the heavenly lead and the crescendo like music. Most of the remixes are adding a little extra like the minimal version by Covenant or the empowered with guitar remix by Schattenmann. Beyond Obsession injects some reverie, Robotiko Rejekto brings a retro touch to the work while Rob Dust gets you to dance. I can’t say this EP features a B-side as “White Sheet” is a solid body-pop stomper. Eisfabrik remains inspired creating great sound treatments, elevating leads and danceable rhythms.

– – – : “And Nothing Turns” needs a few listenings before you really get into the song and start to sing along.

Conclusion: This is a perfect way to announce a new full length; releasing a great song with cool remixes and an extra danceable cut.

Best songs: “And Nothing Turns – Club Version”, “White Sheet”, “And Nothing Turns – Schattenmann Version”, “And Nothing Turns – Covenant Version”.

Rate: (8).

Artist: www.eismusik.de /  www.facebook.com/eisfabrikofficial

Label: www.reporecords.de / www.facebook.com/pages/Repo–Records/119590774857404

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

German dark-electro formation Agonoize last year unleashed their sixth full length album. “Midget Vampire Porn” released by RepoRecords, reveals thirteen new songs filled with rage and sonic terror. I consider their new work as one of their best albums to date; maybe the best one! The constant energy carried by pumping rhythms, elevating choruses and harsh vocals made from this opus one of the best dark-electro productions from 2019. I’d a chat with the band’s captain Chris L. (still involved with Darkness On Demand, Funker Vogt, The Sexorcist).

(Picture credits by Kevin Stevens / Interview courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: Agonoize is back with a new album, but still with a somewhat different line-up and on a different label. How did these changes happened and what has been the impact of the ‘new’ line-up on the composition process?

Chris: The contract with Out Of Line was fulfilled so it was time to find a new home for Agonoize. RepoRecords are doing amazing work for Funker Vogt, so it was the best choice. 

Our ‘beast’ on the drums was planned as a live-drummer for already a  long time and Sam jumped in as live-keyboarder when Oli took a step back from the live shows because of health Issues. So not  that much changed in the end.

Q: Gerrit Thomas (Funker Vogt, Eisfabrik) also joined in for some additional programming and mastering. What has been his real input and maybe that little ‘extra’ he added to the work?

Chris: I am a musician and a performer and to be honest, I don’t have a clue about mixing and mastering and I don’t want to be able to do it at all. But Agonoize needs a fat mix and a brilliant mastering, which is important for the typical sound. Gerrit is a genius when it comes to that and he added some sounds, which made the whole sound more bombastic in the final mix. We work very close together on Funker Vogt and our old friendship became a lot deeper, so he was my first choice. In the beginning we both didn’t knew if he could give Agonoize the needed punch, without sounding like Funker Vogt. But he got into the sound very fast and I think the credits for the ‘killer sound’ goes to him. 

Q: “Midget Vampire Porn” sounds to me as the most accomplished and successful Agonoize-album ever. How do you perceive the album in the band’s discography and tell us a bit more about the ideas, sound treatments and lyrical content of the work?

Chris: I think the lyrics are pretty typical for Agonoize. Maybe the music sounds more evolved because this time I didn’t had any ‘leftover’ songs from Mike like on the “Apokalypse”-album. There I used 8 songs from Mike and just had to fill in with the missing songs.

I wanted Agonoize to became a bit more mature, but without changing it too much for now. So in the end we added some new sounds to the songs, but kept the basics. And after 5 years I had a lot of rage to get rid of. Also I wanted to experiment with slower, really dark, depressive songs from the deepest dark of my soul. We did that already with, for example, songs like “My Battlefield” or “Drowning In Isolation”, “Unchained” and so on, but “True Blood” and “The Fall”, which is from the upcoming EP, are different from what we did before. 

I think when I finished the “Apokalypse”-album I was at a turning point; not a 100% into what I’m doing, tired and disappointed. Now I’m back with full energy and I think everyone can hear that. And thanks for the compliment  😉

Q: The song “Blutgruppe Jesus (-)” clearly is an important song from the album and has been first released as EP-title track. You also (self)made a clip of that song so what’s the deeper meaning behind and what did you try to express by the clip?

