Genre/Influences: Dark-rock, cold-wave.

Background/Info: German formation Golden Apes this year celebrates their 20^th anniversary. Instead of releasing a ‘best of’ they simply strike back with a new full length album, which is the band’s tenth opus in 20 years. The title is taken from a mountain of Caucasus, which also was the place where Prometheus was chained to a rock while an eagle gnawed at his regrowing liver. A piece of mythology we have all heard in school.

Content: Golden Apes moves on composing their own thing. Some of the songs are more into a dark-rock tradition while others are taking us back to 80s cold/dark-wave reminiscences. The tracks are moving in between harder, punching cuts and more evasive, melancholic pieces. On top of it all you’ll hear Peer Lebrecht’s deep timbre of voice.

+ + + : First of all there’s a great and artistic digipak, which I’m sure will please all CD-freaks. And here again, a physical copy means so much more than ‘cheap’ streaming platforms. Sound-wise Golden Apes don’t really innovate, but this work reflects all the talent and writing skills of an experienced band. The guitar playing is an essential aspect of the composition, which creates the spirit hanging over the songs. “Dust And Dew” is a beautiful exposure of this album, but also perfectly resuming the global approach of Golden Apes. It also is a song featuring female backing vocals.

– – – : The only ‘little’ thing this album is missing –but which often has a great impact… is a hit!

Conclusion: “Kasbek” is what I should call a beautiful album and speaking for myself, probably my favorite one!

Best songs: “Dust And Dew”, “Kasbek”, “Deliverance”, “Oblivion”, “Interference”.

Rate: (8).

Artist: www.goldenapes.com / www.facebook.com/GoldenApes

Label: https://shop.af–music.com/

About Golden Apes

Golden Apes formed in Berlin in 1998 and had already released ten studio albums by the time of “Kasbek,” put out on labels including Shadowplay Release, Echozone and AF-Music over the years. Singer Peer Lebrecht told Side-Line the band never set out to “fit any schemes or serve expectations,” steering the sound by instinct rather than formula. Three years after “Kasbek,” Golden Apes marked their 25th anniversary with the EP “From the Sky” on the French label Icy Cold Records, and followed it in 2024 with their eleventh album, “Our Ashes at the End of the Day.”

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: Death-industrial, dark-ambient.

Background/Info: “Tumult” is the second opus by the Shock Frontier duo. Driven by Robert C. Kozletsky (mainly known for this Apocryphos project) and Kyle A. Carney, Shock Frontier is mainly driven by death-industrial music. This new work is available in a dark and artistic 6-panel DVD digipak.

Content: “Tumult” brings different elements together like heavy drones, overwhelming sound treatments, field recordings, passionate vocals and haunting sound atmospheres. While most of the tracks are carried by heavy death-industrial influences, other cuts move from dark-ambient into dark noisescapes and experimental passages. Shock Frontier definitely feels like a sonic platform on, which Robert C. Kozletsky can exorcise the musical thoughts he can’t deal with for Apocryphos.

A last, but essential aspect of the production is the contribution of several guest artists. Gnawed, Noculture and Kristoffer Oustad have been featured on this work.

+ + + : I’m not used to starting with the artwork, but when you can put your finger on such an artistic DVD-format digipak featuring all the dark artwork and infos it definitely has much more value than discovering this work on streaming platforms. And this work is worthy of examination as it’s a diversified, meticulously-crafted piece of music. The overwhelming production takes you by your throat while the dark atmospheres and resonating drones create a great vision of horror. Speaking for myself I was more impressed by the haunting sound passages excelling on the final (title-) track, which features Kristoffer Oustad.

– – – : I don’t really discover anything new on “Tumult” while I prefer the work of Robert C. Kozletsky as Apocryphos. This project sounds extremer and less accessible for a wider audience.

Conclusion: “Tumult” is a cool synthesis of different influences and dark music genres although carried by death-industrial music.

Best songs: “Tumult”, “Once Assured Of Salvation”, “Our Vail Illusion”, “Duress”.

Rate: (7½)

Artist: www.facebook.com/ShockFrontier

Label: www.malingnantrecords.com / www.facebook.com/malignantrecords

About Shock Frontier

Shock Frontier is a death-industrial duo of Robert C. Kozletsky, also known for his Apocryphos project, and Kyle A. Carney. The act debuted with “Mancuerda Confessions” on Malignant Records in 2013, with “Tumult” following as its second album on the same label in 2017.

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: Death-industrial, industrial-noise.

Background/Info: Grant Richardson is active under the Gnawed moniker for a couple of years now and has released an impressive number of records on multiple labels like Spit And Cuss, Maniacal Hatred, Phage Tapes ao. He now returned to Tumor/Malignant Records to unleash his latest sonic bomb.

Content: The debut of the album reveals a mix of dark-ambient atmospheres and heavy industrial treatments, which are rapidly joined by industrial percussions. Dark, buzzing noises hang over the work while drones, metallic noises and hard, screaming vocals progressively emerge at the surface.

“Pestilence Beholden” has been meticulously constructed like a spider web and the more you move throughout this world of sonic terror the more you’ll get the feeling of being imprisoned in a torture room with sharp noises.

+ + + : This album sounds heavy, but it all feels like the author never lost control and never falls in the trap of pure improvisation. The tracks have been meticulously built up towards a final point, which is accentuated by hard assaults of metallic noises, scratches, tormenting atmospheres and enraged screams. The work reveals a few jewels of death-industrial music.

– – – : Gnawed remains an extreme composition, which you better avoid if you’re not familiar with this kind of music. This album is more styled and maybe ‘controlled’ than previous releases, which will maybe not please all fans of the band.

Conclusion: Gnawed is a dangerous sonic terrorist, which takes no break and has no mercy. The music will take you by surprise and leave you in shock, but the good thing is… you’re going to like it!

Best songs: “Who Shall Reap?”, “Serpent In The River Of The Arms Of God”, “The River Runs Dry”, “Perdition – Death’s Disease”.

Rate: (8).

Band: www.facebook.com/gnawed

Label: www.malingnantrecords.com / www.facebook.com/malignantrecords

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