The new Attrition album, “The Black Maria”, will be released on March 23rd. Pre-orders are now live in all formats (CD / Vinyl / Cassette / Download).

This time founder Martin Bowes has teamed up with female vocalists including Emke from Black Nail Cabaret, Yvette from Vaselyne, Jonna Wolf and most notably the return of original Attrition vocalist Julia. Musically Bowes brings a mix of industrial and gothic songs, plus dark ambient soundscapes. Lyrically he continues his exploration of introspective themes of life, love and death.

The album is dedicated to the memory of Kerri Bowes (1982 – 2022). Kerri Bowes was part of the band between 2012 and 2018. She co-wrote the horror film score “Invocation” and performed it live with Martin in Germany (2013) and Transylvania (2018).

Other guest appearances come from Alia Miroshichenko (Subterranea) Annie Hogan (Marc and the Mambas etc) on Grand Piano, Vancorvid and Marietta Fox on Violins, Ian Arkley (My Silent Wake, Guillotine Dream) on Guitar, Steve Clarke (Futumche/Octogoth) on additional guitar/bass, and Kris Force on Cello.

Also included are remixed/remastered versions of the singles “The Great Derailer” and “The Alibi”.

Attrition will have a bandcamp listening party for the album, from 7pm UK time on Sunday March 24th. You can join Martin to listen to the album and ask questions on this new album and future plans for the band.

Attrition shows for 2024

• March 29th – The Arches, Coventry, UK (Album launch show)
• July 13th – Castle Party, Bolkow, Poland
• July 25th – The Railway Inn, Winchester, UK
• August 22nd – The Peer Hat, Manchester, UK
• More tbc.

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: Gothic, new-wave.

Background/Info: Guillotine Dream is a gothic formation that was originally set up in the 80s. They released a good-old cassette and next stopped their activities till they got reanimated after a long hibernation. “Lemuria” marks the comeback of the band.

Content: This mini-album brings us directly back in time awakening the 80s spirit of new-wave music. The music is characterized by real drums, dark bass lines, and typical mewing guitar playing reminding me of bands like The Sisters Of Mercy, The Cult and the Skeletal Family. On top of it all you’ll hear a singer with this typical deep timbre of voice making the songs pretty cavernous.

“Lemuria” moves in between calmer, moody pieces on one side and harder cuts on the other. Some passages are a bit more evasive-like and even move into psychedelic atmospheres. The final cut (cf. “Ghost Walk”) is a cool song in the genre, which will hold you in its grip for approximately 10 minutes.

+ + + : “Lemuria” is not exactly innovating, but reflects the true- and good-old spirit of new-wave music. The production is mature and clearly reveals experienced musicians who’ll bring the magic of the 80s back to life. I especially like both final cuts, which next to great guitar parts are somewhat excelling towards a truly climax. “Ghost Walk” is a great final track. Guillotine Dream has found the right balance between moody cuts and harder tracks.

– – – : I can’t say that “Lemuria” is hiding a real hit, but only a few cool songs. The new-wave sound doesn’t bring anything new to the genre and sounds a bit predictable.

Conclusion: The name of this band sounds as cold as their music and will especially please the new-wave lovers in search of hidden treasures in the genre.

Best songs: “Ghost Walk”, “Man Ov Fyre”, “Lemuria”.

Rate: (6½).

Band: www.facebook.com/HeadlessBJ

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

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