German electro-industrial/darkwave act In Strict Confidence have covered the Depeche Mode classic “Blasphemous Rumours”. The single is out on video alongside a limited 7″ vinyl edition sold via their official shop. Note that the video itself filmed in Iceland.

The 7″ vinyl edition holds 3 versions, “Blasphemous Rumours” and “Blasphemous Rumours (Heaven & Hell Mix)”, plus the “Blasphemous Rumours (Memorial Mix)”.

About ‘Blasphemous Rumours’

“Blasphemous Rumours” is a Depeche Mode song from the 1984 album “Some Great Reward”. The band released it as a UK double A-side with “Somebody” on October 29, 1984 via Mute.

The song was written by Martin L. Gore, and produced by Depeche Mode, Daniel Miller, and Gareth Jones. It was recorded in June 1984 during sessions at Music Works (London) and then mixed at the Hansa Studios (Berlin).

The religious elements in “Blasphemous Rumours” pushed Mute/Depeche Mode toward a double A-side with “Somebody” rather than presenting it alone as the headline single. The song tells of a chain of events around a young woman’s attempted suicide and continued misfortune, then pivots into direct religious doubt.

It became the band’s first UK double A-side and their first UK EP (extended play) single variant.

About In Strict Confidence

In Strict Confidence is a German electro-industrial/darkwave act formed in 1989. The project used the name Seal of Secrecy until 1992. In the 1990s, Dennis Ostermann, Stefan Vesper, and Jörg Schelte started recording under the In Strict Confidence name and signed with Zoth Ommog. The band released the debut album “Cryogenix” (1996) and the EP “Collapse” (1997), followed by the studio album “Face the Fear” (1998).

The band followed up with “Love Kills!” (2000) and founded its own label Minuswelt in 2001 through which they released “Mistrust the Angels” (2002), “Holy” (2004), “Exile Paradise” (2006), “La Parade Monstrueuse” (2010), “Utopia” (2012), “The Hardest Heart” (2016), and “Hate2Love” (2018).

In 2026, the band launched the cover of Depeche Mode’s “Blasphemous Rumours,” issued for streaming and as a limited 7″ vinyl, with a video filmed in Iceland.

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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Metropolis Records has just released “The Ghosts I Called”, a brand new collection of 15 tracks recorded by yelworC over a ten year period. It follows a set of four recent vinyl reissues on GH Records that revisits the group’s earliest years: “Dis-Cover and Con-Trol”, “Brainstorming”, “Flash, Wards, and Incubation”, and “A.I.W.A.S.S.”.

You can check the material out right below.

About yelworC

Peter Devin and Oliver Büttner (also known as Dominik van Reich) founded the electro-industrial band yelworC in 1987. The band’s name is a reference to Aleister Crowley, and their music delves into themes of dark magic, religious ceremonies, mortality, and aggression.

Between 1988 and 1990, the duo produced several demo tapes before Celtic Circle Productions (C.C.P.), a now-defunct label, signed them. In December 1992, they released their debut CD album “Brainstorming”. Following this, they introduced the “Blood in Face” EP, featuring remixes and new content from “Brainstorming”.

Their sound blends dark synthesizers, aggressive dance beats, distorted vocals, and horror film samples, resembling Skinny Puppy’s style. This fusion has influenced many in the electro-industrial and gothic music scenes.

In 1994, yelworC unexpectedly disbanded. Van Reich formed amGod, an experimental project, and released “Half Rotten and Decayed” with C.C.P. Meanwhile, Devin retained the rights to the yelworC name.

2004 saw Devin’s return with yelworC’s studio album “Trinity”, their first in over a decade. This album, featuring late 1990s compositions, explores Dante’s Inferno with a guest spot by Dennis Ostermann of In Strict Confidence on “Vexilla Regis Inferni”.

The 2007 album “Icolation” followed, extending the “Trinity” concept with themes from Dante’s Purgatorio.

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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The German electro group, In Strict Confidence, is set to release a new album titled “Mechanical Symphony” on October 13th through the Minuswelt label. It will be available as a 2CD set and a double black vinyl set.

This album is a compilation that presents their most notable tracks in a different style. Each song has been reinterpreted and recorded in an orchestral film music soundtrack format.

Additionally, the second CD offers an instrumental version of the entire album, resulting in a total of 24 tracks. The limited deluxe double-vinyl includes 12 ‘Mechanical Symphony’ tracks from the CD version and 4 instrumental tracks from CD2.

A video for the song “Zauberschloss” is scheduled for release on September 29th.

The following tracks are available in the ‘Mechanical Symphony’ version.

1. Zauberschloss
2. Seven Lives
3. My Despair
4. Snow White
5. Somebody else´s Dream
6. Mercy
7. Forbidden Fruit
8. Morpheus
9. Flashover
10. Set me free 1 Silver Bullets
11. Ewige Nacht

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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Genre/Influences: Dark-Electro, EBM.

Format: Digital, 2CD.

Background/Info: This is the fifth full length album by Leipziger (Germany) formation Intent:Outtake. The work comes four years after the previous album and is their second opus released by Scanner.

Content: Intent:Outtake remains faithful to their powerful Electro sound which lays somewhere in between sophisticated EBM and intelligent Dark-Electro. The songs have been sung in German and English but whatever the language the sound remains dark and furious. This music is pure club-food and the previously released EP-title song “Tic Toc Tod” remains a true earworm.

The bonus disc features 3 extra songs plus 3 remixes by Centhron, The Saint Paul and Vdoc.

+ + + : Intent:Outtake don’t reinvent any Electro underground genre but are talented artists elevating familiar Dark-Electro and EBM standards to a higher level. The songs are well-crafted and achieved with cool, overwhelming, strings. The most noticeable cuts reach a climax by carrying choruses and easy, but cool, vocals like on the unavoidable “Tic Toc Tod” (probably the biggest hits of the band so far). But Intent:Outtake is much more than a powerful production as the work also reveals poppy elements. The bonus disc features cool extra songs as well. This band is once more reminding me of In Strict Confidence which I think is much more than simply a reference.

