This new album by the Hungarian project Human Vault, driven by its ‘conductor’ György Turoczy, aka Mortum, delves into the project’s archives. These songs have existed for a time but were never released—until now. Human Vault is a fairly prolific project, and one that consistently manages to fascinate me; this record is no exception. The songs transport us back in time—even as far as 1997. The influences remain largely unchanged: a blend of intelligent EBM and Electro-Industrial that evokes the genius of Mortal Constraint and Skinny Puppy. The compositions are meticulously crafted, down to the smallest detail.

Forget cheap EBM and stereotypical Dark-Electro—Human Vault delivers creative impulses that are masterfully transformed into danceable Electro tracks. Turoczy enlisted a few guest vocalists, whose ghostly contributions add an eerie dimension to the already dark soundscapes. At times, the album ventures into Experimental territory, and you’ll also find a few instrumental tracks.

Human Vault may not yet be a widely recognized name in the broader Dark-Electro and EBM scene, which is a shame—because this is a project of truly high quality, as this release once again confirms. The album features 15 tracks, with an additional 3 bonus tracks available in the digital version. (Rating:8).

Listen to “Mirror Without Reflection”:

About Human Vault

Human Vault is the Hungarian-born, US-based Gyorgy Turoczy, known as Mortum, who has released music under the name since a first cassette in 1997. Turoczy runs his own label, Exabyss Records, launched in 2005, and has self-released most of the project’s catalogue there. In 2021 he compiled the retrospective “God Under Construction 2011-2021” and brought it to Aliens Production, which also issued the remix album “Carnal Motives” in 2022. Alongside Human Vault, Turoczy records as Nadragea and Stone Wired. “And Blessed By Death” gathers previously unreleased Human Vault recordings, including material dating back to 1997, continuing his work with Aliens Production.

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

The German duo Acylum, Nadine and Pedro Engel, are back with an all new album, “Zuchthaus”, which is the follow-up release to 2021’s “Kampf Dem Verderb” and the 2023 EP “Kalashnikov“.

The initial release of the album emerges as a limited 2CD digipak edition, featuring remixes by formidable bands including :Wumpscut:, Supreme Court, Diffuzion, Darkness On Demand, Studio-X, Neikka RPM, Rroyce, Project Erratic, Winterhart, Say Just Words, Human Vault, Alien:Nation, Dyskolia and Deadly Injection.

You can order this limited 2CD edition right now via the Alfa Matrix webstore and as download on Bandcamp. Below are two videos from album tracks.

The German electro industrial project was founded in 2004 in Chemnitz by DJ Pedro Engel and he was joined in 2008 by Nadine “Cooraz” Engel. Read the review of ‘Zuchthaus’.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Electro, Cinematic, IDM.

Format: Digital.

Background/Info: “Two Poles” is a kind of split-EP although bringing the Hungarian Emanation project in the spotlight. This duo driven by Peter Voros (Polar Star) and Balazs Vinnui Varga (Nadragea) has been featured by two songs plus two remixes by End-Tek which is a side-project of Hungarian musician George Turoczy (Human Vault). The last song is by End-Tek.

Content: I think there’s no other description than Electro-Cinematic music to explain the sonic approach of Emanation. Both remixes are held in the Cinematic format although accentuated by rhythm. End-Tek achieved a similar Cinematic cut.

+ + + : This is not exactly the most accessible work although interesting for its atypical Cinematic style; it feels like infused by IDM. I personally prefer both remixes by End-Tek and especially “Dark Sun”  which has something visionary.

– – – : This work is interesting and easy to listen to if you’re familiar with the Aliens Production roster although it’s not exactly a production I’ll keep in mind. I’m missing a touch of magic.

Conclusion: I expected a bit more from Emanation while it would have been cool to get more End-Tek songs.

Best songs: “Dark Sun – Line Of Initiation – Remix by End-Tek”.

Rate: 6.

Artist: www.mortum.net / www.facebook.com/mortum.exabyss

Label: www.label.aliens.sk / www.facebook.com/pages/Aliens-production-label/200028820052578

About Emanation / End-Tek

Emanation is a Hungarian duo formed by Peter Voros, also known for Polar Star, and Balazs Vinnui Varga, also known for Nadragea. End-Tek is a side project of Hungarian musician George Turoczy, otherwise known for Human Vault. Both acts release through Czech label Aliens Production.

“Two Poles” pairs two Emanation songs with two End-Tek remixes plus one further End-Tek track, presenting the two projects’ Electro-Cinematic and IDM-infused sound side by side.

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 Bandcamp as a free download is DJ Shane Aungst’s “Electronic Bodies – Nightside Sessions” mega-mix. The Seattle (United States) based DJ produced this 2-part megamix including 23 tracks (and 2 intros) from “Electronic Bodies” during long evening sessions in October 2023. Note that the intros were created by Viscera Drip.

As you will know the original “Electronic Bodies” compilation (available here on Bandcamp) focused on EBM and its offspring. The proceedings of this mega-mix will equally go to charity.

Shane’s mixes mainly deal in the EBM/Aggrotech/Industrial genres, and come with heavy layers of sampling and edits. He has been doing studio work, working on sampling, mixes, edits, remixes, as well as putting together some original material. We will soon also publish an interview with Shane on his current and future work. Check his Instagram page for more info.

The tracklist is as follows:

Part 1

1. Night side sessions – Intro 00:00
2. Diffuzion – Ain’t Gonna Fuck With My Brain 00:49
3. Rabbits Wear Boots – Cyborg 04:54
4. Him+He – Dr Jones (Ocult Mix) 09:42
5. ELM – Vessel Of Violence (Weaponized Cardio Mix) 14:06
6. Ars – Thanatophobia 17:18
7. UCNX – Burning Slowly Down 21:54
8. Llumen – You Can Have It All (Matrix Edit) 25:41
9. The Psychic Force – Lockdown Lovers 29:50
10. Kant Kino – Frontline (Edit) 34:22
11. Raudadler – Sexual Deviants 37:15
12. First Aid 4 Souls – Anger 41:58
13. Miseria Ultima – Yet Shivering Profound 46:30

Part 2

1. Viscera Drip – Night side sessions Intro 00:00
2. Human Vault – Flesh And Bone (Void You Are Edit By Nadragea – Side-Line Cut) 00:52
3. Digital Factor – What 05:18
4. Aiboforcen – Cycle Of Life (Short Edit) 08:35
5. Aesthetische – Boiling Over (Celsius Version) 12:30
6. Diverje – Numb (EBM Remix By Psychosomatik) 16:50
7. Venus In Disgrace – Generation Commodore 20:25
8. Kreign – Don’t Force The Hand 23:13
9. Fuckware – Combat 27:22
10. Stahlgeist – Infected Colony (Alternate Version) 31:10
11. Sinthetik Messiah – Know Your Enemy 35:39
12. Töt – Mon Nom Est Personne 39:14

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: IDM, EBM, Experimental, Ambient.

Format: Digital, CD.  

Background/Info: This compilation is an opportunity to discover the music universe of Aliens Production; a label run by Slovakian Peter Rybar (Disharmony) and active since the late 90s. This compilation features 16 artists -while you get 2 more at the digital edit.

Artists: Triode, AKMD, Calm-T feat. Mortum, Holon, Jash Teua, Niadragea, Morbid Fance, Disharmony, Mortal Constraint, Human Vault, Tokke, Kryotronic, Bieker, Synta[XE[rror, KIFOTH, Drifting In Silence.

Content: You’ll discover a fine selection of ‘old’ label servants next to ‘younger’ projects while there’s also a noticeable feature by legendary Mortal Constraint and Morbid Fancy. This album covers different styles from IDM to sophisticated EBM and from Electro-Experimental to Cinematic music.

+ + + : The compilation reveals a fine selection of great artists which all have composed an exclusive track for this compilation. That makes the compilation really interesting and even essential. Mortal Constraint delivered an intelligent piece of music and remains a project I’m missing in this scene. Morbid Fancy is another project that was active during the 90s. I’m not sure they made a come-back for this sampler but probably deliver a previously unreleased song from the past which sounds as intelligent EBM. Disharmony stands for pure IDM appealing to fans of Clock DVA. I also have to mention a great and atmospheric cut by AKMD, the haunting EBM from KIFOTH and the IDM-driven songs from Synta[XE]rror and Kryotronic.

