Lacrimosa released their seventh studio album, “Fassade,” through Hall of Sermon and Nuclear Blast on 1 October 2001. The gothic metal record turns 25 this year.

The Swiss duo, Tilo Wolff and Anne Nurmi, recorded and mixed “Fassade” between January and June 2001 at Impuls Musicproductions in Hamburg, with orchestral parts performed by the Deutsches Filmorchester Babelsberg recorded in March 2001 at the Scoring Stage in Berlin. JP Genkel recorded and mixed the album, and Helge Halvé handled mastering in July 2001. Wolff arranged, produced and sang on the record; Nurmi wrote and sang the album’s English-language track, “Senses,” while Wolff wrote the remaining seven songs. The eight-track album is built around the title piece “Fassade,” a three-part composition split across tracks one, five and eight, with the remaining songs, “Der Morgen danach,” “Senses,” “Warum so tief?,” “Liebesspiel” and “Stumme Worte,” filling out a 52-minute run time. “Fassade” reached number 20 on the German Albums Chart and number 31 in Switzerland, following 1999’s “Elodia,” which had marked the band’s commercial breakthrough with the London Symphony Orchestra. “Fassade” streams on Spotify.

About Lacrimosa

Tilo Wolff founded Lacrimosa in Frankfurt, Germany, in 1990, recording a demo tape titled “Clamor” before launching his own label, Hall of Sermon, in 1991 to release the debut album “Angst.” A harlequin has appeared on every Lacrimosa album cover since, becoming the band’s logo. Wolff released “Einsamkeit” (1992) and “Satura” (1993) as the project’s sole member before Finnish musician Anne Nurmi, formerly of the gothic rock band Two Witches, joined as a permanent second member in 1994. Nurmi has contributed her own compositions in Finnish and English on every album since “Inferno” (1995), which became the band’s first charting release in Germany. “Stille” (1997) introduced the heavier, symphonic metal direction that defined the band’s sound going forward. “Elodia” (1999) became Lacrimosa’s commercial breakthrough, reaching number 12 in Germany with orchestral parts recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra at Abbey Road Studios. “Fassade” followed on 1 October 2001, continuing the orchestral approach with the Deutsches Filmorchester Babelsberg, an arrangement repeated on “Echos” (2003). In 2008, Hall of Sermon reclaimed the rights to the band’s back catalogue from Nuclear Blast, restoring full independence over the discography. Lacrimosa continued to release albums through the 2000s and 2010s, including “Lichtgestalt” (2005), “Sehnsucht” (2009), “Revolution” (2012), “Hoffnung” (2015) and “Testimonium” (2017), the latter a requiem in four acts dedicated to musicians who died in 2016. Side-Line marked the band’s 25th anniversary in 2015 with the announcement of a new studio album, and reported on the band’s 2021 return with “Leidenschaft,” delayed at the time by a worldwide paper shortage. Side-Line also covered the 2023 release of the double live CD “Nachts” on Hall of Sermon. “Lament,” released in 2025, completed a stylistic trilogy begun with “Testimonium” and debuted at number 7 in Germany, the band’s highest chart position since “Elodia.” Lacrimosa remains one of the longest-running self-released acts in the gothic metal scene, operating continuously through Wolff’s own label since 1991. “Fassade” turns 25 this year, marking a quarter century since the band’s most explicit engagement with themes of individuality and societal conformity.

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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Lacrimosa released its eleventh studio album, “Revolution”, on 7 September 2012 through Hall of Sermon. The album turns 14 this year. Tilo Wolff produced the record himself. Spotify’s release metadata lists the album a day earlier, on 6 September 2012; Wikipedia and Discogs both confirm 7 September as the official release date.

Wolff sang and played piano, bass and drum programming across the record, with Anne Nurmi on keyboards and additional vocals. Two guest musicians joined the sessions: guitarist Mille Petrozza of Kreator and drummer Stefan Schwarzmann of Accept, alongside guitarists J.P. Genkel and Henrik Flyman, drummers Arturo Garcia and Manne Uhlig, violinist Christina Grabka, and the orchestra Die Spielmann-Schnyder.

What is on Lacrimosa’s ‘Revolution’

The album runs 10 tracks: “Irgendein Arsch ist immer unterwegs”, “If the World Stood Still a Day”, “Verloren”, “This Is the Night”, “Interlude – Feuerzug (Part 1)”, “Feuerzug (Part 2)”, “Refugium”, “Weil Du Hilfe brauchst”, “Rote Sinfonie” and the title track “Revolution”. The cover art depicts the band’s recurring harlequin mascot standing over debris, waving a flag.

German magazine Orkus named “Revolution” its album of the month for October 2012, and Powermetal.de highlighted Petrozza’s guitar work while noting the album’s more direct songwriting compared to earlier Lacrimosa records. The album peaked at number 35 on the German album charts.