– – – : I don’t see real minus points although the remixes -which are okay, aren’t the best exponents from the album.

Conclusion: I’ve never been disappointed by Intent:Outtake and this new album only confirms the talent and strong potential of a band which, according to me, deserves much more recognition.

Best songs: “Toc Toc Tod – Album Edit”, “Panopticon”, “We are Stars”, “No regrets”, “Time Is Running Out” + “Gib Nicht Auf”, “Wttna”.

Rate: 8½.

Artist: www.facebook.com/INTENTOUTTAKE 

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

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

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The synthpop/industrial band Distorted Reality is back with an all new single, “I Can’t Imagine”. “I Can’t Imagine” addresses the idea of being in a relationship with someone for a long time while realizing the relationship is essentially over. No one wants to make the scary move of ending it. It’s a difficult and heartbreaking split because you both still love each other. In this case, however, love is not enough.

“I Can’t Imagine” is available on all major digital platforms including Bandcamp.

Below you can see a video for the new single.

Distorted Reality was formed by Martha A. Hoffmann from Miami, USA and Christian Kobusch from Berlin, Germany, the creator of musical project Berlin Banter. Martha is the lead singer of Deep Red, the American Electro-Goth formation. Deep Red was touring in support of Project Pitchfork when a chance meeting between Marttha and Christian happened at a tour stop in Germany, Martha and Christian began to discuss their ideas.

Subsequently, Distorted Reality was formed after the two kept in touch over the course of a year during which, a collection of songs were created. Distorted Reality’s debut album “The Fine Line Between Love and Hate” was produced together with Bruno Kramm (Das Ich) and released on May 17, 2002 on Accession Records and re-released on the American record label Nilaihah Records. The North American version contained additional remixes by Assemblage 23, Forma Tadre, cut.rate.box and Null Device.

In 2004/2005 Martha and Christian worked on their second album “Daydreams and Nightmares” together with Andreas Meyer (Forma Tadre, Newt). Artists like Bruno Kramm, Daniel Myer (Haujobb), In Strict Confidence, Dust of Basement and Chris L. (Agonoize) contributed remixes to this album.

During the COVID-19 lockdown, the band decided to put out a new single (performed live), “I Knew it Was Wrong”, in January 2021. 2022 then saw another collaboration with Solitary Experiments where Martha was part of a special bonus CD, “La Voix de La Femme”, with her interpretation of their song “I am”. Most recently, Christian and Berlin Banter collaborated on a single with Tricky.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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German electropop sensation Melotron is back with a brand new single, “Null,” from their forthcoming album “Dynamika,” set for release later this year. For this single, Melotron collaborated with In Strict Confidence.

“Dynamika” serves as the follow-up to their 2018 album “Für Alle.” German fans should note that a record pre-release concert is scheduled for May 20th at LIDO in Berlin. Visit Melotron’s official website for ticket information.

The music video for “Null” can be viewed here, it was direct by Dennis Ostermann:

The lyrics of the song address themes of societal apathy, materialism, and escapism. They describe a world where people are focused on trivial pursuits like home shopping and online quizzes, ignoring significant issues like justice and the well-being of others. The song further critiques the mindset of “it can’t be what’s not allowed,” encouraging people to continue playing along and being obedient while the world turns a blind eye to problems. The chorus, “Stellt die Uhren auf Null” (Set the clocks to zero), could be interpreted as a call for a fresh start or a reset, acknowledging the need for change in society’s priorities and values. Additionally, the lyrics touch upon the consequences of excessive consumption as a response to life’s frustrations and everyday stress. They highlight the superficiality of luxurious lifestyles, with cosmetic enhancements and tattoos, ultimately emphasising that everyone dies alone despite such appearances.

Melotron will be performing live at the following venues:

• 30th April: Halle / Saale (EASTEND – Die Pop & Wave Nacht)
• 20th May: Berlin (LIDO)
• 6th-8th July: Vänersborg (SE) (Subkult Festivalen)
• 12th-13th August: Hildesheim (M’era Luna Festival)

About Melotron

Melotron was established in 1995 by founding members Andy Krüger (vocals/composition), Edgar Slatnow (synthesizer/lyrics), and Kay Hildebrandt (synthesizer/production). They initially went by the name The Vermin but changed it to Melotron with the release of their debut single “Dein Meister” in 1998.

Since their debut album “Mörderwerk,” they have worked with indie and techno producer Olaf Wollschläger at the Weltherren Studios in Buir (Kerpen). In 2006 however the band decided to explore new production avenues and started collaborating with Dirk Riegner alongside Olaf Wollschläger.

A interesting moment in the band’s further career was when Melotron represented their state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in the Bundesvision Song Contest with their song “Das Herz”. The track instantly entered the German mainstream charts.

Since 2007 the band has only sporadically released a new album, “Werkschau” in 2014 and “Für Alle” in 2018.

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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YelworC was a highly influential Dark Electro group from Munich, Germany, formed by Dominik van Reich (later amGOD) and Peter Devin on New Year’s Eve 1987/88. They released three highly regarded demotapes before their pathbreaking debut album “Brainstorming” came out in December 1992 on the infamous Celtic Circle Productions label. The album was marketed as a “futuristic and neo-apocalyptic Electro-Dark synthesis” and drew comparisons to Placebo Effect’s “Galleries of Pain.” The legendary EP “Blood in Face” followed in 1993, featuring the club hit “Soulhunter” and more.