– – – : I’m still perplex why this label never got more recognition.

Conclusion: The perfect work to get contaminated by the unique sound universe of Alien Productions.

Best bands: Morbid Fancy, Disharmony, Mortal Constraint, KIFOTH, Kryotronic, Synta[XE]rror, Tokee, AKMD.

Rate: 8.

Label: www.label.aliens.sk / www.facebook.com/pages/Aliens-production-label/200028820052578

About Aliens Production

Aliens Production is a Slovakian record label run by Peter Rybar, also known for his own project Disharmony, active since the late 1990s. The label has released material from acts including Disharmony, Fractal, Human Vault, KIFOTH and Morbid Fancy. This compilation gathers sixteen Aliens Production artists on one release, each contributing an exclusive track.

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 the Alfa Matrix Bandcamp page is an all new mini-album by the Hungarian dark electro act First Aid 4 Souls. With “Dancing At the Abyss” mini-album, Hungarian electronic music artist István Gazdag introduces techno club influences of his First Aid Tech project into the darker industrial mood of First Aid 4 Souls.

Included are 7 new songs that hang somewhere between techno body music and industrial dance mixed with the distorted or manipulated sampled vocals by Mortum and Vic Willow. All this flavored with a darker industrial touch.

This mini-album is out now via Bandcamp as an immediate download and will follow on all other streaming platforms in the next two weeks.

Veteran Hungarian artist István Gazdag, formerly of Vacuum, has been an active participant in the avant-garde electronic/industrial scene since the late 1980s. He has a diverse range of releases on various labels and has done remarkable remix work for legendary bands such as Coil, Soft Cell, Test. Dept., Cabaret Voltaire, and Einstürzende Neubauten. In recent years, he has collaborated with US-based singer Mortum from Human Vault, who has contributed darker lyrics and a harsher vocal style to their joint project, First Aid 4 Souls.

Earlier this year the project released the 70-track release “This Present Darkness” including four full-length albums (“Trash Cathedral,” “Dark Tunnel,” “Keep This World Empty,” and “I Am The Night”) plus the previously unreleased remix album “Your Social Skill Demised”. The four albums have been re-edited, reconstructed, or newly remastered, supplemented with a variety of previously unreleased bonus material. Read the review of ‘Dancing At The Abyss’.

Eldrina Mich

As Eldrina Mich I work as a go-between and a devil’s advocate when it comes to Side-Line. If our own staff needs to be interviewed then ask the questions no one else dares to ask.

www.side-line.com

“This Present Darkness” – a 70-track strong download on Bandcamp – retraces some 9 years of collaboration between the Hungarian electronic industrial artist István Gazdag and the US-based singer Mortum (Human Vault) under the First Aid 4 Souls flag.

Included are the 4 full length albums “Trash Cathedral”, “Dark Tunnel”, “Keep This World Empty” and “I Am The Night” plus the so far unreleased remix album “Your Social Skill Demised”. That latter serves as perfect appetizer for what comes next so the band’s label Alfa Matrix says.

The 4 full length albums come in a fully re-edited & reconstructed (“rework”) versions and/or newly remastered audio packs with a bunch of previously unreleased bonus material to top it all.

Eldrina Mich

As Eldrina Mich I work as a go-between and a devil’s advocate when it comes to Side-Line. If our own staff needs to be interviewed then ask the questions no one else dares to ask.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: EBM, Dark-Electro.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: This is the eighth full length album by Hungarian born -but based in New-York (USA) Gyorgy Turoczy aka ‘Mortum’, better known for his project Human Vault. The album follows the March 2022 remix set “Carnal Motives”, released as a pause before this new full-length.

Content: The dark atmospheres supporting the production are clearly more important than pure EBM power. And yet this work can be described as EBM but the kind of music reminding me of projects like Yelworc and early Skinny Puppy. The rhythmic remains slow to accentuate the impact of the dark atmospheric side which is totally fitting with the spooky production of the vocals. The last songs are remixes by Zeven Odd Gods, D-Mon and Epilepsy Morbid Rotten. Notice the last remix is only featured on the CD format.

+ + + : The dark and obscure atmosphere is prominent. The record reflects minimalism although a very sophisticated writing. The last part featuring remixes sounds more danceable like having been made for dancefloors.  All these remixes are exceptional pieces but I especially recommend the harder work by Zeven Odd Gods.

– – – : I always feel sorry for an artist when I prefer remixes by other artists instead of the original edits. But it doesn’t take away that Human Vault once again confirms great writing skills dealing with a moodier side of EBM.

Conclusion: EBM where the power lays in the poignant atmospheres.

Best songs: “My Belief Is Static – Zeven Odd Gods Remix”, “What Dissolves The One”, “What Dissolves The One (Stone Cut) Remix D-Mon”, “Carnal Motives”. 

Rate: 8.

Artist: www.facebook.com/mortum.exabyss

Label: www.label.aliens.sk / www.facebook.com/pages/Aliens-production-label/200028820052578

About Human Vault

Human Vault is the dark electro and EBM project of Hungarian-born, New York-based musician Gyorgy Turoczy, active under the alias Mortum since 1997. Turoczy has released most of his work through his own label, Exabyss Records, founded in 2005. In a February 2022 Click Interview with Side-Line, he named Human Vault, the Hungarian project Nadragea, and his project Stone Wired as the three he considers most important among his many outlets.

Human Vault joined the Slovak label Aliens Production for the 2011–2021 retrospective “God Under Construction” and the “Self Rust” album, followed by the “Carnal Motives” remix set in March 2022. “Fragment Existence” is Turoczy’s eighth full-length album under the Human Vault name.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Minimal-Electro, EBM.

Format: Digital.

Background/Info: Nadragea is a Hungarian project driven by ‘Mortum Exabyss’ aka Human Vault and assisted by Miklos Takacs. They already released a few works together and unleashed “Formakba Tomoritett Trendek” as their newest collaboration.

Content: The album features 9 songs plus 4 remixes. The sound is mainly characterized by minimal sound treatments and slow rhythms. You’ll notice EBM elements on top but the production is definitely more Experimental. The vocals have been produced in a ghost-like way. Remixes have been delivered by Hungarian projects Cyberbob, Calm T, Gary and Planet Damage. 

+ + + : I like the work for its minimalism; putting the power in the atmospheres instead of BPM’s and fast, repetitive, sequences. The work sounds as a challenge but revealing noticeable pieces like “Flesh Algorithm (Hus Algoritmusa)” and “Ruins On Purpose (Celszeru Romok)”. The remixes by Calm T and Planet Damage bring more club-orientated edits.

– – – : This album sounds like a challenge which I’m afraid will only catch the attention of a very restricted number of Electro heads.

Conclusion: Total minimalism with attitude!

Best songs: “Flesh Algorithm (Hus Algoritmusa)”,  “Ruins On Purpose (Celszeru Romok)”, “Empty Room (Ures Szoba) –  Inverted Soul by Calm T, “Empty Room (Ures Szoba) – PlanetDamage Edit”.

Rate: 7.

Label: www.label.aliens.sk / www.facebook.com/pages/Aliens-production-label/200028820052578

About Nadragea

Nadragea is a Hungarian dark electro project driven by Gyorgy Turoczy, the Hungarian-born, New York-based musician known under the alias Mortum for his main project Human Vault, working together with Miklos Takacs. Turoczy has released music since 1997, largely through his own label Exabyss Records, founded in 2005. In a February 2022 Click Interview with Side-Line, Turoczy named Human Vault, Nadragea, and his project Stone Wired as the three he considers most important among his many outlets.

“Formakba Tomoritett Trendek” is a Nadragea release on Aliens Production, the Slovak label that also issued Human Vault’s 2011–2021 retrospective “God Under Construction”. The album brings 9 songs plus 4 remixes from fellow Hungarian producers Cyberbob, Calm T, Gary, and Planet Damage.

