The French label Unknown Pleasures Records, run by Pedro Peñas y Roble aka HIV+, stops its activities this summer. They are currently emptying their last stocks before closing for good. The label which started in 2013 was based in the south of France was dedicated to the production of material from the post-punk, minimal wave and EBM scene. Their final release is a Tribute to Death In June.

In the past the label has released albums of bands like Norma Loy, David Carretta, Blind Delon, Adan & Ilse, Hausfrau, Black Egg, European Ghost, Ono Scream, Antipole, Kill Shelter, Vogue Noir, Ohota, Wendy Bevan, Alek Drive, Art Kinder Industrie, Baroque, Maman Küsters, Japan Suicide, Follow Me Not, Der Himmel über Berlin, Dave Inox, Mr Nô, None, Velvet Kills, Selfishadows, Container 47, The Shyness Of Strangers, Secret Sight, La Main, Fluxus, Grand((Ø))Signal, Neon Electronics, Hardlab, Judith Juillerat, Monolog and Love In Prague.

The label has also worked and collaborated with several musicians such as Alan Vega, Gabi Delgado, Dirk Da Davo, Eric Van Wonterghem, Jurgen Engler, Richard 23, Patrick Codenys, Marc Hurtado, Arturo Lanz, The Hacker, Dirk Ivens, The Horrorist, Haujobb, Position Parallèle, John Lord Fonda, Dominique Nicolas, Marc Collin, Michaël Theis, Radical G, Növö, Millimetric, In Death It Ends, In Aeternam Vale, Sonic Area, Adriano Canzian, Alice Botte, Versari and many more.

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.

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Genre/Influences: Gothic rock, Post-punk.

Background/Info: The British band Rosetta Stone was for sure one of the leading Gothic rock acts of the ’90s. After the band was disbanded in 1998 founding member Porl King started releasing music in between 2007-2012 under the name Miserylab and later on as In Death It Ends. Porl wrote and produced this entire album, which consists of remakes of earlier released Miserylab tracks, with mixing duties by Jurgen Engler of DIE KRUPPS.

Content: The songs sound all very depressed and it seems that Porl is still very disappointed in this world and what’s all happening around us. All tracks are built up in the same simple way including drumcomputer, melodic guitar lines, very deep lyrics and heavy atmospheric vibes. Best songs of this 45 minutes-album are: “Children Of The Poor”, a nice uptempo song with the complaining voice of Porl all over it. On “People” Porl’s voice sounds more melodic while this very danceable song is driven on a nice bass-line. “Escape” is very atmospheric, a song that makes you dream away by daylight. The melodic guitar-riff on “When You Turn Away” is something that might stay in your head for a while. The last track “Tomorrow For Us” sounds very dark, depressive and melancholic, a typical Miserylab-product.

+ + + : Porl proves that he knows very well how to write good songs and that he’s a very good musician, playing all instruments by himself. If you don’t own any of the Miserylab releases, here’s your chance!

– – – : Some fans might be disappointed because this is not a real Rosetta Stone reunion in the original line-up and they might already know the songs from Miserylab before. I personally miss the excellent track “No Cure For Life” on this album.

Conclusion: Fans of old-school gothic rock bands will enjoy this 11-track album, which is released on cd, (limited) vinyl and high-quality digital download. This album sounds like a stripped, minimal (read: less bombastic and cleaner produced) version of the earlier Rosetta Stone.

Best songs: “Children Of The Poor”, “People”, “Escape”, “When You Turn Away”, “Tomorrow For Us”.

Rate: (8) WH.

Artist: www.facebook.com/RosettaStoneOfficial

Label: www.cleorecs.com / www.facebook.com/CleopatraRecords

The iconic UK gothic rock band Rosetta Stone will release a new album called “Seems Like Forever” on May 15, 2019. Founding member Porl King wrote and produced the entire album, with mixing duties by Jurgen Engler of Die Krupps. The new album will be released on both cd and vinyl via Cleopatra Records and contains 11 tracks. The video-premiere will be right here on Side-Line next month!

Track List:

1. Be There Tomorrow
2. Children Of The Poor
3. People
4. Dark Times
5. Making A Bomb
6. Escape
7. When You Turn Away
8. Downplay
9. What Is The Point
10. Say What We Mean
11. Tomorrow For Us

Rosetta Stone was originally formed in the eighties by Porl King and Karl North, and was one of the biggest names of the gothic rock scene in the nineties. The band split up in 1998 after which Porl went on to be a remixer and producer. He also wrote music under the name Miserylab and In Death It Ends.