The band disbanded shortly after, and Dominik van Reich went on to found the project amGOD. Two more yelworC albums and an EP were released in 2004 and 2007 on In Strict Confidence’s Minuswelt label, but only featured Peter Devin. The following four vinyl re-releases – via GH Records – are officially authorized versions and not bootlegs:

• “Dis-cover & Con-trol” (Limited White Edition, 12″ Vinyl) – A collection of their first self-released tape from 1989, limited to 200 copies on white vinyl.
• “Brainstorming” (2 × Vinyl, Limited, Blue or White) – A double-vinyl reissue of their debut album and EP, available in either blue or white, limited to 150 copies each.
• “Flash, Wards And Incubation” (Limited Red Edition, 12″ Vinyl) – The first-ever vinyl release of their second self-released tape from 1989, limited to 200 copies on red vinyl.
• “A.I.W.A.S.S.” (2 × Vinyl, Limited, Silver or Orange) – A double-vinyl reissue of their third tape from 1990, available in silver or orange, limited to 150 copies each.

These re-releases offer a unique opportunity for fans to own officially authorized vinyl versions of YelworC’s rare and influential works.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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Genre/Influences: EBM, Dark-Electro.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: German based Intent:Outtake released this new EP three years after their last full length album “Days Of Doom” (2019). The EP reveals three new songs plus seven remixes.

Content: Intent:Outtake moves on mixing powerful and well-crafted Electronics mixing influences of EBM and dark-Electro together. The title song was sung in German while both other songs feature English vocals. And here again the band stands for power but also for more moody passages. You next will discover alternative edits and remixes by Eisfabrik, Diverje, Chainreactor, Damascus Knives and Fractal Age.

+ + + : Intent:Outtake is a band I’ve always supported. I like the powerful sound which is often reminding me of In Strict Confidence. It stands for power and intelligence plus charismatic vocals. The title song is a great piece of music but the “Club Edit” sounds even better. I also recommend the heavy, pumping, dancefloor driven remix of “Tabula Rasa” -a song I don’t know, by Chainreactor.

– – – : There clearly is a gap between the title song and the other two new songs which clearly seem to be B-sides -but cool ones!

Conclusion: “Tic Toc Tod” is a punching title song to announce a new album.

Best songs: “Tic Toc Tod – Club Edit”, “Tic Toc Tod – Single Edit”, “Tabula Rasa – Chainreactor Remix”, “Immoral Traitors – Eisfabrik Remix”.

Rate: 7½.

Artist: https://linktr.ee/intentouttakeofficial /  www.facebook.com/INTENTOUTTAKE

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

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

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Out on Minuswelt is the 25 anniversary edition of In Strict Confidence’s “Face the fear” album. “Face the fear” was the second album by In Strict Confidence and was originally released in 1998 on the electro label Zoth Ommog, which was also home to bands like Front 242, Pankow, Frontline Assembly and many others in the 90s.

After the debut album “Cryogenix” 2 years earlier, “Face the fear” was a big step forward for the German act – both in qualilty of production and in the songwriting. Preceeded by the EP “Industrial Love” it also includes “Hidden thoughts”. Now, 25 years after the first release, the album is back on the market in a new design and with bonus material.

The bonus tracks are the following:

1. Alles in mir (ISC Remix)
2. Learn to Live
3. Hidden Thoughts (Original Controlled Fusion Version)
4. Industrial Love (Club Stress Version by Aghast View) 6:42

In Strict Confidence is a German electro-industrial band. Formed in 1989, they were known as Seal of Secrecy until 1992.

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: Future-Pop, Dark-Electro.

Format: Digital, DCD & 3CD.

Background/Info: “Transcendent” is the eighth studio album by Berliner group Solitary Experiments. The album features an extra disc with remixes and guest singers while there’s also an extra disc available -which is an audio book.

Content: The main disc features 10 songs in the purest and unique tradition of the band. The Electro sound remains always catchy and danceable but still featuring ‘evil’ or call it darker parts. So there’s a song featuring Dirk Ivens (Dive, The Klinik,  Absolute Body Control). But there’s also a totally evasive song featuring Elena Alice fossi (Kirlian Camera, Spectra*Paris) reminding me of an imaginary mix between Delerium and Push.

The bonus disc features a few more guest singers. Among others you’ll discover songs with Patrik Hansson (Vanguard, Uncreated), Gabriella Aström (Me The Tiger) and Nina De Lianin (In Strict Confidence) while remixes have been accomplished by Supreme Court, Rob Dust, Grendel, MC1R, Run Level Zero, Controlled Fusion and Massiv In Mensch.

+ + + : Solitary Experiments remains an established name in Germany and according to me is still recognized enough abroad. The band however remains a great project when it comes to combining danceable vibes, melodies, darkness and Pop singing. The addition of Dirk Ivens and Elena Alice Fossi as guest singers accentuates the diversity of the album. I’ve been impressed by the somewhat Dance/Trance “The Great Unknown” featuring Elena Alice Fossi. Another great piece is “Self-Fulfilling Prophecy” which clearly sounds as a potential hit. Other noticeable cuts are “Wonderland” and “Heart Of Stone” but also the menacing sphere running through “Zeitgeist” featuring Dirk Ivens. The bonus disc brings a nice extra with more guest singers and a great selection of  remixers.

– – – : You can’t really blame Solitary Experiments for holding onto their sound which hasn’t changed throughout the years however the initial magic is a bit gone.

Conclusion: Solitary Experiments stands as an established value; you’ll be never disappointed as they’ve an imaginary qualitative label!

Best songs: “The Great Unknown”, “Self-Fulfilling Prophecy”, “Wonderland”, “Heart Of Stone”, “Zeitgeist”.

Rate: 8.

Artist: www.solitaryexperiments.de / www.facebook.com/solitaryexperiments 

Label: www.outofline.de  / www.facebook.com/outoflinelabel

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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Coming up is the third single of the upcoming album “Transcendent” by the future pop act Solitary Experiments. “The Great Unknown” features Elena Alice Fossi, the Italian singer of Kirlian Camera / Spectra*Paris.

Regarding the upcoming album “Transcendent”, for the first time in the almost 30-year band history, frontman Dennis Schober welcomes guest singers for a Solitary Experiments album.