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

Driven by István Gazdag the Hungarian Electro project First Aid 4 Souls remains a prolific and top notch formation. For the new album “I Am The Night” –released by Alfa Matrix, István renewed the experience working with his compatriot ‘Mortum’ as vocalist. The main difference with previous productions, which were often driven by sophisticated EBM influences, is the evolution in sound. First Aid 4 Souls injected, heavy, epic/orchestral, arrangements to the sound resulting in a heavy, bombastic work. The music creates a perfect match with the conceptual theme of the album around paintings from different international artists. “I Am The Night” is a Soundtrack for these painting.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: First Aid 4 Souls is now active for 15 years. You released multiple productions so can you draw up the balance sheet of the past 15 years? What have been the highlights and biggest deceptions?

István: We’ve started at the apex, thanks to the legendary publisher Some Bizarre, publishing us with a double CD back in 2008. I’ve had the opportunity  to mix bands like Coil, Soft Cell, Cabaret Voltaire, Swans, Test Dept, Einstürzende Neubauten or Depeche Mode on the second CD. 

Our album “Deathstep” was also a big hit, and our latest joint work with Mortum (Human Vault) entitled “I Am The Night” is considered a great success within the industry.

In the name of being unpredictable we’ve published a Psy-Rock album, full of real guitar riffs and old-school sci-fi tones. This however, caught no one’s attention.

Q: Your newest album “I Am The Night” is a particular conceptual work which seems to be a Soundtrack for paintings from different artists, right? How did you get the idea of this concept and how did you manage the different stages from the choice of the paintings till the music?

István: Back in the days I was aiming to become an art historian; I’ve had forty conscious years of picking the right pictures. Amongst the main themes are manly attitude, and a darker viewpoint of our world.

Tracks are recomposing the original paintings to the smallest details. Light, bound to canvas, can morph back into vibration this way.

Q: You already experienced working with concepts and artistic themes (like “Keep This World Empty”). What makes a conceptual release that exciting and what means ‘arts’ to you -and especially during the lockdowns where people were no longer allowed to cultural events?

István: These days, culture is not a trendy call-sign. One can only rebel against apathy and ignorance through action. A higher level of this is ‘total art’, where high culture is a starting point in composing.

People are generally devoid of all presence, being in lockdown or not. COVID did not change much about this.

Q: “I Am The Night” also brings a different approach in sound which is clearly driven by Epic/Orchestral arrangements. What have been the main sources of inspiration and references to produce this work? And did you notice important changes/evolutions in the global writing process?  

István: Will, Coil, Laibach or the In The Nursery are all fantastic when it comes to harmony and Kevin Key is still an in exhaustive source of inspiration to me.

Nowadays symphony can fit on a pendrive. This  helps a tremendous amount when it comes to creating the euphony by producers.

Q: A few years ago now you signed to Alfa Matrix. Do you notice and experience major differences being signed to a leading label? And what do you expect from labels today?

István: Alfa Matrix represents a status for us. Being an important company, financial accounting is much more manageable. 

Underground publishers are fighting for their survival these days. Promotion may be better with them, but soon enough these stars will fade…

Q: You also started to re-release ‘older’ productions revealing ‘reworked’ songs. Does it mean you weren’t satisfied with the original recordings and do you see yourself as a perfectionist? What did you try to improve?

István: In the past ten years my knowledge of mastering and audio techniques have massively improved. Yes, I’m a perfectionist, and I have a strong inner drive to be able to roar louder and more effectively.

No one can tell that we haven’t said it enough times; there is trouble ahead…

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, EBM, Cinematic, Tribal.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Denis Tverdokhleb this released the third full length album of his Stairway Maze sonic brainchild. After two albums released by Aliens Production, the new opus has been released in his homeland, Russia, by ScentAir Records.

Content: After the great “Kelevra”-album Stairway Maze released a surprising work on which he collaborated with multiple guest artists. The main evolution is the addition of vocals, although some songs are still instrumental edits. It creates a diversified work which moves from Dark-Electro-Pop to EBM but also from Industrial/Tribal to the familiar Cinematic style. Human Vault, Martin Rudefelt (Cryo), Ryby (Disharmony), Bettina Bormann (Oberer Totpunkt), Peter Vercauteren (Pro Patria), Michael Roeder (A Spell Inside) and Emma Barson (Promenade Cinéma) contributed by vocals to this work. 

+ + + : This new opus stands for a major evolution in this project’s history. I regretted there were no vocals featured on the previous album and “DecisionFatigue” brings a nice -and sometimes surprising selection of vocalists. It creates a varied work mixing different styles together. I’m totally convinced by the Dark-Pop approach on “The Final stand” featuring Martin Rudefelt which sounds a bit like Skinny Puppy going Electro-Pop like. I also recommend “Invisible Threat” featuring Peter V. and “Flames” featuring Ryby, both cuts sounding as harsh EBM. There also is “Conspiracy” featuring Michael Roeder which is a refined Electro-Pop song. But the absolute masterpiece is “Gaia’s Mantra” featuring Bettina Bormann on a Tribal-Industrial song with a true uplifting effect.

– – – : I can’t say there are songs to throw away but the final track “Neon Eyes” featuring Emma Barson sounds totally different from the rest and is a a bit like an antithesis to the rest of the work.

Conclusion: Stairway Maze remains a great and intelligent Electro format. It’s also surprising to see this kind of artist being released on ScentAir Records which definitely enlarges the sonic horizon of the label.

Best songs: “Gaia’s Mantra”, “The Final Stand”, “Flames”, “Invisible Threat”, “Conspiracy”.

Rate: 8½.

Artist: www.facebook.com/iamstairwaymaze

Label: www.scent-air.com / www.facebook.com/ScentairRecords

About Stairway Maze

Stairway Maze is the solo project of Denis Tverdokhleb, a musician from Petrozavodsk in the Russian region of Karelia. He mixes IDM, ambient, EBM and cinematic music.

Aliens Production released the first two Stairway Maze albums, among them “Kelevra” in 2019. Tverdokhleb discussed that record with Side-Line in “‘Click Interview’ with Stairway Maze: ‘What Is A Tower Block If Not A Stairway Maze?’”.

“Decision Fatigue”, the third album and the record reviewed here, was released on 18 February 2022 on the Russian label ScentAir Records and holds ten tracks. The Bandcamp track titles credit Bettina Bormann of Oberer Totpunkt on “Gaia’s Mantra” and Martin Rudefelt of Cryo on “The Final Stand”.

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: Cinematic-EBM, Epic-EBM.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Hungarian work addict István Gazdag strikes back with an new- and conceptual album of his First Aid 4 Souls project. He renewed the experience working with his compatriot ‘Mortum’ -who lives in the US and you might know from his own project Human Vault. The concept of the work can be summarized as Soundtracks that have been composed for paintings by international artists.  

Content: First Aid 4 Souls will take its fans by surprise. The work which is often pretty EBM-like -and reminding me of FLA for its complexity, has been adapted into a heavy orchestral approach. It accentuates the Cinematic sound of the work and might remind you of Stiff Miners and Parzival. The vocals are totally fitting with the Epic-EBM format. The opus features 13 songs plus 4 instrumental bonus cuts.

+ + + : István Gazdag is clearly not repeating himself and definitely took me by surprise. I think there’s not enough bands dealing with this kind of sound. It’s an original approach but still resulting from a creative process. Mixing elements of EBM and Epic music together is not the most accessible kind of music but I was deeply impressed. You clearly can feel the Soundtrack approach and I really like the concept behind the paintings. First Aid 4 Soul in a way reinvented its own sound. The writing is intelligent and the sound extremely elaborated. There are several great songs but I want to mention “Your Symbols Will Fall” and the instrumental “The Well Of Bones” featuring a Psychedelic touch on top.

– – – : I’m totally fond of the instrumental tracks at the final part of the album but it would have been better spreading them all over the work. Despite this great composition, it’s not exactly the easiest Electro format to catch a wider audience.

Conclusion: First Aid 4 Souls has achieved a wider artistic concept by bringing music and painting together. The Orchestral-EBM format is a successful fusion getting my full support.

Best songs: “Your Symbols Will Fail”, “The Well Of Bones”, “I Am The Night”, “The Light In Us Was Darkness”, “Not Enough”, “Compromised”.