About Lacrimosa

Lacrimosa began in 1990 when Tilo Wolff recorded the demo tape “Clamor” in Germany, releasing the debut album “Angst” in 1991 through his own label, Hall of Sermon, which he founded the same year. Finnish musician Anne Nurmi joined in 1993, becoming Wolff’s permanent creative partner. The band’s early studio run continued through “Einsamkeit” (1992), “Satura” (1993), “Inferno” (1995), “Stille” (1997), “Elodia” (1999), “Fassade” (2001) and “Echos” (2003), moving from Wolff’s gothic rock beginnings toward the fuller orchestral and metal-oriented sound that later defined “Sehnsucht” (2009) and “Revolution” (2012).

“Hoffnung” followed “Revolution” in 2015. After a run of years without new studio material, Lacrimosa confirmed a new album was in production, reported in Worldwide paper shortage delays release new Lacrimosa album and The legendary Lacrimosa is coming back with a new studio album, and it will be released this year after all!. That album, “Lament”, was announced in January 2025, covered in Lacrimosa returns with an all new album: ‘Lament’. The band also released the double live album “Nachts” through Hall of Sermon, covered in Introducing ‘Nachts’: Lacrimosa Double Live CD on Hall of Sermon.

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 goth rock act Lacrimosa announces a brand new studio album to be released on March 7th 2025. The album is titled “Lament” and will come out on vinyl, CD and as an extended Earbook version. Two singles have already been released: “Avalon” (01 Nov 2024) and “Du bist alles was ich will” (20 Dec 2024).

The album “Testimonium” started the three-part cycle about death and loss in 2017, triggered by the death of many artists who had inspired Tilo Wolff (Lacrimosa’s singer, composer and producer) to create his music up to that point; artists such as David Bowie, Leonard Cohen,
and Prince, as well as the loss of his own parents.

After the second part, the album “Leidenschaft” from 2021, the third and final part of this cycle will be released in 2025. The album will combine style elements of symphonic metal and emotional gothic with the world of Celtic and Christian myths.

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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Hall of Sermon has announced the release of the Lacrimosa new double live CD album, “Nachts”, set to be available on October 27. The album comes in a digipak and includes a rich 12-page booklet filled with photos from the band’s recent concerts.

The COVID-19 pandemic has made live concerts a rarity, intensifying the band’s interaction with their audience during post-pandemic shows. To capture these unique experiences, the band began recording some of their concerts. The result is the album “Nachts” which translates to “At Night”.

May I introduce: Our new live album “Nachts”!
And it will be out on October 27th already!@lacrimosa pic.twitter.com/Pq8HFDguwX

— Lacrimosa (@LacrimosaBand) October 9, 2023

In the album’s booklet, Tilo Wolff writes about the special moments captured during the live recordings. The songs were recorded at various locations, including the German Wave Gotik Treffen in Leipzig and tours in Toluca and Puebla, Mexico, all in 2022, as well as in Glauchau, Germany, in 2023. The final track, “Tränen der Existenzlosigkeit”, was performed during a streaming concert in 2020 in an empty hall in Düsseldorf, Germany.

Album tracklist

CD1:

1. Lacrimosa Theme (2:11)
2. Liebe über Leben (6:19)
3. Kelch der Liebe (6:02)
4. Alleine zu zweit (4:06)
5. Nach dem Sturm (7:40)
6. Führ’ mich nochmal in den Sturm (5:49)
7. The Daughter Of Coldness (4:08)
8. Lichtgestalt (5:02)
9. Durch Nacht und Flut (3:56)

CD2:

1. Weil Du Hilfe brauchst (4:49)
2. Ich bin der brennende Komet (7:00)
3. If The World Stood Still A Day (3:35)
4. Schakal (6:22)
5. Celebrate The Darkness (5:23)
6. Rote Sinfonie (5:52)
7. Der Morgen danach (4:20)
8. Raubtier (4:43)
9. Tränen der Existenzlosigkeit (5:31)

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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Photo: picture alliance/dpa, Alexander Prautzsch

After a two years break, due to Covid-19, the annual Wave-Gotik-Treffen 2022 (29th edition) will take place from 3rd-6th June in the Agra-Halle and surrounded area of Leipzig, Germany.

WGT focuses especially on the gothic, (steam)punk, new wave, electro, EBM, industrial and medieval music and (sub)culture. It is a total-concept world festival including concerts, renaissance fairs, viking and pagan markets, exhibitions, CD/DVD and film premieres, lectures, artist signing events, fetish events, and (late-night) parties.