On the band’s 8th album Dennis Schober invited Kirlian Camera singer Elena Alice Fossil and Dirk Ivens. On the bonus disc we find four new songs with four guests (In Strict Confidence’s Nina De Lianin, Vanguard’s Patrik Hansson, Me the Tiger’s Gabriella Åström and Beyond Obsession’s Nils Upahl). It also holds 5 additional remixes of album tracks plus 3 more remixes of earlier tracks.

Also to be released is deluxe set holding and exclusive bonus CD with further collaborations. We checked the tracklist and found the following guys singers: Helix, Julia Beyer, Adam is a Girl, Schmoun, Omnimar, Foretaste and Distorted Reality.

The new album will be out on October 28th.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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Out on October 28th is the all new Solitary Experiments album “Transcendent”, their 8th so far. The first print of the album comes as 2CD digibook edition. On the album frontman Dennis Schober invited two guest singers, Kirlian Camera singer Elena Alice Fossil and Dirk Ivens.

On the bonus disc we find four new songs with four guests (In Strict Confidence’s Nina De Lianin, Vanguard’s Patrik Hansson, Me the Tiger’s Gabriella Åström and Beyond Obsession’s Nils Upahl). It also holds 5 additional remixes of album tracks plus 3 more remixes of earlier tracks.

Also to be released is deluxe set holding and exclusive bonus CD with further collaborations. We checked the tracklist and found the following guys singers: Helix, Julia Beyer, Adam is a Girl, Schmoun, Omnimar, Foretaste and Distorted Reality.

Check out the video for the album track “Wonderland”.

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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The track “Stay” taken from the last In Strict Confidence album “Hate2Love” is finally honored with a video. The video recordings were made partly already about 8 years ago (!!) and were combined with current footage.

The song was co-produced by Dirk Riegner & Rhys Fulber (Front Line Assembly / Conjure One).

Check out the video 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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In April of this year, the electropop act Suicidal Romance released their “Runaways” comeback EP (available here on Bandcamp). Out now is their brand new 4-track EP “Love Promise”. The duo Dmitry Darling and Viktoria Seimar deliver here an electrowave love-song augmented with 3 remixes by Digital Factor, Kilmarth and Cubic.

Gefundenes Fressen for fans of Blutengel, L’ame Immortelle and In Strict Confidence.

The single was written and produced by Dmitry Darling, mixed by Pjotr Latosev and mastered by Max Gerasyonov except for the remixes which were mastered by Ocean Black. On the artwork by Gobotoru we recognize Vira Takinada.

You can check out the single below or download it right here from Bandcamp.

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

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

About In Strict Confidence

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

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

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

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Dark-electro, EBM.

Format: Digital, CD & 2CD.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rate: (8½).

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

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

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Dark-electro, EBM.

Background/Info: Hailing from Berlin (Germany) Pseudokrupp Project has mainly self-released all its productions since their beginning. The album “2009 – Vor Underer Zeit” released in 2009 on Codeline Records was the band’s single ‘official’ work until they got signed to Infacted Recordings. “This Is The New Black” was released early November 2018.

Content: The first half of the album reveals a dark-electro sound with explicit, melody lines and hopping rhythms. The second part of the work progressively evolves in EBM inspiration. The songs became harder while holding on to the particular rhythm running through this work. The vocals are sung in German and English and remind me now and then of Tyske Ludder for the powerful format.

+ + + : I definitely prefer the EBM side of the work for its power and the charismatic vocals. The vocals might appeal to lovers of Tyske Ludder, but I also have to mention In Strict Confidence. There’s a similar powerful and passionate expression. I also like the female backing vocals on “Faith In My Own Truth”. Sound-wise the work is characterized by strong melodies.

– – – : I’m not a huge fan of the opening tracks, which are more hesitant and unaccomplished.

Conclusion: Pseudokrupp Project is not exactly setting the EBM world on fire and can’t compete with some of the bands they’ve been compared to although “This Is The New Black” features a few cool songs.

Best songs: “Friede Den Hütten”, “One Way Ticket”, “There Was A Time”, “Faith In My Own Truth”, “One Way Ticket”.

Rate: (7).

Artist: www.facebook.com/pseudokruppproject

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

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Future-pop, body-pop, EBM.

Background/Info: After the acoustic-live album “Sedated” (2017) Sven Friedrich and
André Feller are back on track unleashing the fifth studio album of their Solar Fake project.

Content: “You Win. Who Cares?” moves on there where previous albums left off. The influences remain pretty similar, mixing elements of EBM together with electro-pop and future-pop. The songs are danceable and mostly carried by solid melody lines during the choruses. A few harder cuts make me think to the power-pop style several artists are actually dealing with (and I especially refer to the newest work of Croona).

The limited edition of this work features an extra disc taking off with the cover of “Papillon” (originally written by The Editors). We next get a solid load of remixes by MR. Kitty, Patenbrigade: Wolff, Ost+Front, In Strict Confidence, Adam Is A Girl, Random Starlight and Era Nocturna together with Heavenly Creatures.

+ + + : Solar Fake has established their very own sound throughout the years. They are merging different electro-styles together resulting in a highly danceable and melodic pop format. This album confirms the talent of the German duo while accentuating their composing skills for great melody lines. But it also is an album revealing a styled approach and numerous cool sound treatments.

The cover version of “Papillon” is a real challenge, but it’s a cool version, which I think will be very efficient on stage. Among the remixes I especially want to mention the great job done by Patenbrigade: Wolff, In Strict Confidence and Adam Is A Girl.

– – – : This work will not take you by surprise; it sounds personal and danceable, but without being a  true innovation.

Conclusion: Solar Fake confirms their growing status (especially in their homeland) by this ultra accessible and danceable work.

Best songs: “Just Like This”, “Wrong Direction”, “Invisible”, “A Bullet Left For You” + “Just Like this – Patenbrigade: Wolff Remix”.