Rate: 9.

Artist:  www.facebook.com/First-Aid-4-Souls-180876236297

Label: www.alfa-matrix.com / www.facebook.com/Alfa.Matrix Read the news on ‘I Am The Night’.

About First Aid 4 Souls

First Aid 4 Souls is a Budapest-based electronic project founded in 2007 by István Gazdag, evolving from his earlier industrial and EBM outfit Vacuum. The project has worked with rotating collaborators and guest vocalists, and has touched industrial, EBM, dark ambient and new wave influences.

Early releases appeared via Some Bizarre, Electro Arc and Poison Girls Records before Gazdag joined the Belgian label Alfa Matrix. Milestones include “Deathstep” in 2011 and the “Beyond The Galaxy” era, later revisited under Alfa Matrix. The collaboration with US-based singer Mortum of Human Vault began with “Keep This World Empty” in 2019.

“I Am The Night”, the album reviewed here, continued that partnership and was issued by Alfa Matrix in 2022, with the bonus version dated 13 May 2022 on Bandcamp. In 2025 the project shifted sound again for “Progenitrix”, a post-punk and darkwave album built around a long list of female guest vocalists including Aux Animaux, Emke of Black Nail Cabaret, Marita Volodina of Stridulum and Kriistal Ann of Paradox Obscur.

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 today is the all new album by the Hungarian electronic industrial artist István Gazdag aka First Aid 4 Souls.

The new album, “I Am The Night“, offers a darker side of the project and again sees Gazdag collaborating with the US-based singer Mortum (Human Vault) after the album “Keep This World Empty” released in 2019.

Istvan Gazdag again had a special way of working on this album, he namely selected one painting per song to draw inspiration from. The original painting he used for this recording process includes work from Thomas Cole, H. R. Giger, Gustave Dore, Zdzisław Beksiński, Mónika Préger, Odd Nerdrum, Pierre Fritel, Jenő Barcsay, Mihály Zichy, Christine Cobden, Jacques-Louis David, Hermann Hendrich and Maja Sokolowska.

The album is out on CD and as a download. Note that the download version holds 3 bonus tracks. You can check out the full album below which is available now via Bandcamp and via the Alfa Matrix webstore (for the CD). Read the review of ‘I Am The Night’.

Eldrina Mich

As Eldrina Mich I work as a go-between and a devil’s advocate when it comes to Side-Line. If our own staff needs to be interviewed then ask the questions no one else dares to ask.

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Genre/Influences: Minimal-Electro, IDM, Experimental.

Format: Digital, Cassette.

Background/Info: Slovakian project Disharmony strikes back with the third volume of the “Cloned”-series. Next to the impressive discography “Cloned” reveals a mix of previously unreleased material and remixes Peter Rybar (Aliens Production label owner) and Robert Gajdos made for other artists. The cassette format ( available as a limited double cassette release) features extra tracks which you’ll not find in the digital version.

Content: Disharmony remains driven by meticulous and sometimes complex writing. It’s a fusion between different influences resulting in a Minimal-Electro composition and IDM passages. Some tracks are more into an Experimental vein. The rhythms are now slow and then broken. Disharmony composes music to simply listen to but also music you can dance on. Next to the previously unreleased songs you’ll also discover remixes they made for Blood In My Veins, Egoist, Spherical Disrupted, Full Contact 69 and Human Vault.

+ + + : Disharmony remains driven by an unique minimal approach revealing intelligent sound treatments. The writing is complex although accessible and even features more ‘danceable’ cuts. “Decontamination” is a great track for dancefloors. Among the other songs I enjoyed the remix for Her Blood In My Veins which is a cool IDM song. The remix of “Your Hollow Eyes” originally written by Human Vault is another great piece of music. The song is progressively evolving, mixing the EBM touch of Human Vault with the minimalism of Disharmony with spooky vocals on top.

– – – : Disharmony remains an interesting but somewhat difficult experience for inexperienced people.

Conclusion: This series remains interesting for its global sound intelligence but especially the way Disharmony sounds like appropriating other artist’s music.

Best songs: “Your Hollow Eyes”, “Decontamination”, “Option Ecliptic”, “Operation Final Entity”.

Rate: 8.

“Cloned III” was released on 9 February 2022, eight months after the “Resonance” album.

Listen to “Cloned III”:

Artist: www.disharmony.aliens.sk / www.facebook.com/dISHARMONY.Offical

Label: www.label.aliens.sk / www.facebook.com/pages/Aliens-production-label/200028820052578

About Disharmony

Disharmony, also written as dISHARMONY, is a Slovak electronic duo formed in the early 2000s by Robert Gajdos, who works as Lord Sauron, and Peter Rybar, who works as Ryby. Rybar runs Aliens Production, the label that has carried most of the duo’s catalogue.

The discography opens with “Moonflower” in 2002, followed by “Zoomer” in 2004, “Collapse” in 2005, “X Frames” in 2006 and “Malignant Shields” in 2007. “Cloned :: Other Side Of Evolution” in 2008 started the series continued by “Cloned II” in 2014 and by this album. “Evolution” appeared in 2009 and “Room 78” in 2013.

“Fragments Of Time” and “Memorized Skin” both arrived in 2016, the “Subdivided” EP in 2019, “Reborn” in 2020 and “Resonance” in 2021. Side-Line published a ‘Click Interview’ with Disharmony in February 2017. After “Cloned III” the duo issued the “Mindhunter” and “Abyss” EPs and the “Pendulum” album.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

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Out now via the Slovakian Aliens Production labels the new Human Vault remix-album “Carnal Motives”. The release comes after the “God Under Construction” and the “Self Rust” album.

The album acts as a pause before the band releases its brand new album “Fragment Existence”. The 15-track remix-album holds reworks by bands such as First Aid 4 Souls, E.N.D. and Aras Focum, dISHARMONY, Novakill and Terminal State next to many other tracks.

You can download the remix-album right below.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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Hungarian born Gyorgy Turoczy aka ‘Mortum’ has been releasing music as Human Vault since 1997. Operating from (USA) he released an impressive discography. While nearly all of his work has been (self)released on Exabyss Records he joined hands together with Aliens Production unleashing a kind of retrospective work featuring songs composed between 2011 and 2021. “God Under Construction 2011 – 2021” is an album appealing for lovers of intelligent and sophisticated Electronic music reminding artists like Skinny Puppy, Frontline Assembly, Mortal Constraint ao.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: You’re already  involved with music for quite a long time, but can you tell us how you got in touch with Electronic music and how Human Vault saw the daylight?

Mortum: Well, in 1987 my sister bought a cassette album of Pet Shop Boys, the title was “Actually” and I did love it a lot. However, the old accountant guy next door had quite a big vinyl record collection, and he showed me 2 albums, both from the legendary project, Tangerine Dream. “Phaedra” and “Rubycon”, they were my first real encounters with Electronic music. No whining, crying and high pitched ‘male’ vocals that you can hear on almost every synth pop new wave album. No dancefloor oriented rhythms and easy listening melodies. Tangerine Dream opened a door to an entirely new realm of soundcrafting and sound miracles. It was just a matter of time for me to start seeking for deeper and more daring sounds.

A few years later, when I got myself into occult literature, I found a label with amazing music. That label was Cold Meat Industry from Sweden. I became obsessed with its releases [not the dungeon synth Mortiis] and super soon I found myself collecting European Industrial music as well.

Over the years I gradually emerged myself into creating sounds, field recordings, super cheap synths and noise boxes, tape modulations and found objects with contact mics. Human Vault as a music project slowly became part of my life. No exact date when the name was first used as the official project name, but the first cassette release of mine was named as Human Vault in 1997.

Q: You’re involved with an impressive number of projects, which makes me say music clearly is a true passion. What does music mean to you and what makes the differences between all of your projects/bands? Is there any project more important than another?

Mortum: Music means everything to me! I listen to music for hours and hours a day. I also can do both of my favorite activities together at the same time, reading and listening to music, which is great and a serious time saving, too. I know I am involved in a good number of projects and it can be many times very exhausting.