Approximately 200 artists are on the list, spread over more than 50 locations and the festival has about 20.000 visitors. As usual a lot of names out of the dark scene will play WGT: Lacrimosa, IAMX, Clan of Xymox, Combichrist, Rabia Sorda, Corvus Corax, VNV Nation, Orange Sector, Tanzwut, Xotox, Eisfabrik, Unzucht, Nachtblut, NNHMN, Linea Aspera, Minuit Machine, Dark, Fïx8:Sëd8, Letzte Instanz, Nosferatu, …

Tickets for WGT soon can be ordered here (entrance tickets purchased in the years 2020 or 2021 remain valid for the WGT 2022).

Genre/Influences: Gothic, Dark-Rock, Metal-Pop.

Format: Digital, 3CD,

Background/Info: Originally released in 2020, the latest album of the German Mono Inc. phenomena has been re-released as a box featuring the original disc plus a live disc and an extra disc with piano versions.

Content: “The Book Of Fire” totally stands for the sound and global approach of the German formation driven by their charismatic frontman Martin Engler. The songs are mixing Goth-Metal with extra carrying choruses on top. The electronic arrangements inject a melodic and somewhat Pop driven touch on top of the menacing guitar riffs. Tilo Wolff (Lacrimosa) has been featured on one of the songs.

The live album reveals the maturity of the band and the symbiotic relationship between the band and their fans. The recording features eleven live cuts getting us back to some or the band’s most famous songs.

The last disc brings us piano versions of all original songs from “The Book Of Fire”; simply piano creating a Cinematic effect.  

+ + + : Mono Inc. became one of the most popular underground acts of the German Goth-Metal scene and the live disc only illustrates their leading status. “The Book Of Fire” is a great album featuring multiple outstanding songs. The success formula of this band is the perfect balance between powerful guitar play and melodic electronics. Martin Engler also is a talented singer with a charismatic voice. The songs have been accomplished with judicious sound arrangements. It’s also great to see Tilo wolf and Tanzwut being each featured in one song. “Louder Than Hell” remains my favorite song, but there are numerous cool tracks. Among the live songs I especially recommend the final cut “Children Of The Dark”. Some of the piano versions are also worth listening to listen for their evasive, Cinematic style.

– – – : I can’t imagine real minus points about this brilliant album. I just can’t understand Mono Inc. isn’t more recognized outside Germany.

Conclusion: “The Book Of Fire” is an absolute must have for the fans, but it first of all is a great and poignant production. Respect!

Best songs: “Louder Than Hell”, “Death Or Live”, “Shining Light”, “The Gods Of Love”, “Right For The Devil” + “Children Of The Dark”, “Funeral Song”, “The Banks Of Eden” + “Death Or Live”.

Rate: 9.

Artist: www.facebook.com/monoinc

Label: http://nocut.de / www.facebook.com/spvhannover

About Mono Inc.

Mono Inc. is a dark rock band from Hamburg, Germany. Miky Mono (vocals, bass), Carl Fornia (guitar) and Martin Engler (drums) formed the group in 2000. Manuel Antoni joined on bass in 2003, the year the band self-released the debut album “Head Under Water”. A deal with NoCut Entertainment followed in 2004 and the album was reissued with new artwork.

During the sessions for “Temple Of The Torn” in 2006 Martin Engler moved from the drum kit to lead vocals and Katha Mia took over on drums. That record appeared in 2007, followed by “Pain, Love & Poetry” in 2008, “Voices Of Doom” in 2009 and “Viva Hades” in 2011. Founding singer Miky Mono died in a paragliding accident in October 2010. The band moved to SPV / Rookies & Kings in August 2012 and issued “After The War” that year, “Nimmermehr” in 2013, the double compilation “The Clock Ticks On 2004-2014” in 2014, “Terlingua” in 2015, “Together Till The End” and the compilation “Symphonies Of Pain” in 2017, and “Welcome To Hell” in 2018.

“The Book Of Fire” was released in January 2020 and reached number one on the German album chart. The expanded edition reviewed here followed in 2021. Side-Line reported the twelfth studio album “Ravenblack” in August 2022, and the thirteenth album “Darkness” arrived on August 15, 2025.

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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(Photo by schokopixel.de) Last month we informed you that worldwide paper shortage would delay the release of the new Lacrimosa album. However, some good news reached us from the Swiss label Hall of Sermon a few moments ago and that is that the new studio album by Lacrimosa will still be released this year.

Shortage of paper was not the only (last) hurdle to get the album ready on time, because also the production process took quite some time and organization to make it happen.

Says the band: “Originally, the album was supposed to be finished and released a little earlier, but due to the restrictions of the last few months, a lot of work had to be postponed and plans had to be changed. Digital networking makes a lot possible, but some production steps, such as orchestral recordings, can ultimately only be carried by all musicians coming together in one recording hall, playing together. But now the work is done and completed and the long awaited album comes out still in 2021!”