Chris: As usual, mankind is looking for a savior, someone who takes the blame for our failure and sins. We think ‘Hey, let someone else suffer for our mistakes’ never willing to take the blame ourselves. But only you can change your life, your fate. We think we only have to pray 3 The Lord’s Prayer and everything is forgiven, or we just pay for our sins. But in the end that would mean, if Jesus existed, he would have died for nothing. The church is using our fears against us, but in my opinion religion and especially the catholic Church should be well known by now.

Church is oppression, religion the reason for war. Believe in yourself in the first place!

Q: When you’re listening to the new album (and EP) right now, what are the elements of the writing/production getting you proud and are there some aspects you would have done differently?

Chris: I would always do things a difficult way; I’m too self-critical.  But after 1,5 years delay with the album I’m happy that it’s finally on the market. When it came out I already had 6 new songs done, so the next release will not take another 5 years and on new EP “A Vampire Tale” you’ll find 3 exclusive songs as a bonus track meant as a gift for all the fans who were waiting.

Now that the album got an unexpected, overwhelming good response I start to be proud of it, but it always takes a while for me to realize it. 

Q: I often get the impression bands are putting more efforts in their image and artwork than in the music while with Agonoize, every aspect seems to be important! What does it really mean to you and what do you try to express with the imagery (live) and artwork?

Chris: Thanks, indeed it was always very important for me that the videos, the artwork and the stage presence all fit with the songs. I don’t like to give the job to an outsider who doesn’t has a clue or feeling about what I want to express. I was never too much into looking pretty on stage, but more into doing a good and freaky performance. I always created the stage shows myself.

 I am going back to my roots now also, directing, filming and cutting the videos myself. For the artwork I’m very happy to have Sam as part of the band. He is a genius with Photoshop and understands my ideas very fast and he has also very good ideas which fit with the project. It’s similar to Funker Vogt right now; we all work very well together as a team, ideas become a concept and especially live I love to entertain and gladly everyone plays along with my stupid ideas for shows 🙂

It’s slowly getting better and better and I look forward to present my newest ideas to a bigger crowd 🙂

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Dark-electro, EBM.

Format: Digital, CD & 2CD.

Background/Info: Intent:Outtake saw the daylight in 2011 and released three albums thus far on Sonic-X. The German duo now joined hands together with Dark Dimensions to unleash their fourth opus, which is a double CD.

Content: “Days Of Doom” moves on where “Schmerzmaschine” (2017) stopped. It’s a powerful production, which often reminds me of In Strict Confidence (mainly for the vocals). The songs are well-crafted and often excelling during the choruses. The lyrics are sung in German and English. The vocals have something enraged, which perfectly fits to the violence of the music. The melodic leads get the album pretty accessible and danceable. Two songs feature Chris L. (Darkness On Demand, Agonoize, Funker Vogt).

The second disc features 3 extra songs plus an extended version and 3 remixes by [:SITD:], Novastorm and Cephalgy.

+ + + : I still consider Intent:Outtake as one of the best hidden secrets from the German dark-electro scene. I hope this band will now get a deserved international recognition through Scanner, but also because this album is a fully accomplished and intelligent production. The album is not exactly innovating, but showing the most sophisticated format of dark-electro and EBM. The songs are powerful, but styled. The vocals are harsh, but controlled. Songs such as “Der Mann Im Spiegel” and “Singularity” both are brilliant exposures of this duo. I also noticed great remixes by [:SITD:[ and Novastorm. The second disc brings a real bonus to the album.

– – – : The sound formula remains pretty similar from start till finish so this album is maybe missing a little bit of diversity and certainly because there’s a bonus disc included.

Conclusion: Intent/Outtake simply moves on confirming they’re a great band and not just a dark-electro copyist.

Best songs: “Der Mann Im Spiegel”, “Singularity”, “Out Of Decay”, “Das Letzte Geleit” + “Viel Zu Spät”, “Auf Ewigkeit – Novastorm Remix”, “Es Ist Krieg – SITD Remix”.