Lately I have put an end to many of my projects so that I will be able to focus on the few remaining ones in the future. Hence the answer to your question, yes I consider Human Vault, the Hungarian Nadragea and my super deep and personal project, Stone Wired the most important ones. All the rest are fun and cool, and I love them, and I am serious about them, but if they are over I will not shed tears for them.

Q: Human Vault is clearly driven by good-old EBM standards, mixing power with dark atmospheres. What are your main sources of inspiration and what’s your global approach in composing the songs for Human Vault?

Mortum: When I write a song for Human Vault, I focus on rhythms. Otherwise I would end up writing another Stone Wired Death-Industrial-track. My inspiration comes from different sources. I Love Death-Industrial, Dark-Ambient music more than EBM. I also prefer old-school Dark-Electro music and here I am not talking about this Aggrotech, Trancy, Cyber Glitch, ‘cheesy’ Electro. All these influences will eventually get in the flow of composing a new song. A good track is about the author who writes it and not about the audience. I want to express something, tell something in a way I wanna tell, and I really do not give a damn if you as audience understand it or not. The problem here is that people think they are so important that music should be about them, about their feelings, their life…. that music is made for them, to entertain them, to satisfy them. At the beginning of time music was created in order to tell you a story, a story that has nothing to do with you and your feelings. A story that gives you meaning and not the other way, you give meaning to the story. Human Vault is being written with no restrictions and limitations. Human Vault does not care about anyone!

Q: You last year released the album “God Under Construction 2011 – 2021”, which is a kind of retrospective, right? How do you perceive this ‘retrospective’ and how did you see Human Vault evolving?  

Mortum:  “God Under Construction” is the actual essence of Human Vault. If one does not want to spend hours and hours listening in order to get familiar with the project, then this compilation is the right and perfect way to go. Although this release does not show the entire evolution of the music due to the fact that I had to omit tracks recorded in the very first period. Anything before 2011 is considered as a constantly fluctuating Experimental era where Dark-Electro and Death-Industrial could walk hand in hand together. Another reason why I really could not add tracks from that ear to this compilation is that I unfortunately lost all the archive files of the songs and all I have left is DAT / regular tape recordings. After 2011, Human Vault has been focusing on authentic Dark-Electro sounds putting experimental recordings aside so that I focused on this era only when I selected the tracks for the compilation. 

Q: Most of your work has been released on Exabyss Records, which is your own label and a platform for most of your projects. What have been your experiences so far and especially considering aspects like: distribution, promotion, physical formats vs. streaming platforms? And what might you expect from another label like Aliens Production?

Mortum: When I started distributing my recordings in 1997, I went through clubs, music related communities, from person to person interactions. I grabbed my cassettes and spread them amongst people, real people, not virtual existences. It took an enormous amount of time and effort, it drained my energy down to the core but it worked. People started asking me where to buy my releases. I had no platform for selling so I let it sink into oblivion. What a mistake I made. If I had grabbed that opportunity I could have built a good foundation of a fan base, but I missed that chance.

So in 2005, I officially launched my own label, Exabyss Records, and I faced the reality of a very indifferent market, a society that has been overrun and overwhelmed with abundant music. Just in the EBM genre now, at least 10 hours of new music can be reached via The Web with no effort daily. While in the 90’s, in my small town in Hungary, the EBM club community counted around 100-150 people and only 2 persons who wrote music, now in the same town the EBM fun club counts only 50 people at the most and 20 of them who write music. Put this standard pattern up in a big city scale like New York City where I live now. Only big names, such as Front 242 recently did, can draw in people in number over 300 for a live gig, which is far less than acceptable and way less than enough to pay the bills and create profit. There is no EBM club in NYC any more, and I am not making this up, that is the reality presently. All the darkwave and goth clubs can generate 80 to 150 people per club night, which is outrageous and sad. What about the musicians? Oh my gosh, NYC has got at least half a thousand musicians in the industrial genre and its sub-genres that regularly release music via the internet. You just can not keep up with this! Quantity over quality! You are tired already of digging through hundreds of hundred hours of new music just to find the real and good ones. In brief, as Exabyss Records, I realized that operating a record label is just adding to the global problem. I truly believe that stopping all distribution of music would give people time and space to breathe and relax as well as time to start appreciating music again. Therefore, as Human Vault, I create music for myself only. Aliens Production is willing to release my recordings and I am more than happy with that since I know there is a close circle of fans there that my sound can reach through the label, and that is enough for me.

Q: You’re Hungarian born, but living in the US. What are the main resemblances and differences when it comes to music and music culture?

Mortum: I honestly and truly have to admit that there is no difference between the music and its surrounding culture in the US and in Europe. Dead music market, ignorant audience, too many musicians and even more music, no appreciation on all levels, fashion freaks who dont give a damn about the music or its culture. There is no culture any longer! Only music! An overwhelming amount of music that no one listens to!
What we all have got, though!? An unoperational and deeply damaged society. A collective mind cracked open! People who scroll down the timeline of their social network and click on the like button without even reading the post or clicking on the link just to give at least a second listen to the song posted. People who gather virtual friends while not giving a damn about any of them! People who have no time to do something real in real life instead of spending hours and hours on social media networks where they also have no time to read or react to the posts. People, who are shallow and hollow in their heart! People like me, who are just meaningless and useless parts of the big machine… and we all know it but we just don’t care about it anymore!

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, Industrial.

Format: Digital.

Background/Info: Hungarian born Gyorgy Turoczy aka ‘Mortum’ has been releasing music under the Human Vault moniker since 1997. Actually based in New-York (USA) this project released an impressive discography and got signed last year to Aliens Production. This album is a kind of retrospective featuring songs composed between 2011 and 2021. 

Content: Human Vault stands for a powerful sound, which might be best described as the imaginary offspring between FLA, Mortal Constraint and Skinny Puppy. The songs are elaborated and often reminiscent of the 90s. 

The work features 14 songs and 7 remixes by Willful Deception, First Aid 4 Souls, Gary, Nova State, PTR and 2 by Sik_Of_Novakill. 

+ + + : If you don’t know this band yet, the album is a perfect opportunity to get familiarized by the sophisticated and intelligent sound of Human Vault. The composition reflects intelligence characterized by impressive and overwhelming sound treatments. It’s a rough production and subtle. There’s a perfect balance between powerful tracks driven by faster rhythms and more evasive cuts revealing dark and powerful atmospheres. Among the remixes I noticed great contributions by Sik_Of_Novakill, Gary and Nova State. 

– – – : I think it’s a pity this band isn’t more known by the EBM audience. That’s why I would have preferred to get more ‘older’ songs instead of remixes –even if the remixes are excellent!

Conclusion: I’m really wondering how Human Vault will evolve, but this project can look back at a very strong basis. 

Best songs: “Do Not Believe In You”, I Pray I Die”, “This Hate (Edit), “You Deny (Edit)” + “This Hate – Abjection Mix by Sik_Of_Novakill”, “This Hate – Neuroclub Remix by Gary”. 

Rate: 8.

Artist: www.facebook.com/mortum/exabyss 

Label: www.label.aliens.sk / www.facebook.com/pages/Aliens-production-label/200028820052578

About Human Vault

Human Vault is the dark electro project of Gyorgy Turoczy, who records as Mortum. He started the project in Hungary in 1997 and later relocated to New York.

Early material appeared without a label, among it the “Fuck Symbols Fuck Gods” EP in 2002 and the albums “Pagan Propaganda” in 2005 and “Mutilated Dreams” in 2007. From 2008 his own Exabyss Records issued “Where Gods Die”, “Omnium Humanity” in 2009, the double CDr “Tears Of The Quiet Ones” in 2011, “Existence Means Nothing” in 2014 and the CD “As The Beggars” in 2015.

Cassette releases on No Labels Interested followed with “For All Your Religions” and the “DataSect” EP in 2017 and the “It Is War Again” EP in 2019. Exabyss Records issued “The Immortality Craft” and the double-cassette compilation “The Box” in 2019, the “Self Rust” EP and “The Evoke Of The Terrific Nothing” in 2020. Aliens Production released the compilation “God Under Construction [2011-2021]” in 2021, and Phage Tapes issued a CD version in 2022.