After their worldwide live-streaming show from the ISS Dome Düsseldorf for their 30th anniversary, the band is now ready to launch their new studio album this year. More information will follow shortly!

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 Swiss label Hall of Sermon informs us that Lacrimosa is coming with a new album pretty soon, but due to the shortage of raw materials, specially paper for the booklet, the final release date of the physical CD cannot yet be determined.

The label hopes to establish a release date that would still be somewhere at the end of this year.

If all this sounds strange to you, it actually is not strange at all. Virtually all paper products — from wedding invitations to cereal boxes — are in short supply as mills struggle to keep up with demand because of worker shortages, add to that shipping bottlenecks that cause extra delays and problems for consumers and businesses.

More info on the new album as soon as we get it.

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 now is “The Last Day”, a new Two Witches song featuring the legendary Inkubus Sukkubus. “The Last Day” is taken from the band’s latest album “The Undead” out via the Brazilian label Deepland Records.

“The Undead” is the first new studio album for the band in seven years. The album features various guest musicians, such legendary gothic icons as Inkubus Sukkubus and Vlad Janicek (The Nosferatu), and some new talents like Ariel Maniki (The Black Halos), Sanna Keltaniemi (Chaos Research) and Lisa Miles (Jesucrisis).

The cover art was created by Jan ”Örkki” Yrlund (Darkgrove Design, wellknown for his works for Manowar, Korpiklaani, Battle Beast and others, also known as a musician for Imperia and ex-member of Lacrimosa and Two Witches).

Two Witches is a pioneer of Finnish gothic rock since 1987, formed by Jyrki Witch and Anne Nurmi (1987-1993, nowadays known as a keyboardist of Lacrimosa). Two Witches anno 2021 consists of frontman Jyrki Witch and musicians Marko Hautamäki and Miss Blueberry.

Check out the song 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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To be released on December 18th is the newest Lacrimosa release “1990-2020 The Anniversary box” to celebrate the band’s 30th anniversary.

This box was originally planned to be sold by the band through their mailorder only but now also sees a further distribution via other shops.

The set holds 3 CDs, with a total playing time of 3 hours and 40 minutes. The first disc holds the legendary 25th anniversary concert spread over 12 tracks. The second disc “Cover Up” holds 15 renditions of Lacrimosa songs by such bands as Lords Of The Lost, Black Moon Secret, Canterra, Atrocity, Mono Inc., ect..

The real gem in this set is disc 3, called “Versionen”. This CD holds Tilo Wolff’s piano demos from the very first days of the band.

1. Reissende Blicke (Piano Demo from March 2nd 1991)
2. Der Geschmack der Schmerzen (Piano Demo from January 15th 1992)
3. Versuchung (Demo Version from March 10th 1993)
4. Diener eines Geistes (Rehearsal Room from November 9th 1993)
5. Der letzte Hilfeschrei (Live in Hamburg from November 17th 1993)
6. Seele in Not (Live in Hamburg from November 17th 1993)
7. Schakal (Keyboard Demo from April 22nd 1994)
8. Alles Lüge (Live and Unplugged in Lübeck from January 13th 1996)
9. Mein zweites Herz (Club Mix from September 28th 1996)
10. Einsamkeit (Piano Version from May 15th 2020)
11. Schakal (Piano Version from June 18th 2020)
12. Weil Du Hilfe brauchst (Version for the Anniversary Concert on August 28th 2020)

The box also contains a flag modelled on those used at the band’s concerts. For the little ones amongst you, there is a memory game by Anne Nurmi and Tilo Wolff; a wall calendar for the year 2021 and a sticker made of chrome. All this comes packed in a high-quality, super deluxe hand-numbered box with special UV-printing.

There are no plans to release the content separately so the band says.

About Lacrimosa

Lacrimosa are a gothic duo led by German Tilo Wolff, the main composer, and Finn Anne Nurmi. The project started in 1990 when Tilo Wolff released a tape called “Clamor” using the band name of Lacrimosa. The year after he founds a new record company called Hall of Sermon, as an independent label to publish the Lacrimosa records. In 1993 Anne Nurmi joins the solo project to play keyboard, becoming a permanent member soon after.

They are currently based in Switzerland, but originally from Germany. Originally counted among the bands of the Neue Deutsche Todeskunst genre, Lacrimosa have developed their style more towards powerful metal, but gothic elements still remain.

Their current musical style mixes gothic rock and heavy metal, along with violin, trumpet, and more classical instruments, although their musical development throughout the years has also led to changes in instrumentation. Lacrimosa’s lyrics are written almost exclusively in German, although since the 1995 album Inferno every album has featured one or two songs in English, generally written by Anne Nurmi. Finnish has also appeared in the spoken intro to two songs (“Schakal” on Inferno and “The Turning Point” on Elodia) and on a bonus track in a limited edition release of Fassade called Vankina.