Rate: (8).

Artist: www.solarfake.de / www.facebook.com/SolarFake

Label: www.outofline.de  / www.facebook.com/outoflinelabel

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

On November 16th Accession Records will release the debut album “Weapon of Choice” by Coma Alliance, the joint venture of the wave/electro artists Adrian Hates (Diary of Dreams) and Torben Wendt (Diorama).

For a first impression I also recommend the video of the song “Royd”.

Coma Alliance has its stylistic roots firmly embedded in the dark alternative scene but has been complemented by trip hop and minimal electro elements. They first went on tour under the Coma Alliance moniker in 2016, at the time still devised as independent shows of either Diary of Dreams and Diorama with mutual guest appearances. In January 2019 Coma Alliance will play 7 German and 2 Russian cities – as 1 band with 1 joint stage show.

During the show the duo will present both new interpretations of well-known classic pieces of both their bands as well as songs from Coma Alliance’s upcoming debut album.

Coma Alliance on tour (Special guest In Strict Confidence)

• 11.01.2019 Oberhausen, Kulttempel
• 12.01.2019 Hamburg, Markthalle
• 17.01.2019 Frankfurt, Batschkapp
• 18.01.2019 Stuttgart, im Wizemannµ
• 19.01.2019 München, Backstage
• 25.01.2019 Berlin, Huxleys Neue Welt
• 26.01.2019 Dresden, Reithalle
• 15.02.2019 St. Petersburg (RUS), Aurora Concert Hall *
• 16.02.2019 Moskau (RUS), Club Theater *

* Without In Strict Confidence

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

Germany’s EBM pioneers In Strict Confidence recently released their “Mercy” EP taken from the all new album “Hate2love”. The band has now accounced more details about a double vinyl album “Hate2love & Mercy” which also includes the EP next to the album.

You can now order this very limited double vinyl edition right here.

Co-produced by Rhys Fulber (Frontline Assembly/Delerium/Fear Factory), one track features Peter Devin (yelworc) while Dirk Riegner (Peter Heppner) also collaborated with them. The artwork was handled by heilemania (who also worked for Lindemann / Rammstein and Kamelot).

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

“Mercy” is the title of a brand new EPCD by In Strict Confidence and is a new teaser for the all new album to be released later this year. You can order the EP right now.

The EP comes larded with remixes by Solar Fake, yelworC and Caleidoskop, among others. Also included are non-album tracks and the ISC-typical “Extended Version”. 7 tracks in total.

The track list is as follows:

1. Mercy 4:27
2. Mercy (Solar Fake Remix) 3:43
3. Thorn to the world (Roquaijam adopted) 3:42
4. Mercy (Caleidoskop Remix) 4:49
5. Devil´s Trident (yelworC Version) 4:55
6. Mercy (Extended Version) 6:07
7. Promised Land (Traces of Ghosts Remix) 5:45

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

side-line.com

On 11th and 12th August 2018 the annual M’era-Luna festival takes place in the area of Hildesheim-Drispenstedt, Germany. M’era Luna exists since 2000 and is one of the biggest Gothic festivals in the European scene. Gothic, new wave, electro, EBM, industrial and medieval bands are featured on 2 stages.

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

The last years the festival was every time sold out and had about 25.000 visitors. This year some of the confirmed artists are: The Prodigy, Front 242, Ministry, Eisbrecher, In Extremo, Saltatio Mortis, Apoptygma Berzerk, Peter Heppner, L’Ame Immortelle, London After Midnight, Clan Of Xymox, Das Ich, Lord Of The Lost, Hocico, The 69 Eyes, Atari Teenage Riot, In Strict Confidence, Rotersand, Nachtmahr, Tanzwut, …

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

Genre/Influences: Dark-electro, EBM.

Background/Info: “Schmerzmaschine” is the third album accomplished by the Leipziger (Germany) duo Bastian Polak – Andreas Engleitner. The fans of the band previously discovered the EP “Eclipse” which featured two songs that have been mixed for this album.

Content: If you never heard of this band before you quickly will recognize a sound reminding you of some famous German bands such as Project Pitchfork (for the bombastic arrangements), In Strict Confidence (for the complexity and charisma of the vocals) and Rotersand (still for the complexity, but also for the more refined approach). “Schmerzmaschine” doesn’t sound at all like a copyists, but simply composed an intelligent although somewhat ‘classical’ work featuring several great cuts. Notice by the way there’s a song featuring guest vocals by Chris L (Agonoize, Funker Vogt, Sexorcist ao).

+ + + : This is a real mature production for the writing of the songs and the great sound production. The songs have been accomplished by great sound treatments and carried by a talented singer. The song featuring Chris L is not my favorite cut although a nice little extra. The sound and influences might be familiar ones, but I really believe Intent:Outtake has achieved a great work, which is without a shadow of a doubt their most successful album to date. I don’t want to compare them to In Strict Confidence, but there’s a similar approach in sound with earlier releases of this band. Last, but not least the album features a few potential hits or at least club killers.

– – – : Despite of some potential hits, the album doesn’t have ‘the’ hit that would be recognized by all music lovers.

Conclusion: I’ve been positively surprised by this album and the progression of Intent:Outtake. I’m not affirming that they could become the ‘big next thing’ in dark-electro land and the world of EBM, but they clearly have the potential to grow to the top!

Best songs: “Eclipse – Album Edit”, “Masks”, “Fossils Of Anger”, “Raum Und Zeit”, “Schmerzmaschine”.

Rate: (8½).

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

Label: www.sonic–x.de / www.myspace.com/sonicxrecords / www.facebook.com/pages/Sonic–X/223123321069481

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Dark-electro, EBM, new-wave, electro-punk, metal-rock.

Background/Info: Thee Flanders is a German psychobilly formation, which has already released several albums throughout the years. They sometimes seem to cover famous songs. This album features 20 remixes by an impressive list of mainly electro-underground formations.