Rate: (8½).

Artist: www.intentouttake.de / www.facebook.com/INTENTOUTTAKE

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

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Dark-electro.

Background/Info: “Midget Vampire Porn” is the sixth full length album by Berliner (Germany) dark-electro act Agonoize. It also is their first opus in five years and the first one released on RepoRecords. Throughout the years some changes happened in the line-up, but front man Chris L.  is still the captain of the crew.The new work reveals a disc with thirteen new songs and a bonus EP-disc featuring five tracks. Chris L has been assisted by Falgalas Duus (both are also involved with Darkness On Demand) and while Funker Vogt’s captain Gerrit Thomas did the mastering and additional programming.

Content: Agonoize’s sound and influences remain the same-old. The band is still driven by furious dark-electronics carried by heavy –and somewhat industrial-like kicks, icy melody lines –sometimes reminding me of Suicide Commando, and possessed vocals. After a cool epic-like intro, the album brings a succession of hard-damaging cuts. Next to the familiar EP-title tracks this work has a lot to offer and to discover. But the keyword remains the constant power running through the album. The tracks are elevated by great, melodic choruses while there also is a permanent dark, terror-like mood hanging over the songs. The lyrics are sung in German and English.

The bonus disc features 5 extra songs, which are much more than simply ‘disc fillers’. Here again Agonoize shows heavy blasting dark-electro music. One of the songs (cf. “Kingdom Of Darkness”) sounds pretty Funker Vogt-like in the used arrangements.

+ + + : This album simply confirms why Agonoize belongs to the leading formations in their genre. The songs are not only powerful, but still accomplished with great sound treatments and a mature production process. Just pay attention to the perfect harmony between the devilish tempo, the melodic leads during the choruses, the coldness supporting the songs and the production of the vocals. These different, but essential elements just make the difference between a great- and an average band. But you also can hear this difference in little details and I here especially like to mention the female chants running throughout a few tracks. This album features numerous potential hits. I have to mention “Kiss Me Kill Me”, “A Vampire Tale”, “Bullet”, “Antihero” plus the EP’s title tracks “Schmerzpervers” and “Blutgruppe Jesus”. The bonus disc is also worthy of examination. I also have to say a word about the great horror-like artwork of this digipak.

– – – : I don’t really see minus points to mention. This album is probably ‘the’ dark-electro work from 2019!

Conclusion: It was worth the five year wait to welcome the new Agonoize-album, which is without a shadow of a doubt their best work in history!

Best songs: “Kiss Me Kill Me”, “A Vampire Tale”, “Bullet”, “Antihero”, “Schmerzpervers”, “Blutgruppe Jesus”, “Weltenschmerz”, “Apeirophobia” + “Kingdom Of Darkness”, “Gleichschritt”.

Rate: (9).

Artist: www.agonoize.berlin /  www.facebook.com/pg/AgonoizeOfficial

Label: www.reporecords.de / www.facebook.com/pages/Repo–Records/119590774857404

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Dark-electro.

Background/Info: Five years have passed since the release of the last Agonoize album “Apokalypse”. The Berliner (Germany) formation calling themselves the ‘founders of hellelectro’ are back on track with singer and frontman Chris L (still involved with Darkness On Demand and being the new singer of Funker Vogt) and Falgalas (an old servant involved with Darkness On Demand and before Dance Or Die) plus Gerrit Thomas (Funker Vogt) taking care of the mastering, and also doing some additional programming.

Content: Agonoize hasn’t lost its initial power and rage. Both title songs reveal a powerful dark-(h)el(l)ectro approach. Especially “Schmerzpervers 2.0” is a hard-hitting piece driven by a terrific cadence and icy melodies. The enraged vocals of Chris L. only accentuate the feeling of horror emerging from the songs. The lyrics have been sung in German, but you might find some English words here and there.