The band’s last studio album was the 2017 release “Testimonium”.

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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On 10th and 11th August 2019 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.

The last years the festival was every time sold out and had about 25.000 visitors. This year some of the confirmed artists are: Fields Of The Nephilim, VNV Nation, Lacrimosa, OOMPH!, Deathstars, DIE KRUPPS, Within Temptation, ASP, Subway To Sally, Combichrist, Diary Of Dreams, Corvus Corax, Suicide Commando, Agonoize, Funker Vogt, Mono Inc., DE/VISION, Empathy Test, Joachim Witt, Spetsnaz, [:SITD:], Zeromancer, Melotron, …

DJ’s at the afterparties are: Der Schulz (Unzucht), Bruno Kramm (Das Ich), Chris L. (Funker Vogt and Agonoize), Andy Krüger (Melotron), Ronan Harris (VNV Nation), Mike Kanetzky (Matrix Bochum).

Besides watching concerts you can also visit markets, artist signing events, gothic fashion shows, readings by Axel Hildebrand, 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 renewed website.

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

Tilo Wolf (Lacrimosa) will be present as guest singer on “Lamentation”, one of the songs of “Aquila”, Holy Tide’s debut album. Tilo announced the collaboration right here on Facebook.

On June 19th Holy Tide will present the official video of the song that sees him as a guest singer. The “Aquila” debut album by Holy Tide is about to fly over your heads on June 28th, 2019.

More info soon.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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

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Genre/Influences: Gothic-metal.

Background/Info: Nachtfalter is a German duo active since 2017. After two singles (cf. “Maschinenklang” and “Anderes Leben”) they now present their debut full length album.

Content: “Was Bleibt” sounds definitely in the truly German gothic-metal vein. It’s not only about the German vocals, but it also is about a sound, which you can easily recognize among others. You’ll notice the metal-driven guitar play, which is accentuated by gothic-like atmospheres and melodies. Some tracks are moving into epic passages, but I also noticed a more post-punk inspired song (cf. “Maschinenklang”). Nachtfalter constantly moves in between furious parts and more atmospheric passages while the last track is an electronic version of “Maschinenklang”.

+ + + : If you’re into gothic-metal music, this album might be something for you. It sounds hard and yet melodic, driven by metal guitar riffs and accomplished with subtle electronic treatments. The band also has a nose to compose carrying choruses, bringing a wider dimension to the songs. I don’t want to compare them, but some songs might appeal for fans of Lacrimosa.

– – – : Nachtfalter is clearly meant as an assault of the German goth-metal scene. Releasing a debut album always is a challenge so time will tell if they’ll succeed in their mission. I don’t hear that much new in their sound so why should their become more successful than others?

Conclusion: If your favorite music is German gothic-metal music and you don’t like other genres and don’t even want to discover innovation, this might be an album for you. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not bad, but definitely nothing new!

Best songs: “Im schatten”, “Anderes Leben”, “Maschinenklang – Elektro-Version”.

Rate: (6).

Artist: www.nachtfalter–band.de / www.facebook.com/nachtfalterband

Label: www.echozone.de / www.facebook.com/EchozoneMusic

About Nachtfalter

Nachtfalter are a German dark rock and gothic metal duo from Altenburg, formed in 2017 by Tobias Serfling and Tom Günzig. “Was Bleibt,” reviewed here, became the project’s debut album, released through Echozone/Soulfood in 2019 after the singles “Maschinenklang” and “Anderes Leben.” A second album, “Abschied,” followed in 2024, and a third, “Still(Leben),” was announced in 2026, preceded by the singles “Bodenlos” and “Als du gingst”.

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 biggest distributor for the industrial electro scene, Audioglobe, has announced its Top 10 in best selling industrial music labels. The numbers were already out there for the labels to look at it, but here they are also for the regular fans. Note that with 2018, Audioglobe also enters it’s 25th year of existance as the distributor set up shop on 6 December 1993. We will of course have a big extended interview and more with Sebastian Koch regarding this great achievement in a very tough market.

But now the numbers many of you have been waiting for!

The Top 3

First the Top 3. The number 1 label in sales is Trisol which has bands such as Clan of Xymox, Rome, Project Pitchfork, Sopor Aeternus, Nachtmahr, Rotersand, Asp, Mantus etc. under contract. The second label in the list is the Belgian based Alfa Matrix which nurtures the talent of Front 242, Underviewer, Daniel B Prothèse, Metroland, Alien Vampires, Ayria, Leatherstrip, Psy’Aviah, Kant Kino and so many other acts. Note that this label also has a very strong e-shop presence (direct sales are not included in this Top 10 list). The 3rd label is Out Of Line with Blutengel, Combichrist, Hocico, Solar Fake, Heimataerde, Unzucht, Solitary Experiments. Also this label has an own e-shop.