The remix album “Carnal Motives” followed in March 2022, a month after Side-Line published a Click Interview with Human Vault. The “The Undermining Instrument Of Fate” EP arrived later in 2022, the compilation “The Vault” in 2023, “All Must Be Gone” in 2025 and “Waiting Is Endless” in 2026.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

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Genre/Influences: Metal-Pop.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: The Hungarian band Gunmaker has been active for a few years and released their third opus at the end of 2020. This new work features eight songs plus nine remixes. The album has been again produced by Rob Dust.

Content: The least I can say is that Gunmaker never repeats itself. From a rather Metal-driven debut album towards a more Electro/Indie-Pop next album they now strike back with a kind of Metal-Pop offspring. The songs have something Electro-Pop/Wave driven while being empowered by guitar riffs. Some of the most refined cuts remind me a bit of Apoptygma Berzerk.

Remixes have been made by Numb Haze, Rob Dust, Monolith, Human Vault, Dark Control Operation, Implant, Southern Pines, Cyberbob, Jihad, Angst Pop & Technomancer and Linda Daemon. The last song is an alternative mix of an album song by the band themselves.

+ + + : I can’t say that Gunmaker is constantly reinventing their sound, but at least they don’t get stuck in one specific sound formula. The mix of Metal driven riffs and Electro-Pop works pretty well, but I have a preference for one of the most Pop-driven cuts (cf. “Dreams And Desires”). Among the remixes I noticed a brilliant remix of “Wherever You Go” by French formation Dark Control Operation. I especially like the Gary Numan spirit emerging from the strings. Another cool remix is the one by Monolith.

– – – : I still think the production of the vocals could be better. It remains the main point of the band to improve.

Conclusion: Gunmaker moves on composing a very personal interpretation of different, but related music genres.

Best songs: “Dreams And Desires”, “Wherever You Go”, “Wherever You Go – Dark Control Operation Remix”, “Wherever You Go – Monolith Remix”.

Rate: (7).

Artist: www.facebook.com/Gunmaker-474227946012195  

Label: www.advoxya-records.com / www.facebook.com/pages/Advoxya-Records/265765706059

About Gunmaker

Gunmaker is a Budapest-based duo of János “Headfield” Erdei (vocals, guitar) and Andrew “Gunhead” Maker (synths), according to Discogs and the band’s Bandcamp credits. Gunhead had previously been involved in Impact Pulse and Nothing Nada. The debut album Headmaker (Advoxya Records, 2015), recorded with a female singer, was reviewed on Side-Line in March 2016, and the successor Daymaker (2017), produced by Rob Dust with Erdei on vocals, in June 2018. The band also appeared on the Advoxya compilation Hungarian Allstars Synthpop Compilation Volume 1 (2020).

“The Third” was released by Advoxya Records on 28 October 2020 on CD and as a download, with a limited double-CD edition in a carton jacket that adds a 3-inch maxi-single titled “B-side”. The eight songs are “I Wanna Feel”, “Wherever You Go”, “Your Own Star”, “Dreams And Desires”, “Give Me Your Life”, “Last Song”, “A Book” and “Take Me Into The Dark Night”, followed by nine remixes by Numb Haze, Rob Dust, Monolith, Human Vault, Dark Control Operation, Implant, Southern Pines, CyberBob and Jihad. Gunmaker wrote the words and music, Rob Dust produced, mixed and mastered the album and The Borg made the artwork.

Gunmaker has also remixed other Advoxya acts, including Stupre on You Are Made For Me and The Quinsy on To Feed Your Fever. “The Third” is the band’s third album and third Side-Line review.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Ambient-Electro, IDM, Cinematographic.

Format: Digital, CD, Cassette.

Background/Info: Disharmony has released its first new album in five years. The Slovakian project driven by Aliens Production label owner ‘Ryby’ and Robert Gajdos (Headdreamer) have been inspired by a rather dystopian vision of our world resulting in twelve songs.

Content: Disharmony always has been a project with a very sound approach and the new work doesn’t change this approach. The songs are still driven by sophisticated Electronics, mixing poignant ambient atmospheres together with a touch of Experimentalism, but also daring to revisit the dark-Electro genre at “Reborn”, which could have been a song written by :Wumpscut:. The album features instrumental songs while other cuts feature vocals. One of the songs (cf. “I’ll find The Way”) is featuring vocals by Human Vault. Two songs from the album (cf. “Polyspace” and “Reborn”) were previously released on EP’s preceding this new full length.

+ + + : Disharmony remains a true sonic experience for all lovers of sophisticated and intelligent Electronic music. The band in a way is a true ambassador for the label’s sound. This album sounds more diversified than former productions and that’s a rather good thing, revealing a formation that doesn’t want to repeat itself although holding on the basis of its original sound. Disharmony appears to be a sonic process that evolves and explores new ideas. From refined and subtle arrangements featured at “Loopers” to the already familiar, great Dark-Electro piece “Reborn” to the dreamy “Polyspace” this band reveals using an impressive sonic canvas. Another track I want to mention is “Till The End” for the duality running through the song; at one side there’s a harsh Industrial input while at the other side you’ll notice subtle, bleeping sequences.

– – – : I was not convinced by the opening, intro-like cut, the short instrumental ‘intermezzo’ “Mantra” and the last track.

Conclusion: Disharmony is back, reminding us that composing music is the result of a creative process where the musicians have to be constantly open to explore and experience new ideas.

Best songs: “Loopers”, “Reborn”, “Polyspace”, “Till The End”.

Rate: (8).

Artist: www.facebook.com/dISHARMONY.Offical

Label: www.label.aliens.sk / www.facebook.com/pages/Aliens-production-label/200028820052578

About Disharmony

Disharmony is a Slovakian electronic project driven by Aliens Production label owner “Ryby” and Robert Gajdos, who also records as Headdreamer. The project released the digital EP “Memorized Skin” in 2016 and the album “Fragments Of Time” in 2017, the same year the pair discussed their approach in a Side-Line interview.

“Resonance” followed in 2021 as the project’s first full-length in five years. Disharmony continued with “Cloned III” (2022), the “Mindhunter” EP (2023), the “Abyss” EP (2023) and “Pendulum” (2024), all on Aliens Production.

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: IDM, EBM, Electro-Ambient, Experimental, Industrial, Minimal-Electronics.

Format: Digital, 2CD.

Background/Info: Slovakian label Aliens Production is already active for numerous years now and became one of the labels dealing with ‘intelligent electronic music’ I deeply respect. This compilation features twenty six bands perfectly illustrating the sonic approach of the record company.

Artists: =mp45=, Stairway Maze, Alienated Entity, Jihad, Human Vault, Media Data, Disharmony, Mortal Constraint, Mortaja, mulpHia, Amnistia, Spherical Disrupted, ISH, INABLVCKDOG & Jash Teua, Noire Antidote, Sunao Inami, Holon, Samhain, Headdreamer, Na-Hag, Huron, KeyHead, Nadragea, Cyclotimia, Oxyd.

Content: The compilation features a number of familiar artists from the label’s roster plus a selection of ‘guests’. The compilation perfectly stands for the IDM and Minimal-Electro style of Aliens Production, which has been masterly exposed by Alienated Entity, Jihad, Disharmony, Mortal Constraint, Holon and Nadragea. But there also is a solid EBM school represented by Mortaja, mulpHia and Amnistia. Na-Hag brings a hard Industrial-Tribal touch to the work while other artists are more into the Ambient/Cinematic style.

+ + + : This is the kind of compilation, which will give an opportunity to music lovers to discover this great label. The tracklist brings a fine selection of ‘intelligent’ Electronic craftsmen who aren’t always the most famous names although dealing with sophisticated and original music. The album brings a nice selection of visionary artists. Mortal Constraint is a rather surprising and unexpected feature although you’ll discover an old song from 1999. Canadian project Holon probably deserves a nomination for the award of most subtle song from the album while Na-Hag will be the uncontested winner of power and Industrial-Tribal creativity. I also have to mention =mp45”, which is the single artist featuring 2 tracks. I especially enjoyed the pure IDM-opener.