Content: The main songs of this release are “You Spin Me Round” from Dead Or Alive and “Nightmares” from A Flock Of Seagulls. Both 80s new-wave hits have been covered by Thee Flanders, sung together with Bela B (Die Ärzte) and Markus Meyn (Camouflage) and remixes by Leather strip, Die Krupps, Blind Passenger, Robert Görl, Ad:Key, Beborn Beton, Scheuber feat. G. Thomas, Patenbrigade: Wolff, In Strict Confidence, Absurd Minds, Mirko Hirsch, Head-Less, White Trash Wankers, T.A.N.K., Sound Tessellated, Beyond Obsession, Tomas Tulpe, Modekay, Keller Technik and The Klaak Syndrome.

The result is a very diversified release, which mainly sounds electro-like, but moving from darker-electro remixes to EBM to electro-minimal, but also electro-punk, new-wave and somewhat metal-orientated work. Notice by the way that White Trash Wankers is the only band that remixed another song (cf. “Buried Alive”).

+ + + : This album definitely sounds like a challenge, but especially for the fans of the band who I can imagine aren’t used at all to hearing their favorite band remixed by electronic formations. It’s not only a challenge, but I like this originality and it could be fun to hear one of those famous electro-acts featured on the album getting remixed by psychobilly bands. Why not? But the main point is that especially the remixes of “You Spin Me Round” feature a few outstanding versions. I want to make a special mention for the originality and minimalism of Patenbrigade: Wolff, the groovy approach of Head-Less, the harder version of Die Krupps and into EBM transposed remix of AD:Key. Another noticeable remix is “Nightmares” from Leather Strip.

– – – : There are a few less inspired remixes featured, but that’s rather understandable when you get a total amount of 20 remixes. But the main point remains for sure the reaction of the Thee Flanders fans about this totally weird challenge.

Conclusion: Is it just for fun or a psychobilly formation that has found a way to enter electro clubs? Whatever it is, this work is DJ food and be sure you are going to dance to it!

Best songs: “You Spin Me Round – Patenbrigade: Wolff Mix”, “You Spin Me Round – Head-Less Mix”, “Nightmares – Leather Strip Mix”, “You Spin Me Round – Die Krupps Mix”, “You Spin Me Round – Mirko Hirsch Mix”, “You Spin Me Round – AD:Key Mix”.

Rate: (8).

Band: www.theeflanders.de / www.facebook.com/theeflanders

Label: www.half7records.de /  www.facebook.com/Halb-7-Records-203287363058978

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: “Ultranoia” is the debut album of Damage Control. Set up by Australian artists Bill Barsby and Damian Davis plus Markus App (Germany) and Jason Podmore (UK), we might speak about an international collective. The album got mixed and mastered by Chris Peterson (FLA, Will, Noise Unit, Öhm, Decree ao).

Content: Damage Control sounds inspired by EBM. It’s not the hard-core EBM approach, but an intelligent and sophisticated composition, which might remind you of bands such as In Strict Confidence, Skinny Puppy and Portion Control. There’s a real fascinating mix, which is maybe due to the different origins of the band members.

“Ultranoia” is mixing danceable- and powerful cuts together with more evasive and somewhat soundtrack-orientated songs. The vocals are passionate and in total harmony with the dark sound creation.

The final song is a remix by Leather Strip.

+ + + : Damage Control didn’t spare any effort to accomplish a real masterpiece. The songs are intelligent and well-crafted, but still revealing a mature and outstanding production. The mixing of Chris Peterson is for an important aspect here. The songs mix power and a great sound creation plus appropriated vocals. But “Ultranoia” is not only a technically outstanding album, but also feature many terrific songs. The sound of Damage Control also inspired Claus Larsen who made a great remix of “Hate Crime”.

– – – : I don’t see any negative point! “Ultranoia” is maybe not the most accessible EBM format, but EBM is much more than simple 4×4 structures!

Conclusion: Damage Control took me by surprise. This band has accomplished a         real masterpiece, which will be for sure become one of my favorite EBM albums of 2017. Respect guys!

Best songs: “Reasons”, “Hate Crime”, “Ruined”, “World In Decline”, “Trauma”, “Hate Crime – Leather Strip Remix”.

Rate: (9).

Band: www.damagecontrolofficial.com / www.facebook.com/damagecontrol

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

December sees the release of a brand new In Strict Confidence album, “The hardest heart”. The release will be available in 3 formats, a very limited 2CD + MC boxset (available right here), a normal CD version (available right here) and another limited item, a 2LP vinyl version (available right here). The MC included in this boxset is actually the since long deleted 1997 album “Face the Fear”. Next to this this set includes an In Strict Confidence condom, two pins, a collection of stickers and postcards.

Here’s what Dennis Ostermann has to say about the all new album: “You need one thing when it comes to new In Strict Confidence album releases: patience. Although we could have shortened the wait, we compensated for the delay with two preliminary singles. All signs pointed to the fact that we can focus on our own strong points, we can focus on well- known classics and, while pushing the doors open, we can make our way forward.”

Note that the 12 new tracks come next to the two official videoclips for “Somebody Else´s Dream” and “Everything must Change” on the CD version. The 2nd disc in the boxset includes 4 extra tracks: “Time” (Extended Version), “Ой, то не вечер” (feat. Nika Kashirskaya), “Frozen Kisses” (5inch Version) and “Time” (Orchestral).

Here’s the video for “Somebody Else’s Dream”:

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

Less bands are working with a producer today, but great bands know a producer can add this little extra to your work. Olaf Wollschläger is one of the most respected contemporary producers. He produced bands like Melotron, Beborn Beton, Neuroticfish, In Strict Confidence, Psyche, Seabound, Edge Of Dawn and others. He also produced the last 3 Mesg albums. I thought it was essential to get his opinion about the new Mesh album (cf. Looking Skyward” released on Dependent).