The rest of the Top 10

The 4th label is Fabrika/Dead Scarlet (She Past Away, Lebanon Hanover, Selofan, Kaelan Mikla, M!R!M, Doric…) followed by ArtOfFact (Legend, Frontline Assembly, Haujobb, Psyche, Noise Unit, Dead When I found her, Pankow…) and Metropolis (Birthday Massacre, Aesthetic Perfection, God Module, Lords of Acid, Skinny Puppy, Delerium…). The 7th place is occupied by Rustblade (Morricone, Claudio Simonetti’s Goblin, Leaether Strip, Lydia Lunch, Legendary Pink Dots, Merzbow…). Also Dependent is still in the Top 10, namely on spot 8 with their label roster (Covenant, Mesh, Pride & Fall, Beborn Beton, Seabound, Encephalon, Frontline Assembly, Clicks..). Place 9 and 10 finally are for Manic Depression (Winter Severity Index, Ash Code, Schonwald, Box and the Twins, Sjoblom, Dear Deer…) and Undo (Marsheaux, Girl One and the Grease Guns, Mesh, Fotonovela, OMD, Nikonn, Mikro, Vienna, Liebe…).

And on spot 11 and 12…

2 labels didn’t make the Top 10, namely Hall Of Sermon (Lacrimosa, Snakeskin, Black Moon Secret, Eyes Shut Tight) and Infacted (NamNamBulu, Grendel, Torul, Reaper, Frozen Plasma, Ruined Conflict, Orange Sector, Syntec…). Both labels ended on place 11 and 12.

Here’s the complete list again. The bands next to the label are listed in order of sales results/total turnover per band in 2017 via Audioglobe.

01 TRISOL (Clan of Xymox, Rome, Project Pitchfork, Sopor Aeternus, Nachtmahr, Rotersand, Asp, Mantus…)
02 ALFA MATRIX (Front 242, Underviewer, Daniel B Prothèse, Metroland, Alien Vampires, Ayria, Leatherstrip…)
03 OUT OF LINE (Blutengel, Combichrist, Hocico, Solar Fake, Heimataerde, Unzucht, Solitary Experiments …)
04 FABRIKA/DEAD SCARLET (She Past Away, Lebanon Hanover, Selofan, Kaelan Mikla, M!R!M, Doric…)
05 ARTOFFACT (Legend, Frontline Assembly, Haujobb, Psyche, Noise Unit, Dead When I found her, Pankow…)
06 METROPOLIS (Birthday Massacre, Aesthetic Perfection, God Module, Lords of Acid, Skinny Puppy, Delerium…)
07 RUSTBLADE (Morricone, Claudio Simonetti’s Goblin, Leaether Strip, Lydia Lunch, Legendary Pink Dots, Merzbow…)
08 DEPENDENT (Covenant, Mesh, Pride & Fall, Beborn Beton, Seabound, Encephalon, Frontline Assembly, Clicks..)
09 MANIC DEPRESSION (Winter Severity Index, Ash Code, Schonwald, Box and the Twins, Sjoblom, Dear Deer…)
10 UNDO (Marsheaux, Girl One and the Grease Guns, Mesh, Fotonovela, OMD, Nikonn, Mikro, Vienna, Liebe…)
11 HALL OF SERMON (Lacrimosa, Snakeskin, Black Moon Secret, Eyes Shut Tight)
12 INFACTED (NamNamBulu, Grendel, Torul, Reaper, Frozen Plasma, Ruined Conflict, Orange Sector, Syntec…)

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-rock, metal, gothic.

Background/Info: Singer Martin Engler and his acolytes are back on track unleashing the ninth studio album of Mono Inc. The German formation became one of the most noticeable bands from the German goth-metal & alternative rock scene. The new work features a new opus with 12 songs and an extra disc featuring surprising remixes.

Content: Mono Inc. never stopped their progression throughout the years. “Together Till The End” is an invitation to embark on a powerful and melodic trip constantly mixing elements of dark and alternative rock, metal riffs and melodic gothic melody lines. The overwhelming choruses are one of the main characteristics of this new opus, while in a way being the band’s trademark.

The power has been mixed with delicate arrangements and charismatic vocals, but still feature a few surprising contributions from Ronan Harris (VNV Nation) and another tracks featuring Tilo Wolff (Lacrimosa), Joachim Witt and Chris Harms (Lord Of The Lost).

The bonus CD mainly consists of some surprising remixes by bands such as Palast, Solitary Experiments, Faderhead, Eisfabrik and Blitzmaschine. It’s quite surprising to discover the original songs transposed in mainly pop-orientated versions. You also will discover a live, unplugged song plus the original versions of both songs featuring the aforementioned guest singers.