– – – : I maybe expected a bit more from tracks by artists like Disharmony, ISH, Spherical Disrupted and Oxyd, but you don’t hear me to complaining. 

Conclusion: Aliens Production is a label that will always get my full support! It remains a total guarantee for high-qualitative Electronic music.

Best bands: Holon, Na-Hag, Mortaja, Amnistia, =mp45=, Human Vault, Samhain, Headdreamer.

Rate: (8).

Label: www.label.aliens.sk / www.facebook.com/pages/Aliens-production-label/200028820052578

About Aliens Production

Aliens Production is a Slovak label whose catalog dates back to 1997, when it issued the various-artists compilation “Collection Of Biologic Waste /Be Infected…/”, the first entry in an ongoing “Be Infected” compilation series that continued through further volumes into the 2000s. Its roster has included Disharmony and Oxyd, both featured on “Document Edition II”, alongside acts such as Human Vault, Headdreamer and Stairway Maze.

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, Experimental, Cinematographic.

Format: Digital.

Background/Info: Human Vault is driven by the Hungarian born Gyorgy Turoczy aka ‘Mortum’. Based in New-York (USA) Human vault has been busy since 1997 and has released an impressive number of productions –mainly on the Hungarian label Exabyss Records. This first work released on Aliens Productions is maybe an opportunity to discover this project.

Content: “Self Rust” is clearly driven by good-old and worked-out EBM. The project is reminding me of early Frontline Assembly, and also to the coldness of The Klinik. Some parts are exploring experimental fields while you also will notice industrial elements. The vocals have been produced in a rather spooky way while there are also numerous spoken samplings running through the album. The dark and ghost-like atmosphere is more present than any kind of hard-danceable stuff. 

+ + + : You clearly hear the maturity of this project. The songs are well-crafted and reveal a sophisticated format. There also is a kind of dramatic touch emerging at the surface, which is created by the dense ambient layers. This is accentuated by the ghost-like production of the vocals. Human Vault clearly reminds me of the magic of early EBM bands; comparing this music to FLA and The Klinik is more than simply a reference!

– – – : The album is maybe missing some hard-danceable cuts, but the strength of this album clearly lies in the impressive atmospheres instead of bouncing kicks and danceable tunes.

Conclusion: Human Vault confirms Hungary has a real talented and probably underrated electro-underground scene.

Best songs: “Damn You All”, “Fear Will Come”, “Self Rust”, “This Hate”.

Rate: (7½).

Artist: www.facebook.com/mortum.exabyss

Label: www.label.aliens.sk / www.facebook.com/pages/Aliens-production-label/200028820052578

About Human Vault

Human Vault is driven by Hungarian-born musician Gyorgy Turoczy, who also records as Mortum, and has been active since 1997, releasing mainly through the Hungarian label Exabyss Records. Now based in New York, Mortum issued “Self Rust” as his first release for Aliens Production.

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

First Aid 4 Souls is an Hungarian formation, which is already active for more than ten years now. Set up by ex-Vacuum member István Gazdag and actually completed by US-based singer ‘Mortum’ (Human Vault) the band signed to Alfa Matrix to release their new album. “Keep This World Empty” features thirteen songs, which will directly appeal for EBM freaks in love with the late 80s and 90s EBM. The work is characterized by a sophisticated writing reminding bands such as Frontline Assembly and Skinny Puppy, but still Yelworc for the dark and somewhat disturbing atmosphere recovering the songs. The band’s singer accepted to answer a few questions.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: We were in touch after the “Dark Tunnel”-album released in 2017. I remember you were already busy with ideas and a concept around your next full length album based on the work of Vladimir Sorokin. What makes the link between the writings of Sorokin and the music of First Aid 4 Souls?

Mortum: Yes, indeed we already talked about this album last time. It took us a good amount of time to finalize it. We put a lot of work into it. The connection between us and Sorokin… Hmm… Well I guess he and us, we all believe that for humanity the only way of survival is an imminent evolution of the human being; an evolving conscious mental state and a must physical improvement of the human body. Sorokin shows us a possible way of that in his book.

Q: I think to have understood the preparation and research to compose an album takes you a lot of time and also is a very important stage to accomplish an album. How did it happen for “Keep This World Empty” and can you describe the process from research/preparation till the songs are finished?

Mortum: Istvan is the man to ask about the studio procedures… I am just the vocalist and that is all. However I can tell you one thing; in order to reach the final stage of a song, Istvan usually rewrites them at least 4 times and that is not a joke… And we still are not talking about the mixing and mastering. An album for us to realize usually takes a full entire year of work. Although finding the concept for an album is not really hard for us, we are full of ideas all the time.

Q: You’re now singed on a leading label from the electronic scene so I can imagine it feels a bit like a consecration, but still maybe frustrating to have wait all these years before it happened. What does it mean to you and what do you expect from a label such as Alfa Matrix you maybe didn’t get on other companies?

Mortum: Oh yes, getting in the roster of Alfa Matrix was a great feeling; we could see that there were people out there who actually appreciated the music we created. The label is very professional and super friendly. It is surprising how much they at Alfa Matrix know about this music scene. Working with them is amazing. They do not limit any ideas from their artists! That in my opinion is very important. Istvan and me respect the policy of the label and to be honest with you, we do not expect anything from the current music industry. We do not expect anything from Alfa Matrix as well.

Going deeper and understanding the present situation where every 10th person makes music… where every single month another hundred new industrial projects grow out and another thousand albums being released… we just could not expect anything from the people too who do their best to keep up with this overwhelming market of new music.

Q: I noticed Alfa Matrix linked your sound to EBM while I remember you once said EBM is just an influence running through your work. I get the feeling First Aid 4 Souls moves further than simply one established music genre, but maybe become a ‘total happening’, mixing different artistic formats together! What is it all about?

Mortum: First Aid 4 Souls was never a real EBM project. The vivid experimental virtue was always in its vein. We have a goal to reach when we start working on an album and we do whatever it takes to achieve this goal. The only limitation is the music equipment we possess. All synths gears, no acoustic- or any other instruments. We might do rock’n’roll music if we had guitars, but of course we don’t have any (lol). Anyway in brief, we do not mix different genres in our music to show the world how unique we are; we just do whatever we need to do. For example, presently we are working on new recordings and these new demos are totally different than anything we have done before.

Q: Today there’s internet to connect people from all over the world, but I can imagine you need much more than internet when you’re an electronic underground formation based in Hungary! What are the pros and cons belonging to a small electro-scene and what might we expect from First Aid 4 Souls for the future?

Mortum: True, Hungary has no active electro-industrial scene! We have got about 6-8 still operating projects and that’s all. Here comes the benefit when you have a band. You do not care how the Hungarian scene will embrace your sound… whether they will like your album or not. Too small community to matter in the market. The cons at the same time are simple. None buys your music and none comes to your shows. Nothing to worry about (lol). Istvan and me though still step forward and never look back. Since the future is always full of possibilities, but one thing is for sure, we are at the present now and that is all that should matter.

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 EBM, dark-electro.

Background/Info: Hungarian EBM project First Aid 4 Souls this year joined hands together with Alfa Matrix unleashing the successful digital-EP “Increased Sensory Perception”. István Gazdag (ex-Vacuum) and US-based singer ‘Mortum’ (Human Vault) have now unleashed their new album featuring thirteen songs.  

Content: If you know the band’s last EP, you’ll (re) discover 4 cuts from “Increased Sensory Perception”, but in a different edit. The band remains faithful to their old-school sophisticated EBM style reminding me of bands such as Skinny Puppy, FLA, early X Marks The Pedwalk and even Yelworc. The production is dominated by poignant sound atmospheres while driven by menacing bass lines. The production is achieved with harsh and sometimes somewhat experimental sound treatments. The harsh vocals create an artistic symbiosis with the music.

+ + + : First Aid 4 Souls will maybe not become the  label’s new flag holder, but I personally consider this band as one of the most talented new signed bands of the label roster. This is not just old-school EBM! This is an intelligent electronic format characterized by solid bass lines, complex sound treatments and multiple noises, an overwhelming atmospheric layer and harsh vocals. They create original sound treatments and I refer to the song “Verdict That Condemns” illustrating the creativity of István Gazdag. This album stands for 13 high-tech dark EBM songs and is without a shadow of a doubt one of my favorite Alfa Matrix releases from this year!