Both title songs will also appear on the new album while “Bleed For Me” is a kind of exclusive B-side track featuring heavenly female chants. Both last songs are remixes. First there’s a remix of another new track by Funker Vogt and next a remix of “Schmerzpervers 2.0” by Centhron.

+ + + : Agonoize is back, but it all sounds like they never have taken a break. There’s a similar power and a kind of imaginary high degree of terror. The songs are well-crafted and both title tracks have a serious potential to get you into dance. I like the kind of sacred chants and background organ sound running through “Blutgruppe Jesus) and the overwhelming power and rage from “Scherzpervers 2.0”. Funker Vogt and Centhron both are great contributors for the remix part of the EP, but I have a preference for the punchy remix of Centhron.

– – – : “Bleed For Me” is not exactly a high light, but there’s no reason to complain when you get two cool title songs. I also expected a bit more from the Funker Vogt remix.

Conclusion: This EP is the perfect teaser to announce the new album of Agonoize!

Best songs: “Schmerzpervers 2.0 (Verlängert)”, “Blutgruppe Jesus (Absolution)”, “Schmerzpervers 2.0 – Centhron Remix”.

Rate: (8).

Artist: www.agonoize.berlin /  www.facebook.com/pg/AgonoizeOfficial

Label: www.reporecords.de / www.facebook.com/pages/Repo–Records/119590774857404

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

A few weeks ago we announced the comeback of Agonoize on RepoRecords with the EP “Blutgruppe Jesus (-) / Schmerzpervers 2.0”, today we can give you some extra info on their new album as well which arrives almost five years after their last one, “Apokalypse”. “Midget Vampire Porn” will be a 2CD album for which you can already see the teaser below and is out on October 25th, that’s tomorrow!

The 2CD set will hold 13 tracks on the first disc, plus 5 bonus-tracks on the second disc. Good to know, it was Gerrit Thomas (Funker Vogt) who was responsible for the mastering of the new material.

Here’s “Blutgruppe Jesus (-) / Schmerzpervers 2.0” to wet your appetite for tomorrow.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

After almost five years the hellektro crew of Agonoize return with a brand new EP and official video-clip. The EP also contains one exclusive track (“Bleed For Me) only available on this release, and two remixes by Funker Vogt and Centhron. Mastered by Gerrit Thomas (Funker Vogt), the Ep counts 5 tracks:

• Blutgruppe Jesus (-) (Absolution)
• Schmerzpervers 2.0 (Verlängert)
• Bleed For Me
• A Vampire Tale (Funker Vogt Rework)
• Schmerzpervers 2.0 (Centhron Remix)

The video for “Blutgruppe Jesus (-)” can be seen below.

The EP announces the band’s upcoming album “Midget Vampire Porn” to be released on their new label, RepoRecords.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

After almost 5 years of studio silence the hellektro act Agonoize returns with a brand new EP and on a new record label, RepoRecords. The new EP “Blutgruppe Jesus (-) / Schmerzpervers 2.0” brings two tracks in extended versions. Both tracks are taken from the upcoming album “Midget Vampire Porn”. Next to the extended versions the EP also contains one exclusive track (“Bleed for Me”), only available on this release, and two remixes by Funker Vogt and Centhron.

The release was mastered by Gerrit Thomas (Funker Vogt).

The first edition of “Midget Vampire Porn” comes as double-CD digipak and holds 5 bonus-tracks next to the 13 tracks from the normal album: “Inferno”, “Kingdom of Darkness”, “1,2,3”, “Gleichschritt” and “Alone in the Dark”.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fans will definitely want to order the below double vinyl.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Dark-electro, EBM, electro-industrial, techno-body, power-noise, IDM.

Background/Info: The first ‘act’ from this now legendary compilation was released in 2005. Fourteen years later Alfa Matrix released the eight edition of this series devoted to dark-electronics. The massive work features 72 songs on 4 discs and 40 extra songs available as download.

Artists: Suicide Commando, Blutengel, Zombie Girl, Funker Vogt, Komor Kommando, [SITD], Angelspit, Noisuf-X, Solitary Experiments, Ad:Key, Acylum, Phillip Münch ao.