+ + + : “Together Till The End” is a true masterpiece revealing a perfect balance between power, melodies and sensibility, but still a perfect match between orchestral/epic arrangements and subtle sound treatments. Mono Inc. realized a tour de force inviting Ronan Harris to sing on the beautiful “Boatman” and a trio of famous guests on “Children Of The Dark”. The global production is absolutely amazing while the album is filled with numerous potential hits. “Together Till The End” is an accomplished piece carried by great musicians and a charismatic singer.

The bonus disc transposes most of the original songs into a surprising electronic-pop approach. Most of the remixes have been made by label mates. I was deeply impressed by the remixes of Eisfabrik and Blitzmaschine.

– – – : This album will become without a shadow of a doubt one of the best productions of 2017 so I don’t have any negative points. I just can imagine that some fans will be a bit disappointed by the electronic remixes from the bonus disc.

Conclusion: You have numerous great albums, but not many outstanding pieces. “Together Till The End” is an album I can’t get enough from so it definitely is a masterpiece!

Best songs: “There Comes A Time (Back to Life)”, “Children Of The Dark”, “Boatman”, “Out In The Fields”, “The Banks Of Eden” + “Across The Waves – Takatiktok Mix by Eisfabrik”, “This Is My Life – Kondensat Remix by Blitzmaschine”.

Rate: (9).

Band: www.mono–inc.com / www.facebook.com/monoinc

Label: http://nocut.de / www.facebook.com/spvhannover

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: Gothic-pop, neo-classic, electronic.

Background/Info: Tilo Wolff and Lacrimosa both are inseparable, but I’m sure some of you will probably have forgotten Snakeskin. This other project driven by Tilo Wolf released two albums (cf. “Music for The Lost” and “Canta’Tronic”), but the last opus got released in 2006! “Tunes For My Santimea” is a kind of comeback for Tilo Wollf who’s in the real good company of two great female singers (cf. Kerstin Doelle and Carina Boehmer). Kerstin Doelle was already singing on “Canta’Tronic”.

Content: The link with Lacrimosa is always easy to make although this new work is more into a kind of neo-classic spirit. The beautiful and artistically trained vocals –especially of Kerstin Doelle, elevate this work towards a higher level. But the work is not only the heavenly voices of the singers, but also the great composition.

Snakeskin moves from hard and dynamic songs to beautiful, sad atmospheres. Orchestral arrangements were mixed with refined sound treatments. The songs are now delicate and next bombastic-like while I can perfectly imagine some of the tracks being used on a soundtrack.

The album features 10 tracks plus 2 remixes

+ + + : “Tunes For My Santimea” is a versatile, but artistic composition. There’s a beautiful duality between both female singers while Tilo Wolff’s vocals are just accentuating the contrast… or accomplishing the complementarity between all protagonists. It’s hard to consider this work as any particular genre rather than the synthesis between multiple influences. Electronics and neo-classic influences join hands for a transcendental creation revealing several attention grabbers. I also have to mention a great club-remix of “Take Me Now” by Kartagon. Last, but not least I have to say a word about the great artwork of the album, which reminds us that a physical release still remains the unique format that would please real music lovers.

– – – : This album is too beautiful and accomplished to really consider finding minus points. I would just add that the final part of the opus is not as exciting compared to the phenomenal debut.

Conclusion: Snakeskin strikes back in style and with an impressive artistic achievement. Should we really expect it different when it involves Tilo Wolf?

Best songs: “La Vie Passee”, “Santiméa”, “Heartbeat”, “Le sEul Vrai”, “Take Me Now –  Kartagon Remix”.

Rate: (8).

Band: www.snakeskin.ch  

Label: https://myspace.com/hallofsermon

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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Exponentia is a French solo-project set up by Ludivic Dhenry in 2012. The music clearly refers to typical gothic music styles and the shadow of Sopor Aeternus feels like recovering the songs, which are mainly sung in German language. The album titles (cf. “Allein”, “Sadness”, “Ghost” and now “Abend”) clearly reveals the dark and melancholic themes inspiring the sound atmospheres and the lyrical content. All music has been released on Exponentia’s own label Neris Records. This is an interesting artist with a real artistic approach.

(by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: Tell us something about your musical background and what incited you to set up Exponentia?

Ludovic: I wanted to create a Gothic musical project with elements of classical music, in the German musical style of bands as Lacrimosa, Sopor Aeternus, Goethes Erben, Das Ich etc … I love this musical style and classical and baroque music. Exponentia allows me to incorporate that into my compositions.

I also composed more electronic music, another music style I like a lot too, with my other projects Zauber, Eleventh Fear and Résonance Magnétique. I think all of my albums together form a world, an atmosphere. I learn by myself, and to improve myself, I studied for a year harmony, music theory and the technical engineer of sound in a professional music school.