– – – : I think the production of the vocals can be more convincing on a few cuts; the song “Eternity Will Never Remain” is the best example. I already enjoyed the EP and quite curiously, the featured songs from the EP aren’t my favorites from the album.

Conclusion: First Aid 4 Souls is not just inspired by old-school EBM, they reinvent the style! This album won’t leave you unmoved if you’re a fan of intelligent electronic music. This album is maybe just missing ‘the’ hit!

Best songs: “Keep This World Empty”, “Good Men Don’t Bleed Just die (La Horde)”, “Awaken Tomorrow”, “Your Social Skill Demised”, “Phrase Fractal”, “False Devotion”.

Rate: (8½).

Artist: www.facebook.com/First–Aid-4-Souls-180876236297

Label: www.alfa–matrix.com / www.facebook.com/Alfa.Matrix Read the news on ‘Keep This World Empty’.

About First Aid 4 Souls

First Aid 4 Souls is an electronic/industrial project from Budapest, Hungary, started in 2007 by Gazdag Istvan, joined by current member Gyorgy Turoczy. The project mixes noise, trance and new wave melodies with industrial-metal grinding. Gazdag Istvan also runs the related projects Stahlgeist and First Aid Tech. First Aid 4 Souls signed to Alfa Matrix in 2019, releasing the digital EP “Increased Sensory Perception” ahead of the full-length “Keep This World Empty”, which features US-based singer Mortum of Human Vault.

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.

Background/Info: Hungarian artist István Gazdag (previously involved with Vacuum) is one of the electro-underground references from his country. He released an impressive number of productions as First Aid 4 Souls and now sees all his efforts renowned by joining a bigger label of the electro scene. Together with singer ‘Mortum’ (Human Vault) this EP, which rather looks like a mini-album, reveals five new songs plus two remixes.    

Content: If you’re already familiar with this talented formation, the new stuff will sound rather familiar. First Aid 4 Souls deals with an intelligent EBM format reminding me of the sophistication of Frontline Assembly. The songs are raw, elaborated and achieved with impressive sound arrangements. Sometimes into epic treatments, but always characterized by an overwhelming production, this work is mixing danceable passages together with poignant atmospheres.

+ + + : First Aid 4 Souls is the kind of intelligent EBM formation, which was maybe missing at Alfa Matrix. It’s not only about intelligence, but the global production and influences reminding Frontline Assembly is a real addition to the label’s roster. There’s a retro touch running through the songs, but there also is a very personal touch emerging at the surface. Especially the “Acid On Steel”-version of “Mortal Birth” is a phenomenal song. This is a great dance cut, but also revealing great sound treatments. I also have to mention the title song for its overwhelming and orchestral-like arrangements. This is an EP (or mini-album, however you want to call it) with no real B-side songs.

– – – : The so-called “Slow Death”-version of the title song is the single cut that left me unmoved.

Conclusion: Joining an established and leading label such as Alfa Matrix, First Aid 4 Souls will hopefully find an opportunity to reach a wider audience. This formation is a real sensation in intelligent body music!

Best songs: “Mortal Birth – Acid On Steel”, “Increased Sensory Perception”, “Phrase Fractal – Alt Bass Edit”, “Mortal Birth – Old School Version”.

Rate: (8½).

Artist: http://www.firstaid4souls.com /  www.facebook.com/First–Aid-4-Souls-180876236297

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

About First Aid 4 Souls

First Aid 4 Souls is an electronic/industrial project from Budapest, Hungary, started in 2007 by István Gazdag. The lineup has included vocalist George “Mortum” Turoczy, who also performs as Human Vault and leads the Hungarian death-industrial project Stone Wired. The project released the albums “Trashcathedral” (CD Album, Exabyss Records/Electro Arc, 2016) and “Dark Tunnel” (CD Album, Digital Absynthe, 2018) before Side-Line reported the signing to Alfa Matrix in August 2019. “Increased Sensory Perception” followed as the project’s label debut EP.

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

Veteran Hungarian artist István Gazdag (ex-Vacuum) has been active in the avant-garde electronic / industrial scene since the late 80’s with numerous and quite diversified releases on various labels. In the last few years, he joined hands with US-based singer Mortum (Human Vault) who brought a darker dimension through his harsher vocals and darker lyrics to their now common project First Aid 4 Souls.

After the recently released “Increased Sensory Perception” EP, the band has now announced a new album as well: “Keep This World Empty” (out on November 1). The entire album conception is based on the Russian contemporary novel “Ice” written by Vladimir Sorokin.

István Gazdag: “Song after song, we follow the book’s awakening process, the emotional evolution shifting the mental levels of the human mind eventually influencing sensory perceptions and physical conditions. The album reflects the unavoidable collapse of our faulty human society that gets caught by an icy blast abruptly plunging the Earth into a frozen and rigid state where arts and values fade into oblivion, where the human snake ends up biting its own tail…”

You can already check the first 2 new tracks below.

And if you missed the “Increased Sensory Perception” EP, you can check it out below. Read the review of ‘Keep This World Empty’.

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

“Increased Sensory Perception” is the title of a brand new EP by the avant-garde electronic / industrial act First Aid 4 Souls which is being released first via Bandcamp. Behind this project we find veteran Hungarian artist István Gazdag (ex-Vacuum) and US-based singer Mortum (Human Vault). The 7-track EP “Increased Sensory Perception” shows a musically multifaceted First Aid 4 Souls.

The EP has a mix if tracks going from dark synth pop (“Cold Frozen Arts”), industrial trance (“Dark Horizon”), cold EBM (“Mortal Birth”), percussive harsh industrial (“Increased Sensory Perception”, “Phrase Fractal”) or even acid house dance (The acid on steel mix of “Mortal Birth”).

Judge for yourself below!

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Dark EBM, dark-electro.

Background/Info: Set up in the 90s by Brazilian artist Giba Reys, Homicidal Feelings stopped all activities during a rather long lapse of time until the project got reactivated a few years ago. The album “Virtue To Vice” got released by Advoxya in 2014 while “Cognitive Disorders” saw the light of day at the end of 2016. The album is more a kind of EP featuring numerous remixes and only a few new cuts.

Content: Homicidal Feelings deals with a dark EBM format mixed with some classical dark-electronic elements. The sound is harsh and features various industrial sounds. The vocals are harsh as well. Next to the danceable aspect of the work there also is an obscure and sometimes disturbing atmosphere supporting the songs. The sampling ‘Allahu Akbar’ only accentuates the mystery and torment running through the songs.

Next to 4 new cuts there also is a song featuring Deadjump and a kind of cover/tribute of the :Wumpscut: song “Slave To Evil”.

The main part of the work features remixes by Cardinal Noire, Larva, Serpents, Cold Therapy, Subliminal Code, Brain Over Dust, Deadjump, Amorphous, Human Vault and Atropine.

+ + + : I really like the original edits by Homicidal Feelings. The dark and tormented EBM style was remarkably accomplished while the dense and heavy sound atmospheres inject this kind of angst feeling. This band deals with the coldest format of electronics and has composed a few brilliant cuts, “Sectarian Strife” being my personal favorite one.

Among the remixes I would especially mention the work of Larva and Subliminal Code plus the more minimal-like sounding remix of Atropine.

– – – : I would have preferred to hear an entire album instead of this remix orgy. The :Wumpscut:-tribute is for sure an original idea, but not exactly the best track from the list. I expected a bit more out of the remixes, the original versions being definitely better!

Conclusion: Homicidal Feelings in an interesting Brazilian formation if you’re in search of tormented EBM. The new songs are danceable and supported with frightening dark atmospheres.

Best songs: “Sectarian Strife”, “The Final Consummation”, “One Existence In Pain”, “One Existence In Pain – Myasis Mix by Larva”, “Cognitive Disorders – Atropine”, “Cognitive disorders – Subliminal Code”.

Rate: (7½).

Band: www.facebook.com/homicidalfeelings

Label: www.advoxya–records.com / www.facebook.com/pages/Advoxya–Records/265765706059

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