Content: It’s impossible to go in detail when you’ve to review such a compilation featuring 112 songs! But “Endzeit Bunkertracks” remains faithful to a mix of music genres dealing with electronics and a fusion between great and established artists plus discoveries. No doubt about it, the some upcoming talents have been featured here. Next to a bunch of Alfa Matrix bands the compilation also features big names from other labels such as Out Of Line, Dark Dimensions, Infacted Recordings, Repo Records ao.

There’re a lot of exclusive cuts features and/or remixes while the best bands aren’t always featured on the discs.

+ + + : A great sampler and a hard copy means so much more than the digital version. The artwork by Japanse artist Tomoki Hayasaka is absolutely great and matching with the concept. Song-wise you’ll discover interesting young talents such as H.O.W., Complex Mind, Eexee, Suppressor, Playngrain, Pax Sono, Nitek, Fabrikmutter and C-Phalea. The diversity of the songs made this ‘sonic orgy’ more accessible then releasing such a box format with only dark-electronic bands.  

– – – : Even if this compilation remains a great and successful work, 112 songs is definitely too much so this is a compilation you’ve to listen spread over several days.

Conclusion: It has been my pleasure tipping some ‘unknown’ talents, which have been selected for the compilation while “Endzeit Bunkertracks” remains a sonic bible for all dark electronic souls!

Best bands: Komor Kommando, Implant, Noisuf-X, Electronic Frequency, Funker Vogt, [X]-Rx, Suppressor, Nitek, Ice Ages, Larva.

Rate: (8½).

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

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Dark-electro, EBM.

Background/Info: “Ikarus” is the second EP taken from the last and successful “Wastelands”-album. We get 2 versions from the title song, 2 new tracks and one revisited version of one of the band’s biggest hits ever “Tragic Hero”.

Content: “Ikarus” was one of the album’s best and most kicking songs. We get a “Single version” and a harsher “Crashed Mix”.

Both new songs are in the ‘violent’ and ‘merciless’ vein of the new album. Especially “Dogma” is a heavy sonic assault mixing dark-electronics and EBM. Last, but not least we get a “Neumix” of “Tragic Hero”. The main ‘new’ element is Chris L who’s now singing this great hit.

+ + + : “Ikarus” is the perfect EP! Next to a cool and efficient title song, this EP also reveals impressive B-side cuts. But I can’t speak about B-side cuts when listening to “Dogma” and even “The Last Stand” is a great piece of music. I especially like the irresistible EBM bass line running through “Dogma”. The updated version of “Tragic Hero” reveals a singer who now has perfectly integrated the Funker Vogt commando.

– – – : “Ikarus” is a solid EP without any real minus points. A must have for the fans!

Conclusion: The “Wastelands”-album already revealed there’s a fresh new breeze running through the Funker Vogt camp. They sound harder and more aggressive than ever before and that’s what this new EP seems to confirm.

Best songs: “Ikarus – Single Edit”, “Dogma”, “Tragic Hero – Neumix”.

Rate: (8½).

Artist: www.funkervogt.de / www.facebook.com/officialfunkervogt

Label: www.reporecords.de / www.facebook.com/pages/Repo–Records/119590774857404

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Dark-electro, EBM.

Background/Info: “Wastelands” is the second Funker Vogt album with Chris L on vocals while Gerrit Thomas remains the sonic Captain and René Dornbush to complete the line-up. Next to a regular version, Funker Vogt also released a limited version in digipak format plus featuring 4 bonus cuts.

Content: The last year released “Code Of Conduct” was an honest production, but definitely not the best I’ve heard from Funker Vogt. “Wastelands” gets back to the initial power of the band –which they never totally lost, but it’s a long time ago they sounded that aggressive.

This is a hard album driven by the typical danceable kicks, fast sequences, EBM-driven bass lines and the magic touch and arrangements of Gerrit Thomas on top. The songs are sung in German and English language, but Chris L seems to be more comfortable singing in English.

The 4 extra songs are revealing a similar power.