Every day, I wake up at 4:30 am to work most of the day on music. This is my life I’m passionate about it.

Q: Tell us a bit more about the ‘sound’ of Exponentia?

Ludovic: I want to create an imaginary music world, populated by phantasmagorical and fantastic creatures. The lyrics and the atmosphere of the albums evoke the angels, demons, vampires, ghosts. Each album of Exponentia has a different sound. I like working on an overall sound, unique and consistent for each disk I produce.

Currently I am working on the next album, I’ve already the sound in mind. I have ideas for the atmosphere and the sound of further albums as well. Sadness and melancholy both are main sources of inspiration to compose great music and, which are recurring themes in Exponentia.

Q: You might be consider as a ‘DIY’-artist who clearly takes care for every little aspect and detail of your work. Tell us a bit more about it and what do you think about the idea to get signed to an established label? What are the ‘pro’ and ‘contra’ of being a ‘DIY’ artist?

Ludovic: Working alone on my project allows me to create exactly what I want, without compromise. It’s important to me. I like that all the details are refined as I wish. I can also create my album covers myself, it really is a great artistic freedom.

Of course, I would like to record and mix with symphony orchestra musicians in a big recording studio, with a producer, but it is financially impossible. However, in the future, there may be musicians to record some musical instruments in my studio, such as the guitar, for example.

Yes, I would like to be signed to an established label, but for now, no label wants to sign Exponentia. I received a proposal from a German label, but unfortunately the contract was really bad for the artist. I created Neris Records to produce my albums on CD and digital format, but, of course, I study all proposals from established labels. The negatives are that without an established label, there’re no big financial means for the production, promotion and distribution. It’s very difficult.

The positives are that I have total freedom regarding the creation, the content of the album, release dates, tracklist, cover. I can compose and produce all the albums I want, including other projects in other musical styles.

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

Lacrimosa will celebrate their 25th band anniversary with a brand new studio album on which the band has been working since January 2015 with the support of a 60 headed orchestra. The new album will be released on 06 November 2015 via Hall of Sermon / Sony Music.

Directly after the release of the new album, the band will be on tour until mid-2016 which will bring them to Russia, China, Taiwan and Japan and 9 Latin American countries. The tour will end in Europe.

Lacrimosa is a gothic duo led by German Tilo Wolff, the main composer, and Finn Anne Nurmi who joined Wolff in 1993. The band was originally formed as a solo project in 1990 when Tilo Wolff released a tape called “Clamor” using the band name of Lacrimosa. The year after he founded Hall of Sermon, an independent label which since then has been publishing Lacrimosa’s records. They are currently based in Switzerland.

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: Goth-rock, rock-metal, hard-rock.

Content: Behind this new band is hiding Lacrimosa’s guitarist JP Genkel. This artist has worked and produced some real famous names in the goth-metal scene while he was ‘secretly’ busy composing songs for his own project during the past few years.

With the input of extra artists featuring his Lacrimosa’s mates Manne Uhlig and Julien Schmidt plus Henrik Flyman and singer Olaf Senkbeil the album was finally achieved. I didn’t know what to expect, but for some reasons I was sure “Another World” would not sound like ‘another Lacrimosa’. Black Moon Secret sounds definitely different –although you here and then will possibly notice a little flavor of Lacrimosa.

This band sounds more inspired by a mix of metal- and rock music with an extra dark, gothic touch on top. Some of the songs sound a bit like the hybrid between The Scorpions and Pink Floyd. The impressive guitar solos will definitely please lovers of this instrument.

The tracks were accomplished by background electronic arrangements while other piano passages can be heard as well. I also notice different symphonic traces like at “See” and “Feel” which move more into electronic symphonic arrangements.

The debut part of the CD can’t fully convince, but right in the midst of the tracklist we get the attention grabbers “Eyes” and “Falling”. Both songs sound harder and are carried by solid guitar riffs. I personally prefer this tough side, which still reveal a real outburst at the chorus of “Falling” plus a great and symphonic apotheosis.

The tracklist finally moves towards some delicate passages (cf. “Fly”) while the last song (cf. “Pictures”) makes me think of the hard-rock style of Scorpions. So in the end I would say there’s a lot to experience on this album, which is mixing different genres.

Conclusion: Black Moon Secret clearly exorcized different musical ghosts, which become more convincing during the harder songs.

Best songs: “Falling”, “Eyes”.

Rate: (Elise Din:6½)Elise Din.

Band: www.blackmoonsecret.com / www.facebook.com/pages/Black-Moon-Secret/168641059834515

Label: http://www.lacrimosa.ch / www.facebook.com/LacrimosaOfficial

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