The new 13-track Mesh album “Looking skyward” will be released in no less than 4 formats including a normal CD (available right here), a 2LP set (available right here) and a 2CD set (available right here) which comes with a hardcover book. But next to that there is also a super deluxe boxset (available right here) including the 2CD hardcover book, the gatefold 2LP, and an additional LP with bonus tracks of the bonus CD and a numbered certificate.

(by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: How did you get in touch with Mesh and what did they expect from your ‘job’ as producer?

 Olaf: I knew the music of Mesh long before I got in touch with them. I have seen them live on festivals and heard their songs in clubs.

The record company got in touch with me and asked me if I could help them by mixing their album. That was the album “A Perfect Solution” in 2009. In the end it was a bit more than just mixing. To make it sound right for me I changed some sounds and made some suggestions about the arrangements. But we had a limit in time, because there was already a tour booked. I think I had 4 weeks for the entire album.

As we talked afterwards I told Rich and Mark that I had loved to work out things more in detail and we said we could try that on the next album. That happened on “Automation Baby”. “A Perfect Solution” is a great album though, there are some great songs on that.

Q: How long did it take to produce the new album “Looking Skyward” and what’s your way of working together?

Olaf: Rich told me about starting a new album in November 2014 on a festval in Krefeld. Then it was March 2015 when I heard the first demo-song entitled “Tactile” and I thought it was brilliant. From then on I got some more stuff from the guys but did not work on it yet.

I think for me the whole process started, when I went to Bristol in August 2015 and worked on the songs with the band in their own studio (witch has some really good and rare synths in there). The album was finished by the end of May. So you can say it took me one year and one and a half for the band to achieve it

Most of the time we worked online, but this time Rich was here with me in the studio much longer than on the other albums. It was good to have him around, to have this direct communication.

Q: Can you reveal the different aspects of your work regarding the Mesh-releases?

Olaf: This is the third album I made with Mesh. I think even though “Automation Baby” was a big success and everybody said ‘you can’t do it better’ with “Looking Skyward” we made our best work so far. The reason is that we know each other much better now.

When we made “A Perfect Solution” there was not only time-pressure. We didn’t really know that much about each other. I think it is really important to understand the artist in what they want to achieve, what their favorite bands, films, books etc. are. Now with the third album we got a real good relationship in creativity. I know much better what they like, but more important what they don’t like. And they know me much better, the way I work.

Q: What kind of band is Mesh and what makes the chemistry between you and them?

Olaf: Mesh is a great band to work with. They got a lot of experience in making records and know exactly what they want. That makes things much easier when we are working.

My role is to make it sound right. It is not only the mixing. The whole thing starts with the recording. So we made all the vocals here in the studio with the most accurate equipment you can buy for money. The same with the guitars.

Then there are the synths. We are all sound addicts. And the band has got some really good instruments and software to work with. Rich is the guy working with some classic synths like the Pro-One and SH-101 but also the NORD Lead and the Virus. He is getting some real good sounding stuff out of this machines and you can say that is the typical Mesh-sound.

Mark is more the software guy. He has tons of apps on his devices and he uses them for writing songs. Some of those weird sounds really made onto the album. And then I got a lot of synths here in my studio. In the last years I found my love for modular synths again. And now we have a real playground of creativity here when it comes to sounds…

Q: You’ve produced a lot of bands and productions, but what makes Mesh maybe ‘different’ from other to work with?

Olaf: As I said before, it is the experience that makes the difference. I have a lot of bands here that have great songs and great voices but some of them don’t really know how it should sound like. Nowadays a lot of artists work in a box, on their laptops with softsynths. But they rarely change the sounds or even know how to do it. I think that is a generation thing.

Mesh and myself come from a time where you had to connect everything with MIDI and with your desk and had to know your equipment that costs thousands of Euros. Today it doesn’t matter if you don’t really know or use the app for just a few Euros.

Another big thing about Mesh is the voice of Mark. He is a brilliant singer and has such a unique timbre of voice. It is pure fun to work with audio-material like that. You can’t really make that much wrong with it.

Q: Do you have a favorite Mesh-song you produced and why?

Olaf: Oh, that is hard to answer. If you worked on all of them for a long time they are all your babies. If I had to pick some from the album I would say “The Fixer”, “Before The World Ends” and “Two+1”. But that could be another three tomorrow…

Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries

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

Following “Somebody else’s dream”, In Strict Confidence are now coming up with their second new EP before the end of the year album release. “Everything must change” sounds very much like In Strict Confidence always sounds so the band says, but they have kept it ‘fresh and modern’.

Next to a normal edit and an extended version, the single also has several remix versions by such artists like Solitary Experiments and AndyK (Melotron). Add to that 2 exclusive bonus tracks (“Emergency (Escher Beat rmx)” and “Rebirth”) and a lyric video for the title-song. All in all 7 tracks (the video included).

You can order the EP right here.

Regarding the sexy EP cover artwork, it’s from the hand of Stuttgart based artist Heilemania who was also responsible for In Strict Confidence’s previous single artwork.

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-industrial, epic-industrial, dark-electro.

Background/Info: We all know Jan Dewulf from his electro-pop band Diskonnekted, but the Belgian pop-master was previously active under the Mildreda moniker. That was a while back, somewhere in the midst of the 90s when Mildreda released two cassettes. After a long hiatus Mildreda was reactivated and even played live. Jan Dewulf even composed a bunch of new songs in 2009. “Coward Philosophy” features the ‘new’ and previously unreleased cuts plus a bonus of early demo songs and live cuts.

Content: The ‘2009’ songs reveal a fascinating electro-industrial style, which is mixing heavy epic blasts reminding me of In Slaughter Natives together with dark and doom-minded electro atmospheres, which are now and then reminding me of Yelworc. The cuts are carried by bombast and intriguing growling vocals by Jan Dewulf. The work is not entirely industrial-like, Jan Dewulf sometimes gets back to more electronic work. It however remains cold and always carried by some industrial treatments. I really like the contrast between Diskonnekted and Mildreda revealing the open-minded approach of this composer.