+ + + : This work really features all ingredients to speak about a terrific album. There’s a constant power running through “Wastelands”. There’s no real break, but a succession of powerful and danceable songs. I noticed some great EBM-inspired bass lines and the traditional punchy electronics and mind-blowing kicks. This work could have been entitled “We take no prisoners”! The songs reflect the great experience and maturity of the members. I also have to say a word about a few titles such as “Ikarus” and “Thor’s Hammer”, which are great metaphors for their lyrical content.

– – – : This is without a shadow of a doubt one of Funker Vogt’s best albums from the past 10-15 years. The songs are maybe a bit similar, but it remains pure Funker Vogt so there’s no reason to complain!

Conclusion: Merciless and powerful, “Wastelands” clearly confirms that Funker Vogt is still alive and more kicking than ever before!

Best songs: “Bring The Fight”, “Bloodsucker”, “Atme Den Schmerz”, “Thor’s Hammer”, “Feel The Pain”, “Dance On Your Grave”, “Ikarus”.

Rate: (8½).

Artist: www.funkervogt.de / www.facebook.com/officialfunkervogt

Label: www.reporecords.de / www.facebook.com/pages/Repo–Records/119590774857404

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Dark-electro.

Background/Info: One year after the “Code Of Conduct”-album, which stand for the band’s resurrection featuring their new singer Chris L (Agonoize, The Sexorcist, Dance Or Die, Darkness On Demand), the German master of dark-electronics is back on track. “Feel The Pain” is a teaser announcing the new full length.

Content: This EP features 2 edits from the title song, a B-side cut and 2 reworked old ‘anthems’ of the band. “Feel The Pain” sounds in the purest Funker Vogt tradition with an extra melodic touch on top. “Der Letzte Kampf” is more than simply a B-side track and sounds hard and merciless, this time with German vocals.

“Funker Vogt 2^nd Unit” and “Gunman” both are Funker Vogt hits, which have been refreshed, reboosted and featuring their new singer on vocals.

+ + + : “Feel The Pain” is melodic and danceable title track, which will for sure get people dancing. I personally prefer the harder and merciless “Der Letzte Kampf”, which sounds like Gerrit Thomas on his best. Together with the reworked ‘old’ hits, this EP serves as a strong appetizer to welcome the “Wastelands”-album.

– – – : We already discovered Chris L on the previous album. Even if he’s a great singer for this kind of music I realize –and I’m only speaking for myself, it takes time to forget the natural charisma of Jens Kästel –and especially on both reworked songs.

Conclusion: “Feel The Pain” is exactly what you might expect from an EP; a cool title song, a solid B-side cuts and nice little extras. Up to “Wastelands”!

Best songs: “Der Letzte Kampf”, “Feel The Pain – Extended Version”, “Funker Vogt 2^nd Unit – Neumix”, “Gunman – Neumix”.

Rate: (8).

Artist: www.funkervogt.de / www.facebook.com/officialfunkervogt

Label: www.reporecords.de / www.facebook.com/pages/Repo–Records/119590774857404

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

With “Ikarus” Gemrany’s EBM act Funker Vogt present the second EP taken from their current album “Wastelands” which is available now in a limited version as well. The EP is again also available on CD (you can order it here) and features 5 tracks.

But first the video for the title track.

The EP holds 2 versions of the title-track with alternative, shouted vocals, 2 new and exclusive tracks (“Dogma”, “The Last Stand”) and a new version of “Tragic Hero”, close to the original, but in a newly arranged version with new recorded vocals.

“Ikarus” is already the sixth release with Chris L. as frontman.

You can see Funker Vogt on Tour as well:

• 25.12.2018 – Chemnitz, Darkstorm
• 22.02.2019 – Hamburg, Markthalle, Hybridize-Festival
• 23.02.2019 – Leipzig, Hellraiser, Hybridize-Festival
• 08.03.2019 – Oberhausen, Kulttempel, Hybridize-Festival
• 09.03.2019 – München, Backstage Halle, Hybridize-Festival
• 11.08.2019 – Hildesheim, M’éra Luna
• 30.08.2019 – Mannheim, Black Castle Festival

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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