We next get 14 demo songs from 1996. The work is quite different and more dark-electro driven. You now will recognize some possible influences from bands like Suicide Commando and In Strict Confidence, but here again with some epic arrangements and industrial sounds on top. It feels a bit like a demo for what Mildreda accomplished in 2009.

Last, but not least there are 6 live versions from a live show in Bruges during 1998.

+ + + : I was impressed by the elaborated electro-industrial compositions of 2009 revealing impressive epic arrangements and great moody atmospheres. Jan Dewulf is revealed to be a multi-faced musician who can switch from alluring electro-pop to industrial mysticism. The ‘recent’ work of Mildreda features many cool songs.

– – – : Some In Slaughter Natives tricks sometimes are a bit too emulative and predictable. The older cuts are not as interesting and I especially refer to the live tracks.

Conclusion: If you never got the opportunity to hear the industrial side of Jan Dewulf you definitely have to give Mildreda a chance. I sincerely hope this new project will inspire and motivate Jan to move on with Mildreda.

Best songs: “Anthem Of Tomorrow”, “Erazor”, “Aborted”, “Stories” + “
Chaos – Early Tape Version ’96”, “Religion – Early Tape Version ’96”.

Rate: (7).

Band: www.facebook.com/officialmildreda

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

Inferno Sound Diaries

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

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In Strict Confidence continue their back catalogue repackaging campaign. Their 2010 album “La Parade Monstruese” now comes reissued with 33 tracks on a very limited 3CD set. Apart of the main album, you get a lot of non-album tracks and remixes by such artists as Rhys Fulber (Frontline Assembly, Fear Factory) Asp, Sono, Asmas Traum and many others.

Also included are the Videoclips for the singles “My Despair” and “Silver Bullets” (watch the video below).

The set can be pre-ordered right here, limited copies available only.

The tracklist:

CD1:
01 La Parade Monstrueuse
02 My Despair
03 Silver Bullets
04 One Drop
05 Set Me free
06 This is All
07 Ewige Nacht
08 Snow White
09 I surrender
10 Schwarzes Licht
11 Golden Gate

CD2:
01 My despair (single version)
02 My despair (clubmix)
03 Feelings
04 My despair (Sono remix)
05 Constant Flow
06 My despair (slowdive)
07 My despair (extended)
08 My despair (video)

CD3:
01 Set Me Free (extended)
02 My Despair (Monozelle rmx)
03 Set Me Free (Piano Version)
04 One Drop (DJ Francois vs. Kartagon rmx)
05 Set Me Free (Rhys Fulber rmx)
06 One Drop (Patenbrigade:Wolff rmx)
07 My Despair (Crashtv rmx)
08 Promised Land (MC1R rmx)
09 Set Me Free (ASP rmx)
10 My Despair (Parralox rmx)
11 Am Abgrund (Samsas Traum rmx)
12 My Despair (Mind:Shredder rmx)
13 Lazarus
14 Silver Bullets (Video)

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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In a Facebook update, the german act Dunkelwerk has hinted at new work which is being recorded. Here’s the Facebook update that intrigued us: “…the latest In Strict Confidence is great! As always. The latest :W: is entertaining! As always. Tonight i will render a new Dunkelwerk song. An Uboat track. I know you like submarines! “Der Kahn will nicht sinken…” Am Ende versenken wir natürlich wieder Mann und Maus. Ist konzeptbedingt.. ;)”

For the Endzeit Electro act Dunkelwerk it will be his first new material since “Duesterland” was released back in 2013. The musician behind the act is known to be of a rather recluse nature, hence why the project is a a pure studio project, not doing any live performances or any other public events.

Let’s see what the future brings. In the meantime, enjoy the last Dunkelwerk output including the clubhit “Die Unglückshaften”:

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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Minuswelt MusikFabrik has a new In Strict Confidence album coming out in the Summer. The album will be the band’s first sign of studio life after a DVD and some re-releases. But before the new album hits the shops, the band band will be releasing 2 new EPs in the next few weeks. The first one is “Somebody else’s dream”, with a running time of over 44 minutes. The CD will be released as a limited edition digipak and can be ordered right now!

Included in this EP are the title track, the non-album track “The Future”, a previously unreleased version of the band’s cult song “Seven Lives” next to remixes by Rhys Fulber (Front Line Assembly, Paradise Lost, Fear Factory) and Dirk Krause (Armageddon Dildos, Retro Adapter).

The artwork was done by Heilemania, who recently signed for the artwork of Rammstein lead singer’s solo project Lindemann.

Here’s the video for “Somebody else’s dream”:

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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As expected, also the YouTube account of Anton Lundin-Pettersson has been discovered by the mainstream media and as a result another band is being named in various newspapers besides Rammstein: Suicide Commando (including in Belgium where Het Laatste Nieuws added the band in its reports). In the past 3 days the Trollhättan attacker liked 2 videos of the Belgian dark electro act: “Feeding My Inner Hate” album and “Hate Me”. In the aftermath of what happened these songs are somewhat prophetical.

Says Sven Ummland, a local Trollhättan resident and Side-Line reader: “So far none of the newspaper reports are directly linking the bands he listened to to the attacks, as far as inspiration goes, but it’s just a matter of time before political correctness will settle in…” Let’s hope that won’t be the case.

Other bands that might expect to be linked (since in his playlist on YouTube) are In Strict Confidence, God Module, KMFDM, Bauhaus, Acylum, Marilyn Manson, to name just a few.

In the vicious attack yesterday, 2 people were stabbed to death by the masked Anton Lundin-Pettersson: a teacher and a young boy. The incident happened in a 90% migrant school and was clearly inspired by racism. Two other people were injured.

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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